First road trip for my FR-S...am I being paranoid?

[CircuitJerk]

Originally Posted by DeeezNuuuts83

Just drive the car the way it is. It's not as if the risks involved in a road trip will never be present on a trip around the corner to the grocery store, where the same stuff (rocks hitting your windshield, car accident, door dings, etc.) are still very much possible. The car's not going to stay perfect forever.

True, but with a little extra care and consideration (OCD) it can stay nicer a little longer.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by CircuitJerk

True, but with a little extra care and consideration (OCD) it can stay nicer a little longer.

Oh, that's definitely true, I wasn't saying otherwise. But paranoia is a different story, especially when it's to the point where you are considering putting painters tape... not quite the same as being paranoid about parking your car in a sketchy area.

[NOHOME]

Originally Posted by Gixxersixxerman

I'm one of the few I guess that doesn't care.. Mine has chipped windshield, scratches on the bumper, scratches on the roof, dent that I pushed out the best I can on the passenger side.. It's a car.. Shit happens.. I want it to look as nice as possible, but it's my daily driver.. If you want a perfect car, then buy a commuter car and use this one to hang in the parking lots or what ever.. My 2200 mile trip had bugs covered the front end.. But I put a lot of wax on it and it seemed to clean up pretty good

k

Finally, a breath of fresh air amongst the runway models around here. This is a fun car that is designed to be used up in ten to fifteen years. It is disposable since it was designed to be disposable. Beat the thing like a prepaid prostitute and you will get the most bang for the buck.

[Foobar]

Unless you plan to keep tape on your car 24/7, just skip that and enjoy. Your car will inevitably get chips and dings if you drive your car at all. Just bring it to a detailer every couple of years and save yourself some grief.

Enjoy it!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[root]

Originally Posted by NOHOME

k

Finally, a breath of fresh air amongst the runway models around here. This is a fun car that is designed to be used up in ten to fifteen years. It is disposable since it was designed to be disposable. Beat the thing like a prepaid prostitute and you will get the most bang for the buck.

I don't consider my vehicles disposable, but I don't baby them either. The newest vehicle I have up until the FR-S is a '87 Corolla. I didn't bother taping fender edges at the recent auto cross even though there are sections of the course with loose asphalt. I'm not running super soft tire compound either so it doesn't pick up as much rocks though.
I dunno about using Cosmoline, it's been my experience that that stuff is really sticky and greasy and doesn't come of with just warm water. Might want to keep an eye on the undercoat, I was under the car the other day and just inside of the sides it only seems to have a fairly light coating of soft tarlike coat that easily wipes away.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by L3P47

Couldn't say it any better. I've had mine 2 months and the hood and left fender are having to be painted due some awhile throwing something at my FR-S.

that's really f**ked! sorry for your troubles man!

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by L3P47

Couldn't say it any better. I've had mine 2 months and the hood and left fender are having to be painted due some awhile throwing something at my FR-S.

Originally Posted by DeeezNuuuts83

Oh, that's definitely true, I wasn't saying otherwise. But paranoia is a different story, especially when it's to the point where you are considering putting painters tape... not quite the same as being paranoid about parking your car in a sketchy area.

paranoia strikes deep! in to your life it will creep,starts when you are always afraid,step outta line,man come and take you away! better stop,hey what's that sound,everbody look what's goin' down!

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by root

I don't consider my vehicles disposable, but I don't baby them either. The newest vehicle I have up until the FR-S is a '87 Corolla. I didn't bother taping fender edges at the recent auto cross even though there are sections of the course with loose asphalt. I'm not running super soft tire compound either so it doesn't pick up as much rocks though.
I dunno about using Cosmoline, it's been my experience that that stuff is really sticky and greasy and doesn't come of with just warm water. Might want to keep an eye on the undercoat, I was under the car the other day and just inside of the sides it only seems to have a fairly light coating of soft tarlike coat that easily wipes away.

in my view,if ya get it professionally undercoated,you will lose a lot of grief over time!

[RD1428]

6000 miles on the first 2 weeks, i drove the crap out of her

[francosolracer]

Originally Posted by JayNutter

Your car will be dinged by jerks in parking lots, rocks will chip the paint, windshields will be cracked, and you might be in a fender bender. No matter what you do something will happen.

You buy a car to drive. Only garage queens stay in perfect condition.

AMEN

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[jarviz]

Originally Posted by whaap

Instead of taping the front of your car, work on not tail gating the guy in front of you and that will go a long way towards keeping the nose of your car clean.

I used to never tailgate... now I find it impossible not to with the FRS. The car just doesn't like going slow.

[FRiSson]

In my experience, most road degree is thrown off of construction and heavy equipment trucks, so give them wide berth. Another cohort consists of nitwits who just throw stuff into the back of their pickups and landscapers who do not properly cover their loads of organic debris. Leaving space between you and the next vehicle forward is the most effective defense.

[FRSupra]

I agree with others when they say to just drive it! However, your mindset isn't totally wrong. If you keep thinking the way you do and put effort into caring for you car, it will show years down the road. Owners who just want to race their fr-s around and owners like you will have two different looking cars come that time.
For example, someone looking to purchase a dated performance car 9 times out of 10 is looking to find that one that's stock, clean, and cared for- the most rare and valuable.

Just throw some wax on and don't tailgate.

[kthxbai]

Originally Posted by FRSupra

I agree with others when they say to just drive it! However, your mindset isn't totally wrong. If you keep thinking the way you do and put effort into caring for you car, it will show years down the road. Owners who just want to race their fr-s around and owners like you will have two different looking cars come that time.
For example, someone looking to purchase a dated performance car 9 times out of 10 is looking to find that one that's stock, clean, and cared for- the most rare and valuable.

Just throw some wax on and don't tailgate.

This is where I am coming from! Thought I was alone, I guess using paranoia was a strong word for the thread title....all the cars my family has ever own was never really modded out, but kept clean within reason and if it was resold, it usually went for a good price.

I live in an apartment and my FR-S does not have the luxury of sitting in a garage during the day in Central Florida. A lot of people don't realize how harsh the sun can be on your paint here in the south, even though your car is just parked (this is something I cannot control). Now if I can try to minimize road rash, I will at least try. Trust me, I'm not a youngin' who saw this car in a commercial and bought it to go pedal to the metal to the grocery store. I've followed this car since it was just an idea in R&D, spent the last several years getting my finances in order for a new car purchase, and I've done nothing less than drive this car since I got it. I can't wait to get past 1,000k miles during this road trip so that I can open her up on some roads in North Georgia.

Originally Posted by jmaryt

paranoia strikes deep! in to your life it will creep,starts when you are always afraid,step outta line,man come and take you away! better stop,hey what's that sound,everbody look what's goin' down!

Nice rhyme!

Originally Posted by jmaryt

in my view,if ya get it professionally undercoated,you will lose a lot of grief over time!

I am saving up and hoping to get this done in the near future. I guess it was not the most responsible thing to buy a car in December with having to buy Xmas presents and spend $$ on travel.