Monday, July 30, 2012

Blaiz is back !

Dear readers, I'm glad to inform you all that Blaiz is back after recovering from that accident and is now as good as new !!
Here are a few pics showing the restoration:




However, the bad times seem to continue for Blaiz as it got a long thin scratch on the right side while garaging it and moreover someone seemed to have bumped into and broke the right side tail light while it was parked in front of Hind Fame multiplex. Therefore, had to make a quick second trip to the Mahindra workshop and got the tail light replaced and the scratch removed. Now the first thing I'm going to do is to take Blaiz to Kalighat temple and get some rituals performed to ensure that it is protected from avoidable accidents by the celestial powers. :)

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Blaiz Accident : Truck Collision


Sunday night, Blaiz was rammed by a truck sideways. The accident took place on Kolkata’s VIP Road while dad was returning home from a client’s birthday celebrations. It was almost 11:30 p.m and at such late hours heavy vehicles such as trucks and lorries could be seen everywhere bullying smaller vehicles while being controlled by intoxicated illiterate irresponsible drivers who could easily be considered as the second biggest threat to society after terrorists. Dad was driving on the 3rd lane of the 4-lane wide road when a truck rammed into Blaiz on the right side while trying to overtake another truck at high speed. Thankfully the truck didn’t hit the car from behind otherwise the accident could have had been fatal. We can only thank God that dad didn’t suffer even a single scratch whereas Blaiz got almost torn on the side as the truck’s front wheel and it’s protruding screws drilled into it.


The right side rear fender was the most badly injured and endured most of the collision pressure. The wheel-cap got completely crushed and got stuck in the upper side of the wheel-well.


The gates got pretty badly dented as well. However, I would take an opportunity to applaud Renault Mahindra’s superb build quality and body strength where Blaiz endeavoured much of the pressure without much crumbling whereas any other car would have been ripped apart !
The truck driver got thrashed by some local people followed by the truck and the truck driver being locked at the Lake Town Police Station.

The culprit
Blaiz is currently recovering at the Mahindra workshop and hopefully it will soon roar upon the roads in its full glory. Regular updates of Blaiz’s recovery will be posted here.
Hoping the bad times get over soon.





Thursday, June 21, 2012

Drizzle On The Glass

Today the sky was cloudy since early morning and there was heavy rainfall too !! The monsoon season has begun and the intermittent rains are a good signal that this torturous summer is coming to an end..
So, I was driving to office and suddenly I saw the clouds above and was immediately smitten by the scenic beauty..! Although I was driving, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the beauty of nature.. The slight drizzle, cloudy sky, wet roads, greenery and the cool breeze made it a magical experience ! So I quickly took out my phone, steadily held the steering wheel with one hand and took a snap with the other one followed by the phone being thrown on the passenger seat to retain control over the car !
Here is the pic (a bit blurry due to my concentration being divided)


A weather like this makes you want to just drift your car towards unknown lanes and get lost in paths untraveled. Solitude engulfs the mind and suddenly you realize the beauty of life around you.. That is what I felt today and it was a small unforgettable sweet experience..

Warning: Stunt performed by expert. Using phone while driving can be dangerous. Do Not Try.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Waxing The Blaiz : Body Wash Guide

It had been quite some time since Blaiz got a proper wash and so I decided to give it a thorough wax wash followed by liquid and wax polishing.
For this purpose, I decided to test the Waxpol Heavy Duty Car Wash sample pouch that I had bought.


First of all, make sure that your hands are totally free of any kind of jewellery as a single moment of negiligence can result in an agonizing scratch mark !


First of all I cleaned the tires using a netted pad and shampoo. The tyre protectant would be applied at the end.
After the tires were done, Blaiz was completely drenched in water.


Then I took a clean bucket with around 1 litre water and poured all the contents of the Waxpol sample pouch. However, the result after the wash wasn't as desired so a second wash with Formula 1 Wax Wash followed it.


The wax wash provided a very rich layer which would be a useful base for the upcoming waxing.
After the wash, I used the 3M Liquid Polish with a sponge to get rid of any residual dirt and to provide a sleek finish.
Then I applied Formula 1 Carnauba Wax all over Blaiz using a sponge pad in circular motion. Do not apply the wax or polish in vertical or horizontal directions as it may not give the desired finesse.



Once the wax got dried to a haze, I used a micro-fiber cloth to buff it off to get glittering shine !

Once the body part was done, I returned to the tires and used Waxpol Tyre Shine to get a shiny jet black finish.




Once the whole process was over, Blaiz was rolled out of the garage into the sunshine !
Here's the final result:








Weapons of Dirt Destruction

Recently I bought a lot of car care products for White Bolt and Blaiz.

  • Hi-Flex electric polisher with adjustable RPM
  • 2 wool pads
  • Formula 1 Carnauba Wax Wash
  • Formula 1 Carnauba Car Wax
  • Formula 1 Leather, Plastic, Vinyl Protector
  • Motomax Cream Polish
  • Motomax Paint Sealant
  • 3M Liquid Polish
  • Waxpol Windshield Cleaner
  • Waxpol Tyre Shine
  • Waxpol Heavy Duty Car Wash (sample pouch)
  • Turtle Rubbing Compound
  • Meguiar's Car Clay
  • Meguiar's Ultra Shine Jewel Finish

Here's a picture of few of the products:


These products were selected after thorough research so that their combination gives out the best possible result !

Blaiz got Bumped : How to Remove Scratch Marks

It is an extremely tough job to keep your car unblemished when they are being used for travel on a daily basis. Add to that Kolkata's rowdy drivers, auto rickshaws, cabs, fearless cycle riders, cycles vans and you get the perfect recipe for any car lover's nightmare !! So on one such fateful day, when Blaiz was being taken out of the office garage, a fully loaded cycle van rammed into it resulting into a huge dent on the right side rear fender with scratches all over it.
The outcome of the accident:


Although there is nothing much that I can do about the dent, I can surely try to get rid of those scratch and paint marks.
So the first thing I needed to do was to rub out the paint marks using a rubbing compound. I used the Turtle Rubbing Compound here. If you don't have such compound, a Scotch Brite or 2000 grit sand paper would also suffice, but make sure you use a polishing compound after the rubbing.
The outcome:


The rubbing helped me get rid of almost all the marks and scratches, but the surface had become rough and devoid of any shine. So to restore the smooth and shiny finesse I used the 3M Liquid Polish followed by waxing with Formula 1 Carnauba Car Wax. To cover those cracks and deep scratches, I simply used a white-ink pen to camouflage the effect.
Here is the final result:


I think the scars have been covered pretty decently. Whereas, the dent would need the hands of a professional to get healed.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Meet White Bolt and Blaiz

The All New Honda City i-Vtec is undoubtedly the best in the class in all fields. Be it engine refinement, performance, power, handling, exterior looks, interior space, quality equipment or anything ! Honda has set a benchmark with it's i-Vtec engines and the ANHC always made me drool whenever it passed by me. So when I eventually got to lay my hands on this awesome mean machine, my joy knew no bounds !
The Mahindra Renault Logan was bought to replace our ageing Hyundai Santro ZipPlus which had served us extremely well for almost a decade ! The Logan is a very sturdy car and all it's parts are very solidly built. It's suspension and shock absorption is outstanding and the 1.6L engine revs up like a comet !
White Bolt is the name of my beloved Honda City i-Vtec and Blaiz is the name of the Mahindra Renault Logan that we have ! The name 'White Bolt' was selected because of the ANHC's taffeta white color and 'shooting arrow' design. The Logan is named 'Blaiz' after Ghost Rider's Johnny Blaze ! Both these cars are loved dearly by me and I take extensive steps to take care of them so that they shine as they did when they had arrived ! Both of these white colored speed machines have been fitted with lots of extra fittings..
White Bolt is all armed with reverse sensors, bass tube, automatic window roll-up etc, whereas additional sound fittings were not required as Honda has provided the *best* stock sound system in this car ! Blaiz too has got automatic window roll-up and it is also fitted with an LPG kit to save us from the sudden price-hikes in petrol bombed by our caring government.. Blaiz has been fitted with a bombastic music system all geared up with a Pioneer 10" sub-woofer, JBL speakers, Sony amplifier, Sony Xplod HU and Renault stock front speakers..
Recently I bought a lot of car care products such as an electric polisher, sealants, wax, polish, rubbing compounds, clay and other materials which would preserve the finesse of these vehicles..
In this blog, I would be regularly updating the status of Bolt and Blaiz along with tips on car care and proper procedure for car maintenance..!
Here are a few pics for the start !


White Bolt !







Blaiz !