First Day With New Baby

[tresola]

Here she is- I've named her Shark. http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu74 ... %20Solara/
I've posted the pictures with some comments for now, but I think I'm going to start a blog on her. Its going to be a slow process getting stuff done, but its going to be fun!

And Shark is an absolute MESS. I've got before and after pictures of the interior cleanup. Unfortunately it took me 4 hours yesterday just to try and clean the floors & mats! I did an exterior wash and cleaned the tires a little, then started in on the interior. I tried to do the driver's side trim and stuff, but I finally ran out of juice and cried Uncle!

I'm hoping the rain stays away long enough today so I can do more work. I am going to have to pick up a different chemical for the interior since the ICE gooey stuff is only doing a mediocre job, and I have to use a Wipe Down & Degreaser in between.

But beyond the major cleaning I have to do (since I love doing this type of thing it doesn't bother me), I love the car! I keep forgetting how smooth the Toyota v6s are. I was cruising along at 70mph and I'm at like 2200 rpm. I think its closer to 3000 rpm in my Subaru and that car just isn't the easiest to drive. The Solara is very smooth and it handles a lot better than you think it will. I do have to repair the rear sway bar stuff, the rear end is a little squirrely in the turns with bumps. But that's a minor fix.

Here is the big uh oh I didn't realize until after my first drive in it- the drivers side mirror is partially broken on the inside as well as the outside! I thought it was just missing a fascia piece from the inside, but when you look at the outside, the plastic is broken up against the car. Bummer, and I have to clue how he managed to do such a thing! I am hoping if I can find a new mirror fixture it will come with all the parts I need. There is a bit of wind noise that stems from that problem. I was thinking of stuffing something there in the meantime. I will get a quote from the body shop when I set up the paint job, but I wish I could find an already painted mirror somewhere for cheap, or at least a primered one. Any ideas on where to look online?

How about a manual? I'm missing mine too. Someone on eBay had a full set with binder for like $35. Is that a good deal?

The other bummer is the car still smells like yucky wet dog. I'm posting some questions to the detail forums to see what they recommend. I think I'll drive the Subaru until I get the smell out.

But I love the car! The cleaner it gets, the happier I am. Once the paint is redone and I finish the interior and sway bars, I'll be good to go! Spending time detailing like this lets you get to know the car too. I always do a long detail with my new rides.

[TLMNICK]

Nice ride man....I'm always a fan of a white solara.
Being a detailer myself, I'll tell you that it's going to take a while to get that dog smell out of your car. Shampoo the whole interior....headliner and everything maybe twice. After that keep spraying febreeze, or put lots of air fresheners.

[tresola]

Thanks! I plan on hitting the carpets again with a little harsher Bissell formula, and I also bought a fogger kit over at PepBoys thats supposed to remove all odors from the vehicle, including pet odors. I figured for $5 its worth a shot. I'll let you know how it works! I know the dealerships have those machines that basically do the same thing, except theirs I think you leave in the car for several hours, and this little fogger is for minutes.

So how do these cars drive in the snow & rain? I was a little nervous this morning so I took the Subaru out. Funny thing is, both cars have the same rear end issues! Go figure.

[Mole]

anything you can take out, (mats, carpet...) should be pressure washed...

[Ilovemylara]

nice solara man. I work at a dog kennel and we use a product called Citrus Magic. it is a "green" cleaner thats suposed to be good for the enviroment. it works INCREDIBLY well at removing strong foul odors (specifically:dog) its comercially available at lowes but you have to dilute it down because it comes over-concentrated in 1 gallon containers. Also, You can get a mirror off here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MIRROR-t ... ccessories
its says black, but thats probably just a primer or something. I replaced my passenger side recently due to cracking, and it came black, but not the same color as my car (Black Sand Pearl). So i had a body shop repaint it.

[yoboyandre]

nice solara man. I work at a dog kennel and we use a product called Citrus Magic. it is a "green" cleaner thats suposed to be good for the enviroment. it works INCREDIBLY well at removing strong foul odors (specifically:dog) its comercially available at lowes but you have to dilute it down because it comes over-concentrated in 1 gallon containers. Also, You can get a mirror off here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MIRROR-t ... ccessories
its says black, but thats probably just a primer or something. I replaced my passenger side recently due to cracking, and it came black, but not the same color as my car (Black Sand Pearl). So i had a body shop repaint it.

I bought that mirror off of ebay same seller, great buy, when I broke my mirror off =/ .. comes in black i asked them for different colors but no can do. Only thing is I have aftermarket speakers and subs in my solara and that mirror shakes Alot more then the stock one.. but oh well.. perfect fit =)

[tresola]

that mirror's cheap! i can have the body shop paint it when they redo the car, hopefully this week. will that replacement mirror take care of the missing interior piece as well? i'm assuming it does...

its still raining like crazy and i'm not sure if its a good idea to run the utility cord to the car so i can do some work. was hoping to use our garage except i cannot get my bf to clear stuff out of the way still. grrr!

[SleeperSolara]

Hoorah another DWP Solara. lol.
Now give me your front DWP mud guards. lol.

[makethemusic72]

thats a nice ride man!

one thing: Whoever owned your car before you was the messiest mofo i have ever seen. i mean seriously folks, thats just insane.

My drivers side mat clip(?) is broken off. Is that something that can be replaced?

[tresola]

Hoorah another DWP Solara. lol.
Now give me your front DWP mud guards. lol.

DWP? Driving while Polish? That could be really bad if that's what you mean. I could give you my mud flaps but they're kind of all chipped up from the raunchy paint job.

Unfortunately I don't think this is the worst interior I've seen, I think! The guy was an absolute pig, I found sunflower seeds EVERYWHERE, even the rear window! I'm assuming he was trying to throw 'em out the window for the birds while driving and it caught wind and landed in the window. I think the guy was hauling around a circus personally, I mean the popcorn & seeds, animal hair...

Well I did a pretty crazy thing. I wanted to try my new Bissell formula so bad, and it was still kinda raining out, so I dragged the Bissell out and did the carpets anyways! I tried cleaning the garage but gave up when I realized I couldn't move the huge pieces of drywall myself. Yep, I Bisselled the carpets in the rain, and I had rain dripping on my back. But the good news is the interior is starting to smell a little better. I was a little chilled after doing that and getting soaked filling up the Subaru for a Goodwill run that I give up cleaning for the day. Tomorrow's supposed to be nice, so when I get back from work I can start cleaning the seats. Once I get that done and all the interior trim cleaned to the best of my ability, I'll throw the fogger I bought in there, and then hopefully the car will be driveable. Everytime I get in the Subaru I want to be in the Solara!

I ordered the full set of manuals for the car from eBay, cost me $35. He even had the nice leather binder and all the service manuals. I thought it was a good deal anyways. I need it too; the guy also was past due for an oil change and although his sticker says 5W-30, I want to be sure that's what the car requires. I want to throw in 1 bottle synthetic, 1 bottle high mileage and the rest synth blend. I only use Castrol, unless Mobil 1 is recommended. I'm not sure how much this car takes either, 5 bottles?

[timefourfood]

for the tiny fabric near the shifter i used a lint roller for my car and it did a good job. The tiny fabric near the door panels are removable and comes off so you can lint roll that too. that is a dirty interior i would of deduct $100-200 more cuz of that, good luck in cleaning it up and show more pics of the progress.

[bronzemaxell]

DWP = DIAMOND WHITE PEARL, a special color for solara, added shiny look to standard super white color.

[SleeperSolara]

Hoorah another DWP Solara. lol.
Now give me your front DWP mud guards. lol.

DWP? Driving while Polish? That could be really bad if that's what you mean. I could give you my mud flaps but they're kind of all chipped up from the raunchy paint job.

Unfortunately I don't think this is the worst interior I've seen, I think! The guy was an absolute pig, I found sunflower seeds EVERYWHERE, even the rear window! I'm assuming he was trying to throw 'em out the window for the birds while driving and it caught wind and landed in the window. I think the guy was hauling around a circus personally, I mean the popcorn & seeds, animal hair...

Well I did a pretty crazy thing. I wanted to try my new Bissell formula so bad, and it was still kinda raining out, so I dragged the Bissell out and did the carpets anyways! I tried cleaning the garage but gave up when I realized I couldn't move the huge pieces of drywall myself. Yep, I Bisselled the carpets in the rain, and I had rain dripping on my back. But the good news is the interior is starting to smell a little better. I was a little chilled after doing that and getting soaked filling up the Subaru for a Goodwill run that I give up cleaning for the day. Tomorrow's supposed to be nice, so when I get back from work I can start cleaning the seats. Once I get that done and all the interior trim cleaned to the best of my ability, I'll throw the fogger I bought in there, and then hopefully the car will be driveable. Everytime I get in the Subaru I want to be in the Solara!

I ordered the full set of manuals for the car from eBay, cost me $35. He even had the nice leather binder and all the service manuals. I thought it was a good deal anyways. I need it too; the guy also was past due for an oil change and although his sticker says 5W-30, I want to be sure that's what the car requires. I want to throw in 1 bottle synthetic, 1 bottle high mileage and the rest synth blend. I only use Castrol, unless Mobil 1 is recommended. I'm not sure how much this car takes either, 5 bottles?

DWP = Diamond White Pearl.

Yeah the 1MZFE or V6 uses 5 quarts of oil.

[akora12]

Factory recommended oil is 5W-30

5 quarts w/ filter
4.7 quarts w/o filter

I'm not sure if the one bottle of synthetic will do much. You'll be fine with all blend unless your pushing more hp. Toyota typically puts in valvoline durablend.

[tresola]

I didn't make much progress yesterday beyond a second shampooing and first cleaning/conditioning of the leather. I'll have to go after that pesky dog hair with a lint brush and see if that helps. I sprayed cleaner on that little piece of fabric below the radio, and blotted at it with a white rag. It came up dark brown. I'll have to take pictures of that, it was kind of amusing! Another place I put my hand on the towel to blot and you can see my hand imprint. I'm going to hunt some of those large detailing q-tips down, I think they would be of great help right now! I'm going to be happy when all this is done, that's for sure.

And the wet dog smell, ISH! I heard if you shampoo dog hair that's what you get. I did vacuum, although now that I think about it, I should have taken our large household Bissell and vacuumed everything using the pet hair attachment. I don't think the shop vac does that good of a job. I have to use the crevice tool that I just found yesterday to see if I can get more crap out from between the seats without having to remove them (that looks like a hard job).

I did take the car to work this morning, and just had the windows open. I sure love that smooth v6 engine, it has the perfect amount of power. My Subaru gets up to about 40 and you have to coax it up to 60 for some reason when you attempt a highway. Not the Solara, I just gently roll on the gas and she goes!