The Proton's been running around for a while now collecting 'baseline' numbers.
It sure is great having a car like this. I love my big van but it sure is great having a little 'truck' like this for the quick trip to the hardware store etc. Same length/ width as a G2 Prius, cheap to buy, cheap to run, easy to work on, not too worried about car park dings etc. Shame they don't make them like this anymore.
Anyway, onto what I've been doing. Buying a car from a mechanic might seem like a solid investment, but chances are the interior will be full of grease! The interior is pretty much mint, hardly a scratch to be found, but it sure was dirty!
I'm thinking the guy was a heavy diesel mech, as the interior is full of nasty grey dust, and the seat belt left you smelling of grease every time you drove it. I've now managed to get it clean enough, but I still plan on pulling the interior completely when the weather warms up a bit.
The second owner was a painter, so while the interior was full of grease, the exterior was covered in paint
Even the wipers were sticking to the glass as it hadn't had a decent clean in years.
De ionizing snow foam followed by clay bar:
Still needs further attention but looking OK:
V-LEDS adjustable LED flasher. I put a China flasher in my Jeep and of course, wasn't happy with the flash rate. I was able to tune the flash rate by physically replacing the timer cap, but I couldn't tune the 'on' time at all.
V-LEDs is much easier
These are VLED's direct replacement globes (not Tritons - I bought some Tritons too but they're expensive, heavy and won't fit the majority of cars easily).
They look many times brighter, but surprisingly, at least in the day time, they're not dazzling at all. Just giving solid light, with the proper flash that LEDs do, rather than the fade in, fade out that fillament bulbs are known for.
I'm waiting on the rear (brake and turn) which will again be VLED direct replacements.