DFB's Garage

[Coatingsarecrack]

Took the Mustang out for a decent run this morning. The car sits very nicely on the road at 100 kph, the lack of road noise quite pleasing.







I will say though, Ford need to address the "Keep Hands on Steering Wheel" warning. It activates in a very unpredictable manner, with or without hands on the steering wheel. If you actually had one hand off the wheel, then respond to the warning by repositioning your hands, it keeps on going for far too long. I also hate how it mutes the audio, which is annoying when listening to a podcast or have your favorite song pumping.

This is supposed to be a driver assistance feature to address inattentiveness and distraction. The irony is, the warning itself is extremely distracting. This is a case of a technical feature being implemented to account for the lowest common denominator. The same applies to autonomous braking, lane keep, radar cruise control, blind-spot indicators........................useless stuff on what is supposed to be a drivers car.

So does this come on when accelerating with one hand on steering wheel or just when you have one hand on?


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[DFB]

So does this come on when accelerating with one hand on steering wheel or just when you have one hand on?


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I haven't had it come on during acceleration.

From what I can tell, the system is designed to monitor steering inputs above a speed threshold that's held for a period of time, say sitting on the highway at 60 mph. It will trigger the warning if it senses no steering inputs are being made.

I actually watched a video yesterday that brought up what I feel is the cause of the issue, skip to 5-min 30-sec.

In particular, there is a significant amount of play or lack of response either side of center. That is by design, most electric steering systems have this to compensate for factors such as road irregularities and tyre wear.

This innovative steering system comes with several special features -

The first of these is called Drift-Pull Compensation. The EPAS system “learns” the amount of steering effort the driver makes when driving in a straight line. This steering input is usually made to counteract driving conditions such as road camber. As a result of Drift-Pull Compensation, drivers will require less steering effort to maintain a straight course in a variety of conditions.

The car not sensing a steering input is not the driver's fault, it's the byproduct of the lane keep and EPAS system. If the car has so much play off center, how can it accurately determine if the driver has hands on the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, those EcoBoost models sound very flat, they upshift at 5800 rpm when the redline is 6500rpm. I'm not against a 4-cylinder in a Mustang, I just wish they had added some character to the engine and exhaust like they did on the same engine in the Focus RS. At the end of the day, the EcoBoost (and previous V6 models) are aimed at fleet and rental companies, so I guess Ford didn't bother making this powertrain entertaining.

 

[DFB]

Snuck in some sanity detailing today. I have my sister coming tomorrow, which will be her first encounter with the new Mustang, so I wanted it fresh!







It's been a while since I've used GSF, and it's as good as I remember. I had stopped buying it due to the completely absurd price the local KCx importer insists retailers use. Don't get me wrong, this soap deserves to carry a price premium, it's so bloody nice to use. But consider the following.................

GSF 1-litre - $54.95 AUD ($34.25 AUD-USD converted) / $27.99 USD
GSF 5-litre - $199.95 AUD ($124.68 AUD-USD converted) / $89.99

Either way you look at it, GSF is heavily inflated here, which to me is pure greediness. And even though I get a discount on it, GSF is still more than the same size bottle of Carpro Reset, which is just as slick, foams just as well and actually cleans better. So why did I buy it again...................well, its like any drug, hard to give up.

Up next, the Ranger. This was my first try of a new-to-me soap, P&S Off-Road Wide Open.





A few years ago, P&S created a new line of products that were said to be better at dealing with mud and grime accumulated from off-roading. The P&S Off-Road line includes an all-purpose cleaner, an exterior soap, an interior cleaner, an interior/exterior dressing and a quick detailer. According to P&S, the formulas are different, but I think most people see this sub-brand for what it is, a needless collection of products that do the exact same thing as the non-off road stuff.

So why did I buy Wide Open? Previous to Frost Bite, P&S soaps didn't foam at all. I know a few people like Pearl, but I hated it for its lack of foaming ability and an overall lackluster user experience. I does the job and nothing more. Radiance and Inspiration Radiance are also a low foamers, to be expected for wash-n-wax soaps. With the introduction of Wide Open, this was P&S's first soap to actually produce thick foam.

Whenever you see a soap being advertised as "pH balanced", that's the clue the formula is not 7.0 - 7.5 pH neutral. And so it proves here, Wide Open coming in at about 8.9, which compares to 10.3 for Frost Bite and 7.3 for Inspiration Radiance.









I have to say, this soap surprised me! Wide Open certainly proved to be super-foamy today, it lays down a nice thick layer of foam that holds onto the paint really well. The big surprise though was how bloody slick this soap feels. Keep in mind I was coming directly from GSF, one of the slickest soaps available, so for Wide Open to feel so slick says something. I also found it offered excellent cleaning ability (yes, the Ranger was dirty) and rinsing properties. With a 946ml bottle sitting $10 above the same size of Pearl, its money well spent as its far more concentrated, considerably slicker and will foam for days. If only it had a scent, it would be almost perfect.

 

[Klasse Act]

Deyon I've got a new product for you to try, do you get Pure:est down there? If so, their spray on, hose off sealant, S1, is awesome and since you like how a product smells, well, this stuff is like cologne

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[DFB]

Deyon I've got a new product for you to try, do you get Pure:est down there? If so, their spray on, hose off sealant, S1, is awesome and since you like how a product smells, well, this stuff is like cologne

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Just went looking for it, sadly no one carries it here.

 

[Klasse Act]

Just went looking for it, sadly no one carries it here.

That sucks, it's a Swedish brand and even their alkaline pre-wash soap smells the same, too bad shipping is crazy or I'd send you some! If I'm lucky enough tonight to win Mega Millions I'll fly down there and drop it off inperson

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[Coatingsarecrack]

Snuck in some sanity detailing today. I have my sister coming tomorrow, which will be her first encounter with the new Mustang, so I wanted it fresh!







It's been a while since I've used GSF, and it's as good as I remember. I had stopped buying it due to the completely absurd price the local KCx importer insists retailers use. Don't get me wrong, this soap deserves to carry a price premium, it's so bloody nice to use. But consider the following.................

GSF 1-litre - $54.95 AUD ($34.25 AUD-USD converted) / $27.99 USD
GSF 5-litre - $199.95 AUD ($124.68 AUD-USD converted) / $89.99

Either way you look at it, GSF is heavily inflated here, which to me is pure greediness. And even though I get a discount on it, GSF is still more than the same size bottle of Carpro Reset, which is just as slick, foams just as well and actually cleans better. So why did I buy it again...................well, its like any drug, hard to give up.

Up next, the Ranger. This was my first try of a new-to-me soap, P&S Off-Road Wide Open.





A few years ago, P&S created a new line of products that were said to be better at dealing with mud and grime accumulated from off-roading. The P&S Off-Road line includes an all-purpose cleaner, an exterior soap, an interior cleaner, an interior/exterior dressing and a quick detailer. According to P&S, the formulas are different, but I think most people see this sub-brand for what it is, a needless collection of products that do the exact same thing as the non-off road stuff.

So why did I buy Wide Open? Previous to Frost Bite, P&S soaps didn't foam at all. I know a few people like Pearl, but I hated it for its lack of foaming ability and an overall lackluster user experience. I does the job and nothing more. Radiance and Inspiration Radiance are also a low foamers, to be expected for wash-n-wax soaps. With the introduction of Wide Open, this was P&S's first soap to actually produce thick foam.

Whenever you see a soap being advertised as "pH balanced", that's the clue the formula is not 7.0 - 7.5 pH neutral. And so it proves here, Wide Open coming in at about 8.9, which compares to 10.3 for Frost Bite and 7.3 for Inspiration Radiance.









I have to say, this soap surprised me! Wide Open certainly proved to be super-foamy today, it lays down a nice thick layer of foam that holds onto the paint really well. The big surprise though was how bloody slick this soap feels. Keep in mind I was coming directly from GSF, one of the slickest soaps available, so for Wide Open to feel so slick says something. I also found it offered excellent cleaning ability (yes, the Ranger was dirty) and rinsing properties. With a 946ml bottle sitting $10 above the same size of Pearl, its money well spent as its far more concentrated, considerably slicker and will foam for days. If only it had a scent, it would be almost perfect.

Those ph readings neat or diluted?


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[DFB]

That sucks, it's a Swedish brand and even their alkaline pre-wash soap smells the same, too bad shipping is crazy or I'd send you some! If I'm lucky enough tonight to win Mega Millions I'll fly down there and drop it off inperson

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Welcome any time you like!

 

[DFB]

Those ph readings neat or diluted?


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Neat.

In the past, I've taken pH readings both neat and diluted, in most cases I've found minimal difference to in the readings. In no way am I proficient in complex chemistry, but from what I've read and observed, not all soaps/chemicals react to water in the same way, some remain pH stable with water and some will move up or down depending on the pH leaning.

 

[DFB]

As is tradition, my sisters Christmas present is a full detail of her car. Or was it a Christmas indulgence of my own? Either way, we both benefited.

The car certainly needed it too, the poor thing hadn't been touched since early September. Those wheels were feral, pretreated from dry with ADS Wheel Cleaner and Wise Guy.





I actually did that while the car was still in the driveway, mainly so I wouldn't stink up my garage. After rinsing, the Volvo was moved into the garage so that we could work out of the 35-degree sun. So bad was the built up brake dust, I felt the need for another pre-treat. This time it was Bilt Hamber Touchless, which was allowed to soak while I got the buckets ready. Another rinse, I then followed with a good scrub using foamed Brake Buster and Wise Guy for the rubber. To finish, an application of Hydr02 Lite and Atom Mac for the rotors, those Volvo rotors seem to flash rust quicker than my other cars.

Onto the rest of the vehicle, it was first foamed with Touch-less, allowed to dwell, then rinsed. For the contact wash, I'd been saving my bottle of the delightful cinnamon and pine scented GFX for this car. With the heavy lifting done by Touch-less, the milder GFX easily dealt with what remained.



Sadly, GFX was not offered in Australia again this year. I just wish the local KCx agent was more proactive. Whoever is at the helm is running the brand into the ground with a lack of product planning and head in the sand pricing strategy.

And it's not like there is no demand for the products, be that at a pro level or the enthusiast market. The pro's simply can't justify the price from a business point of view, so they look elsewhere. The enthusiast sector is left waiting on new products that have been on sale elsewhere for years or left waiting for existing products to come back into stock. Maybe I should make a bid to take over from them.

With two of us wielding an Ego blower, we had the car mostly dry in no time. As I went around applying Reload to keep the coating fresh (Cquartz Professional), my sister did the job I hate.................vacuuming.





The rest of the interior was wiped down with Griot's Interior Cleaner, followed by cleaning the interior glass with Carpro Eraser. Out of character, my sister then insisted we clean the leather seats, which meant ColourLock Mild Leather Cleaner then another coat of ColourLock Leather Shield. For the exterior glass, I went with Opti-Coat Glass Clean & Protect, which is by far much easier to use than Carpro ClarifyPhobic, no special treatment required here.

I have also been rinsing off the engine bay each time I wash this car, no agitation or chemicals needed. An engine bay is much easier to maintain than leaving it get to the point where it becomes a major project to return to spec. Following that, it was also blown down with the Ego, then given a wipe over with ECH20. A quick top-up of the windscreen washer bottle, I called it good and closed the hood.



Notice how the hood sits when open, to the point where it's quite awkward to open and close. I know it clears the roof, but every time I open it up, I fear its going to whack the roof.



The finishing touches, the wheels were wiped with Bead Maker and the tyres dressed with Swissvax Pneu.



It's probably covered in bugs now, but at least it was clean for a few hours.

My sister also got a ride in the new Mustang for the first time, although she had to take a place in the back seat, which is not necessarily a pleasant experience owning to the lack of head and leg room back there, especially on a hot day with her head resting against the rear window. I did make up for it though by letting her drive the car. The last time I let that happen was back in 2012 when I owned the TS50, this would be only the second time she's driven a V8. So, what was the highlight for her? The noise? The power? The ultra-low seating position and view out over that long hood? None of those.....................it was the ventilated climate-controlled seats.

Hope everyone has had a great day.

 

[Klasse Act]

Deyon, that's a great present and I'm sure she appreciates the hard work that goes into it...then there's the results

As far as your soap dilemma, let me throw these 2 out to yah, one for scent and performance and one flat out performance:

1. Turtle Wax Pure Wash- smells like cherries and is sold in a half gallon size, atleast here and I've always liked it for maintenance washes and is a great value

2. Feynlab PURE wash-straight up champ, cleans like their RW does, worked great in a pinch in a foam cannon too️

Have you tried Bilt-Hamber AutoWash yet



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[DFB]

Deyon, that's a great present and I'm sure she appreciates the hard work that goes into it...then there's the results

As far as your soap dilemma, let me throw these 2 out to yah, one for scent and performance and one flat out performance:

1. Turtle Wax Pure Wash- smells like cherries and is sold in a half gallon size, atleast here and I've always liked it for maintenance washes and is a great value

2. Feynlab PURE wash-straight up champ, cleans like their RW does, worked great in a pinch in a foam cannon too️

Have you tried Bilt-Hamber AutoWash yet



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I was sent Auto-Wash and Auto-Foam more than a year ago, but I've yet to use them. For whatever reason, they just don't grab me.

 

[Klasse Act]

I was sent Auto-Wash and Auto-Foam more than a year ago, but I've yet to use them. For whatever reason, they just don't grab me.

Well maybe next wash give em' a try, AutoWash from Bilt-Hamber is VERY concentrated, great cleaner for sure

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[Coatingsarecrack]

Neat.

In the past, I've taken pH readings both neat and diluted, in most cases I've found minimal difference to in the readings. In no way am I proficient in complex chemistry, but from what I've read and observed, not all soaps/chemicals react to water in the same way, some remain pH stable with water and some will move up or down depending on the pH leaning.

Always thought it was wierd that if you have 4oz of something alkaline and then add 2-3 gallons of something ph neutral that it doesn’t water down to more neutral….


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[Coatingsarecrack]

I was sent Auto-Wash and Auto-Foam more than a year ago, but I've yet to use them. For whatever reason, they just don't grab me.

Auto foam is a good product. Works better for me than touch less with no issues. Touchdown less good too.

Auto wash you may not be a fan. Slick as snot but not high sudsing. I personally like it a lot


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[DFB]

Tried distracting myself by washing the XR6 today.



Sadly, it only takes so long to wash a car, or walk the dog, or go for a drive.......................then the racing heart and tight chest returns, brought on by a significant amount of anxiety I have at the moment. I'm hoping by this time tomorrow I will be more settled.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Tried distracting myself by washing the XR6 today.



Sadly, it only takes so long to wash a car, or walk the dog, or go for a drive.......................then the racing heart and tight chest returns, brought on by a significant amount of anxiety I have at the moment. I'm hoping by this time tomorrow I will be more settled.

Sorry to hear that Deyon, I have only experienced that once or twice, but many years ago, I had no idea what was happening to me. Turns out it was medication induced, my doctor changed my blood pressure medication, and didn't bother telling me what the possible side effects were. After a tight chest and pounding heart episode, I had a lightbulb moment, and googled the new medication, and there number 2 on the list was anxiety attacks. Yeah, thanks Doc. So I decided to stop taking it, and made an appointment. I stopped going to him a short while after that. Have you thought about counselling, nothing wrong with getting your headspace right.

 

[DFB]

Sorry to hear that Deyon, I have only experienced that once or twice, but many years ago, I had no idea what was happening to me. Turns out it was medication induced, my doctor changed my blood pressure medication, and didn't bother telling me what the possible side effects were. After a tight chest and pounding heart episode, I had a lightbulb moment, and googled the new medication, and there number 2 on the list was anxiety attacks. Yeah, thanks Doc. So I decided to stop taking it, and made an appointment. I stopped going to him a short while after that. Have you thought about counselling, nothing wrong with getting your headspace right.

I've been seeing a counselor for about 10 years. I haven't had a session for quite a while as I had to cancel my last appointment due to my hospital visit, then I when I felt the need, it was too close to Christmas. The anxiety is coming from something I have to do tomorrow that I've been putting off for too long.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

I've been seeing a counselor for about 10 years. I haven't had a session for quite a while as I had to cancel my last appointment due to my hospital visit, then I when I felt the need, it was too close to Christmas. The anxiety is coming from something I have to do tomorrow that I've been putting off for too long.

It was a silly question really, someone as proactive with their wellbeing as you would be doing the right thing. I'm used to dealing with people who like to "tough" things out without seeking assistance or even telling anyone. And that includes family as well.

 

[Klasse Act]

This might cheer you up, came up in my algorithm

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