What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[FKE SNK]

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?



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?

This is the rebuild kit for the gun, I could def see you enjoying the rebuild process - https://www.obsessedgarage.com/prod...c4I8trNN1gkmkrUiQz4OaxaYiUVEB3TMaAm7-EALw_wcB


I will say that I did not have the same luck with the Active Power Washers that I did with the Kranzle at the volume we put them thru

Sponsored

 

[DFB5.0]

This is the rebuild kit for the gun, I could def see you enjoying the rebuild process - https://www.obsessedgarage.com/prod...c4I8trNN1gkmkrUiQz4OaxaYiUVEB3TMaAm7-EALw_wcB

That's odd, I remember someone asking if OG offered replacement parts for the OG-spec gun and one of the product guys said not possible. That was about 9 - 12-months ago, so I guess they changed their mind?

I will say that I did not have the same luck with the Active Power Washers that I did with the Kranzle at the volume we put them thru

That's hardly surprising, Active targeted a 200 to 250-hour lifespan on their pressure washers. That compares to 100-hours for the cheapie Sun Joe's (what a stupid name for a brand), Greenworks, Ryobi, Karcher domestic stuff. The Active's are better than most at this price point, making them the top pick. However, they still have a designed lifespan, whereas an AR-Blue or Kranzle will have a virtually limitless service life.

 

[skinnyb]

That's hardly surprising, Active targeted a 200 to 250-hour lifespan on their pressure washers. That compares to 100-hours for the cheapie Sun Joe's (what a stupid name for a brand), Greenworks, Ryobi, Karcher domestic stuff. The Active's are better than most at this price point, making them the top pick. However, they still have a designed lifespan, whereas an AR-Blue or Kranzle will have a virtually limitless service life.

I can definitely concur with the Active 2.0, I pulled my old one apart and found the pump seals leaking, I found the middle pump unit on the Active website but they are of course out of stock. I did get an Active 2.3, hoping the induction motor and the "serviceable" pump lasts a bit better. I know it definitely is a LOT heavier with the heavy motor. Oil change looks like a pain, but not too terrible, just a bit messy...

 

[FKE SNK]

That's hardly surprising, Active targeted a 200 to 250-hour lifespan on their pressure washers. That compares to 100-hours for the cheapie Sun Joe's (what a stupid name for a brand), Greenworks, Ryobi, Karcher domestic stuff. The Active's are better than most at this price point, making them the top pick. However, they still have a designed lifespan, whereas an AR-Blue or Kranzle will have a virtually limitless service life.

I've had my Karcher cube for 5 years now and its been great. I even let my neighbor use it one time while I was at work - he unknowingly thought he was cleaning up after himself and killed the water supply to it. The pump ran for hours, even singed the outlet, and that little thing still works.

 

[skinnyb]

I've had my Karcher cube for 5 years now and its been great. I even let my neighbor use it one time while I was at work - he unknowingly thought he was cleaning up after himself and killed the water supply to it. The pump ran for hours, even singed the outlet, and that little thing still works.

Thats my pet peeve. I make absolutely sure I bleed all the air out before I start. I ran my original Karcher dry more times than I could count. It was a pretty durable little thing...

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm guessing Bead Maker as a drying aid does not ruin MF. Am I right?

 

[radar]

DFB
One of our local on line stores (not Waxit) had a recent promotion on one of those plunger/pressure hand held foaming containers for $49.
Seem to review ok on YOutube - as always.
I’ve limited access to hose/compressor/power etc and was wondering what your experience was with these please? How many times I need to fill it to do whole car?

Both cars come up ok when I have access to hose and 3 bucket wash, with your perennial favourites -

Reset
NV boost V2
TRC
PEARL 1:1

Both cars only ever lightly soiled and currently stored - maybe til I return, January. My current regime is probably sufficient, makes foaming superfluous.

I also suspect my limited exposure to weather/roads/external environment etc I don’t need to worry so much about coating durability.
Subsequently I’m contemplating a final coating for the red one in nothing but P&S Beadmaker.
The gloss is insane.

Thx
Ray

 

[DFB5.0]

I've had my Karcher cube for 5 years now and its been great. I even let my neighbor use it one time while I was at work - he unknowingly thought he was cleaning up after himself and killed the water supply to it. The pump ran for hours, even singed the outlet, and that little thing still works.

I remember Matt saying that those particular Karcher cube models were made in a different factory to the other low end Karcher's. They certainly sound different. For whatever reason, the Cube is not sold in Australia.

 

[DFB5.0]

DFB
One of our local on line stores (not Waxit) had a recent promotion on one of those plunger/pressure hand held foaming containers for $49.
Seem to review ok on YOutube - as always.
I’ve limited access to hose/compressor/power etc and was wondering what your experience was with these please? How many times I need to fill it to do whole car?

Both cars come up ok when I have access to hose and 3 bucket wash, with your perennial favourites -

Reset
NV boost V2
TRC
PEARL 1:1

Both cars only ever lightly soiled and currently stored - maybe til I return, January. My current regime is probably sufficient, makes foaming superfluous.

From experience, I don't love those pump action foamers. They foam, but if you are coming from a foam cannon, I think you'll be disappointed.

Considering how these cars are stored between usage, I would be looking into rinse-less washing. I know some get a little worried about this wash method, but on a car that's only dusty, its the perfect solution. It doesn't mean you can't rinse the car beforehand, or that you are dry wiping the paint. With the right product and technique, in some cases it can actually be safer.

For someone new to rinse-less, I'd suggest P&S Absolute or Optimum No Rinse because those have a reassuring lubricated feel. In addition to the chemical, you'd want a set of dedicated towels, about 10 of them, of which I prefer the TRC Eagle 500 or Platinum Pluffle. Some will use a dedicated rinse-less sponge, they are ok but not my normal preference.

I'm happy to run you through it if you like, and there are plenty of videos out there showing how to do it properly. Unlike some, I would never use this method on a truly dirty car, but that's just me. These two videos show both extremes, Levi is happy to go in on a dirty vehicle, Bradley is probably more in line with my preferences.

I also suspect my limited exposure to weather/roads/external environment etc I don’t need to worry so much about coating durability.
Subsequently I’m contemplating a final coating for the red one in nothing but P&S Beadmaker.

The gloss is insane.

Thx
Ray

Beadmaker on Race Red is soooooo good!

 

[kilobravo]

Thats my pet peeve. I make absolutely sure I bleed all the air out before I start.

Ditto, Alex and I always look at the hose bib ball valve to make sure it's open before I flip the switch on the pw.

 

[skinnyb]

Ditto, Alex and I always look at the hose bib ball valve to make sure it's open before I flip the switch on the pw.

Yeah I always stretch the hose out and turn the water on and let it run for about 4-5 minutes freely with the PW off to bleed it all out then plug in my stubby nozzle. Then she is primed and ready to go. Even turn the filter on for a few seconds too off bypass to make sure it's good as well.

 

[DFB5.0]

For those with Kranzle's, I'm told they will run for hours without a water supply and still be fine. Obviously, DO NOT DO THAT, but a short moment of no water or a few air bubbles should not hurt them.

Unlike the pressure washer a former colleague destroyed. And it didn't take long either! The guy was wondering why there was no water coming out.................with the motor running. Before long, it started to smoke and promptly blew up. He brought it back into the workshop and told the boss. Said pressure washer was the boss's personal pressure washer from home too. Said employee basically broke everything he touched, including the handle of a BRAND NEW rake, I fumed over that for weeks.

That's another reason why I left, we never had the right tools to do our job, you had to rely on the boss brining in his stuff, or I had to supply my own with no compensation. You would assume a large outdoor based business would have a decent pressure washer on hand at all times. Nope. I was taking my prized Kranzle in to do the job.

 

[DFB5.0]

It's SEMA week, and so many brands are showing off new products.

For whatever reason, Carpro don't actually have a booth at SEMA, but they do use it as a sounding board for new products. To mark the 15th anniversary of the Carpro brand, they have unveiled a brand-new look to their entire lineup.

Yeah yeah, new labels, so what? Actually, back when Carpro hit the market 2010, the detailing market was vastly different. Firstly, there was less competition, especially at the premium end of the market. As more and more ceramic coating-based brands came to market, Carpro needed to ensure they stood out. The products spoke for themselves, but the way Carpro presented their brand was a breath of fresh air.

To start, they stepped away from the traditional bottle designs and the overly crowded, messing looking labels. In the early days, that meant clear plastic bottles teamed with a clean, simple and colour coded label layout. A few years later, they transitioned to a smoked semi-translucent bottle in 500ml and 1-litre sizes, as well as a unique 4-litre bottle. This coincided with a new label design that has been on the market until now.

Those outgoing labels were what drew me to the Carpro brand. It looked fresh, clean, easy to read and recognise. The form factor was high, backing up the functional excellence of the product itself. Brand presentation then became a priority within the industry, especially for companies aiming for the same pro-sumer customer. I'd also say with the introduction of these new brands, the fresh look won over younger detailing enthusiasts who wanted something more modern than what the high-sock Corvette crowd were using.

 

[DFB5.0]

The second generation iBrid Nano was well overdue. The original was a pioneer in this sector, but its fallen behind as new interpretations have come along. I think the original was perfectly proportioned, especially the long neck type. The latest new Nano sees a significant improvement in a few key areas -

- Increased power and torque, to the point where it can handle significant downward pressure, which was a drawback of the original.

- The ability to fit the larger backing plate in rotary mode, the previous one was restricted to the small backing plate. There will also be a 3-inch adaptor in the future.

- Increased battery capacity. You can also use the previous generation batteries, just at reduced machine output. The original a/c power cord will work too.

- The quick-change head system is seriously impressive. The original was a pain to change the movement adaptors, a fiddly process that required using a special tool and a lock button on the head. These ones lock in place with a magnet.

I always loved the iBrid Nano for its slender form factor, something that wasn't achieved with the Flex PXE-80 and ShineMate EB210. The drawbacks were many, but overall it was the best of its type. But in 2025, the original Nano was well overdue for improvement.

I'm now taking bets as to how much the greedy Australian distributor will charge for the new Nano. The old one was only available in kit form in Australia, retailing at a ridicules $1100 for the short neck and $1150 for the long neck. My prediction, $1300.

 

[DFB5.0]

Finally got this off my back, the Mustang's first service.

Servicing has become a major source of anxiety for me. Handing over the keys to something I've spent so much time, effort and mental capacity keeping a certain way, well it's become harder and harder for me to deal with. There have been far too many times when something has gone wrong via the careless actions of others, which are painful mental scars that I can do without.

This was top of mind when I elected to skip the 3-month / 3000km inspection. At the time, the car only had 900 km on the clock, and after speaking with the service manager, she basically said don't bother. She also explained that 3000 km inspection does not have any bearing on warranty. So, I skipped it. More on this shortly.

Now that I've had the car for 12-months, there was no escaping the 1-year / 15,000 km service. When I rolled up at 8.30 this morning, my salesman was there to greet me. He apparently noticed I was on the list and wanted to check in with me. When he asked who was working on the car, I said I wasn't sure, but I'd asked for a master tech. He then went to make sure a certain guy was put on it, which was a massive weight off my shoulders. The service adviser could see I was on edge too, when asked when I wanted the car back, I said ASAP, to which she said "yeah, I can see you are pretty anxious". It was that obvious.

When I explained skipping the 3000km inspection and the lack of kms on the car, my salesman insisted they stamp for both the inspection and todays 15,000km service. When I picked up the car, both had been filled out. This isn't them or me doctoring the books, just the reality of a very unusual situation where the car is 1-year old but hasn't even cleared the 3000km mark yet.

Also, I'm extremely grateful for what my salesman did today. He sold the car, his job was technically done. Especially 12-months after said sale. He knows my service department backstory, so I'm appreciative of the effort he put in, above and beyond what his job description entails. When we first me in 2022, he had been in the job just a few months. He's since earned himself several Ford sales awards, not just at a dealer level, but within the wider Ford brand. No doubt making sure his customers are looked after before, during and after delivery is key to that. Car salesman often get a bad rap, but not this one.

And finally, look who's back........................

Sponsored