What should a newbie ABSOLUTELY know?

[Markclearview]

Hey everyone! Mark here.
Well, I did it. Lifelong dream achieved in the form of vin 17058.
Toronto, Canada. According to Justin at Wells Auto, the first Canadian spec car ever made.


As I wait the gruelling month for the car to be delivered, I want to make sure I am properly prepared!
I'm really grateful that there is such a committed community to helping out the newcomers like myself! A few questions to start:

Where does one source a fitted DeLorean car cover?
What have folks done about floor mats? Feelings?
A must have product for cleaning?

And finally: what should a new owner absolutely be prepared for?

Thanks new friends!

[WHO1DMC]

You need to be totally prepared for the attention you'll get on the road. Lots of pics and video. There will be drivers that turn into drooling idiot's. Some of these idiots can become dangerous because they don't pay attention to the road. One time I had a guy that lost control and almost wrecked in front of me. So you have to be more aware of your surroundings. Remember you don't blend in with a D.


Welcome to the club or family if you will.
Dave B.

[Michael]

You need to be totally prepared for the attention you'll get on the road. Lots of pics and video. There will be drivers that turn into drooling idiot's. Some of these idiots can become dangerous because they don't pay attention to the road. One time I had a guy that lost control and almost wrecked in front of me. So you have to be more aware of your surroundings. Remember you don't blend in with a D.

Truth! It's so bad around here. They have almost taken the fun out of ownership.

Here's what driving on the interstate can get you. Guy claimed he had a seizure. I say he was fumbling for his phone.

[Rich]

See inserted answers below - with links to 3 products:

Where does one source a fitted DeLorean car cover? DMCH sells this.

What have folks done about floor mats? Feelings? DMCH sells these. I've always had mats like these in our D. A majority of owners have them.

A must have product for cleaning? Nothing special needed for cleaning. Car shampoo and water do the trick if it gets real dirty. For a deeper clean of the stainless try Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) applied to a clean car once or twice per year. BKF comes in powder, cream or spray forms.

Not a must-have: There are also a number of "stainless steel cleaner" sprays, in both aerosol cans and spray bottles, you can find at hardware or grocery stores. They're aimed at caring for SS appliances. The stainless gets a little darker after application. These cleaners can leave an oily residue on adjacent glass. It's easily cleaned off. I recall they need to reapplied after a wash. The main benefit I noticed when I used to use an SS cleaner was fewer fingerprints.

Don't wax anything besides the painted front/rear fascias.

[Rich_NYS]

-When locking the doors from the outside, use the key...don't lock the open door then close it. Some type of malfunction happens (that I haven't experienced.)

-Try to use non-ethanol fuel if you have a stock fuel setup. Ethanol appears to have an adverse effect on the rubber components of a stock fuel tank pickup/delivery system.

-If you allow people to sit in your car for pics, I suggest coaching them to sit sideways and leave their feet outside. The directional stalk seems especially susceptible to getting accidentally broken by inexperienced/excited people getting in/out of the car.

[WHO1DMC]

Don't grab the corner of the windshield to get in and out it's possible to crack it by doing this.



Dave B.

[DaraSue]

Keep an eye on your temperature gauge, pull over and let it cool off if it starts to go over 220. If it starts creeping up while you're sitting in traffic, turning the a/c on will force the fans on. Definitely shut the engine down ASAP if it goes above 220.

Replace your fuel lines with braided stainless ones if they're original. The original ones are prone to cracking and setting your engine bay on fire. Always keep at least one fire extinguisher in the car.

[Josh]

Justin will take good care of you, Glad to hear about your purchase and of a canadian spec car.
Join the ODOC group on Facebook if you have not already a really good bunch of guys that love these cars and helping eachother out when possible.
Also, from experience, Try your best to avoid the 40X highways in a delorean. I feel like the chinashop when a bull arrives.

[Markclearview]

Wow! Such great advice. I'm getting excited. I'll be sure to post some photos when she arrives!

Copy that, Josh. The 40X highways are crazy enough in my Mazda...
Justin is a stand up guy.

[Jonathan]

Congrats and welcome!

Hopefully we all get to start having events again, at Justin's shop or elsewhere.

There's no shortage of good advice on here. I might suggest getting to know your own car well as your best chance of enjoying owning it. If that means working on it yourself, great. If it doesn't, at least understand how it feels and sounds when it is running well. For the times when it isn't, you'll be better prepared to catch the problem quicker.

A note about the instrument cluster warning lights: if the battery light comes on, pull the car over immediately. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. The battery warning light on the car is telling you, yes, there is a problem with the charging system, but it is telling you something else much of the time too. If you lose your alternator belt, the battery won't charge and you'll see the light. You might think you have plenty of juice to drive home, but the other thing that alternator belt drives is the water pump. And no belt equals no coolant moving, which can mean a very hot engine very quickly.

Also, keep a printed copy of this little handy dandy troubleshooting guide in the glovebox.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?99...l=1#post188017