DFB's Garage

The XR6 turned 18-years old at the end of May, and I took delivery of it a few weeks later on June 13th, 2008.





For many, many years, you could email Ford and ask for a "Verification Letter" on your car. This basically lists what the car left the factory with and when. Sadly, they no longer offer that service.

Can you spot the error below?

 
Says it has 17” Dunlop tires but 18” wheels.

Love that car and color. The wheel finish is perfect for that color also. Just works!


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The XR6 turned 18-years old at the end of May, and I took delivery of it a few weeks later on June 13th, 2008.





For many, many years, you could email Ford and ask for a "Verification Letter" on your car. This basically lists what the car left the factory with and when. Sadly, they no longer offer that service.

Can you spot the error below?

Still the cleanest Xr6 in Australia!
 
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Says it has 17” Dunlop tires but 18” wheels.

Love that car and color. The wheel finish is perfect for that color also. Just works!


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Correct. I know that sort of thing happened a lot with those verification letters.

The standard XR6 tyre was indeed 245/45/R17 Dunlop SP Sport 01A. For vehicles ordered with 18-inch wheels, they got 245/40/R18 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. Those Dunlop Sport Maxx's were made in China and quite under-spec'd for the size and power of the Falcon, chosen purely for cost control. I have Sport Maxx RT on the Jaguar and they are a completely different tyre.

Non-XR's with 17-inch wheels got a different spec, 235/50/R17 and Goodyear Eagle Excellence, the extra sidewall and the choice of a touring tyre was in the name of ride more comfort.







One other little factoid, the sedans rear taillights were inspired by a bird of prey's beak, you know, being a Falcon and all that. That motif was used heavily in the Ford Performance Vehicles and Ford Performance Racing branding and liveries, which was a play to Holden/HSV using the lion on its badges.





















 
Mannn those race cars are sweet. I had no clue about the taillight design. That’s awesome! Ever see a peregrine falcon up close or see them fly/dive bomb? Awesome stuff! I’ve had to coordinate with DNR to rescue some hatchlings before.


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Mannn those race cars are sweet. I had no clue about the taillight design. That’s awesome! Ever see a peregrine falcon up close or see them fly/dive bomb? Awesome stuff! I’ve had to coordinate with DNR to rescue some hatchlings before.


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Not a Falcon, but would you believe I've ridden in an elevator with a wedge-tailed eagle?

In my previous employment, I'd tend to the indoor plants at the local courthouse. When I started there, the building was brand new, a 4-story building. The most expensive and grandest building in town is the courthouse, what does that tell you about my hometown?

From start to finish, it would take me about 2-hours to go through the whole place watering, feeding, trimming, and cleaning plants. I used to start at 8am to get in and out before juries and other proceedings would start.





Anyway, they were having issues with birds landing on the building and making a mess. They tried literally everything, from spinning mirrors, electric wires.....................well, the next thing they tried was having a bird of prey make a daily appearance to scare them away.

I remember I rocked up one day, pressed the elevator button on the ground floor, the door opened and I was greeted by a man holding an eagle on his arm with the little cap over its head. He was on his way to the roof to let the thing loose on the problem bird population. I later found out it didn't work either.

It's one of the strangest experiences of my life, and certainly an intimidating elevator ride.
 
lol yeah that’s an interesting elevator ride! Eagles are massive!


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Old Blue collected an unusual number of bugs the other day, well it was "bugging me" so it needed to be addressed. The longer bugs sit on paint, the more likely they are to leave permanent etchings behind. Acidic proteins and enzymes can eat right through ceramic coatings, waxes, and sealants down into the clearcoat, permanently etching the finish. At that point, you might wonder what the point of the coating or wax is in the first place. In reality, the protection buys you time before the etching sets in. Bug removers don't remedy the damage, they simply break down the bug itself, not the etching. Polishing the etchings out doesn't work either. In other words, don't sleep on it.

The car otherwise wasn't very dirty, so I went with Armour Detail Supply Hero rinse-less wash. Before that, I foamed the wheels with Bilt Hamber Touch-less, then scrubbed the tyres and rinsed. Drying Aid was a light amount of ADS Adapt, also used on the door jambs and engine bay. Tyres were treated with OG Tire Dressing, glass via Traceless (trying to use that crap up), interior ADS Pilot.



I also treated the steering wheel, gear shifter and handbrake with ColourLock Leather Protector.



 
Outstanding!

My Favorite pic.
IMG_0201.jpg
 
My next little project, a revamp of the bucket setup.

My current buckets came from Waxit waaay back in 2019. These started out as basic 15-litre buckets with grit guards, a standard white plastic lid, and pre-installed decals. For some unknown reason, Waxit in their infinite wisdom decided to use paper decals on their buckets, well I’m sure you can tell how that went, they weren't even installed straight, I'm sure you can imagine how that bugged me…………..





Over time, I modified those buckets, mainly for aesthetics but also functionality; colour coded gamma seal lids and matching dollies with upsized wheels. The fancy Obsessed Garage decals tied it all together. Don't ask how much time and money I put into that setup, I just closed my eyes in the end.







It's funny, I once had someone make comment, as if I wasn't in the room, ".....lol, what happens if he buys another car brand............" Like, well, I'll just pull the stickers off, not that hard. Probably said by a person who cleans his car with a mop bucket and dish sponge.



So why the update? Well, I wanted to shift from 15-litre to 20-litre buckets. To mix things up, I thought I may as well try something different, hence the black buckets this time around. The blue and red theme will continue.







Functionally, I'm good to go from here. However, I'm waiting on two more puzzle pieces to put the finishing touches on the project. Can't wait!
 
Small mod...HUUUGE results️️

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Wash Bucket Update - Part 2
To recap, I bought some larger 20-litre buckets, swapping from white to black in the process. I also got new red and blue gamma seal lids, colour matched to the carry over bucket dollies and grit guards. From here, I wanted to mix things up.

If Obsessed Garage still offered those original red and blue decals, I'd probably have just bought a fresh set and called it done. But OG recently redesigned their bucket package too. The red, blue and black on white is gone — replaced by a monotone look across black, grey or white buckets with black and grey labelling. The new labels look slick, but there's no colour recognition, which I always thought was the whole point of the decals. I hate to say it given how much influence Matt has had on my detailing over the years — but I feel like it's time to stop promoting someone else's brand. So, I decided to go my own way...........

After some time online, I landed on a basic logo and a font I liked, then worked through several colour combinations before settling on crisp white lettering set against red and blue backgrounds. The decal designations also got a rethink to better reflect how I actually use them. Blue for RINSE, red for WHEELS, red for WASH (laundry) — and a new addition, blue for RINSELESS.

From there, I took the design to a local sign maker, colour matched the decals to the gamma seal colours, worked out the sizing and finalised the shape. I'd originally planned to go rectangular, but asked them to mock up circular and hexagon options to compare. I'm glad I did, the rectangle looked bland, the circle a bit "me too." The elongated hex looked fresher, more personalized.







Yesterday I picked up the decals from the printer and went ahead and installed them on the buckets. The smaller sizing of the decal was deliberate. While I like the impact the larger OG decals make, on my shorter buckets they were partially hidden by the bucket dolly. So, smaller, less in your face, fully visible. And because I've kept the colour deviations, they are easily identifiable.







Did I need to have a dedicated RINSELESS bucket? Not really, I just thought why not. The WASH bucket is for holding used towels, basically a dedicated laundry basket. I guess I could have gone with LAUNDRY, but I felt like sticking with WASH because that's what its for........washing towels.



With anything custom, you never truly know if it will meet the vision you had in your head. And while this wasn't totally what I'd originally planned — it's actually better than I had anticipated. But more importantly, this time it's mine.
 
I washed the Jaaaag today, which was the first time using my new buckets.

The tyres got scrubbed with ADS Clean, the rotors treated with Atom Mac. In the foam cannon and both buckets today, Koch Chemie GSF.





I didn't expect an extra 5 litres to make much difference — but it does. On the downside, the bucket is noticeably heavier to lift out of the sink. Hardly unworkable, but you feel it. On the upside, the extra depth gives you more room to rinse out the wash media before hitting the grit guard at the bottom of the bucket, which I like.

It also took a bit to acclimatise after so long with the smaller buckets. That might sound silly, but when you've done something the same way for years, it takes a while to readjust your movements — muscle memory is a stubborn thing. Overall, a nice upgrade.

I also tried P&S Reflect Glass Finisher — another combined glass cleaner and water repellent, a category that ranges from terrible to genuinely impressive. So far, I would say Reflect lands in the latter. Its SiO2 formula produces a lovely slick finish, and despite the cold conditions, it flashed away noticeably better than comparable products. True to P&S form, it smells great too. The standout feature, though, is that it's safe for interior glass, where it's claimed to help reduce fogging.



Meanwhile, after spending the night on the CTEK, the Jaaaag went back into storage.
 
The final piece of the puzzle arrived for my new buckets today..................



Most buckets come with a standard plastic sleeve handle — functional, but not much else. The Snappy Grip handles are a significant step up. Larger, contoured and noticeably more comfortable when you're lifting a full, heavy bucket.

Snappy Grip Ergonomic Bucket Handle - Skys The Limit Car Care
Snappy Grip – gritguard.com

And yet again, this is one of those tiny details that was hard to find in Australia, and more expensive than it should have been. Ideally, I'd have colour matched with the decals and Gamma Seals — red and blue — but black was the only colour I could make work. Watch, next week red and blue will suddenly appear. 🙄

Snappy Grip Ergonomic Replacement Bucket Handles (3 Pack) - BLACK : Amazon.com.au



Installation is straightforward. The Snappy Grips are a two-piece design that clip over the existing handle — but first, the original plastic sleeve needs to come off. A sharp utility knife does the job; I supported the handle with a towel to avoid taking a finger with it. Once clear, each half of the Snappy Grip clips together over the handle. Done.









The difference is hard to put into words, but you feel it immediately. Substantially larger, contoured in all the right places — lifting a full bucket just feels better. At $2.50 USD, it's a no-brainer. At $11.90 AUD, the maths doesn't quite hold up — but I'm glad I went ahead anyway.
 
They are available in red and blue. Ive got both colors on my buckets. Definitely a nice upgrade. Think places that sell buckets are missing out. If they offered them already installed on the buckets they sell they could offer a better bucket and increase profits.

b998ff65054e39644ed5fec977fe2704.jpg



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Why have I never heard of snappy grips before? Can't tell you how many times I wished a bucket had a more robust handle so it didn't hurt my hands. Brilliant!
 
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They are available in red and blue. Ive got both colors on my buckets. Definitely a nice upgrade. Think places that sell buckets are missing out. If they offered them already installed on the buckets they sell they could offer a better bucket and increase profits.

b998ff65054e39644ed5fec977fe2704.jpg



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I knew about the red and blue, along with an assortment of 9 other colours. Rather its what I can readily buy in this country, at least without having to jump through hoops via third party shipping or someone willing to go out of their way to send them to me.

You guys in the USA don't know how lucky you are in what you have readily available at your finger tips.
 
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