What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[skinnyb]

Well, this is something you rarely hear about regarding Subaru's, or any Japanese vehicle for that matter.

You'll have seen this Subaru many times getting the DFB treatment....................

With just on 110,00 km (62,000 miles) on the clock, a dropped valve wiped out the whole engine today. Two weeks ago, we had been discussing a potential replacement for the vehicle and whether to keep servicing it at the dealer. The last visit to the dealer was a ridiculous $1200 for a basic service. It's also out of warranty. I said do at least one more service there, mainly because Subaru would most likely look after you if something went wrong so soon out of warranty. So............................

The dealer is repairing the engine free of charge. But.....................there are 5 other Forester's in line at this dealer waiting for the same repair.

I don't mention all of this to be sour on Subaru, rather to highlight that even the most reliable and well-made car brands have their issues as well. It's popular to sh.t on European/British/American-made vehicles for a variety of mechanical/quality/reliability problems. And yet, even the most respected brands fail too.

Subaru is the butt end of the joke here in the US as being known to need head gaskets practically every oil change But that is mostly due to the Fast and Furious crowd over here over boosting them and doing generally "hoonish" things. Those that leave them stock and simply drive them most likely don't have as much issue. Here lately Honda and Toyota, once the golden children are having their own issues as well. Mainly because very little R&D is done now a days, they simply slap them together and send them out and let us, the consumer, do their R&D and rely on dealerships and warranty/recalls to take care of the aftermath...

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[DFB5.0]

Subaru is the butt end of the joke here in the US as being known to need head gaskets practically every oil change But that is mostly due to the Fast and Furious crowd over here over boosting them and doing generally "hoonish" things. Those that leave them stock and simply drive them most likely don't have as much issue.

From what I had always been told, Subaru's are generally long lived..........................but oil changes MUST NOT be neglected, that's when things go wrong. Most of that is a byproduct of the boxer design.

Here lately Honda and Toyota, once the golden children are having their own issues as well. Mainly because very little R&D is done now a days, they simply slap them together and send them out and let us, the consumer, do their R&D and rely on dealerships and warranty/recalls to take care of the aftermath........

That is basically playing out in Australia with the Chinese brands such as MG, Havel, Cherry, JMC and BYD. In essence, those companies are using Australia as their training ground because we have very little in the way of import tariffs and have lower standards across the board. The Chinese know this and are exploiting the situation. And their sales growth has been outrageous in the last 2 or 3 years, it won't be long before China is the biggest source of vehicles in Australia.

These brands are winging it and letting the consumer deal with it. And because the customers of these brands get a car on the cheap, they don't tend to speak out about the problems for fear of admitting they made a wrong choice. Parts supply is also hit and miss, I've even heard of oil changes being a problem because of an oil filter shortage. The electronic driver aids also lack finesse, to the point of causing accidents. And yet, none of this is being regulated or held accountable for.

 

[lo-fi]

I dumped my wife's 2022 Subaru Outback (we bought it new) for three reasons. I didn't trust it mechanically, CVT, and quite possibly the worst head unit of all time. Just incredibly bad, with tremendous lag. The forums are littered with people discussing never ending head unit issues.

Sorry to hear about your car, that stinks.

 

[lo-fi]

My order for ADS pilot, hero, and amplify arrived and I cleaned three cars using their products. Honestly, application ease is my first priority, excluding the obvious (gloss, etc.). All three products delivered. I won't say anymore as the rest of you have covered all the finer points. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[skinnyb]

That is basically playing out in Australia with the Chinese brands such as MG, Havel, Cherry, JMC and BYD. In essence, those companies are using Australia as their training ground because we have very little in the way of import tariffs and have lower standards across the board. The Chinese know this and are exploiting the situation. And their sales growth has been outrageous in the last 2 or 3 years, it won't be long before China is the biggest source of vehicles in Australia.

These brands are winging it and letting the consumer deal with it. And because the customers of these brands get a car on the cheap, they don't tend to speak out about the problems for fear of admitting they made a wrong choice. Parts supply is also hit and miss, I've even heard of oil changes being a problem because of an oil filter shortage. The electronic driver aids also lack finesse, to the point of causing accidents. And yet, none of this is being regulated or held accountable for.

Its really sad, all manufacturers are using the public as their R&D. I must say my Mazda has been rock solid reliable, it is one of the Asian brands that I have been most impressed with of late. Of course the CX5 has been in production using pretty much the exact same drivetrain for over a decade

 

[Ozcraig]

My local Autobarn store is advertising Turtle Wax Pro to the Max Liquid Wax for $10 a bottle. Seems like great value when usually $50+

I currently use the Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Detailer after every wash and my paint is in pretty good condition. Car is garaged.

Firstly, has anyone any comments on that TW wax?

Secondly, if I want to use the TW wax would I need any form of surface prep before applying it, and could I or should I then continue to use the Meguiars on top after each wash?

 

[radar]

I’m no expert but can report your Meguairs is one of the few products from Repco/SCA/Autobarn that regularly feature in our guru’s “Best of” and “Top 3” categories

 

[DFB5.0]

12-months today.......................

A lot has changed since that day, it's been 12-months since I worked for you know who. Although they probably suspected it, but I walked out at the end of my last day before LSL knowing in my heart and head it would be the last time. Two weeks prior I had been verbally assaulted with an audience, a situation that keeps running through my scarred mind. I held it together for those two weeks, knowing the end was in sight. By that stage, my body was functioning on adrenalin alone. A few weeks later I was in hospital, the recovery eating a months' worth of my leave. By end of December, I'd officially quit, which also coincided with the imminent passing of my workplace grandmother. The funeral was civil but extremely awkward.

In many ways, the funeral was the final hurdle to clear before gaining my freedom. I now sleep at night, which in itself has been a revelation. My near entire life is no longer a constant state of dread, fear and anxiety.

So that car above represents both pleasure and pain. The pain I went through prior to its arrival, but also the pleasure of being free of the asylum.

A few favourite shots of the Mustang....................

 

[DFB5.0]

My local Autobarn store is advertising Turtle Wax Pro to the Max Liquid Wax for $10 a bottle. Seems like great value when usually $50+

There has to be a reason why they have it on fire sale. Also, it shows how overpriced the product is if they can afford to sell it at $10 instead of $50.

Not a fan of what Turtle Wax does, especially at the prices they ask in Australia. Mothers, Meguiar's and Chemical Guys fall into the same trap.

I currently use the Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Detailer after every wash and my paint is in pretty good condition. Car is garaged.

Firstly, has anyone any comments on that TW wax?

Secondly, if I want to use the TW wax would I need any form of surface prep before applying it, and could I or should I then continue to use the Meguiars on top after each wash?

Just wash the car and wipe it down with a prep spray.

Personally, I'd just stick with the Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Detailer, fantastic product.

 

[skinnyb]

Well I noticed the last few washes a strange liquid on the shelf where my pressure washer sits. I took off the shelf and found oil under the unit. Its coming from behind the pump and ponding underneath.

Well crap. I LOVE the Active 2.0...... I contacted Active and they are working to hopefully get me fixed up. In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered an Active 2.3 "tool only". And got it mounted today. It being more "serviceable" will be helpful as much as I use mine. Gonna go fire it up shortly and see how she does. Had to get 1.45 orfices for my foam cannon's and a 4.5 40 degree tip as well. Hopefully they make my 2.0 unit whole again, I will definitely keep as a back up unit...

 

[skinnyb]

Test run for the new Active 2.3. HOLY COW, this thing rocks. Gave my daily driver a quick wash, I LOVE it...

Wheels and Tires: CARPRO Retyre, Brake buster, Reset in the bucket, Gtechniq T2 Tyre on the tires.

Paint: CAPPRO Reset and Gyeon Eco wash 20:1 as drying aid with a new Gyeon Silk Dryer Evo. Then wiped down all the upper surfaces and exterior glass with CARPRO ECH20 15:1


Got 2 Mustangs to wash on Saturday, will try to get some video of it in action then when I have customers that can be my "camera man" .

On a brighter note, I sent the oily pictures to Active of my 2.0 and they are shipping me a new unit under warranty. So I will have a nice backup unit. I LOVED My 2.0 an excellent unit, til it wasn't Ironically it was still working flawlessly, just oily on the bottom, I knew it was a matter of time til the oil in the pump all ran out.

 

[FKE SNK]

Over the weekend I did a maintenance rebuild of my MTM cannon and Mossmatic gun using the rebuild kit from OG.

I've had the leaking gun and drippy foam cannon for a few months - don't be like me. Fix these things

It's an easy rebuild for both and there are plenty of videos online to watch. The only thing that was tough was pulling the seat needle out of the gun. You will need some tiny pliers or some stout tweezers.


Next on my list is rebuilding and restoring a Kranzle I retired from one of my shops - I think it saw 5000 washes without an oil change, it also fell off the shelf, broke the gauge and bent the fan cover. So I gave it an oil change, a new microswitch for the shutoff and a thorough cleaning of the unloader valve. I'm going to acid wash the aluminum body and replace my Karcher with it. This unit has outlasted all the other brands I've tried(no surprise) but it deserved the retirement. Cannot recommend Kranzle enough - there were days we would send 40-50 cars thru the wash bay and it just put up with it.

 

[DFB5.0]

Over the weekend I did a maintenance rebuild of my MTM cannon and Mossmatic gun using the rebuild kit from OG.

I've had the leaking gun and drippy foam cannon for a few months - don't be like me. Fix these things

It's an easy rebuild for both and there are plenty of videos online to watch. The only thing that was tough was pulling the seat needle out of the gun. You will need some tiny pliers or some stout tweezers.

With the Mosmatic Gun, I wasn't aware there was a rebuild kit for them? Or did you just replace the o-rings on the quick-connect?

Next on my list is rebuilding and restoring a Kranzle I retired from one of my shops - I think it saw 5000 washes without an oil change, it also fell off the shelf, broke the gauge and bent the fan cover. So I gave it an oil change, a new microswitch for the shutoff and a thorough cleaning of the unloader valve. I'm going to acid wash the aluminum body and replace my Karcher with it.

If you do end up having to dig deeper and replace the oil seals, you must be extremely careful not to scratch the brass pump housing when removing and installing the new ones. They make a special tool for doing that task, but at $225, it's probably not something you'd want to buy for a one-off task.

OG has several videos on rebuilding these machines. They also have two videos coming up where they take a beat up Kranzle and AR 630, strip them down, then rebuild with fresh parts.

This unit has outlasted all the other brands I've tried(no surprise) but it deserved the retirement. Cannot recommend Kranzle enough - there were days we would send 40-50 cars thru the wash bay and it just put up with it.

I've heard countless stories of Kranzle's continuing to run and run and run, even after countless hours of use without maintenance. Show them some love and they are good for another 1000 hours use. They really are built like tanks.

That's not something you can say about 90% of the pressure washers on the market. Which makes sense, the lower price reflects that. I do however wonder how the heavier duty Active's and Big Boi's will fair, they are marketed as "serviceable", but for how long and how far? Can I replace the plungers and valves? If I burn the pump, can I get a replacement?

 

[DFB5.0]

An eclectic mix used on the Mustang today......................

Working left to right -

ADS Adapt - Used as a light drying aid to mop up remaining drips of water after blow drying. Great on glass and door jambs too.

Bilt Hamber Atom Mac - Applied to the brake rotors after cleaning the wheels, then again after the final rinse/before blow drying. This stops flash rust forming on the rotors, turning the freshly cleaned black wheels orange.

Carpro Reset - The best soap on the market! Used as a wheel cleaner as well.

 

[kilobravo]

Love my Kranzle..

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