DFB's Garage

[DFB]

As a comparison I drove my brother's Toyota Aurion a few times, also very smooth revving, and a very comfortable drive, but spooky handling with 200kw through the front wheels, not a drivers car.

And for US readers, the Aurion replaced the Avalon as Toyota's Falcon/Commodore competitor. Where the Avalon was actually dimensionally bigger than the Camry, the Aurion was actually based on the then also new 2006 Camry and featured different front and rear styling to make it look larger. Where the Aurion was V6 only, Toyota deleted the V6 option from the Camry to make a more defined role for the Aurion, so Camry was 4-cylinder, and later 4-cylinder hybrid only. The 3.5 V6 produced 200 kw / 268 hp, and due to the very aggressive VVTi switch over, it made the car quite tetchy, especially in the wet. That would be why Toyota didn't include a traction/stability control OFF switch.







Fun Fact - The same man who designed the 2002 BA Falcon XR6 and XR8 frontal design, as in the large gaping lower intake and double-dip headlights that were carved into the bumper, well he designed the Aurion for Toyota after being poached from Ford. That color shown below was called Acid Rush, no coincidence that a similar color appeared on the Aurion too.





Toyota also commissioned a performance model of the Aurion to compete with the high-performance Commodore and Falcon sedans. These were actually done by ProDrive in a similar arrangement to HSV, FPV, BMW-M ect. The Aurion TRD used a supercharged 3.5 V6 and was 6-speed auto only. Power was 241 kW / 323 hp...........................through the front wheels. There was also a chassis retune and bigger brakes. For a few reasons, they didn't sell many of them before Toyota quietly dropped it. Firstly, the price. It had less performance than a XR6 Turbo, but was priced like a F6 Typhoon or a V8 HSV Clubsport. Buyers didn't see value in it. Then there was the front wheel drive thing, especially with so much grunt.

 

[Tasmania]

And for US readers, the Aurion replaced the Avalon as Toyota's Falcon/Commodore competitor. Where the Avalon was actually dimensionally bigger than the Camry, the Aurion was actually based on the then also new 2006 Camry and featured different front and rear styling to make it look larger. Where the Aurion was V6 only, Toyota deleted the V6 option from the Camry to make a more defined role for the Aurion, so Camry was 4-cylinder, and later 4-cylinder hybrid only. The 3.5 V6 produced 200 kw / 268 hp, and due to the very aggressive VVTi switch over, it made the car quite tetchy, especially in the wet. That would be why Toyota didn't include a traction/stability control OFF switch.







Fun Fact - The same man who designed the 2002 BA Falcon XR6 and XR8 frontal design, as in the large gaping lower intake and double-dip headlights that were carved into the bumper, well he designed the Aurion for Toyota after being poached from Ford. That color shown below was called Acid Rush, no coincidence that a similar color appeared on the Aurion too.





Toyota also commissioned a performance model of the Aurion to compete with the high-performance Commodore and Falcon sedans. These were actually done by ProDrive in a similar arrangement to HSV, FPV, BMW-M ect. The Aurion TRD used a supercharged 3.5 V6 and was 6-speed auto only. Power was 241 kW / 323 hp...........................through the front wheels. There was also a chassis retune and bigger brakes. For a few reasons, they didn't sell many of them before Toyota quietly dropped it. Firstly, the price. It had less performance than a XR6 Turbo, but was priced like a F6 Typhoon or a V8 HSV Clubsport. Buyers didn't see value in it. Then there was the front wheel drive thing, especially with so much grunt.

I think they brought out a Hi lux with the V6 and Supercharged it?

My brother rented a 380 and let me test drive it, i was used to rear wheel drive car's and he said floor it let's say Torque steer and i nearly binned it.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I think they brought out a Hi lux with the V6 and Supercharged it?

My brother rented a 380 and let me test drive it, i was used to rear wheel drive car's and he said floor it let's say Torque steer and i nearly binned it.

Yeah, that Hilux has the same 1GR-FE 4.0 V6 as the FJ and Prado, even with the supercharger it only made 225kw to the FJs 200, so it was barely worth the effort.

 

[DFB]

Yeah, that Hilux has the same 1GR-FE 4.0 V6 as the FJ and Prado, even with the supercharger it only made 225kw to the FJs 200, so it was barely worth the effort.

The funny thing is, back then no one wanted a petrol-powered high performance dual cab pickup. The idea of a big, heavy 4x4 dual cab and a high performance engine just wasn't on anyone's radar. A few people bought the Hilux TRD, but by and large, it was a failure.

Fast forward to recent years, how many Ranger Raptor's do they sell now? Or RHD-converted V8 Rams and F-150's? When I was a kid, you lusted over a V8 Holden or Ford, now, it's like how tall and noisy can you make a used Thai-special pickup truck.

 

[DFB]

Happened all the time..............................



I once got sent a text message at about 8am on my ONLY day off per week...........................I was still in bed. It was a request, or more to the point a demand, to contact and then meet up with a colleague. Both her and husband (family) were going overseas and they had tee'd up another staff member to take care of plant hire maintenance, which was a fortnightly task that took about 6 hours visiting various office's and businesses in town. Said other staff member needed to be trained over several weeks. This despite me already knowing the task back to front and needed no training to do so. And yet, they ignored my ability despite knowing full well I liked doing this job, and I was faster and more efficient too, doing the run in 4 hours. It actually backfired on them because the person they chose would take 8 hours to do the job.

Anyway, the text message was for me to do the run as well, in turn being a backup should the person they chose couldn't make it. But instead of loosing my productivity within my rostered work hours, they thought it would best I miss out on my day off instead. With less than 30-minutes notice. Nor was it a request, it wasn't a "would it be possible", nor did they even give me some notice. No, it was you do THIS now.

I cracked the sh.ts and didn't bother contacting the person in question until 12.30pm, basically too late to make it that day. So yeah, I played the mind game as hard as they were. But guess who was in the wrong in this situation? Guess who was the one being difficult? And guess who couldn't see the inappropriateness of the situation?

See, this is the BAD side of the whole "Family Business" thing. You end up being expected to take the sacrifices for the good of the "family", but without any of the benefits of being "family". Don't play along with that, well you are letting the "team" down. Well, where was that "team" when I was left to bury over 1000 bare root trees, or when it came to pot up, water and put them into stock? Yeah, inside sipping coffee with the heater on.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I used to get calls from sales reps after hours, someone was giving out my personal mobile number, I had a work mobile but that stayed at work, I was on a wage not a salary, so I refused to answer after hours calls. Once they called me just once, I saved the number and put it on ignore. Now I don't answer numbers I don't know, unless I feel like messing with them.

 

[Tasmania]

Happened all the time..............................



I once got sent a text message at about 8am on my ONLY day off per week...........................I was still in bed. It was a request, or more to the point a demand, to contact and then meet up with a colleague. Both her and husband (family) were going overseas and they had tee'd up another staff member to take care of plant hire maintenance, which was a fortnightly task that took about 6 hours visiting various office's and businesses in town. Said other staff member needed to be trained over several weeks. This despite me already knowing the task back to front and needed no training to do so. And yet, they ignored my ability despite knowing full well I liked doing this job, and I was faster and more efficient too, doing the run in 4 hours. It actually backfired on them because the person they chose would take 8 hours to do the job.

Anyway, the text message was for me to do the run as well, in turn being a backup should the person they chose couldn't make it. But instead of loosing my productivity within my rostered work hours, they thought it would best I miss out on my day off instead. With less than 30-minutes notice. Nor was it a request, it wasn't a "would it be possible", nor did they even give me some notice. No, it was you do THIS now.

I cracked the sh.ts and didn't bother contacting the person in question until 12.30pm, basically too late to make it that day. So yeah, I played the mind game as hard as they were. But guess who was in the wrong in this situation? Guess who was the one being difficult? And guess who couldn't see the inappropriateness of the situation?

See, this is the BAD side of the whole "Family Business" thing. You end up being expected to take the sacrifices for the good of the "family", but without any of the benefits of being "family". Don't play along with that, well you are letting the "team" down. Well, where was that "team" when I was left to bury over 1000 bare root trees, or when it came to pot up, water and put them into stock? Yeah, inside sipping coffee with the heater on.

I would of straight up said the only person that does work around here is a non family member, You need me more than I need you!

They definitely took your kindness as a sign of weakness.

I'm not saying you're a weakness person Deyon! But some people really hunt for a way in before they take advantage, like they did.

 

[DFB]

I used to get calls from sales reps after hours, someone was giving out my personal mobile number, I had a work mobile but that stayed at work, I was on a wage not a salary, so I refused to answer after hours calls. Once they called me just once, I saved the number and put it on ignore. Now I don't answer numbers I don't know, unless I feel like messing with them.

For a long time now, unless its a number I recognise, I never answer the phone. Before I made that decision, I was being spammed multiple times a day and I didn't have the time to waste on nonsense.

I remember someone trying to sell me an exotic holiday, to which I bluntly said that I don't get holidays. The caller was somewhat confused, "surely you get annual leave?" Listen honey, there is no such thing as annual leave when you are self-employed, and unless you are going to come and mow lawns for my customers while I'm taking this magical holiday you are trying to sell me, then I have no time and no money to go and sit under a palm tree with the rest of bogans. The call ended shortly after.

If the person has something important to tell me, they can leave a text, a voice message or email and I'll follow up. Otherwise, I have no interest in talking to anyone. 99% of the time, no message is left, which to me validates my policy.

 

[DFB]

I would of straight up said the only person that does work around here is a non family member, You need me more than I need you!

They definitely took your kindness as a sign of weakness.

I'm not saying you're a weakness person Deyon! But some people really hunt for a way in before they take advantage, like they did.

I freely admit, in no way am I a "real" man, so I tend to get walked over. On the occasions where I did stand up, well, see below.................................

 

[DFB]

I don't know how obvious it is, but I've been getting more and more angry of late.

"People" say having a "positive outlook" is important. Well, how do you have a positive outlook when you see nothing but negativity, both in those around me, but mainly within myself? It's not a light switch, I can't simply turn on the positive outlook button at will. Personally, I think there are a LOT of people in this world who are kidding themselves into thinking what they do and say makes one iota of difference.

 

[Klasse Act]

I don't know how obvious it is, but I've been getting more and more angry of late.

"People" say having a "positive outlook" is important. Well, how do you have a positive outlook when you see nothing but negativity, both in those around me, but mainly within myself? It's not a light switch, I can't simply turn on the positive outlook button at will. Personally, I think there are a LOT of people in this world who are kidding themselves into thinking what they do and say makes one iota of difference.

I'm right there with you Deyon, I just don't air it out here but a recent scenario i just might to see if it's just me or is the world ass backwards

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[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I've given up looking at job ads for the moment. Too many companies asking/expecting too much, while wanting to pay too little. The funny thing is, I've seen the same ads from the same companies posted every few months, so they are either really difficult to work for, or they are really good at picking the wrong people.

I should really stop reading stories online from people who really hate their jobs as well, it makes it too easy to hate most companies.

 

[BrrrBrrr is verified member.]

I once worked at a trucking company that paid us for dropping our trailers (which is common to take a fully loaded trailer to one place, drop it and pick up an empty trailer instead of waiting for them to unload a whole trailer) and they said if the docks are full, we have to drop ours, pull out a trailer in the docks, then hook up to ours and then put it in the empty dock, drop that, then go get the one we pulled out.

So, when I would do this, I would add extra pay (actually I would add 2 drop and hooks because that’s what it is) and they called me out on it. They said we are supposed to give the first drop and hook for free as a service to our customer. So, I told my boss, if I’m not going to get paid for it, I’m going to call in, have him clock out, stay on the phone with me until my drop and hooks are complete, then he can clock back in. If I have to work for free, he is too. If they won’t pay me for the work I do, I’ll leave the trailer in the parking lot and just leave.
I always got paid for my “extra drop and hooks” after that with no questions asked.

 

[DFB]

How many diesel Ford Ranger's get their exhaust tip polished?

After cleaning with soapy water from my wheel bucket, which was Megs Hyper Wash today, it was time for an old favorite, P21S Polishing Soap.....................................





Following that, Dr. Beasley's Metal Coat, which is a ceramic nano sealant designed to protect chrome, stainless steel and aluminum. Metal Coat seemingly tolerates exhaust heat, making it supremely durable, to the point where it never really falls away. Application couldn't be easier, simply wipe the surface down with prep spray, apply a small amount to a towel and wipe it on, then wipe it off. Metal Coat bonds instantly and is said to last 3-years.









I love the look of this exhaust outlet. In particular, I like how they cut the end of the pipe to be parallel with the road, almost like someone put some thought into this generally unseen part of the car. Actually, the exhaust is only visible on cab-chassis models.

The latest model Ranger looks awful in comparison, basically a pipe that points to the ground just after the diff. There was certainly no thought put into it other than its basic function.

 

[DFB]

Today I managed to get rid of the Ranger's old steel wheels, which meant a trip to the storage shed. Didn't get much for them, but they are hardly desirable for anything other than to use on a trailer. Anyway, good riddance.



While I was there, I thought I'd get the Jaaaaaag out for a run, give it a quick rinse-less wash, then take it back. That was the plan.

After giving the tyres a quick scrub with Brake Buster, I rinsed the car down, then got on with the rinse-less wash, a perfect opportunity to try a new product that arrived yesterday, Labocosmetica Idrosave.





After mixing it at the recommended 200:1 on the label, I went ahead with my usual rinse-less routine by pre-soaking the whole vehicle, then working section to section, then dry the whole car at the end. Everything was going well until I went to dry the car.................... a complete disaster!

Normally, if a polymer rinse-less wash happens to dry on the surface, it creates a polymer spot that is easily removed once you start drying. Well, not here. On all of the horizontal surfaces, and the majority the verticals too, the paint was covered in water spot etchings that would not budge. I tried re-wiping with the product, then immediately drying. No dice. I then got out Carpro Eraser, nope. At this stage I'm in a combined state of disbelief, rage and panic. There was no escaping it, the car would need to be polished. FU.KING HELL!

So, I grabbed the Rupes, Carpro Essence and a ShineMate orange foam polishing pad and did two quick passes on a section of the hood. Thankfully, the spots were very easily removed. So, I then went around the WHOLE car, and the glass too. Essence is a very mild polish, so that combined with the Si02 element, the underlying Gyeon Pure EVO should be still intact. I did however follow with ADS CSS.

If there was an upshot, the car at least looked resplendent after its unplanned and rushed panic-mode polish.







Now, before I start sending death threats to Labocosmetica, let me explain what happened here.

I used Idrosave as I would any other of the other eleven different rinse-less wash products I have tried. Surely it was the products fault. Well, I went and read the online product description, which I quickly figured out it was in fact user error on my part. Something was mentioned several times.......................

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spray the solution onto a section of the car to soften the dirt. Treat one panel at a time."

"Allow to act for a maximum of 2 minutes and never let the product dry on the panel."

"Treat one panel at a time."

"Note:
Never let the product dry on the surface to avoid streaking."

"Warnings:
Never let the product dry on the surface, as the high concentration of nano sealants can cause marks that are difficult to remove."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On five separate occasions, they mention to not let this product dry on the surface. So, yep, I screwed up.

My defence is thus -

- I've used other polymer rinse-less wash products in the exact same way that do NOT act like this.

- Yes, I should have read the product listing before use.....................but how many experienced detailers do that when using something very basic like a soap or rinse-less wash?

- Idrosave is labeled as pH neutral, so I treated it like any other pH neutral soap or chemical.

- It wasn't hot today, so I didn't feel the need to rush or break the car up into sections.

- I also noticed that Idrosave seemed to evaporate quick quickly.

Even though I was at fault, Idrosave is not a product I can recommend. If it was slicker and better performing than key rivals, then perhaps I would revise my method to prevent what happened today. Sadly, I didn't feel that and would say ADS Hero, Gyeon EcoWash, P&S Absolute and Opti-Coat No Rinse are all slicker.............................and clearly more forgiving to use.

Frankly, I'm apprehensive of using the two other Labocosmetica products I bought. I guess I've found my new bin cleaners.

 

[Klasse Act]

Any chance you'll give it and the other 2 Labocosmetica products a try on the Ranger possibly, your not one to give up so easily Deyon

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[DFB]

Any chance you'll give it and the other 2 Labocosmetica products a try on the Ranger possibly, your not one to give up so easily Deyon

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Considering how the pH neutral rinse-less did what it did today, I'm really apprehensive to use the alkaline Primus, let alone the also pH neutral Semper. Which is a shame because I love the flamboyance of the Labocosmetica brand presentation, the bottles are gorgeous, and the scent of Semper is divine. I'm told the scents are actually perfumes that have been deemed safe for automotive surfaces. But I don't trust them after this, even though I was at fault.

You know, I was actually going to wash the Mustang today, but visiting the storage shed to sell those wheels sort of changed my plans. I would have been looking to murder someone if that happened to the Mustang.

 

[opie2]

Considering how the pH neutral rinse-less did what it did today, I'm really apprehensive to use the alkaline Primus, let alone the also pH neutral Semper. Which is a shame because I love the flamboyance of the Labocosmetica brand presentation, the bottles are gorgeous, and the scent of Semper is divine. I'm told the scents are actually perfumes that have been deemed safe for automotive surfaces. But I don't trust them after this, even though I was at fault.

You know, I was actually going to wash the Mustang today, but visiting the storage shed to sell those wheels sort of changed my plans. I would have been looking to murder someone if that happened to the Mustang.

You should have read the labels lol. Ive never tried idrosave but as i was reading your post i thought uh oh.. he using it wrong. Ive watch and read about the products, so thats how i knew. Got to read the labels to make sure its used correctly.

To be honest bud thats pretty childish if you dont try the other products. Not every company makes every product that are good, some are not. Only way to know is trying it or going off other peoples recccomendations.

Like reset for example, lots of people love it, i found it to be meh, but didnt know till i tried it.

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[DFB]

You should have read the labels lol. Ive never tried idrosave but as i was reading your post i thought uh oh.. he using it wrong. Ive watch and read about the products, so thats how i knew. Got to read the labels to make sure its used correctly.

To be honest bud thats pretty childish if you dont try the other products. Not every company makes every product that are good, some are not. Only way to know is trying it or going off other peoples recccomendations.

Like reset for example, lots of people love it, i found it to be meh, but didnt know till i tried it.

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As I said, it was on me for not reading the product description.

But come on, it's a rinse-less wash. Of the 11 others I've used, none have done this or required kid gloves to use. As I also said, Idrosave didn't really impress me enough during the actual wash for me to consider the kid glove treatment worth the change in method. When ONR, Opti-Coat No Rinse, Hero, or EcoWash happen to dry on the surface, the polymer spot wipes right off. I also found that Idrosave dried on the panel much quicker than those too, and it was quite cool today as well.

I also don't think that its childish to be leery of using the other products after having a bad experience, it a natural human reaction to pretty much everything in life.

 

[PouncingPanzer]

As I said, it was on me for not reading the product description.

But come on, it's a rinse-less wash. Of the 11 others I've used, none have done this or required kid gloves to use. As I also said, Idrosave didn't really impress me enough during the actual wash for me to consider the kid glove treatment worth the change in method. When ONR, Opti-Coat No Rinse, Hero, or EcoWash happen to dry on the surface, the polymer spot wipes right off. I also found that Idrosave dried on the panel much quicker than those too, and it was quite cool today as well.

I also don't think that its childish to be leery of using the other products after having a bad experience, it a natural human reaction to pretty much everything in life.

If I have a bad experience with a product from a manufacturer, I tend to shy away from their other products. But I rate "bad experience" and "disappointing experience" differently, but both may lead to a boycott. Why risk more money and time when I can just go with a brand that's never let me down? Like Sonax. Or Carpro. Megs is probably the exception, plenty of lackluster experiences, but I will still buy their products. Childish is when you flick a booger, or pout. Being frugal about what products you buy is, well, just frugal.

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