What did you do to your Kia Stinger today?

[Luminary]

My car doesn't even share car wash mitts with the other cars. It has it's own dedicated buckets microfiber and other essentials. The other cars get the old used up ones.

Wow, I thought this was just the way I thought!

 

[CJ Wolf]

Well, being an Aussie I’m not entirely certain what ‘touch’ or ‘tunnel’ car washes do exactly but, it sounds like they can do some damage and I can seriously sympathize with you Merlin! One would think you wouldn’t/shouldn’t have to worry about this sort of thing going into a CAR WASH but, if this is the case then it should have been the responsibility of the proprietor of the wash to check for this and advise the owner of what may happen. One thing that really
p . . . s me off is wheel rim damage! It looks so frickin ugly and so annoying, especially on a good looking car! Here in Adelaide, South Australia, drivers are notorious for their bad driving habits and poor sense of judgement! I’ve seen expensive sports cars and fastback sedans worth more money than you and I earn in a year, with ALL the rims scraped and torn to crap! And they just don’t give a hoot!!
As far as car washes go, since buying my Stinger(s), (I first bought the 2L Turbo) I now won’t take my Gray Wolf into anything but a laser car wash, particularly since I’ve had two layers of full car/wheel rim ceramic coating and protective film put on the front! I’ve always been very particular with my Harley and cars. Sorry the guy wouldn’t help you with the repair bill but it does look better after the touch up work you’ve done, good job. As you said, live and learn sir! Every day of our lives is a continual learning process, no matter how old we are.
My ‘Gray Wolf’ pictured

 

[HDTurbo]

Great plate mate! And beauty ride....

 

[KAS]

View attachment 41868
My ‘Gray Wolf’ pictured

Hey CJ, was your first 4-cylinder Stinger also Ceramic Grey? When I was deciding on a colour I saw a 4-cyl in Ceramic Grey in the used car section of Adrien Brian KIA and was told the owner bought the 4-cyl and then quickly traded up to the 6-cyl!

 

[2020KGT2]

My car doesn't even share car wash mitts with the other cars. It has it's own dedicated buckets microfiber and other essentials. The other cars get the old used up ones.

I'm the same way.

 

[Buzzrush]

Smoked out the tail lights and deleted the rear reflectors above the tips . Please excuse the filth...all handwash facilities are closed indefinitely and she will never see an automatic wash.

Also removed, painted and reinstalled GTT2 badge behind the front wheel vents.

 

[CJ Wolf]

Great plate mate! And beauty ride....

Cheers mate! More to do yet but lovin’ every bit of it!

 

[CJ Wolf]

Hey CJ, was your first 4-cylinder Stinger also Ceramic Grey? When I was deciding on a colour I saw a 4-cyl in Ceramic Grey in the used car section of Adrien Brian KIA and was told the owner bought the 4-cyl and then quickly traded up to the 6-cyl!

G’day KAS! Mate, first up, my comment about Adelaide drivers does not mean everyone, present company included! I hope you didn’t take offence to it, I should learn to keep my opinions to myself. Apologies my friend. Yes! That was more than likely my first Stinger if it was at AB Ford. It actually took quite a while to sell, not to mention the fact that whoever drove it around the car yard to clean it etc., scraped the crap outta the PERFECT rims! Go figure! LOL! My first thought of the Ceramic Gray was ‘looks like a primer!’ But it grew on me very quickly and I’m glad I have it! By any chance would you be a member of the Stinger Owners Group here in Adelaide? I’m really looking forward to my first run with them! Heck knows how long that will be!

 

[CJ Wolf]

Smoked out the tail lights and deleted the rear reflectors above the tips . Please excuse the filth...all handwash facilities are closed indefinitely and she will never see an automatic wash. View attachment 41876

Also removed, painted and reinstalled GTT2 badge behind the front wheel vents. View attachment 41877 View attachment 41878

Love the smoked out tail lights and reflectors! Was just thinking the other day of doing the same with mine! Looks good mate!

 

[RedCal]

View attachment 41868 Well, being an Aussie I’m not entirely certain what ‘touch’ or ‘tunnel’ car washes do exactly b

CJ - they are horrible things... they drag your car along a metal track by the wheels on one side and pummel your car with spinning sandpaper (brushes)... some are "soft touch" (ie fine grained sandpaper ) and a few are "no touch" but the track is still there (you can see it on the right side) None of my cars will ever go through one of those... (I think they speed up in fear even when passing one)

 

[CJ Wolf]

CJ - they are horrible things... they drag your car along a metal track by the wheels on one side and pummel your car with spinning sandpaper (brushes)... some are "soft touch" (ie fine grained sandpaper ) and a few are "no touch" but the track is still there (you can see it on the right side) None of my cars will ever go through one of those... (I think they speed up in fear even when passing one)

HOLY SHITE! It looks like some sort of a torture chamber for cars!! Given the alleged damage these contraptions can do, how the hell are they still operating!?? Do you have to sign a waiver before subjecting your pride and joy to this!!?? DANG!

 

[RedCal]

Torture chamber for cars is an apt description!! they exist because some people REALLY don't care about their cars
in the winter (or when it's too cold to hand wash) I use the "touchless" drive in washes, they aren't great, but necessary

 

[CJ Wolf]

Torture chamber for cars is an apt description!! they exist because some people REALLY don't care about their cars
in the winter (or when it's too cold to hand wash) I use the "touchless" drive in washes, they aren't great, but necessary

‘Touchless’ are like a laser wash? Ours are pretty good actually, I won’t use anything else except my own microfibre cloths and rainwater!
Getting late in the evening here my Canadian friend so I’m gonna sign off. We can talk more later if you have time. Take care, stay safe and healthy!

 

[RedCal]

Yes, probably the same thing, drive in get an undercarriage spray and then an inverted "L" goes round the car and washes it, and a blow dry on the way out - I would hand wash year round if it wasn't for -10c days

 

[eflyguy]

A member here operated a number of touchless wash facilities and would never put his Stinger through one. The chemicals used are not friendly.

The only thing that's touched my car since the factory is a dedicated wash mitt and clean microfiber towels. The dealer pulled the protective plastic and handed me the keys.

 

[cncBilly]

Since I'm a carbon fiber fiend I was thinking about adding these accent pieces. Even though they are only CF dipped these rear bumper moldings look pretty decent. Anyone have them put on, would love to see a pic or two? How hard/easy is the install? Thank you.

There's nice ones than those out there. Install is pretty easy, there is a couple screws on the back they are a bit easier to access if you back onto ramps. I put a picture on another thread somewhere. Good luck

 

[RedCal]

A member here operated a number of touchless wash facilities and would never put his Stinger through one. The chemicals used are not friendly.

The only thing that's touched my car since the factory is a dedicated wash mitt and clean microfiber towels. The dealer pulled the protective plastic and handed me the keys.

It's not ideal, but when your car is covered in road salt, and it's well below freezing, there aren't many other options... unless you want your car to rust out

 

[Drudge]

Simple rock guard install:

 

[MerlintheMad]

A member here operated a number of touchless wash facilities and would never put his Stinger through one. The chemicals used are not friendly.

The only thing that's touched my car since the factory is a dedicated wash mitt and clean microfiber towels. The dealer pulled the protective plastic and handed me the keys.

I can keep my car clean in the middle of winter by using a bucket of hot water, right down to just barely above freezing. And if necessary I use a hand held wand wash to get extra grime off first, then I finish up at home. But, I cannot get the undercarriage; and road salt is the killer. How do you wash the underside of your car(s)?

 

[Buzzrush]

Love the smoked out tail lights and reflectors! Was just thinking the other day of doing the same with mine! Looks good mate!

Thank you sir! Yes I love the look. Cleans it up a bit! I bought the measured and pre-cut vinyl pieces. About 30 min job...super simple. Here's the link if your interested . Search by Vehicle - KIA - 2018 - Stinger GT - Page 1 - Premium Auto Styling