DFB's Garage

Dropped the wheels off at the local Bob Jane this at 8.30am this morning. I've been going to this place for a few years now, originally because they were the closest to where I was working to get a puncture fixed, which they dealt with on the spot. I kept going because of how they have looked after me, fixing flats for free and getting me the exact tyres I want without question. I pay full retail, they don't scratch my wheels, done deal!

By 11am they were done, so I collected them and went to prepping the tyres. One of the many benefits of a full sized tray................





..........which also makes for an excellent work bench. I actually made mention of how useful it is to have a full-size tray for stuff like this rather than those dual cab toys. I then remarked that I had probably shot myself in the foot as they probably have dual cabs too. To my surprise the answer was a stern NO, as they pointed to a lowered VZ Commodore Ute and VY Calais. "Wouldn't want to own one of those things". I guess they should be thankful that those dual cabs are keeping them employed putting massive, and very expensive, tyres on the dam things.

The first step is completely and utterly un-necessary, de-nibbing the tyres.





Now when I spotted Matt from OG doing this, I though wow, how stupid. Then when I actually went ahead and did the same thing on my Mustang's new tyres, I realized what a difference it makes. As I said, completely silly and super anal, but trust me, if care about what wheels and tyres look like, de-nibbing is well worth the 15 minutes to do this step.

Next, another trick I learned from OG.......................





I seem to make create a bit of fear using Stoner's Tarminator as an aggressive tyre cleaner, but there's no other way to put it, this stuff just works! Whatever is in this product works wonders at stripping away all the manufacturing grime, transport gunk and the fitment soap without drying out the rubber.

To do this, I don't suggest spraying Tarminator onto the tyres, but rather into a towel. Then go to town rubbing the sidewall, as the solvent flashes off, you are left with a completely clean, matte rubber surface. And two destroyed towels.................





I then gave each wheel and tyre a hose down to remove any lingering fitment soap from the wheel and dust off the treads so that each assembly is clean and ready to be coated in the coming weeks.





Am I the only person who loves the smell of new tyres? I also love how the Agilis 3 sidewall has some character to it, I just hope they don't shine up like the current Dunlop's do with each and every kind of dressing.
 
I used to have the same kind of deal with my local Bob Jane at Granville in Sydney. They just know how to look after their regular customers. I even got a discounted breakfast at a nearby cafe because Pierre, the manager, said to go there instead of the nearby Macca's, and tell them he sent me. I drove the 2 hours back to them when I got my current wheels and tyres because the places up here wanted to argue with me that I didn't really know what I wanted, they assured me I really wanted big Mud tyres.


Also, you made me go and look, obviously I'm not doing enough off-roading, they've been on almost 4 years and some of the nibs are still there. Will I get bored enough to remove them, maybe.

PS. The wheels look good, can't wait to see them on the Ranger with those tyres.
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Big Dave said:
I used to have the same kind of deal with my local Bob Jane at Granville in Sydney. They just know how to look after their regular customers. I even got a discounted breakfast at a nearby cafe because Pierre, the manager, said to go there instead of the nearby Macca's, and tell them he sent me. I drove the 2 hours back to them when I got my current wheels and tyres because the places up here wanted to argue with me that I didn't really know what I wanted, they assured me I really wanted big Mud tyres.


Also, you made me go and look, obviously I'm not doing enough off-roading, they've been on almost 4 years and some of the nibs are still there. Will I get bored enough to remove them, maybe.

PS. The wheels look good, can't wait to see them on the Ranger with those tyres.
3a543b1a42acec3ddecdf85dae9a4b97.jpg


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Click to expand...

Just waiting for the coating to arrive from the US, it's in Melbourne now so not long to go. The wheels will have to sit until the end of January when I'm on leave.

I have also ordered a set of solid lug nuts to replace the two-piece items Ford persist with. The OEM lugs have a chrome finisher cap that shrouds the actual nut itself, which they have a habit delaminating and allowing the cap to spin around the nut, ultimately preventing the wheel from being removed. The only solution is to hammer a smaller socket over the nut to give purchase to remove. Doable in a garage, not so much on the road in the middle of nowhere.

Wheel Nuts pk25

 
Some slight alterations to fit my new Wera screwdriver set.



The above replaces my first attempt at foam inlays.................



I posted that and other pics on another forum and got roasted over it................

"Hammer, hacksaw and adjustable in one drawer?!"

"Seems like a waste of a drawer!"

"That's because it is... organization should not come with diminishing results. But to each their own."

My response could have been terse, but I simply stated my case -

"All correct on that one. Forgive me, I'm only new to buying tools, and organising them correctly. That drawer was my original attempt, rest assured it won't be staying like that for long! We all start somewhere, and this was me learning."

Amazing how it's so easy to be negative and critical, especially when sitting anonymously behind a keyboard. That instead of building someone up or being constructive, its far easier to shoot poison arrows.

Anyway, I'll enjoy my fancy screwdrivers regardless!
 
You should just challenge them, go take some pictures of your tool draws right now, no tidy, and we'll see what yours looks like. Put up or shut up.

I've faced a bit of criticism over the years for having untidy desks and tool boxes. One particular boss was a real nazi for it, she had us spending so much time cleaning up we were falling behind on the job, didn't help we were short staffed. She kept saying "a disorganised desk is the sign of a disorganised mind". But I found a study that proved the opposite, someone's ability to work in a disorganised space actually shows that they have above average organisational skills. She hated it, but she lasted only about 18 months. Anyway, that's my rant over.

PS. If you want pics of my toolbox, I'm going to need a couple of weeks to sort it out.

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This is not garage related, but its going in here anyway!

I watch and listen to music via YouTube, usually while writing or doing bookwork, which forms a large part of my daily de-stress. This was played through a Sony sound bar which I found underwhelming, then hooked up to a 20-year-old Panasonic hi-fi (similar to below) which gave much more headroom. But due to the analog connection, the sound quality from either system wasn't all that great.



I got that Panasonic as a birthday gift in my early teens, so it's somewhat sad to pack it away. I do have a Bluetooth receiver for it, so I guess I could send it out to the garage.

As is typical for me, I tend to double down on topics that interest me. As a teen, I was actually obsessed with sound and audio setups, to the point where I was the sound assistant for the school theater productions. Since then, other interests took over, detailing/cars/wood working/mowers, so it's been a very long time since I played with this sort of thing.

As you can image, the audio rabbit hole is extremely deep, and extremely expensive. I was not looking for an ear bleeder home theater system, but rather something that was neat, easy to setup and offer a decent upgrade to what I had been using.

I looked at both passive (speakers connected to an amplifier/DAC) or active speakers (combined powered speaker/amp). Passive speakers certainly give you extra scope for future additions and/or headroom. But I liked the compact, simple format offered by the powered active speakers. As such, I was looking at PSB Alpha AM5 Powered Bookshelf Speakers, or the Dynaudio LYD Studio Monitors.

The cost premium for the Dynaudio system was just a bit too much for me, so after watching a number of videos, the PSB AM5's punch well above their weight and became my speaker choice.



I ordered the PSB AM5 set in white, along with a subwoofer to compliment the setup.

The sub-woofer is a SVS SB-1000 Pro, in this case wired rather than wireless.







Adjustments to the sub output can be easily changed via Bluetooth in the SVS app.

The sub connects from the sub-out port on the back of the AM5 to the LFE port on the sub itself, you then select Sub on the on the AM5 remote. While the AM5's are labeled as "wireless" speakers, they do require wires (supplied, but I have swapped them for upgraded items) to connect the powered speaker to the slave speaker. I then have the TV connected via the optical plug, and music can be streamed via Bluetooth from a phone.





The first thing to note is the cleanliness of the system, a simple and uncluttered setup. The second thing to note, while they may be smaller than the two Panasonic speakers they replace, the output is brilliant. The listening modes can be changed to suit, with Stereo, Widesound, Dialog and Widesound Plus options. I have also paired the supplied PSB remote to the TV sound control buttons for a seamless installation.





Apparently, speakers have a break in period just like cars. But even now, the system sounds brilliant, offering a depth of clarity beyond what I am used to. I'm even picking up different sounds that I hadn't heard before.

And because I can..............................





I'm terming this a late birthday present to myself. :birthday:
 
Very nice setup, I too appreciate good sound quality. My Sony BT headphones were once their flagship headphones, but are now around 5 years old, and showing their age. The noise cancelling (NC)function is a bit intermittent now, every so often the left speaker gets bad feedback and tries to blow my eardrum out. They're fine with the NC turned off though. I've tried some in ear NC ear buds but I can't use them when my phone is in my pocket, as soon as I turn my head the signal drops out, I've had to return a couple of different brands already, not cheap ones either, apparently it's a body mass thing, blocks the BT signal. It's so annoying they're basically unusable.

Have you modified the sound systems in your cars? I changed the door and dash speakers in the FJ, and later the head unit. The original setup in the FJ didn't sound too bad, but I knew it could be better, the first set I bought wasn't right, sounded worse, so a few weeks later I went out and bought what was basically some woofers for the doors, all the high frequency sound comes from the dash speakers anyway. I also put a Dynamat kit in the doors as well. Below is a picture of what the original FJ door speakers looked like, look at how tiny the driver is.
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Big Dave said:
Very nice setup, I too appreciate good sound quality. My Sony BT headphones were once their flagship headphones, but are now around 5 years old, and showing their age. The noise cancelling (NC)function is a bit intermittent now, every so often the left speaker gets bad feedback and tries to blow my eardrum out. They're fine with the NC turned off though. I've tried some in ear NC ear buds but I can't use them when my phone is in my pocket, as soon as I turn my head the signal drops out, I've had to return a couple of different brands already, not cheap ones either, apparently it's a body mass thing, blocks the BT signal. It's so annoying they're basically unusable.

Have you modified the sound systems in your cars? I changed the door and dash speakers in the FJ, and later the head unit. The original setup in the FJ didn't sound too bad, but I knew it could be better, the first set I bought wasn't right, sounded worse, so a few weeks later I went out and bought what was basically some woofers for the doors, all the high frequency sound comes from the dash speakers anyway. I also put a Dynamat kit in the doors as well. Below is a picture of what the original FJ door speakers looked like, look at how tiny the driver is.
8ea9f49b28ea054121551749cb3915ab.jpg


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Click to expand...

I had a set of Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones, which I bought because I thought they were a decent brand. They became virtually unusable by cycling themselves on and off. From what I found, it was apparently a common issue with the magnets not being sufficient enough to hold the connection, so they would trip on and off. I went and bought a set of Sony WH-1000XM4 out of frustration and haven't had an issue since, would absolutely buy another set of them.

I've never modified a cars audio system. However, the XR8 is a clear candidate for an audio upgrade. Let me explain -

I have owned 3 Falcon's with Ford's "Premium Sound".

The oldest of the lot, the 2002 TS50, had the best system by far. 11 speakers, 150-watt amp, 150-watt subwoofer, total system output was 250-watt. It had great bass and clarity at higher volumes.

The XR6 from 2008, while not as good as the TS50, it did pump with clarity and bass. It still had a 150-watt amp and 150-watt sub, but it did so with only 8 speakers. Total output was rated at 262-watts.

The XR8 from 2014 is clearly the worst sound system in a car I have ever owned. Even the basic 4 speaker unit in my Ranger blows it away. The specs read the same, as in 150-watt amp and sub with 9 speakers, but whatever Ford did between FG MK II and FGX clearly ruined the sound quality. I suspect it was switching to even cheaper speakers. Even though it has a subwoofer, and with the bass turned to max, the sound is thin and lacking depth. There is also a lot of static.

You can see the pattern though, the sound system getting worse and worse over the years as Ford looked for cost control measures. If I wasn't so insistent on keeping the XR8 original, I would have swapped out the speakers for something better.

As such, this is the ranking of the current fleet from best to worst -

1st - FG XR6 (Great bass, decent volume clarity)

2nd - Jaguar XE with the Meridian system (With 380-watts and 13 speakers, you would expect this to be at the top, but without the subwoofer, it lacks the depth and punch of the cheaper no-name Falcon system)

3rd - S550 Mustang (Although it has 9 speakers and separate amp, the earlier versions sent to Australia with the Shaker Premium Sound were not fitted with the separate subwoofer like the US-market models had. So, like the Jag, it lacks punch. I listen to the engine anyway)

4th - PX MK II Ranger XL (Specs would suggest this would be the worst due to the lack of a sub or separate amp and only 4 speakers, but it actually pumps quite nicely)

5th - FGX XR8 (A distant last place for the reasons listed above).
 
The FJ was actually available with a sub from the factory, but would you have a look at the size of the thing. I have other storage set up there anyway, and I really don't think the dogs would appreciate something like that pumping out while they're riding in the back.

I have a theory as to why some of these utes and 4X4s put out a reasonable sound with such apparently crappy speakers, it's the size of the doors, the speakers are matched well to the enclosure size the bigger door makes. I had the same thing with my old Pathfinder, a simple 200W JVC system with some speakers to match, and it had better sound than my friends VS Commodore with a $75 sub and $50 amp, I really thought bits were about to start falling off that Commodore.
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DFB said:
Some slight alterations to fit my new Wera screwdriver set.



The above replaces my first attempt at foam inlays.................



I posted that and other pics on another forum and got roasted over it................

"Hammer, hacksaw and adjustable in one drawer?!"

"Seems like a waste of a drawer!"

"That's because it is... organization should not come with diminishing results. But to each their own."

My response could have been terse, but I simply stated my case -

"All correct on that one. Forgive me, I'm only new to buying tools, and organising them correctly. That drawer was my original attempt, rest assured it won't be staying like that for long! We all start somewhere, and this was me learning."

Amazing how it's so easy to be negative and critical, especially when sitting anonymously behind a keyboard. That instead of building someone up or being constructive, its far easier to shoot poison arrows.

Anyway, I'll enjoy my fancy screwdrivers regardless!
Click to expand...

I want to see all the new tools get a good work out this year Deyon!
Self service the Ranger and install the new headlights, Believe in yourself! Remove the bumper have some OEM clips spare take the plunge you can do it.

:xyxthumbs:
 
Tasmania said:
I want to see all the new tools get a good work out this year Deyon!
Self service the Ranger and install the new headlights, Believe in yourself! Remove the bumper have some OEM clips spare take the plunge you can do it.

:xyxthumbs:
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Well hello there Mr. Tasmania! Havant seen you around here in a while, welcome back! Hope all is well.

I tell you what, changing my own oil would solve a lot of the anxiety I get from taking my cars to the dealer and relinquishing control. In fact, the Ranger would be the perfect candidate to learn on as its doesn't ride as low to the ground like the other cars. I was actually thinking about this topic the other day, as in finally giving it a go.
 
I can’t tell you how much anxiety over the years I avoided by doing my own oil changes. I do all three cars but I fear I won’t be able to do a modern car I may own and then I’ll experience anxiety again.
 
From videos I’ve seen, the location and what it involves is a little more than I’m comfortable with on my own
 
I guess it depends on the car, plus you have plenty of time to study it up there on the lift before you try it. If all else fails, give me a call and I'll come down and help you.
 
DFB said:
Well hello there Mr. Tasmania! Havant seen you around here in a while, welcome back! Hope all is well.

I tell you what, changing my own oil would solve a lot of the anxiety I get from taking my cars to the dealer and relinquishing control. In fact, the Ranger would be the perfect candidate to learn on as its doesn't ride as low to the ground like the other cars. I was actually thinking about this topic the other day, as in finally giving it a go.
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If you're ever in need of any kind of service info (process/torque specs/etc), just ping me and let me know - if it's got an equivalent stateside I can pull it up at work and send you whatever info I can find. Unfortunately Aussie specific stuff isn't listed in our accessible list of manufacturers.
 
oneheadlite said:
If you're ever in need of any kind of service info (process/torque specs/etc), just ping me and let me know - if it's got an equivalent stateside I can pull it up at work and send you whatever info I can find. Unfortunately Aussie specific stuff isn't listed in our accessible list of manufacturers.
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Can you help Bill so I don't have to go down to Florida? Not that I'll get another chance to work in a garage as nice as his, plus maybe he'll put me up and feed me Floridese food.
 
Heh heh. I still eat Jersey cuisine: a lot of Italian food
 
DFB said:
Well hello there Mr. Tasmania! Havant seen you around here in a while, welcome back! Hope all is well.

I tell you what, changing my own oil would solve a lot of the anxiety I get from taking my cars to the dealer and relinquishing control. In fact, the Ranger would be the perfect candidate to learn on as its doesn't ride as low to the ground like the other cars. I was actually thinking about this topic the other day, as in finally giving it a go.
Click to expand...

I've been here, every now and again just checking up YES the Ranger would be great to pop your cherry on you have the gear and it's only oil oli filter air filter.

If it comes to anything pass that point go to your local mechanic of course but i understand totally what you mean about passing the car onto another 3rd party
for the work to be done.

If you can fix mowers and chainsaws etc, You've got this covered.
 
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