DFB's Detailing Garage

[DFB5.0]

Is it winter yet? Hell, I'd settle for a little autumnal bliss. This is day 4 of a 7-day heatwave with temps above 40-deg C (104-deg f), apparently this is the hottest place on earth at the moment.

Despite the heat, I still got out in the garage, EGO fan misting away and a Yeti bottle full of ice water. Even with some cloud cover, I still washed inside the garage today.

The Wildtrak was in line for a much-needed wash after its 1500km round trip to Adelaide over the last week. Being the dirtiest it's been since last winter, the poor thing was covered in dust, road film and plenty of dead bugs............par for course after a road trip.

My first port of call was the engine bay. After an initial rinse, I sprayed it down with Green Star and went at it with an assortment of brushes. Another rinse, I applied Hyper Dressing and blew down the engine bay to disperse the dressing and remove excess water. Finally, the washer bottle was topped off with more Bowden's Dry Spell before the hood was closed. Not perfect, but much better.

After cleaning the floor mats with Green Star, it was time to address those filthy tyres! For this, I grabbed SS Wise Guy and got scrubbing! From there, the usual foaming with Brake Buster to clean the wheel and wheel arch, followed by some KCx Wet Gloss. I also used Wise Guy and Wet Gloss on the plastic side steps.

Next, it was time to nuke those bugs! For this, I applied P&S Bug Off to the front bumper, headlights, windscreen and wing mirrors, then foamed the entire vehicle with KCx Active Foam. That combo easily removed the bugs, but there was still some road film on the lowers that I wanted to remove before the contact wash. For this, I sprayed these areas with Green Star, allowed to soak then rinsed. Sorted!

Anything else remaining on the car was easily dealt with during the contact wash with NV Snow. This is a soap I know I can rely upon when that extra cleaning edge is required, it will easily out-clean Carpro Reset. Following the wash, I had to add some Hydr02 to the lower doors, which is always the first area to degrade on an LSP. Following the blow down, I went around and applied ADS Ceramic Spray Sealant, then the door jambs with ECH20.

The interior fared well, so I just gave it a vac and wiped everything down with ONR, then Invisible Glass for the interior and exterior windows. From there, some Perl for the tyres and the job done!

Baking in the Adelaide heat did no favours to the headlights, they need to be polished AGAIN! And that's WITH the fancy $11.80 per ml Opti-Lens ceramic coating applied. I only got about 6-months out of the coating, that's despite "maintaining" it with toppers like any other ceramic coating, at which point you are no better off with or without the coating.

And so, tomorrow is the big day, my little man is coming home. I'm both excited and nervous, fearful of the unknown, but also optimistic of what's to come. The past week has been tough, I've been pining for his company even though we haven't even met yet. I just hope he doesn't get too lost without his siblings around. According to the breeder, he is more of a people dog than a dog dog and completely happy to entertain himself during alone time. Also helping the cause, he is one of three pups yet to go to their forever homes, which I hope means he has already begun adjusting.

"............... mrgh, merha, what, how dare you interrupt nap time!.............."

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[Bikeman315]

If it’s too hot for you come on over to sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Degrees in Fahrenheit, of course!

 

[Westphal]

I'll take that over the 10 degrees we were at this morning. We haven't been above freezing since last Friday and won't be there again until Monday.

 

[DFB5.0]

I do love a good catalog, just wish I could get a hardcopy to thumb through.

Carpro Product Catalog 2026

 

[BimmerDriver]

I've been continuing to sample the assortment of Griot's products I bought last month. Least favourite? The ceramic glass cleaner sucks, I much prefer the OPT or Stoner's equivalent.

I concur, their glass cleaner is not good and Stoner's is excellent. Can you find Sprayway down there? It's even better than Stoner's.
Also, Griot's bug and tar remover I've found to be quite excellent, although I'm sure that the P&S is also good (it may be the same thing, as their wheel cleaners are almost identical). I've been using it lately to remove bird poop from my poor BMW, which sits outside under a tree.

I hate car covers, but I'm thinking of getting one just so that I'm not out washing the car in this frigid weather. The image below, that's Fahrenheit.

 

[DFB5.0]

Ignoring the brand-sell, there are some valuable tire cleaning insights in this video. Some of this I knew, some of it provided clarification, some of it new to me. The takeaway for me was that tire browning is not removing active UV inhibitors within the rubber, but rather the removal of "dead" or spent UV inhibitors. Those UV agents are designed to rise from within the tire to protect the outermost layer of rubber. As the UV agent reacts with sunlight, it ages and turns brown as its expelled, drawing more up with it. So, continually removing the browning doesn't harm the rubber.

 

[DFB5.0]

Hmmmmm......................

 

[DFB5.0]

Gearing up for an oil change on the Kranzle, I decided to make a platform for it to sit on, in turn making it easier to drain the fluid into a container underneath.

This was the last time I changed the oil. Considering how heavy these things are, it was a little sketchy balancing on top of those two buckets, one of which was the drain pan. It was one slip away from a giant mess, and being gear oil, it would have reeked too.

Nothing particularly high tech of fancy here, just some timber cut to equal lengths and screwed together. I guess I could paint them too, let's see how long I can resist that urge.

In addition to timber, I also bought a small parts bin to act as a drain pan, which will sit between the two platforms. That's the theory.

I made these platforms a little longer than required for the KHD10, this will mean I can use them on the K1152 as well.

These pressure washers, unlike many, have a replaceable oil supply. The manual (yes, I read the manual!) instructs to change the oil at 50 hours. It is then changed at 250 hours / yearly from there on. In my case, and apart from one occasion, I use the genuine Kranzle gear oil.

Kranzle Pressure Washer Pump Oil 1L - High-Quality Lubricant - Detailing Shed
Kränzle Pump Oil 15W-40 1.0 Liter | Dirt Killer
Kranzle Pressure Washer Gear Oil Change Guide and Maintenance Tips – Obsessed Garage

Well, I love it when a plan comes to life. The timber supports worked a treat, as did the makeshift parts container oil pan.

Geez I hate the smell of gear oil. I left the machine to drain while I went out for 30-minutes, came back to the distinctive stench of gear oil had filled the garage. Compared to the first oil change last January, the oil came out dark golden brown rather than grey, so I guess the unit has broken in now.

After cleaning the magnetic drain plug, it was time for the fresh oil. I've said this before, but the recommended 250-ml is completely wrong as it doesn't even register on the dipstick, replacement always takes 300-ml. Same applies to my mobile K1152. This is odd considering the German origins, unless I'm missing something.

Oil change done, ready for another years work. The hardest part of the job is taking the 25 kg unit off the shelf and lifting it back up again.

 

[BimmerDriver]

Gearing up for an oil change on the Kranzle...

So, your post leads me to several questions:

- you have two pressure washers? Nice.

- Speaking of nice, that wall-mounted setup is sweet!

- I'm a bit confused that "gear oil" and 15W40 are interchangeable options. In my limited experience, gear oil is closer to 90W (and is stinky) where as the other is almost suitable for engines.

- I struggled with this whole post until I realized that you have electric washers, not gas powered. My electric bit the dust years ago and I replaced it with a more powerful gasoline version because I use it for home maintenance, not car washing. Your post has triggered my to-do list to try and find the owner's manual for the thing and do some maintenance on it. Not today, it's too freakin' cold. I only use it once or maybe twice a year, so not only is the battery dead beyond recovery, but I'm probably still not up to 50 hours on it. It's really hard to start with the pull cord, so I'm probably buying a battery this year too.

Here's an idea... drill a hole in the shelf, directly under the drain plug. Build a support for your drain pan underneath that hole, and now you can do your annual maintenance without moving the machine. Well, yeah, you'll have to move it to drill the hole, but that should be the last time.

 

[DFB5.0]

So, your post leads me to several questions:

- you have two pressure washers? Nice.

- Speaking of nice, that wall-mounted setup is sweet!

In 2020 I treated myself to a new pressure washer, moving up from a well-used Karcher K2.4 to a Kranzle K1152 (K1122). Was like going from a 1990's Hyundai to the latest Porsche 911. Fantastic machine, expensive but justified considering how much I was going to use it and how much enjoyment I get out of washing my car.

Then I got the itch to do a wall mount. Again, not a cheap exercise to do, especially getting power and water routed to the chosen location. I wanted the convenience of just turning on the water and machine, then pulling out the hose, no garden hoses, no extension cords.

I absolutely loved getting this sorted, especially hunting down exactly what I wanted, from the shelf and machine, wall colour, the stainless backsplash, the braided inlet.......................

Probably the second best thing I've done to the garage, the best being the flooring.

I did consider selling the mobile K1152 once the wall mount was done, but decided to just keep it as a backup or for when I needed a pressure washer at work. To date, I'm glad I kept it.

- I'm a bit confused that "gear oil" and 15W40 are interchangeable options. In my limited experience, gear oil is closer to 90W (and is stinky) where as the other is almost suitable for engines.

Yeah, I'm not sure why Kranzle recommend motor oil as a substitute for their "gear oil". From what I have seen in the video below, they guy mentions several times the oil and oil level in the transmission housing is not overly critical, it just needs to be in there.

- I struggled with this whole post until I realized that you have electric washers, not gas powered. My electric bit the dust years ago and I replaced it with a more powerful gasoline version because I use it for home maintenance, not car washing. Your post has triggered my to-do list to try and find the owner's manual for the thing and do some maintenance on it. Not today, it's too freakin' cold. I only use it once or maybe twice a year, so not only is the battery dead beyond recovery, but I'm probably still not up to 50 hours on it. It's really hard to start with the pull cord, so I'm probably buying a battery this year too.

Is the machine new or used? Usually when an engine is hard to pull over, or the rope snatches out of your hand, it's an indicator of the valves being out of spec. Removal of the valve cover and setting the lash to spec usually fixes that.

Here's an idea... drill a hole in the shelf, directly under the drain plug. Build a support for your drain pan underneath that hole, and now you can do your annual maintenance without moving the machine. Well, yeah, you'll have to move it to drill the hole, but that should be the last time.

I have thought of that, but it would end up being very messy with oil going everywhere. Removing the machine off the shelf isn't hard or time consuming.

 

[DFB5.0]

I spotted a hint to this a few days ago on Instagram, and so the video drop today proved correct. This is something you need to consider when having PPF installed on a car you intend to keep long term. Not a pretty situation and feel quite bad for him. This is not something you hear a lot about because PPF is sold to car guys as the ultimate solution.......................right up until its NOT.



I suspect this car had a past before he bought it, and sadly he is the one who has to the fund a cheque someone else wrote. If it were me, I'd sell the car.

 

[DFB5.0]

1996 MAZDA RX-7 DETAIL –

This car came to me after my father mentioned my skills to a long term friend. With intentions of selling his car, he wanted it polished before listing it for sale. At that point I knew it was RX-7, but had no idea what year or condition it was in. After a short phone call, he explained it was a 1986 RX-7 and that he would bring it around for me to take a look. At that point I was quite nervous considering the age of the paint. The next day when he turned up, that’s when it got interesting.

What greeted me in the driveway was NOT an 80’s RX-7, rather a 90’s FD model RX-7. Puzzled, I again asked what year it was, and again told a 1986. Because the car still had a rego sticker on the windscreen, which were made redundant more than a decade ago, I noted it said 1996. From here, the more he spoke of the car, the more it resonated…………………

This Mazda is quite a special car! And not just because of the obvious desirability factor from being a Japanese cult classic. The client bought the car brand new in 1996 with 12 km on the clock, and despite being 30 years old, its only done 52,000 kms (32,000 miles). He has never driven it in the rain, never parked it in the sun, and importantly, never modified. The car has been driven and enjoyed, but never unreasonably flogged. Does any of this sound familiar?

I have no doubt the owner had some reservations of handing this car over to a stranger. The way he talked about it and the condition it was in, this car is his baby. Clearly my Dad talked up my skills, but when he came over and spotted the condition of my own cars and the garage setup, he remarked that he didn’t trust anyone else to touch it. So, I hope his mind was at ease leaving it with me.

THE BRIEF -

For such a well-cared for vehicle, you could easily assume there wasn’t much to do. And to a degree, that’s true. For example, the door jambs were clean, the rubber trims in excellent condition, no water-spots on the paint or glass, a clean interior, no obvious contamination. Clearly, it’s been maintained very well.

The main focus for this car was a paint enhancement, and I was also asked to check out the leather seats.

WHEELS & TYRES -

While the wheel face presented well, clearly the barrels hadn’t been maintained properly owing to a build-up of brake dust. Whenever dealing with long term brake dust deposits, there is only so much you can do without taking the wheels off the car, not something I want to do on a customer’s car, especially one this rare.

The tyres were scrubbed with Wise Guy, the wheels got pre-treated with NV Purge, then contact washed with foamed Brake Buster. Once clean, I followed with Hydr02, then Atom Mac on the rotors. After this, the wheels looked good and only the closest inspection would reveal what remained.

During this step, I also polished the exhaust tips with P21S Polishing Soap.

DECONTAMINATION WASH –

Because of how clean the car was, I skipped the multi-step, multi-pH decontamination process I normally go through. After a pre-rinse, I went around and applied NV Purify and allowed it to dwell while packing away the wheel cleaning kit. On return, I noticed very little iron reaction. I later asked if he had clayed or used an iron remover before, he hadn't. After rinsing the iron remover, I foamed with KCx Active Foam and went ahead with the contact wash. The paint had absolutely nothing on it in terms of protection, the water behaviour completely flat.

At this point, the paint was feeling relatively smooth but also quite grabby owing to the complete lack of protection on the car. The only rough feeling area was the rear bumper, which is pretty normal. So, the paint and glass were treated with a clay mitt and Gyeon Clay Lube. The final step was a thorough rinse before moving into the garage. To dry, the blower was of limited use considering how flat the water behaviour was, so I followed with a large drying towel and Carpro Eraser.

POLISHING -

Being an older vehicle, there was quite a lot of rubber trim to tape on this car. That included the door trims and seals, the front and rear windscreen rubbers, the sunroof rubber surround, the old-school aerial, front windscreen scuttle, rear wiper pedestal, rear washer jet, the front chin splitter, and the various side marker lights.

It was then time to get polishing. The paint condition was great, just a lot of love marks and random isolated scratches. The gloss black rear tail lamp connecting trim was also hazed out. I had explained to the owner I wasn’t going to hammer down on the paint chasing every single scratch. I did try several combinations, gradually stepping up in aggression, and yet I wasn’t seeing a corresponding increase in defect removal. So, I wound back and played it safe, the last thing I wanted to do was burn through the clear on such a rare, original and valuable vehicle. That meant using Carpro Essence with a blue intermediate ShineMate foam pad, used in conjunction with my iBrid Nano, ShineMate EB212 3-inch and ShineMate EB351 5-inch.

I also polished the glass as it was lacking clarity. For this car, I used the brilliant Griot’s Fast Correcting Crème and a yellow ShineMate foam cutting pad. Machine choice here was the ShineMate EB212 for the side glass, and the Rupes HLR15 for the front and rear windscreens.

After removing all of the tape, I went around with Meguiar’s M39 to clean up the rubber trims and plastic bumper splitters. While attended to other tasks, I returned about an hour later with Carpro Eraser to wipe down the paint and glass.

PROTECTION –

While Essence can be used as standalone protection, I decided to follow with a layer of Carpro Reload to bump up the gloss, slickness and protection. For the glass, I just wiped down with Opti-Coat Glass Clean & Protect. The windscreen scuttle, plastic front splitter and rear diffuser were treated with Reload as well.

I didn’t do an engine bay detail on this car, although I did give it a quick wipe down with ECH20.

INTERIOR -

The interior didn’t really need much, nor did the owner request an interior detail. However, I did give it a quick vacuum and wipe down with ADS Pilot. The interior glass was in desperate need of cleaning, so I went over that with True Vue.

The only interior request was to take a look at the leather, the owner had noticed some mild discoloration appearing. I started with ColourLock Mild Leather Cleaner for the seats, it easily removed that discoloration and created a lovely uniform finish. For the steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake lever, I switched to Strong Leather Cleaner to cut through 30-years of grime.

From here, I applied Colour Leather Protector. Well, the leather virtually inhaled the protector, like a thirsty camel! That didn’t surprise me, the seats had NEVER been cleaned or conditioned in their 30-year life. The only maintenance has been a wipe down with a damp rag.

This was probably my favourite part of this detail, primarily because the leather responded so beautifully. The somewhat dry, patchy appearance transformed into a naturally soft, rich and uniform finish.

FINAL TOUCHES –

The tyres were treated to a generous layer of OG Tire Dressing, then knocked back with a towel after 15-minutes. Believe it or not, these Hankook’s replaced the factory originals. As part of the final inspection, I lightly wiped the paint down with Bead Maker for a little extra pop.

RESULTS -

White is so hard to make pop, it basically hides all of your hard work. Even so, I did make a massive improvement to how the car looks. The paint was completely lacking in gloss and felt quite "dry", well now its popping and feels ultra slick. The glass polishing played a part as well, likewise getting some dressing on the tyres.

Ready for customer pickup -

This car is remarkable for not being some over modified beast that’s been tuned to within an inch of its life. It’s stock as a rock and all the better for it. I would love to have given it a quick run around the block to see what it felt like. Having said that, even moving it in and out of the garage was revealing. I can’t remember the last time I’ve “driven” a car with a proper throttle pedal, as in a cable going to the throttle body and not fly-by-wire. I can tell this because there was this thing called throttle response, not the totally dead and delayed fakery that’s the norm these days. The steering was surprisingly heavy, and yet this thing is sub 1300 kg. The photos make this car look bigger than in real life, its surprisingly petite and ultra-low. Jumping in the drivers seat, you sit so close to the ground, making it feel like the car is wrapped tightly around your body.

This was my first rotary experience, even if it was limited to my driveway. The starter motor throws you because it doesn’t have that off-beat alternating whirr of a piston engine, just a smooth wind-over. I have to say, I was expecting a little more zing from the engine, but with the stock exhaust it was very tame. As mentioned, throttle response was lovely, which made balancing the clutch a doddle. From what I’m told, once the second turbo takes over, the RX-7 takes off like a scalded cat. And because of how light and low it is, this is a very responsive car to drive. I love that, especially with how bloody heavy and over-sanitized cars have become. A modern sports car might be faster, safer and more comfortable. But more fun to drive? Hmmm……………….

For its age, lack of milage and almost new condition, I dare this RX-7 would be worth quite a large sum of money. Because the owner had never really “detailed” it, he remarked that it has never looked like this. Whoever buys this car is going to get a gem, I just hope it will go to the “right” person and not completely destroyed with cannon exhausts and hideous tuner-spec wheels and body kits.

Either way, it was a massive privilege to work on this car today. I adore the carefully crafted curves, the smooth look created by the pop-up headlights, and the blacked out rear lights. And those curves serve a purpose, they were aerodynamically tuned to provide low drag and meaningful downforce. With how over styled modern cars have become, there is a refreshing simplicity to this RX-7. Then consider the era that this car came from, a time when the Japanese made uniquely flavoured vehicles that no one else could match. Cars like the RX-7 could only have come from Japan.

 

[DFB5.0]

After yesterdays marathon RX-7 detail, I had a massive load of towels and pads to clean. Because I used Essence and Reload, I soaked the towels and pads overnight in separate buckets with a dose of KCx Green Star. Then two separate loads through the machine with Rag's to Riches.

I then followed with a little cabinet clean out / reorg. I love doing this, refilling, emptying and consolidating bottles. I also went ahead and made a restocking list, also a favourite task.

 

[DFB5.0]

This is what a cool change and shower of rain created the other day..............

This was a good chance to put Optimum Touchless Decon Soap to test. I've used this a few times now, but not on a vehicle this dirty. Considering it was just dusty water spots, I assumed it would be a walk in the park for this soap.

Optimum Touchless Decontamination Car Wash – Opti-Coat

It seems I underestimated this dirt. While the Touchless Decon removed most of it from the paint and glass, there was still residue left behind that ultimately the contact wash sorted, Optimum's regular car soap in this case. However, the aluminium roller tonneau has been stained by this dirt, it even resisted heavy APC. So, I'm not sure what to do about this from here. The tonneau is not coated because I was warned not to by dealer when the car was purchased.

 

[DFB5.0]

Placed a decent sized order with Waxit on Monday, taking advantage of a trade promotion and a Christmas gift voucher. Some of this is restocking, some new products to test. (Note, the ColourLock stuff came from them directly and not Waxit)

Carpro GofX launched at Sema last year and represents a more user-friendly glass polish, anyone who's used CeriGlass will know what I mean here. This product is along the lines of P&S Clarity Creme, which is more a deep cleaner for glass rather than a targeted scratch remover like CeriGlass. You can buy GofX on it own or in kit form as pictured. The kit includes a 150ml bottle of GofX, a microfiber towel, a glass pad and applicator handle.

CARPRO GofX | Glass Polish & Cleaner – Waxit Car Care
CARPRO GofX 150mL Kit | Glass & Polish Cleaner Kit – Waxit Car Care

I also bought a couple of Carpro's new glass cutting pads, which differ from their white Rayon glass pads. I note that these black pads are not recommended for new glass or glass in good condition, they are for targeting swirls and scratches beyond what the white rayon pads can achieve.

CARPRO GlassCUT Pad – Waxit Car Care
CARPRO Glass Polishing Pad – Waxit Car Care

And I decided to try yet another headlight coating, this time the relatively new Carpro DLight. This is the marketing blurb....................

"DLight isn’t just another trim or headlight ceramic coating it’s a ceramic-grade solution developed to preserve and protect plastics from the inside out. At its core, DLight is armed with advanced UV absorbers and light stabilisers that shield against UVA and UVB rays in the 260–360nm range, including the most destructive 313nm UVB spectrum. That means better protection from yellowing, fading, and cracking - especially for headlights, PPF, and clear plastics that are prone to aging in harsh climates.

Beyond UV defence, DLight adds hydrophobicity, enhances clarity, and resists fine scratches. It goes on easy, requires minimal effort to level off, and can even serve as a top coat to extend the lifespan of your base layer. Whether you're preserving new PPF or restoring tired headlights, DLight makes it easier to keep plastics looking sharp for years."

CARPRO DLight | UV-Blocking Plastic Ceramic Coating – Waxit Car Care

I guess I'll find out soon enough if this is just another coating, or if it truly helps extend the time between refinishing the headlights on the Ranger. Note that my 10ml bottle didn't come with a box, just a sealed plastic pouch.

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