Saving the Manuals

About four years ago Car and Driver started a campaign to save the manual transmission from going into extinction.  The campaign has gotten some traction, and there is a lot of discussion going on about this.  Manuals are particularly becoming rare here in the United States, for probably a lot of reasons:  convenience, our love of cell and texting, eating breakfast on the way to work (most of us drive everywhere anyway), and whatever else we do in our cars.    

So there are a number of people thinking about ways to keep manual transmissions in production and available to North American drivers.  Over at godsavethemanuals.com you can buy T Shirts, wristbands, and all kinds of stuff devoted to this cause. There is a facebook page at www.facebook.com/SaveTheManuals.  And there is yet another discussion at www.thesmokingtire.com/2014/save-the-manuals/.

Porsche manual lovers tend to see themselves as "purists" - those who will only drive a stick-- not too long ago 911's came only with a stick and no automatic option-- and tend to like the traditional Porsche attributes of the rear engine and other trademark features.  Many view the 911 as the only true Porsche, although things are changing as technology advances and some folks are softening their once hard core views on what a real Porsche is.  A few years ago The Globe and Mail did a nice piece on the new Panamera, calling it the car the "Porsche purists hate to love." To me its a weird looking vehicle but nevertheless popular.

Personally, I'm clinging to my stick and clutch, because there's just something that feels so damn good about it. Perhaps its because there is something of an art to driving a manual where you have to engage all your limbs, hands, and feet.  Once you become intimate with your 911 (or your BMW, Audi, or whatever sports car you drive) you begin to feel when you need to shift, and don't even necessarily look at the RPM gauge.  For some, maybe it feels like you're more in control of what you can do with the car, and this is what it's like to really drive one of these things.  Plus I refuse to text in the car unless I'm parked or a passenger; texting and driving is a fool's game, and I discourage it.  As they say, it can wait.   

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

People can't help but gawk: I too can't take my eyes off of the new BMW i8 that is coming to the US this fall.  New Yorkers were salivating, as this recent Bloomberg piece on the i8 describes.

Is That Your Boyfriend's Car?

You knew this post was coming sometime.

Probably I've not seen or heard it all yet, but I've gotten the weird stares, the younger guy with the leased 911 Turbo or high end Vette pulling up to me at a light intending to challenge me to race, seeing me, then backing off, or looking surprised at the very least, and the neighbors asking my husband about when and how he got his new Porsche. 

My favorite one by far and away is the question, "Is that your boyfriend's car?" I've been asked this once in a parking lot and once when stopped at a light.   Am sure the question will come up again. And for the record I don't have a boyfriend. I did a long time ago but for many years since then I've been married to him.  

And of course there are the positive comments and gestures.  To his credit, when Tom sold me my 911 he made the comment:  "Don't take this the wrong way, but you know more about these cars than most guys."  No offense taken.  In fact, I view that as a compliment.  And it proves I did my homework.  Likewise, a dude bearing down in a new-ish black Dodge Charger came up on my right on the Washington beltway a couple months ago and gave a me an enthusiastic thumbs up, then zipped away off an exit ramp.  And when I told my current boss (also a car guy) I was acquiring a 911, he stood up, shouted "yeah!" and gave me a high five. 

I've no intention of turning this post into a deep analytical piece over why things like this happen, and no doubt there are all kinds of psychological, cultural, and gender difference reasons for the choices we make in auto purchases or other prominent things we buy or own.  At the end of the day it's all really very funny. 

In fact, about a year ago Motorista posted an excellent piece about a similar experience driving a 911.  By the way, that Crimson 4S your employer owns is absolutely beautiful.  And what a great blog that is lots of fun to read, too.   Keep posting, and drive what you love!

The Low-Down on Clay Bars

I was not familiar with giving a car a clay bar treatment until the former owner of my 911 told me that's what he did every so often.  He said it helped retain the finish by pulling contaminants off the paint, and was worth checking out.

So recently I tried this.  I'm not advocating any particular brand, but I bought the Mothers brand California Gold Clay Bar Kit, because that was what I noticed at my local Advance Auto Parts store.  But no doubt you can find this and many competing brands at any auto store and at Target, Walmart, and their competitors.  And of course on Amazon and tons of other online shops. 

With the Mothers kit you get 2 clay bars each the size of a bar of soap, a microfiber detailing cloth, and detailing liquid spray.  The basic idea is to wash and dry your car, spray the painted sections one by one with the detailing liquid, and rub the clay on that section to remove tar, tree sap, and other pollutants from the clear coat.  Then you polish it with the cloth.  The trick is to keep kneading the clay with your hands to encapsulate contaminants and so that a fresh swatch of it is on your car as it picks up grime-- you don't want grains of sand scratching your finish.  If you drop it on the ground, toss it and get a new bar.  The clay is sticky, and has the consistency of Play-Doh.  It's not real clay, but synthetic Polybutene that is pliable. 

Ideally, once you finishing buffing the excess detailing solution off the car with the microfiber cloth a good wax treatment is recommended.  

It did boost the shine, for sure.  And the surface felt very smooth. 

My garage reflected on the 911's door

The common thinking about how often to do this is once every six months, although some folks like to more often.  It depends on what kind of climate you live in and how often you drive, if your car sits outside, and other factors.  One rule of thumb is to run your hand over the paint. If it feels a little rough, it may be time to get out the Clay Bar.  As with most things, everyone will have a different opinion about this. 

To be perfectly honest, half the fun of detailing one's car is because it's therapeutic in some way, especially if you have an office or desk job.  And if you have the time.  Washing, drying, and detailing my car with the Clay Bar took about two hours-- time which I rarely have to myself or to spend doing what I want.  For me, it's probably worth detailing my 911 like this a couple times a year.  And the Clay Bar combined with the detailing liquid seems to work.  I would recommend if you have the time, or have a professional auto detailer do it for you.