olbuickman
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Posts posted by olbuickman
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Richard, the only time that you want to use dawn is when you want to start your polish and sealant procedure from scratch. When I do a Zaino job for a customer , I let them know that I do it just to strip off whatever is on the paint pior to using the Zaino line. From that point on I tell them to use the Zaino Z7 car wash or a product like Optimum no rinse . I like to follow up with a quick spritz with Zaino's Grand Finale spray using a microfiber cloth.
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Richard, I detail cars and boats in my retirement,I just finished yesterday a black 2005 Corvette coupe. The product that I use on my Reatta and most of my customers cars is "Zaino" . Wash, claybar the finish, polish with Menzerna intensive polish, Zaino Z2 sealant, top with Zaino "grand finale spray" Frank
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Barney, you are right on picking the 235 50 series rather than the 235 55 series tires. When I bought mine they were part of a takeoff from a 2007 Lucerne,so I didn't have a choice. I would have preferred not to have to use the front spacers, Frank
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Mike, I have been running the Lucerne wheels and tires on my 1990 Reatta convertible. I used a 1" spacer on my front wheels in order to clear the shock towers. The backs were ok. Frank
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Labrat, recently I had one that wouldn't eject. I was able to forward it to the end of the tape and then hit eject and it popped out. Frank
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Vincent, can I resize once the picture is posted ? Thanx Frank
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HPK, Menzerna polish isn't too bad to work with. I just did a 2009 Black Dodge charger R/T yesterday and the finish came out like a mirror. The key is to take all the steps leading up to the last application of Zaino Z2 sealant. 1- wash with dawn to remove any oils etc. 2- claybar each panel of the car 3-wash the car after claybarring to remove the residue from the claybar lubricant 4- use either a Flex or a Porter Cable orbital buffer with a stand and 2 500 watt halogens to check your work for swirls and halogens. 5- apply the Zaino Z2 sealant wait 20 minutes to wipe it off and then lastly I use Zaino Grand finale Spray to make the finish pop. To maintain my car about once a month I put a coat of Zaino Z2 on it. Frank
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Brian, The 2008 Lucerne only has 10,000 miles and the high mileage 1990 Reatta next to it has 25,000 miles on it. In my retirement I detail cars and boats mostly as a hobby. Back in April I buffed out both cars with Menzerna Intensive polish and have been adding coats of Zaino. Frank
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Vincent, I have had a 2008 Buick Lucerne as my daily driver for just over a year and I really like this car. I piked the V-6,I like the way the suspension and engine work with this car. My buddy had a v-8 and when I drove his car I didn't like the heavy and stiff feeling that the cxs had. The gas mileage is better also.When I got my CXL I was debating whether to go with Cadillac CTS,the Cadillac seemed too small. Just my thoughts.I like the other black Buick in the garage also.
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Richard, I bought my Leatherique from Autogeek down in Stuart,Florida. They have great customer service. If you tell them you saw their ads on the Corvette Forum,you will probably get an extra discount. Their website is www.autogeek.net
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Richard, last year I used Leatherique's rejuvenator oil and pristine clean on my Reatta's saddle leather seats,I had been using Zaino leather cleaner and their conditioner but I needed a deep clean. The Leatherique product worked great. I did mine on a hot humid day, closed all the car windows and let it sit for about 6 hrs with the rejuvenator oil pulling all kinds of crud out of the seats. I followed up with pristine clean,now the seats are as soft as new ones. I now give it a quick coat of Zaino leather conditioner mostly for the leather type smell. Hope this helps. Frank
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California Emissions were $100.00 Frank
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Bm7734, I used Triple A Enterprises, They can be reached at www.window-sticker.com. They made me one a paper copy and also a copy that was plastic laminated. I use the laminated copy at auto shows.It draws a lot of attention to the car. I was pleased with the quality of their work. Frank
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Handmedownreatta. I have completed two of my four stock 1990 reatta wheels and I have to tell you this is a dirty time consuming job. If I was doing it over I would have the wheel collision center in Bath,Pa. do the wheels. If I remember right they charge like $115 a wheel exchange and do a beautiful job. When you do it yourself, you need to get "aircraft paint stripper" to get the clearcoat off,then you use 400,600 and 1200 grade wet-dry sandpaper,soap and water to clean the aluminum wheels,a lot of old rags for polishing and then two coats of clear to finish. Allow a lot of time on each wheel. I detail cars and boats in my retirement and I would rather do a 4-5 hr detail than restore these wheels. Frank
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Daveagain909, I replaced my rear seat speakers in my 1990 convertible with a pair of pioneer 4x10 model number tsa4103. I picked them up from American TV when they were on sale. It was an easy job to swap them. They sound good. Hope this helps.Frank
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Craig57, My 1990 black convertible is for sale. I will try to attach a picture of it. Frank
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Craig57,Welcome to the Reatta site. Last spring and summer I went to a lot of car shows in the Milwaukee area,I was testing the water with a for sale sign in my Reatta convertible at a few of the shows and got a lot of interest. In late April at the Jefferson Wi fairgrounds there is a show,sale and swap meet that draws a lot of people,I sold my '75 Le sabre convertible there a few years ago. I think it costs like $30 a day for SAt and $30 for Sun. to put your car in the car corral. You will get a lot of people looking at your car. Frank
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6ball, I have one of my four stock wheels stripped of the clear coat and polished to a chrome like finish. Last winter in my basement I started this project and I bet that I have at least 3 hours on the one wheel alone. I started with the aircraft paint stripper and then 400 and 600 wetsandpaper and finished with the 1200 paper. I then used flitz polish and cotton buffs on a drill to get the high gloss finish. It is a dirty job doing this work,I would rather detail a Reatta than doing this wheel polishing. I am real tempted to strip the other 3 wheels and then have a shop polish them out. When I get them back I would spray them myself with 2 coats of clear. Frank
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Chris, you can do the wheels yourself if you don't mind putting alot of time and elbow grease in each wheel. Start by using an aircraft quality paint stripper,it will cut through the thick clearcoat that is on the wheels . your next step is to start sanding out the curb rash starting with a 600 wet dry sandpaper and gradually working your way up to a 1200 grade wet dry paper. Next wash the wheels real good with soap and water make sure they are dry real good. Use a quality clear coat spray like SEM,use 2 coats. Whatever you do make sure you don't use a cheap coating like Krylon clear,it won't hold up. on my stock wheels I have finished one wheel and I bet I have 3 hours on just one wheel. If you don't want to spend the time,a company like the Wheel Collision Center in Bath.PA will do it for $115 exchange per wheel. Frank
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55 chevy, the stainless steel trim band was not a factory option. I was in the chicago zone office at the time and we used to use some custom top shops in the northern suburbs to dress up some Rivieras and Reattas that we wanted to show our dealers. Frank
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I was able to get a window sticker for my 1990 Reatta from Triple A enterprises in Bloomington In. Their Fax # is 877-245-8252. Frank
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WeeWilly, If you want to stay with the Buick look, Chrome wheels off of a 2006-2008 Lucerne will work. I went with the 17" wheels so that I would have enough clearance for the Spring tower. I have had a lot of compliments on the way they look.
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Tammy, If you ever get over here in the Milwaukee area we could wake up the finish of your "select Sixty" Zaino has some really top quality polishes and sealants that bring out the best of the Reatta
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Ronnie and Roger, I think I was able to straighten out my picture downloading problem. Here are two pictures one of the interior and one of the 2008 Black Lucerne with matching chrome wheels and a cashmere interior.(the everyday car) Frank
Reatta seat comfort
in Buick Reatta
Posted
This week I was sitting behind the wheel of a C6 Corvette coupe that I was detailing and something really became noticeable to me. Both the drivers and passengers seats in the corvette are too narrow and lack lateral support. In the garage next to the Corvette was my 1990 Reatta. I compared the seat comfort in the Reatta and hands down our seats blow the Corvettes away . I can't imagine making a long distance trip in a vette. The Reatta seat measures 22" wide whereas the corvette width was 19". This morning I measured the seats in my 2008 Lucerne and they are 20" wide on the seat cushion. The Reatta seats are even more comfortable than the Lucerne. Just an fyi