DFB's Garage

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

It seems I'm a sucker for silver paint, and that is a nice silver, and you've got it super glossy.

Wiper blades are a funny thing at dealers and mechanics, they always want to change them. When the FJ was serviced last year, they wanted to change them, but I had Bosch one piece units on the front, so they couldn't, but they still changed the back one, for a cheap and nasty POS. When I took it in this year I told them leave the wipers alone, unless they are using genuine Toyota, which they won't of course. I almost wanted to give them the flick over using a rubbish $10 wiper blade.

My Mum's Qashqai has been to the local Nissan dealer twice, and they've never bothered us with wiper replacements, and still original from 2017. I do clean them every few months, and coat them with graphite, so they look new.

 

[DFB]

The Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag's turn today................

Wheels and paint washed with the transcendent Carpro Reset. I cycle through so many soaps that when I return to Reset, its always an aahaa moment because it reminds me of how bloody good it is. Makes me wonder why I bother trying anything else. Drying aid today was Megs HCD, used across paint, glass and wheels. They tyres were dressed with Opti-Coat Tire Gel, glass with old faithful Stoner Invisible Glass.

Today's Armour Detail Supply indulgence was Pilot interior detailer. Both Pilot and Amplify are my favorites from the brand, both for their ease of use, delightful scent and finished result.



You know, there is an element of "product fatigue" that comes into the equation when trying so many different products. But its those moments when I discover a true gem, and each subsequent use, that keeps me going. Everything from ADS is consistently brilliant, but the standouts manage to rise to the surface, the Tire Dressing, Pilot, Adapt Amplify and the High Temp Wheel Coating are the must-haves from the range.

Thinking back, there have been a select few that instantly clicked with me, none from a single brand though. I know it might be a pretty mundane product category, but P&S Xpress was one of those, it's so perfectly balanced at its job. Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Detailer came to me with no expectations but ended up being a surprise winner for its ease of use and finished result. Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing I tried as a novelty but ended up falling in love with it. Koch Chemie S0.02 I expected to be similar to Reload and other ceramic spray sealants, but its so easy to work with that you don't even have to be paying attention. P&S Clarity Creme makes glass polishing easy, a product that flies under the radar.

The question is, which will be the next winner product or brand?

 

[DFB]

Today I managed to get the Mustang out for some filming. Some of the videos won't be for public viewing, especially the otherwise perfect video ruined by me fluffing the 2nd to 3rd upshift and getting 5th instead, rookie! Or the first video that had me full-on ABS panic braking as a dog wandered into the middle of the road.

For the most part, these videos are to have something to look back on, a reminder of what I loved about this car. These are two that I'm content with, I still have a long way to go in developing even modest videography skills. Video is extremely time consuming, in addition to the above dog and fluffed shift, I was contending with road debris, traffic, even a white heron loitering at corner exit.............see if you can pick it.

Just another boxed ticked as I farewell this car.

 

[DFB]

After yesterday's thrashing, it was only natural that a wash would follow for the Mustang....................

Can Coat EVO topped with ADS Amplify................



Wheels and tyres washed with Brake Buster, paint with the remainder of a bottle of ADS Shampoo+. Drying Aid ADS Amplify, interior via ADS Pilot and the tyres dressed with OG TD.

For the Ranger this week, I washed the wheels with P&S Frostbite, which I also used as a pre-soap for the paint. Safe to say that Frostbite is a HIGH foaming soap!



For the contact wash, I recommenced my trial of "wash & coat" soaps, this time Shine Supply Shine Soap. This is a pH neutral formula that is said to work "perfectly with any wax, sealant or coating." Like most of these soaps, this is not a high foaming product.







I've come to the conclusion that these soaps are not for me, Shine Soap included. While they certainly add some slickness to the equation, they lack the foaming ability that I prefer and have a strange feeling underneath the wash media. Shine Soap also seemed to alter the underlying coating more than the others, and scent wise, it smells the same as P&S Inspiration Radiance.

Of the collection of these soaps I bought to trial, I have yet to try Gyeon Bathe+, its convoluted and time-consuming suggested application method does not appeal. Of the ones I have used, I much preferred the Ethos version as it foamed properly and felt the nicest to work with. Carpro Hydr02 Foam seemed to have the most potency. Inspiration Radiance produced the most visible difference.

While I can see these soaps have a purpose, they are targeted at a very specific user who just wants some beading and gloss without having to apply a ceramic coating, wax or sealant. For me, what they bring to the table does not out way their lack of foaming ability, lower cleaning potential, so-so slickness or weird scents. Full comparison on its way.

 

[Dirty Harry]

It's good to be back! Initially I was worried they had done away with the forum. Then I thought, oh no, I'll never get to see what becomes of DFB's new Mustang. Any update on that?

That Volvo looks outstanding by the way.

 

[DFB]

It's good to be back! Initially I was worried they had done away with the forum. Then I thought, oh no, I'll never get to see what becomes of DFB's new Mustang. Any update on that?

That Volvo looks outstanding by the way.

The vessel is not far from docking in Brisbane, Australia. It will travel south along the east coast to dock in Sydney, then onto Melbourne where mine will be unload. Getting close now.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Last time I looked it was in NZ somewhere.

The vessel is not far from docking in Brisbane, Australia. It will travel south along the east coast to dock in Sydney, then onto Melbourne where mine will be unload. Getting close now.

Last time I looked it was in NZ somewhere, are you getting twitchy yet?

I think I mentioned there's a dark blue Mustang in my neighbourhood, he's driven past me a couple of times in the past week, on his way home from work I guess. I was walking past as he got home and I complimented him on how good it sounds, he asked me if I wanted to buy it, he's been trying to sell it for a couple of months, no takers. I saw it in the sunlight last weekend, it's a swirl monster. But even they can look good in the right lighting.

 

[65chevy]

nice write up there DFB

 

[DFB]

Last time I looked it was in NZ somewhere.

Last time I looked it was in NZ somewhere, are you getting twitchy yet?

I think I mentioned there's a dark blue Mustang in my neighbourhood, he's driven past me a couple of times in the past week, on his way home from work I guess. I was walking past as he got home and I complimented him on how good it sounds, he asked me if I wanted to buy it, he's been trying to sell it for a couple of months, no takers. I saw it in the sunlight last weekend, it's a swirl monster. But even they can look good in the right lighting.View attachment 136799

Sorry, I was trying to reply to you last night but it seems the forum still has a few bugs.

Twitchy? No, not yet. The car still feels like it's so far away, I think I'm just so conditioned to waiting that it's still not hitting me. I'm also so bloody tired that I think the first week or two are going to be a blur, hence the need to take longer than usual leave to make this moment count. I'm running on fumes at the moment.

I think you have mentioned that Mustang before, looks to be Lightning Blue or Deep Impact Blue, both gorgeous shades. He will be among many trying to sell a S550 at the moment. I'll end up trading mine, I just don't have the energy to play the private-sale game. I will mostly likely take a bath on the trade value vs private, but no one buys cars to make money, I've had eight years of enjoyment and I'm content to leave it at that.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

It was very frustrating on here last night, some times I could get in, but mostly not.

I've never bought a vehicle with consideration to its resale value, I just buy what I wanted at the time. I've also never sold a vehicle privately, it's easier to trade them in, accepting that what you lose in money, you make up in convenience.

8 years, that's how long I've had the FJ, with no replacement in site. And Toyota Australia saying they have no plans to bring in whatever FJ replacement Toyota Japan is releasing soon. I still enjoy driving mine every chance I get.

 

[DFB]

It was very frustrating on here last night, some times I could get in, but mostly not.

I've never bought a vehicle with consideration to its resale value, I just buy what I wanted at the time. I've also never sold a vehicle privately, it's easier to trade them in, accepting that what you lose in money, you make up in convenience.

8 years, that's how long I've had the FJ, with no replacement in site. And Toyota Australia saying they have no plans to bring in whatever FJ replacement Toyota Japan is releasing soon. I still enjoy driving mine every chance I get.

One of the reasons I've kept the car that long has been because nothing on market interested me enough to take the plunge. Sure, secondhand stuff, but not brand new. If I went back 20 years, I would have had a variety of high-performance Falcon's to choose from, with either V8 or I6T, sedan or ute. Those days are long gone now though.

 

[DFB]

Mazda CX-3 Detail

Purchased new in August last year, this Mazda CX-3 G20 Pure arrived first up this morning for a refresh.







Overall, the car presented pretty well, better than I was expecting to be honest.

Starting with the wheels, I went around and applied NV Purge to each wheel from dry and allowed to react. While the wheels soaked, I opened the hood and removed any leaf litter before a quick pressure rinse.

Returning to the wheels, iron contamination was minimal and the majority of the brake dust was removed after a rinse. I then scrubbed the tyres with Wise Guy, twice actually due to the profuse browning. I then foamed with Brake Buster for a contact wash of the wheels and wheel arches. An application of Hydr02 Lite followed.





After the wheels, I turned my attention to the paint. I was actually going to skip this step, but considering the car is parked outdoors around train and tram lines, the use of an iron remover was probably warranted. A dark colour like this Machine Grey Metallic hides the reaction, but it was certainly happening.





The next step was the pre-wash, this time Bilt Hamber Touch-less that was foamed over the Gyeon Iron remover. This was allowed to soak while I emptied my wheel bucket and rinsed out my tools.







From here, a thorough rinse followed. Mazda's are terrible in regard to trapping anything and everything in the roof gutter trims, so plenty of time is needed to blast them out, and when you think you've got it all, out pops more.

For the contact wash I selected Obsessed Garage Decon Soap. Because the heavy lifting was done with Touch-less, the slightly milder pH 10 of Decon Soap easily dealt with what remained, delivering a squeaky clean surface. With the washing complete, I then applied Hydr02 Lite to the completely flat paint.



Moving into the garage, after blowing the car down I discovered an alarming array of isolated scratches, water spot etchings and paint chips spread across the vehicle. The paint chips no doubt from the ultra-thin paint Mazda uses. Two spots on the hood had a crisscross pattern of scratches that looked as if someone had dry-wiped a bird bomb. For a car only 12-months old, it could easily have passed for 5-years old! Most of it would be the result of improper washing at a car wash. This is why you should never buy a dark colored car if you have no interest in proper washing technique, just pick silver, white or any light colour.

I ended up spot polishing the two sections on the hood using the iBrid Nano, Rupes yellow foam and Rupes DA Fine. That took the edge off them, but they still remained. Knowing how soft and thin Mazda paint is, I didn't want to chase them any further. I then wiped down the sections I polished with ADS Panel Prep, then went around the entire car applying ADS Ceramic Spray Sealant.

The interior wasn't too bad, just need some finessing. The door jambs were wiped down with ONR, I then removed all the mats, blew them out with the Tornador before vacuuming and setting them aside. Next, I used the vacuum in one hand and the Tornador in the other, blasting debris straight up and into the vac from areas like the cup holders, seat rails, vents, steering wheel boss, gauge cluster and seat seams. I then hit the driver's side sill and footwell with Griots Interior Cleaner, followed by wiping everything else down with P&S Swift. After attending to a couple of stains on the seats with KCx Pol Star, I cleaned the glass using P&S True Vue. The leather steering wheel I used the Carpro Cleanse and Lotion duo. A spritz of Angelwax Bliss and the interior was done.

Returning to the exterior, I decided to try Carpro ClarifyPhobic, which is a combined glass cleaner/sealant. I have previously dismissed this product, it clearly didn't play well with my usual choice of Gyeon Quick View. Here, it worked much better on virgin glass.



The tyres were then dressed with Carpro Darkside, and the whole car wiped down with ADS Amplify. I even polished the exhaust tips, nothing worse than the look of a clean car being let down by neglected tips. I've always hated the Mazda exhaust tip design, a chrome sleeve pressed onto a steel pipe. While it looks ok early on, you end up two rates of degradation as the steel inner pipe ends up staining and rusting while the chrome outer will still look ok. From what I can see, there is no practical benefit to this design.





Final result, ready for collection.

 

[DFB]

Got the XR8 off the charger and out onto the road this morning..................



You know how it is, a quiet empty road and a rush of blood.....................

First, a test of the rudimentary launch control function. While the I6T engines had what Ford called "Launch Assist" from the start of the FG series, it was only available on vehicles with a manual transmission and was basically a 3500 rev-limiter, so it had no control over wheel spin.



The FGX XR8 on the other hand used a "Launch Control" setup that was available on manual and automatic transmissions. I earlier said rudimentary because, unlike modern selectable launch control systems, the XR8 uses the DSC to control wheelspin. For the manual, the system limits engine speed to 3250rpm and then controls wheel slip using the traction control. On autos, the driver simply mashes the throttle rapidly, the system then limits torque in first gear and, again, uses traction control to reduce wheel spin.



However, because the DSC and TC systems are on by default each time the car is started, that means the launch control is always active unless the DSC turned off. Turn it off and, well, you are on your own.................

(Image used for demo purposes, not of this morning)



I've never done this on tarmac with the XR8 before, so I thought why not today! DSC turned off, a boot full of throttle and the rears lit up with ease, smoke billowing from the arches and two thick black lines displayed in my rear vision mirror. Couldn't help but be stunned at how easy the car did it. Of course, the factory original Dunlop Sport Maxx's from 2014 would have played a part there. But just think of it this way, for a car that cost me $60,000 (AUD) back in 2014, what brand new 500hp RWD car could you buy on the market today that would be capable of such antics, done with such ease? At that price, yeah, none!

After my stress relief drive of the XR8, it was time to clean the Ranger. The windshield, and no doubt the paint as well, was covered in tiny droplets of sap. Not that I park directly under trees, but with the high winds lately, it must have been carrying sap off a close by Corymbia Maculata.

I didn't really want to do a full wash, so I started by pressure rinsing the car, which removed the sap and a layer of dust. I then moved into the garage and did a rinse-less using DIY Detail Rinse-less Wash, teamed with DIY Ceramic Gloss as the drying aid.





I can safely say that the DIY rinse-less has the highest cleaning ability of my collection of these products. It easily dissolved that yellow insect poop that is often extremely difficult to remove, even with a pressure washer. With a 256:1 pre-soak, the DIY quickly broke it down................impressive.

Once dried, I went over the tray and door jambs with ECH20, glass with KCx Speed Glass Cleaner, interior wiped down with ADS Pilot, the tyres given a light application of DIY Tire Dressing.

Job done...............just in time for it to rain tomorrow.

 

[Tasmania]

Got the XR8 off the charger and out onto the road this morning..................



You know how it is, a quiet empty road and a rush of blood.....................

First, a test of the rudimentary launch control function. While the I6T engines had what Ford called "Launch Assist" from the start of the FG series, it was only available on vehicles with a manual transmission and was basically a 3500 rev-limiter, so it had no control over wheel spin.



The FGX XR8 on the other hand used a "Launch Control" setup that was available on manual and automatic transmissions. I earlier said rudimentary because, unlike modern selectable launch control systems, the XR8 uses the DSC to control wheelspin. For the manual, the system limits engine speed to 3250rpm and then controls wheel slip using the traction control. On autos, the driver simply mashes the throttle rapidly, the system then limits torque in first gear and, again, uses traction control to reduce wheel spin.



However, because the DSC and TC systems are on by default each time the car is started, that means the launch control is always active unless the DSC turned off. Turn it off and, well, you are on your own.................

(Image used for demo purposes, not of this morning)



I've never done this on tarmac with the XR8 before, so I thought why not today! DSC turned off, a boot full of throttle and the rears lit up with ease, smoke billowing from the arches and two thick black lines displayed in my rear vision mirror. Couldn't help but be stunned at how easy the car did it. Of course, the factory original Dunlop Sport Maxx's from 2014 would have played a part there. But just think of it this way, for a car that cost me $60,000 (AUD) back in 2014, what brand new 500hp RWD car could you buy on the market today that would be capable of such antics, done with such ease? At that price, yeah, none!

After my stress relief drive of the XR8, it was time to clean the Ranger. The windshield, and no doubt the paint as well, was covered in tiny droplets of sap. Not that I park directly under trees, but with the high winds lately, it must have been carrying sap off a close by Corymbia Maculata.

I didn't really want to do a full wash, so I started by pressure rinsing the car, which removed the sap and a layer of dust. I then moved into the garage and did a rinse-less using DIY Detail Rinse-less Wash, teamed with DIY Ceramic Gloss as the drying aid.





I can safely say that the DIY rinse-less has the highest cleaning ability of my collection of these products. It easily dissolved that yellow insect poop that is often extremely difficult to remove, even with a pressure washer. With a 256:1 pre-soak, the DIY quickly broke it down................impressive.

Once dried, I went over the tray and door jambs with ECH20, glass with KCx Speed Glass Cleaner, interior wiped down with ADS Pilot, the tyres given a light application of DIY Tire Dressing.

Job done...............just in time for it to rain tomorrow.

Any footage going up on YT of the Xr8 ?

 

[DFB]

Any footage going up on YT of the Xr8 ?

There is, but more will follow when I go on leave and have more time to invest.

It's the XR6 that I really want to do more on. I've found there are very few good videos on stock naturally aspirated XR6's on YouTube. I say "good" from the point of view most XR6's are in the hands of P-Plate young males, modified with terrible exhausts and holes drilled in the airbox. For some strange reason, they also leave the radio playing!? If I've landed on your video about a car, I really have no interest in listening to your taste in music, I'm there to hear the engine.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I have fallen for that, after a nice off-road run, I think I'll pull some dashcam footage, only to realise I had the music still on, which can get your soundtrack blocked on YT. I don't know how they get away with it, I've had threats from YT over a couple of my early videos due to copyright problems. I had to replace the sound on those ones, now they're rubbish.

 

[DFB]

A Friday public holiday for a football game played on a Saturday..........................never mind...................

Today, I took the opportunity to step back in times.......................

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

I have always said that the Mustang is a blank canvas for enthusiasts to make their own. But the greater beauty of the Mustang is the massive aftermarket sector that caters to those who want to customize their Mustang and create something unique. For me, I love the simplicity of the GT in its standard form, letting the lines and form factor speak for themselves. That said, I have tinkered with a few things to create that OEM+ look. For the most part, I stayed OEM by using Ford Performance parts, in other cases I used OEM-looking parts.

Some of those parts will remain, mainly because I have no use for them on the new car. The oil separator won't fit the S650, likewise the coolant tank cover and AEM filter. The dead pedal is a one-time application. The Borla exhaust will stay, even though I still have the original.............which I have no idea what to do with, scrap metal?











However, there are two things that I wanted to remove from the car prior to trade, the wheels and blue coil covers.

The coil covers are from Ford Performance and are simply to fit and remove. These won't fit later S550 or S650 engines because of the DI hardware Ford uses, so I will likely put them on the XR8. I know blue clashes against red, but I actually liked it.



I kept the grey originals, so back to stock they go.................



The Ford Performance HP wheels cost me a fortune to import, only for them to appear via the aftermarket vendors a few months later. These are based on the wheel design Ford offered with the US-only PP2 package. Available in four widths, I went with the same spec Ford used on the R-Spec, 9.5-inch fronts with 255/40/R19 tyres, and 10.0-inch rears with 275/40/R19. The Michelin PS4S tyres I insisted on transformed the car.





The key benefit with these wheels was how much easier they were to clean! I later also added black lugs to better blend into the wheel, a very simple change that transformed the look of the car.





I'm not sure what I will do with the HP wheels, I'm toying with putting them on the S650 but I'm sort of over black wheels. I may end up selling them separately. In any case, they cost me too much to just trade them in at the dealer. I kept the PP1 wheels, so back on they went.

Retrieved from storage -



The PP1 wheels were wiped of dust with ONR, it was then out with the tools and the jack. The fronts were extremely difficult to remove from the hub, taking way longer than anticipated.







Shout out to these Koken lug sockets, very nicely made and they look cool as well. The plastic outer sheath is also removable with replacements available if needed in the future. I'll point out that I didn't use the impact to break these lugs, I was only using it to zip them off quickly after using a breaker bar.

https://www.amazon.com.au/KOKEN-Wheel-Nut-Sockets-Set/dp/B003B3AUCG/ref



The black lugs I will use on the S650, the old jacket-style chrome units go back on the car, torqued to the 150 ft-lbs / 203 Nm. I've said this a few times, but if you are looking for a good torque wrench, these Wera units are the bomb!

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07B82KQLP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1



The final step, some Armour Detail Supply Tire+ to freshen up the OE fit Pirelli's................





Despite sitting undriven, I gave HP wheels a quick clean and scrubbed the tyres with Carpro ReTyre. It was then into storage until I decide what to do with them.



I have to say, it felt somewhat sad to put the old PP1 wheels and chrome lugs back on, almost like it isn't my car anymore. The HP wheels gave the car a boost in aggression and separated it from the rest of the Mustang GT's on the road.

I have had more than two years to say goodby to this car. When I first placed the deposit for a S650 back in September 2022, I wasn't ready to part ways with the car. But two years later, I think I have reached a point where I am content letting it go. I had a list of things to do before saying goodby to this car, which is now nearly completed. Just one task remains..............................

 

[Tasmania]

A Friday public holiday for a football game played on a Saturday..........................never mind...................

Today, I took the opportunity to step back in times.......................

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

I have always said that the Mustang is a blank canvas for enthusiasts to make their own. But the greater beauty of the Mustang is the massive aftermarket sector that caters to those who want to customize their Mustang and create something unique. For me, I love the simplicity of the GT in its standard form, letting the lines and form factor speak for themselves. That said, I have tinkered with a few things to create that OEM+ look. For the most part, I stayed OEM by using Ford Performance parts, in other cases I used OEM-looking parts.

Some of those parts will remain, mainly because I have no use for them on the new car. The oil separator won't fit the S650, likewise the coolant tank cover and AEM filter. The dead pedal is a one-time application. The Borla exhaust will stay, even though I still have the original.............which I have no idea what to do with, scrap metal?











However, there are two things that I wanted to remove from the car prior to trade, the wheels and blue coil covers.

The coil covers are from Ford Performance and are simply to fit and remove. These won't fit later S550 or S650 engines because of the DI hardware Ford uses, so I will likely put them on the XR8. I know blue clashes against red, but I actually liked it.



I kept the grey originals, so back to stock they go.................



The Ford Performance HP wheels cost me a fortune to import, only for them to appear via the aftermarket vendors a few months later. These are based on the wheel design Ford offered with the US-only PP2 package. Available in four widths, I went with the same spec Ford used on the R-Spec, 9.5-inch fronts with 255/40/R19 tyres, and 10.0-inch rears with 275/40/R19. The Michelin PS4S tyres I insisted on transformed the car.





The key benefit with these wheels was how much easier they were to clean! I later also added black lugs to better blend into the wheel, a very simple change that transformed the look of the car.





I'm not sure what I will do with the HP wheels, I'm toying with putting them on the S650 but I'm sort of over black wheels. I may end up selling them separately. In any case, they cost me too much to just trade them in at the dealer. I kept the PP1 wheels, so back on they went.

Retrieved from storage -



The PP1 wheels were wiped of dust with ONR, it was then out with the tools and the jack. The fronts were extremely difficult to remove from the hub, taking way longer than anticipated.







Shout out to these Koken lug sockets, very nicely made and they look cool as well. The plastic outer sheath is also removable with replacements available if needed in the future. I'll point out that I didn't use the impact to break these lugs, I was only using it to zip them off quickly after using a breaker bar.

https://www.amazon.com.au/KOKEN-Wheel-Nut-Sockets-Set/dp/B003B3AUCG/ref



The black lugs I will use on the S650, the old jacket-style chrome units go back on the car, torqued to the 150 ft-lbs / 203 Nm. I've said this a few times, but if you are looking for a good torque wrench, these Wera units are the bomb!

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07B82KQLP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1



The final step, some Armour Detail Supply Tire+ to freshen up the OE fit Pirelli's................





Despite sitting undriven, I gave HP wheels a quick clean and scrubbed the tyres with Carpro ReTyre. It was then into storage until I decide what to do with them.



I have to say, it felt somewhat sad to put the old PP1 wheels and chrome lugs back on, almost like it isn't my car anymore. The HP wheels gave the car a boost in aggression and separated it from the rest of the Mustang GT's on the road.

I have had more than two years to say goodby to this car. When I first placed the deposit for a S650 back in September 2022, I wasn't ready to part ways with the car. But two years later, I think I have reached a point where I am content letting it go. I had a list of things to do before saying goodby to this car, which is now nearly completed. Just one task remains..............................

Whoever is lucky enough to get your used Mustang is getting the best kept Mustang in Australia! I'd challenge anyone to find a better example.

 

[DFB]

Whoever is lucky enough to get your used Mustang is getting the best kept Mustang in Australia! I'd challenge anyone to find a better example.

Thanks, you are very kind.

 

[DFB]

Sanity detailing today............................

The XR8 was up first. Tyres cleaned with Wise Guy, wheels and body washed with Carpro Reset. After drying, I went over the tyres with Tarminator to give them a reset, then dressed with ADS Tire+.

But its the Amplify I want to focus on. Not sure why, but I have struggled with streaking on this car for a quite a while now, especially on the hood. And that covers a wide range of products including polymer spray sealants, ceramic spray detailer/sealants, simple quick detailers, even a rinse-less wash.

In recent times, I've had nothing but good things to say about ADS Amplify, especially in relation to its ability to wipe on and flash away to a streak-free finish. Using it on the XR8 was going to be its biggest challenge though. So, you can imagine how pleased I am knowing that Amplify passed this test and delivered a streak free finish on the XR8 for first time in ages. So, I used it on the paint, glass, door jambs, engine bay, wheels and exhaust tips.





Moving onto the Ranger, I began the testing and reassessing of a batch of box-store soaps. Most pictured below are soaps I have already used, some recently, some a very long time ago. Some I have never used. The question is, how do they stack up against higher priced products available from specialty detailing retailers.



The first to try however is a soap I've always wondered about but never took the plunge.....................



(Sorry for the US readers, as far as I know, this is not a brand offered outside of Australia/New Zealand. They are sold through large automotive chain stores, think of them like Adam's or Autoglym, not the absolute best, but a rung or two above Turtle Wax, Mothers ect. Their main claim to fame is the smutty product names such as Wet Dreams, Three-Way, Happy Ending, The Little Chubby, The Little-Stiffy, Blue Ball Big Daddy and Far-Cough.)

In the past, I guess I discounted Bowden's Nanolicious because of the conditioning agents used in the formula. Personally, I prefer a soap that is used purely for lubrication and cleaning purposes, leaving the "conditioning" or gloss enhancement to the drying aid step. However, Bowdens insist that Nanolicious is safe for ceramic coatings, so I was keen to see how that would pan out.

After it was mentioned in my soap thread, I was expecting Nanolicious to be a low foaming product. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did..................







That looks like some pretty decent foam to me. Under the wash pad, Nanolicious is decently slick, cleans well and rinses freely. Keep in mind I was using this after the transcendent Carpro Reset, but overall, Nanolicious didn't disappoint. The scent? It's pleasant but forgettable. I would love to infiltrate the likes of Bowden's and Meguiars to freshen up their scent pallets, I guess they stick with subtle scents to offend no-one, but please no-one in the process.

Next up, I'm actually looking forward to taking a trip down memory lane by re-trying the very first car wash soap I ever used...........................