New to Toyota - 2005 Corolla Sportivo!

[Squalled]

17 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

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

Thank you for the feedback Tony, really appreciate it. I have ordered the Mother CMX after reading various reviews and watching videos of all the options you sent. Mothers just seemed to edge out the rest in my opinion although I have seen the Meguiars in action and it works a treat.

I guess when it comes to the headlights, the application would be no different as if I was applying to my paint right?

[Tony Prodigy]

21 minutes ago, Squalled said:

I guess when it comes to the headlights, the application would be no different as if I was applying to my paint right?

Yes it is. Try and avoid direct sun though. Do it in the early morning or late afternoon or inside a garage if you have that.

Just follow the directions on the bottle and you can't go wrong. This one will require a cure time and having the lights off at the moment you can take your time and even do a second coat. Those lights will pop !

[Squalled]

Second update time!

So as of last night, the second mod that I mentioned in my previous has now been completed and installed. In a post about a year ago or so, I was part of group buy to get BRD engine mounts. Me being me, it took a few years before the mod actually got installed 😂

When Alec came over last week, along with doing my shifter cable bushings he also removed my old engine mounts and gave me a spare rear mount so I could move the car around if need be while it didn't have the front engine mount in. I was extremely careful with the clutch and accelerator to not cause the engine to move back and forth too much. Thankfully while I was on leave I didn't need to go anywhere and my parents kindly let me use the garage for the time which worked out perfectly.

Anyway, back to the mod. The original engine mounts require the original rubber inserts to be removed with a machine press.

Once the rubber inserts are removed, the front engine mount requires some work to remove excess metal that will initially block the mount from fitting in, as you can see below in the before and after.

Once the front mount was completed, the rear mount doesn't require all too much work other than placing the insert in the mount. The front mount received a coat of paint to prevent any rusting.

Now both of the mounts are ready to receive the BRD inserts.

Both engine mounts now ready to go in. I went with the red option as this is more suited to street with the occasional track use where as the yellow inserts are the reverse are a lot stiffer.

Out with the old, the Speed Source mount inserts served their purpose, unfortunately the rear popped out due to not having a bracket of washer to keep them in which was a real pain, a problem that won't occur with the new BRD units.

Car was jacked up and ready for Alec to do his work. In quite literally 20 minutes, the temporary mount was out and the new mounts were in and the car was back on the ground ready to roll once again! Now time for the test drive with the new shifter bushings and engine mounts.

Speed Source Solid Shifter Cable Bushings: Definitely a must have for anyone. Shifting feels so much better, more direct, smoother while driving and there is literally no slop. I also have the shifter base bushings which aid this also but the cable bushings really liven up the shifting. I've yet to do any highway pulls and gear changes but so far a massive improvement. This mod can also be achieved cheaper by using skateboard bearings of a specific size, there are a few forum posts around the Web that will lead you in the right direction.

BRD Engine Mount Inserts: No movement! Exactly what I need, the engine does move a tiny bit when blipping the throttle but my god they make the old inserts feel useless. Although a lot more work is required to fit them, they will honestly outlast the car. The vibration even while they are settling in is quite minimal, the only time I've noticed it is when idling while warm and the dashboard vibrates a little but nothing crazy and when accelerating at certain RPMs I can feel the vibration through the accelerator pedal. The vibrations are an awesome trade off for long lasting solid engine mounts. For those in the know, most Sportivo owners know the pain of going through the weak stock engine mounts regularly. I'd highly recommend the mounts for anyone, if you can get a few people together the price will work out cheaper as they are more expensive shipped than the Speed Source inserts from MWR but are totally worth the investment. Oddly, I've noticed some rattles seem to have disappeared compared to the previous engine mounts I had but we'll soon find in the coming days once the mounts settle in if they return.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Alec once again for doing all the hard work while I basically stand and chat 99% of the time and for doing everything so quickly in his time, travelling to me and making the car feel new again.

Other than that, I also applied some touch up sealant over any gaps I found on the new headlights last night so I will await for them to cure before installing them. I may install them next weekend as it's set to rain and I'd rather do it on a nice day seeing as my passenger side plug remains stuck and I will need to thread the headlight harness through the light.

Stay tuned, still more to come!

[Squalled]

16 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Yes it is. Try and avoid direct sun though. Do it in the early morning or late afternoon or inside a garage if you have that.

Just follow the directions on the bottle and you can't go wrong. This one will require a cure time and having the lights off at the moment you can take your time and even do a second coat. Those lights will pop !

Awesome! Thank you once again Tony, really appreciate the information and tips.

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, Squalled said:

Second update time!

So as of last night, the second mod that I mentioned in my previous has now been completed and installed. In a post about a year ago or so, I was part of group buy to get BRD engine mounts. Me being me, it took a few years before the mod actually got installed 😂

When Alec came over last week, along with doing my shifter cable bushings he also removed my old engine mounts and gave me a spare rear mount so I could move the car around if need be while it didn't have the front engine mount in. I was extremely careful with the clutch and accelerator to not cause the engine to move back and forth too much. Thankfully while I was on leave I didn't need to go anywhere and my parents kindly let me use the garage for the time which worked out perfectly.

Anyway, back to the mod. The original engine mounts require the original rubber inserts to be removed with a machine press.

Once the rubber inserts are removed, the front engine mount requires some work to remove excess metal that will initially block the mount from fitting in, as you can see below in the before and after.

Once the front mount was completed, the rear mount doesn't require all too much work other than placing the insert in the mount. The front mount received a coat of paint to prevent any rusting.

Now both of the mounts are ready to receive the BRD inserts.

Both engine mounts now ready to go in. I went with the red option as this is more suited to street with the occasional track use where as the yellow inserts are the reverse are a lot stiffer.

Out with the old, the Speed Source mount inserts served their purpose, unfortunately the rear popped out due to not having a bracket of washer to keep them in which was a real pain, a problem that won't occur with the new BRD units.

Car was jacked up and ready for Alec to do his work. In quite literally 20 minutes, the temporary mount was out and the new mounts were in and the car was back on the ground ready to roll once again! Now time for the test drive with the new shifter bushings and engine mounts.

Speed Source Solid Shifter Cable Bushings: Definitely a must have for anyone. Shifting feels so much better, more direct, smoother while driving and there is literally no slop. I also have the shifter base bushings which aid this also but the cable bushings really liven up the shifting. I've yet to do any highway pulls and gear changes but so far a massive improvement. This mod can also be achieved cheaper by using skateboard bearings of a specific size, there are a few forum posts around the Web that will lead you in the right direction.

BRD Engine Mount Inserts: No movement! Exactly what I need, the engine does move a tiny bit when blipping the throttle but my god they make the old inserts feel useless. Although a lot more work is required to fit them, they will honestly outlast the car. The vibration even while they are settling in is quite minimal, the only time I've noticed it is when idling while warm and the dashboard vibrates a little but nothing crazy and when accelerating at certain RPMs I can feel the vibration through the accelerator pedal. The vibrations are an awesome trade off for long lasting solid engine mounts. For those in the know, most Sportivo owners know the pain of going through the weak stock engine mounts regularly. I'd highly recommend the mounts for anyone, if you can get a few people together the price will work out cheaper as they are more expensive shipped than the Speed Source inserts from MWR but are totally worth the investment. Oddly, I've noticed some rattles seem to have disappeared compared to the previous engine mounts I had but we'll soon find in the coming days once the mounts settle in if they return.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Alec once again for doing all the hard work while I basically stand and chat 99% of the time and for doing everything so quickly in his time, travelling to me and making the car feel new again.

Other than that, I also applied some touch up sealant over any gaps I found on the new headlights last night so I will await for them to cure before installing them. I may install them next weekend as it's set to rain and I'd rather do it on a nice day seeing as my passenger side plug remains stuck and I will need to thread the headlight harness through the light.

Stay tuned, still more to come!

Nice work. Every little bit helps make the car feel and drive that little bit nicer.

[Squalled]

Minor update.

Looked into the recommendations provided from @Tony Prodigy and after having previous experience with some, in particular Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic, and reading/watching reviews of all the products, I opted for the Mothers CMX Ceramic Spray to apply to my headlights. Seeing as it was on sale and I had some store credit for SCA, I ended up getting it cheaper than listed.

As soon as I got home I applied the first coat to both the headlights following the instructions on the bottle. It was simple and easy to apply and had no real downfalls that I've noticed so far. I waited for over a day and have since applied a 2nd coat to both the lights to ensure they will be protected for as long as possible between any coating top ups. 

I've gone over the headlights again visually and can't seem to find any spots I've missed with the sealant so once the weather is nicer one weekend, they'll be replacing the crummy old yellowed units I currently have.

More to come....

[Tony Prodigy]

Very nice ! Enjoy the slickness too. That ceramic will provide excellent protection from the elements and you'll probably give it a once over in around 6 months. The bottle will go a long way. Use it on various parts of the car too if you don't want to do the paintwork that is.

[Squalled]

So after a few weeks of subpar weather, being busy most weekends and giving plenty of time for them set properly, well and truly I have finally made the biggest exterior change for a long time.

Here are the lights that I had modified and fitted about 3 years ago in their current state. The lenses are in poor condition with a whole heap of cracking on both lenses on the inside and outside along with a horrible seal job that I completed at the time.

What a difference a day of hard work and a bit of coin makes! The new ones were originally how I wanted the first set to turn out with the indicator section remaining chrome and reflective but I didn't tape the spot properly and ended up painting the inside black which I didn't mind at the time. Now it was fitment time.

Even after fitting the drivers side, what a huge difference excellent condition lights make! Now it was time for the passenger side. As I noted before, the light plug is stuck and rather than potentially causing serious damage it is actually easier to thread the harness out of the light and thread it through another one. Although it's more time consuming, this time around I managed to get it done in half the time so I was pretty happy. I also gave the pod filter a quick clean while I had easy access to it.

Now for the final result...

Honestly super stoked with how they came out and look on the car. It's really made it look like a totally different car. The seal job is nowhere near as visible and horrible like the last set, the fitment is much better than the first set and there's honestly no issues with rubbing or bending of the housing like the previous set.

Seeing as the weather eventually cleared later in the day I decided to give the car a good wash. This also tested the seal and sealant applied and to my surprise firstly, NO LEAKS OR CONDENSATION! The lights seem to be perfectly sealed and the ceramic coating applied feels super slick and has a nice beading effect as well. I also took the time to apply Bowden's Happy Ending as the previous coating had worn off and it also meant another coating of sealant on the lights so hopefully in the long run they won't ever turn yellow or fade!

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned!

[Squalled]

Had a super late night doing some new modifications, a new post will come with further details later on once everything is completed 100%. For the moment the car is still running and drivable but does need a little tidying up and some checks as not everything with this mod is 100% perfect as of yet.

Anyway onto the main update for the moment. While Alec was doing my engine mounts he noticed that my front tyres were quite worn, in particular my driver side tyre had some serious camber wear and was likely going to have wires popping through at any point. My passenger side tyre worn but no where near as bad along with a chewed through rear tyre as I bought them with the rims at the time, I thought why not replace all of them.

My brand new Hankook RS-4s, the same tyres I had on already. I've found them to be quite durable, super grippy for a semi-slick in all conditions and with 15" rims that are 8" wide, there aren't too many viable options. Soon enough, I will be buying a 2nd set of jack stands and an impact gun so I can rotate the wheels each service as this was likely the cause of the premature wearing. Although, I'm sure I actually clocked a fair amount of kms with the tyres so I think I will be able to further extend the new ones even further.

Car getting aligned with the fresh rubber. A huge thank you to my mate Kyle for helping me out with the tyres and giving me and awesome price for everything. Super happy!

Stay tuned for more!

[Squalled]

So last Friday after the horrid weather that battered NSW and QLD, the newest addition has been basically finished. For some time, I've had the V-Manage and was planning to run an E-Manage with it to compliment the adjusted VVT and lift with the appropriate fueling and timing to match. After a few hiccups and a bit of a discussion, I eventually went down different route. This had been in the pipeline for some time and I wasn't entirely sure on occasions if I should but I thought why not.

A sample image here but, I've now moved onto an Adaptronic E420D ECU, which has all the features of an E-Manage and a V-Manage combined with a whole lot more to offer, along with being at least 10+ years newer than the Greddy units. Adam had been running this in his car for some time with great success and found an E440D unit which was originally intended for my car but I suggested he use it since it had features that would benefit his build in the future to which he agreed.

The endeavor began Friday 2 weeks ago when we wired in the new unit and removed the V-Manage. It was much easier to remove the entire harness out of the car so it could be worked on sitting down rather than on the floor in a cramped passenger side footwell. Now, this was a very very late night. We began around 8pm or so and I arrived home at 5am before getting up at 7am to get my tyres in my previous post so safe to say I was completely knackered. Adam was able to get everything wired in properly and triple checked absolutely everything before the harness went back into the car and a few remaining wires were patched in.

Along with the new ECU, it required a new O2 sensor and also requires a wideband.

Adam having this ECU working in his car with very few issues, I went with an identical setup with a new Bosch O2, Spartan 2 Lambda controller and a Just Race Parts AFR gauge. Initially the gauge I received was faulty but Just Race Parts were super helpful and sent me a replacement after contacting them about the issue, thankfully it was an uncommon but known issue to them. I spent the time while Adam was wiring the harness removing the old O2, replacing it with the new one and setting up the AFR gauge. We got the first fire up at 4am and after a slightly longer crank time it started with no issues. We did a few laps around to make sure all was working and Adam removed a heap of timing just so it was super conservative until we could tune it correctly. Since I work quite close to home and with the horrid weather incoming the week after I didn't do all too much driving.

Now to last Friday, we got started with replacing the faulty gauge with the new one and also doing some wire clean up on both the ECU side and also on the AFR gauge side. There are 2 more wires that will be required in the future, not entirely necessary currently but they will be added soon enough. Once that was all complete, we went out for logging and tuning. After 2 hours or so, with a lot of logging, constant adjustments and listening for any pinging, the car was completed.

It's like a whole new car now. The powerband is now 100% usable, the low end feels amazing, the transition into lift is super smooth and strong and the powerband now feels linear with no flat spots! The ECU also removes the need for a MAF sensor which I may look into in the future by going a complete 3" intake. Even minor changes like the stable idle and cold start idle are awesome. The car consistently cold starts around 2000 RPM and once warm drops to 1000 RPM and holds the idle perfectly!

After such many hours invested by Adam in not only his own car but mine, I owe him a lot for everything he put into to get this unit working on a Sportivo. It's miles better than the Greddy units not only in the tune but the entire package with the software and interface that are used with it, it's really brought a new lease of life to the car. In the mean time, I'm keeping an eye on AFRs just to be sure everything is 100% and if any touch ups are needed.

Now with such a positive, comes a little negative. Last Friday I found while I was out that my passenger side headlight had begun getting moisture inside which was a real shame seeing as I quite thorough with the seal job I did when I put them back together after painting them. Once the sunny days returned, I constantly removed the dust covers at work for the moisture to escape and one afternoon I did seal up some spots I could see on top that didn't look 100% but I also found some other suspect spots which I'd need to look at properly by removing the light.

This morning I spent a good chunk of time looking over the light and found quite a large gap near the high beam section that was roughly 5mm long where there was no sealant even covering it. Along with that and a heap of other spots along the edge of the light, I applied additional sealant to cover any potential gaps. The car has since been put back together and I left the dust caps off once again while the moisture is evaporated. I also place a silica gel bag in the light in the hope it would absorb any moisture I couldn't see. I have just removed it and placed the caps back on so hopefully after tonight I'll see if the seal issues stop the moisture inside 🤞 If not, I have a feeling it could potentially be the dust cover seals themselves seeing as the drivers side light has had no issues what so ever.

Stay tuned for more to come!

[Hiro]

I'm still in two minds about running the on-board MAP sensor on the E440D, sure it fixes a big issue with the intake but then you have to worry about running a vacuum line all the way in to the cabin (and in my mind the longer a vacuum line is, the less accurate it is)

[Squalled]

41 minutes ago, Hiro said:

I'm still in two minds about running the on-board MAP sensor on the E440D, sure it fixes a big issue with the intake but then you have to worry about running a vacuum line all the way in to the cabin (and in my mind the longer a vacuum line is, the less accurate it is)

Yeah good point, I mean I probably won't change anything anytime soon and MAF is still connected but if there's an issue with it I guess it won't have a serious impact.

[Squalled]

Minor update

Happy to report after a rather cooler night that my passenger side headlight has no more condensation inside! After checking before sunrise this morning, all of the moisture was on the outside.

[Hiro]

23 hours ago, Squalled said:

Yeah good point, I mean I probably won't change anything anytime soon and MAF is still connected but if there's an issue with it I guess it won't have a serious impact.

For me, having the MAF still in the system will allow for me to revert back to the factory ECU if necessary (whether it'll run ok with a likely too-big intake and knobbly cams is a different story), but I would prefer a clean-looking intake (plus not have to worry about sensor fouling or flow irregularities screwing with the reading)

[Tony Prodigy]

On 3/13/2021 at 4:44 PM, Squalled said:

Had a super late night doing some new modifications, a new post will come with further details later on once everything is completed 100%. For the moment the car is still running and drivable but does need a little tidying up and some checks as not everything with this mod is 100% perfect as of yet.

Anyway onto the main update for the moment. While Alec was doing my engine mounts he noticed that my front tyres were quite worn, in particular my driver side tyre had some serious camber wear and was likely going to have wires popping through at any point. My passenger side tyre worn but no where near as bad along with a chewed through rear tyre as I bought them with the rims at the time, I thought why not replace all of them.

My brand new Hankook RS-4s, the same tyres I had on already. I've found them to be quite durable, super grippy for a semi-slick in all conditions and with 15" rims that are 8" wide, there aren't too many viable options. Soon enough, I will be buying a 2nd set of jack stands and an impact gun so I can rotate the wheels each service as this was likely the cause of the premature wearing. Although, I'm sure I actually clocked a fair amount of kms with the tyres so I think I will be able to further extend the new ones even further.

Car getting aligned with the fresh rubber. A huge thank you to my mate Kyle for helping me out with the tyres and giving me and awesome price for everything. Super happy!

Stay tuned for more!

I'm really happy for you man. It's nice to have friends who can help in these situations. Glad you're happy with the tyres too.

+1 for the extra jack stands. Makes rotation much easier.

[Tony Prodigy]

On 3/7/2021 at 10:48 AM, Squalled said:

So after a few weeks of subpar weather, being busy most weekends and giving plenty of time for them set properly, well and truly I have finally made the biggest exterior change for a long time.

Here are the lights that I had modified and fitted about 3 years ago in their current state. The lenses are in poor condition with a whole heap of cracking on both lenses on the inside and outside along with a horrible seal job that I completed at the time.

What a difference a day of hard work and a bit of coin makes! The new ones were originally how I wanted the first set to turn out with the indicator section remaining chrome and reflective but I didn't tape the spot properly and ended up painting the inside black which I didn't mind at the time. Now it was fitment time.

Even after fitting the drivers side, what a huge difference excellent condition lights make! Now it was time for the passenger side. As I noted before, the light plug is stuck and rather than potentially causing serious damage it is actually easier to thread the harness out of the light and thread it through another one. Although it's more time consuming, this time around I managed to get it done in half the time so I was pretty happy. I also gave the pod filter a quick clean while I had easy access to it.

Now for the final result...

Honestly super stoked with how they came out and look on the car. It's really made it look like a totally different car. The seal job is nowhere near as visible and horrible like the last set, the fitment is much better than the first set and there's honestly no issues with rubbing or bending of the housing like the previous set.

Seeing as the weather eventually cleared later in the day I decided to give the car a good wash. This also tested the seal and sealant applied and to my surprise firstly, NO LEAKS OR CONDENSATION! The lights seem to be perfectly sealed and the ceramic coating applied feels super slick and has a nice beading effect as well. I also took the time to apply Bowden's Happy Ending as the previous coating had worn off and it also meant another coating of sealant on the lights so hopefully in the long run they won't ever turn yellow or fade!

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned!

It looks so much fresh with those new headlights. Definitely a labour of love. Love the attention to detail. One of my personal habits when undertaking similar jobs myself. You need to be aware of what you're doing so you don't induce any damages in the process. 

[Squalled]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I'm really happy for you man. It's nice to have friends who can help in these situations. Glad you're happy with the tyres too.

+1 for the extra jack stands. Makes rotation much easier.

Very very lucky I am, I have a great bunch of mates and we all help each other when we can but these mates definitely help me a lot more especially with tyre needs and what not. 

I may not need the stands since my mate actually mentioned if I need a rotation I can take it to their shop after I finish work and they can quickly do it 🙂 It's only a slightly longer trip to get there but well worth the time saved in having to do it at home.

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

It looks so much fresh with those new headlights. Definitely a labour of love. Love the attention to detail. One of my personal habits when undertaking similar jobs myself. You need to be aware of what you're doing so you don't induce any damages in the process. 

It really is! I definitely don't want to do another set, no matter how much someone would offer me to do it, never again! 😂 After the first I really learned a lot about the whole process so I wanted to prove that I could do it, and I did thankfully. I really can't get over how changing headlights makes such a huge difference to the appearance. 

The Mother CMX seems to be doing quite well also, seems to be quite durable and has a nice slick feel too. Should be re-applying it sometime next month just to keep it protected.

[Tony Prodigy]

22 minutes ago, Squalled said:

The Mother CMX seems to be doing quite well also, seems to be quite durable and has a nice slick feel too. Should be re-applying it sometime next month just to keep it protected.

Yes, good idea. The more you put on the better it lasts. It's only headlights so I'd even go nuts and apply it monthly.

[Squalled]

Minor updates.

Nothing all to new coming at the moment, just enjoying the experience with the new setup which I'm getting used too. No major issues so far with the Adaptronic, mostly just minor fine tuning over time will fix it but it runs like a dream. Haven't done a lot long distance driving lately but hopefully in the coming few weeks and life settles a bit that should change again.

The headlights are still great, have had plenty of cold nights and no moisture inside! This weekends task is likely an oil change since I'm due for one. If I have some time I may even try to clean up the engine bay a bit but we'll see how we go.

Gave the car a quick wash yesterday as I had a weekend away and earlier in the week Sydney got some dirty rain briefly one morning leaving a horrid layer of dirt all over the car. I did hit it with hose to remove some of it but most of it remained until yesterday.

Also re-coated the headlights with CMX as they felt a little more grippy than I'd like so at least there's a nice layer of protection on them until the next top up.

Stay tuned for more.

[MO71VO]

Hey man, how much was the light and custom harness upgrade.. I have my tivo still at 142ks and would like to give it a new life with small upgrades like you year by year.

I only had it almost a year and not really driving it so might as well mod it.. so far gearbox and shifting is my first upgrade sourced from monkey wrench racing a few parts. but really interested in making it breathe better and perform well with tune and upgrade do not want silly over the top replacement parts....

your one is sweet. give me some input on suspension mods any better.. for street driving Cheers

[Squalled]

11 hours ago, MO71VO said:

Hey man, how much was the light and custom harness upgrade.. I have my tivo still at 142ks and would like to give it a new life with small upgrades like you year by year.

I only had it almost a year and not really driving it so might as well mod it.. so far gearbox and shifting is my first upgrade sourced from monkey wrench racing a few parts. but really interested in making it breathe better and perform well with tune and upgrade do not want silly over the top replacement parts....

your one is sweet. give me some input on suspension mods any better.. for street driving Cheers

Hey bud I'll shoot you a PM.

[Tony Prodigy]

What an Epic Thread this is turning into !

The car looks fantastic Mr Squalled. I suspect the CMX product doesn't have the same slickness as some of the others but the protection will still be there regardless. It is a robust product. If you want the slickness, just apply some Nova Jet or Boost, if you have it, over the CMX. 

I received my order of NV Jet and Lustre and am still waiting for Boost to arrive. Looking forward to playing with these products as they are highly recommended by the pros in the industry. Love the fact that they are also an Australian based company who produce these too. Win Win !

Keep up the great work. Look forward to the updates.

Cheers 

[Squalled]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

What an Epic Thread this is turning into !

The car looks fantastic Mr Squalled. I suspect the CMX product doesn't have the same slickness as some of the others but the protection will still be there regardless. It is a robust product. If you want the slickness, just apply some Nova Jet or Boost, if you have it, over the CMX. 

I received my order of NV Jet and Lustre and am still waiting for Boost to arrive. Looking forward to playing with these products as they are highly recommended by the pros in the industry. Love the fact that they are also an Australian based company who produce these too. Win Win !

Keep up the great work. Look forward to the updates.

Cheers 

Thanks a lot Tony, really appreciate it! May as well since I can share my build as well as getting to look back at the build too.

I've found CMX to be quite slick on the headlights, I mean it feels just as slick as the Bowden's spray sealants I've used so I'm pretty happy with it.

I have looked into NV Jet and I recently got some CarPro HydrO2 finishing foam which I'll be testing soon once my Bowden's supply is finished 🙂 I'm also thinking of getting the NV Snow Foam at some point too, I've heard some great things about it and it seems pretty bang on for price per liter.

Cheers!

[Squalled]

Nothing relatively new this time around.

Finally got around to doing my oil change over the weekend. I'd last done one last November and only travelled just over 6000 kms since then which is a lot lower than what I've usually done over the last few years. I had a massive, massive brain fart and completely forgot which way to remove the oil filter so the turn around time was about 4x longer than normal since I had turned it the wrong way and eventually my mates came around with some tools and found when we actually did it the right way, it came off straight away. Safe to safe the oil filter was destroyed but there were no issues with the thread thankfully.

Since the weather was pretty nice this weekend I gave the car a wash a long with a top up of the seal coating for the entire car along with have done another CMX treat to the headlights alone the day before since they begun feeling a little grippy again.

So far no major issues to report. I did have a few odd start ups here and there with the new Adaptronic setup where it seems to not be able to get the cold idle sorted but after a few short rev blips it corrects itself. This doesn't happen very often so I don't think it's anything major. Headlights are still nicely sealed, have yet to see any evidence that they are leaking or fogging up since I added sealant a few weeks ago. Thankfully I got it done seeing as the weather is slowly getting cooler and cooler.

Stay tuned.

[Tony Prodigy]

8 hours ago, Squalled said:

I had a massive, massive brain fart and completely forgot which way to remove the oil filter so the turn around time was about 4x longer than normal since I had turned it the wrong way and eventually my mates came around with some tools and found when we actually did it the right way, it came off straight away. Safe to safe the oil filter was destroyed but there were no issues with the thread thankfully.

Just remember this: Righty Tighty- Lefty Loosey and you'll never go wrong, until you get a reverse thread, then you'll be cursing 
Gas fittings tend to be these so you have nothing to worry about generally with cars.

8 hours ago, Squalled said:

Since the weather was pretty nice this weekend I gave the car a wash a long with a top up of the seal coating for the entire car along with have done another CMX treat to the headlights alone the day before since they begun feeling a little grippy again.

Car looks amazing mate ! Good practice maintenance washing is the key to keeping it looking its best. Always top up your coatings and it will make it easy to keep clean, also resist environmentally contamination.