New to Toyota - 2005 Corolla Sportivo!

[Squalled]

More car washing! Man I should really install some mods already 🤣

Washed the car last weekend only for it to rain the following day, what a surprise. Tried out Bowden's Own Fully Slick, and was really impressed with the result. Nice slick finish and even enhanced the beeding from the previous Happy Ending coating I applied a few months ago. Overall very happy with it considering how cheap it is.

Likely doing an oil change next weekend and degreasing the engine bay while I'm at it.

Stay tuned!

[Tony Prodigy]

On 10/17/2020 at 2:03 PM, Squalled said:

Washed the car last weekend only for it to rain the following day, what a surprise.

That's the only way to make it rain mate.

I've been responsible for most of the rain we've had this year so don't feel to bad 

Your car looks great. Glad to see another fellow member use protection on their paint. I've never used Bowden's products, but I know of some who have and they're also happy with them too. The problem is that their are too many products on the market to choose from and you can wind up buying more than you'll ever need or use. If the Bowden's product is working well for you, then I'd stick with it until you run out and then you could go and try something else. That's my way of thinking. I don't like to layer the paint with different products. There are some that play nice together and some that don't.

That slickness is also beneficial as the road grime doesn't stick so readily either,  so even if it rains and the car is covered in road grime, as soon as you get home and aren't planning to go anywhere else, I'd give it a rinse with the hose to wash the road crud off. Or, if you are inclined, get the foam cannon out, pre soak it and pressure wash it and it will look like you've just washed it without having to do the full production with the buckets etc..

 

 

[Squalled]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

That's the only way to make it rain mate.

I've been responsible for most of the rain we've had this year so don't feel to bad 

Your car looks great. Glad to see another fellow member use protection on their paint. I've never used Bowden's products, but I know of some who have and they're also happy with them too. The problem is that their are too many products on the market to choose from and you can wind up buying more than you'll ever need or use. If the Bowden's product is working well for you, then I'd stick with it until you run out and then you could go and try something else. That's my way of thinking. I don't like to layer the paint with different products. There are some that play nice together and some that don't.

That slickness is also beneficial as the road grime doesn't stick so readily either,  so even if it rains and the car is covered in road grime, as soon as you get home and aren't planning to go anywhere else, I'd give it a rinse with the hose to wash the road crud off. Or, if you are inclined, get the foam cannon out, pre soak it and pressure wash it and it will look like you've just washed it without having to do the full production with the buckets etc..

 

 

This weekend and next week aren't looking too nice either but hopefully it hits parts of the state that need it most.

Thanks a lot Tony! Yeah I really do love the Bowden's products, and the fact I'm support an Aussie company is even better. Since I'm quite the noob with car detailing at this stage, Bowden's is quite an easy and supportive option as all their products are super easy to apply, they plenty of support and tutorials as well. I think some time in the future I'll likely delve deep into other brands and see what works best for me seeing as I unfortunately don't have the ability to garage it but it does stay undercover at work which a nice bonus. 

One of the massive benefits I noticed after applying Wet Dreams or Happy Ending, how easy all of the typical road grime just fell right off with the snow foam. Makes it much less time consuming and effortless really. I've applied it on a few cars within the family one of which is garaged and the coating still works a treat months later! Albeit it definitely is due for a top up soon 🙂 

[Tony Prodigy]

13 hours ago, Squalled said:

This weekend and next week aren't looking too nice either but hopefully it hits parts of the state that need it most.

Yep, I agree. We had a pretty wet weekend in Sydney. The dams should be practically full by now. I hope Professor Tim Flannery has had a look outside his window lately 🤣

13 hours ago, Squalled said:

Thanks a lot Tony! Yeah I really do love the Bowden's products, and the fact I'm support an Aussie company is even better. Since I'm quite the noob with car detailing at this stage, Bowden's is quite an easy and supportive option as all their products are super easy to apply, they plenty of support and tutorials as well. I think some time in the future I'll likely delve deep into other brands and see what works best for me seeing as I unfortunately don't have the ability to garage it but it does stay undercover at work which a nice bonus. 

I am also a supporter of Aussie made too mate, wherever possible. Sometimes it's impossible unfortunately. The Bowdens are good people and I'm glad we have Aussie made car care products that can compare with the big corporates.

I have the same problem of lack of garaging and my daily's live outside too. If you put enough protection them, they will be ok and try and sneak in as much shade as you can too. I'm building a carport pretty soon so this will help alleviate some of the summer anxiety I've faced lol..

14 hours ago, Squalled said:

One of the massive benefits I noticed after applying Wet Dreams or Happy Ending, how easy all of the typical road grime just fell right off with the snow foam. Makes it much less time consuming and effortless really. I've applied it on a few cars within the family one of which is garaged and the coating still works a treat months later! Albeit it definitely is due for a top up soon

That's the beauty of applying a good quality sealant. It's ability to resist, to a degree, road grime and dirt. The pre soak is an important step in shedding as much of this gritty stuff before the contact wash. The snow foam creates a nice emulsion, lifting most of the dirt off. Best results when using a pressure washer too.

There's only one thing that bugs me about the Bowden's product range is the silly 'sexual innuendo' they use to name their products. I think it quite juvenile to be honest. Yeah, it's pretty ozzie and boganish, but not very classy in my mind. Apart from that, they have some geat products.

[Squalled]

4 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Yep, I agree. We had a pretty wet weekend in Sydney. The dams should be practically full by now. I hope Professor Tim Flannery has had a look outside his window lately 🤣

I am also a supporter of Aussie made too mate, wherever possible. Sometimes it's impossible unfortunately. The Bowdens are good people and I'm glad we have Aussie made car care products that can compare with the big corporates.

I have the same problem of lack of garaging and my daily's live outside too. If you put enough protection them, they will be ok and try and sneak in as much shade as you can too. I'm building a carport pretty soon so this will help alleviate some of the summer anxiety I've faced lol..

That's the beauty of applying a good quality sealant. It's ability to resist, to a degree, road grime and dirt. The pre soak is an important step in shedding as much of this gritty stuff before the contact wash. The snow foam creates a nice emulsion, lifting most of the dirt off. Best results when using a pressure washer too.

There's only one thing that bugs me about the Bowden's product range is the silly 'sexual innuendo' they use to name their products. I think it quite juvenile to be honest. Yeah, it's pretty ozzie and boganish, but not very classy in my mind. Apart from that, they have some geat products.

What I find with Bowden's is it doesn't over promise and underdeliver unlike some of the big international brands. A few American's have got their hands on some Bowden's gear and have been quite impressed with it.

All I can say is that getting it detailed last year was a worth while investment seeing as the paint was a lot worse than I thought and hopefully when it comes to that time again, I can do it myself with some mates and learn a thing or too. Since applying those sealants, I 100% agree it makes washing a whole lot easier and actually quite a fun job to do these days.

Yeah the naming makes it quite awkward when talking to others who don't know about Bowden's or cars in general but it does manage to give them a good laugh. 

[Squalled]

So after many weekends with poor weather I finally got the chance last weekend to do my long awaited oil change. With the current pandemic it had actually been more than 6 months since I last did an oil change seeing as I hardly drive compared to what I used to earlier in the year and this time last year.

Oil looked fine, nothing suspect found showing any signs of high wear and tear which is a good sign as I've clocked just over 250000 kms now. Earlier in the year I got some electrical contact cleaner so I can give the center console circuit board a good clean and my MAF sensor. It has been some time since I had it cleaned and it was now surprise it looked like this.

I also finally managed to give the underside of the car a good degrease, especially near the sump and right side where my driveshaft boot had split and flung grease all over the place. It should now make it easier to see if I'm leaking from anywhere in particular.

After a few weeks of wet weather, the rain held back just long enough for a wash and top up with the Happy Ending coating. Car feels super slick once again and it paid off as it rained later that night and the following day, I didn't even know it had rained as there were barely any water marks left.

Still have plenty to do with the few weeks remaining this year. It is coming to that busy time once again as we wrap up the year so I'm doubtful I'll get much of it done 😂

Stay tuned.

[Tony Prodigy]

Hey mate, good to hear you got your servicing done. Makes you feel better knowing your car is in tip top shape.

That MAF did look a bit on the dirty side. Was it idling funny ?

Car looks great as always. Nice work keeping it looking good 

[KAA]

Good to hear Squalled that you got around to doing some work on your beast..and even managed to get her washed and coated..she still looks a beauty so well done mate

KAA

[Squalled]

17 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Hey mate, good to hear you got your servicing done. Makes you feel better knowing your car is in tip top shape.

That MAF did look a bit on the dirty side. Was it idling funny ?

Car looks great as always. Nice work keeping it looking good 

I'll say, although the oil had done just under 6000 kms or so, I'd still rather change it every 5000 kms since I do give it a hard time here and there.

So for some time it has odd idling and after cleaning the MAF I have noticed a major improvement, especially on cold starts where it would start at roughly 2000 RPM and sometimes drop to 800-900 RPM and I'd have to give it some revs for it to idle nicer. I initially thought it may have been the idle motor on the throttle body but so far so good after the MAF clean.

Thanks Tony!

11 hours ago, KAA said:

Good to hear Squalled that you got around to doing some work on your beast..and even managed to get her washed and coated..she still looks a beauty so well done mate

KAA

Thanks KAA, was definitely needed especially now with the unpredictable weather from the La Nina season we're now going through. Will make it much easier to clean when it inevitably rains 😂 

[Squalled]

Minor update

Nothing to new here sadly. Recently I have had to return to another office for work full time once again so I've been racking up some kms in the last few weeks or going to and from and dealing with a lot more people on the road than I ever re-call before.

My office is in an industrial area and is right near a concrete facility and rubbish tip so I hardly ever clean my car seeing as within an hour of arriving it's covered in dust and dirty once again. Hopefully when this bad weather finally clears I'll give some love that it desperately now needs.

Here's how it sits at the moment, in all its dirty glory.

I've managed to get 2 weeks off work in the new year at the start of February so I plan to finally do another set of black insert headlights since my current set are not that great and have had quite a few issues from my inexperience at the time. Hopefully I can get a few other things done in the time, maybe a nice interior clean and detail while I have a heap of extra time.

Stay tuned!

[Tony Prodigy]

40 minutes ago, Squalled said:

Minor update

Nothing to new here sadly. Recently I have had to return to another office for work full time once again so I've been racking up some kms in the last few weeks or going to and from and dealing with a lot more people on the road than I ever re-call before.

My office is in an industrial area and is right near a concrete facility and rubbish tip so I hardly ever clean my car seeing as within an hour of arriving it's covered in dust and dirty once again. Hopefully when this bad weather finally clears I'll give some love that it desperately now needs.

Here's how it sits at the moment, in all its dirty glory.

I've managed to get 2 weeks off work in the new year at the start of February so I plan to finally do another set of black insert headlights since my current set are not that great and have had quite a few issues from my inexperience at the time. Hopefully I can get a few other things done in the time, maybe a nice interior clean and detail while I have a heap of extra time.

Stay tuned!

Don't feel too bad mate. As long as you have protection layer on the paint it should be fine. I know what you mean though, seeing it dirty and not being able to keep it clean always. My biggest bug bear. Spend most of the day Saturday only to have it rain either Sunday or the following days and having to go back to square one. If it's only dust and not road grime, I usually get away with a snow foam and pressure wash rinse and then towel dry, it comes good again.

Enjoy your time off and have fun with your little projects. 

[Squalled]

20 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Don't feel too bad mate. As long as you have protection layer on the paint it should be fine. I know what you mean though, seeing it dirty and not being able to keep it clean always. My biggest bug bear. Spend most of the day Saturday only to have it rain either Sunday or the following days and having to go back to square one. If it's only dust and not road grime, I usually get away with a snow foam and pressure wash rinse and then towel dry, it comes good again.

Enjoy your time off and have fun with your little projects. 

Yeah it bugs me a lot especially because I generally don't go to this particular office I'm in a lot so my normal office isn't as bad in terms of getting dirty. It's at the time of the year where I won't have enough free time to give it a nice clean either.

Definitely looking forward to February, got a few things in mind I'd love to get done!

[Squalled]

Last update to finish off the year. 2020 has been a tough year for all us, some more than others. A lot of things haven't gone to plan this year but I have a lot to look forward to next year.

I've got quite a list for next year, I think I'll be lucky if I even get half of it done but hopefully I can get most of it done during my leave early next year. Other than the usual maintenance and problems that arise, here it is.

- Replace current headlights with new black housing headlights
- Monitor leak (potentially power steering pump)
- Replace the clutch and flywheel (if needed) - Clutch has done almost 100k kms and tends to slip a bit after a pull and when cold, I have quite a rattle that seems to go once warm, and also when driving it comes back when the clutch is engaged so I have a feeling the throw-out bearing has worn down too.
- Give the interior a major detail (leather treatment for the rear seats and door trims, clean and protection for the floor mats and Recaro's)
- Get BRD mounts and shifter cable bushings installed
- Potentially rebuild coilovers and replace end links (there's a fair bit of squeaking and creaking going on towards the front and a little in the rear also). 

There's a few minor mods I do have in mind for next year, but I'll see how I go in terms of if I really want them or not.

Here's how the car sits during this current wet spell in Sydney. Still haven't had the chance to clean it since every time I can, it rains.

The coating seems to be going well still, beading pretty much on at least 90% of the car, the rear bar seems to have lost a bit of it along with the roof. You can also see how bad the headlights are, despite being detailed a year ago they have lost their clarity and also tend to fog up and fill with water in the rain due to my horrible seal job.

Other than that, hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. Stay tuned for updates in the New Year!

[Tony Prodigy]

I totally agree. 2020 is a year I'd rather forget. There were some good moments but mostly with the CCP virus, it has definitely changed how we live.

You will be pretty busy with that list and it will bring you much satisfaction I'm sure.

Are those headlights aftermarket items ? They do look tired even after a good polish they looked too yellowed to keep. I'd hunt down some clean OEM headlights and prep those. Polish them up nicely then apply your favourite sealant, or if you have, ceramic coat them for the ultimate protection.

Regarding the interior, I'd even remove the front seats to be able to get right in there and clean underneath including the seat tracks. You may need to relube the tracks too.

Have fun with it. 

Cheers 

[Squalled]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I totally agree. 2020 is a year I'd rather forget. There were some good moments but mostly with the CCP virus, it has definitely changed how we live.

You will be pretty busy with that list and it will bring you much satisfaction I'm sure.

Are those headlights aftermarket items ? They do look tired even after a good polish they looked too yellowed to keep. I'd hunt down some clean OEM headlights and prep those. Polish them up nicely then apply your favourite sealant, or if you have, ceramic coat them for the ultimate protection.

Regarding the interior, I'd even remove the front seats to be able to get right in there and clean underneath including the seat tracks. You may need to relube the tracks too.

Have fun with it. 

Cheers 

I'll say it has, I had planned an overseas trip for this year with my partner and we had it cancelled last minute before we would've gone. We were both pretty bummed but after everything that happened, we were glad we didn't get stuck overseas.

The headlights are factory ones that I'll have pull off the lenses to paint the insert/surround as they are. I have had them polished a few times but the damage is also on the inside and I'd have to pull them apart to fix it. I'm not to happy with the paint on this set so I'd rather re-do another set with what I've learnt since to make them even better than the current. I've got my original headlights that came on my car that are in mint condition in terms of the lenses so I'll be using them. If not, I may get a factory style replacement which I hear are a lot easier to pull apart but we'll see 🙂 

That's what I was thinking, using the garage for the day, pulling the seats out and giving them a good deep clean and give the car a nice vacuum too.

[Squalled]

Let's get right into the New Year right. Going to be updating the forum thread a lot more regularly than I ever have before this year (well I hope at least 🤞)

For Christmas, my parents got me a new vacuum since our old one had been out of action for some time and I was using a dying dust buster for a long time before not even really bothering much with my interior. 

It's the Karcher WD3 and all I can say is wow. It's probably the best vacuum I've used and reminds me of using the vacuum's you'd find at car washes in terms of how powerful it is. I have used it a few times now but I've since cleaned the inside of not only my car but also my parents cars (I'm sure that's why they got it for me).

I will still be doing a complete clean next month in terms of pulling the seats out and steam cleaning them along with the floor mats but this is a good start to get the ball rolling at least. I cleaned the mats the day before but didn't get any before and after photo's.

I also got a ToolPro detailing kit from my parents and used it to clean around the air vents, steering wheel, center console, shifter and dash. Very happy with the results so far and makes clean dust out such a breeze.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Squalled

[Tony Prodigy]

The Karcher vacuum is one of the best ones I've used too. I had a similar Karcher for around 12 years before it started getting tired. The motor outlasted the rest of it. The side clamps were the biggest weakness. Not sure if they've upgraded them on these newer machines, but I'll definitely buy another. The just last and the suction is excellent. I would advise to stock up on the circular brush implements  because the bristles will fold down and it will become useless over time and Karcher tends to discontinue these items so you have no choice but to upgrade the machine. Aftermarket ones are almost non existent, I know, I've tried looking. I like using this implement to help fluff up the carpets and get rid of those stroke lines when using the crevice tool to pick up heavy dirt and it helps to agitate more dirt deeper in the pile.

Well done, that's a great gift from you Parents. Look forward to your updates. Appreciate the pics too.

Cheers mate 

[Squalled]

After weeks of what seemed like endless showers and storms, they cleared at the right time for the weekend and I finally got to wash the beast. FINALLY!

Started off with the wheel cleaner, I tend to only use it when I haven't washed the car for a long time since my brake pads generally don't give off a lot of brake dust so it's usually pointless during the weekly wash times to use it. This time around, I got the most intense reaction I've seen on the front wheels. Usually I get little bits here and there but this time there was plenty of purple liquid about.

I let it sit for a bit before using some left over snow foam in a cannon that had been sitting around for a few weeks to rinse it off each wheel along with giving the underside of the rear a good spray to clean and any loose rubbish off. I was mostly trying to get rid of it since I had some new gear I wanted to test.

Last year I managed to get some Bowden's Own Yellow Snow and I also purchased a new foam cannon from Refract Car Care in W.A. as an alternative to my Bowden's one seeing as at the time it was pretty cheap. Safe to say, super happy with the consistency and easy of use. It is just under 1L in capacity but is enough for my car and also my Mum's stinger which I washed late last year.

The new formula is super thick, it is honestly like shaving cream when it first gets onto the car which I love. I know foam thickness is very personal preference but for anyone wanting a thick foam, Yellow Snow ticks that box with ease. From the pictures, it had basically sat on the car for a few minutes or so.

Once I finished the wash, I added some spray on sealant to the bonnet, roof and rear bar and boot lid since they had lost some of the protection from the last wash compared to other parts.

Very happy now and the weather looks clear for the rest of the week so at least I can enjoy it clean and hopefully clean it weekly again while I can.

Before the end of the year, a mate of mine released a new product and it was honestly too good to pass up.

Thankfully my 2nd gear is fully functional.

Stay tuned.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Squalled

[Tony Prodigy]

Nice work mate. Car is looking great ! Don't be shy with the wheel cleaner. Give the tyres a hit too and scrub them well with a tyre brush to help kill that browning effect.

I've purchased items from Refract too and I have to say have been quite pleased with the quality. W.A. you said ? I'm pretty sure they have an outlet in Sydney. I'll have to check this. I haven't posted them here yet,  but I needed some proper detailing brushes and they had what I was looking for. Also purchased an inspection light too recently.

Keep up the great work !

Cheers 

[Squalled]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Nice work mate. Car is looking great ! Don't be shy with the wheel cleaner. Give the tyres a hit too and scrub them well with a tyre brush to help kill that browning effect.

I've purchased items from Refract too and I have to say have been quite pleased with the quality. W.A. you said ? I'm pretty sure they have an outlet in Sydney. I'll have to check this. I haven't posted them here yet,  but I needed some proper detailing brushes and they had what I was looking for. Also purchased an inspection light too recently.

Keep up the great work !

Cheers 

Yeah I gave them a good clean as well afterwards.

Yeap W.A., not sure if they have one themselves in Sydney but maybe another detailing shop sells their gear for them and what not. The foam cannon is a really nice addition, it feels top notch and it doesn't topple over or anything. I'm pretty happy with it all round.

Thanks Tony!

[Tony Prodigy]

26 minutes ago, Squalled said:

Yeap W.A., not sure if they have one themselves in Sydney but maybe another detailing shop sells their gear for them and what not.

Just had a look and yep, you're right. They are in Rockingham W.A. 

Not sure why I thought it was Sydney. When you buy too much stuff you tend to lose track 😜

 

[Squalled]

Finally some long awaited updates.

Heading into the last few days of my fortnight off work. Have had plenty of relaxation time with my partner last week and this week getting right into the thick of it with work on the car. Sadly I won't have the chance to do the full interior detail since it hasn't been hot enough for my seats to dry so that will have to wait unfortunately.

Starting off nice and easy, gave the car a wash about a week ago before heading down the coast for a day out at the beach.

The following day, Alec installed my Speed Source shifter cable bushings I've had for that long I forgot I even had them some days. Can see them, just, in the image below. They do stand out in my very dusty engine bay. They feel quite nice so far, very notchy and direct and we also found that one of my rubber bushings had actually ovaled and would've needed replacement at some point.

He also helped with another mod to be fitted very soon so the car is out of action currently in the garage but I don't need to go out anyway so it's no biggy, more to come on the mod in another post soon.

Today was a very very successful day to say the least. Although I'm in great pain at the moment, I'm honestly over the moon with how everything turned out today and don't think I could've done it on just an ordinary weekend.

Starting off today with some TYC OEM style replacement headlights which I had got some time ago. After many discussions with a few mates of lights, techniques and tips I settled for the TYC replacements as they are much newer and cheaper compared to the OEM Toyota lights along with been much easier to crack open for inserts.

I gathered all my gear together like the last time and cracked both lights open. The first one took me roughly 40 minutes and the second took not even 20 minutes after figuring out how to get them off in the quickest and easiest manner.

Unlike last time, I learnt that I should tape over the indicator lens that pops out on the facelift model which was 100 times easier than trying to tape over the gap it leaves which caused the paint to go into the area and I compromised and painted them to make them look complete.

Did a single coat of primer filler as per last time and while it was drying this is when I cracked open the second headlight.

Once both had dried enough I applied the coat of black. This time, I used a high temp gloss black as my current set actually have bubbling in some spots that photo's don't always show so I wanted to try and reduce any issues with having that happen again.

After 3 coats of paint, I let them set for 3 hours before been able to handle them and seal the lights back up. The moment of truth came when removing the tape and to my surprise and enjoyment, no black paint got through!

Now it was time for the worst part of this entire endeavor, sealing them back up. This part I did a horrible job on the first time and I was really disappointed when it rained and the lights leaked and fogged up, especially in cold weather. I heated up both the headlight housing and lens and basically squeezed them together in position as hard as possible to get the seal done as best as possible before additional sealant was applied.

Once all sealed up, I let the lights cool down for a period before placing all the required screws back in to mate the lens to the housing before getting the sealant out. This time I managed to get the right colour sealant which should also last a lot longer too as it's more weather and water resistant. After another hour of time, a massive mess and sticking to everything I touch, I am left with these beauties.

Super happy with the results despite the stress and pain. I will be going over them tomorrow once they have cured to make sure there are no gaps anywhere in the sealant before they eventually go in. I do also have a lens clear coat spray to go on to prevent them from yellowing so fast but that will wait until everything is 100%.

If I ever have to do this again, I'd rather pay someone else to do it 🤣🤣

I'd like to thank Adam, Alec, Andrew, and Blake, the guys that gave me the information and tips I needed to get the job done after slowly loosing my confidence a little with this job last time.

Stay tuned, more to come..

Edited February 10, 2021 by Squalled

[Tony Prodigy]

Hey mate, nice to see you were able to get some things done. Those headlights look sensational ! Beautiful job mate . Huge improvement. Can't wait to see them on the car now.

Can I offer some advice. I'd hold back on the lens clear coat. Reason being is that new lenses will have a layer of U.V resistant coating already which does break down with time, same as the clear coat you intend putting on. The clear coat is not permanent and it will break down eventually and look horrible. A much better solution long term would be to either ceramic coat them with the traditional method or get a spray on ceramic infused alternative. Plenty to choose from. Decent quality spray on type are usually good for around 12 months. I'm sure you won't resist giving them a top up coat bi-monthly. (I would).. The bottle will go a long way, years in fact. I'm still waiting for the 303 Graphene nano spray and the Turtle wax flex wax to hit our market. I'll keep a bottle of each of these handy. 

Look forward to the update.

Thanks for sharing 👌

[Squalled]

5 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Hey mate, nice to see you were able to get some things done. Those headlights look sensational ! Beautiful job mate . Huge improvement. Can't wait to see them on the car now.

Can I offer some advice. I'd hold back on the lens clear coat. Reason being is that new lenses will have a layer of U.V resistant coating already which does break down with time, same as the clear coat you intend putting on. The clear coat is not permanent and it will break down eventually and look horrible. A much better solution long term would be to either ceramic coat them with the traditional method or get a spray on ceramic infused alternative. Plenty to choose from. Decent quality spray on type are usually good for around 12 months. I'm sure you won't resist giving them a top up coat bi-monthly. (I would).. The bottle will go a long way, years in fact. I'm still waiting for the 303 Graphene nano spray and the Turtle wax flex wax to hit our market. I'll keep a bottle of each of these handy. 

Look forward to the update.

Thanks for sharing 👌

Thanks a lot Tony.

Awesome, I'd much rather invest in a better alternative than making them look horrible again. Seeing the new ones with my current ones side by side is honestly a night and day difference.

For the spray solutions, what would you recommend? Always up for some new detailing gear for the collection 😃

[Tony Prodigy]

6 hours ago, Squalled said:

Thanks a lot Tony.

Awesome, I'd much rather invest in a better alternative than making them look horrible again. Seeing the new ones with my current ones side by side is honestly a night and day difference.

For the spray solutions, what would you recommend? Always up for some new detailing gear for the collection 😃

I'm still waiting for Turtle wax's Flex wax to arrive here and the 303 graphene nano spray. Both these are graphene based. But for the meantime we have these following ceramic sprays that are decent enough. The Mothers CMX probably edging the other two out. There are more fancy boutique brands but they're all much of a muchness really. The ones below are readily available at your local SCA and at decent prices at the moment.

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/meguiars-meguiars-hybrid-ceramic-wax---786ml/579411.html?cgid=SCA01010406#start=1

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/mothers-mothers-cmx-ceramic-spray-710ml/575705.html?cgid=SCA01010406#start=2

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/turtle-wax-turtle-wax-hybrid-solutions-ceramic-wax-473ml/591047.html?cgid=SCA01010406#start=6