DFB's Garage

[DFB]

Did you hear about the Range Rover Lemon case. A woman bought a top of the line Range Rover and over to the next 18 months it had numerous issues, usual thing, back in the workshop more than it was on the road, the dealer wanted to help out, but Range Rover Australia said no. So she sued them, and won. End result, they had to give her a full refund, and pay her legal costs. I heard this a few months back, so some details may vary slightly, but the full refund is correct.

Expensive lesson for Range Rover, but I bet they didn't learn.

And what was said earlier on Jeep, and Jeeps in general, so true. I really want to like them, and I would love a V8 Grand Cherokee, but there's no way I would ever have one. By comparison to my FJ, they are unreliable, and the dealer support is rubbish.

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When Jeep was under the FCA umbrella, and before the ridiculous "Stellantis" thing, FCA were aggressively increasing their sales and market share by forcing dealers to take on stock that they didn't even need or want. The result was rapid market share growth spurred on by very aggressive pricing and dealers desperate to get the stock off their hands.

That rapid increase in sales had an undesirable byproduct of the dealer network not having the capacity to service and maintain those vehicles, especially with warranty repair. So, people would rightly take their car in for warranty issues, only for them to left stranded by a non-existent spare parts supply chain and/or a dealer without the capacity to deal with it in a timely manner. /

And still, FCA kept forcing dealers to take stock without spending any money on the back end of the business. And in that, I mean spare parts and warranty repairs. It was all about sales volume, volume, volume. In the end, the dealers launched legal action against Jeep/FCA.

[Tasmania]

Did you hear about the Range Rover Lemon case. A woman bought a top of the line Range Rover and over to the next 18 months it had numerous issues, usual thing, back in the workshop more than it was on the road, the dealer wanted to help out, but Range Rover Australia said no. So she sued them, and won. End result, they had to give her a full refund, and pay her legal costs. I heard this a few months back, so some details may vary slightly, but the full refund is correct.

Expensive lesson for Range Rover, but I bet they didn't learn.

And what was said earlier on Jeep, and Jeeps in general, so true. I really want to like them, and I would love a V8 Grand Cherokee, but there's no way I would ever have one. By comparison to my FJ, they are unreliable, and the dealer support is rubbish.

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I like how if you buy a brand new fridge/freezer or a $10,000 dollar tv if it plays up or is a dud you ring up HN and get a brand new one.

But when it's a car different story, a gentleman at a car yard said to me once car's are a disposable item now day's.

[DFB]

Last day off.

With the XR6 in for the 90,000km service for the umpteenth time (with 31,309km on the clock, the car is a 2008 by the way), I settled into a rinse-less wash of the Mustang. No photos of the process, I was too wound up in the podcast I was listening to about a 22-year-old guy killing it at running his own detailing business, getting to work on some pretty expensive machinery.

I feel like in the last two weeks there has been a constant flow of subtle signs in regard to what I do for living. I'm miserable where I am, only staying for the comfort factor of the money it brings in. The longer I have let this go on, the harder it is for me to break the ties. Nothing changes, I get angrier and angrier, explode and then the cycle repeats.

Perhaps that thought train was why I ended up washing the service loan car for something to distract me?









This Ford Puma ST-Line was dirtier than I would normally like to attempt using rinse-less, but I have had a number of people challenge me to try using the method on a truly dirty car compared to what I normally deal with. So, what better car to try this out on than someone else's?



In this case, I decided to use McKees N-914, each section was pre-treated beforehand, the TRC UBS as the wash media. I also used an ultra-soft brush on the grills.





I then dried the car using Bead Maker to add a little pop to the paint, N-914 isn't really good for that sort of thing.

Let me say that I was not entirely comfortable doing this wash with the car so dirty. I also decided not to pre-rinse the car before hand, so I was really testing the method to its fullest. Frankly, when a car gets to this point and beyond, I much prefer the use of LOTS of water, soap and rinsing. It just feels safer to me. That doesn't mean I hate rinse-less washing, I love it in fact.

After the paint, I pre-sprayed the wheels and used a towel soaked in N-914 to give the wheels a superficial clean. I vacuumed the interior and then wiped everything down with P&S Express, cleaning the glass with Invisible Glass. I then dressed the tyres with Duragloss 253.







I love the taillight design of the Puma.........







For the small amount of effort I put into the car, it came up very nice.

And what about the Puma? I really liked it in fact! The Puma is not offered in the US, it being based on the current generation Fiesta and manufactured in Romania. Think of it like a way, way improved EcoSport that I believe is still offered for sale in the US. The Puma does not have the availability of AWD, so is front wheel drive or nothing.

This is not the first Puma I have driven, or even the first ST-Line. The way Ford tuned the throttle and torque curve makes the car feel super eager. Granted, the grumpy sounding 3-pot EcoBoost has absolutely no top end grunt, but it's got character, I just wish they gave it a little more induction note to go with the sporty nature of the car.

The 7-speed DCT gearbox is very torque converter-like in how it slurs the gears, which I assume is to make it feel more "normal". It does have that usual DCT feel when launching from rest. That paddles are pretty snappy, the rev matching is good, but the gearbox upshifts automatically at about 6200 rpm, it also ignores driver inputs when turning, a weird characteristic. Having lived with a DCT equipped car before, I know that certain characteristics of the gearbox become second nature after a while.

Overall driving dynamics are great, the ride is excellent, the steering a touch over assisted on initial turn-in but pleasantly weighted and responsive. At speed, the road noise refinement was excellent. The engine does have a little trouble pulling the tall 7th gear from say 80 kph.

While the ST-Line is a mid to high spec for the Puma, I couldn't help noticing that this $30,000 hatch has better interior materials than the $60,000 Ranger I had last week. The steering wheel is a real highlight, feeling great to hold and trimmed in lovely soft leather. I also preferred the dial cluster screen layout in the Puma better than the Ranger too, having a clearer and more logical appearance. Depending on the drive mode selected, normal, sport, eco, slippery or trail, the gauge cluster colouring changes to suit the mood, the blue normal mood is pictured, red for sport.



As mentioned, the Puma is a brilliant little car. I refuse to call this an SUV, it's a hatchback to the core and even the seating position and ride height being hatch-like. I also love the softer, organic styling direction Ford took with the Puma, they look even better in red or blue.

I was asked if I wanted to buy a Puma on my return, to which I replied that I liked it so much I washed it for them. Apparently they are looking for a service department detailer. Hmmm.........................

[DanaDetailingPros]

Do I hear a subtle inclination to start a shop? I know the $ wouldn't be what your use to at first. But when I see your so passionate about detailing that you would actually do a quality wash in and out on a loaner. That says allot!
I'm a true believer in doing what makes you happy and the $ will follow!
I just saw the latest Unpack posts and CRAP DFB you have more than most detailer's I see. That will squash allot of overhead right off the bat. I think the only thing I haven't seen posted by you are a steamer and extractor. I'm looking at grabbing a Mytee 8070 soon. My method is a little shy of smooth sailing in that department. Good results but more effort.

[DFB]

Do I hear a subtle inclination to start a shop? I know the $ wouldn't be what your use to at first. But when I see your so passionate about detailing that you would actually do a quality wash in and out on a loaner. That says allot!
I'm a true believer in doing what makes you happy and the $ will follow!
I just saw the latest Unpack posts and CRAP DFB you have more than most detailer's I see. That will squash allot of overhead right off the bat. I think the only thing I haven't seen posted by you are a steamer and extractor. I'm looking at grabbing a Mytee 8070 soon. My method is a little shy of smooth sailing in that department. Good results but more effort.

I have everything I need to do this for a living to a high standard, except the steamer and extractor that you mention. Ideally, I would like to do this from my own garage so that I can spend more time at home. If there was one thing I learnt from the Covid lockdowns, its that spending more time at home is not a bad thing for me personally. I have understanding neighbors, so in theory running a small business from my garage should not be an issue. Ideally, I would like to replace my 4 day a week 9-5 job with detailing, while maintaining my current list of gardening clients I service 2 days a week. This would in theory level out my income as I build a detailing customer base.

Can you tell I have thought about this for a long time now? The reliable income factor, combined with a lack of courage from me and the strong desire to not ruin my hobby by turning it into a drudgery is what's stopping me. The reality is, I am tired of being a slave to the man, three of them to be precise, the lack of positive feedback, the anxiety that builds inside me physically and mentally.

Sorry for venting all this here, I don't tend to speak about this to people in person, so it builds and builds and generally leads to depressive episodes.

[DanaDetailingPros]

Absolutely start as a side gig in the garage. Which is allot nicer than most shops. You've truly made the right investment there. Just word of mouth in the beginning. I also started making my garage into a temporary location until I feel comfortable enough to get a brick and mortar location. I already have been looking for an ideal location. I just want enough client base traffic that will at least help keep the lights on and spread the word. I never thought I would get back into this full time. But like I said doing what you love and being passionate about it, is the recipe for success. I do hear you loud and clear about getting burned out. It is inevitable without help. Than you are the man! And know what it takes to make people happy and feel appreciated. When I had a place and a handful of great guys, I always went out of my way to pay them well and kept it fun and real all the time.

[Klasse Act]

Deyon, so looking back, how did you like using the method on a truely dirty car?

I know you personally have just gotten into RW and I can tell you I've washed my own cars using RW's for well over a decade now. I just pre-treat the hell out of the panel and use either my grout sponge/BRS/multiple towel method and just knock it out. I always make a little more product as well as make it a little stronger too

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[BlakeC]

I have always gone to the local coin op to blow off the first layer during the winter months. Last weekend my car was covered in salt from recent snows and it was very dirty. I couldn’t get into the coin op and decided to give it a go without blowing off the crap. I used 914 and pretreated the car with a stronger mix in an IK foamer. Rather than use the UBS I went back to using mf towels and lots of them. I was quite amazed as to how well the rinseless wash worked. It certainly was against my better judgment to wash such a dirty vehicle without soaking it down with lots of water first but it worked extremely well. I have been doing rinseless washing for at least ten years but this really showed how good they are.

[oneheadlite]

I have everything I need to do this for a living to a high standard, except the steamer and extractor that you mention. Ideally, I would like to do this from my own garage so that I can spend more time at home. If there was one thing I learnt from the Covid lockdowns, its that spending more time at home is not a bad thing for me personally. I have understanding neighbors, so in theory running a small business from my garage should not be an issue. Ideally, I would like to replace my 4 day a week 9-5 job with detailing, while maintaining my current list of gardening clients I service 2 days a week. This would in theory level out my income as I build a detailing customer base.

Can you tell I have thought about this for a long time now? The reliable income factor, combined with a lack of courage from me and the strong desire to not ruin my hobby by turning it into a drudgery is what's stopping me. The reality is, I am tired of being a slave to the man, three of them to be precise, the lack of positive feedback, the anxiety that builds inside me physically and mentally.

Sorry for venting all this here, I don't tend to speak about this to people in person, so it builds and builds and generally leads to depressive episodes.

Shoot man, you could start a YouTube channel if you could get past the hurdle of putting yourself out in front of folks; not just for detailing stuff but anything you're passionate about. Yours are threads on here I make sure to keep up on - your writing is clear and eloquent, and your knowledge and enthusiasm are evident. I'm mostly joking about starting on YouTube as I could see the stress being high on executing a video to the standards you operate at, as well as the whole being-on-the-other-side-of-the-camera thing; but in seriousness I'd watch whatever you put up.

I think/hope I've mentioned this in the past, but I really appreciate your openness and sharing of some your experiences with anxiety and depression. In today's world where it seems like everything is telling us to be perfect, I'm grateful for your sharing that reminds us - "Hey - we're all working through something, and that's ok."

Don't beat yourself up for having stayed where you're at - I worked at my first major job for 9 years, and when I put in my notice my stomach was in knots. Even though I was looking forward to the change, there's still comfort with the Devil You Know.

You mentioned the dealership looking for a detailer; the biggest thing I see on that would be the strong push for production vs perfection. (On that note, my first major job was as an Auto tech at a dealership; I left because it had grown enough to lose the "small dealer" feel and had turned into feeling like a money machine.). If you're doing it on the personal front, while your time is still valuable, extra hours put in above and beyond are working towards the satisfaction of a car leaving with your name on it delivered at a caliber that will impress anyone.

[dgage]

What the guy missing a headlite said. I love reading your posts and if you parlayed that to video, I’m sure you’d do well as long as you stay away from a sales agenda. I also understated that turning a passion into a job removes it as a release and enjoyment. But enjoying what you do means you don’t have a job or some such nonsense.