You are an obsession
I cannot sleep
I am your possession
Unopened at your feet
There’s no balance
No equality
Be still; I will not accept defeat
The lyrics to that old ’80s song, which arguably marks the pinnacle of that decade’s cheesy musical excess, applies here to some degree — albeit without the remarkably dark and disturbing subtext.
We’re not talking abduction, forcible confinement, and a heinous act that’s best left unstated here. No siree. We’re talking an obsession of the automotive variety. The pursuit of a certain type of perfection that often leads to misery and tears.
Certain imperfections can worm their way into a driver’s brain. A blemish, a rattle, a squeak, an electrical gremlin, a ghost deep in the machine — anything that turns a masterpiece, or even just something good, into a source of irritation can weigh on the mind.
Like the museum curator who spots a flicked booger on a Van Gogh, the urge to remove the blemish can be strong. Perhaps stronger than the person in pursuit.
It’s not a complex example (and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before), but a friend once spent weeks and hundreds of dollars attempting to recreate showroom-quality bumpers on a 15-year-old car that was anything but a cream puff. Every day and night he’d be out there, sanding, sanding some more, filling, sanding yet again, priming, painting until the moon came up, only to find a new imperfection the next day. Incomplete coverage. A dimple in the paint. Some bottom-of-the-can splatter.
Ultimately, and despite my attempts at intervention (“My God, man — these bumpers are your white whale! Desist from this madness!”), a neighbor suggested the application of a caustic material to remove all paint, thus freeing up a blank canvas. It was blank alright. That acid was not meant for plastic body panels.
They say perfection is the enemy of good. Well, my friend’s pursuit of perfection eventually made “good” an impossibility. Those bumpers looked like hot garbage till the day he sent the thing to the wreckers.
Has obsession ever consumed you, dear reader? If so, describe the automotive malady that set it off. Did you come out on top?
[Image: © 2018 Murilee Martin/The Truth About Cars]
Nice photo of PPG coatings failure on what appears to be a late ’80s – early ’90s GM.
I would guess a Reatta with that short looking trunk lid. Or perhaps a Lumina. White Luminas never maintained paint.
There were several years where “white” formulations were just poor period.
The district had several of the last of the Ford D186 platform Tauri and none of them could hold their “fleet white” paint. The city of Gallup had similar problems with white Crown Vics.
A now retired staff member of mine still swears that silver holds up better than any other color in the New Mexico sun. Her fleet is 2 silver Camrys (different generations one 4 cyl one V6) and a silver Civic.
Paint still looks pretty good on all of them I must admit.
My dad’s always had bad luck with silver paint on trucks. He had an S10 and a Silverado with silver, and both of them had big problems.
I had silver on my GS 430, no issues there. But it was fairly metallic. Showed imperfections and dents, but not dirt.
The brand I see with paint follies more recently is Honda. I’ve seen problems on Accords and Civics on cars which are too new to have major paint issues.
Great opener on this article. Dang, that song literally just came on my mp3 rotation as I was typing this very comment. (I am absolutely not making this up.)
#makenewwavenewagain
It saddens me that a search for this hashtag brings up precisely 0 results on google. I’m not trying to beat #floridaman, I just want a whole number that is greater than zero. Perhaps when the bots next visit TTAC, there will be at least 1 search result.
If I was on Twitter I’d give that hash a retweet. I was rockin’ First Wave on SiriusXM this AM on the drive in.
For some reason “mp3 rotation” instantly made me think of the old school Winamp window with the playlist.
You just made me feel old when you mentioned Winamp… thaaaaanks!
:P :D
I have an occasional squeak in my pickup truck cabin that I can’t find. It’s driving me crazy. The truck is a 1998 Ford F150. It sounds like it is coming from the driver’s door area. Any ideas?
Check you e-brake cable bracket underneath the cab.
1980 VW Rabbit, gas engine, 4-speed manual.
The manifold would rattle in the whereabouts 2000 to 2300 RPM. Which meant it EVERY single time the engine was accelerating.
And here is the kicker, it would only happen if the engine was loaded. If decelerating or idling, the noise would not happen.
It goes without saying that the VW dealership never found the problem.
I tried all sorts of cures, including the installation of a super-powerful (for the time) stereo system, blaring the heaviest rock music.
But no avail….. even with the stereo’s volume at 11, I knew the problem was there, I could feel it, I could sense it.
I had to get rid of the vehicle.
I once saw someone flick a booger on my chrome bumper… I was beside myself. Then and only then did I learn life’s lesson about letting things go
Peace :)
People have been killed for less.
Sure, but if you’re going to risk prison time for a thoughtless transgression that could be solved with a paper towel, then you have bigger issues to work out.
I fall into this trap, the obsession one periodically and yes ‘perfection’ is absolutely the enemy of ‘good’. This is somewhat timely as each spring I wash & clay bar, then wax and seal my cars. ( I have been using Klasse products they are fantastic! — I am not a paid spokesperson just a fella who loves a shiny waxed car). So, I did two fo the four this weekend and I am not reminded of every knick, scratch, door ding, imperfection, paint run what have you on my Vette’ and 57′. One has 15 year old paint and the other is closer to 20+ so all of the afore mentioned imperfections should be present and be a badge of honor of a well used DD’d or often driven classic.
No matter, I still spend hours with the Dr. Colorchip touch up kit obsessed with making the finish perfect which we all know is impossible. Ah well, could be worse. I remind myself that at least I am not a 40 year old video ‘gamer’ like some of the dads in my hood…
I’ve just become lazy about handwashing the car: it takes me longer to drag out the hose and fill the bucket, then roll up the damn hose (no room for a roller) than it does to wash and dry the car!
I’m sure my tune will change once I get my new car in a month or so.
There are a lot of minor little things about my car that might normally drive me nuts, but I remind myself it’s getting older, it’s paid for and other then those minor little things it’s a great car
I wash my car pretty much every week. I’m pretty obsessed with keeping it clean. However I don’t go nuts with wax and polish, just wash and wipe down but I make the extra effort to get every little spot off even in hidden areas nobody can see. A clean car is a happy car! One thing in particular that drives me crazy is finger prints on various surfaces, especially windows. Why when people point to things do they have to TOUCH it? I’m not a germ freak but the oil and grease from your fingers tends to smear, thus a small touch turns into a bigger streak.
I also obsess over the seat and mirror position in my vehicles. I can never get them perfect. I drive 3 separate vehicles and their driving positions are radically different, so each one is a compromise. Sometimes it feels like gremlins have messed with my settings when I switch vehicles.
I have dog nose prints all over the inside of the side rear window. I only see them when the windows fog up, so I never remember to clean them.
I’ve got the slight “fog” on the widows of my 1967 Mustang and the old vinegar and newspaper trick doesn’t seem to be working.
I know it’s a combo of my Grandfather who smoked like a chimney in the sucker (for the couple of years he owned it) and then my occasional cigar use in the car.
Still drives me nuts when just the right light hits it.
Dog snot! ew
+1 on the windows! The rake on the front and rear windows in my Challenger is such that it’s pretty tough to get a good scrub on the bottoms. I do a finishing wipe with a microfiber cloth which helps but the real problem is the glass will look spotless…until that morning sun hits it and BAMM! Smudges galore.
^ This!
I’ve also gotten lazy about detailing — I’ll pay the dealer to do it twice a year, as they do a better job than I ever will! (But I always use a Zaino topcoat at the dealer when I pick up the car. They’re nice enough to park it inside after they’re done. Then I wipe it on and let it set up on the way home.)
My Mazda’s automatic transmission has started making a weird little clunk both when I shift out of park and when I accelerate from a stop. It’s not jerky or slow to engage, it just makes a noise. At least for now. It’s on my mind constantly when I’m driving it.
Sounds like a failing transmission (maybe engine?) mount. I had something similar on a 1994 Ford Tempo. Replaced the lower trans mount and it went away.
I’ll have to figure where they are and check them. It seems like I’ve heard those can be an issue on this car, now that you say that.
Slop in the torque converter?
Do like I do :
Drive / ride worthless old junk .
The irritants are still there but they’re easier to ignore .
BTW : that paint failure looks like the one on my old 1960 VW #117, the painter used ‘ACME’ brand Acrylic Enamel paints, I’ll never allow that brand again .
-Nate
I fell into this when we got the 2002 XG350. I’m prone to take old things & try to make them look new, especially if it’s a quality item. This car had normal rust for a 15 year old Minnesota car, but the interior was in very good condition. I scrubbed, wiped, buffed, shined and dusted every nook and cranny of that car. I’d watch old Hyundai commercials on Youtube & imagine I was that successful Korean executive driving to whatever was next in his fabulous life.
In reality I looked like a middle-aged guy driving a shiny, rattling, smelly rustbucket, but I was happy in my head.
I have mild OCD, so I’ve probably forgotten more occurrences than most people have had!
Rattles and squeaks used to bug the he11 out of me! Every Honda I’ve owned, save for my current 2013, all bought new, has been back to the dealer within a week of delivery to address something or another! With rattles, I can accept them if I know what their source is, and especially if the car is no longer under warranty! But my first car was titled in my parents’ name because I obtained it at 17, and my Dad threatened to sell it out from under me if I didn’t stop bi4ching about them! (I’ve always had sensitive hearing—a blessing AND a curse!)
Then there’s the couple thousand dollars in paint-protection film I’ve had applied to my last two cars, and will do the same with my new car set to arrive sometime in June. I’ve always been a stickler for perfect paint, and after being driven crazy with my first two rust buckets, I’ve been OCD about the paint on my last vehicles, much more so when new; my current car has a small scratch from a woman’s handbag, but I’ve not had time to touch it up, since the scratch doesn’t go through the primer layer, and the potential buyer is fine with it—when I test-drove an Accord Touring several weekends ago, I had the car appraised for trade, and inquired as to the approximate retail price if they were to put it out on their lot, so all blemishes are priced into a deduction I’ll take on the ask.
Same with interiors—I worked too hard to clean my steering wheel leather in my 2006 Accord, and needed to have the wheel re-dyed! I also have a Seat Defender temporary seat cover that goes on when it rains or in the winter. (It just flops over the front of the seat, so it won’t affect side-airbag operation.) Since I wear sleeveless T-shirts and tank tops in the summer, I have a set of two Velcro-closed sleeves that go over the seat belts so they don’t get dirty, with the second one used on the lap belt (in conjunction with the aforementioned seat cover) if I occasionally choose to drive without a shirt.
So I’ll have another new car to worry about! Unlike the last time, my PPF vendor doesn’t think he can do an adequate job coming to my dealer before delivery, so I’ll be scheduling time off for a drive to Mentor, OH for that, as soon as humanly possible (like the NEXT DAY if I can help it) after taking delivery (and praying that I don’t get caught behind a stone-hauling truck), plus I’ve already got a trunk mat and WeatherTech FloorLiners waiting to be installed the minute I pull into my garage for the first time!
Every single imperfection in any vehicle I own. As well as any audio gear. Can Not Deal With IT. In my mind, “No one would want this piece of junk with that ding on the dash.” Everyone else, “Wow – this car is in amazing shape.”
A whole rack of audio gear that is perfect and I rarely use, I don’t give it a second thought. One VU meter light goes out and I cannot think of anything else until it is replaced – along with much the preamp circuitry – since I was in there anyway. One woofer surround disintegrating on a pair of speakers I haven’t used 3 times in 20 years turns into a quest to find the pinnacle of surround material, exactly matching the durometer and elasticity that Watkins had in mind in 1976.
Luckily, I’m a lot more forgiving with my kids – as long as they don’t touch my cars or my audio gear (who am I kidding, they’ve already ruined my cars)
I do this too with dents and paint issues. If I have a car that has to go to a body shop for a repair and repaint, I’ll get rid of it soon after. It’s happened twice. I can’t look at the car the same way again – even if nobody else can see the paint fix, I can, and I know it’s there.
The dents I guess I exaggerate. Go to sell a car and they ask me if it has any dents. “Yes, it has six,” I reply, as of course I keep count.
They show up and can’t believe that I’ve striped the carpets and washed it when it’s a $5000 used car.
Yep, that’s me. I traded in a less than one-year-old truck after getting a scrape when someone lightly sideswiped my front passenger quarter panel in traffic. The Toyota body shop fixed it and blended it midway into the passenger front door. It was a dark metallic gray paint – so it was hard to miss when it was in the sun.
I took it back, they fixed it some more and blended the new paint between the doors – which looked good, but they got overspray on the frame, which they then fixed. Every time I looked at the truck, I got angry – all I could see was the mismatched paint texture and spots of overspray underneath. All told, the truck spent almost 6 months at the body shop. When I traded it in (at a different dealer), I mentioned the scratch that had been fixed (because surely they saw the horrible paintwork and were already deducting dollars), they said couldn’t see it and that it was a great repair and certainly wouldn’t affect their resale value of it.
Interior rattles drive me nuts. I don’t want to hear anything inside the car other than what’s on the stereo. When I hear one, I try and isolate/fix it as soon as possible.
My Outback has a rattle in the tailgate and it drives me nuts. I need to have someone else come along and sit in the cargo area and find where it’s emanating from.
I’m about 3 seconds from selling my dodge durango because there seems like there is some smudges/grime BEHIND the display screens for the HVAC system.
its such a stupid little thing, but there doesn’t seem like any way to clean them… but I also don’t know how they got dirty. If the light hits just right, you can’t even read the temperature setting, and it looks awful.
I just don’t get it, and its driving me MAD. I actually get worked up and angry every time I drive the stupid thing,
Count me among your numbers, my obsessive brethren.
Case in point – I am in the process of selling my pristine Porsche because I can no longer tolerate the anxiety that comes with keeping it pristine. I work in an area with a large hail risk, so I’d rather sell the car than see it damaged by hail. And don’t get me started about when the kids leave finger smudges on the doors…
I planned to buy a “beater” to drive to work instead. I ended up with a nice (but relatively inexpensive) Lexus and have already spent many hours on obsessive baselining the maintenance, removing dings, touching up rock chips, and other steps in “the relentless pursuit of perfection”. (See what I did there?). I also bought a $300 hail cover for my “beater”.
It’s just plain unhealthy, I tell ya…
My life got better when I learned to apply some lessons from residential drywall to automotive paint and body work.
Take a bright (LED) flashlight into a dark room in your home – place the flashlight flat against the wall so that the wall surface is illuminated by the harshest, least-forgiving sidelight possible, then rotate the light in line with the plane of the wall. You will see every wall defect – you might even be able to locate the studs using this method. As you pull the light away from the wall, still directing it toward the wall, notice how many defects disappear (as the light angle changes from 0 to 90 degrees).
The standard for evaluating drywall (yes there is a standard) is to inspect the wall surface under normal lighting, from a distance of at least five feet, viewed perpendicular to the wall surface.
The lesson? It’s not perfect and it doesn’t need to be – you could spend days and weeks leveling out drywall as viewed from 6 inches away but there really is no point.
How does this apply to cars? If we’re talking daily drivers and not concours entrants, the paint is not going to be perfect. But at the same time, there are a *lot* of things you can do at a detail level to get a much better overall effect from ~5 feet away. For example, 20 minutes with a color-matched touch-up pen working on tiny little scratches and chips will make a *huge* difference in the appearance of the driver’s door panel. A little bug and tar remover on the plastic bumper fascias will also make a huge difference.
But at some point, saw off and move on – it’s a car.
I used to be obsessive over detailing my vehicles, but it was just taking too much effort and too much of my time. I’ve come more and more to view them as transportation appliances and so I only wash them 3-4 times a year, but always by hand. I use a high quality wash and wax combo and I find that it makes a big difference in how the car looks after it rains.
Back when I would regularly wax my vehicles, I had a cheap orbital buffer. We had a rather beat up ’94 F150 with metallic blue paint that was really faded in some spots and promising in others. It also had headlights that were so yellow we couldn’t see at night. My wife and I spent half a day buffing the headlights clear, then washed by hand and waxed with the orbital buffer and I have to say it made an insane difference. From 15 feet away it looked like it had been a garage queen. Once you got up close you could still tell it was rather tired.
Being limited in budget matters forces one to curb their obsessions pretty quickly. That said, when I was able to start working again, I started fixing up the car. The cracked and busted bumpers? Replaced. The zip tied headlight panel and faded headlights? Replaced. The cracked dash? Recovered. The saggy suspension? Rebuilt. It’s still a work in progress, but more than one person has remarked at my obsession with fixing up my car.
It isnt just this car, though. I’m constantly improving whatever I drive, even if I’m the only one who notices. I keep it clean, I maintain it mechanically. I am also am pretty obsessed about what parts I use, and I keep up with what’s due when.
To be honest, I’m that way with my 2004 Toyota Highlander Limited. Even though its a old car, I park it far away from everyone else wherever I go.
Ever since I got this car as a gift, one of my headlights is completely fogged up. I’ve tried multiple cleaning solutions but to no avail, it still looks horrible and it bothers my OCD since there is one perfectly clean headlight right next to one that is all fogged up. I keep wanting to spend the money on a new one when we don’t know how long this car will last.
Last year my father backed up into a rock in our driveway with my car at night. His mistake scraped the the plastic mudguard. I asked him if he would pay to fix it and of course that request did not go over well.
Yeah its sad but hopefully I’m not this way when I get that land cruiser that I’m saving for (school first, LC later)
Arial,
Get yourself a ‘TYC’ replacement headlamp from rockauto dot com (around 50 bucks) and obsess no more.
If you are talking about an unpainted plastic mudguard, try a sharp razor blade and a heat gun to clean up the scratch.