Mercedes? ...just a bunch of taxi drivers

 

Oh dear.. haha where do I start.. in no particular order..

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and thankful for all that we have in our lives! I know I'm thankful for my family and friends, my awesome beautiful teammates I get to work with, my new toy and my fellow members here on 6speedonline where we all have a common interest.

I also want to say that a lot if not everything I post here is for entertainment purposes.. (sounds like fine prints haha..)

First on the agenda... WATER...

That youtube video.. damn.. let me just say one thing about hosing MY vehicle down... I may be considered young to most but I am not stupid by any means.

In the time I had spilled that drink ALL over my passenger side interior I was in a rush against time... yes TIME... Time before that drink that's mostly consist of sugar dries up in my interior under the sun in the afternoon around 2pm. Cars were all parked in the shop and worked on so I couldn't get it into it under the shade. There wasn't any time to rip the seats out or take the door panel off.

Time is what I didn't have, but a head I do.. one that is somewhat filled with logic and reasoning that works well under pressure. So let me back track and share the experience I had all in it's own.

I was about a few mins away from my shop when that drink ejected out of my cup holder on a high speed negative banked turn onto an onramp to the freeway. As I was in the apex of my turn the factory cup holder lost it's grip to the nearly full venti sized cup of sugar to center of gravity and ejected the entire drink toward the passenger side. Everything was still intact during flight until it made impact against the interior leather covered passenger door right in the smack middle behind the carbon fiber grab handles. All those tapioca ***** pretty much fell downward due to it's weight but the liquid milk tea got redirected toward the back half of the passenger bottom seat cushion and formed a brown milk tea pond as I straighten out the vehicle.

Fast forward a few minutes.. I get to the shop, I take a bunch of yellow microfiber towels and start wiping everything I can down but I can tell it's starting to get sticky due to the liquid drying up. Scooped all the ***** and pudding onto the floor as the city worker (water dept build next door) looks at me like (what.. the hell is he doing littering our street..). Not to worry everything is bio degradable.

My concern was where was all the OTHER liquid that I spilled?! It was like 32 oz of stuff that disappeared into my car! I was using a small squirt bottle trying to get the milk tea out of the creases of the illuminated door sills... from the gap between leather pieces on the door.. but it wasn't working, it was taking way too long and I didn't have much time.

I made an executive decision to use water to clean the interior because that was the most realistic, smartest and quickest way to get all the milk tea hidden out of the car. Keep in mind my girlfriend took the photos because she thought I was crazy and wanted to keep it for memory.

What you don't see is that I never sprayed down my Burmester speakers and only sprayed on the right half of the passenger door which it DOES have CHANNELS to allow any liquid to spill out in an opening that was designed for it on the inside, but bottom part of the door trim. I sprayed until all the liquid that was spilling out of the door turned from brown to clear, so I know it works. What was I worried about at this point? Nothing much.. why? Because I work on vehicles all the time, there is a plastic sheeting that separates the interior of the door panel from the outside panel where the window glass channel, motor etc are located. On the inside you have the speakers, door lock unlock switches, window up and down switch and the led for interior light. The speaker was never attacked by the milk tea, water also get to it and any splatter was protected by the grill, the door switches behind the handle wasn't touched only the led on and under the armrest and the led on the bottom edge of the door had milk tea all over it. All of it were clean, they were all working just fine.. why? Because the water I used actually is deionized / distilled.. the same water I use to spray my car down after a wash to leave it spot less. Electronics get screwed up because they SHORT CIRCUIT from the minerals found in most water when you get them wet enough to cause a closed circuit when it's on. LED's found in the interior of the car are very low amperage and will survive regular water on them... and with the water I used with no mineral and no metal, they are just fine.. only the Porsche leather has to be wiped up and reconditioned to preserve the top notch quality we love from them.

Now with the seats I was more annoyed.. They were already soaked with milk tea so it really isn't any worst to soak it again with water to dilute the seat cushion that was infused with milk tea. The seat was like a sponge so I basically did my best to replace the milk tea with water then let it dry up.

Here's a tip for those that do encounter an INEVITABLE spill.. after wetting and cleaning the interior seats... even under the sun, it will still feel damp after a couple days.. yes! Even after 2-3 days the interior seats were still damp... the best way and the only way I found was to engage the a s s warmers 2/3 the time and a s s coolers 1/3 the time. The areas that are damp will not feel warm at all and you may think it's broken.. cuz thats what I thought, but I had nothing to lose at this point. Eventually the areas that were damp were dry and then started to heat up with the warmers because.. the a s s warmers basically dry up whatever water was left but the thing is.. you can't turn them on with the car off or just "on", the car has to be started so to save gas, just turn them on while your driving the vehicle around. If you use a towel you can dry the area up enough so a passenger can sit and not get wet but the dampness from the leather seats will go away with the warmer and coolers engaged.

Here's my last comment regarding this "hosing the interior down".. this wasn't something I enjoyed doing.. this was an ACCIDENT that I learned from when having any liquids in the car. The only thing I'm proud of is how well I cleaned the interior after this accident. I'm not proud of creating it by going thru the turn as fast as I did but that is the past and I live in the present. This was also a learning experience I wanted to share cuz s h i t DOES happens in life.. yes.. it does.. trust me.. and if this INEVITABLE event happens to someone else on the forum, I hope they would remember a few tips from my experience and use their best judgement in cleaning up a mess in a short period of time.

Second on the agenda... SPEED...

I was waiting for the inevitable comment about recklessness, stupidity, etc.. Lets just say I respect everyone's opinion. I'll repeat myself... I'm someone that enjoys having fun, I do get the excitement like everyone that gets a new toy specially a vehicle like this one, and I do know the best place for speed is on a track (which I plan to track this vehicle which is why I got the carbon ceramic brakes), but I am also very realistic... I am not going to NOT floor this vehicle between the time I get this car at the dealership until I get an opportunity to track it. I was too busy to take a trip out to Germany to drive it on the autobahn as pepper did. I am however not dumb or stupid and would never jeopardize anyone elses life or property. Then again... if god forbid something happens, I'll be spending our tax payers money (dammit there's always a Con to the whole Pro and Con thing!! argh... lol).

As few have mentioned.. there are many areas where you can safely drive up to pass the legal speed limits. (To me.. safety is irrelevant to law, law is considered what's right and wrong to the general public) To name a few areas but not to endorse them... during the afternoon with sun high up overhead with little traffic at the end of highway 505 merge onto highway 5 northbound. The last mile of 505 is a flat... straight.. two lane wide ONE direction road with open fields on both side, clear visibility and the end of the 505 goes upwards over the highway 5 freeway into a banked turn and the back down and merges onto 5.

Next, onramp to 101S from Millbrae to the very next exit offramp in Burlingame. It's a dedicated lane where it does not merge into another lane on the freeway, very flat.. very straight.

Highway 280 is wide.. and have less police than 101 but I haven't really found an area where it's really wide open, straight and flat.. but Southbound 280 from the merge of skyline blvd onto the freeway starting AFTER the millbrae exit where it becomes a straight road before the next exit... however I think there is a slight upwards incline to this freeway section...

In San Francisco the S turn north of Lake Merced allows you to exercise the cornering ability since there's no pedestrian walkway and the traffic from other direction is divided by a concrete island.

Alright enough of me being bad.. =P... just trying to prove a point when I know there will still be those that will think of me negatively, but there's a reason why I love this forum is because we ALL know the law.. the rules.. the playbook.. but we're here to just share events with other adults that have the ability to see pass the obvious points and just to continue the fun conversations and constructive criticisms without getting stabbed to death..

Third on the agenda... MONEY...

There's one thing I learned in life and that's there will always be 3 types of people you will consistently encounter in work, online, or in life.

1) Those that are proud of you, for who you are, what you have and/or what you can do.

2) Those that are indifferent of you, they don't hate you or love you but they simply read / hear then move on with life.

3) Those that are jealous of you, jealous of what you have, jealous that they can't do what you can do, or they can but choose not to do it.

Once I figured this out I was able to live life a lot happier instead of always.. consistently trying to please everyone in every aspect. (Doesn't mean one can't try)

Not that I need to but I would like to share a little insight on who I am. Lets say I am very blessed with what I have in my life, I don't take anyone or anything for granted. I was never spoiled by my parents, I still have my 1989 Honda Accord with 220k miles handed down from my mom (her first brand new car). I started my own business in high school designing titanium alloy parts for the R/C industry which paid for all the proms and gifts; then I did high end headlight designs, retrofitting factory HID projectors into vehicles that were never equipped and wasn't an option from factory, I also did led designs on headlights way before Audi came out with those on their cars (regret I didn't patent my designs but rationalized that I wouldn't have had the money to fight them anyways lol..), then I merged and worked on every aspect of vehicle maintenance, repair and modifications which is how I came about with my business and my shop I have today. I also work at an airline 10 days of the month to balance out my lifestyle.

I rarely buy things for myself... I've only had one ex g/f whom I was with for a third of my life.. took care of her, her family, bought her a car when she moved to NJ as I was financially able to and I couldn't drive her to school anymore and etc.. I have a lucky lady in my life now and all my close friends said a little selfishness would be healthy for me.. meaning as don't buy her a car... but I end up getting her some Christian Louboutin red bottom heels for work... experiences (vacations) and etc. With all my investments I've made and working hard at the shop... I was able to afford a very expensive toy for myself this year.. when I buy something for myself it's usually something big and to balance it out... every year I donate for a good cause.. last year was the Leukemia foundation, this year I donated and matched a few of my fellow teammates at the airline on reaching their target goal of fundraising for Stand Up To Cancer. To top it off I learned our airline is not hosting an annuel holiday party this year and I had ask my lady... "Vacation & watch for myself or.. holiday party for the company?", she said.. "Holiday party"... so I'm hosting a company wide holiday party for everyone in the company and it's costing me about $40,000.. so that Techart Powerkit will have to wait. I find the pleasure in happiness when I get to spend on others and that's the truth about me. My current (things can always change in life) financial success is not something I take for granted as some of it is from luck (You can do everything perfect by the books when owning a business but if you don't have that 3% luck it just wont work), I feel very humble, very proud and I love to balance out my life by sharing the experiences and what I have with others in my life.

Now... back to our regular scheduled programming

All the upgrade bits and pieces are all coming in! I got my dead pedal in and it fits and looks awesome! Simple installation.. just peel off the double sided tape on the back and install! I attached before and after pics.. mainly for Rob to ease his waiting on his Cayenne ..

Next.. my Renntech tech lowering module! The compartment for all the wiring is in the trunk on the right side behind the panel that you can pull off. This one however... still has issues and is a work in progress on making it successful. Long story short.. it works for about 10 mins.. and then I get all these errors... the first time I got the errors it freaked me out cuz I'm getting "Chassis system fault", "PDCC System fault", "Fault headlight control", then "Chassis system FAILURE!!!" on my TFT screen on my dash... luckily they included a bypass module which I replaced the lowering module with.. still working with the guy who designed the system over at RennTech, great communication with them at the moment.. I personally think this is their first defective module but we'll see ... But to Pepper.. it is possible to drive at the factory "loading level", in the brief moments I had it at that height to drive it only felt a tad.. hmm stiffer.. but again it was just around the block so I need to try it again.. I think it's actually lower than the loading level when I tried it..

I also got a package from Suncoast! I got my bug spray to help clean all those bug splatter I get on my windshield and bumper from long drives... Then I got that yellow sponge that's suppose to scrub off the bugs without scratching chrome or clear coats.. but that sponge is so... hard! I swear I can scratch something.. maybe it has to be used wet... so I'll report back on what it's like with it wet and how well it works. Also got the plastic auto trim removing tools.. so apparently I have a set of these in the body shop but I didn't look closely and thought they were special to Porsche trims but it isn't... If you order the Tow Hitch or.. that package.. you'll need this trailer plug... it doesn't come with the car and it isn't a "option" you can pick. Currently on the car is a black cover to the left of the hitch which is under the bumper. This trailer light plug, that black thing you see on the right side of my picture allows you to take the cover off, install this and you can then hook up trailer lighting.

I also got clear side markers, the radio wipes were free and I got the extended ski / snowboard rack. The rack was shorter than I thought and I had to look at the invoice to make sure I got the longer that I ordered. I forgot what it said in the description but it will only fit either 2 snowboards side by side.. or about 6-8 pairs of skis.. I was hoping it'll fit more but apparently that's as wide as the rails are on the roof of the Cayenne.

OHH!!!.. So last night Porscheee, the lady and I went out to The Grand, a club in downtown San Francisco, one of the newest one around here... a friend had invited us as they had VIP tables, apparently they are 1000 dollars minimum and I don't drink but I offered to chip in... I was circling around the block a few times and couldn't find parking space.. and I recall some clubs allow fine cars to park in front of the club if you have like bottle / table service so I made a call to my friend that invited me and I had asked him.. "Hey..! Can you ask the bouncer or anyone there if I can park right in front of the club..?"... he ask.. then gets back to me and says "the lady says to pull up and wait to see if the bouncer tells you to go or allows you to park.." so I was like.. alright I guess it won't hurt to try! Not to mention my lady wont freeze in the cold.

Only able to upload 5 photo attachments.. to be continued...

Larry

 

OHH!!!.. So last night Porscheee, the lady and I went out to The Grand, a club in downtown San Francisco, one of the newest one around here... a friend had invited us as they had VIP tables, apparently they are 1000 dollars minimum and I don't drink but I offered to chip in... I was circling around the block a few times and couldn't find parking space.. and I recall some clubs allow fine cars to park in front of the club if you have like bottle / table service so I made a call to my friend that invited me and I had asked him.. "Hey..! Can you ask the bouncer or anyone there if I can park right in front of the club..?"... he ask.. then gets back to me and says "the lady says to pull up and wait to see if the bouncer tells you to go or allows you to park.." so I was like.. alright I guess it won't hurt to try! Not to mention my lady wont freeze in the cold.

I make it around the last corner of the block... knock the shifter to the left and downshift it to 1st gear and VVVVRRRROOOOooooommmmm....... to the front of the club... and that catches the attention of my friend in line, the ladies out front and of course your... typical asian gangster poser guys.. lol I notice they had moved the cones away and there was a Ferrari 430 or 458 that had pulled up and was parking in the front spot... the bouncer was busy directing him into the space.. my friend walks up to the curb and I roll down the window.. "Whats up!!".. I was debating what to do at the moment.. I don't get any gesture that it's cool to park in front but the bouncer didn't really look at me neither.. I was like oh what the hell.. so I pulled into the 3rd space right in front of the door... the bouncer turns around and walks up.. expecting for him to tell me to leave.. he shouts and makes hand gesture to have me back up as much as I can.. obviously to leave room for the last car space for the 2nd spot which is between the Ferrari and my Porsche... well he didn't ask me to leave! haha.. as I get out of the car I'm getting these "looks"... I guess I'm not used to it.. usually it's my lady that gets all the attention from the cloths and shoes I buy her.. so I guess the Porsche is like my cloths and shoe xD.. haha.. This mercedes E class pulls up and as the driver of the car was about to park in that last spot the bouncer points at him and tells him to go.. lol... So.. this was a first for me.. VIP parking!! woohoo..! Was just enjoying the VIP moment hehe.. The club has these fog cannons... I would love to install them in the Porsche hahaha..! j/k Rocket ship!!

So I was driving and looked around my cabin.. then I was thinking where should I install the display and the button control for my Escort 9500ci radar / laser unit... I plan to install the display right under the tach right behind the steering wheel so I can see it, as it has to be functional.. then I looked at my flight deck controls (center console) and figured if I'm going to put the button control on here I'm going to have to take this center console out like in every other car.. and to do that.. the shifter has to come off.. then for some reason I was recalling this particular thread I was reading for the 957 or.. the older Cayenne about someone asking how to take the shifter off.. so I was at a red light... being the mechanic and crazy guy that I am.. I fiddled with my shifter while trying not to knock it out of "D" and.. I.. took it off! hahaha... and I managed to put it back in before the traffic light turned green haha..

After only a little over a week of ownership of this wonderful piece of machine.. I can reassure you that it HANDLES LIKE A SPORTS CAR!!! It's like a Porsche with 4 doors and allows you to go to Costco and fill it up with everything you buy. The proof that it handles like a sports car, that it grips like it's on rail and that I drive it very hard (when safe to do so) is evident in the wear of the treads. The last two pictures I attached is from the front tires today.. this is with only 1120 miles on it (Yes I passed the 1000 mile mark in a week hehe..), 4 gas fill ups and averaging 13 mpg =P... The last picture shows how pretty much a sharp 90 degree edge a tread normally has when "new" or.. driven normally... the second to last picture shows the rounded rough edge that the Michelin rubber has sacrificed it's life for my superior grip on the road in a turn! I was like "wow..." that edge is chewed up! haha.. I was originally going to sell the Turbo II wheels and rubber as mint new and install new 22" aftermarket wheels and tires on it.. but I guess I'm going to keep these rims and tires now heh.

The steering wheel turn lock to lock is about 2.5 turns. This vehicle is equipped with the factory 21" rubber on Turbo II rims and when set at the lowered ride height setting and pushed at it's limit.. the car actually gives you a heads up when it's about to lose grip and gradually understeers while Porsche's high tech PTV and PDCC controls all kick in and works its butt off to keep me pointed in the direction I'm commanding it to go. I have to say it handles very neutral with a hint of under steer and corners like its' on rail with minimal to no roll at all.. I had only managed to induce ROLL in this vehicle ONCE.. and that was when the tires did a fantastic job of keeping grip in a turn.. but that was the time I also started to hear the tires squealing and Cayenne starting to slide.. hehe.. now I know the limits ..

To be continued...

Larry

 

Mega update - thanks Larry.

I was only joking with the hosing video - just spotted it on the interweb and thought of this thread.

Your upgrading updates are really interesting, I have been wavering over a lowering module for mine, I really don't think I'd use it all that often though, most of my cayenne use is wading through floods and taking a shortcut home down a green lane. I think I could do with a raising module.

 

Ahhh. Larry is back. I am happy. But Christian Louboutin red bottom heels? WTF? HAHAHAHA- you kill me......... But I guess she needs them to impress the "asian gangster poser guys" LOL.

Larry is living the life out there and enjoying his younger years,,

 

As I previously wrote..Larry,I like the way you roll
Jealous,no
Envious,perhaps...of your sense of style and flair
And at a young age..impressive
As far as spills,I had a cup of Coke with still a few sips in it spill on my passenger seat..took me a few minutes to find a place to stop,by which time it had leaked into the seat..all I did was wet a towel and wipe then dry with another one
As far as tracking,it was not easy being the only Cayenne surrounded by 911s(C4s) at the Leipzig track..but I kept my own on long sweeping turns and on straights of course..but the twisties were another matter
Still,it was a fun experience,especially the watered skid pad where I actually got to experience 'drift' in my pepper..followed by a nice 180 when I could not hold the skid..wish I had a video of that!


And said skid-pad

Last but not least...a little run through the middle of the night..though I do believe me pepper is good for a few more mph,just ran out of road

PS:recorded this with my iphone held between my 2 hands while they were on top of wheel..pretty steady don't ya think?
Since this is the "Oh Yeahhhhh" section,I felt it appropriate to post these

 

Oh yeah................................

 

this thread gets my vote for the Thread of the Year

 

Agree 100%, very entertaining!

Most of us will fall in the indifferent group. Not many people here will be jealous of others.

OP, you really don't need to explain much about yourself and/or your actions, your CTT is beautiful; enjoy in good health

 

Great post.
Much respect Larry, you are a Gentleman.

 

I agree with you guys.

But I have to admit that my mind is scarred with the image of the "Boba tea" large chewy tapioca ***** covering Larry's door sills. I think I need some counseling.

 

Though I am extremely busy, I thoroughly enjoyed this thread this morning!

I've known Larry since around 2004 when he was building high-end headlights for auto enthusiasts, wayyy before I "made it" in that same niche to afford my Turbo. I remember when he got a Benz SL55 AMG...I envied him for his hard work and dedication to his customers and decided to follow suit. He's a model for what any young "car guy" should be. I am 26 and no doubt he's a big part of my inspiration.

I'll keep following the thread Larry, you crazy interior washing SOB

 

Wait a minute Larry, you had an SL55 also ??? WTF?

 

This is an awesome read, Larry! We have a Cayenne on order -- can't wait!

 

Larry is great entertainment! He has a way with words.

Congrats on your new order.