DFB's Garage
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DFB
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- Aug 12, 2019
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Was 41-degrees yesterday, 40 today, and 37 for tomorrow. We just had a storm, so tomorrow will humid, I can take dry heat but not humidity.
Looking at next week's forecast, it looks like we will have temps back in the 20's, so I'm happy with that.
DFB
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Another 40+ degree day, another Ranger. Annoyingly, it's just rained, undoing my work and meaning tomorrow will humid. I hate summer!
Nothing special on this one, it just HAD to be done. But it did give me a proper chance to see how these new Pressol Pro Series sprayers perform.
I've used the original "household" versions for a while now, with and without the chemical resistant "Industrial" spray heads. Those heavy-duty heads had to be purchased separately, which increased the price by $15 on top of the bottle/sprayer price. And even then, the Industrial heads still failed with alkaline chemicals. I actually stopped bothering with them and just used the household sprayer. The trick is to purge the chemical back into the bottle and flushing the sprayer with clean water after each detailing session. I've been doing that with both head types and have had about 15-months out of them so far. The reality is, you shouldn't have to do that on a premium purchase like this when a basic $7 Tolco will outlast it 3 - 4 times over.
The Pro Series spray head has upgraded internals, so there is no longer a need for the "Industrial" version. At $32+ per bottle, I'm not going to subject these to high-impact chemicals, especially when replacement heads are not available. With ADS Amplify being a high-use product, I decided to put it into the Pro Series.
The first thing to note is how nicely the new stainless-steel tip atomises product. Having said that, I actually prefer a slightly heavier dispersion to limit chemical drift and overspray. Perhaps this is why I never cracked a single one of those old plastic tips, I just wasn't cranking them down as hard. The trigger action feels smoother too, although that could be a new vs well used situation.
At the end of the day, you are only buying these Pressol bottles and sprayers if you are insane like me. That's because on pretty much every metric, a $7 Tolco or Canyon sprayer with a generic bottle is going to do the same job, just without the double action trigger and weighted pickup tube for 360-degree spraying capability. The question is, are those two benefits worth an extra $26? And if those last two aspects are important, then Kwazar Mercury is $14 cheaper and as good if not better than the Pressol.
Nothing special on this one, it just HAD to be done. But it did give me a proper chance to see how these new Pressol Pro Series sprayers perform.
I've used the original "household" versions for a while now, with and without the chemical resistant "Industrial" spray heads. Those heavy-duty heads had to be purchased separately, which increased the price by $15 on top of the bottle/sprayer price. And even then, the Industrial heads still failed with alkaline chemicals. I actually stopped bothering with them and just used the household sprayer. The trick is to purge the chemical back into the bottle and flushing the sprayer with clean water after each detailing session. I've been doing that with both head types and have had about 15-months out of them so far. The reality is, you shouldn't have to do that on a premium purchase like this when a basic $7 Tolco will outlast it 3 - 4 times over.
The Pro Series spray head has upgraded internals, so there is no longer a need for the "Industrial" version. At $32+ per bottle, I'm not going to subject these to high-impact chemicals, especially when replacement heads are not available. With ADS Amplify being a high-use product, I decided to put it into the Pro Series.
The first thing to note is how nicely the new stainless-steel tip atomises product. Having said that, I actually prefer a slightly heavier dispersion to limit chemical drift and overspray. Perhaps this is why I never cracked a single one of those old plastic tips, I just wasn't cranking them down as hard. The trigger action feels smoother too, although that could be a new vs well used situation.
At the end of the day, you are only buying these Pressol bottles and sprayers if you are insane like me. That's because on pretty much every metric, a $7 Tolco or Canyon sprayer with a generic bottle is going to do the same job, just without the double action trigger and weighted pickup tube for 360-degree spraying capability. The question is, are those two benefits worth an extra $26? And if those last two aspects are important, then Kwazar Mercury is $14 cheaper and as good if not better than the Pressol.
DFB
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This week stumbled across another mower I'd been looking for, and as always, it's a matter of mechanical and cosmetic restoration.
The mower in question being an Australian-made Rover, this one would have been made in the mid-90's. For the most part, this is a run of the mill Rover with an 18-inch aluminium alloy deck and the 4-swing back blade disk. But its the engine that makes this one special, a Suzuki M120X 2-Stroke. So, Australian bones with a Japanese heart.
The 121.5cc Suzuki M120X engine was made from the 1980's and 1990's. It was mostly used on Rover's in Australia, but it was also used in the USA on commercial-grade Toro's. In Australia, 2-stroke lawn mowers were highly common right up until the late 2000's, then phased out as emission standards outlawed 2-strokes above 120cc in the late 2010's. It would appear 2-stroke power basically died when Lawn Boy were wound down. So this Suzuki was a competitor to the Victa in AU and the Lawn Boy in the US.
I've known of these Suzuki 2-Strokes for a long time, but until today, I'd never actually seen one in the metal. After a comment made on Facebook a few months ago, I had someone urge me to take a look at them. In particular, I was told these Suzuki's are known for their smoothness and durability. So, the challenge was set, I just had to find a suitable mower with the Suzuki engine on it.
As always, there is a story behind each mower find. I swooped on this Rover 2-Stroke XL minutes after it had been listed for sale on Monday night. Only two photos were included with the sale listing, but they clearly displayed an extremely tidy looking mower. Contacting the seller, he explained that they had brought it home after packing up his mother's house in Melbourne. He knew nothing about it other than it ran, verified by a quick video. No more questions were needed, so I went and grabbed it this morning for the grand sum of $85.
Usually, these mowers will have paint missing from the side of the deck, but this one is almost perfect. The machine overall looks to have been very well cared for, there is even a service sticker still on the handle. After a quick once over, I noticed one of the front wheels was pointing toe in, so a few love taps with a sledge put that right. After a little splash of fuel, I put the mower to work straight away. With the engine cold and the choke engaged, this thing will fire from single pull of the cord.
Apart from the precision wheel alignment, the mower only needed a few items addressed. The first being the blades, which were in desperate need of replacement, both from a safety point of view but also cutting performance. I had these NOS.
A new spark plug, not necessarily needed, but I had one in stock. These use the same CJ8, RCJ8Y, BPMR6A or BM6A as an early Briggs or Victa.
The old filter could have been cleaned, but I threw a new one in it, oiled before installation.
Not having any experience with this engine, it was suggested I remove the muffler and inspect for excessive carbon deposits. A blocked port can cause anything from low power, hard starting and even detonation. The muffler inlet and outlet were fine, as was the exhaust port, so I put it back together. However, I later learned there is a 1/8-inch hole to the right within the exhaust port that tends to block up. This hole is for the decompressor, so a blockage here will cause hard starting. Off came the muffler again, and yes, it was partially blocked on this example. This was easily cleaned and actually improved the starting performance.
Above, you can't see this decompression port, below you can. This also gave me a chance to see the condition of the piston and cylinder, both are beautiful. This mower was cared for!
I use synthetic 2-stroke oil in most of my machines, so this will help reduce those carbon deposits going forward. The Suzuki takes 50:1, which helps the situation, as well as reducing the smoking habit.
After the mechanicals were sorted, this is where the detailing content starts. I started by rinsing the machine with the pressure washer. Grabbing an old brush I have dedicated to mowers, I went around with Shine Supply Wise Guy, to scrub the wheels, deck and catcher. Another rinse, it then got a dose of Hydr02 and then some Hyper Dressing. I like Hyper Dressing here because I can dilute it down to look natural rather than oil-slick city. Finally, the chrome handlebars and the muffler cover were given a scrub with steel wool to remove the surface rust.
Before -
After -
This video was taken prior to detailing. Idle speed is about 1800 rpm, full throttle is 3250 rpm. You can move the governor spring to the top hole to bump that top speed to 3600 rpm, but I think I'll leave this one alone.
Not bad for a 30-year old lawn mower. The previous owner must have loved this thing, there's barely any paint missing, the engine starts and runs like clockwork. At this point, I want to highlight how easy this engine is work on, everything fits precisely, tight tolerances, no wiggle room, none of the kinda-sorta-fits crap common to Briggs, or the overall crappiness of those Krohler's. That same precision I've noticed with Honda's engines too.
The mower in question being an Australian-made Rover, this one would have been made in the mid-90's. For the most part, this is a run of the mill Rover with an 18-inch aluminium alloy deck and the 4-swing back blade disk. But its the engine that makes this one special, a Suzuki M120X 2-Stroke. So, Australian bones with a Japanese heart.
The 121.5cc Suzuki M120X engine was made from the 1980's and 1990's. It was mostly used on Rover's in Australia, but it was also used in the USA on commercial-grade Toro's. In Australia, 2-stroke lawn mowers were highly common right up until the late 2000's, then phased out as emission standards outlawed 2-strokes above 120cc in the late 2010's. It would appear 2-stroke power basically died when Lawn Boy were wound down. So this Suzuki was a competitor to the Victa in AU and the Lawn Boy in the US.
I've known of these Suzuki 2-Strokes for a long time, but until today, I'd never actually seen one in the metal. After a comment made on Facebook a few months ago, I had someone urge me to take a look at them. In particular, I was told these Suzuki's are known for their smoothness and durability. So, the challenge was set, I just had to find a suitable mower with the Suzuki engine on it.
As always, there is a story behind each mower find. I swooped on this Rover 2-Stroke XL minutes after it had been listed for sale on Monday night. Only two photos were included with the sale listing, but they clearly displayed an extremely tidy looking mower. Contacting the seller, he explained that they had brought it home after packing up his mother's house in Melbourne. He knew nothing about it other than it ran, verified by a quick video. No more questions were needed, so I went and grabbed it this morning for the grand sum of $85.
Usually, these mowers will have paint missing from the side of the deck, but this one is almost perfect. The machine overall looks to have been very well cared for, there is even a service sticker still on the handle. After a quick once over, I noticed one of the front wheels was pointing toe in, so a few love taps with a sledge put that right. After a little splash of fuel, I put the mower to work straight away. With the engine cold and the choke engaged, this thing will fire from single pull of the cord.
Apart from the precision wheel alignment, the mower only needed a few items addressed. The first being the blades, which were in desperate need of replacement, both from a safety point of view but also cutting performance. I had these NOS.
A new spark plug, not necessarily needed, but I had one in stock. These use the same CJ8, RCJ8Y, BPMR6A or BM6A as an early Briggs or Victa.
The old filter could have been cleaned, but I threw a new one in it, oiled before installation.
Not having any experience with this engine, it was suggested I remove the muffler and inspect for excessive carbon deposits. A blocked port can cause anything from low power, hard starting and even detonation. The muffler inlet and outlet were fine, as was the exhaust port, so I put it back together. However, I later learned there is a 1/8-inch hole to the right within the exhaust port that tends to block up. This hole is for the decompressor, so a blockage here will cause hard starting. Off came the muffler again, and yes, it was partially blocked on this example. This was easily cleaned and actually improved the starting performance.
Above, you can't see this decompression port, below you can. This also gave me a chance to see the condition of the piston and cylinder, both are beautiful. This mower was cared for!
I use synthetic 2-stroke oil in most of my machines, so this will help reduce those carbon deposits going forward. The Suzuki takes 50:1, which helps the situation, as well as reducing the smoking habit.
After the mechanicals were sorted, this is where the detailing content starts. I started by rinsing the machine with the pressure washer. Grabbing an old brush I have dedicated to mowers, I went around with Shine Supply Wise Guy, to scrub the wheels, deck and catcher. Another rinse, it then got a dose of Hydr02 and then some Hyper Dressing. I like Hyper Dressing here because I can dilute it down to look natural rather than oil-slick city. Finally, the chrome handlebars and the muffler cover were given a scrub with steel wool to remove the surface rust.
Before -
After -
This video was taken prior to detailing. Idle speed is about 1800 rpm, full throttle is 3250 rpm. You can move the governor spring to the top hole to bump that top speed to 3600 rpm, but I think I'll leave this one alone.
Not bad for a 30-year old lawn mower. The previous owner must have loved this thing, there's barely any paint missing, the engine starts and runs like clockwork. At this point, I want to highlight how easy this engine is work on, everything fits precisely, tight tolerances, no wiggle room, none of the kinda-sorta-fits crap common to Briggs, or the overall crappiness of those Krohler's. That same precision I've noticed with Honda's engines too.
Tasmania
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- Jan 12, 2017
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Yeah I randomly checked on your weather out your way because I was jealous that you were detailing cars and saw the coming temps,
Farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk that I'd melt
it 25°c here and 12 on the UV index Getting some rain tracking down from Adelaide so most likely dirty.
But we need it, it's dry and these windy days make it worse.
I'm the same as you i don't do summer or humidity.
Big Dave
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- Jan 7, 2018
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I randomly check the weather in Shepparton and Devonport as well. Definitely not stalking.Yeah I randomly checked on your weather out your way because I was jealous that you were detailing cars and saw the coming temps,
Farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk that I'd melt
Getting some rain tracking down from Adelaide so most likely dirty.
But we need it, it's dry and these windy days make it worse.
I'm the same as you i don't do summer or humidity.
Tasmania
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- Jan 12, 2017
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Cheeky bugger
DFB
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Got all of the pre-Christmas mowing jobs done yesterday, thankfully the cool change that passed through early Monday morning has stayed around. So, no mad rush for me this Christmas.
As I was unloading my tools, a last-minute order arrived, just in time for the Ranger's wash.
The order included some new interior towels, which I selectively rotate out of service as needed. I wanted another gallon of Amplify, but they were sold out and had to make do with the small bottle. The little Pressol bottle will be used for machinery maintenance. The rest is from the Optimum range. The blue soap I've always liked and is very well priced, easily the cheapest American branded soap on the market, even cheaper than the excellent NV Snow. The green Touchless Decon Soap has only just landed in Australia, it being unique in being pH neutral rather than heavily alkaline. How that plays out remains to be seen.
The Power Wheel and Tire Cleaner is also new to Australia, which is basically an alkaline APC. It was an immediate NO I'm afraid. Firstly, the stupid foaming spray head, I hate those. Secondly, apart from the initial brush movements, it just doesn't lather up very well. Despite that, it cleaned the tyres very well. So, it did the job, just not how I prefer.
Clean again for a few days, then back into it. No time off for me, I'm saving that for the new arrival next month.
As I was unloading my tools, a last-minute order arrived, just in time for the Ranger's wash.
The order included some new interior towels, which I selectively rotate out of service as needed. I wanted another gallon of Amplify, but they were sold out and had to make do with the small bottle. The little Pressol bottle will be used for machinery maintenance. The rest is from the Optimum range. The blue soap I've always liked and is very well priced, easily the cheapest American branded soap on the market, even cheaper than the excellent NV Snow. The green Touchless Decon Soap has only just landed in Australia, it being unique in being pH neutral rather than heavily alkaline. How that plays out remains to be seen.
The Power Wheel and Tire Cleaner is also new to Australia, which is basically an alkaline APC. It was an immediate NO I'm afraid. Firstly, the stupid foaming spray head, I hate those. Secondly, apart from the initial brush movements, it just doesn't lather up very well. Despite that, it cleaned the tyres very well. So, it did the job, just not how I prefer.
Clean again for a few days, then back into it. No time off for me, I'm saving that for the new arrival next month.
Klasse Act
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Klasse Act
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- Feb 21, 2012
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If only I could swing it
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
DFB
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Volvo XC60 B6 – Full Reset Detail
It’s been a while since I’ve had this car in the garage, which also means a while since its been washed……………………. I’m the only one allowed to touch this vehicle. Brand new in 2023, my sister had it coated with Carpro Cquartz Professional shortly after delivery. Not a lot gets said about Carpro coatings in the enthusiast/pro-sumer scene, but Cquartz Professional is the best coating I’ve come across for the way it responds to chemicals, which means it’s easier to clean and ultra durable. I'm always amazed at how much grime is removed by a simple pressure wash, not to mention the next level hydrophobics. I guess pro-grade coatings aren’t just a marketing concept.
Since it was coated, I’ve been maintaining the car with a two-stage wash (pre-soak and contact wash), then topped with EliXir or Reload depending on what I last used. For this detail, I wanted to go a bit deeper, a reset if you will. The interior was also due for some added attention. In keeping with the Carpro theme, the products used today will follow suit.
The photos don't fully show how putridly dirty these wheels were.
Wheels & Tyres -
Sadly, these wheels weren’t coated with the rest of the car, same with the glass. I can cope without a glass coating, I really don’t see the point there. However, I wouldn’t dread cleaning these wheels if they’d been coated. That’s because of the super dusty brake pads, the hidden lip behind the spokes and the sheer size of the things. So, I always need the nuclear bomb to deal with them.
For the pre-clean, I grabbed Carpro WheelX. I hate this product, but considering the Carpro theme I decided to peg my nose and give it another go. And…………….I still absolutely hate this stuff. I love Carpro products, but this is the worst smelling detailing product I have ever encountered, and it’s not balanced by added effectiveness above other competitors. The stench is so revolting that those inside the house could smell it, and I still have it up my nose as I type this after a shower. I used up most of the bottle, the rest is going in the bin. Do not buy.
I then foamed P&S Brake Buster over the WheelX, allowed to soak, then rinsed. From here, I scrubbed the tyres with Shine Supply Wise Guy, then foamed again with Brake Buster for the contact washing with an assortment of brushes. Another Carpro product, this time Hydr02, primarily to assist drying and gloss enhancement. These spray and rinse sealants don’t offer much protection, and the pH tolerance window is extremely narrow.
I just wish I had the time to remove, properly clean and coat these 21-inch wheels.
Engine Bay -
The key to engine bays is regularity. Every time I have the Volvo in the garage, I always hose off the engine bay to remove dust. I’d normally follow with an APC and agitation using a brush, but it's just not needed on this car, likewise a dressing.
While I’m at it, I top off the windscreen fluid reservoir. And that’s all there is to do under there, you can’t even check the oil. The residual engine heat dried things off, but I did later go over it with some Carpro ECH20.
Exterior Decontamination & Wash –
Apart from alkaline pre-wash soaps, I haven’t had to decontaminate this coating over the last few years. Considering the length of time between washes, I’m very impressed how the coating has rejected contaminants so far. Normally, a lack of washing or neglect will kill a coating.
To start with, I decided to foam with Carpro Descale and allowed it to soak. After a rinse, I found there was still some road grime left on the lowers, so I went back in with alkalinity. Because I’d used up the remainder of Carpro Lift in the wheel bucket, and after the hideousness of WheelX, I treated the neighbourhood with the sandalwood scented Koch Chemie Active Foam. Again, this was allowed to dwell, then rinsed off. That sorted it. I was sort of experimenting with chemical sequence here, in hindsight I should have gone alkaline first, which is better at cutting through dirt, then went acidic for mineral deposits. With an almost clean surface, it was time for the contact wash using Carpro Reset, another scented treat.
To dry, it was tandem EGO blowers, the terrible LB530 and the excellent LB765. While little sister was vacuuming (which I always hate), I went around and applied another Carpro product, Reload 2.0. Then more ECH20 for the door jambs. On these Volvo’s, they accumulate road film on the rear door jambs, around the wheel arch in particular. I always pressure wash this area to remove as much as possible, but I’ve found I need tar remover like Eulex to fully remove this stuff. Every car has an area like this that needs a specific approach.
For the exterior glass, I stayed on brand and used Carpro ClarifyPhobic. I hate this stuff, but without existing product on the glass, I wanted to see how it would play. It’s still a hard NO! A glass cleaner that leaves haze and streaking behind is completely useless and ultimately defies the point. Even my sister asked if she could clean the exterior glass again, and I was like "go ahead, I was going to anyway". Even with 80% of the bottle remaining, ClarifyPhobic will be joining WheelX in the rubbish bin. You have to wonder how both of those products escaped the laboratory like that.
Interior –
With the vacuuming and floor mats cleaned while I was busy elsewhere, that left the fun bits for me. The plastics and door trims were wiped down with Carpo InnerQD. Interior glass was cleaned with Koch Chemie RRW (which was also used for the second pass on the exterior after the ClarifyPhobic disaster). As per going the extra mile on the exterior, the main project for the interior was the leather. I did briefly consider grabbing the Carpo leather products, but both cleaner and conditioner are very underwhelming. So, out came the ColourLock duo, only the best for this car.
I have both Strong and Mild versions of the leather cleaner, but unless you are trying to cut through years of neglect, the Mild is all you need. Both are foaming products, which are teamed with the specific Colourlock brush and wiped clear with an interior towel. The seats, steering wheel and console lid were all cleaned like that, I don’t bother doing the door trims. Once those areas were clean and dry, I went around and applied ColourLock Leather Shield, which is an abrasion and dye transfer blocker designed for leather under 3-years of age. Next year, I will switch to ColourLock Leather Milk Protector.
I know that a few new leather brands have popped up in recent years, but I don’t think that has relegated the ColourLock products to also-ran statis. The only problem for some if finding them in stock. When Koch Chemie purchased ColourLock a few years ago, there were promises made about streamlining distribution……………….....well that just hasn’t happened, in the USA its actually gotten worse. I love Koch Chemie, but they are basically running the ColourLock brand into the ground. Shame.
I just love how the ColourLock products leave leather feeling clean, smooth, soft and supple, while the absence of gloss is the cherry on top. Naturally, the quality of the Volvo materials makes a huge difference too, but when you use a top-level product like this, it makes all the difference. A leather product from the likes of Autoglym or Meguiars would look completely out of place on this interior.
To be continued..........................
It’s been a while since I’ve had this car in the garage, which also means a while since its been washed……………………. I’m the only one allowed to touch this vehicle. Brand new in 2023, my sister had it coated with Carpro Cquartz Professional shortly after delivery. Not a lot gets said about Carpro coatings in the enthusiast/pro-sumer scene, but Cquartz Professional is the best coating I’ve come across for the way it responds to chemicals, which means it’s easier to clean and ultra durable. I'm always amazed at how much grime is removed by a simple pressure wash, not to mention the next level hydrophobics. I guess pro-grade coatings aren’t just a marketing concept.
Since it was coated, I’ve been maintaining the car with a two-stage wash (pre-soak and contact wash), then topped with EliXir or Reload depending on what I last used. For this detail, I wanted to go a bit deeper, a reset if you will. The interior was also due for some added attention. In keeping with the Carpro theme, the products used today will follow suit.
The photos don't fully show how putridly dirty these wheels were.
Wheels & Tyres -
Sadly, these wheels weren’t coated with the rest of the car, same with the glass. I can cope without a glass coating, I really don’t see the point there. However, I wouldn’t dread cleaning these wheels if they’d been coated. That’s because of the super dusty brake pads, the hidden lip behind the spokes and the sheer size of the things. So, I always need the nuclear bomb to deal with them.
For the pre-clean, I grabbed Carpro WheelX. I hate this product, but considering the Carpro theme I decided to peg my nose and give it another go. And…………….I still absolutely hate this stuff. I love Carpro products, but this is the worst smelling detailing product I have ever encountered, and it’s not balanced by added effectiveness above other competitors. The stench is so revolting that those inside the house could smell it, and I still have it up my nose as I type this after a shower. I used up most of the bottle, the rest is going in the bin. Do not buy.
I then foamed P&S Brake Buster over the WheelX, allowed to soak, then rinsed. From here, I scrubbed the tyres with Shine Supply Wise Guy, then foamed again with Brake Buster for the contact washing with an assortment of brushes. Another Carpro product, this time Hydr02, primarily to assist drying and gloss enhancement. These spray and rinse sealants don’t offer much protection, and the pH tolerance window is extremely narrow.
I just wish I had the time to remove, properly clean and coat these 21-inch wheels.
Engine Bay -
The key to engine bays is regularity. Every time I have the Volvo in the garage, I always hose off the engine bay to remove dust. I’d normally follow with an APC and agitation using a brush, but it's just not needed on this car, likewise a dressing.
While I’m at it, I top off the windscreen fluid reservoir. And that’s all there is to do under there, you can’t even check the oil. The residual engine heat dried things off, but I did later go over it with some Carpro ECH20.
Exterior Decontamination & Wash –
Apart from alkaline pre-wash soaps, I haven’t had to decontaminate this coating over the last few years. Considering the length of time between washes, I’m very impressed how the coating has rejected contaminants so far. Normally, a lack of washing or neglect will kill a coating.
To start with, I decided to foam with Carpro Descale and allowed it to soak. After a rinse, I found there was still some road grime left on the lowers, so I went back in with alkalinity. Because I’d used up the remainder of Carpro Lift in the wheel bucket, and after the hideousness of WheelX, I treated the neighbourhood with the sandalwood scented Koch Chemie Active Foam. Again, this was allowed to dwell, then rinsed off. That sorted it. I was sort of experimenting with chemical sequence here, in hindsight I should have gone alkaline first, which is better at cutting through dirt, then went acidic for mineral deposits. With an almost clean surface, it was time for the contact wash using Carpro Reset, another scented treat.
To dry, it was tandem EGO blowers, the terrible LB530 and the excellent LB765. While little sister was vacuuming (which I always hate), I went around and applied another Carpro product, Reload 2.0. Then more ECH20 for the door jambs. On these Volvo’s, they accumulate road film on the rear door jambs, around the wheel arch in particular. I always pressure wash this area to remove as much as possible, but I’ve found I need tar remover like Eulex to fully remove this stuff. Every car has an area like this that needs a specific approach.
For the exterior glass, I stayed on brand and used Carpro ClarifyPhobic. I hate this stuff, but without existing product on the glass, I wanted to see how it would play. It’s still a hard NO! A glass cleaner that leaves haze and streaking behind is completely useless and ultimately defies the point. Even my sister asked if she could clean the exterior glass again, and I was like "go ahead, I was going to anyway". Even with 80% of the bottle remaining, ClarifyPhobic will be joining WheelX in the rubbish bin. You have to wonder how both of those products escaped the laboratory like that.
Interior –
With the vacuuming and floor mats cleaned while I was busy elsewhere, that left the fun bits for me. The plastics and door trims were wiped down with Carpo InnerQD. Interior glass was cleaned with Koch Chemie RRW (which was also used for the second pass on the exterior after the ClarifyPhobic disaster). As per going the extra mile on the exterior, the main project for the interior was the leather. I did briefly consider grabbing the Carpo leather products, but both cleaner and conditioner are very underwhelming. So, out came the ColourLock duo, only the best for this car.
I have both Strong and Mild versions of the leather cleaner, but unless you are trying to cut through years of neglect, the Mild is all you need. Both are foaming products, which are teamed with the specific Colourlock brush and wiped clear with an interior towel. The seats, steering wheel and console lid were all cleaned like that, I don’t bother doing the door trims. Once those areas were clean and dry, I went around and applied ColourLock Leather Shield, which is an abrasion and dye transfer blocker designed for leather under 3-years of age. Next year, I will switch to ColourLock Leather Milk Protector.
I know that a few new leather brands have popped up in recent years, but I don’t think that has relegated the ColourLock products to also-ran statis. The only problem for some if finding them in stock. When Koch Chemie purchased ColourLock a few years ago, there were promises made about streamlining distribution……………….....well that just hasn’t happened, in the USA its actually gotten worse. I love Koch Chemie, but they are basically running the ColourLock brand into the ground. Shame.
I just love how the ColourLock products leave leather feeling clean, smooth, soft and supple, while the absence of gloss is the cherry on top. Naturally, the quality of the Volvo materials makes a huge difference too, but when you use a top-level product like this, it makes all the difference. A leather product from the likes of Autoglym or Meguiars would look completely out of place on this interior.
To be continued..........................
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 5,662
- 4,675
- Thread starter
- #2,978
Finishing Touches –
Seeing as I already had the Eulex out from earlier, I wanted to try something I heard DJ from Armour Detail Supply recommend. I normally use Tarminator or Mineral Spirits to do a reset clean on tyres, however, DJ somehow discovered Eulex can be used for the same role. And wow, what I discovery!
The key thing with any of these tar removers is the solvent nature of them. That means they quickly and easily dissolve any remaining residue still on the tyre, even after a heavy duty rubber cleaner was used earlier. So, instead of going round after round using a brush and an alkaline degreaser attempting to fully clean a tyre, 30-seconds using a solvent like this does the same thing……………except even better.
Compared to Tarminator or Mineral Spirits, you use way less product to do the same task, and you get a better finished result. Simply apply a small amount to a towel, then rub the side wall until the product evaporates. The end result is a completely bare rubber surface, you could probably leave it that way and be completely happy with the look. But………………I still went ahead with a very light layer of Capro Darkside.
Following that, the wheels was given a quick wipe with ADS Amplify, and the tyre pressures topped up.
Before -
After Eulex -
Dressed -
Finished Result -
Four hours later, a refreshed XC60 was the result.................
Seeing as I already had the Eulex out from earlier, I wanted to try something I heard DJ from Armour Detail Supply recommend. I normally use Tarminator or Mineral Spirits to do a reset clean on tyres, however, DJ somehow discovered Eulex can be used for the same role. And wow, what I discovery!
The key thing with any of these tar removers is the solvent nature of them. That means they quickly and easily dissolve any remaining residue still on the tyre, even after a heavy duty rubber cleaner was used earlier. So, instead of going round after round using a brush and an alkaline degreaser attempting to fully clean a tyre, 30-seconds using a solvent like this does the same thing……………except even better.
Compared to Tarminator or Mineral Spirits, you use way less product to do the same task, and you get a better finished result. Simply apply a small amount to a towel, then rub the side wall until the product evaporates. The end result is a completely bare rubber surface, you could probably leave it that way and be completely happy with the look. But………………I still went ahead with a very light layer of Capro Darkside.
Following that, the wheels was given a quick wipe with ADS Amplify, and the tyre pressures topped up.
Before -
After Eulex -
Dressed -
Finished Result -
Four hours later, a refreshed XC60 was the result.................
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 5,662
- 4,675
- Thread starter
- #2,979
If only I could swing it
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Wow, someone REALLY wanted one of those! Being the series 1, it's the least desirable of the AU model, and being an AU in general, the least desirable and most despised Falcon of all time. And I say that as an AU Falcon lover.
The AU series Falcon was launched in September 1998, so this is a very early build. It has the optional Tickford body kit which added the door cladding side skirts, front and rear aprons and the bi-plain spoiler (Tickford was Ford's Australia's BMW M, MB AMG ect). The wheels are from a 2013 FG Falcon XR6, 18-inch in size and 245/40/R18 tyres. Colour is Hot Chilli Red.
The engine in this series 1 is a 5.0 Windsor V8, but someone has added a series 2 engine cover. The XR8 had 185 kw (248 hp) instead of the standard 175 kW (235 hp) available elsewhere in the range. That extra power came from a dual exhaust system, so they sounded amazing............even if they were slow. Transmission was either the Borg-Warner T5 5-speed manual or the BTR 4-speed auto. Being an XR8, these got a double wishbone rear suspension that was based on the Lincoln LS and Thunderbird, also used in the Jaguar S-Type. Front end was also double wishbone. The best part of these cars was not the engine, but rather the brilliantly tuned chassis and steering. The brakes were horrible though, 287mm disks and single piston calipers all round.
This is an XR6, but it has the same body kit as the car in the ad. It also has the optional Tickford 17-inch wheels with 235/45/R17 tyres.
Note the bi-plain spoiler...........................
Regular spoiler, also note the lack of the body kit..................................
They may have been slow, but the Windsor had that old school V8 note.....................probably because it WAS an old school V8.
Big Dave
Well-known member
- Jan 7, 2018
- 4,661
- 4,012
The XRs were the best looking AUs, in my opinion, saying that as former Holden fanboy as well. I honestly don't remember the biplane spoiler, it does look a little silly, but I've always preferred lip spoilers.Wow, someone REALLY wanted one of those! Being the series 1, it's the least desirable of the AU model, and being an AU in general, the least desirable and most despised Falcon of all time. And I say that as an AU Falcon lover.
The AU series Falcon was launched in September 1998, so this is a very early build. It has the optional Tickford body kit which added the door cladding side skirts, front and rear aprons and the bi-plain spoiler (Tickford was Ford's Australia's BMW M, MB AMG ect). The wheels are from a 2013 FG Falcon XR6, 18-inch in size and 245/40/R18 tyres. Colour is Hot Chilli Red.
The engine in this series 1 is a 5.0 Windsor V8, but someone has added a series 2 engine cover. The XR8 had 185 kw (248 hp) instead of the standard 175 kW (235 hp) available elsewhere in the range. That extra power came from a dual exhaust system, so they sounded amazing............even if they were slow. Transmission was either the Borg-Warner T5 5-speed manual or the BTR 4-speed auto. Being an XR8, these got a double wishbone rear suspension that was based on the Lincoln LS and Thunderbird, also used in the Jaguar S-Type. Front end was also double wishbone. The best part of these cars was not the engine, but rather the brilliantly tuned chassis and steering. The brakes were horrible though, 287mm disks and single piston calipers all round.
This is an XR6, but it has the same body kit as the car in the ad. It also has the optional Tickford 17-inch wheels with 235/45/R17 tyres.
Note the bi-plain spoiler...........................
Regular spoiler, also note the lack of the body kit..................................
They may have been slow, but the Windsor had that old school V8 note.....................probably because it WAS an old school V8.