DFB's Garage

With the XR6 out from under its cover and back on duty, I took it out for a run this afternoon. Initial light duty town driving, the brakes feel roughly the same, although certainly smoother under foot and quieter in operation.



I have a set of rural roads that snake around fruit orchards and market gardens. Along with being out of the way, there are some really interesting corners and s-bends to contend with. It's a strange arrangement, almost like someone purposely designed these roads to have a little fun, because they are otherwise situated alongside boring, flat farmland. I guess the farmers need something to test out their tractors on?

Being mindful of the new rotors and pads all round, I did the loop at about 70 to 80% of what I would normally do. It's here I noticed a marked improvement. Where before with two applications of strong braking, they would start to shudder and become very noisy. The new setup is seems more resilient, offering a confident pedal, no shuddering and way less noise. Having said that, I wasn't laying into them as aggressively as I would normally, but the signs are promising.

Annoyingly, I discovered yesterday that apparently Race Brakes, who I bought the rotors and pads from, may be re-introducing the larger PBR-style caliper and rotor kit that was a popular upgrade this side of Brembo's. Bugger.

 
Save that Clean Maker bottle Deyon

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
Klasse Act said:
Save that Clean Maker bottle Deyon

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Haven't got one, Clean Maker not sold outside of the US. Unless you are talking about the Kwazar?
 
DFB said:
Haven't got one, Clean Maker not sold outside of the US. Unless you are talking about the Kwazar?
Click to expand...
Opps, I should've read your post more closely

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
Klasse Act said:
Opps, I should've read your post more closely

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

All good. I'm actually surprised I liked it. And yesterday was just about the worst conditions for it, extremely hot and humid, which can make using products like that a pain. At least I won't have to throw away that bottle of Dream Maker now!
 
First wash of the Ranger today after it was ceramic coated two weeks ago, with Gyeon recommend not washing with strong detergents within the first 14 days after application. In that time, it's been through two cycles of my mowing run, a tip run after a backyard cleanup, a trip up the highway to deliver bulky items for my father's rebuilt flood ruined holiday cabin, been rained on and driven on grotty wet roads. So it was good to cleanse the car and my mind of that.

I washed the whole car, wheels included, with Shine Supply Shift, a gentle pH neutral pure soap that easily dealt with situation after the initial rinse removed most of the dirt..............the coating doing its job then. Drying Aid was P&S Paint Gloss, interior wiped down with P&S Swift, tyres dressed with Perl. The tray, door jambs and engine bay wiped down with Carpro ECH20. Next on the to-do list for the Ranger is an engine bay detail, which is needing a little more than what I can achieve with a simple wipe down.

Strangely, while I was wiping the upper fan/radiator shroud, I found a random piece of plastic resting between the belt pulley and a radiator hose. It turned out to be the lower clip-in fan shroud. How this didn't destroy the fan itself or the accessory belts is a miracle. I have no idea how this happened or when, but after inspection nothing looked damaged, so I fed it past the hoses and clipped it back in place. Very strange.

The XR6 got rained sprinkled on it while dealing with the Ranger, so I washed the wheels with NV Snow, then rinsed it down before an Absolute rinse-less wash in the garage. As with the Mustang last week, I teamed Absolute with the Clean Maker concoction, again, an impressive combo.

 
Well, it looks like I found my next project! :doh:





These are used Ranger XLS wheels in 16x7 size. At the price paid for them, it would appear only I want a set of povo 16-inch wheels, I'm happy to overlook the very small chip on one wheel, go find that missing center cap and splurge on a new set of tyres! I've been contemplating this for a while, so I already know what tyres to get, Michelin Agilis. In any case, the current tyres are the originals from 2016. I'll run the same sizing, 215/70/R16 for simplicity.

MICHELIN AGILIS - Car Tyre | MICHELIN Australia Official Website

The current plan is to get them properly cleaned up, iron decontamination, clay, remove the old wheel weights and adhesive, then polish them up. I'll have the new tyres fitted before applying ceramic coating, then fit them to the car.
 
DFB said:
Well, it looks like I found my next project! :doh:





These are used Ranger XLS wheels in 16x7 size. At the price paid for them, it would appear only I want a set of povo 16-inch wheels, I'm happy to overlook the very small chip on one wheel, go find that missing center cap and splurge on a new set of tyres! I've been contemplating this for a while, so I already know what tyres to get, Michelin Agilis. In any case, the current tyres are the originals from 2016. I'll run the same sizing, 215/70/R16 for simplicity.

MICHELIN AGILIS - Car Tyre | MICHELIN Australia Official Website

The current plan is to get them properly cleaned up, iron decontamination, clay, remove the old wheel weights and adhesive, then polish them up. I'll have the new tyres fitted before applying ceramic coating, then fit them to the car.
Click to expand...
I've had Michelin Cross Climate2 and the Agalis' on my work van and they've been awesome. I clicked that link and that Tread pattern is different but Michelin isn't messing around with this series of tire

Can't wait to see them fitted

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
Klasse Act said:
I've had Michelin Cross Climate2 and the Agalis' on my work van and they've been awesome. I clicked that link and that Tread pattern is different but Michelin isn't messing around with this series of tire

Can't wait to see them fitted

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have heard good feedback regarding the Agilis from a few people, which is a dedicated commercial vehicle tire. I need to get onto ordering them as they are currently offered with a cash back deal when buying four.

Just ordered the coating for them, and tracked down and ordered the missing center cap.

I'll get them cleaned and polished before having the tires fitted so they aren't so bulky to deal with, then just wait on the coating to arrive from your side of the world. Probably end up being the end of January before I get through all that.
 
DFB said:
I have heard good feedback regarding the Agilis from a few people, which is a dedicated commercial vehicle tire. I need to get onto ordering them as they are currently offered with a cash back deal when buying four.

Just ordered the coating for them, and tracked down and ordered the missing center cap.

I'll get them cleaned and polished before having the tires fitted so they aren't so bulky to deal with, then just wait on the coating to arrive from your side of the world. Probably end up being the end of January before I get through all that.
Click to expand...
Who's coating?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
I should also mention it took me a while to find a set of these wheels. They are over $900 each brand new, which I just can't justify on this car. There are plenty of used 17 and 18-inch Ranger wheels on the market, but I wanted to stay with the 16-inch wheel and tyre size so that they could just be bolted on as a direct replacement without screwing with the load carrying ability or throw out the speedo and DSC calibrations.

Funnily enough, scanning through Facebook Marketplace, out of the blue I spotted these wheels in a pic being advertised at a local business. I sent a message late last night asking if they were available to which they were, slept on it, then took the plunge and went and picked them up this afternoon. $300 cash.

 
Klasse Act said:
Who's coating?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Armour Detail Supply Wheel Coating, same used on the XR6 a couple of months ago. Very impressed with it.

 
DFB said:
I should also mention it took me a while to find a set of these wheels. They are over $900 each brand new, which I just can't justify on this car. There are plenty of used 17 and 18-inch Ranger wheels on the market, but I wanted to stay with the 16-inch wheel and tyre size so that they could just be bolted on as a direct replacement without screwing with the load carrying ability or throw out the speedo and DSC calibrations.

Funnily enough, scanning through Facebook Marketplace, out of the blue I spotted these wheels in a pic being advertised at a local business. I sent a message late last night asking if they were available to which they were, slept on it, then took the plunge and went and picked them up this afternoon. $300 cash.

Click to expand...
$300>$3600

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 
This is what has been bothering me on these steel wheels on the Ranger.

So, I'll admit this is the first and only wheel curb in my whole life! :(




This has been of natural causes, its been getting slowly worse and now its starting to rust through. I've seen this on other Ranger's and vehicles with basic painted steel wheels.




And I now have this strange chemical etching on all four wheels. I know exactly which product did this and it and the rest of their products are no longer in my cabinets. The surface has been compromised now and it didn't improve with an attempted polishing.



For you guys in the US, it won't be an issue, but for Australian readers, DO NOT buy products from MIRCH. I will never buy products advertised on social media ever again. Sure, the bottles look nice, and the brand is well presented, but this is typical of the "Facebook Brands". In that I mean a company set up by an individual to sell catalog products from a local blender, then advertised on social media and most likely "warehoused" in some ones backyard shed. And because these companies don't make or have any clue what's in the products, they and you have no recourse.





I have not reached out to MIRCH, they would likely point to user error. In no way was the product used improperly on hot wheels or in hot direct sun. It was used in a spray, agitate and rinse fashion. And I've used various similar products without issue for many years.

Anyway, the short of it is I have new (ish) wheels to fix the issues.
 
DFB said:
This is what has been bothering me on these steel wheels on the Ranger.

So, I'll admit this is the first and only wheel curb in my whole life! :(




This has been of natural causes, its been getting slowly worse and now its starting to rust through. I've seen this on other Ranger's and vehicles with basic painted steel wheels.




And I now have this strange chemical etching on all four wheels. I know exactly which product did this and it and the rest of their products are no longer in my cabinets. The surface has been compromised now and it didn't improve with an attempted polishing.



For you guys in the US, it won't be an issue, but for Australian readers, DO NOT buy products from MIRCH. I will never buy products advertised on social media ever again. Sure, the bottles look nice, and the brand is well presented, but this is typical of the "Facebook Brands". In that I mean a company set up by an individual to sell catalog products from a local blender, then advertised on social media and most likely "warehoused" in some ones backyard shed. And because these companies don't make or have any clue what's in the products, they and you have no recourse.





I have not reached out to MIRCH, they would likely point to user error. In no way was the product used improperly on hot wheels or in hot direct sun. It was used in a spray, agitate and rinse fashion. And I've used various similar products without issue for many years.

Anyway, the short of it is I have new (ish) wheels to fix the issues.
Click to expand...

Initially when I was reading your post, I was worried you weren't going to tell us which product etched your wheels, ha. Unfortunate that happened to you, just glad you didn't use the products on the rest of your wonderful fleet.

As a side note, I've noticed the paint degrading on the Ford steel wheels on a lot of our work trucks, but they aren't religiously maintained like yours. That seems odd.
 
Dirty Harry said:
Initially when I was reading your post, I was worried you weren't going to tell us which product etched your wheels, ha. Unfortunate that happened to you, just glad you didn't use the products on the rest of your wonderful fleet.

As a side note, I've noticed the paint degrading on the Ford steel wheels on a lot of our work trucks, but they aren't religiously maintained like yours. That seems odd.
Click to expand...

You know how we all get that smart a.ss neighbor or passerby that likes to say "you'll wash all the paint off that car ha ha.......", well I guess that's what I did. :laughing:
 
We lost power at 8pm last night, seconds before a massive wind and thunderstorm hit. No power, no internet via both NBN or cellular...............I was in bed shortly after and slept for 13 hours! I could have slept longer, but I was expecting guests at 10.30am, so forced myself out of bed for a caffeine injection. It was raining and thundering as I went to bed, and it was still raining and thundering at 12pm today, just one continuous, 16 hour rolling thunderstorm.

Thankfully, the rain and clouds cleared shortly after lunch, meaning I suddenly felt better...................because that meant I could keep my Christmas tradition rolling.....................



I had to skip last year as my sister was overseas, and this year the Mazda 3 made way for a Volvo XC60 T6. (My sister lives over two hours away in Melbourne, so I don't see her much. She also knows that no one is going to treat her car like I would, so she leaves it for me. I have no problem with that, I would rather it arrive dirty after a few months then have some moron wash it with a dirty foam sponge and dry it with synthetic leather chamois.)

Wheels were first, sprayed with NV Purge as a pre-treat while I scrubbed the tyres with P&S Undressed. Rinsed, I applied Brake Buster via a foam cannon and took care of the wheels and wheel arches. I then applied Hydr02 to the wheels and Atom Mac to the rotors.

For the paint, I pre-treated with Carpro Lift. The Cquartz Professional has been on the car for more than 6 months now, so this would have been its first decon wash.



Rinsed, I then re-foamed with KCx Gfx, I mean it would have been rude to have not used this Christmas themed soap today!



After the wash, I then applied Carpro Reload 2.0 as a topper to the coating, again more than 6 months after it was applied. I want this coating to last for her, she paid more than a good sum of money for it to be applied, so keeping it fresh is top of mind.

I then applied Carpro Perl to the tyres, wiped the interior down with a damp towel, I have instructions to NOT use scented interior products because "it still smells like new", and who am I to argue with that. I have to say, the leather has a lovely soft feel and matte appearance to it, I didn't want to mess with that. I applied ColourLock Leather Shield at the last wash, which I will reapply next time. A quick vacuum, then the glass got cleaned with my go-to, Stoners Invisible Glass. I then filled up the windscreen washer bottle with McKee's N-914, then wiped the engine bay down and called it job done.

Interesting to note, these cars don't have a dip stick for the engine oil. You have to dig deep into the menu system to find the oil life and level, where it only states if the oil level is "normal", there is no visible level to inspect. As a car guy and someone with mechanical sympathy, I hate that feature. I have no problem having digital read out, but sometimes it's important to see the actual level with your own eyes. I do wonder how the service technician tells if he has added the correct amount of oil, you can't always rely on adding a set amount and calling it good. And what if the sensor fails, then doesn't report a low level? I guess Volvo would happily sell you another engine..........or car.

Anyway, the Volvo is back to spec! I had forgotten what a pain painted gloss black wheels were to maintain, they show every speck of dust and scratch easily.

 
Nice work on the Volvo, I've always liked the look of that model. Parts can be an issue for Volvo sometimes, my neighbour in Sydney had an S90, beautiful car, but a gum tree in his front yard dropped a branch through his back window, he had to wait 6 weeks for replacement glass to arrive. This was back in 2017, so pre-Covid. Local Council wouldn't let him cut it down, even though the branch that took out his rear window could have killed someone.

How long was your power out? I'm sitting through a thunderstorm at the moment, dogs at my feet. fingers crossed the power stays on.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk
 
Big Dave said:
Nice work on the Volvo, I've always liked the look of that model. Parts can be an issue for Volvo sometimes, my neighbour in Sydney had an S90, beautiful car, but a gum tree in his front yard dropped a branch through his back window, he had to wait 6 weeks for replacement glass to arrive. This was back in 2017, so pre-Covid. Local Council wouldn't let him cut it down, even though the branch that took out his rear window could have killed someone.

How long was your power out? I'm sitting through a thunderstorm at the moment, dogs at my feet. fingers crossed the power stays on.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Would you believe a family member commented "I hope we don't have the power go out" about 30 seconds before the power went out. The way it went out, an initial dip before returning and then back out again leads me to believe it was a tree taking out a power line. Apparently the power was reconnected at about 1.15am, so about 5 hours out. I was actually in the process of fixing something for dinner as it went out, so that put an end to that. Luckily, all the Christmas cooking was done by then. I just decided to get an early night, I was exhausted anyway after a big week. (I don't deal with Christmas very well, I know it's supposed to be a happy and joyous time, but I find December a month of dread, anxiety, anger and resentment. So the extra sleep was much needed and appreciated.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top