Sunday Drive

After the detail day it was time to do what the FR-S excels at... actually driving it.  As nice as it is to look at all shiny, it's still much better to get out and drive it.

Today's weather was fall perfection.  Mild temps, no rain, the leaves just starting to turn. My copilot was eager and ready for more country driving in the FR-S.  We headed out west before too much traffic was on the road, with no particular destination in mind but looking out for places to snap a few pictures of the new gloss on the car.  It had been over a week since driving the FR-S last, due to needing to jockey all of the other vehicles in for routine maintenance and Virginia safety inspection before the end of the month.

Our first stop was Hillsborough Winery on Charlestown Pike.  They were not yet open, but they have a great vista and nice hills with rows of vines.  Below are some pictures from their lot. In the bright sun, I'm finding this red is hard to photograph.

Shot with the grapevines in the background.

We left here and ended up in West Virginia driving some hilly, curvy roads.  Didn't hear many banjos, but did make a pit stop and grab some snacks and beverages.  Headed back into Virginia and through some farmland roads.  Stopped at a historic site on the way, in Aldie.

All in all an excellent journey.  These are the kinds of trips I used to make in my 1996 Miata, with the top down but without company.  I can now definitively answer whether or not I would regret not having a drop top.  The answer is no regrets.  The FR-S with windows down is plenty of fresh air, and it has a back seat, and if you have the right copilot, the journey will be that much better.  I couldn't have this passenger in the Miata:

Detail Day

Today was the first detail day for the FR-S.  I took the opportunity to freshen up the detail kit with some new polishes and pads, as well as try my first attempt using a paint sealant instead of a wax.

The car wash supplies ready for use, all but the clay bar just purchased from www.autogeek.net:

Citrus concentrated car wash
Mothers Clay Bar
Wolfgang Swirl Remover
Wolfgang Glaze
Lake Country Polishing Pads
Eraser spray
Opticoat 2.0

I started out with a wash and dry.  Once dry I used the clay bar on the entire car.  Even brand new you could hear the clay bar working and lifting the contaminants.  It was at this time I noticed how badly the dealership "detailer" scratched the paint.  It's kind of sad really.  After the clay was done I backed the car out for a second wash and dry.

Once dry, it was time to remove swirls.  I went to work on the dealership scratches and was able to mask them somewhat but not remove them.  I'm using a Porter Cable dual action polisher and to truly correct these scratches I would need a circular polisher and a whole lot more skill.  I elected to get it as good as I can get it and accept that there will be scratches sealed into the paint.  You have to look hard to see them, I'll know they are there, but if you're not looking for them you may miss them.  Below is a mid process shot of the swirl remover and pad.

Below is a shot of the front after swirl remover.  iPhone 3GS had a hard time focusing.

Next was the glaze.  It went on simple enough and really began to bring out depth in the red.   It was also applied with the polisher and a pad with less cut.

Below is a picture post glaze and before the Car Eraser rubdown.  The Eraser spray is an Isopropyl Alcohol spray that removes oils and deposits left behind by polishes.  When using a sealer, in order for it to effectively bond and seal, these oils and deposits must be removed.

All of this was done to prepare the car for Opticoat.  Opticoat is a sealer that chemically reacts and bonds to the clearcoat, making a protective layer on top of the clear.  It is known to last for 2 years before needing reapplication.  I have to admit, I was nervous to use this product.  It is the kind of product that barely comes with instructions, meaning it's not meant for average joe consumer.  In addition I had to certify I knew how to use this product prior to purchasing.  I watched some videos online and read on some detailing forums tips and tricks.  I was still uneasy though.  There are warnings galore.

This product is bizarre.  I went through the application process but have no idea if I did it right or if its adequate.  You basically put 4-6 little drops, yes DROPS, on the applicator pad and wipe in a cross hatch pattern.  This will be enough to do an entire panel, such as a fender, door, or quarter panel.  It doesn't look like much is going on, but these are the instructions and also is what the pro's were doing in the videos.  I would apply it, let it settle itself, and in about 2 minutes hit down and high spots with a light microfiber wipe.  I would go back after about 20 minutes to the panel and give it another light microfiber wipe.  I did this over the whole car, and it looked like I may have missed part of the hood so I did that a second time.  I gave one last light wipe down and the product must cure for 12 hours.  I don't believe the product was difficult to apply, though at this time I have no idea if I did it correctly.  It looks nice, but I don't know if I botched the job or not until water gets on it to see how even the coverage is.  Very unusual product and process to say the least.  This product is also safe on plastics, glass, whatever... but I just used it on the paint today.  Maybe I'll experiment on other materials another day.  Since it is only used 4 drops at a time, this appears to be a lifetime supply in this tiny syringe!

Some pictures after the Opticoat

The car reflects quite a bit now, even in the low light no-flash iphone pic in the garage. Last picture is me at the end, with the curve of the body panel giving me freakishly long E.T. fingers.

Early Morning Pics

FR-S had to make an early run to Dulles.  Super Early.  Which necessitated an equally early Starbucks trip on the way home, since they had just opened.  The air was brisk this morning, traffic was light, and 3 folks and some luggage fit no problem in the FR-S.

Departures zone at Dulles.  In the short time it took to take this picture a person appeared out of nowhere asking what kind of car it was, even at that early hour.  This car does that.

Stopped at Starbucks on the way home, snapped a pic.  I need to learn better photo skills with these camera phones.

Lansdowne Octoberfest

Today was the Lansdowne Octoberfest. Not much happened with the FR-S as a result. 'Nuff said.

First "Mod" Arrived

Unfortunately Virginia requires front license plates.  This is a pretty stupid law, but the law is the law.  The front end of the FR-S is beautiful. Thankfully since I ordered the car well in advance I was able to keep the dealer from drilling holes in the bumper.  But, that left me with figuring out how to mount the front plate.  I researched various options to zip tie the plate and/or plate bracket to the front end but felt that these would block too much airflow on a car that seemed to run on the hot side normally.  Instead I checked out the offset mounting options sold by Perrin and Grimmspeed.  I decided on the Grimmspeed mount and it arrived today!  The plate mounts to the front tow hook on the passenger side.  I'm going to hold off installing until the plate arrives from the DMV.  I wish I could go no plate, but this bright red car gets enough attention as it is!

The package from GrimmSpeed below.  Their customer service, packaging, and communication of order and shipping status were first rate.  Truly one of the better companies I've ordered from in a long time.

What? This has hands-free phone too?

Today reminded me of something about the FR-S that was a surprise feature I discovered after I bought it.  I had no idea that this car included bluetooth phone integration to where you can make and receive calls.  I knew it had bluetooth audio, but didn't realize it could handle full voice calls.  On the way home listening to some Pretenders the phone went off two separate times.  I gotta say, the bluetooth hands free worked flawlessly and the conversations were easy to hear even with the window down.  And it sure makes it alot easier to be on the phone and still shifting the manual transmission while talking.  I normally hate talking on the phone in the car.  The car is a place of solitude and getting away from things, if only for a short time.  But, if someone is calling, I'll answer, and it's nice to answer and still be able to row the gears.

Pic of the phone buttons on the radio

Go West

Had a busy day at work, had a hard time focusing once exhausted towards end of day.  How to regain focus?  Well, it was 69 degrees outside, no clouds, and if I hit the road before 4 I could avoid some NoVa traffic.  I headed West into rural Loudoun county to get some fresh air, curves and country.  Something about tree-canopied roads is just awesome.

The FR-S is at home on these roads.  I did not push it.  It's still break in.  And driving like a moron on public roads isn't my thing.  But there's nothing wrong with a quick corner here and there, keeping on the proper side of center.  My FR-S came with all season tires, and I'm just not sure what they can do yet, or when they'll give up grip at speed.  Body roll is well controlled side to side.  Pitch and dive from front to back is also well damped.  There's something pretty special about driving this car.  I'll be able to put it into words eventually.  Days like today were waiting for a car like this, for me.

Pic from the westward journey to clear my mind.

Initial Driving Impressions, first 200 miles

Initial impressions over the first 200 miles are mostly positive.

-Seat comfort is phenomenal.
-The shifter feels tight, mechanical, firm.
-The clutch is light and has an unusual engagement point.  It takes getting used to from a stop.
-The dash display with the headlights on is pretty cool.
-Exhaust note is different.  This is my first boxer engine.
-This car gets noticed.  Thumbs up received from several guys trapped driving SUV's.
-Acceleration seems adequate, even though I'm keeping it below 4,000 RPM for break-in.  Coming from a 1996 Miata the FR-S may as well be a muscle car in acceleration (yeah, I know, it's not).
-On Monday on a lunch run we had the first 'bummer' moment.  The idle began "hunting" and my passenger thought I was revving the engine.  Something to keep an eye on.  These cars have been having engine issues. 212 miles on the odo when this occurred.

Random Dash shot:

Friday September 14

TGIFR-S

On Friday Sept 14 we picked up our 2013 Scion FR-S after a three week wait. It was actually two weeks early which was awesome. I hadn't had much sleep in the weeks preceding delivery. This is the start of chronicling life with a car I've been waiting on and reading about for what seems like years. FR-S showed up on a Friday, hence TGIFR-S.

Some day one pictures upon arriving at home.