DFB's Garage

DFB said:
I know most would say this car is too quiet, but that's how I like it.


I've never been a fan of 6-cylinder engines with aftermarket exhausts. That doesn't mean I don't like the sound of a 6-cylinder engine, some of my favorite sounding cars have 6's in them. However, its a very fine line between pleasant and awful when it comes to 6-cylinder engines.

Of the locally made cars, the V6 Holden's take on a very unpleasant warble, The Falcon's inline 6 tends to drone, especially the naturally aspirated Barra. The Nissan VQ V6 takes on that off-beat buzz to another level. The rudest insult is when someone takes a sawzall to a Porsche GT3/GT4 and ruins the hours of work Porsche put into tuning a very specific sound. Same with the gloriously tinny E46 M3 exhaust.

Now, having offended every P-Plater of my generation, I think its best to leave 6-cylinder engines alone. Enjoy the smoothness for what it is.
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Local Hoon/Bogan get's around in a Dark blue VT with customs plates worth more than the car (VTS-666) I can hear it every single day/night from like 10km away.

There was a time when police would pull someone over for this BUT the kid cop's don't do shit.
 
Tasmania said:
Local Hoon/Bogan get's around in a Dark blue VT with customs plates worth more than the car (VTS-666) I can hear it every single day/night from like 10km away.

There was a time when police would pull someone over for this BUT the kid cop's don't do shit.
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Same here.

Usually, it's every Thurs-Fri-Sat nights, but for whatever reason, it was full bore Wednesday night this week too. I was kept awake till after 1am listening to these antics. I have to wear ear plugs to bed, but even those can only muffle out so much noise.

And I'm not just talking about passing traffic. But constant full throttle street racing, hour after hour. More to the point, why are these numb nuts out doing this at 1am...................go to friggen bed! Maybe then you will have the energy to get a good job, then buy something better than a VS Commodore with steel wheels, no exhaust and a worn-out engine.

I'm not sure what I can do about this, you'd assume police patrol would put an end to it. But it goes on for hours every week, same roads, the same hours, the same cars (I can tell by the sound of them). They could literally sit at the end of my street and reel them in one after the other. Instead, they are too busy handing out fines for trivial concerns.
 
That's rough, we used to have similar idiots doing the same thing when we lived in Sydney. There is nothing you can really do without drawing their attention to you, which is the last thing you want.

One of my strategies for dealing with the idiots we get riding on unregistered trail bikes is to get their attention and tell them the cops were just here, looking for unregistered bikes, and point in a random direction, usually the direction they're heading in, and say they went that way. They think I'm helping them, but really I'm making them leave and head home, and they always thank me too.
 
Having a little play with the camera, lighting and backdrop to feature four of my favorite brushes.

From left to right -

Detail Factory Ultra Soft - I use this grey brush for wheel nuts and brake calipers.

Detail Factory Boar Hair - Used for general interior and exterior cleaning.

Detail Factory ProGrip Tyre Scrub Brush - Pretty self-explanatory, I also have another one for cleaning rubber floor mats. Probably my favorite brush overall.

Maxshine Curved Grip XL Mixed Bristle - This one is used for dressing low profile tyres.







 
DFB said:
Same here.

Usually, it's every Thurs-Fri-Sat nights, but for whatever reason, it was full bore Wednesday night this week too. I was kept awake till after 1am listening to these antics. I have to wear ear plugs to bed, but even those can only muffle out so much noise.

And I'm not just talking about passing traffic. But constant full throttle street racing, hour after hour. More to the point, why are these numb nuts out doing this at 1am...................go to friggen bed! Maybe then you will have the energy to get a good job, then buy something better than a VS Commodore with steel wheels, no exhaust and a worn-out engine.

I'm not sure what I can do about this, you'd assume police patrol would put an end to it. But it goes on for hours every week, same roads, the same hours, the same cars (I can tell by the sound of them). They could literally sit at the end of my street and reel them in one after the other. Instead, they are too busy handing out fines for trivial concerns.
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Jesus! I thought it was only the semi rural areas that they did this, I can close my eye's and guess the car that’s speeding up here.

But like Dave said in the past I've told these P plate driver's with like 6 months of talent to slow down only for unwanted attention, report to the police nothing happens.

I get really fucken annoyed because someone going to get killed and i have to share the roads with these people but karma will come for them i hope.
 
Tasmania said:
Jesus! I thought it was only the semi rural areas that they did this, I can close my eye's and guess the car that’s speeding up here.
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Yeah, me too. It's usually old Falcon's and Commodore's, so you can tell when it's something different. Such as the VW 2.0 turbo's with DSG, they have a distinctive pop, one of them around here has a pop-bang-pop tune done to it, super annoying at 1am. Or the FG Turbo Falcon's, those have a particular upshift "fart" that I can recognise anywhere. The latest craze if putting truck blow-off valves, snorkels and big exhausts on diesel Hilux's and Nissan Patrol's, you know the sound, that high pitched petchoooo noise. Those things are deceptively noisy.

Tasmania said:
But like Dave said in the past I've told these P plate driver's with like 6 months of talent to slow down only for unwanted attention, report to the police nothing happens.

I get really fucken annoyed because someone going to get killed and i have to share the roads with these people but karma will come for them i hope.
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What annoys me is that this all seems to go unnoticed, yet trivial road concerns are heavily enforced. Then when someone does die, the consequence ends up being a knee jerk reaction and everyone suffers. That's why speed limits get lower and lower, fines get higher and higher. All it would take is for the police to show some presence on the roads rather than hiding in bushes and pinging people for doing 1 kph over the speed limit.

Thing is, I'm not begrudging these kids for having some fun in their cars. But there is a time and place for it, not in a residential area, not in the darkness of night, not at 12am.
 
DFB said:
The latest craze if putting truck blow-off valves, snorkels and big exhausts on diesel Hilux's and Nissan Patrol's, you know the sound, that high pitched petchoooo noise. Those things are deceptively noisy.
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We've got a few of them around here too, but at least those things are still pretty slow.
 
Big Dave said:
We've got a few of them around here too, but at least those things are still pretty slow.
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Every second duel cab here makes those noises, and is lifted with maybe a P plate but they hide them.

I was followed by this chick in our aera Nissan Navara lifted turbo etc,
riding my ass like I should buy her a beer, only to pull over to let her pass and guess what.....I bet her into town because I can read the traffic when driving on a dule lane road as I passed i laughed little to myself.

All the gear NO idea.
 
Toyota Landcruiser 200-Series Detail

I seem to be the Landcruiser 200-Series expert of late. This example with 160,000 km on the clock came to me as a referral, and well, he got his monies worth today! Upon retrieval, the car looked deceptively tidy. However, on closer inspection I knew this would be a long one, hence the lack of progress images, I just had to get on with the show.

Wheels & Tyres -

Quite a lot of time was spent on the wheels, I suspect they have never had the barrels cleaned due to the stubborn build-up of brake dust. I threw everything I had at them, even wheel acid, in the end I got them decent but not perfect. You can't reverse years of neglect in 2 minutes. Also, the tyres were brand new and required two rounds to remove the blooming.

Product & Tools Used -

- NV Purge
- Shine Supply Wise Guy (Tyres & Wheels)
- Meg's Acidic Wheel Cleaner
- EZ Detail Large
- EZ Detail GO
- Detail Factory XL Tyre Brush
- Chemical Guys Boars Hair Brush

Engine Bay -

Suspecting the owner wouldn't even notice my efforts here, I kept it simple with this one. I foamed with BH Touch-less, allowed to soak, then rinsed. A healthy dose of Megs Hyper Dressing and quick hit with the blower, job done!

Product & Tools Used -

- Bilt Hamber Touch-less
- Meguiar's Hyper Dressing (5:1)
- MTM PF22.2 Foam Cannon
- EGO 765 Blower

Exterior Decontamination & Cleaning -

On inspection, it was clear the owner has kept this car in decent shape. Other than some baked-on road film and a few bugs, it just needed a decent deep clean.

As per recent details, the vehicle was treated with NV Purify, allowed to dwell, then foamed with Koch Chemie Active Foam. As you can see, I got a fair bit of reaction on the paint, and as always, the rear tailgate was the most contaminated. To be honest, I was expecting more.







With the car rinsed, I went around with a brush and APC to clean the badges, grill and around the door handles. For the contact wash, I used Carpro Descale in both the foam cannon and bucket. Because of the size of this thing, and the fact its warming up now, I broke the car into three sections to avoid the soap drying on the car. For a pH neutral wash, you can sort of get away with that, but not with an acidic or alkaline soap.

After another rinse, I ended up claying the rear tailgate and glass as it was super crunchy. I then went around and applied Carpro Hydr02 to the entire vehicle, wheels included. The big 200 was then moved into the garage, this one actually fits, then hit with the EGO.

Product & Tools Used -

- NV Purify
- Koch Chemie Active Foam (Alkaline)
- Koch Chemie Green Star (6:1 APC)
- Carpro Descale (Acidic)
- Carpro Hydr02 Lite
- Detail Factory Boars Hair Brush
- TRC Cyclone Bone Wash Pad
- Economax Clay Mitt
- MTM PF22.2 Foam Cannon
- EGO 765 Blower

Post-Wash Details -

After the blow down with the EGO, I went around and applied NV Boost to the whole vehicle. The door jambs were then cleaned/dried using a towel and more APC. The exterior glass was then treated with Optimum Glass Clean & Protect.

Product & Tools Used -

- NV Boost v2 (Ceramic Spray Sealant)
- Koch Chemie Green Star (6:1 APC)
- Optimum Glass Clean & Protect
- TRC Car Wash Towel (For drying/sealant application)
- TRC Car Wash Towel (For door jambs)
- TRC Dry Me A River (Glass Towel)

Interior Detailing -

Along with the wheels, this is where a lot of time went. As you will see shortly, this vehicle has vulgarlour seats and not leather. I much prefer leather as you can soak it down, scrub and dry with a towel. On fabric, you can't really do that unless you want to be extracting them afterwards. Also, leather doesn't end up being a dust trap like cloth, which will often migrate deep down into the foam base.

To start, I went in with the Tornador to remove as much trapped dust and debris from the interior as possible. I then vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed. Then I vacuumed some more, then a little more after that.

For those seats, I sprayed them down with Koch Chemie Pol Star, scrubbed with a carpet brush, then used my Bissel to lift up as much of that Pol Star as possible, followed by a rub down with a towel.

The door trims were quite grotty, so I cleaned these with the Carpro InnerScrub and P&S Xpress. The steering wheel was so glossy that you could use it as a mirror. In this case, I scrubbed with Xpress and a leather brush, likewise the gear shifter and handbrake, then followed with NV Nourish. The transformation here was remarkable, the wheel in particular back to a lovely soft matte finish. This is what I love about detailing, taking something neglected and bringing it back to life.

From here, the glass was cleaned with Invisible Glass, likewise the gauge cluster lens and central touchscreen. The whole interior was then wiped down with P&S Swift. Having earlier cleaned the rubber floor mats, these too received a treatment with Swift before being re-installed. Finally, the carpets and seats were misted with Koch Chemie Fresh Up.

Product & Tools Used -

- P&S Xpress (Interior Cleaner)
- Koch Chemie Pol Star (Textile Cleaner)
- P&S Swift (Interior Detailer/Dressing)
- Stoner Invisible Glass
- NV Nourish (Leather Quick Detailer)
- Koch Chemie Fresh Up (Odour Neutralizer)
- Tornador Basic (Air Gun)
- Karcher WD6 Vacuum
- Bissell Spot Clean
- Vikan Carpet Brush
- TRC Car Wash (Interior Towel)
- TRC Dry Me A River (Glass Towel)
- Carpro InnerScrub
- ColourLock Leather Brush

Finishing Touches -

Returning to the wheels, I wiped them down with Carpro ECH20, then dressed the tyres using Shine Supply Decked Out. Long story, the owner completely serious asked me if the price included "putting tyre black on the tyres". Present at the time, his brother immediately erupted into laughter before I said that tyre dressing was my favourite part, so naturally it would include "tyre black". His brother later asked me to do one thing, leave one tyre undressed to see if he'd notice. Oh, how I wanted to do that, but I just couldn't do it. Anyway, he got his "tyre black", of which Decked Out is hard to miss as its quite glossy.

Finishing up, the engine bay was given a quick Q/C wipe down, and the tail gate scuff plate treated with Mother's Naturally Black.

Product & Tools Used -

- Carpro ECH20 (16:1)
- Shine Supply Decked Out
- Mothers Naturally Black
- TRC Ultra Utility Brush (Dressing Applicator)
- TRC Car Wash Towel (For final wipe down)
- TRC Rip-N-Rag (For Naturally Black & Final wipe of the tyres)

Final Results -

Note the lack of off-road gear on this 200-Series, this one being used purely for family car duties. Something else I noticed is the flat / non-metallic white, not the pearl metallic used on the other 200-Series I've detailed.









For what is easily a $100,000 vehicle, it's pretty stingy of Toyota to spec crappy grey cloth trim on this vehicle. And this GXL isn't even the base model! In reality, Toyota could have specified hessian and straw for the seats and people would still buy these things.









I much prefer this MY2016 version of the 200-Series, the slimmer headlights give it a more confident look compared to the blob-like headlights of the original. And I have to say, looking out over that sculpted bonnet is epic, which was also part of the MY2016 facelifted. You can see the difference in paint too, the non-metallic white is so much crisper.





I'm not much of an SUV fan, especially ones as big as this that are used to carry around one or two children (if that). I'm also not a big on diesel engines. But.................that 1VD V8 is such a honey of an engine, especially with the Power ETC engaged. Smooth, super torquey, and sounds nice too.

For US readers, you didn't get this engine. With a 4.5-litre capacity, this twin-turbo V8 diesel produces 210 kW (282 hp) @ 3,600 rpm and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) @ 1,600–2,800 rpm. So, while these things are big and heavy, this engine with its rich torque delivery is the perfect powerplant for this vehicle. It's also why these 200-Series command a very healthy premium on the used market, basically a name your price proposition for a seller as no one likes the new 300-Series with the V6 Diesel.

Anyway, I'm buggered! 💤 🛌💤
 
Funny how social media feeds you with whatever is on your mind.

For me, it was numbers 1, 3, 4 (THIS especially), 6 (again, THIS x1000) and 7 (that's why I left with 120 hours of sick pay, 400 hours of annual leave and two lots of long service leave owing).

 
DFB said:
Funny how social media feeds you with whatever is on your mind.

For me, it was numbers 1, 3, 4 (THIS especially), 6 (again, THIS x1000) and 7 (that's why I left with 120 hours of sick pay, 400 hours of annual leave and two lots of long service leave owing).

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Having worked for a large international company, we had a bit of 4, 5, and 6 there, but the others were actually quite well managed, of course they had HR department for that. I was there 32 years and when I left I had almost 1900 hours of sick leave owing, but no annual or long service leave left, they were good about making sure everyone took that.

At the small family owned place they were bad on 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. With 8 being the worst because it included work health and safety, and stock security policies.

I would definitely work at a big company again, but I'm not sure about a small family run place, so maybe just a small place, without the family bullshit, will be okay.
 
Finally got a chance to wash the Ranger today. I didn't bother washing it last week as it had to sit outside in the weather while I house sat again, then a busy week of gardening and detailing, it just had to wait!

Because I'd spilled some 2-stroke fuel and diluted weed killer in the tray, I went above the usual rinse out and scrubbed with soapy water as well, then a quick hit with KCx Wet Gloss. I've found Wet Gloss doesn't quite have the same night-day hydrophobic difference that Hydr02 or Wet Coat brings to the table.

Today I had Meguiar's Hyper Wash in the foam cannon, which was used on the tray, wheels and cab. I even used it as a pre-wash foam and rinse, the extra cleaning power of Hyper Wash easily lifting some road film and pollen deposits. Drying Aid was ADS Amplify, then some OPT Car Wax for the tray sides, ECH20 for the door jambs. The interior was cleaned with ADS Pilot, such a treat this product.

For the glass, I wanted to try ADS Hero mixed 128:1, which Bradley from ADS swears by. I'm pretty touchy when it comes to glass cleaners, to the point where I say the cheaper versions seem to work better. So, using a rinse-less product like this for glass had me sceptical.



My first attempt didn't win me over, mainly because I followed Bradley's lead by using TRC FTW towels. While many use the FTW's for drying aid use, they were originally intended for glass, hence the F (For) T (The) W (Windows) name. I'm not sure why these towels are so popular, I've always found them too grabby and end up bunching up in my hands.

Today however I used my normal waffle weave towels, which worked much better with Hero. Two light mists onto the glass or into a towel, wipe, flip, wipe, done. While Hero doesn't quite flash away as quickly as an IPA-based glass cleaner, it wasn't too far behind. The end result was a slick, streak free finish. On this occasion, I did both exterior and interior glass. A surprise winner! And one that didn't cost $50 for a 1-litre bottle, you know, like a certain glass cleaner than claims to leave no traces behind. 😉

Rounding out the session, NV Onyx for the tyres. These Michelin's are such an easy tyre to clean and dress, so pretty much any dressing will look great. Onyx is an old favorite, one that a fellow detailer once said provided a "rich" user experience, and I can't argue with that. It spreads so smoothly and cleanly, smells divine and looks amazing. Like many NV product I return to after a while, I'm always pleasantly surprised, as if it was my first time discovering the product.





A clean Ranger once again, sanity restored. I then had to hose out the driveway, it left filthy after yesterdays Landcruiser. I also went ahead and refilled several bottles, always a favorite task.
 
Big Dave said:
Having worked for a large international company, we had a bit of 4, 5, and 6 there, but the others were actually quite well managed, of course they had HR department for that. I was there 32 years and when I left I had almost 1900 hours of sick leave owing, but no annual or long service leave left, they were good about making sure everyone took that.

At the small family owned place they were bad on 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. With 8 being the worst because it included work health and safety, and stock security policies.
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At one point, I didn't take leave for two years. It was simply a convenience for them that I would just keep working, you know, so they could go off and enjoy a weekend away, go places. I remember I missed out on a birthday lunch for my sister because it was easier to deal with her anger than it was having to ask for a day off and getting "the look". It was also expected you take leave in February because that's when it suited them, Feb was always quiet. Too bad if you had something you'd like to attend, or maybe you didn't want to holiday in summer.

Big Dave said:
I would definitely work at a big company again, but I'm not sure about a small family run place, so maybe just a small place, without the family bullshit, will be okay.
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Never, ever again! You are expected to sacrifice as if you were family when it suits them, but never get any of the perks when it might suit you. Whenever I see that bullsh.t term "We Are A Family Run Business", as if it's something to be proud of, I just know behind doors it's a sh.t show for all concerned.
 
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DFB said:
Never, ever again! You are expected to sacrifice as if you were family when it suits them, but never get any of the perks when it might suit you. Whenever I see that bullsh.t term "We Are A Family Run Business", as if it's something to be proud of, I just know behind doors it's a sh.t show for all concerned.
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DFB said:
Never, ever again!
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For the last 22 years of my working life I worked as an aircraft mechanic at a large company. I enjoyed the work and am still enjoying the benefits of that job to this day.

However prior to that i worked as a flooring installer and had my own business ( with employees ) for 15 years. There is another side of the coin and to having employees I say "never again". It was a huge pain to have employees and many times I felt like an adult baby sitter. Now I was a working boss and was right in there with my employees doing the same tasks as them. They would at will just not show up for work and didn't even bother to call. I could go on and on with employee stories.

Without a doubt the best situation is a business that is a one man show. Make sure the only person that one needs to depend on is themselves. If one can develope a skill that is not too physically demanding and others can't or won't do it themselves then they have found a winning combo.
 
BLM said:
For the last 22 years of my working life I worked as an aircraft mechanic at a large company. I enjoyed the work and am still enjoying the benefits of that job to this day.

However prior to that i worked as a flooring installer and had my own business ( with employees ) for 15 years. There is another side of the coin and to having employees I say "never again". It was a huge pain to have employees and many times I felt like an adult baby sitter. Now I was a working boss and was right in there with my employees doing the same tasks as them. They would at will just not show up for work and didn't even bother to call. I could go on and on with employee stories.
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Yep, I know how that feels as well. While I wasn't paying the wages, I was always cognisant of the cost of having me drawing a wage and therefore made sure I gave them value. Most employees (in any industry) don't have that ability to understand the financial impact they have on the business. Quite often, employees think that simply turning up justifies their wage, the very definition of entitlement.

I was also tasked with training new staff. No sooner would someone be up to spec, they'd move on, and I'd have to start again. And that's before mentioning the random no-shows, the random disappearances, or mature adults needing to be bottle fed with instructions. I shouldn't have to explain or teach work ethic to a 50+ year old either. Or the ones who would just break everything and never see a consequence for that. A broken tool here or there, well that just happens sometimes. But a string of repeated breakages, over and over and over again is just not cool. Again, the employer ends up eating such negligence.

BLM said:
Without a doubt the best situation is a business that is a one man show. Make sure the only person that one needs to depend on is themselves. If one can develope a skill that is not too physically demanding and others can't or won't do it themselves then they have found a winning combo.
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Which is where I'm at now. I already had my own business, which I had started back in 2005 because said employer wasn't giving me enough hours after I left high-school. As I built my own business, I was given more and more hours at the employer. For the better part of 20-years I was effectively working two jobs at 6-days a week, sometimes 7-days and therefore often doing 14 - 20 days straight.

So, when I quit, I had something to fall back on. I now answer to myself.
 
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I've been having some fun with product and tool photography lately, made much easier with a LED ring light. I'm told that this makes me a real influencer now, but I disagree, you'll never see me in front of the camera wearing skintight Lycra, pouted lips, a botoxed face with makeup troweled on, and a link to an Only Fans account. Like and subscribe....................







 
Look who's back in the house!



The Jaaaag hadn't been driven since I had to panic polish the whole thing after a product reacted badly. I mean, it at least looked good after I polished it................... ;)



Anyway, the Jaguar's battery is NOT happy. I did start it and let the engine run up to temperature in early August, but even after a decent drive this morning, the battery was still giving me a low-battery message. It's also taking quite a while to accept a charge. Because this vehicle has stop-start, take note that I have it on the AGM setting (same applies to the new Mustang).



That chunky strut tower is cast aluminum by the way. The only steel panels on this vehicle are the doors and boot lid. I'd assume the steel doors would be for crash strength. The boot lid is an interesting one as it could have easily been alloy like the hood, front fenders and rear quarter panels. All I can think of is it's for weight distribution (or cost control).

Also, on this example with the sliding glass roof, the painted sections of the roof are composite. I personally don't like sunroof's as they just add weight and reduce body rigidity, so I'd never have wasted money ordering it on this vehicle. However, we bought this car off the lot for a significant price adjustment. I suspect the colour had a lot to do with that. I originally wanted the brighter Firenze Red, but this example had the Light Oyster Interior that I was non-negotiable about, as well as the 19-inch wheels and several other high-price options. In the end, the Odyssey Red colour set against that interior makes the car for me. The sunroof is consequential, I think it's been opened something like two or three times in the 9-years we've owned it.
 
DFB said:
24 hours later, much better............................

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Did you do a Recond mode for this? And when i bought mine they gave me a free gift, a rubber piece to go around the unit so it doesn't slip off stuff.
 
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