FUN W/ BOB

New Floor mats for the 'Runner

Floor Mats Arrived

You know, those beasts I paid nearly $200 for? Yeah, those, they showed up yesterday.



So of course, I just had to wash the 4Runner
The mighty 4Runner did get a bath today. It needed it. The last time it had been bathed was in August of last year. Was it dirty? Yeah. It wasn’t like it was mud-covered though, just all-around grimy.

And I decided that at least once a year from now on, after the rainy season, it will get a professional wash/wax/buff/detail job. Not that I can’t do it, I most definitely can.

I just don’t want to. I’d rather take a nap while my 4Runner gets prettied up for me. Then I can just sort of wash/maintain throughout the rest of the year – or at least the Summer – until the rains come back and I give up washing again.



Wasn’t that bad, though
No, it was most definitely nasty, don’t get me wrong. But it had been since August of 2007 since it was last cleaned. And in that time, I have been off-roading in it multiple times, gotten it stuck axle-deep in muddy waters, blazed trails through bug country, seen nightly frosts & freezes, and not once so much as hosed off.

Thank goodness for that clean rain we get, otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to see through the windshield.



Yeah but how do you like the mats?
I was getting there! Geez… They’re not bad. At first I was thinking I paid $200 for these? But they will do just fine. I had anticipated a softer, more rubber-like material that was thicker and heavier, but these are a little more rigid and light that I had expected. But, hopefully that will aid in their longevity (The Girl has the sort of rubber in the way of floor mats that I was expecting these to be made of; her floor mats are deteriorating). They’re a really good fix, and the raised lip all the way around will keep everything on top where it is, including water (looking at you, dogs).

When I first put them in, they looked sort of out of place. But I continued to clean, and within an hour they looked right as rain. I even tried to place the old carpet mats over them, thinking maybe…. Best of both worlds? Nah. Didn’t seem right, I had already grown to like the “rubber” mats more.

And hopefully it will mean I only have to clean the inside of the 4Runner for like 5 minutes at a time, once a year from now on. Instead of the 15 minute cleanings twice a year, which is my current schedule :-|

Peace.