Tony Prodigy

Yep. I'm up before the birds anyway Ash 😄 Our clocks rolled forward one hour over the weekend and have adjust to it pretty quickly. Ahh the blessed Boganmobile 😄😄😄

That's how I drive too Ash. Anticipation is the key to good roadcraft. Being able to "sense" the flow around you really helps in preserving the vehicle as a whole rather than the Oafish approach most people tend to have. I prefer the mechanical sympathy over a battered one any day. You don't need to be hard on the brakes if you have good roadcraft. That brake line upgrade is also top notch. I would also seriously consider doing this at some stage too. Excellent recommendation mate

Your most welcome mate. You are going to fall in love with your car all over again when you refresh the brakes. It will feel like a new car.

Good Decision. Always good to get a professional opinion especially somewhere where you can have everything inspected on a hoist I really wouldn't waste my time or money with these on an Aurion. The Aurion isn't supposed to be a performance car, but a nice balance of ride and comfort. If you change it's ride characteristics too much, it may not be as nice as it was meant to be. To be expected. I'd be more inclined to have all the bushings done rather than the shocks. That's probably the root cause of your suspension issues right there. If they reckon the springs and shocks are ok, I'd go with that and probably just replace the struts with stock items to maintain it's original ride and comfort. There's nothing exciting about having your spine shattered each time you hit a bump. I much prefer the comfort these days. I replaced my front rotors a while back ( 2 or so years ago) with DBA items and they have been fine. I was using Bendix for the first time and then decided to use the Remsa ceramic pads. They seem to be ok so far, but their claim for "cleaner" wheels is B.S. actually. I think the wheels get as dirty as they do with the Bendix, so don't believe that part of their marketing hype. I found that Genuine Toyota pads tend to keep the wheels cleaner. More importantly, performance wise, they stop really well and I won't be able to update their wear characteristics until I do my next oil service. This is when I am planning to pull the front calipers off for inspection and I may even switch to moly grease for the sliding pins as opposed to the Bendix "ceramic" lube. I find that the ceramic lube tends to dry out and you know this when the front brakes feel "grabby" at low speeds.

If you lived nearby, I would happily do it for you mate. I still have enough to do a few more.

Just an update. As this is my first time applying a ceramic coating to steering wheels and be able to do a real world test, I was keen to see the result after the product had had time to cure properly, so the best example I can use for this would be that of the Colorado steering wheel as it's my daily vehicle. The other two wheels have gone back into storage. So following up from yesterdays steering wheel treatment I have observed the following this morning on the way to work. The steering wheel felt smooth to the touch with a sense of slickness, not too slick that you lose grip and slips in your hands, but it does actually feel like there is a barrier there. Previous to this, even with clean hands and a clean wheel, your hands would quickly develop a degree of stickiness, even with the A/C on. This is due to the oils in the skin trying to bond to the leather. I had to occasionally hold a hand in front of an A/C vent to "dry" them to keep from feeling sticky. During my trip this morning, gripping the steering wheel felt really nice without the stickiness, it was like a layer of air is between your hands and the steering wheel. It's hard to describe it any other way. I am genuinely impressed by this and it makes a good case for anyone looking to do the same. I can highly recommend it.

I also upgraded my buckets to these type with the Gamma lids. The lid has an O-ring seal as does the outer ring you fix to the bucket. The outer ring clicks onto the bucket and then you simply screw the lid into place. I like the idea that whatever I put in there, be it food stuff or my beloved detailing products, I know no contamination can enter. No dust, dirt, vermin, whatever. I found a seller in Queensland who sold me 4 pieces. They are also stackable.

Hi gents. Been waiting for an opportunity to be able to ceramic coat the steering wheel on my new Colorado, a replacement Leather steering wheel for my Prodigy and a re-manufactured steering wheel for my E36 M3. So today was the perfect day for it. The present steering wheel in my Aurion is ok but I prefer the leather and grain they used in the Presara. I found one online from a wrecked 2017 Presara and the price was irresistible. I will wait until the existing one degrades to a point, then I'll swap it out and then have it re upholstered in a nicer more quality leather. For now this is the best option. The steering wheel in my M3 is good but has worn to a point where the grain has noticeably gone smooth. It was pretty much like this when i purchased it. It was during a time when there was really no real leather protection for leather other than the ones that left the leather greasy and so not good for a steering wheel. The steering wheel is always going to cop a beating from the dirt, grime and acid in your fingers, hence that inevitable shiny, smooth appearance that develops over time. It's not practical to wear driving gloves to negate this issue, but periodic cleaning can help preserve the leather with the application of some type of protection. My replacement came from a guy in Germany who is famous for refurbishing ///M steering wheels and I had to get one for my car. It finally arrived a few days ago and this meant GO time for the ceramic coating job. Now with the proliferation of ceramic products for not only paint and glass, there is one also for leather as you already know. I recently did my new leather lounge and had some 15ml left in the bottle which I was going to reserve for this very job. Made sense to wait till I had the other two in my possession and hit all three while I had the coating system going. First up, was a mild clean with the Gyeon leather cleaner with the leather brush to remove any finger grease, acids etc from general handling. Wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth and allow to dry. Second, I wrap the applicator with the suede cloth and add the product to one half of the applicator. I then apply the coating evenly to the entire leather parts front and back, allow to dry and then buff off with a dry microfibre towel. I chose to do two coats, so after 20 minutes I re applied the second coat and that was it. Buffed off when it dried. You will see in the pics when it goes on it's a wet look and as it penetrates the substrate it will dry to a matt finish. You don't see a change in the leather which exactly what you want. It shouldn't change the look of the leather, but put down an invisible barrier to contamination. On the 2nd coating on the Aurion wheel i decided to go over the control pods and plastic centre surround to see how the ceramic coating affects plastic as this is a leather product. It turned out to be ok. No funny discolouration and it wiped off nicely as the leather did. So now the whole steering wheel has a coating.The last four pics show this. Here are some pics of the before and after process

Sparesbox have typically been good to deal with and price wise can be a little cheaper than most, but not always. I've found parts from other sellers who were cheaper than them but not much. I don't mind paying a bit more for peace of mind. Sparesbox are trustworthy. Do some more research and see what you find. When I plan to buy certain parts for anything of mine, I usually spends days and some cases weeks of searching and reading reviews etc to be armed with not only the right knowledge, but also get the best possible deal. I hate nothing more than whem you jump into something really quickly only to discover you could've saved heaps more if bothered to search it out a bit more. Take your time and do it right once I say. If they look ok, then just leave them. I'm not sure what the lifespan would be for the top mounts, but if the car has had an easy life then they're probably not required. You won't really know until you pull the strut out, so let your mechanic thoroughly inspect them before proceeding any further.

Yes Luke. They will have the necessary tools to get the job done I'm sure. Post up some pics if possible.

I'll P.M you in the morning with prices if you like. I use a few different suppliers but they're all similarly priced. Quality microfibre isn't cheap but they are worth every cent if you want a good job and rags that last. Most microfibre cloths can be rewashed over and over many times including drying towels but if you are using them for ceramics you'd need to be a bit more careful.

No. I haven't had the opportunity to try mixing ceramics as I haven't bothered with ceramics as such due to having no shelter where I am. Hopefully this will change soon.. Spray on ceramics are forgiving but a more professional level application will need shelter for not only prep work but application and cure time without the risk of contamination. High end ceramics are fiddly and mixing them would go against the manufacturer's recommendation for a certain product to perform to it's optimal condition. But in saying that if you were to "mix" products it's probaby not a good idea to cross a polymer with a ceramic for example. If you were to layer two products, they'd need to be from the same chemical composition for it to have any appreciable qualities. I know this of synthetic polymer and wax based products, not of ceramics. I wouldn't think it would be a problem mixing ceramics because the ceramics are all SiO2 based anyway. Regarding polymer sealants, I know when I put down a layer of polymer sealant, I can then put down a sacraficial layer of Collinite 845 insulator wax for that georgous warm glow and some extra water beading performance. I think with ceramics, due to their already robust qualities, mixing or layering different ceramics brands may be a waste of time and money. I'd find one you like and just keep topping with this. The general idea could be a hand application with a concentrate and then use the same brands "topper" ceramic spray to keep it topped up. The hybrid type sprays are pretty cool because you can get some of the benefit of ceramic protection without the full production of polishing and prepping the surface. Just wash and clay the surface, spray the stuff on and buff off. Great for the everyday punter and someone who wants to do it in a hurry too. If you wanted to try a different ceramic product, you'd need to strip the old one back, clean the slate and start fresh for best results.

The Global warming alarmists seem to have taken time out too lol.. Don't hear anything about "climate change" anymore

I think I pay enough for shipping lol. They can buy their own beer Deliveries come from various sources. Sometimes Couriers please, Star Track, Sendle, Aust Post, DHL, etc.. My wife never touches my stuff, luckily for me. She knows what i'm like with my car cleaning items. She'd ask if she's not sure anyway, and the answer will most likely be no . I buy her the things she needs for her domestic duties anyway and keep my car cleaning stuff totally separate.

I agree totally. It's extremely irresponsible and downright dangerous.

I think they already do this in Victoria.I follow a youtuber called Peter Anderson who tinkers with cars and he has had to surrender two Toyota Starlets to the local Dealership (he was paid for them, of course, probably peanuts..can't remember the actual amount) under direction from the State Govt.

Howdy Gents, I received some more detailing products today from a Victorian supplier I came across who stocks the stuff I like. I am really looking forward to trying these out and when I do I'll report back. I know, I know.. I have yet to surface with the other stuff I purchased and I promise I will. I just need to have a nice quiet period in my life to get into it a bit more. I may even take some time off work to be able to concentrate a bit more where I need to. For the moment, I'm stocking up on more products, ranging from cleaners, sealants, protectants and various high quality microfibre cloths and towels from The Rag Company I was also able to purchase empty spray bottles with the actual product label on it so you can't get them mixed up and it just fits my OCD routine Also got some plain P&S bottles that can be labelled as you wish too.

Hi Gents, I just came across this video from our friend Pan The Organizer who has revealed a new product from 303. The last people I expected that would make such a product to be honest. The next generation of paint sealants is known as "Graphene" which pushes the bar even further than ceramics. Not discounting ceramic coatings, the new Graphene coating system will be very interesting to see how it fares among detailers alike. At the moment it's only available in the U.S. (Of course, shock horror), and no international sales at this point, but I'm hoping to get my hands on a bottle to try out at some point. Just looking at the U.S. distributor, it retails for U.S$19.99 for a 16 oz (473ml) bottle. That's pretty good value. Let's see how long it takes to trickle down under...

Man, what a colossal liability. It's so hard to fathom how this could've been possible in the first place. Takata only had one job to do and that was to make an airbag for cars. You'd think there would be strict processes in place to thoroughly test the device before going into production. It would be interesting to see how the financial aspect of this pans out for the company because the figures would be astronomical. For those who still haven't bothered to get their cars sorted, I think deserve a fine because this has been going for years and it's been reported ad nauseam.

I can't believe how many models affected are Honda. So who faces the clean up bill ? The car makers or Takata ??

Damned rodents. They can cause a real mess under the bonnet while keeping warm and cozy. You need to check all possible sections where the rats have been and I wouldn't just "tape" up the wiring. Electrical tape is ok short term but it will come apart leaving exposed conductors. What I would suggest is to get yourself some heat shrink tubing, cut the affected wire where the copper is exposed, clean and strip it back, and before you join them, slip a piece of heat shrink over one side, splice and solder the joint then move the heat shrink over the repaired section and shrink with a heat gun or blow drier. Investigate the wiring harness well and just take your time and do it right the first time. Photos would be great if you can upload a few.

Sounds good to me J. Try not to let it go beyond the 10K mark as you may know these engines are prone to sludging up and it will have you chasing your tail trying to de-sludge it. Oil is pretty cheap, especially when it goes on sale at the various outlets we announce here, so even doing it twice a year wouldn't be a bad idea. For someone who only clocks 10K per year, can I ask if your doing short trips ?? If you are I would definitely do it twice a year to be honest. It's not uncommon to do the oil every 5K.

The seller is reputable and I trust him so I really had no doubt these would be Genuine Parts. I suspect yours are still in transit. You should have a tracking number Bertil. Any idea when yours will arrive ? I'm thinking of getting another lot and stock right up.

Hey, Nice work Matt. I love how the switch fits perfectly in the blank spot. It looks factory. I did notice it uses a simple molex plug connector. If you have time, get yourself some heat shrink tubing and do both halves to keep moisture and dirt out. The corrosion will create a high resistance and will make the alternator work harder as the current demand goes up. They should've added the heat shrink with the kit to be honest as modern car electrics need to be sealed due to the complexity with on board computer monitoring systems etc. Don't know what they were thinking. I'd even send them a message and inform them and they may do an upgrade. This would've been ok on 70's or 80's cars but definitely not for a modern car. By the way, heat shrink is usually 2:1 ratio.

I have yet to use my existing stock of Penrite ATF lol.. I should make a plan to do my tranny service real soon. At 120K it is still driving perfectly to be honest and I am actually looking forward to seeing the condition of the fluid when I drop it.