DFB's Garage

DFB said:
Last August, I applied Gyeon Can Coat to my boss's brand-new Mazda CX-5 in lovely Eternal Blue. The finished result was terrific.



Sadly, that result did not last long, with the owner parking the car on their lawn overnight. And of course, the sprinklers coming on and did their thing. Sprinklers fed by bore water rich in iron....................................



Confusingly, these spots don't exhibit the typical water spot appearance. Even still, I gave them a bottle of Carpro Descale and some Spotless to attempt removal..............to nil effect. Cue, another visit to DFB Garage.

Now, I wanted to eliminate user error and decided to try a full chemical decontamination as a starting point, more on that later. Wheel and tyres were first though, using Carpro ReTyre and NV Purge. I also reapplied Gyeon Wet Coat.







With the rolling stock and exhaust tips taken care of, it was time for that decontamination of the paint. The following is a method adapted from Sandro at Car Craft, a multi-step process that attacks the contaminants from several angles.

First step, I applied the pH neutral NV Purify to the whole vehicle from dry. This was then allowed to dwell for several minutes.



I then foamed with the alkaline Carpro Lift. This is applied over the top of Purify, helping to increase the working time of Purify, while introducing alkalinity into the mix to lift tougher grease and grime.



After another several minutes of dwelling, both products are then rinsed away. It was then time for the contact wash using the acid leaning Carpro Descale, which will then target the mineral deposits left by the water spots. I foamed this directly onto the paint as usual.



After the wash and a thorough rinse, sadly, the spots remained. I then attempted using Gyeon Water Spot Remover to nil effect. Even still, I went ahead and treated each panel with the product, there is evidence to suggest that removal of the minerals that caused the spots to be an important step regardless of the visual results.

So, despite a thorough decontamination, that meant the only way forward was to progress from chemical decontamination to mechanical decontamination..........................or polishing.

I have to say, this was pretty disappointing because the coating was still performing extremely well, especially after the decon wash. But there was no other way, polishing was needed to remove the water spots.......................removing the coating in the process. :cry:



I started with a relatively mild combination of Carpro Reflect on a blue "intermediate" Shine Mate pad. Two passes with this combo cleared everything up, removing the water spots and delivering a wonderful glossy surface in the process. The soft Japanese paint was a factor here and meant that I got around the car pretty quickly.

At this point I want to highlight how good Carpro Reflect is. This is considered a finishing polish, designed to remove light imperfections and leave a high gloss finish. What I love most is that it produces absolutely NO dust and has a wipe off that is as easy as it gets. In comparison, something like Sonax Perfect Finish produces light to medium dusting and an oily feel during the wipe off.

Now, with the paint restored to a spot free finish, and after a heavy wipe down with Eraser, it was then time to reapply some protection. Again, Can Coat was the choice for the ease of application. This one bottle of product has now coated three vehicles and will probably coat another two or three. I also decided to apply this to the glass as I was out of Quick View.



No rain is predicted in the next 24 hours, but I still applied a light coat of Gyeon Cure to be safe. This also adds some slickness missing from Can Coat.



To finish off the exterior, I wiped the door jambs with P&S Epic, gave the engine bay a quick wipe with Carpro ECH20, applied Carpro Darkside to the tyres and wiped the wheels with Bead Maker.

The interior didn't need much, a vacuum being the starting point. I coated the floor mats with 303 Fabric Guard and cleaned the leather with Bowden's Leather Love. Interior glass cleaned with Invisible Glass.



The rest of the interior was wiped with a new product, DIY Detail Interior Clean & Protect.



Interior Clean & Protect offers light cleaning ability combined with some UV protection. This wipes on nicely and dried to a matte finish. Smells good too.

With that, this Mazda was back to spec....................





I have also included another bottle of Gyeon Bathe, P&S Bead Maker, P&S Express and some ONR mixed at 16:1 for future maintenance.........................and DO NOT park next to sprinklers instructions! :bat:
Click to expand...

It's like seeing double Farrrken oth Deyon i hope this boss likes you and they paid you GOOD. Bloody amazing work.:pc7424::pc7424:
 
So, today was a planned day off, confirmed after last week's annoyances. Enough said.

It did give me the opportunity to switch off and put my full concentration on building another cabinet.



This is another Maxim Mega 60 to match the two others already in the garage. The goal was to better utilize the space on hand, opening up space in the existing two to better organize the contents of each.

MAXIM HD Mega 60 Upright Cabinet - Massive Storage Cabinet Box 1520mm x 610mm x 1840mm



A big cabinet like this took me about 3 hours by myself, plus another hour screwing around playing with the layout..........my favorite bit.

The original/cabinet one remains for bulk chemicals, as well an assortment of other related items such as mixing bottles, spray heads, spray bottles, old towels ect. As you can see, I now have more room for chemicals! :dance



The middle/second cabinet is now dedicated to power tools. This includes general tools as well as my polishers and vacuums which have migrated from cabinet one.

(I have also decided to bring back my woodworking tools from storage to have them here for convivence. As a teen, I was mad on woodworking and almost became an apprentice cabinet maker, before gardening took over as my passion, followed by cars and detailing, can you see a pattern of all or nothing here? Anyway, my father set me up with tools to get me started, which thinking back was incredibly generous, so I feel somewhat bad that they never got used professionally.)



The last/third cabinet houses an assortment of gardening equipment, which have moved from the second cabinet. Weed sprayers, ladder, cart, buckets, garden bags, the dirty rag pile all call this home. This allows for a less cluttered look having them all stored this way.



That's it for cabinets in this section of the garage. I have one other addition for this area, one that is waiting on a couple of tradesmen to make it possible. :D





I'm very pleased with the space this cabinet has opened up. I still have some tweaking to do with the chemical cabinet, but having empty space in each cabinet is fantastic.
 
DFB said:
So, today was a planned day off, confirmed after last week's annoyances. Enough said.

It did give me the opportunity to switch off and put my full concentration on building another cabinet.



This is another Maxim Mega 60 to match the two others already in the garage. The goal was to better utilize the space on hand, opening up space in the existing two to better organize the contents of each.

MAXIM HD Mega 60 Upright Cabinet - Massive Storage Cabinet Box 1520mm x 610mm x 1840mm



A big cabinet like this took me about 3 hours by myself, plus another hour screwing around playing with the layout..........my favorite bit.

The original/cabinet one remains for bulk chemicals, as well an assortment of other related items such as mixing bottles, spray heads, spray bottles, old towels ect. As you can see, I now have more room for chemicals! :dance



The middle/second cabinet is now dedicated to power tools. This includes general tools as well as my polishers and vacuums which have migrated from cabinet one.

(I have also decided to bring back my woodworking tools from storage to have them here for convivence. As a teen, I was mad on woodworking and almost became an apprentice cabinet maker, before gardening took over as my passion, followed by cars and detailing, can you see a pattern of all or nothing here? Anyway, my father set me up with tools to get me started, which thinking back was incredibly generous, so I feel somewhat bad that they never got used professionally.)



The last/third cabinet houses an assortment of gardening equipment, which have moved from the second cabinet. Weed sprayers, ladder, cart, buckets, garden bags, the dirty rag pile all call this home. This allows for a less cluttered look having them all stored this way.



That's it for cabinets in this section of the garage. I have one other addition for this area, one that is waiting on a couple of tradesmen to make it possible. :D





I'm very pleased with the space this cabinet has opened up. I still have some tweaking to do with the chemical cabinet, but having empty space in each cabinet is fantastic.
Click to expand...

Love it all but not sure about the obsessed banners. Don’t hate the guy like a lot here but he must be an acquired taste.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Coatingsarecrack said:
Love it all but not sure about the obsessed banners. Don’t hate the guy like a lot here but he must be an acquired taste.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I get it, he annoys me at times as well.

I do however agree with some of his sentiments, and being in retail myself, I know exactly how entitled some customers can be just because they spent some money. Also, there are couple of things in his personal life and approach to life that really clicked with me, freeing me of some my hangups. For that, and despite his shortcomings, I respect him immensely.
 
A wonderful day messing about in the garage. Music playing and my favorite car to wash, what could be better? :D

The wheels and paint were washed with Carpro Reset in preparation for a product that has been sitting unused in the cabinet for a few months now.




I was sent this bottle of Koch Chemie S0.02 as part of a giveaway prize, and despite hearing great things about it, for some reason I was interested elsewhere.

S0.02 is a ceramic spray sealant prized for its high-gloss finish is claimed to give the paint a "velvety surface and a clearly visible colour deepening". I have to say, the product description Koch Chemie provide for this product is woefully inadequate and really does the product a disservice. Because.............

WOW!!!!! What a fantastic product! I had no solid expectations for this product, mainly because of the lack of information, but this would have to be the easiest spray sealant I have ever used. A little goes a long way, not because it becomes streaky, but because it simply spreads so easily. One to two sprays per panel is all that is needed, the surface instantly becoming "velvety" slick. I applied this with two FTW towels, the dry second towel was largely not required. The scent is similar to their other interior products, mild and not overly sweet. S0.02 produced so much slickness that I had issues putting the car cover on after the detail!

There is no other way for me to put this, just BUY SOME! Yes, it's expensive, but as mentioned, a 500ml bottle will go a very long way. This product made me smile! :D




With the Mustang going in for a service next week, I wanted to make sure it was presented in full DFB spec glory. That meant attending to something I hate doing on this car............................



Yes, that rear window and parcel shelf are a nightmare. I tend to leave this job till it absolutely needs doing. The worst time to do this task is in summer, crawling into the back of the Mustang on a hot day, rubbing away at the window in a contorted position is not a recipe for comfort. Thankfully, it was nice and cool today and I knocked it out quickly enough. You absolutely need the Reach & Clean Tool for this job too.

The rest of the interior was wiped with InnerQD, including the front seats. The engine bay and door jambs were wiped with Ech20, a product I'm growing to love more and more. I finished off with a fresh coating of OG Tire Dressing on the rubber, followed by NV Boost v1 on the wheels and exhaust tips.

The Ranger missed a wash last week, it was driving me nuts! That meant trying another new product, DIY Detail Incredible Suds.




DIY Detail are a new brand to Australia, having been on the market in the US for about 18 months now. Incredible Suds is a pH "balanced" wash soap designed for extreme foaming ability, while also performing as a bucket soap. The fragrance is of the berry type, consistency slightly thick.

The foam is indeed very thick!






Cleaning ability was great, as was slickness. But what blew me over was the ease in which it rinsed away. This is undoubtedly the easiest rinsing soap I have ever used, with absolutely no reactivation or repeated passes to remove it from the car. Like S0.02, I had no expectations for this soap to be anything more than just another soap. But the efficiency of the rinse process won me over. If you were a pro washing cars all day, the time saved by this soap would be a very valuable asset! Again, BUY SOME, it easily meets DFB approval.

On the flip side of that, DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss was a little meh.




Maybe it was the bar being set so high by S0.02, but I just didn't love this product. There is nothing especially wrong with it, but it just doesn't reach the same level as other similar products that I have sitting in the cabinet.

I also used DIY Detail Interior Clean & Protect on the Ranger today. This product has a little more body to it compared to InnerQD, and overall, I like the fresh scent and smooth, matte finish it leaves behind.

Final product for the day, and another DIY Detail product.




This is a water based liquid tyre dressing. It applied very wet, like diluted Carpro Perl, and offers excellent coverage. This is not a groundbreaking product, but it works very well and would be a good choice for 4WD and SUV tyres due the runnier consistency and great coverage.

A great day! :D
 
Good review of the product. Heads up Incredible suds is PH balanced not neutral. I believe the ph was around 8.5. Gives a little more cleaning power.

Not sure we’re I heard but believe in a video….

May have to give it a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Coatingsarecrack said:
Good review of the product. Heads up Incredible suds is PH balanced not neutral. I believe the ph was around 8.5. Gives a little more cleaning power.

Not sure we’re I heard but believe in a video….

May have to give it a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Amended, thanks! :xyxthumbs:
 
Coatingsarecrack said:
Good review of the product. Heads up Incredible suds is PH balanced not neutral. I believe the ph was around 8.5. Gives a little more cleaning power.

Not sure we’re I heard but believe in a video….

May have to give it a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Yeah Incredible Suds is 8.5 pH, I asked them about it.

Hey Deyon, DIY Detail has a video where they want you to use LESS Incredible Suds, apparently the directions on the back need to be revised. I'm glad you like it so much though

Is Quick Beads available to you?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
Klasse Act said:
Yeah Incredible Suds is 8.5 pH, I asked them about it.

Hey Deyon, DIY Detail has a video where they want you to use LESS Incredible Suds, apparently the directions on the back need to be revised. I'm glad you like it so much though

Is Quick Beads available to you?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah, I knew there was mention of Incredible Suds needing to be dialed back. I didn't measure it accurately, just the usual generous squirt into the bottle. Very nice soap.

Quick Beads is available, but I'm already well stocked with spray-rinse type products.
 
Hello Deyon do you have any wear and tear on the Ranger at all, being a daily driver i'm curious. Because every picture i see i can't see anything it's like show room finish.

Cheers mate
 
Tasmania said:
Hello Deyon do you have any wear and tear on the Ranger at all, being a daily driver i'm curious. Because every picture i see i can't see anything it's like show room finish.

Cheers mate
Click to expand...

Thanks, you are very kind.

The Ranger has just over 35,000 km on it and is 7 years old now. I actually ordered this car the same day as I ordered the Mustang, the Ranger took a month to arrive, the Mustang 12 months.

This is my daily driver or drive anywhere car without worrying about scraping the bumper, curbing wheels, driving down dirt roads or people opening doors on it.








And because of the tray that is actually usable compared to a dual cab, it seems a lot of people want to borrow it.






And its a brilliant work bench too................



The main wear and tear is in the tray, understandably. The all steel tray is pretty robust though, I even backed it into a power pole by accident in Melbourne once, not a mark on it! (Don't ask, I was flustered and out of my comfort zone). Apart from that, a couple of stone chips and the windowsill trims have deteriorated a bit.

The only issues I have had with it are minor glitches with the Sync system, which is the old version 1 of Sync. Seems to happen every couple of months, the screen will go blank or will stop responding. Fix is to disconnect the battery for 5 min to reset the system. Apart from that, just a yearly service.

Because it's so underpowered, and often lugging around that big heavy tray loaded with tools and bags of lawn clippings, its extremely slow. Which means driving everywhere at 80 to 100% throttle. So, I'm not especially kind to the thing. I even taught myself to heal and toe downshift in this car, which such a glorious thing to master...............and vitally important driving between jobs! :laughing:

I have to say, this is one of those cases where it's fun to drive a slow car fast. Because it's a low rider, which Ford dropped for the new Ranger, it doesn't feel like it's going roll onto it roof like most of these pickups. The suspension is pretty soft, especially in the rear, but I love the steering weighting and being so familiar with the vehicle, I can hustle it pretty quick. It needs more brakes to handle the weight of the vehicle though. The 2.2 diesel has nothing in reserve, so the gearbox gets a workout trying to keep it in the 1800 - 2200 rpm sweet spot.

I actually took the Ranger along my favorite road a while back, heading out of town to find some logs to test my chainsaws on. This road is delightful because it out of people's way, has some great corners to give the tyres and brakes a workout, and some nice smooth tarmac to stretch the engine a bit.............a lot..............:D All of the fleet have run this road many, many times. I do wonder if the orchardists like hearing my efforts, or see it as reckless? Either way, I have fun.

Well, the Ranger went pretty good on this road, the brakes got a bit flustered thought. :laughing:

In comparison..........

Falcon XR6 - I love the rasping inline 6, the steering and grip. The brakes are a real letdown, they are just too small for the size and weight of the car. After a couple of decent applications, they wilt under pressure and get quite shuddery. I would upgrade them to Brembo's, however the wheel design doesn't allow clearance and I don't want to change the wheels. The other option is to fit the larger disks and calipers from an XR6 Turbo, but I'm not convinced that would be enough of an upgrade to bother.




Jaguar XE - of the cars in my fleet, this is easily the best car dynamically. The steering is brilliant, light and response and very "pointy". The light weight alloy body really allows the car to be thrown around with confidence. The brakes are strong, although they get a bit stinky after a workout. The 2.0 EcoBoost produces 200hp and lots of mid range torque, but it lacks a top end rush. I would love to drive one of these with the 300hp 2.0, or even the earlier supercharged V6. The chassis is certainly stout enough to deal with more than 200hp version we have.




Falcon XR8 - this car is all about the 500hp V8, everything else is attempting to keep up. The torque monster engine pull hard in any gear, at any speed.........very addictive and very much a naughty habit. This car has 4 piston Brembo's, they are decently grabby, but the weight and power test them. The R-Spec suspension tune is brittle at low speed but smooths out at higher speeds, helping to limit the body roll. But the hefty weight of this car makes it a bit of bear to drive. While it grips well through corners, the traction and stability control systems are working overtime trying to keep it pointing straight, turn it off and you end up sheading rubber. It's a point and shoot car.




Mustang GT - probably the most involving of the fleet, mainly because of the manual transmission. High revving naturally aspirated engine, loud exhaust and a manual transmission, well............its simply joyous. And the easily the best brakes of them all, 6 piston Brembo on 380mm disks. Once I replaced the useless factory Pirelli's for PS4S, the car has grip and traction now. Having said that, I know this car can bite if not respected, so I don't punt it as hard in the corners compared to the others.



Anyway, yes, the Ranger is well loved.
 
I’m tellin ya man - you should do a YouTube channel and call it DFB Rips.

Reviewing any of your gasoline powered passions (Be it chainsaws or automobiles)? Take’m for a rip and get good audio to go along with your vivid descriptions of the experience.

Covering detailing products? All goes well and you can take them for a rip as it were and give your thoughts. Bad product? They get ripped on and we see your new bin cleaner. :laughing:

I mean, you could do way better than my idea, I’m just saying no matter what I’d subscribe. :dblthumb2:

(Side note - don’t forget to do brake fluid flushes on the fleet - it’s no joke when your brake fluid boils and you lose the pedal! :D )
 
DFB said:
You absolutely need the Reach & Clean Tool for this job too.
Click to expand...
Check out the windshield wow! Never used it mind you...its just one of dan bonginos sponsors so thats how i heard of it.


Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
 
Not much will lift me out of bed early on my day off, but the Mustang needed to go in for its service.

I like to drop them off first thing in the morning and pick them up around lunchtime so that the car isn't sitting around all day. $460 later for the 105,000km service at 10,090km.................. at least they put the oil cap back on the right way.





Got to laugh at the documentation that goes with a service these days. The invoice is adamant my Mustang has a Turbo, and has done since it was new apparently. The online report they send you on tyre condition, brakes ect lists the tyres all being 255/40/R19 despite the rears being 275/40/19, and apparently, I have a spare tyre with 7mm of tread? (Mustang GT's don't have a spare by the way). So it leaves you wondering did they even bother doing this or did they just tick a few boxes. In defense to them, the car is basically like new, so scrutinizing brake and tyre wear is not all that important at this stage.





I kid a bit, but the dealer has made a big improvement in their level of service over the last few years, especially since they built a brand-new workshop and service reception. I also think getting rid of the "good old boys" who were jaded and on the cusp of retirement has made a big difference too!

Anyway, while that was happening, I got to try out a product I have been wanting to get stuck into for a couple of weeks now.





Optimum No Rinse was one of, if not the first rinse-less on the market. It's gone through a few revisions since and despite the massive amount of choice offered in this segment, ONR remains a workhorse product.

This yellow version of ONR is from the Opti-Coat maintenance line. (Optimum Polymer Technologies and Opti-Coat are the same brand, separated to form two different product lines). It's differentiated from blue ONR in that it has a ceramic element to it, think of it like Carpro Ech20.





I really liked this product. The scent is much more prominent, a heady mango-like aroma, and the slickness is an improvement over the blue ONR. I ended up cleaning the wheels, tray and engine bay with this product. It's up there with Absolute for my favorite rinse-less.





:rulez: RANT TIME!

I have spent a lot of time researching products this week. Some brands and websites are great, providing the information you need in a simple to read format.

However, I really don't understand how a brand can expect to sell their products with truncated, basic product descriptions that leave the consumer wondering. How am I supposed to know how to use a product if the company doesn't explain how to do so?

The big two I'm singling out here are Koch Chemie and Optimum/Opti-Coat.

This is the product description for Opti-Coat No Rinse -

"Opti-Coat® No Rinse is the fastest, easiest and the most environmentally friendly way to wash any vehicle. Its proprietary polymers bond to the vehicle surfaces and trap dirt to clean without rinsing and leave a very slick and glossy finish that is mar-free. Properly used, you will not scratch the vehicle surface. Washing with Opti-Coat® No Rinse greatly reduces the discharge of pollutants into storm drains, sewers and ground water. Opti-Coat® No Rinse helps both commercial and individual users comply with the discharge guidelines established by the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency."

And yes, that is how its formatted too. No mention of the ceramic element in the product to differentiate it from their other rinse-less product or its competitors. They mention "properly used" but then don't say how to use it. No dilution rates either!

Now granted, the bottle has a dilution rate, but how am I supposed to know that unless I buy it first? Just no excuse for this, it's bad marketing and communication for a product that deserves better. This lack of information is from both the Optimum website, which then transferers to its distributors too.

Koch Chemie, I suspect is more of a German to English translation thing. This is from the description for Panel Preparation Spray PPS -

"Simultaneous testing of the varnish for hologram and freedom from scratches. Due to the special ingredients, the product is very compatible with the material and easy to use."

Clear as mud!

I do realise Koch Chemie and Optimum are pro-leaning products, but they have both have been expanding into the pro-sumer market as well, Koch Chemie in particular. So there is no excuse for poor product descriptions.

RANT OVER! :nomore:
 
DFB said:
Got to laugh at the documentation that goes with a service these days. The invoice is adamant my Mustang has a Turbo, and has done since it was new apparently. The online report they send you on tyre condition, brakes ect lists the tyres all being 255/40/R19 despite the rears being 275/40/19, and apparently, I have a spare tyre with 7mm of tread? (Mustang GT's don't have a spare by the way).
Click to expand...

When I bought the FJ the registration papers listed the colour as tan, so I went to the Motor Registry, filled out the paperwork to change it to silver, showed them ID to prove who I was and left. When I checked online the next day it listed the colour as white. I gave up, well, it's also white, (the roof).

Maybe it will get me out of a photo speeding ticket, if they send me a fine, I can tell them my car is white and the one in the photo is silver.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk
 
$460 for a basic service ouch! You and me can do the oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter
That's it for a wood fired pizza and a lemon lime bitters.

And you can take me after for golf :dblthumb2:

And as for the directions on Koch chemie send them a email they might help or change the way they do their translation as for me i'm half German with both parents speaking German and my dad moving over to Australia with my mother from Germany in the 70s
 
Tasmania said:
$460 for a basic service ouch! You and me can do the oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter
That's it for a wood fired pizza and a lemon lime bitters.

And you can take me after for golf :dblthumb2:

And as for the directions on Koch chemie send them a email they might help or change the way they do their translation as for me i'm half German with both parents speaking German and my dad moving over to Australia with my mother from Germany in the 70s
Click to expand...
I used to work with a German woman years ago, the company we worked for ordered some equipment from Germany, there were no English instructions, so they asked her to translate, she laughed, said the instructions were in technical German, which she could not translate.

When I get scam calls, I know, I should ignore them, but I answer in German and tell them I don't speak English, they hang up.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top