What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[DFB5.0]

I should clarify that my experience with DCT is limited to fast road cars on a racetrack, and shifting at full noise or under braking was a rare pleasure. But for a DD I really doubt it'd be enjoyable. IIRC the 8 speed BMW box is being embraced for trans swaps which says a lot. I haven't had the pleasure of driving a 10 speed Mustang but I've driven the 10 Speed Ranger and the flexibility that trans provides is impressive.

@kilobravo would really like to know your thoughts on Sarah's DCT.

The 10-speed Ranger's are great until you start asking for manual inputs. Both up and down, the manual shifts have a massive delay in response from those stupid shift buttons on the gear selector. It does rev match on downshifts though. (Those shift buttons are ridicules, no idea why they decided to do that over what went before, they even got the orientation right, back for up and forward for a downshift.)

The previous-gen models (PX II and PX III) would skip shift in normal driving in D, starting in first, skipping to third, then fifth and so on. In Sport, it shifts sequentially.

On the latest generation, it seems Ford have gone back to sequential shifting in D, which to me, feels more refined than going up two gears rather than one.

Sponsored

 

[skinnyb]

The 10-speed Ranger's are great until you start asking for manual inputs. Both up and down, the manual shifts have a massive delay in response from those stupid shift buttons on the gear selector. It does rev match on downshifts though. (Those shift buttons are ridicules, no idea why they decided to do that over what went before, they even got the orientation right, back for up and forward for a downshift.)

The previous-gen models (PX II and PX III) would skip shift in normal driving in D, starting in first, skipping to third, then fifth and so on. In Sport, it shifts sequentially.

On the latest generation, it seems Ford have gone back to sequential shifting in D, which to me, feels more refined than going up two gears rather than one.

My F150 did this, 1-3-5 it was annoying. And it shifted like garbage. Very clunky. Drove it for 100k miles. The Mustang is much better.

 

[DFB5.0]

Taking the looong way home from the chemist, via my favorite road......................

After the XR8 consumed an absurd amount of fuel, it was time for the Ranger's weekly wash.

Soap of choice today was NV Snow. It's been a while since I washed with this soap, so it was nice to reacquaint myself with this excellent product. Because of the winter road grime on the car, I briefly considered using with Bilt Hamber Touchless as a pre-wash but decided to stick with Snow. Due to the higher pH level of Snow, it had no trouble dissolving the road film prior to the contact wash.

I tend to alternate between "protective" and "non-protective" drying aids, today was the latter. Silke is the only product that I liked from my sample of Stjarnagloss products, but then, it's pretty hard to screw up a basic quick detailer.

Speaking of the Stjarnagloss brand, it seems to have been ignored in Australia. The brand was brought into The Rag Company family a couple of years ago, basically replacing WoWo's when they went belly up. Given TRC's ability to build up brand awareness to the point of hype, its somewhat unusual for local retailers to pass on a TRC distributed brand. I suspect they were burnt by the WoWo's fallout, or that Car Care Products hold the distribution rights and not CarCareCo (the TRC distributor in Australia). Frankly, I don't think we are missing out on much, the products are pretty average and hardly worth the same or more than an equivalent Carpro, Gyeon or Koch Chemie.

 

[GT 550]

Taking the looong way home from the chemist

Hmmm a chemist that operates from a remote rural location. Mr White?

 

[DFB5.0]

Hmmm a chemist that operates from a remote rural location. Mr White?

Shhhhhhhh..............................

 

[skinnyb]

The Sjarnagloss brand, it seems to have been ignored in Australia. The brand was brought into The Rag Company family a couple of years ago, basically replacing WoWo's when they went belly up. Given TRC's ability to build up brand awareness to the point of hype, its somewhat unusual for local retailers to pass on a TRC distributed brand. I suspect they were burnt by the WoWo's fallout, or that Car Care Products hold the distribution rights and not CarCareCo (the TRC distributor in Australia). Frankly, I don't think we are missing out on much, the products are pretty average and hardly worth the same or more than an equivalent Carpro, Gyeon or Koch Chemie.

I tend to agree you aren't missing much with Stjarnagloss. I bought several products and the only 2 I have left are Silke and Forst. Silke just sits on the shelf next to my Adams quick detailer, Adams tends to get the nod when I grab just a basic quick detailer which is virtually never. Now Forst is a stellar product. It melts stuff off of tires, I actually bought a second bottle of it. Probably won't buy any more though, I am on an ADS kick right now and want to try their tire cleaner next, and I use KCx Multi Star for traffic film and high alkaline pre soak now, I bought 5 liters of it so that will take a while to use up.

And I agree about NV snow. I need to use it the next wash, I have been rotating and trying new stuff so much lately, but I do love Snow.

 

[DFB5.0]

I tend to agree you aren't missing much with Stjarnagloss. I bought several products and the only 2 I have left are Silke and Forst. Silke just sits on the shelf next to my Adams quick detailer, Adams tends to get the nod when I grab just a basic quick detailer which is virtually never. Now Forst is a stellar product. It melts stuff off of tires, I actually bought a second bottle of it. Probably won't buy any more though, I am on an ADS kick right now and want to try their tire cleaner next, and I use KCx Multi Star for traffic film and high alkaline pre soak now, I bought 5 liters of it so that will take a while to use up.

And I agree about NV snow. I need to use it the next wash, I have been rotating and trying new stuff so much lately, but I do love Snow.

NV Snow is the soap that moved me away from the likes of Meguiar's NXT and Gold Class. This was when the NV brand was called Concours Car Care, and for a while there, I used it exclusively. It's also incredibly good value in Australia, being noticeably cheaper than a range of competitors.

 

[skinnyb]

NV Snow is the soap that moved me away from the likes of Meguiar's NXT and Gold Class. This was when the NV brand was called Concours Car Care, and for a while there, I used it exclusively. It's also incredibly good value in Australia, being noticeably cheaper than a range of competitors.

Good stuff, and the local NV website here (distributed out of Charlotte, NC) is extremely competitive on price. It reminds me of DIY Incredible suds, (smell and cleaning, but not as thick) I am working on my second liter bottle right now.. I haven't found a bad product yet from NV. Snow+ is great too, and I have a bottle of their ceramic coating to try sometime if I can get it applied..

 

[DFB5.0]

Good stuff, and the local NV website here (distributed out of Charlotte, NC) is extremely competitive on price. It reminds me of DIY Incredible suds, (smell and cleaning, but not as thick) I am working on my second liter bottle right now.. I haven't found a bad product yet from NV. Snow+ is great too, and I have a bottle of their ceramic coating to try sometime if I can get it applied..

The only product I didn't care for was Clarity, a panel prep spray / glass cleaner. It's nothing more than IPA with water and colorant added, which makes it feel very grabby on paint and glass alike.

 

[skinnyb]

The only product I didn't care for was Clarity, a panel prep spray / glass cleaner. It's nothing more than IPA with water and colorant added, which makes it feel very grabby on paint and glass alike.

I bought some to use when I do the coating, you know keeping the family intact. I will use it because I have it, but I still have Eraser and Gyeon Prep. I love those two.. I have heard great things about ADS prep spray, gonna get a bottle to try next order.

 

[kilobravo]

@kilobravo would really like to know your thoughts on Sarah's DCT.

Where do I start?!

IMHO, the Tremec electric gearbox is the most amazing feature of the car! I have only tried "Normal" mode once or twice but that isn't where the 9070 shines. That would be in Sport or Track modes. When either of those are enabled, the transmission comes alive.

It learns your driving habits and shifts accordingly. Also, when you barely touch the brake, the box immedially begins downshifting and the sound is SO sweet! Makes me smile every time. :=)

Not a track guy but I know many who have that gene and they will tell you that while they tried manual shifting at the track, their times are definitely better in Track mode by just letting the DCT do its thing.

Like most, my box was about ten ounces short on fluid from Flat Rock but I've never had a transmission issue either before or after I topped the fluid off.

Love the way the clutches act when you start moving from a dead stop, it acts and sounds like you are gradually releasing the clutch pedal. It even feels like that. I also love the rev-matching downshifts.

Bottom line, I believe the 9070 is the heart of the S550 GT500 and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[DFB5.0]

It was the Wildtrak's turn this week.

Starting with the wheels, I used Brake Buster undiluted on the tyres, followed by foaming the wheel and wheel arch with more Brake Buster. Something I don't mention much, this vehicle has sidesteps finished in black plastic. I clean these between each wheel with my chosen tyre cleaner, used in tandem with the EZ-Detail Go brush.

After the wheels, the car was foamed with Bilt Hamber Touch-less, which was left to dwell while I cleaned the rubber floor mats and emptied my wheel bucket. After rinsing, I used Carpro Reset for the contact wash.

Drying aid today was 3D Bead it Up. This product seems to have more substance to it than something like Bead Maker, it having a slightly thicker consistency and stickier initial feel. Bead it Up contains Si02, which boosts longevity and gloss levels, while being compatible with waxes, sealants and ceramic coatings.

3D Bead It Up (473ml/3.78L) (detailingshed.com.au)

The first thing you notice with Bead it Up is the fruity aroma and its tendency to linger in the garage after use. When spreading the product, it has a grabby feel to it, almost like a spray wax. But after a pass with a secondary towel, the surface becomes ultra slick.

After wiping down the door jambs with DIY Waterless Wash, I moved onto the interior. I always start with a vacuum, attending to the carpets, seats, dashboard and door trims before starting with cleaning chemicals. I will follow that with a general wipe down using an interior cleaner or detailer. Today, I used P&S Xpress in a spray and wipe manner for the majority of the interior, for the leather seats, I teamed that with a soft leather brush. After cleaning the glass, I treated the leather with Geist Leather Conditioner. A spritz of Angelwax Bliss and the interior was done.

Returning to the exterior, I wiped the wheels down with NV Boost v2, dressed the tyres with Duragloss 253, the engine bay wiped down with ECH20.

 

[skinnyb]

It was the Wildtrak's turn this week.

Starting with the wheels, I used Brake Buster undiluted on the tyres, followed by foaming the wheel and wheel arch with more Brake Buster. Something I don't mention much, this vehicle has sidesteps finished in black plastic. I clean these between each wheel with my chosen tyre cleaner, used in tandem with the EZ-Detail Go brush.

After the wheels, the car was foamed with Bilt Hamber Touch-less, which was left to dwell while I cleaned the rubber floor mats and emptied my wheel bucket. After rinsing, I used Carpro Reset for the contact wash.

Drying aid today was 3D Bead it Up. This product seems to have more substance to it than something like Bead Maker, it having a slightly thicker consistency and stickier initial feel. Bead it Up contains Si02, which boosts longevity and gloss levels, while being compatible with waxes, sealants and ceramic coatings.

3D Bead It Up (473ml/3.78L) (detailingshed.com.au)

The first thing you notice with Bead it Up is the fruity aroma and its tendency to linger in the garage after use. When spreading the product, it has a grabby feel to it, almost like a spray wax. But after a pass with a secondary towel, the surface becomes ultra slick.

After wiping down the door jambs with DIY Waterless Wash, I moved onto the interior. I always start with a vacuum, attending to the carpets, seats, dashboard and door trims before starting with cleaning chemicals. I will follow that with a general wipe down using an interior cleaner or detailer. Today, I used P&S Xpress in a spray and wipe manner for the majority of the interior, for the leather seats, I teamed that with a soft leather brush. After cleaning the glass, I treated the leather with Geist Leather Conditioner. A spritz of Angelwax Bliss and the interior was done.

Returning to the exterior, I wiped the wheels down with NV Boost v2, dressed the tyres with Duragloss 253, the engine bay wiped down with ECH20.

Very nice, sounds like a great combo! I finally tried Shine Supply Shift yesterday. I like it, I agree the scent is much stronger when used in a foam canon. And its nice and slick I didn't need to wash my Mustang too much, it wasn't really dirty so cleaning power wasn't really needed but the experience was great. Used CARPRO IronX snow foam on the wheels, I find it great for cleaning wheels that aren't too bad, combining the lubrication and suds with the iron removing component is a great combo...

 

[DFB5.0]

Very nice, sounds like a great combo! I finally tried Shine Supply Shift yesterday. I like it, I agree the scent is much stronger when used in a foam canon. And its nice and slick I didn't need to wash my Mustang too much, it wasn't really dirty so cleaning power wasn't really needed but the experience was great. Used CARPRO IronX snow foam on the wheels, I find it great for cleaning wheels that aren't too bad, combining the lubrication and suds with the iron removing component is a great combo...

How does IronX Snow Foam smell, does it have the usual iron remover stench?

 

[skinnyb]

How does IronX Snow Foam smell, does it have the usual iron remover stench?

Yeah, it stinks Not quite as bad as the pure thing but still terrible :( But it does suds up really well just like any car shampoo. I noticed I fuzzed it up with my pressure washer in the bucket and I agitated with a mit on the wheel, it did turn the foam a bit pink but not as bad as with a true iron remover. My wheels were not that bad so it worked really well for me... Its definitely a nice alternative for an all in one solution. I usually spray on Purge then agitate with a regular soap in the bucket.

The iron removing soap that is really bad is Gyeon restart. It is terrible. But like CARPRO it does work really well..

Sponsored