Welcome!

Thank you! http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/f...lies/amuse.gif

Hey Matt or Justin,

Are you guys expecting more Front plate mounts this week? I need to get out to the shop and pick one up!

Looking like middle of next week. Current ETA from our plating company is the 12th.


Justin

I spotted neutron256! You were going north on 100 about 3:45-4. I was on a Kawasaki going south and I saw a DGM BRZ Premium. It was unmistakable, and has a beautiful rolling silhouette.

Nope! That was me on my way home from work :)

Unless it was actually Galaxy Blue!

Thanks man, I'll give you guys a call about then and head out to see the shop!

nah

neutron - dark blue
starscream - dark grey

finished my detail today. it's opticoated.

http://i.imgur.com/7i6Q5.jpg

Very nice! What mileage are you guys up to? I've been trying to do a hundred miles a day but I'm only in the mid-400's. I want to get through this break-in!

Had tint done today over at P&L Auto. It looks great!

haven't driven it since cars and coffee actually. i've been prepping the paint the last couple days. now i have to let the opticoat cure for at least 24 hours before i bring it out of the garage. i'm just going to drive the camry this week instead.

Damn, I got you guys confused. You should make your names you sn for the forum here (obviously me too).

Either way, I SAW YOU!

Dude, ayau...that looks sexy.

Very nice job.

Seriously considering Opticoat, but not sure I want to do it myself, and I don't have a good place to do it.

Anyone know of a god place locally to get it done, and the cost?

I really like P&L Automotive. While they are not the least expensive I think you get what you pay for with them. Great service. They have shuttles and loaner cars, etc. I've had several cars tinted by them and Morries used to have them do Auto Armor stuff back when I worked there (7-8 yrs ago).

http://www.pandlauto.com/

http://raskysautodetailing.com/

i believe he's from shakopee. here are a couple of videos.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5itLTTTMexE"]Opti-Coat 2.0 application.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE8FAw3J-Us"]Opti-Guard Hydrophobic properties.wmv - YouTube[/ame]

he also wrote a review for opticoat:

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...opti-coat-2-0/

he looks pretty credible to me.

After doing some research I'm leaning towards doing e Opticoat myself. Any tips, Ayau?

most important step is paint prep. you have to make sure the surface is completely clean, otherwise the opticoat won't bond with the paint. this means removing all wax/oil from the paint.

at a minimum, i'd probably clay the entire car, then do a isopropyl alcohol wipe down at 50/50 ratio (half alcohol, half distilled water). you can probably skip polishing step since the paint is still relatively new. i doubt the contaminants have fully bonded with the clearcoat on 3 month old paint.

if you skip polishing, any defects will not be removable once you opticoat the car. opticoat is a permanent coating. the only way to remove defects from the base clearcoat is to polish off the opticoat layer with an abrasive polishing pad.

this is what i did from start to finish:

optimum no rinse wash (ONR)
claybar
polish with optimum hyper polish using a light cutting pad
ONR wash to remove any residue/dust from the polishing
alcohol wipe each panel and inspect for defects
if panel is in good condition, apply opticoat with included applicator pad.
move to the next panel and repeat the previous 2 steps.

if you decide to polish, i'd suggest sticking with optimum polishing compounds because they don't leave any oils behind. if you use something like meguiars, you need to make sure all the polishing oils are stripped before you can apply the opticoat. this can take a lot of time depending how much oil was left.

just let me know if you have any questions.

You know what, I think I'm going to plan to use carnauba wax for paint protection. I like the idea of opticoat, but I don't want it to be as glossy of a finish. Is there a less glossy option available?

opticoat is actually not that glossy on the glossy/non-glossy scale.

carnuba waxes will be even more glossy.

i'm not sure what other waxes/sealants are there that will give you a more matte look.

I think people make it look over-glossed in the photos which is why I was mislead. I'd prefer a deep finish instead of a reflective one since my car will have a pearl effect.

I picked up my FR-S at 7pm last night, and I'll post photos later today.

This car is just perfect in every way...I love it and I'm glad I didn't have to wait any longer.

We can now start our cruise planning. :thumbup:

Alright, there is enough of us now...lets meet up!! We could meet at our shop if you guys wanted a central location otherwise I think someone mentioned stillwater...that would be very cool too.

Justin

Congrats dude!!

I'm at 600 miles so a nice, long drive anywhere is fine with me. I drove out to Stillwater yesterday for dinner at Marx Wine Bar. I'm down for whatever,whenever.

Congratulations man.

Yeah, I mentioned Stillwater, it'd be a great drive and we could hit the starting point at your shop Justin.

By the way, here is my car:

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...DSC05505-1.jpg

:D

Oh hell yeah..glad you finally got her after those issues you had. She's puuurty!

GS to Stillwater works for me. We have a boat in stillwater so we could take pics at the marina(Sunnyside)


Justin

Thanks for the support guys! And she is a beautiful machine, I'm really happy I chose Whiteout.

I'll let you guys know what day works best...

Does Sunday work to meet and do the 1st ever group drive?

No go for me this Sunday. Might be better to do a weeknight? Meet up at our office after work then head over to Stillwater? Later in the day is better for pics too.

Justin

Sunday works for me.

How does Tuesday night work for everyone? We can meet at GrimmSpeed's Super Secret HQ about 5:30-6PM and tour it up.

Picked up a whiteout at from Matthew Gilbert at Luther/Minnetonka. Professional, seamless and they have a blue mt on the lot. I was happy to drive straight home into my garage. Then i checked my pants - no shit - lucky me!

FUN FUN FUN

Got a little cross and powers out wherever pointed. Very nice driver. Smooth up gears and no hesitations. Sounds just like it looks it should. I am very pleased with this vehicle and will drive off the first 1k with a smile on my face.

Toyota released two service bulletins for the frs and the brz regarding moisture in the tail lights and ill fitting body panels.

Hey guys,

Just noticed there was a midwest section. I just picked up my Asphalt FR-S two days ago from Walser Toyota in Bloomington. Those guys took care of me and I couldn't be happier with the car. Im coming from an 02 S2000 with some bolt-ons and 4.77 final gears. I loved that car very much but to be honest, for what I am looking for today, I don't regret the purchase one bit. This car MAKES me want to drive it every second! Its been a while since a car made me this giddy...

http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/a...n02s2k/frs.jpg

did you guys want to do a mini meet on sunday? looks like we have a good number of frs/brz now. :)

Yeah, I'd be down. Where do you propose ayau?

And I'm still on for Tuesday if anyone else is.

Welcome to the party. Your car looks great and I think this region is going to have solid participation going forward.

Thanks man! Can't wait to start some new friends!