DFB's Detailing Garage

[DFB5.0]

On its routine wash today, I made a start on decontaminating the Wildtrak in preparation for polishing and coating next week. This wasn't planned, but I thought I may as well get a head start, in turn getting me to the polishing step quicker.

My starting point today was thick layer of dust after some gravel road driving last week. I mixed up a batch of Touch-less at 1.5% PIR, using it as a pre-wash for the wheels and wheel arches prior to cleaning with foamed Brake Buster. Because of the dust, I decided to treat the engine bay as well, foaming with Touch-less, agitation with EZ-Detail brushes, rinsed, then lashings of Hyper Dressing.

When decontaminating, I normally apply the iron remover to dry paint as the first step, but there was so much dirt on the car that I needed to deal with that first. So, the whole vehicle was foamed with Touch-less, allowed to do its thing, then rinsed. Gyeon Iron then got sprayed onto the whole vehicle and left to dwell while I put away the wheel cleaning tools. Apart from some very faint spots on the tailgate, the vehicle had virtually no iron contamination.

With the iron remover rinsed off, NV Snow was foamed on and the contact wash completed. I then went over the car with a clay mitt and Gyeon Clay Lube. The paint was fairly smooth to begin with, only a few spots here and there benefited.

That's where the decon finished for now, but the time-consuming part is done. Prior to polishing next week, I will pre-wash with an alkaline soap, then contact wash with KCx Reactivation Shampoo to strip any remaining protection and mineral content.

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[DFB5.0]

Ranger Wildtrak Detail 2025

The Wildtrak was last polished and coated in January 2023, the Can Coat EVO performed beyond expectations, easily lasting about 15-months. For a coating “lite” with a 12-month durability claim, and considering the car is parked outdoors 24/7, you really can’t ask for more really. I do wonder if the Capro Essence primer polish played a part in this.

I’ve been meaning to get this project done for months now, actually, more like a year. Last winter and into early spring, I was just too burnt out. I was also holding off on projects until my long service leave started, which flowed into my new cars arrival and following detail series, then a stint in hospital and recovery, then the polishing workshop, then the XR8 detail, then Christmas, then the Wildtrak’s body repairs…………………..all the while continuing to run my own business. Excuses, excuses………………….so, here we are, time to get this vehicle back to shape.

Decontamination & Prep Work -

This project began last week with a partial decontamination via an iron remover and clay treatment. Today, I foamed the car down with Carpro Lift, rinsed, then foamed with KCx Reactivation Shampoo.

Carpro Lift mid-dwell..................

This was my first use of Reactivation Shampoo, which an acidic soap designed to revive ceramic coatings, in particular breaking down and neutralizing mineral content. Obviously, there is no ceramic coating to revive here, but considering the vehicle sits outside in all conditions, the removal of potential mineral content is worthy endeavour. RS will also help strip away the spray sealants and drying aid’s I’ve used to limp the car through until now. This soap is pretty strong, so rather than eyeballing it, I made sure to measure this one out, 50ml in the bucket and 60ml to 940ml in the foam cannon.

Now, those quantities might sound a little anemic, and I've noticed GSF won't foam very well at similar suggested dilutions. But pleasingly, RS foams brilliantly at those numbers while also being exceptionally slick. It does have a rather strange aroma though, much like a bathroom shower cleaner.

With the car rinsed for the final time, I used the blower to remove as much water as possible, then went around with a large drying towel and Rupes Reveal Lite to finish the decon step. The Reveal also helps evaporate the moisture, especially helpful considering how flat the paint after the strip washing. At this point, the paint was squeaky clean!

The final step was to go around taping up various trims, some of which were treated with Solution Finish earlier this year. You can see I also taped the glass side of the trim while I was at it as I planned to polish the glass too.

Products Used In this Step -

- Gyeon Iron Remover
- Economax Clay Mitt
- Gyeon Clay Lube (Diluted 5:1)
- Carpro Lift (Alkaline)
- Koch Chemie Reactivation Shampoo (Acidic, Diluted 15:1)
- Rupes Reveal Lite (IPA Prep Spray)
- Carpro Masking Tape

Polishing –

The goal for polishing wasn't for an all-out correction, just a refresh. My father couldn't care less about flawless paint, so I was not about to spend days using multiple steps or even trying various compound and pad combinations. I went straight to the ShineMate blue foam with Carpro Essence. Why? Because Essence does a few things at once, such as being relatively mild, in fact it uses the same abrasives as another favourite of mine, Carpro Reflect. However, Essence also leaves behind a layer of Si02, in effective priming the surface for a coating. That Si02 also has the ability to fill certain defects, which is kinda cheating but considering the goal, I really don't care. And finally, it's stupid easy to work with, doesn't dust and is a dream to wipe off.

A couple of tips when using Essence -

- Like any "all-in-one" type polish, you need to be mindful of what that CAN do to your pads and towels.................

- As you finish with each pad, put it straight into a bucket with water and APC, microfiber detergent or an alkaline soap such as Lift. Don't put them straight into water as you will make things worse.

- With your towels, you can be a little less anal, but be sure to wash them straight after your polishing session. If you can't wash them ASAP, put them into separate bucket of water with APC/detergent/soap and allow them to soak till you can.

- In both cases, you are avoiding the sealant from setting up in the fibres of the towel or foam material, in turn rendering them useless.

- For more cutting performance, run more passes to fully cycle the abrasives.

- For more filling ability, short cycle by spreading rapidly over the section and then completing a single set of passes.

- Essence is said to be best with a light foam finishing pad, and especially good on a microfiber finishing pad. In my case, I know it works well with the intermediate level ShineMate blue foam pad.

You will also see P&S Clarity Creme on the cart, that was teamed with a Rupes Coarse Wool pad on the LHR75 Pneumatic. There weren't really any scratches to deal with, I just wanted to deep clean the glass. Clarity Creme is brilliant at doing this, especially on an aggressive pad like that.

There were a few isolated scratches here and there that needed more than what Essence is capable of doing. For that I used Griot's Fast Correcting Creme on the iBrid Nano. Wow, that stuff is brilliant! Once again, I'm left wondering why that brand has been left on the bench for the Australian market. And yes, the headlights needed polishing AGAIN, so much for the special Opti-Coat headlight coating, which barely lasted 4-months of the supposed 12-month claim.

I also had some company today, no doubt wondering when it was time for walkies. At one point I had the front passenger door open, which obviously meant it was time for walkies and had him attempting to climb in.............sorry for the false hope buddy, maybe tomorrow.

Products Used In This Step -

- Carpro Essence
- Griot's Fast Correcting Creme
- P&S Clarity Creme
- ShineMate Blue Foam Pads (4-inch and 6-inch sizes)
- Rupes DA Coarse Wool (3-inch size)
- Rupes DA Fine Foam (2.5-inch size)
- TRC Creature Edgeless Towels
- Rupes Claw Pad Tool
- Rupes iBrid Nano Long Neck (2-inch backing plate)
- Rupes LHR75 (3-inch backing plate)
- Rupes HLR15 (5-inch backing plate)


After removing all of the tape and a quick wipe over with a damp towel to remove the dust created by Clarity Creme, I covered the car with two microfiber blankets and called it a day. Tomorrow, a more thorough wipe down with Eraser, followed by the coating.

 

[DFB5.0]

Ranger Wildtrak Detail 2025 – Part 2

With the “hard” work done yesterday, today was about getting the coating applied.

Pre-Coating Prep -

According to Carpro, you can coat straight over Essence without using a panel prep. This was done to help prevent marring on really soft paint. Having said that, they also say using Eraser prior to coating won’t impact the layer Si02 left by Essence. They do however recommend waiting at least 1 hour before using Eraser to allow the Si02 resins to cure. Likewise, you need to wait at least an hour before applying the coating.

In my case, the car sat overnight, which meant I was good to go with Eraser. This was mainly done to remove any dust that had settled overnight.

Products Used In This Step –

- Carpro Eraser
- TRC Eagle Edgeless 500

Ceramic Coating –

There was no choice to be made which coating I was going to use, it was always going to be Gyeon Can Coat EVO. This was mainly because I already had an open bottle, but also because I know it well by now. I struggle with coatings, all bar Can Coat EVO and ADS Wheel I have found finicky.

Now, “real” detailers tend to snub their nose at Can Coat, suggesting it isn’t a “real” coating. And from an application point of view, they are correct. However, you cannot argue with the coating-like hydrophobic qualities and the gloss Can Coat provides, it even hardens the applicator like a “real” coating. Considering how easy this product is to apply, wipe on and wipe off with no flash timing, perhaps the “real” detailers see Can Coat as a risk to their skillset and business viability? While there are still some things to watch, for the most part Can Coat provides ceramic coating performance to a wider audience.

The whole point of Can Coat was to make it as simple to apply as possible. That is why it doesn’t come in a small glass bottle with a dropper or pipet. Nor do you apply it with an applicator in a criss-cross pattern, you don’t even need to wait for the coating to flash/sweat/rainbow before leveling. Instead, Gyeon’s application method involves spraying the coating into a folded towel, wiping over a section, then level immediately with a second towel. It’s as simple as that.

Now, having said that, I modify the Gyeon method by swapping the folded towel for a microfiber applicator. Yes, I know I said that you don’t use an applicator, but I’ve found using a larger microfiber applicator such as the TRC Pearl’s to be quicker and easier to manage than having a to continually re-fold a towel. Work smarter, not harder. The application is otherwise identical.

1. Start by priming the towel or applicator with 5 or 6 sprays, from then on you only need 2 – 3 sprays per section.

2. Working section to section, wipe the applicator over the panel, making sure to achieve total coverage. This can be hard to read as Can Coat is very thin, you often won’t see the product on the panel.

3. Immediately after application, wipe off the residue with a low pile towel. I actually then follow with separate towel to be sure I leave no high spots.

From here, continue working section to section using the same method.

NOTE - Always spray Can Coat away from the vehicle to prevent accidental overspray and possible high spots. I’d also remove uncovered vehicles from your working space, have the garage door down to eliminate wind, and absolutely avoid having a fan running. NEVER spray directly onto the panel.

For the Wildtrak, I applied Can Coat to all painted surfaces, taillights, trim and glass. I normally use Gyeon Quick View on glass, but I decided to see how Can Coat would perform instead. From here, I applied Opti-Coat Lens Coating to the headlights, then some Carpro Perl on the tyres.

Four hours later, I then applied a layer of Gyeon Cure. This helps protect the coating as it fully hardens and adds some slickness missing from Can Coat. Again, this went on the paint, trim, lights, and glass.

Products Used In This Step –

- Gyeon Can Coat EVO
- Gyeon Cure
- Opti-Coat Lens Coating
- TRC Pearl Applicator (QTY:1)
- TRC Edgeless Pearl (QTY:2)
- TRC Eagle Edgeless 500 (QTY:2)
- Scangrip Sunmatch

Finished Result –

Better late than never, the Wildrak is back to spec. At some point, I would also like to get the wheels off this thing and coat them as well.

 

[DFB5.0]

My sisters XC60 was in the box seat, and for today, I decided to put together a video during the wash phase.

The video kicks with a rinse after cleaning the wheels and foaming the car down with KCx Active Foam. I then foam with KCx GSF for the contact wash, then the final rinse.



After washing, I blew dry and added another layer of Reload to the paint, door jambs via ADS Adapt, exterior glass by Opti-Coat Clean & Protect, interior glass by Stoner's, interior wiped down with ADS Pilot. Finishing off, the wheels got wiped over with Adapt and the tyres topped off with ADS Tire+.

 

[DFB5.0]

How many diesel Ford Ranger's get their exhaust tip polished?

After cleaning with soapy water from my wheel bucket, which was Megs Hyper Wash today, it was time for an old favorite, P21S Polishing Soap.....................................

Get P21S Metal Polishing Soap Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
P21S Polishing Soap for Exhaust Cleaning and Metal Polish – Obsessed Garage
P21S Metal Polishing Soap 10.6 oz Jar - Skys The Limit Car Care

Following that, Dr. Beasley's Metal Coat, which is a ceramic nano sealant designed to protect chrome, stainless steel and aluminum. Metal Coat seemingly tolerates exhaust heat, making it supremely durable, to the point where it never really falls away. Application couldn't be easier, simply wipe the surface down with prep spray, apply a small amount to a towel and wipe it on, then wipe it off. Metal Coat bonds instantly and is said to last 3-years.

Dr Beasley's DB-s32d08 Metal Coat 237ml : Amazon.com.au: Automotive
Dr. Beasleys Metal Coat 8 oz.
Metal Coat | Dr. Beasley's

I love the look of this exhaust outlet. In particular, I like how they cut the end of the pipe to be parallel with the road, almost like someone put some thought into this generally unseen part of the car. Actually, the exhaust is only visible on cab-chassis models.

The latest model Ranger looks awful in comparison, basically a pipe that points to the ground just after the diff. There was certainly no thought put into it other than its basic function.

 

[DFB5.0]

Today I managed to get rid of the Ranger's old steel wheels, which meant a trip to the storage shed. Didn't get much for them, but they are hardly desirable for anything other than to use on a trailer. Anyway, good riddance.

While I was there, I thought I'd get the Jaaaaaag out for a run, give it a quick rinse-less wash, then take it back. That was the plan.

After giving the tyres a quick scrub with Brake Buster, I rinsed the car down, then got on with the rinse-less wash, a perfect opportunity to try a new product that arrived yesterday, Labocosmetica Idrosave.

After mixing it at the recommended 200:1 on the label, I went ahead with my usual rinse-less routine by pre-soaking the whole vehicle, then working section to section, then dry the whole car at the end. Everything was going well until I went to dry the car.................... a complete disaster!

Normally, if a polymer rinse-less wash happens to dry on the surface, it creates a polymer spot that is easily removed once you start drying. Well, not here. On all of the horizontal surfaces, and the majority the verticals too, the paint was covered in water spot etchings that would not budge. I tried re-wiping with the product, then immediately drying. No dice. I then got out Carpro Eraser, nope. At this stage I'm in a combined state of disbelief, rage and panic. There was no escaping it, the car would need to be polished. FU.KING HELL!

So, I grabbed the Rupes, Carpro Essence and a ShineMate orange foam polishing pad and did two quick passes on a section of the hood. Thankfully, the spots were very easily removed. So, I then went around the WHOLE car, and the glass too. Essence is a very mild polish, so that combined with the Si02 element, the underlying Gyeon Pure EVO should be still intact. I did however follow with ADS CSS.

If there was an upshot, the car at least looked resplendent after its unplanned and rushed panic-mode polish.

Now, before I start sending death threats to Labocosmetica, let me explain what happened here.

I used Idrosave as I would any other of the other eleven different rinse-less wash products I have tried. Surely it was the products fault. Well, I went and read the online product description, which I quickly figured out it was in fact user error on my part. Something was mentioned several times.......................

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spray the solution onto a section of the car to soften the dirt. Treat one panel at a time."

"Allow to act for a maximum of 2 minutes and never let the product dry on the panel."

"Treat one panel at a time."

"Note:
Never let the product dry on the surface to avoid streaking."

"Warnings:
Never let the product dry on the surface, as the high concentration of nano sealants can cause marks that are difficult to remove."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On five separate occasions, they mention to not let this product dry on the surface. So, yep, I screwed up.

My defence is thus -

- I've used other polymer rinse-less wash products in the exact same way that do NOT act like this.

- Yes, I should have read the product listing before use.....................but how many experienced detailers do that when using something very basic like a soap or rinse-less wash?

- Idrosave is labeled as pH neutral, so I treated it like any other pH neutral soap or chemical.

- It wasn't hot today, so I didn't feel the need to rush or break the car up into sections.

- I also noticed that Idrosave seemed to evaporate quick quickly.

Even though I was at fault, Idrosave is not a product I can recommend. If it was slicker and better performing than key rivals, then perhaps I would revise my method to prevent what happened today. Sadly, I didn't feel that and would say ADS Hero, Gyeon EcoWash, P&S Absolute and Opti-Coat No Rinse are all slicker.............................and clearly more forgiving to use.

Frankly, I'm apprehensive of using the two other Labocosmetica products I bought. I guess I've found my new bin cleaners.

 

[DFB5.0]

Today was the first wash of the Wildtrak after it was detailed two weeks ago. Gyeon recommend waiting 14-days before exposing Can Coat EVO to detergents and chemicals. Soap of choice was Gentle Snow Foam GSF from KCx, which easily dealt with the situation. As you can see in the below image, the coating is rejecting the soap, as evidenced by the patchy coverage. This seems to be most prevalent with GSF as other soaps tend to cling a little better to a coated surface. Not a knock on GSF, just an observation.

THE reason why you ceramic coat a car over a wax or sealant is the ease of washing and drying. Yes, you still have to do the work, but from start to finish the job is just quicker, easier, more enjoyable. For starters, the pre-wash or pre-rinse will remove quite a bit of the grime, again the coating rejects the contamination and prevents it from bonding to the paint. After contact washing, you then notice the quicker rinsing, again the coating is promoting faster water speed across the surface. Then, when it comes time to blow the car down, any remaining water is purged from the vehicle very quickly. So yes, you still need to go through the motions, but job is so effortless.

Following the wash, I went with ADS Amplify, mainly because it was so cold today and Amplify seems to be the fastest flashing drying aid I have. Also, of the fast-flashing kind, I decided to try Bilt Hamber Trace-less again today. With the sub 16-degree temps today, I had this glass cleaner playing nicely. I’m in the process of writing a post in an attempt to better understand why I have struggled with this supposedly “game changing” glass cleaner.

Finally, I had a play around with a head mount for my Go-Pro during the rinse phase of the wash. In particular, take note of the exceptional water behaviour of Can Coat EVO toward the end of the video.



This also shows why a swivelling inlet to the gun is desirable. Having the hose swivel when under pressure as you move around the car, from side to side, up and down, angled to reach certain areas, it just makes the process more fluid. Your hose will still get bound here and there, from experience ALL hoses will do this, be they a garden or high pressure hoses like this. However, the inlet swivel helps limit and/or makes it easier to untangle, and in this case, offers superior dexterity.

 

[RLE55]

I also had some company today,

always good to have the supervisor on hand........

 

[DFB5.0]

Had to replace both the washing machine and dishwasher this week. It was Ranger to rescue, picking up the new units and the disposal of the old machines. I hadn't planned on doing a wash today, but it's been raining and the disposal site covered in mud. So, the Ranger got a second wash this week.

My last rinse-less wash experience didn't go to plan, a week later and things were much better today..........................

Gyeon Q2M Eco Wash - 1L – The Detail Store
Gyeon Eco Wash - 1000 ml - Detailed Image

Considering the road film and dirt was still wet, and therefore not bonded to the paint, I cut a few corners. First, I went around and rinsed each wheel, then foamed the whole car with KCx Active Foam. While the soap dwelled on the paint, I gave each wheel and tyre a quick once over with a brush, then rinsed the whole car down, followed by a quick blow with the EGO. Moved into the garage, I mixed up EcoWash to the waterless rate and sprayed the car down. From there, my large Gauntlet towels were used to wipe off the EcoWash, and a second dry towel to finish. No drying aid required.

I've only used EcoWash a few times, but wow, what a great product! The slickness and gloss it leaves behind is epic, and like most Gyeon products, it smells amazing too. Oh, and I didn't need to polish the whole car afterwards.

 

[DFB5.0]

Ranger Wiper Trim Restoration

Nothing ages a car more than faded black plastic trim. While certain areas are easy to deal with, say the wing mirrors or bumper inserts, others are harder to do properly. As such, these areas tend to get neglected and therefore show age sooner. Sitting at the top of this category would be the trim at the base of the windscreen, mainly because the bonnet and wiper arms block full access.

So, after 9 years on the road, it’s time for the Ranger to receive some attention in this department. Now, this job could certainly be done with the trim still fitted to the car. However, to clean and treat the windscreen trim properly, I find its best to remove it from the vehicle.

Trim Removal –

The PX-Series Ranger has a two-piece lower windscreen and wiper arm trim. To remove, first the wiper arms need to be removed. With the rubber caps popped out, remove the 13mm nut from the wiper arm.

Now, you would think it would be a case of simply lifting the wiper arm from the motor shaft……………nope. The arms were effectively fused to the shaft after being on there for 9-years, which actually delayed this project by three days while I waited for a small puller to arrive. When I did the same thing on the XR6, I don’t seem to remember having this problem. Anyway, the puller arms are placed under the wiper, you then wind down on the bolt and draw the wiper from the shaft.

Wiper Arm Puller

Wiper arms removed, they were set aside for treatment later on.

Next, the removal of nine plastic rivets, aided by a removal tool.............why didn't I buy one of these years ago?

I was going to replace these rivets as two of them were quite badly faded. Different to most automotive trim hardware, I found they aren't an off the shelf item, strange considering the number of Ranger's on the road now. I tracked down the correct replacements at a few online retailers, but................................please tell me why these tiny little plastic rivets cost about $6.00 each? Absolutely ridiculous, for context that same spend buys you a 100 zinc plated timber screws. So, I decided to retore rather than replace.

Before lifting up the two trim pieces, you need to first remove the single piece rubber seal.

Each side of the trim is then gently prised upwards, the glass side will then pop out of the locating channel. There are then two side pieces that are clipped into the quarter panels, which gently levered up and away, more on these shortly.

While not terrible, you can see discoloration on the surfaces most exposed to sunlight. Actually, its hard to properly show this on camera.

Cleaning –

With everything removed it was time to get cleaning. This step is vital in ensuring the success of the end result.

Using a brush and KCx Green Star APC, each trim piece was cleaned and rinsed thoroughly.

Below are the smaller side trims that bridge the gap between the windscreen, quarter panel and the larger trims. These have a flexible rubber section that folds away as the hood is raised/lowered. Both Ranger's in my care have faded badly in this area due to sun exposure.

To finish the prep work, I used undiluted IPA to wipe down each piece, including the rubber seal and plastic rivets.

Trim Restoration -

There are many ways of restoring a fresh finish on black plastic trim.

Plastic & Vinyl Dressings - The quickest and easiest method, think water based products such as Carpro Perl or 303 Protectant. These will only last a couple of weeks at best, less if it rains or you wash the car.

Ceramic Coatings - In the past, I've used dedicated trim coatings such as Carpro DLUX, and even regular coatings such as ADS Quartz and Gyeon Can Coat. These will last the longest, but after a lot of research, I've moved away from this method.

Spray Sealants - These sit in the middle of the two above, offering an easy application and longer lasting results. I absolutely love Carpro Reload for this, but most ceramic spray sealants will work in a similar manner. However, these are best used to maintain trim rather than restore a moderate to heavy fading.

Trim Dye - A product such as Solution Finish restores faded plastic to a factory finish. I'm also keen to try Armour Detail Supply's new combined dye and ceramic coating, which is yet to hit the market but looks like the perfect solution.

Ultimately, I went with Solution Finish. I've used this multiple times in the past and really like how forgiving it is to use and the look of the finished result. It's termed a "semi-permanent" product that can last up to and beyond 12-months. Considering my vehicle use patterns, I should get plenty more than that.

Get Solution Finish Trim Restorer Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

Application is simple, just shake the bottle very well, then apply a small amount to a microfiber applicator and work it over the surface. I did try one of the new Detail Factory foam brushes, which was designed with Solution Finish in mind, but a microfiber applicator works best. After thoroughly massaging the product into the plastic, leave it to absorb for 5-minutes and lightly buff away any residue. Choose you towel wisely as you won't be using it again after this. TRC Rip-n-Rag's are your friend here.

Rip N' Rag - Multi-Purpose Microfiber Towels | The Rag Company
The Rag Company "Rip n' Rag" Multi-Purpose Microfiber Towels 30X30 - Detailing Shed

Each piece of trim was treated, as well as the rivet heads and rubber seal.

Cowl Cleaning -

While I let the Solution Finish cure, I directed attention to the areas hidden by all this trim. Considering the age of the car, I was expecting more..................

To clean these areas, I used both Green Star, ONR and more Rip-n-Rag's. Hidden by the trim, the base of the glass had a build-up of mineral content, so I hand polished this using a towel and Clarity Creme. While I had this all apart, I went ahead and applied fish oil to a few key areas.

Wiper Arms & Blades –

The wiper arms had some mild oxidation, so after removing the blades, I polished them using Rupes DA Fine on a towel. This cleaned them up very nicely, the following application of Gyeon Can Coat had them looking like new!

I had also decided to replace the wiper arms while I was at it. Earlier in the week, I picked up a set of OEM wiper arms from the local Ford dealer.

Over The Top -

One could say all of the above is "over the top".....................and you would be correct. However, Over The Top is actually a product, a sealant that is applied after letting Solution Finish cure. Applied using a foam sponge, this helps protect and prolong your hard work. Not a necessity, but I had it on hand and though I may as well use it.

Get Solution Finish Trim Restorer Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care
Solution Finish - Over the Top Plastic Sealer | The Rag Company

Finished and ready to go back on the car.

Reinstallation –

Time to put everything back together. First, the two large cowl trims. Just don't do what I did by putting the left-hand side on first, there are two tabs on the right-hand piece that need to slide under the left side. I have to say, the way the trim snaps back into place is a vastly better design compared to what Ford used on the FG Falcon..............as in it clicks back into place without an assortment of rude words.

The two outer trims are then clipped back in place and the nine rivets reinstalled, followed by the rubber seal. From here, the wiper arms are put back in place and the nut torqued down to 25 Nm.

I then installed two new rubber gromets to cover the wiper arm nuts. I actually bought them for Dad's Wildtrak as these gromets are prone to going awol, especially when using a pressure washer around this area. However, I decided to nick them for myself, he can have my old ones. While packaged as Mazda items, they are the same part.

A quick test of the wipers, the windscreen was cleaned and the job complete.

Finished Result -

All four trim pieces are available from Ford............... at a price. The two large trim pieces will set you back between $255 - $287 for the pair, the two small trims are $35 each, so $325 - $357 all up. Considering I already had the Solution Finish, Can Coat, Rupes DA Fine and IPA from previous projects, the only items I specifically bought were the rubber gromets for $10 and the wiper arm puller for $17. And a few 0.70c towels.

I need to do the same thing to the Wildtrak at some point, but I'm thinking of waiting until the new ADS trim product arrives.

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