DFB's Garage

[DFB]

...............Last night, I emailed and asked for a screenshot of the statis report for my new Mustang................................



After nearly two years, the car I pre-ordered in September 2022 now finally exists! Im the MAN

The next step from here is "Gate Release", then its the long wait for shipping. The projected ETA of October 3rd is very likely to blow out further than that, but I can now rest a bit easier knowing the car has been made.

And on Wednesday, I finally struck up the courage to inform the boss that I intend on taking extended leave once the car arrives. I hate asking for leave, let alone long service leave, as I know the burden it creates on a small business. In fact, I doubt this company has ever had to deal with this situation in the 40+ years they have been in business, I've been there for half of that!

This in itself has been a large part of my frustration with the order of this car, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to cash in some long service leave and try and live life for a little while with no time constraints. Put it this way, I was mentally ready for long service leave a year ago, and as this has pushed out, the frustration has built and built.

I'm burnt out, but now there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I just need to get through the winter and early spring workload, then I'm disappearing in a blaze of V8 noise for a few months.

No doubt the shipping wait will annoy me as well as the tension builds, but today was a win!

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

That's great news on the Mustang Deyon, the lack of updates was very frustrating, I'm sure.

Here's an example of how large and small businesses do long service leave (LSL) very differently. When I was at my first company in Sydney, they actually asked me to use up some of my LSL, this was after I'd been there for more than 20 years, so I had accrued more than 20 weeks LSL. And being a large company, they had to keep the money to cover every employee's leave entitlements, both annual and long service, in a separate account, as per gov. regulations. All that money is seen as a liability as they had to pay tax on the interest it earned, so they would ask everyone to keep using their annual leave regularly, and then they started asking long term employees to use up their LSL, I disputed that they could force me to use it, but in the end I took almost a month off, drove my Crewman Cross 8 to Uluru, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Broken Hill, and a bunch of other places. I did 6595km in almost 3 weeks, it was great. I was actually planning on keeping it all so I got a decent payout when I left, but in the end I used it all up just before I left, it came in very handy when we were packing up the house for the move north.

I hope they don't give you too much grief for wanting to take yours, maybe they're worried you'll realise you don't want to work there anymore.

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[Prange]

That's great news on the Mustang Deyon, the lack of updates was very frustrating, I'm sure.

Here's an example of how large and small businesses do long service leave (LSL) very differently. When I was at my first company in Sydney, they actually asked me to use up some of my LSL, this was after I'd been there for more than 20 years, so I had accrued more than 20 weeks LSL. And being a large company, they had to keep the money to cover every employee's leave entitlements, both annual and long service, in a separate account, as per gov. regulations. All that money is seen as a liability as they had to pay tax on the interest it earned, so they would ask everyone to keep using their annual leave regularly, and then they started asking long term employees to use up their LSL, I disputed that they could force me to use it, but in the end I took almost a month off, drove my Crewman Cross 8 to Uluru, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Broken Hill, and a bunch of other places. I did 6595km in almost 3 weeks, it was great. I was actually planning on keeping it all so I got a decent payout when I left, but in the end I used it all up just before I left, it came in very handy when we were packing up the house for the move north.

I hope they don't give you too much grief for wanting to take yours, maybe they're worried you'll realise you don't want to work there anymore.

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Ok, I'll bite. What make/model is your pick-up?

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Ok, I'll bite. What make/model is your pick-up?

It was a 2003 Holden Crewman Cross 8, basically a stretched,lifted and AWD Holden Commodore. Back then Holden was quite creative, off the Commodore platform you could have the sedan, a wagon, a 2 door utility (think El Camino type vehicle), a coupe, which went to the US as the Pontiac GTO, and the stretched 4 door utility called the Crewman, which was also available in a lifted (slightly) AWD version with a wider track. All of them were available with either a V6 or V8 (LS1), and most with manual or auto.

Back when I got it I was getting out of my V6 sedan looking to get into something with a V8, I had a choice of a luxury trim V8 sedan, or the AWD Cross 8 with SS trim, the smart choice would have been the sedan, well we don't always make the smart decisions, but I did love it for the 3 years I had it, I sold it when the warranty ran out.

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[Klasse Act]

Utes are really cool

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[Karl_in_Chicago]

It was a 2003 Holden Crewman Cross 8, basically a stretched,lifted and AWD Holden Commodore. Back then Holden was quite creative, off the Commodore platform you could have the sedan, a wagon, a 2 door utility (think El Camino type vehicle), a coupe, which went to the US as the Pontiac GTO, and the stretched 4 door utility called the Crewman, which was also available in a lifted (slightly) AWD version with a wider track. All of them were available with either a V6 or V8 (LS1), and most with manual or auto.

Back when I got it I was getting out of my V6 sedan looking to get into something with a V8, I had a choice of a luxury trim V8 sedan, or the AWD Cross 8 with SS trim, the smart choice would have been the sedan, well we don't always make the smart decisions, but I did love it for the 3 years I had it, I sold it when the warranty ran out.

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Was that available in a 2 door? With the LS in it that would make it the modern El Camino Chevy never made for the U.S. but should have. Looks real nice, though, was it fun?

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Was that available in a 2 door? With the LS in it that would make it the modern El Camino Chevy never made for the U.S. but should have. Looks real nice, though, was it fun?

Yes, the SS LS1 V8 was available in the 2 door and with a 6 speed manual or auto, RWD only, and from memory, no traction control on them back then, whereas the AWD models did have traction control.

There was a big push within Holden to get the 2 door ute over to the US, it would have been very popular, but GM killed that idea.

Mine was great fun to drive, especially on wet and dirt roads, it was great at drifting even though it was AWD, about 70% of the power was sent to the rear wheels. It wasn't so much fun trying to park it in the city, and it was very thirsty.

Nice condition SS utes still command a good price, see the examples below, and the purple was a factory colour.

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[DFB]

Got a chance to try out one of Gyeon's latest arrivals today, Eco Wash.



Eco Wash is Gyeon's take on a rinse-less and water-less wash concentrate. Unlike most rinse-less wash products, Eco Wash joins Carpro ECH20 and Opti-Coat No Rinse in having Si02 in the formula to boost gloss and slickness. Eco Wash and Carpro ECH20 share a lot in common, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if they are the same base formula. The only thing I can't nail down is if Eco Wash is polymer or surfactant based, probably the former.

Like most rinse-less wash coventrates, the dilution ration can be changed to suit different roles. Unlike most, Gyeon don't suggest using Eco Wash as a clay lubricant, which is probably down to the Si02 it leaves behind.

Rinse-less washing - 150:1 to 256:1
Water-less washing - 10:1 to 15:1
Drying Aid - 20:1



Only needing a refresh, the perfect test subject was the Ranger. In this case, I used pre-soaked with the same 256:1 bucket solution, then used TRC Eagle Edgeless 500's. Sticking with the Gyeon theme, I grabbed Gyeon Ceramic Detailer for the drying aid. I also used the same dilution to wipe down the tray, engine bay and door jambs.

I found Eco Wash needed a little more towel work to fully dry than the ONR I used last week, which could have been the Ceramic Detailer, a product I have struggled with in the past. The chilly winter morning didn't help either. Apart from that, Eco Wash is very pleasant to use, with a lovely scent and a slick, gloss finish.

In recent times, I have been using these XL brushes from Detail Factory and Maxshine to apply tyre dressings. The synthetic bristle versions are superb for larger profile tyres, usually above a 40 series. The boars hair version ideal for lower profile tyres. What I have found with the synthetic version is that the bristles finish the dressing down so well that you really don't need to knock the dressing down afterwards, saving time and towels.

In this case, the DF synthetic version was starting to get a bit grotty. Because I favor water-based tyre dressings, cleaning the brush with a little APC or tyre cleaner easily brings them back to life.





The Mustang goes in for the replacement battery and terminal tomorrow, wish me luck! I've taken the time to remove the battery cover before it goes in to avoid them loosing those horrible scrivets into the depths of the engine bay. I also discovered that the CTEK whip line has fused to the battery terminal, so I'll have to replace that as well.

 

[Klasse Act]

I'm betting your next use of ECO wash in warmer temps will find you liking it more Deyon

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[DFB]

Of course, it had to rain today! I know, I know. Cars are to be driven, but we all have our preferences. I do my best to not drive the "special" cars in the rain, but needs must, I wanted that battery thing dealt with!

The service manager said they would cover the cost of a replacement battery and battery terminal clamp. However, I had already ordered the terminal clamp and decided I would pick it up and pay for it. Because there were two similar part numbers, I wanted to know it was the correct item rather than the possibility of delaying the process if the part was incorrect. See, this is what I go through every time I have someone work on one of my cars!

For those wondering, the part number for the negative terminal clamp of a 2015 - 2017 S550 Mustang is the following -

Ford Part Number - GU5Z 14450 A
Price - $42.57





I also noticed when I removed the battery cover yesterday before taking the car in, the CTEK whip line would not survive the replacement process. Thankfully, Repco had a replacement in stock, so I left the new one in the cup holder with the terminal in the hope they would get the hint. Thankfully, they installed the new one for me.

Attention Required! | Cloudflare



I'm guessing the removal of the old terminal nuts would have posed a few challenges as they were heavily corroded. I'd say they would have had to hammer a smaller socket onto it. If they were smart, all they had to do was release the nut holding the negative lead to the terminal clamp, then junked the old clamp along with the battery.



New 625cca Motorcraft battery installed.



Once home, I decided to thoroughly wash the engine bay. No pictures here, it was still raining and I had my head down, bum up. I approached this like any other engine bay detail, starting with a rinse using the pressure washer, applied KCx Green Star APC to the whole engine bay, lightly scrubbed with a flagged tipped wheel brush, rinsed again then liberally applied Megs Hyper Dressing. I then followed with the blower to remove excess water and distribute the Hyper Dressing. The hood is then lowered and the rest of the car washed. Always do this BEFORE washing the rest of the car so that you can deal with any overspray.



In this case, I washed the wheels and paint with Opti-Coat M-Wash, a strong favorite of mine. By then the rain had stopped, so I blew the car down in the driveway (garage was full so no room to fling water around onto already clean/dry cars), then moved in for the final dry using Megs Last Touch (a blast from the past that I find does well in damp conditions). After dealing with the rest of the car, the hood went up again for a final wipe over to mop up any remaining water/Hyper Dressing.

From now on, all cars will have this applied to them.......................

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/crc-crc-battery-terminal-protector-300g/654863.html



With the battery cover re-fitted, without losing one of those dam scrivets rops:, I put the Mustang back to bed under its cover.

As mentioned in a previous post, I didn't bring this issue up with the dealer in an attempt to get a new battery for free. I was all set to go and replace the battery before I was phoned, hence ordering the terminal clamp. It was about pointing out an issue relating to a procedure that is included in the service schedule. A procedure that clearly was not done. Hopefully the Tech responsible learnt a lesson here rather than seeing it as a nuisance customer causing trouble. So, kudos to the service manager for putting things right.

What's next for the Mustang? I want to give the car a final polish in my care, which is a twofold thing. Firstly, it gives me a chance to try out the new Rupes HLR-15 polisher. Secondly, it will mark the beginning of me saying goodby.

 

[DFB]

At work today, I washed both delivery vans. Just quietly, it was hardly “work”!

In terms of products and equipment, I naturally didn’t have full access to my usual arsenal. I’ve had my Kranzle K1152 at work for a few weeks now, using it to clean down paths and shade cloth while customer flow has been quiet. So having that on hand made progress relatively easy. In addition to that, from home I brought a foam cannon, wash bucket, a wheel brush, and tire brush. Towels, a couple of multipurpose TRC Car Wash Towels, a large waffle weave drying towel, and an old Meguiar’s microfiber wash pad.

Chemical wise, I decided this would be a great opportunity to use up some less than stellar products from my collection. For example, Mirch Ceramic Detailer, Mirch Obsidian Tire Dressing, Meguiar’s Quick Interior Detailer (the gallon format with the strange vinegar-like scent), and a bottle of P&S Radiance (more on that shortly).

For the wheels and tires, I used Shine Supply Wise Guy, which easily dealt with the usual euro brake dust on this duo, a VW Crafter and Renault Traffic. For the paint, I went in for the kill with Bilt Hamber Touch-less as a pre-wash, THIS is what this product was designed for!

For the contact wash, I used the P&S Radiance Wash and Wax. I was sent this product in error after ordering the “new” version called Inspiration Radiance. I don’t normally use wash-n-wax type soaps, but in this case, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to use this soap up on two vehicles that don’t warrant extensive effort being put into their appearance. Surprisingly, this soap is very nice to use, cleans well and leaves behind a layer of gloss and water beading that was not there to begin with.



However…………………….

When Inspiration Radiance was unveiled at SEMA late last year, P&S said that this was a newly reformulated version of the earlier Radiance Wash and Wax, updated to deliver a deeper clean and used as a coating maintenance wash. Having used Inspiration Radiance a bit now, I appreciate that little something it adds to the paint during the wash.

After using the “old” version today, I would say they are the same product! They smell the same, they “feel” the same, the have the same consistency, the same colour, the same gloss and water beading boost. I think the only “reformulation” that went down was the new bottle and new label. Does this matter, probably not, I actually liked using the “old” version today. But I don’t think the “new” version is as new as they would have you believe.

Finishing the detail, I removed the bulk of standing water with our EGO blower (with no stubby nozzle, this one is actually used for leaves), I then went over the paint using the large waffle weave and Mirch Ceramic Detailer. The interior’s got a vacuum, a wipe down with Megs QID, the glass attended to with some glass cleaner and paper towel from the shop. I then dressed the tires with Mirch Obsidian.

No photos today, I was on the clock and each van is covered in our company logo’s ect. Both came up great though! Two things that stood out, Bilt Hamber Touch-less is amazing for cutting through road grime and mud, and P&S Radiance made both vans look like they had been freshly waxed.

 

[chilly]

At work today, I washed both delivery vans. Just quietly, it was hardly “work”!

In terms of products and equipment, I naturally didn’t have full access to my usual arsenal. I’ve had my Kranzle K1152 at work for a few weeks now, using it to clean down paths and shade cloth while customer flow has been quiet. So having that on hand made progress relatively easy. In addition to that, from home I brought a foam cannon, wash bucket, a wheel brush, and tire brush. Towels, a couple of multipurpose TRC Car Wash Towels, a large waffle weave drying towel, and an old Meguiar’s microfiber wash pad.

Chemical wise, I decided this would be a great opportunity to use up some less than stellar products from my collection. For example, Mirch Ceramic Detailer, Mirch Obsidian Tire Dressing, Meguiar’s Quick Interior Detailer (the gallon format with the strange vinegar-like scent), and a bottle of P&S Radiance (more on that shortly).

For the wheels and tires, I used Shine Supply Wise Guy, which easily dealt with the usual euro brake dust on this duo, a VW Crafter and Renault Traffic. For the paint, I went in for the kill with Bilt Hamber Touch-less as a pre-wash, THIS is what this product was designed for!

For the contact wash, I used the P&S Radiance Wash and Wax. I was sent this product in error after ordering the “new” version called Inspiration Radiance. I don’t normally use wash-n-wax type soaps, but in this case, I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to use this soap up on two vehicles that don’t warrant extensive effort being put into their appearance. Surprisingly, this soap is very nice to use, cleans well and leaves behind a layer of gloss and water beading that was not there to begin with.



However…………………….

When Inspiration Radiance was unveiled at SEMA late last year, P&S said that this was a newly reformulated version of the earlier Radiance Wash and Wax, updated to deliver a deeper clean and used as a coating maintenance wash. Having used Inspiration Radiance a bit now, I appreciate that little something it adds to the paint during the wash.

After using the “old” version today, I would say they are the same product! They smell the same, they “feel” the same, the have the same consistency, the same colour, the same gloss and water beading boost. I think the only “reformulation” that went down was the new bottle and new label. Does this matter, probably not, I actually liked using the “old” version today. But I don’t think the “new” version is as new as they would have you believe.

Finishing the detail, I removed the bulk of standing water with our EGO blower (with no stubby nozzle, this one is actually used for leaves), I then went over the paint using the large waffle weave and Mirch Ceramic Detailer. The interior’s got a vacuum, a wipe down with Megs QID, the glass attended to with some glass cleaner and paper towel from the shop. I then dressed the tires with Mirch Obsidian.

No photos today, I was on the clock and each van is covered in our company logo’s ect. Both came up great though! Two things that stood out, Bilt Hamber Touch-less is amazing for cutting through road grime and mud, and P&S Radiance made both vans look like they had been freshly waxed.

There are few things in thus world that make me madder than seeing a label the says "Same great product, bold new look" or words to that effect, because the consumer is paying for a visual only facelift, not a product improvement

I am not saying that is what happened here but I think we all trust your judgment and instincts when it comes to soaps, and if you say it's apple to apples I am believer

 

[Klasse Act]

Hopefully yours is squared away before it gets on the boat Deyon

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[DFB]

Hopefully yours is squared away before it gets on the boat Deyon

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In this case, thankfully, I went for the 10-speed auto this time! I love how they hammer through the gears, in Track/Drag mode they even chirp the tires!

The previous gen, but you get the picture................

 

[DFB]

Out of interest, what is everyone's opinion on "running in" or "breaking in" a new car/engine?

I was always told not to baby them too much, the engine would otherwise be a slug for the rest of its days. I'm not sure how true that is though.

In the past, I've taken the firm, but fair approach. As in, don't baby it, give it some stick here and there with the odd trip to 5000 rpm, vary the revs, put some mild load on the engine running up some hills. Naturally, all without smashing the rev limiter. In fact, I accidentally had the DSC chime in leaving the dealership with my brand new XR8....................felt guilty about that for weeks. :laughing:

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I haven’t bought new in a while but when I did easy/mid driving 1st 500 miles. Oil change. Go hard.

Just curious DFB, how would you compare EcoWash to Absolute?


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[Klasse Act]

My car had a break in period of 600 miles and I followed it to a T

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[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I've never had a new car to run in, but at least 4 of my vehicles would more than likely have had hard run in periods without any issues. And they did seem to go harder than others I've driven with the same engines.

Two of them were ex-police vehicles, and you can bet they didn't worry about run in periods, both of those were Holdens, and they still had Holden issues, but nothing internal, just stuff like alternators and starter motors.

One was an ex rental car, I only discovered when I was selling it that an A stamped on the B pillar meant it was an Avis car, that was the VL with the RB30 motor, 260,000km and I never had to add any oil, but I was doing oil changes every 5000km as a precaution.

The other was the FJ, the first owner towed a caravan with it, and did the basic servicing only for the first 132,000km, he never even serviced the transmission. I know this because I got these things done when I bought it, as a precaution of course. I also never have to add oil to the 4.0 in the FJ, other than when servicing. You gotta love Japanese engineering, especially when it's manufactured in Japan.

Always remember though, anecdotes don't equal evidence. You do as you see fit, it's your baby.

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[DFB]

I haven’t bought new in a while but when I did easy/mid driving 1st 500 miles. Oil change. Go hard.

Just curious DFB, how would you compare EcoWash to Absolute?


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I haven't used EcoWash enough to make a call on that comparison, but here are some observations -

Absolute was THE product that "clicked" for me in terms of rinse-less washing. I have mentioned this a few times, but a rinse-less wash using Absolute followed by Bead Maker as a drying aid is such a fantastic combination. I tend to compare back to that combo, fully aware it's the Bead Maker that is heavily contributing to that slick finish and glossy look that I so love.

My first use of Eco Wash was in very cold conditions, so it took a little longer to dry than usual and needed more towel work. I also found it needed about the same effort to fully mix the bucket solution (using warm water), something that is often noted as an Absolute drawback. I'm not complaining on that front, just an observation. In terms of cleaning ability, I'm not the one to ask about that as I have a very low threshold for using a rinse-less, nothing more than dust and a few bugs for me.

Other than the lovely signature Gyeon scent, I can't really go much further until I've used it a bit more.

 

[Klasse Act]

I'm confident you'll love ECO wash in better conditions, plus I'd love you to try Labocosmetica Idrosave...ANOTHER ONE

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