DFB's Garage

[Big Dave]

The old classic (Your going to wash the paint off) or (You can do mine next)

I think you should do it Dave but wear the Viking hat and a bikini

My usual response when they say, "you can do mine next", is , "you can't afford me, my skills don't come cheap". They laugh, but can't think of anything else to say.

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[DFB]

The last week has been pretty stressful, mostly at work. So, I really needed the therapy of solitude that only Detailing brings me. Plan was to wash the Ranger, it got quite filthy after a full mowing run this week, and I also wanted to wash the Mustang as well. My plan would change after doing the Ranger though.

This week, I wanted to use a product that has been sitting at the back of the cabinet for a while now, Carpro EliXir, used with a Gauntlet drying towel.



I also applied Koch Chemie GUF to the floor mat. I decanted this into a Kwazar for an easier application, although it would seem this sprayer head has failed. No problem, it gives me an excuse to go shopping.



With the Ranger all done, I was gearing up to do the Mustang until I had a change of mind.

We have a cleaner come for two hours a week to help out around the house. I'm happy to pay for the service if it means one less thing I have to worry about. The irony is that while she cleans indoors, I'm outdoors cleaning cars. When you let someone into your home like this, you tend to get to know them quite well. She had been needing a newer car for a while now, her VY Commodore had clocked up 260,000 miles / 420,000 km's and was starting to need a round of extensive repairs to keep it on the road. After running it past me a couple of weeks ago, she picked up her new car on Saturday.



It's a July build 2010 Ford FG Falcon XT in a color called Ego, a dark grey with a lovely level of multi-hued metal flake. It's only just run in with 130,000km on the clock from its original owner.

I'm really happy for her, it's a nice upgrade and she was praising how smooth and effortless it was to drive, I smiled and said, well it's a Falcon. I then offered to detail it for right then and there. She had dropped a few hints in previous weeks, so I sort of knew I would be doing it sooner rather than later, today was so nice outside I though now was as good as any to do it. I had everything already set up so that I could fit it into the two hours she would be here.

Wheels and tires got attention first, using the big guns on this car. The wheels really need to removed to get fully clean, I did my best with the time and access I had. NV Purge was used on the wheels, Brake Buster to do the tires and wheel arches. I actually destroyed one of my old red Speedmaster brushes on this car, never mind, I know where to get another.







I didn't screw around with cleaning the paint, it was straight to Carpro Descale. I love, love, love this soap. I pre-soaked, cleaned the crevices with a brush, rinsed, re-foamed and then did the contact wash.







It's been a long time since I have felt paint this rough and crunchy. If I wasn't time limited, the car would have benefited from a clay, but I decided to at least give it a chemical decontamination with Carpro IronX.



After extensive rinsing to remove the IronX residue, I went over the whole car with Hydr02. There was absolutely nothing on the paint, as much as anything, the Hydr02 makes the drying process quicker and easier.

Into the garage, I blew the car down and used OG Drying Aid to ramp up the gloss. Again, time limited, I know this product provides a good level of protection and water repellency while being quick and easy to apply.



I then raced around the car, drying/cleaning the door jambs with ONR, cleaning the glass inside and out, vacuumed, wiped the interior with Meg's QID and a generous misting of Angelwax Eden. I then dressed the tires with Koch PSS, sprayed Megs Hyper Dressing in the wheel arches and applied some Mothers Naturally Black to the rear bumper insert.







The car looks great in the photo's, but really needs a good polish to remove some scratches, hazing and watersports. Time did not permit that. My goal was to at least make her new car look a little more new. It's funny how natural it felt washing this car, I guess I have great practice with FG Falcon's.

When she asked how much she owed me, I told her it was on me. I know she does it tough, travelling considerable distances to work. This was my little gift to her in appreciation for what she does for us.

[Tasmania]

Car cleaned up good i like the colour, i'm a sucker for grey or silver.

Feels good to give back to a hard working cleaner good karma for you DFB

[DFB]

Car cleaned up good i like the colour, i'm a sucker for grey or silver.

Feels good to give back to a hard working cleaner good karma for you DFB

Color is one of my favorite things about cars. Ego was very popular; it was the launch color for the BF MK II Falcon and featured heavily in the launch images for the FG Falcon.





In low light, the color is very flat looking. In direct sunlight, it reveals a spectrum of fine metal flake, making it one of those colors that really rewards effort.





In 2008, I was tossing up between three colors for my XR6;

Ego -



Nitro Blue Metallic -



Sensation Blue Metallic -



At 21, I thought Nitro was too boy racer (which I was, like every guy at that age). It was also too popular, nearly every second XR6 was painted in that color. Choosing between Sensation and Ego would prove difficult. I had seen Ego in person and liked it, Sensation was a new color and so I would be ordering blind. In the end, I went with Sensation and don't regret it at all.

[Azure]

I do indeed love the sensation blue.

[DFB]

I do indeed love the sensation blue.

One could say it's "Sensational".

[DFB]

Wondering if I could ask for some advice.

My boss just took delivery of a brand-new Mazda CX-5 Akera in Eternal Blue. This is their first brand new car, which I had a hand in steering him in the right direction. To my surprise, he went ahead and ordered the top of the range (Akera) and selected the optional 2.5 Turbo. I say surprise because he has always been really tight with his money, and very much one of those people who a car is merely and object to travel from A to B. When you run a small family business, you basically work 7 days a week in one way or another, adding the Pandemic into the mix has meant a lot of hard work on their part to ensure the business survived. Our business would end up being a winner out of the pandemic, sales went absolutely nuts and all of us have been run off our feet. So, this new car is a well-earned reward for their hard work, and I think that is why he went ahead and spent the added money for a car they will be proud to have.



I now have two jobs because of this new car. Firstly, their old Mazda 3 needs to be detailed to get it ready to be sold. The Velocity Red paint has some mild oxidation so will be given a one-step to bring it back. The last time I detailed it, the car came up pretty good, with the acknowledgement that it would benefit from a polish when the time came to sell.



When they decided to go with the Mazda CX-5, they were given the usual sales pitch of paint and interior protection, which I managed to talk him out of. I don't know if that was the correct thing to do, but I hear of so many people who pay considerable money to have a dealership coating installed, only for it fail prematurely. I actually offered to do it for him, without the massive mark up.

Apart from wheels and trim, I have never used a ceramic coating before. I was all set to just use a spray sealant or wax, but I wanted to use something that would last them a little longer, so I went ahead and ordered some CanCoat EVO to use on this car. So, all of this waffle to get to my question(s);

I know CanCoat is a pretty lightweight coating and I feel like I am a pretty capable detailer, but am I being silly using this car as my first ceramic coating? Is it as easy as it looks?

I'm excited to put my touch on this car, and nervous about the coating at the same time.

[dgage]

Just watch the videos of applying CanCoat as it is super easy but is not like a coating application, it is wipe-on/wipe-off. Use an application towel and two wiping towels and you should be good but dawn or evening light would be even better when applying. Part of the way through application, retire the first wiping towel, promote your second wiping towel to first, and get another wiping towel to ensure wipe-down is solid. Should leave the car well-protected and the owners very happy.

[opie]

I applied it with an autosaver coating applicator, and the first time i used it...i used to much. And it was a pain to wipe off. Legit only 10-15ml per vehicle is needed.

I have a small spray bottle to use to fill with the proper amount so i can make sure i dont overuse. Im aure others that have used the product do not need to do this but for me its easier to monitor.

On a pearl white vehicle i didnt notice it but on my black buick i noticed the darkening effect so i could plainly see where i had applied and not applied.

Maybe the guz will chime in as he has lots of applicator time with can coat

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[Me Time]

Haven't been on the site in a while. Nice rides, like that blue Falcon. I wish they would of brought some of the Ford's you all had down there to the states. Did you ever own a Ute? Always thought those were a sharp looking little truck.

I appreciate your brand choice. I've been with Ford for 33 years now. Work at the truck plant where we build the Superduty, Expedition, and Navigator..... Thanks