DFB'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF DETAILING - UPDATED AUGUST 2024

[Lorne34]

The last concert of hers I attended was an outdoor event, held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. I shouted my sister a ticket as well. By the time we got there, you know how women are, all of the good vantage points had been taken. As such, the show was basically viewed from a screen, at which point, I'm like I may as well stayed at home and watched a concert of hers in my living room............................in warm comfort. Same concept applies to going and seeing live V8 Supercar races. The TV coverage is so good, why go and sit in a dusty field watching cars pass every minute or so.

Long story short, I can't be bothered.

THat's how I feel about NFL football in the states. I'm 30 minutes from Lambeau Field. Been there, done that. Couldn't pay me to go to a game now. Between parking, uncomfortable seats and trying to hear the PA announcers describe what just happened I would rather be at home.

Sponsored

 

[DFB5.0]

THat's how I feel about NFL football in the states. I'm 30 minutes from Lambeau Field. Been there, done that. Couldn't pay me to go to a game now. Between parking, uncomfortable seats and trying to hear the PA announcers describe what just happened I would rather be at home.

My problem is I live in a regional country town, a 2.5-hour drive to the nearest capital city. So, a 5 hour round trip, and I'm not a confident city driver, it stresses me out. You then sit in uncomfortable seats often being behind someone tall, and so far back that you end up watching the screen instead of the person you went to see. Then as you say, parking, standing in lines and because of my sensitive ears, I go deaf from the volume. Then throw in the cost of the tickets, fuel, food, parking, its a lot of money to not enjoy the experience.......................................... so yeah, I'd rather watch at home in comfort and spend that money on more detailing supplies or parts for my car. I guess that makes me dull and boring.

 

[skinnyb]

My problem is I live in a regional country town, a 2.5-hour drive to the nearest capital city. So, a 5 hour round trip, and I'm not a confident city driver, it stresses me out. You then sit in uncomfortable seats often being behind someone tall, and so far back that you end up watching the screen instead of the person you went to see. Then as you say, parking, standing in lines and because of my sensitive ears, I go deaf from the volume. Then throw in the cost of the tickets, fuel, food, parking, its a lot of money to not enjoy the experience.......................................... so yeah, I'd rather watch at home in comfort and spend that money on more detailing supplies or parts for my car. I guess that makes me dull and boring.

My sentiments exactly. Are you sure we aren't related?

 

[MAGS1]

My problem is I live in a regional country town, a 2.5-hour drive to the nearest capital city. So, a 5 hour round trip, and I'm not a confident city driver, it stresses me out. You then sit in uncomfortable seats often being behind someone tall, and so far back that you end up watching the screen instead of the person you went to see. Then as you say, parking, standing in lines and because of my sensitive ears, I go deaf from the volume. Then throw in the cost of the tickets, fuel, food, parking, its a lot of money to not enjoy the experience.......................................... so yeah, I'd rather watch at home in comfort and spend that money on more detailing supplies or parts for my car. I guess that makes me dull and boring.

Same here. My wife and I used to go to concerts, football and baseball games, etc. Now it’s more of a hassle and the at home experience is so much better. Plus, I’ve become much more averse to large crowds as I’ve gotten older. They make me uncomfortable and I can’t really put my finger on why because we used to love going to that kind of stuff. It’s also become quite expensive, especially for a family of 4.

 

[Lorne34]

Same here. My wife and I used to go to concerts, football and baseball games, etc. Now it’s more of a hassle and the at home experience is so much better. Plus, I’ve become much more averse to large crowds as I’ve gotten older. They make me uncomfortable and I can’t really put my finger on why because we used to love going to that kind of stuff. It’s also become quite expensive, especially for a family of 4.

I agree.. The last concert I was at was Norah Jones in Chicago and it was not a fun experience. She is great, but watching her on the screen I could have been at home. I almost bought tickets to see the Eagles last year, but they were $150 each for decent seats and no Glenn Fry.....

 

[Evolvd]

I particularly enjoy live music. I don’t go to concerts often but a live experience is just better than a video of it IMHO. I’ve always wanted to see Metallica live and next June I will finally realize that bucket list as I catch their no-repeat weekend show. Two days, no songs repeated between both shows.

 

[MAGS1]

I particularly enjoy live music. I don’t go to concerts often but a live experience is just better than a video of it IMHO. I’ve always wanted to see Metallica live and next June I will finally realize that bucket list as I catch their no-repeat weekend show. Two days, no songs repeated between both shows.

I went to one of their concerts here in the late 90’s. They absolutely do not disappoint live. They’re my favorite band by far. I took a music history class in college (needed some electives) and did my final exam presentation on them.

Hope they still sound as good for you now as they did back then. It was an absolute blast.

 

[skinnyb]

I agree.. The last concert I was at was Norah Jones in Chicago and it was not a fun experience. She is great, but watching her on the screen I could have been at home. I almost bought tickets to see the Eagles last year, but they were $150 each for decent seats and no Glenn Fry.....

Last concert I saw live was Trans Siberian Orchestra in 2017. They are actually great even from the nose bleed seats. All the lasers, pyro and the ear splitting volume of the band you really can't have a bad seat in the house with them... It is a great production but alas the cost is really prohibitive and the above mentioned parking and such really keeps me away..

 

[MAGS1]

Last concert I saw live was Trans Siberian Orchestra in 2017. They are actually great even from the nose bleed seats. All the lasers, pyro and the ear splitting volume of the band you really can't have a bad seat in the house with them... It is a great production but alas the cost is really prohibitive and the above mentioned parking and such really keeps me away..

They are fantastic live as well. I think that’s actually the last concert that my wife and I have been to. And that was probably 15 years ago now

 

[GT 550]

I guess that makes me dull and boring discerning and sensible

Each to their own, I wish I cared less about people standing up in front, parking etc...

 

[GT 550]

Dear Dr D,

I see that in your cabinet you have a wand and a spray gun. Watching your video on cleaning wheels started me wondering about whether I need an upgraded wand given the spray gun alone seems to do what I'd need, and also what jobs you use them for respectively.

I currently have a Gerni 7300 (2320psi 8.3 l/m) and while not in the league of the Kranzle it seems from watching the wheel cleaning video that instead of using the Gerni wand as I do now I could foam with the Gerni trigger handle using my current cannon, and then rinse, wash and rinse (including application of a product like Meg's Hybrid Ceramic) with the spray gun.

The truth is I'm also a tight arse and don't understand the value of an upgraded wand.

Grateful as always for your sage advice.

P.S. If you decide to move the XR8 you're not going to 'just trade it', right? Ever. Not. No.

 

[DFB5.0]

Dear Dr D,

I see that in your cabinet you have a wand and a spray gun. Watching your video on cleaning wheels started me wondering about whether I need an upgraded wand given the spray gun alone seems to do what I'd need, and also what jobs you use them for respectively.

I currently have a Gerni 7300 (2320psi 8.3 l/m) and while not in the league of the Kranzle it seems from watching the wheel cleaning video that instead of using the Gerni wand as I do now I could foam, rinse, wash and rinse (including application of a product like Meg's Hybrid Ceramic) with the spray gun.

The truth is I'm also a tight arse and don't understand the value of an upgraded wand.

Grateful as always for your sage advice.

P.S. If you decide to move the XR8 you're not going to 'just trade it', right? Ever. Not. No.

As long as I am able, that XR8 (and XR6) will never leave my ownership. As such, I have never contemplated how they would be moved on.

For clarity, in terms of pressure washer setups, an OEM arrangement is usually a gun and lance with integrated nozzle. In the aftermarket, you are talking about a short gun, wand (lance) and separate nozzle tip.

The biggest advantage of an aftermarket pressure washer gun/wand/nozzle setup would be when cleaning wheels. The standard OEM pressure washer gun and lance setups are mandated at a set length, as such, they are cumbersome for when dealing with wheels. Doable, but not ideal.

(Disclosure - To mix things up, I'm using video for my explanations here, I'm not trying to drum up views, not my style)



The same applies to foam cannon use, the short gun arrangement means you don't have a full foam cannon handing off the end of the lance. Again, its doable, but not ideal for the fittings and your arms/shoulders.



Now, you don't necessarily need the wand to go with a short gun, so you could save some money there. I will often just use the short gun and nozzle for rinsing, but the wand is nice to have, especially a bent wand that can be turned upside down to better rinse the underbody.





Now for what to buy. Now, I know you can get a short gun and nozzles from Amazon, but they are junk. I wouldn't be putting faith in something so cheap to handle 1500 - 2000 psi. So I won't be catering to that.

Also, you need to be very careful when selecting nozzles, they need to be the correct orifice size to prevent damage to the machine. With 8.3 LPM, that's pretty stout by the way, I'd be looking at a 4.0 or 4.5, this will actually decrease your pressure and increase the flow.
Nozzle-Selection-Chart.pdf

Assuming you are keeping the hose, this where I would be looking -

Waxit -

Waxit sell MTM guns, wands and nozzles, but it seems they are buying these items bare, then fitting cheaper fittings to bring the cost down.

I would ignore the SG35 models and look at the SG28 Kit, which includes the gun, nozzles, lance and an adaptor kit to connect to your Gerni hose. Notice how the gun is a blue SG28 and not the grey SGS28. That's because they are fitting the swivel aftermarket themselves and not the factory MTM fit.

The only thing I don't like about this kit is the unprotected nozzle tips, but you can swap those out later on if you want, just stick with 25- and 40-degree tips. In any case, you will need to make sure they give you 4.0 or 4.5 orifice nozzles as the kit doesn't mention which is supplied on the product page.
MTM MSG28 Gun & Lance Upgrade Kit – Waxit Car Care
MTM Pressure Washer Nozzle – Waxit Car Care

They do sell the above kit in singular forms. You could then leave out the wand and swap in the better rubber nozzles. Again, make sure to select the correct orifice -
MTM SG28 Swivel Short Gun – Waxit Car Care
MTM Pressure Washer Nozzle – Waxit Car Care
Waxit Short Gun Fitting Kit – Waxit Car Care

Detailing Shed -

I find Detailing Shed to be a bit better switched on with pressure washing, so I'd lean towards them. Again, I'd be looking at the SGS28, which has the factory fitted swivel and superior MTM connections.

The MTM SGS28 Pro kit includes the SGS28 gun, a wand and 4.0 40-degree tip. This is where I started out.
MTM Hydro Premium Kit 2 Spray Gun Kit | Detailing Shed

Otherwise, you would be shopping these items separately, again, select the Gerni attachment -
MTM SGS28 Gun for Professional Car Detailing - Detailing Shed
Stainless Steel Spray Lance for Foam Gun - Detailing Shed
MTM Acqualine Nozzle Guard - Protect Your Spray Gun Nozzle - Detailing Shed
MTM QC Hydrojet SS Nozzle for Spray Foam Gun - Detailing Shed


I know that sounds like a lot, it can get very confusing. I'd be shopping either of the kits from Waxit or Detailing Shed. In both cases, that setup will outlive the pressure washer itself. If you go with Detailing Shed, they also sell replacement o-rings for the 1/4 and 3/8 couplers, handy to have as spares.

Viton O Ring 1/4" for Reliable Sealing - Detailing Shed
MTM Stainless Steel QC Plug 1/4 MPT | Detailing Shed

I hope that helps, reach out if you need, happy to help.

 

[GT 550]

Brilliant, thanks Dr D

 

[Evolvd]

A quality gun and wand setup can make or break the wash experience since that is the most tactile part. You spend more time with your hands on a spray gun than you do on a mitt. Treat yourself to quality products and you’ll enjoy the wash process even more.

 

[DFB5.0]

A quality gun and wand setup can make or break the wash experience since that is the most tactile part. You spend more time with your hands on a spray gun than you do on a mitt. Treat yourself to quality products and you’ll enjoy the wash process even more.

Agreed! It will transform the usability of that Gerni, or any pressure washer.

Sponsored