I had not seen this.
Congratulations on the Alfa!
I had not seen this.
Congratulations on the Alfa!
Lack of charisma can be fatal.
Visca Catalunya!
Recently searched up some more details about the car via the Alfa Romeo Centro Documentazione (AR historical archive). It seems to be important to me. I learned that the car is produced on 16th of November 2007, ownership should be meant to be as I was born on 16th of Nov
The car was produced as a Distinctive version, but became a Business Pro Edition in the Netherlands when it was imported. The Business Pro package held the leather with the special black piping which was unique for these editions. This leather interior was built in in the Netherlands at the importer for tax purposes. If you had this Alfa as a company car you paid tax over the consumer price on import and adding the extra's and leather interior later was an attractive option.
Below you can find a link to a brochure of the car:
http://www.alfaromeobusiness.nl/Down...%20147-def.pdf
I do not have colourcoded mirrors, because the Italian logic is that the mirrors were only painted when you ordered metallic paint. On plain black, you got plastic mirrors. Not that you would notice though.
Last edited by Man of Steel; 06-09-2012 at 02:57 PM.
I have ordered some products to keep the leather clean and smooth as it has not been cared for the past years, although is still looks good.
Also I removed the wheels and cleaned them thoroughly from brake dust, grime, tar etcetera. The multi-spoke wheels are nice but cleaning them is not easy, so I decided to give them a make-over. I succeeded for 85% as some of the tar pieces decided to stay on the wheels, no matter what I tried. It are not exactly new wheels so some damages and chips I have to live with. Keeping them as a winter set when I get new wheels though.
Shots of cleaning in phases using wheel cleaner, IronX (removes metal parts and severe dirt turning purple), clay and a lot of brushing and patience.
After the last step I protected the wheels with a wheelwax, which should make the wheels almost maintenance free for 2-3 months (rinsing with water and slightly brushing will be enough).
It is not that I will be repeating the above steps a lot, it took hours to do only 2 wheels. I think when you maintain the wheels from the beginning and you have a winter and summer set, the above steps will not be needed. But I had some catching up to do from the previous owner and like said I am a perfectionist.
After re-fitting the wheels I added new AR hubcaps as a finishing touch.
Last edited by Man of Steel; 06-09-2012 at 03:13 PM.
Some bonus shots from the trip to Viva Italia, an Italian automobile event on our Dutch circuit of Assen.
Last edited by Man of Steel; 06-09-2012 at 03:16 PM.
Italian car makes, including Alfa Romeo always had my interest, but after driving numerous economical cars for 12 years I only bought this first Alfa February this year. I am still very happy with it, it is the first car I bought with my heart and yeah... it's an Alfa of course!
I got quite excited when I learned of the production date matching my birthday. Like said, it must have meant to be, fate etcetera. Maybe that's bullcrap, but I like to believe in it! So yes it is a keeper...
Nice details on the Porsche too!
An article regarding my automotive adventure got published in June's Alfa Club magazine. Logically it is in Dutch though.
And yes I will use the UCP attachment system when I am at home.
Last edited by Man of Steel; 07-04-2012 at 10:04 AM.
ik kan het zo ook lezen....
"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams
(Dutch mode on)
Hoop dat je het leuk vond, de reacties van omgeving en andere Alfisten waren in ieder geval positief.
(Dutch mode off)
Made some more improvements on the car.
Cleaned the front wheels by removing them, waxing them. Hubcaps replaced by new ones. Cleaned the leather interior and protected it against tear and wear. Car is looking better and better ...
Last week I cleaned the engine bay. It is a simple job when you use your head and not too much water. And it gives a nice finish (especially when details count).
Before and after:
Last edited by Man of Steel; 07-17-2012 at 12:55 PM.
Whenever I visit Estonia I will send you a private message (or do you visit The Netherlands in the near future?).
Admitted, my engine bay was not a challenge. Car is not even 5 years old and 54K on the clock. But the procedure should be the same for every car, it is simple when you know how.
1) Buy Degreaser stuff at auto store. I used Autoglym Machine & Engine Cleaner, which is priced €9 for 1 liter here. Works perfect.
2) Spray on and use painting brush to work product in.
3) Use water spray to remove product. Here comes the only thinking part. I assume it is logical not to use full waterbeam or high pressure water on engine! Depending on what is covered on your engine bay, you can cover more vital areas. I did not do that, I took the garden hose with 'spray' function, no issue at all even not with Italian car :-) You can also use a water sprayer and do it manually if you want to be 200% safe.
4) Dry with cloth. Ready!
5) Optional: Use product to restore look of rubbers, plastic, hoses. I used Poorboys Trim Restorer. You can also get products from Meguiar's or other known brands.
If you skip option 5 and are satisfied with result you can finish the job in no-time. I challenge you to try and post the result :-)
Here a link for cleaning:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SiH0L7sWc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SiH0L7sWc[/ame]
Last edited by Man of Steel; 07-18-2012 at 01:39 AM.
Wooh not too many response or feedback on car detailing at UCP. Too bad, it is a real art but guess I am the only idiot here.
Ah well, at least I am enjoying it and I will keep sharing my car-clean details with you all.
And maybe, I said maybe, I can make someone enthusiastic about it just by reading it. If not it will keep me off the streets anyhow
Next step will be repairing a dent in the Alfa, because some @#$%^& hit my door without leaving a message. Damage not too great luckily. I will take the opportunity to repair three other (less visible) dents. Will cost me €150 ... But hey, I take this seriously
Cheers!
Last edited by Man of Steel; 07-19-2012 at 03:50 AM.
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