What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[Nodster]

@DFB5.0 any tips on how to best clean green mold from the felt window strip thingys? Just noticed it today! I was just going to try a soft nail brush and some warm soapy water. But I wondered if something like 303 multi-surface cleaner might be better instead of introducing more moisture?

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[DFB5.0]

@DFB5.0 any tips on how to best clean green mold from the felt window strip thingys? Just noticed it today! I was just going to try a soft nail brush and some warm soapy water. But I wondered if something like 303 multi-surface cleaner might be better instead of introducing more moisture?

This something I have not dealt with before.

Diluted white vinegar and a brush seems to be a popular suggestion. Have a read here for more in depth information -

How To Fully Remove Mold From Your Car Interior | The Drive

 

[DFB5.0]

I'm writing and posting this while my town is flooding. I am safe and dry, but many are not. Over 8000 homes will be impacted, many are isolated by flood waters as three rivers in this area are above the major flood levels. The biggest river peaked this morning at 12.06 meters and is slowly retreating, but the flood waters will remain for several days. The roads leading into and out of town are covered in water, preventing deliveries of food and critical supplies. Currently, they are landing helicopters full of essentials to aid those who have been forced to evacuate. 1000's are without power since Friday night. All of my work colleagues have had their homes flooded or are isolated by water around their properties.

I went for a walk this morning to see where the water was........I didn't need to go far. These are of the main street leading to mine and a side street. There is a small corner store/shopping strip where the black car is in the pic, the road completely under water from there all the way back to the main street of town. The water is slowly flooding up through the drains, making its way through the gutters and up onto the grass and into the road.

There is an eeriness to this, it's all completely silent and yet it's potential to change people's lives so potent. There are so many people out walking and checking things out, no one is working, the town completely idle save for those who are rushing around making preparations. People look scared but courteous and calm, a feeling of this is what it is, nothing can be done but wait. There is a strong feeling of isolation at the moment, some more so than others.

I am feeling helpless and guilty for not being able to do anything but sit and wait. I'm told I shouldn't be doing anything due to a medical procedure I had on Friday, but I hear all those who are volunteering and working so hard to do what they can for the town. I can only think ahead at what I can do in the coming weeks, what I can sacrifice to help.

These pics are from a coworker, her house is dry but the water is knee deep in the streets surrounding her home.

I sort of had a bit of a panic attack yesterday over all this. Things are improving though, and we are safe and dry, unlike many.

This will come across as selfish, but this was what I needed to take my mind away from the flooding, about three hours' worth of detailing on the Ranger. I pottered away while listening to the Smoking Tire Podcast, the sun was shining, the mild spring breeze providing a pleasant freshness against my skin. Most of this I have shown before, but I needed to do this, so sorry for the repetition.

I started by cleaning the tray, using Koch Chemie Green Star and a long handle Vikan brush.

After the scrub, I followed up with Carpro Hydr02 on the tray floor and sides, inside and out.

Wheels, tires and wheel arches cleaned with Brake Buster. I am now using 100% Brake Buster in the foam cannon bottle, when sprayed it dilutes down enough without losing to much cleaning ability.

I have been using NV Snow as a pre-wash soak for dirtier cars lately.

I then did the contact wash with Optimum Car Wash. If you look closely at these two foam shots, the NV Snow above is a much thicker consistency than the Optimum Car Wash shown below.

A little bead porn after the wash -

For the drying aid today, I decided to grab out my bottle of AMMO Hydrate. This stuff is still a challenge for me as it doesn't atomize coming out of the sprayer head. AMMO describe this product as "paint moisturizer", well the consistency certainly mimics a moisturizer.

I then switched over to the interior. I actually vacuumed the cabin prior to the washing, scrubbing the driver's side floor mat with McKee's and dressing it with Koch Chemie GUF as well.

With plenty of time on my hands, I wanted to clean up the interior a bit more thoroughly today, using P&S Express, a Detail Factory brush and an interior towel. At this point, I want to point out that my knob is very clean now..........sorry, sometimes you have to crack a joke during trying times.

The Ranger is the only car I bother using an interior dressing/protectant on these days. Because it sits in the sun all day, I like to do this every few months. Koch Chemie Top Star is lovely for this role, offering some protection and a very slight sheen.

Turning to the glass, I'm using my favorite glass cleaner, a glass towel and the Carpro glass mitt.

I then went over the engine bay with ONR and a multipurpose towel, removing a layer of dust to keep it looking fresh. So glad I added the plastic engine cover a few months ago, just so much cleaner looking.

Tyres were dressed with AMMO Mud today, the spare wheel and front wheel arches dressed with Meguiar's Hyper Dressing.

Last step was to apply some Metal Coat to the exhaust pipe.

Finished, and yes I was listening to that, she always improves my mood................

 

[GT 550]

P&S Express, a Detail Factory brush and an interior towel. At this point, I want to point out that my knob is very clean

I will never, ever reach your levels of commitment. I take it no animals were harmed in the process.

As for helping...you may well be in ways you might not know. There are probably people reading your material in all sorts of places and circumstances where times are tough and getting respite and enjoyment from doing so

 

[Bikeman315]

Wow, just really glad you're OK and prayers for those that are not so fortunate. We here in the American Southeast just went through Hurricane Ian so we can feel your pain. At least you have a great outlet for releasing your stress and anxiety.

 

[DFB5.0]

Things are getting better, and people are starting to be able to move around again. In no way is it over though, many are still stranded in their homes and the road to recovering has only just begun.

The water flowing into my surrounding streets has mostly receded, and it looks as if the homes were spared in this area. The main road of town is open again in places, but the mess left behind is not pretty.

The Goulburn has fallen down to 11.81 and steady, but still above major flooding level. As I sit here typing, two army helicopters have flown over and are landing at the Scout reserve. The flood waters are now moving further downstream and are starting to effect towns in those areas, they brace for what they know is going to happen.

My role now is to run the family business for my three employers as they direct their attention to recovery of their parents' home. I'm told the whole house had 20cm of water through it, and they are currently gutting everything that has been destroyed. A job no one ever wants to do, and I certainly don't envy them. While I have ran the business before, it's never been under these circumstances, and I am very nervous. However, I will be doing so with my two favorite coworkers, two ladies who have been an important part of my life for a long time now and who I trust will rise to the challenge facing us in the foreseeable future. I want the guys to just do what they have to do and not worry about the business..........I HAVE GOT THIS, WE HAVE GOT THIS.

Today's distraction was the Mustang. I normally hate being interrupted during my Tuesday detailing session, but I was happily visited by a close friend this afternoon who is now free from her unintended riparian entertainment.

I did not intend on washing the Mustang today, but it's likely I won't have a chance to detail for a while as I step up to my responsibilities. So, I just decided to have a little guilty pleasure while I can.

Tyres were scrubbed with Shine Supply Wise Guy, mixed in a Marolex sprayer. The wheels cleaned with Koch Chemie GSF from my foam cannon. I then topped the wheels with Gyeon Wet Coat. The brake disks were late sprayed with Hyde's to avoid rust glazing.

The paint wasn't that dirty, just a few bugs and dust. I rinsed the car down, foamed with GSF and used a brand-new Rag Company 10X wash pad, always love breaking out a new wash pad.

Today's hardcore Pornography is via god knowns what LSP at this stage.

After being blown down with my Big Boi (OMG, that sounds a little rude ), it was onto one of my favorite products, OG Drying Aid via a Pressol sprayer.

When drying the door jambs and under bonnet area, I generally like to use some sort of waterless wash, today it was Carpro ECH20.

The interior was wiped over with a soft interior towel moistened with ONR. Have really grown to love ONR for this sort of thing.

These wheels are coated with NV wheel, so I wipe them over with NV Boost v1 to take care of any stray drops of water and add some added depth.

The tyres were then dressed with another OG product, this seems to work very well with these PS4S's.

All done and ready to be covered up for a while.

 

[GT 550]

My role now is to run the family business for my three employers as they direct their attention to recovery of their parents' home. While I have ran the business before, it's never been under these circumstances, and I am very nervous.

Congratulations, clearly you've earned their respect and they have faith in having you steering the ship. Seems like no need for nerves other than the helpful type of adrenaline shot one gets from having the courage to embrace new challenges. Could be quite a long term thing, remember to win the war not focus too much on the individual battle

 

[DFB5.0]

Well, it's over!

Five days of being responsible for running one of the biggest nurseries in Victoria. I also managed to get the business fully open again after some minor flooding in the gardens was attended to by another staff member. I did things I rarely, if ever do, chasing stock for customers, fixing computer glitches, answering email enquiries, end of day procedures, managing other staff, constantly on the phone. It was enjoyable because it was something different, but you're never "off", which is mentally exhausting. In terms of sales, the weekend trade in particular, was much better than I thought considering the circumstances the town is dealing with.

I'm so proud of my little team over the last few days, working to support one another to achieve a common goal. The floods affected everyone in town in different ways, in affect a form of trauma. My two co-workers were only cm's away from having their homes inundated, so it I'm especially appreciative that they managed to put that behind them and get on with the job. Being thrown in the deep end can be a hard thing to come to terms with, but the ladies had my back the whole way.

Counting the tills at the end of today, turning the lights off and locking the gates while knowing nothing went wrong all week was massive relief.

So today was about therapy, although I didn't really have that much to do. And that's probably a good thing because I'm still pretty tired.

After having to do some jobs in the rain yesterday in an attempt to try and catch up a little, the tray and drivers footwell were pretty dirty on the Ranger. And I had a new soap to try! :dance

https://detailingshed.com.au/products/gtechniq-w1-g-wash?variant=32688888742027

Gtechniq G-Wash is a pH neutral soap that was designed for coatings but can be used on waxes and sealants as well. It has a cherry scent that is not dissimilar to Koch Chemie GSF, which had me wondering if G-Wash could live up to the GSF user experience.

G-Wash doesn't produce the thick foam GSF is renowned for, nor does it's scent spice the air as well. G-Wash is also nowhere near as slick either. It's a nice soap at a decent price, but it's not a front runner.

Speaking of front runners, I'm really loving NV's new version of Boost.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/nv-boost-v2?_pos=1&_sid=b03b72e9d&_ss=r

Boost v2 is such an easy product to use, requiring minimal working to deliver fantastic gloss and no streaking.

I also spent 20 minutes giving the Wildtrack a superficial clean, which was covered in mud after a trip to inspect the flood damage at the old man's place in Nagambie. Sadly, there is significant damage to the property, damage that will thankfully be covered by insurance.

In terms of the method for a "superficial" clean, I simply foamed the car from dry with NV Snow, using an entire foam cannon bottle to cover the vehicle in thick foam. I left this to soak for 10 minutes, the higher pH of Snow working to break down the mud and road film. I then spent time giving the car a thorough rinse, followed by a blow down with my EGO blower. Job done! Was the car perfectly clean, no. Was it at least presentable, yes.

As I type, there is a pretty big storm passing over, dumping a lot of rain onto areas that are already saturated. Hopefully we don't see the same sort of flooding that has created chaos over the last few weeks.

 

[DFB5.0]

I’m in a privileged position to have a cabinet full of chemicals to deal with just about each and every detailing situation presented to me. Half the fun of detailing is finding and trying different products, the not so fun part is paying my hard-earned cash for them! Of course, there is a LOT of similarities and duplication between different brands, but that has not stopped me yet!

This got me thinking about what I would buy if I was limited to only 10 or 12 products, and therefore what products would give the best bang for my buck. This list will be for chemicals only, tools and towels are another matter entirely. As you can hopefully see, I have chosen products that can serve multiple roles.

1. Car Wash Soap – In the name of versatility, this would be a pH neutral soap so that it can be safely used on all types of sealants, waxes and ceramic coatings. For more cleaning ability, simply add some APC to your soap mixture (See below). In my case, I would choose Koch Chemie GSF, which can be used in a foam cannon or bucket.

2. All Purpose Cleaner – When bought as a concentrate, an APC can be tailored to a variety of tasks. A strong dilution can be used for tyre and engine bay cleaning, a light solution for interior cleaning (including leather, fabric and carpet). It can also be used to clean rubber floor mats or added to your wash soap to increase cleaning ability when required. Koch Chemie Green Star is my choice, but Carpro MultiX or Meguiar's D101 are good choices too.

3. Wheel Cleaner – There are three main types of wheel cleaners; acid based, alkaline based and pH neutral iron removers. In this case, I would go for the iron remover type so that it can also double as a paint decontamination product. I would use Carpro IronX or Gyeon Iron.

4. Drying Aid – A lot of products can be used for this role, however I decided to go for a spray-sealant type for a couple of reasons that will become evident later on. In this case, I would choose between OG Drying Aid or NV Boost.

5. Rinse-less Wash – This is a product that can be used in several areas of the car, not just for rinse-less and water-less washing. It can be used for glass cleaning, interior cleaning and as a clay lubricant. When diluted to a quick detailer solution, it can also serve as a drying aid, however I prefer the use of the above for that role. I have three products I like for this role, but ONR feels the best across all the potential uses I have listed. ONR is also said to be a good bug remover.

6. IPA/Prep Spray – These are alcohol based and are primarily designed to remove oils and resins before applying a new coating or wax. That alcohol base means they double as a glass cleaner. Carpro Eraser is the best in this category.

7. Gyeon Can Coat – This is a very easy to apply lite ceramic coating that can be used on paint, plastic trims, glass and wheels, negating the need for multiple coatings or treatments. Your spray-sealant drying aid then maintains the coating.

8. Sonax Perfect Finish – This is an easy to use one step compound that can be tailored to the required cutting ability.

9. Tyre Dressing – For this situation, I would choose Carpro Perl due to its versatility. Can be used as a tyre dressing, engine bay dressing, exterior trim dressing and interior protection.

10. Leather Care – For leather, I would choose a combined leather cleaner and conditioner like Bowden’s Leather Love.

Optional - A good tar remover can be a life saver and will also double as an adhesive remover. For this role, I would choose Carpro TarX.

Optional – A spray and rinse type sealant makes coating wheels easy or topping up your existing coating. I have switched to the premixed Gyeon Wet Coat for this role.

If you are on a budget or simply don't want to have shelves and shelves of products, then you should be able to keep a car well maintained with those 10 to 12 products.

 

[GT 550]

I'm so proud of my little team over the last few days, working to support one another to achieve a common goal. The floods affected everyone in town in different ways, in affect a form of trauma. My two co-workers were only cm's away from having their homes inundated, so it I'm especially appreciative that they managed to put that behind them and get on with the job. Being thrown in the deep end can be a hard thing to come to terms with, but the ladies had my back the whole way.

People will always go above and beyond for a good supervisor. Well done.

 

[MAGS1]

@DFB5.0 Hey D, any experience with Adam’s leather cleaner and conditioner? I know Adam’s is pricey for you all so wasn’t sure if you’ve had a chance to try it out. I‘m looking at Adam’s and Colourblock mild. Colourblock is double the price of Adam’s for me and I’ll only be using it for steering wheels, center consoles, etc. Neither one of our cars has leather seats.

 

[DFB5.0]

@DFB5.0 Hey D, any experience with Adam’s leather cleaner and conditioner? I know Adam’s is pricey for you all so wasn’t sure if you’ve had a chance to try it out. I‘m looking at Adam’s and Colourblock mild. Colourblock is double the price of Adam’s for me and I’ll only be using it for steering wheels, center consoles, etc. Neither one of our cars has leather seats.

If you are only doing a couple of specific areas, then the Adam's will serve you fine. If you need something stronger, look into P&S Express, that does really well at removing a buildup of oils and grime before treating with a leather product.

 

[GT 550]

@DFB5.0 do you have anything in the cabinet that's useful for protecting interior switches and contact surfaces from going shiny or losing their little logos, and also protecting shiny interior surfaces eg piano black surfaces from scuffing?

I watched a US YouTube channel where the detailer applied ceramic coating which he claimed helped to do this. His small bottle of ceramic and applicator was USD49, this isn't exactly the same but the closest I could find (at AUD250 ):

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p...armour-9h-ceramic-coating-kit/SPO9394963.html

I'd probably still spring for it if I knew it'd do something. Grateful for your thoughts!

 

[DFB5.0]

@DFB5.0 do you have anything in the cabinet that's useful for protecting interior switches and contact surfaces from going shiny or losing their little logos, and also protecting shiny interior surfaces eg piano black surfaces from scuffing?

I watched a US YouTube channel where the detailer applied ceramic coating which he claimed helped to do this. His small bottle of ceramic and applicator was USD49, this isn't exactly the same but the closest I could find (at AUD250 ):

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p...armour-9h-ceramic-coating-kit/SPO9394963.html

I'd probably still spring for it if I knew it'd do something. Grateful for your thoughts!

I don't have any specific product for maintaining switches. The key thing would to be to avoid stronger cleaning chemicals like APC's unless absolutely needed. The higher alkalinity with frequent use has the potential to speed up the aging process, so only use them when required.

In a technical sense, you could ceramic coat those areas, the thought would be to make the treated surfaces super-slick to make wiping safer. My first thought would be to use a plastic coating like Carpro DLUX but I think any coating could work here. To be honest, I probably wouldn't bother with a ceramic coating here, any good spray sealant or quick detailer will offer the same slickness.

Get CarPro CQuartz DLUX Kit | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

For interiors that are well maintained, as in my cars, I don't tend to use an interior cleaner, rather I use one of a few different products. I quite often just use a quick detailer for interior wipe overs, mainly to remove dust or smudges. These are really mild on interior surfaces and provide lubrication for when dealing with glossy trims. P&S Paint Gloss is a favorite, but I have also been using rinse-less washes like ONR or Carpro Ech20 for this job as well. The new range interior quick detailers are safe to use on all interior surfaces and are not as strong in cleaning as an APC or the like.

I occasionally use an ultra-soft synthetic brush for these areas too, basically using them as duster. I will also use this with a vacuum in my other hand to extract the dust as I brush.

DETAIL FACTORY Ultra-Soft Detailing Brush Long Handle 24cm (detailingshed.com.au)

For towels, I have two very different versions for interior work. For heavy duty cleaning, say leather, carpet or really dirty interiors in general, I use the larger dark green CWTT towel.

Shop The Rag Company - VALUE BUNDLE The "Car Wash" Microfiber Terry Towel - 41cm x 69cm - Pack of 10 Online - CarCareCo

When dealing with softer, delicate glossy surfaces, I go for a plusher towel. These Creature Edgeless, but Eagle Edgeless would good too. Combined with a quick detailer, these mitigate against scratches as much as possible.

The Rag Company CREATURE EDGELESS 70/30 PLUSH DUAL PILE (detailingshed.com.au)

Regular wipe downs with any of those products will limit the buildup of grime and therefore limit the use of stronger cleaning chemicals. Which in turn prevents long term damage.

 

[MAGS1]

If you are only doing a couple of specific areas, then the Adam's will serve you fine. If you need something stronger, look into P&S Express, that does really well at removing a buildup of oils and grime before treating with a leather product.

Awesome, thanks D!

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