What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[radar]

Look what I found..........................

2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage $98,990 - Lorbek Luxury Cars

Probably slower than a S550 Mustang, but just look at it!

Or this.................................

2006 BMW Z4 M E85 MY06 $72,900 - Lorbek Luxury Cars

Love the styling of the original Z4, it has the red interior and that 3.2 engine is GOD!

Or the XKR big cat with the supercharged 5.0 engine........................

2013 Jaguar XKR 5.0 SC V8 X150 MY13 $114,990 - Lorbek Luxury Cars

But...........................they are all black, and I really don't love black cars.

Sold cars for a while in the 70s - after graduating Teachers’ College.
Still reckon the Daimler V12 was best car ever driven. Well, I drove a customer V12.
Today a mint XJ 6 still warms my heart, especially Series 3 with pepper pot wheels. Recall we traded one with smaller 2.8 Litre engine. Base Cortina went harder.
Loved watching Minder, mainly episodes with Arthur’s Jag in its natural domain.

Pound for pound it’s the 550s for me.
Iconic retro styling, legendary status, sounds, smells and goes like a Sixties muscle car - when the world was good.

Sponsored

 

[DFB5.0]

First wash of the Ranger today after it was ceramic coated two weeks ago, with Gyeon recommend not washing with strong detergents within the first 14 days after application. In that time, it's been through two cycles of my mowing run, a tip run after a backyard cleanup, a trip up the highway to deliver bulky items for my father's rebuilt flood ruined holiday cabin, been rained on and driven on grotty wet roads. So it was good to cleanse the car and my mind of that.

I washed the whole car, wheels included, with Shine Supply Shift, a gentle pH neutral pure soap that easily dealt with situation after the initial rinse removed most of the dirt..............the coating doing its job then. Drying Aid was P&S Paint Gloss, interior wiped down with P&S Swift, tyres dressed with Perl. The tray, door jambs and engine bay wiped down with Carpro ECH20. Next on the to-do list for the Ranger is an engine bay detail, which is needing a little more than what I can achieve with a simple wipe down.

Strangely, while I was wiping the upper fan/radiator shroud, I found a random piece of plastic resting between the belt pulley and a radiator hose. It turned out to be the lower clip-in fan shroud. How this didn't destroy the fan itself or the accessory belts is a miracle. I have no idea how this happened or when, but after inspection nothing looked damaged, so I fed it past the hoses and clipped it back in place. Very strange.

The XR6 got rained sprinkled on it while dealing with the Ranger, so I washed the wheels with NV Snow, then rinsed it down before an Absolute rinse-less wash in the garage. As with the Mustang last week, I teamed Absolute with the Clean Maker concoction, again, an impressive combo.

 

[skinnyb]

First wash of the Ranger today after it was ceramic coated two weeks ago, with Gyeon recommend not washing with strong detergents within the first 14 days after application. In that time, it's been through two cycles of my mowing run, a tip run after a backyard cleanup, a trip up the highway to deliver bulky items for my father's rebuilt flood ruined holiday cabin, been rained on and driven on grotty wet roads. So it was good to cleanse the car and my mind of that.

I washed the whole car, wheels included, with Shine Supply Shift, a gentle pH neutral pure soap that easily dealt with situation after the initial rinse removed most of the dirt..............the coating doing its job then. Drying Aid was P&S Paint Gloss, interior wiped down with P&S Swift, tyres dressed with Perl. The tray, door jambs and engine bay wiped down with Carpro ECH20. Next on the to-do list for the Ranger is an engine bay detail, which is needing a little more than what I can achieve with a simple wipe down.

Strangely, while I was wiping the upper fan/radiator shroud, I found a random piece of plastic resting between the belt pulley and a radiator hose. It turned out to be the lower clip-in fan shroud. How this didn't destroy the fan itself or the accessory belts is a miracle. I have no idea how this happened or when, but after inspection nothing looked damaged, so I fed it past the hoses and clipped it back in place. Very strange.

The XR6 got rained sprinkled on it while dealing with the Ranger, so I washed the wheels with NV Snow, then rinsed it down before an Absolute rinse-less wash in the garage. As with the Mustang last week, I teamed Absolute with the Clean Maker concoction, again, an impressive combo.

Very nice glad to hear you like the Gyeon coating. I really like Can Coat on my daily driver. Works really well. And I have tried Swift a couple times, it seems to work really well. I do find it smears on my infotainment screen, I usually do a follow up wipe with CarPro Inner QD on that.

Hope to see the engine detail. I did my Mustang a while back, paired Green Star and a brush down, rinse then used Motorplast. I really like that stuff

 

[DFB5.0]

Ranger Paint Correction & Coating - Part Two

I would also like to replace the wheels; the cheap silver paint has been slowly disappearing for a while now. (Yes, as a lot of people have warned me, I wore the paint off the thing.) This particular spec was fitted with narrower wheels than the high-ride and 4x4 models, having 16 x 6.5-inch wheels rather than the 16 x 7.0-inch. So finding a new set in that spec has proven hard, plenty of the 16 x 7.0 though. I'm also considering the 16-inch wheels offered as an accessory or on the XLS. These are also in the 7.0-inch wide spec but will still fit the standard size 215/70/R17 tyres.

Do I need to do the above. Of course not. Am I thinking about it? Is the Pope Catholic?

You're welcome

Spray can for fully sik hella gloss black goodness bro. Or Teddy Bears from an old Mazda 121? For science.

Well, it looks like I found my next project!

These are used Ranger XLS wheels in 16x7 size. At the price paid for them, it would appear only I want a set of povo 16-inch wheels, I'm happy to overlook the very small chip on one wheel, go find that missing center cap and splurge on a new set of tyres! I've been contemplating this for a while, so I already know what tyres to get, Michelin Agilis. In any case, the current tyres are the originals from 2016. I'll run the same factory sizing, 215/70/R16 for simplicity.

MICHELIN AGILIS - Car Tyre | MICHELIN Australia Official Website

The current plan is to get them properly cleaned up, iron decontamination, clay, remove the old wheel weights and adhesive, then polish them up. I'll have the new tyres fitted before applying ceramic coating, then fit them to the car.

 

[skinnyb]

Well, it looks like I found my next project!

These are used Ranger XLS wheels in 16x7 size. At the price paid for them, it would appear only I want a set of povo 16-inch wheels, I'm happy to overlook the very small chip on one wheel, go find that missing center cap and splurge on a new set of tyres! I've been contemplating this for a while, so I already know what tyres to get, Michelin Agilis. In any case, the current tyres are the originals from 2016. I'll run the same factory sizing, 215/70/R16 for simplicity.

MICHELIN AGILIS - Car Tyre | MICHELIN Australia Official Website

The current plan is to get them properly cleaned up, iron decontamination, clay, remove the old wheel weights and adhesive, then polish them up. I'll have the new tyres fitted before applying ceramic coating, then fit them to the car.

Those will look great. Can't wait to see them I did the same decon and clean on my daily driver over the weekend when I rotated my tires. I used Eulex for the first time, that stuff is magical at removing wheel weight residue. Some Trix for the decon phase was great too... I was lazy and just put a coat of spray sealant on mine. Used my Stjarnagloss Parla, believe it or not that is a fairly good sealant, I used on the paint too about a month ago and it is holding up really well.

 

[DFB5.0]

This is what has been bothering me on these steel wheels on the Ranger.

So, I'll admit this is the first and only wheel curb in my whole life!

This has been of natural causes, its been getting slowly worse and now its starting to rust through. I've seen this on other Ranger's and vehicles with basic painted steel wheels.

And I now have this strange chemical etching on all four wheels. I know exactly which product did this and it and the rest of their products are no longer in my cabinets. The surface has been compromised now and it didn't improve with an attempted polishing.

For you guys in the US, it won't be an issue, but for Australian readers, DO NOT buy products from MIRCH. I will never buy products advertised on social media ever again. Sure, the bottles look nice, and the brand is well presented, but this is typical of the "Facebook Brands". In that I mean a company set up by an individual to sell catalog products from a local blender, then advertised on social media and most likely "warehoused" in some ones backyard shed. And because these companies don't make or have any clue what's in the products, they and you have no recourse.

I have not reached out to MIRCH, they would likely point to user error. In no way was the product used improperly on hot wheels or in hot direct sun. It was used in a spray, agitate and rinse fashion. And I've used various similar products without issue for many years.

Anyway, the short of it is I have new (ish) wheels to fix the issues.

 

[skinnyb]

This is what has been bothering me on these steel wheels on the Ranger.

So, I'll admit this is the first and only wheel curb in my whole life!

This has been of natural causes, its been getting slowly worse and now its starting to rust through. I've seen this on other Ranger's and vehicles with basic painted steel wheels.

And I now have this strange chemical etching on all four wheels. I know exactly which product did this and it and the rest of their products are no longer in my cabinets. The surface has been compromised now and it didn't improve with an attempted polishing.

For you guys in the US, it won't be an issue, but for Australian readers, DO NOT buy products from MIRCH. I will never buy products advertised on social media ever again. Sure, the bottles look nice, and the brand is well presented, but this is typical of the "Facebook Brands". In that I mean a company set up by an individual to sell catalog products from a local blender, then advertised on social media and most likely "warehoused" in some ones backyard shed. And because these companies don't make or have any clue what's in the products, they and you have no recourse.

I have not reached out to MIRCH, they would likely point to user error. In no way was the product used improperly on hot wheels or in hot direct sun. It was used in a spray, agitate and rinse fashion. And I've used various similar products without issue for many years.

Anyway, the short of it is I have new (ish) wheels to fix the issues.

I was afraid of that :( That looks very Gyeon esque, the bottles do anyway. I get the same vibes from a whole product line I mentioned in previous posts that I no longer use much, a couple I don't use at all. Only a couple from that batch have somewhat impressed me. No issues like that though but their wheel cleaner isn't impressive at all. I am sticking with "Name Brand" stuff from now on.

 

[radar]

New wheels for the Ranger, DFB?
Know the feeling; secured mint set second hand off Brighton Ford before collecting my 2020 Coupe

 

[DFB5.0]

I was afraid of that :( That looks very Gyeon esque, the bottles do anyway. I get the same vibes from a whole product line I mentioned in previous posts that I no longer use much, a couple I don't use at all. Only a couple from that batch have somewhat impressed me. No issues like that though but their wheel cleaner isn't impressive at all. I am sticking with "Name Brand" stuff from now on.

Fairly sure I know the brand you are referencing, they disappointed me too.

 

[DFB5.0]

New wheels for the Ranger, DFB?
Know the feeling; secured mint set second hand off Brighton Ford before collecting my 2020 Coupe

Yes, the wheels are for the Ranger. They are nothing special like those forged 19's you have there, but it's a workhorse so they will serve me well.

I'm champing at the bit to get them to DFB-spec! I have the ceramic coating ordered from the USA and found a brand-new center cap for the one missing. Just have to order the tyres now. I could probably re-use the current Dunlop's, but they are the OE originals and are over 7 years old now, so fresh rubber wouldn't be bad idea anyway. I plan to clean, decontaminate and polish the wheels before having the rubber fitted, then apply the coating before fitting to the car. I may also replace the lugs, they are the same jacketed acorn type used on the Mustang and have a habit of rusting internally.

 

[skinnyb]

Fairly sure I know the brand you are referencing, they disappointed me too.

Yes, for the most part all are duds. There were a couple that I like pretty well though. Forst is excellent for really grimy bits (I actually ordered another bottle of it), probably one of my favorite tire cleaners for sure. On par with Retyre for me. RTU so the bottle goes quickly once you start with it. Also Parla is decent so far. I applied over a month ago and it is holding up very nicely, still beading like crazy. Easy to apply as well, maybe not on par with my current favorite S0.02 but acceptable.

 

[DFB5.0]

We lost power at 8pm last night, seconds before a massive wind and thunderstorm hit. No power, no internet via both NBN or cellular...............I was in bed shortly after and slept for 13 hours! I could have slept longer, but I was expecting guests at 10.30am, so forced myself out of bed for a caffeine injection. It was raining and thundering as I went to bed, and it was still raining and thundering at 12pm today, just one continuous, 16 hour rolling thunderstorm.

Thankfully, the rain and clouds cleared shortly after lunch, meaning I suddenly felt better...................because that meant I could keep my Christmas tradition rolling.....................

Every Christmas day, I wash my sisters car.................with her help. I had to skip last year as she was overseas, and this year the Mazda 3 made way for a Volvo XC60 T6. (My sister lives over two hours away in Melbourne, so I don't see her much. She also knows no one is going to treat her car like I would, so she leaves it for me. I have no problem with that, I would rather it arrive dirty after a few months then have some moron wash it with a dirty foam sponge and dry it with synthetic leather chamois.)

Wheels were first, sprayed with NV Purge as a pre-treat while I scrubbed the tyres with P&S Undressed. Rinsed, I applied Brake Buster via a foam cannon and took care of the wheels and wheel arches. I then applied Hydr02 to the wheels and Atom Mac to the rotors.

For the paint, I pre-treated with Carpro Lift. The Cquartz Professional has been on the car for more than 6 months now, so this would have been its first decon wash.

Rinsed, I then re-foamed with KCx Gfx, I mean it would have been rude to have not used this Christmas themed soap today!

After the wash, I then applied Carpro Reload 2.0 as a topper to the coating, again more than 6 months after it was applied. I want this coating to last for her, she paid more than a good sum of money for it to be applied, so keeping it fresh is top of mind.

I then applied Carpro Perl to the tyres, wiped the interior down with a damp towel, I have instructions to NOT use scented interior products because "it still smells like new", and who am I to argue with that. I have to say, the leather has a lovely soft feel and matte appearance to it, I didn't want to mess with that. I applied ColourLock Leather Shield at the last wash, which I will reapply next time. A quick vacuum, then the glass got cleaned with my go-to, Stoners Invisible Glass. I then filled up the windscreen washer bottle with McKee's N-914, then wiped the engine bay down and called it job done.

Interesting to note, these cars don't have a dip stick for the engine oil. You have to dig deep into the menu system to find the oil life and level, where it only states if the oil level is "normal", there is no visible level to inspect. As a car guy and someone with mechanical sympathy, I hate that feature. I have no problem having digital read out, but sometimes it's important to see the actual level with your own eyes. I do wonder how the service technician tells if he has added the correct amount of oil, you can't always rely on adding a set amount and calling it good. And what if the sensor fails, then doesn't report a low level? I guess Volvo would happily sell you another engine..........or car.

Anyway, the Volvo is back to spec! I had forgotten what a pain painted gloss black wheels were to maintain, they show every speck of dust and scratch easily.

 

[DFB5.0]

Woke up to pouring rain and thunder again today, so I aborted the plan to wash the Ranger and instead started on the new wheels.

I started with an iron remover, this time Opti-Coat Ferex. Probably one of the better iron removers I have used, even if it has no attempt at disguising the stink.

https://www.zas.com.au/product/909/opti-coat_ferrex_473ml.html

Once left to dwell, I hit the wheels with Shine Supply Wise Guy, which is traditionally used as a tyre cleaner but is now able to be used on wheels. In this case, I selected Wise Guy for it's alkalinity and teamed it with a boars hair brush for extra cut.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/s..._psq=wise&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=30236506226777

It's then I had to get aggressive in removing tar deposits, old wheel weight adhesive and baked on grime. I used a combination of a plastic razor, Carpro TarX, KCx Eulex AND Eulex M to remove the tar, rubber residue and adhesive. I then clayed the barrels using Bilt Hamber Medium Clay, which is very aggressive stuff that I would normally avoid, the wheel faces I did with a standard mild clay. I then went over the barrels with a magic eraser and more Wise Guy to remove what else I could. Be mindful that using a magic eraser is extremely abrasive, so always use as a last resort. In my case, because I'm polishing, it accepted the risk.

https://www.waxit.com.au/collection...-razor-blades-5-holder-pack?variant=641815945
https://autobuff.com.au/products/ko...-glue-tar-remover?_pos=2&_sid=1174661d9&_ss=r
https://autobuff.com.au/products/ko...ubber-oil-remover?_pos=1&_sid=1174661d9&_ss=r
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/c...pos=1&_psq=tar&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=702352873
https://autobuff.com.au/products/bi...5&_sid=2e4a16cfb&_ss=r&variant=43042565128417
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/w..._pos=2&_sid=8b01f7668&_ss=r&variant=641815593
https://www.bunnings.com.au/mr-clean-eraser-pad-block_p0066425

The wheel faces came up fine, a nick or two but acceptable. Once polished, they will look quite nice. The barrels I'm not happy with. There are scratches down to the alloy where someone previously scraped off the wheel weights, only just visible through the spokes but I know they are there. I actually lightly scuffed, prep sprayed and then applied a light dusting of silver touchup paint to fill and disguise these areas. Once the barrels are polished, they should be acceptable.

Because of the barrels, I almost chucked it in and gave up on these wheels. My other option is to buy brand new versions from Jefferson Ford, who have these same wheels listed at $990 each, which would be $3960 + delivery.

https://www.jeffersonfordparts.com....MI5JCyvaesgwMVusA8Ah1tuAe_EAQYASABEgK2-fD_BwE

I would rather spend that sort of money on a brand-new set of 18-inch Y-Spoke wheels for my XR6. After the paint touch up, I'm about 70% willing to stay with the secondhand wheels, so I'm going to wait until I have polished them before making the decision. I really do need to rein in my need for perfection here because this vehicle is not a bloody show car, it's a workhorse!

I also need to make a move on the tyres while they still have a cashback program going on.

 

[skinnyb]

Woke up to pouring rain and thunder again today, so I aborted the plan to wash the Ranger and instead started on the new wheels.

I started with an iron remover, this time Opti-Coat Ferex. Probably one of the better iron removers I have used, even if it has no attempt at disguising the stink.

https://www.zas.com.au/product/909/opti-coat_ferrex_473ml.html

Once left to dwell, I hit the wheels with Shine Supply Wise Guy, which is traditionally used as a tyre cleaner but is now able to be used on wheels. In this case, I selected Wise Guy for it's alkalinity and teamed it with a boars hair brush for extra cut.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/s..._psq=wise&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=30236506226777

It's then I had to get aggressive in removing tar deposits, old wheel weight adhesive and baked on grime. I used a combination of a plastic razor, Carpro TarX, KCx Eulex AND Eulex M to remove the tar, rubber residue and adhesive. I then clayed the barrels using Bilt Hamber Medium Clay, which is very aggressive stuff that I would normally avoid, the wheel faces I did with a standard mild clay. I then went over the barrels with a magic eraser and more Wise Guy to remove what else I could. Be mindful that using a magic eraser is extremely abrasive, so always use as a last resort. In my case, because I'm polishing, it accepted the risk.

https://www.waxit.com.au/collection...-razor-blades-5-holder-pack?variant=641815945
https://autobuff.com.au/products/ko...-glue-tar-remover?_pos=2&_sid=1174661d9&_ss=r
https://autobuff.com.au/products/ko...ubber-oil-remover?_pos=1&_sid=1174661d9&_ss=r
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/c...pos=1&_psq=tar&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=702352873
https://autobuff.com.au/products/bi...5&_sid=2e4a16cfb&_ss=r&variant=43042565128417
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/w..._pos=2&_sid=8b01f7668&_ss=r&variant=641815593
https://www.bunnings.com.au/mr-clean-eraser-pad-block_p0066425

The wheel faces came up fine, a nick or two but acceptable. Once polished, they will look quite nice. The barrels I'm not happy with. There are scratches down to the alloy where someone previously scraped off the wheel weights, only just visible through the spokes but I know they are there. I actually lightly scuffed, prep sprayed and then applied a light dusting of silver touchup paint to fill and disguise these areas. Once the barrels are polished, they should be acceptable.

Because of the barrels, I almost chucked it in and gave up on these wheels. My other option is to buy brand new versions from Jefferson Ford, who have these same wheels listed at $990 each, which would be $3960 + delivery.

https://www.jeffersonfordparts.com....MI5JCyvaesgwMVusA8Ah1tuAe_EAQYASABEgK2-fD_BwE

I would rather spend that sort of money on a brand-new set of 18-inch Y-Spoke wheels for my XR6. After the paint touch up, I'm about 70% willing to stay with the secondhand wheels, so I'm going to wait until I have polished them before making the decision. I really do need to rein in my need for perfection here because this vehicle is not a bloody show car, it's a workhorse!

I also need to make a move on the tyres while they still have a cashback program going on.

Those look fantastic in pictures. I am sure they will look awesome once mounted. The holes in them are small so any barrel imperfections will not be that visible if at all. I agree with reining in expectations. I sigh every time I take mine off my daily driver. The barrels are trashed in less than 2 years. 2 sets of tires and the wear and tear of cleaning off old wheel weights have done a number on them as well. Plus mine are painted gloss black. They look OK at 5 feet. Good enough for me

As for the iron remover, I am trying to find the cheapest option that works well. I have priced every one I can find in gallon sizes and have found Gtechniq is the cheapest for me in 5 liter size. Gonna get me a jug soon. I have on hand Gyeon, CarPro, as well as Purge/Purify and Hjul by Stjarnagloss. I really like Gyeon and IronX but they are prohibitively expensive. The next cheapest is P&S Iron Buster.

 

[DFB5.0]

Those look fantastic in pictures. I am sure they will look awesome once mounted. The holes in them are small so any barrel imperfections will not be that visible if at all. I agree with reining in expectations. I sigh every time I take mine off my daily driver. The barrels are trashed in less than 2 years. 2 sets of tires and the wear and tear of cleaning off old wheel weights have done a number on them as well. Plus mine are painted gloss black. They look OK at 5 feet. Good enough for me

As for the iron remover, I am trying to find the cheapest option that works well. I have priced every one I can find in gallon sizes and have found Gtechniq is the cheapest for me in 5 liter size. Gonna get me a jug soon. I have on hand Gyeon, CarPro, as well as Purge/Purify and Hjul by Stjarnagloss. I really like Gyeon and IronX but they are prohibitively expensive. The next cheapest is P&S Iron Buster.

A supplier told me that P&S Iron Buster is not as good as it used to be, in fact he talked me out of it. He said that the Gtechniq version is the one he uses most.

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