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Washed the Crossfire yesterday and dried it 98% of the way using a really lightweight leaf blower. It removes water from behind emblems and anywhere/everywhere water can normally hide. Also it allows me to dry the entire car while standing upright, something I appreciate more & more the older I get! Especially if you use a ceramic coating instead of wax the water simply "runs away from" the 150mph airstream. And BTW if you have not yet switched from wax to ceramic then you are really living in the past. It's superior in every way. Much, much longer lasting plus goes on & comes off so much easier. I use TheLastCoat.com. https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Ceram...ef=sr_1_1_sspa
They include a coupon when you receive your order that you mail to the company and they "double your order" by mailing you another 8oz bottle. It works just as well as any other ceramic I've used but you get more and it costs less. "Ceramic" means SiO2 and chemistry is chemistry, so it doesn't make sense to pay more for the same thing. I had 7 college chemistry classes, so I shake my head and smile at people who pay more for expensive table salt.
I used my leaf lower last time and I only needed one towel to get the rest of the water off the car. Saves the old and stiff back.
I have so much of ye olde polish that I can not see me getting any ceramic at all, and that’s with giving my son half of the polish yesterday.
Last edited by onehundred80; Sep 17, 2022 at 08:53 AM.
I've used my Lowes combination wet/dry shop vac that converts into a blower (top unit slides off and the unit uses the wand with a restricting tip that blows enough to completely dry the car and all its hidden water storing places). I have been thinking about replacing that blower/shop vac BUT no-one makes that type anymore. That Lowes unit has been in use for @ 20 years, the internal motor MUST be needing brushes pretty soon. Maybe I'll get ambitious soon and see if I can find replacement brushes (and maybe post pictures here in the forum since it is mostly used for the XF washing/drying). Way too much $ for those rather expensive lithium battery blowers everyone is pimping lately.
I've used my Lowes combination wet/dry shop vac that converts into a blower (top unit slides off and the unit uses the wand with a restricting tip that blows enough to completely dry the car and all its hidden water storing places). I have been thinking about replacing that blower/shop vac BUT no-one makes that type anymore. That Lowes unit has been in use for @ 20 years, the internal motor MUST be needing brushes pretty soon. Maybe I'll get ambitious soon and see if I can find replacement brushes (and maybe post pictures here in the forum since it is mostly used for the XF washing/drying). Way too much $ for those rather expensive lithium battery blowers everyone is pimping lately. .
I bought a lithium rechargeable-battery blower once. It's well worth the hassle of using a cord though, to have TRUE POWER when using a blower!! Also, call me wimpy but I want a truly LIGHTWEIGHT blower. I bought this a couple years ago and couldn't be happier. What's not to like? It's powerful, weighs nothing and costs nothing!
On Sunday, I finally finished installing my double DINs accessories. The AOZ kits shifter trim panel didn’t fit right so I modified an OEM panel to accept the cigar lighter and the airbag light.
Spent an hour yesterday failing to extract the 501 bulb holders from the corner of the headlights, in situ.
Used a 10mm wrench (as recommended), but while i just about got the open end over the socket, didnt seem to have any space to rotate it, to pop the bulb holders out! Thinking about a plan B !
On Sunday, I finally finished installing my double DINs accessories. The AOZ kits shifter trim panel didn’t fit right so I modified an OEM panel to accept the cigar lighter and the airbag light.
Really nice install. You must be very happy with the result?
Are AOZ still manufacturing / shipping out these Double DIN kits now then?
Spray a little liquid wrench on the back of the bulb base, worked for me
Thankyou. It was actually getting to these lights and extracting them (the bulb holders) out of the headlight unit, right in there at the corners, that I struggled with. There's plenty of ideas in some of the other sections, I'll figure out a way. :thumbup:
LAST WEEK: 'Annual' Ceramic wax was applied.
TODAY: 'Annual' interior deep cleaning. Applied cleaner and conditioner to all leather surfaces. (keeps leather from drying out, looks and smells new)
NEXT WEEK: Annual oil change.
Over the last four years the car has only been driven 1242 miles (310 miles / yr avg)
Definitely a Garage Queen, but it looks good and glows in the dark !
The ratio of waxings to miles is certainly Irrational.............
Originally Posted by WD40View Post Am I the only one?
Washed the Crossfire yesterday and dried it 98% of the way using a really lightweight leaf blower. It removes water from behind emblems and anywhere/everywhere water can normally hide. Also it allows me to dry the entire car while standing upright, something I appreciate more & more the older I get! Especially if you use a ceramic coating instead of wax the water simply "runs away from" the 150mph airstream. And BTW if you have not yet switched from wax to ceramic then you are really living in the past. It's superior in every way. Much, much longer lasting plus goes on & comes off so much easier. I use TheLastCoat.com.
They include a coupon when you receive your order that you mail to the company and they "double your order" by mailing you another 8oz bottle. It works just as well as any other ceramic I've used but you get more and it costs less. "Ceramic" means SiO2 and chemistry is chemistry, so it doesn't make sense to pay more for the same thing. I had 7 college chemistry classes, so I shake my head and smile at people who pay more for expensive table salt.
(End of quote)
Never one to have deep thoughts, I didn’t concern myself as to why “water spots” are so bothersome..... until I read WD40’s above entry where he explains that Chemistry can explain a lot. So I googled “bothersome water spots” and got this:
“Imagine a bead sitting on paint. Because of the bead’s spherical shape, less water is present on the edges of the bead. Evaporation rate increases where less water is present, so the outer contact line of the bead evaporates first. That’s where things start to get interesting.
Because the bead’s contact line is static, as water disappears, water from the rest of the bead rushes to the edge to take its place and maintain the contact angle. That rush of water takes mineral content along with it, causing it to accumulate at the edges. Once the water is gone, UV radiation causes that remaining residue to bond chemically with the paint. With this, the process is complete—you’ve got a water spot.
Oddly enough, this exact same process is what causes a coffee stain to occur. Just sub out mineral content for coffee bean particles.”
Well, ...........my question to WD40 is, “What is actually happening that makes this bonding occur” ?
Last edited by JoeO; Sep 22, 2022 at 10:34 AM.
Reason: Grammar
I clay bared it today. First time. Followed up with ceramic wax
Wow, I really loved the results. Way easier than I thought it would be. I keep forgetting that the XF doesn’t have a lot of surface to cover
Found a M-B type dead pedal from an eBay Seller that was narrow & short enough to mount on the Chrysler plastic dead pedal in my 2007 Coupe. Came with double-sided tape on the back.
I clay bared it today. First time. Followed up with ceramic wax
Wow, I really loved the results. Way easier than I thought it would be. I keep forgetting that the XF doesn’t have a lot of surface to cover
nice Shine ✨. I’m gonna have to try the clay & ceramic
~ Replaced the battery in the rescue SSB-SRT6, it was a MOPAR battery dated Jan.2013. It was my fault and I probably could have gotten more life out of it had I not overlooked the loose cable on the hot side. It had been parked in the garage for months and I had taken the cable off to prevent battery drain and only stabbed it back on without tightening the 10mm nut.
~ Replace with a battery ftom Rural King.
I installed new PIAA H7 bulbs in my low beams today. I didn't even have a chance to finish my beer. Ezy-pzzy.... Ordered the PIAA H7 high beams today as well and will put them in next weekend. I pulled the high beam bulbs out for inspection while I replaced my low beams. Only moved one hose on the right side to access the low beam and didn't move anything on either side to inspect the high beams. So much more light!
Washed the Crossfire yesterday and dried it 98% of the way using a really lightweight leaf blower. It removes water from behind emblems and anywhere/everywhere water can normally hide. Also it allows me to dry the entire car while standing upright, something I appreciate more & more the older I get! Especially if you use a ceramic coating instead of wax the water simply "runs away from" the 150mph airstream. And BTW if you have not yet switched from wax to ceramic then you are really living in the past. It's superior in every way. Much, much longer lasting plus goes on & comes off so much easier. I use TheLastCoat.com. https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Ceram...ef=sr_1_1_sspa They include a coupon when you receive your order that you mail to the company and they "double your order" by mailing you another 8oz bottle. It works just as well as any other ceramic I've used but you get more and it costs less. "Ceramic" means SiO2 and chemistry is chemistry, so it doesn't make sense to pay more for the same thing. I had 7 college chemistry classes, so I shake my head and smile at people who pay more for expensive table salt.
Just within the past year I've switched to some of the newer products on the market and get exceptional glossing of the paint. Here's a few I have used in the past year or so:
When I use these products, it takes 1/3 the time to completely treat the car surface after washing & claying. My guess is I can treat the full exterior on my Crossfire in 30 minutes! Products DO NOT have to dry before buffing to a glossy finish! And the final result is amazing! I have a car cover I use whenever the Crossfire is sitting in my driveway. After using any of these products, it is actually difficult for me to get the car cover to properly align with the body. The surface is so slick, the car cover slides around whenever I'm trying to pull it into place. Check out some of the videos on these product websites. FWIW
Last edited by dedwards0323; Sep 25, 2022 at 08:29 PM.
Re: What did you do to your Crossfire today?
I've used my Lowes combination wet/dry shop vac that converts into a blower (top unit slides off and the unit uses the wand with a restricting tip that blows enough to completely dry the car and all its hidden water storing places). I have been thinking about replacing that blower/shop vac BUT no-one makes that type anymore. That Lowes unit has been in use for @ 20 years, the internal motor MUST be needing brushes pretty soon. Maybe I'll get ambitious soon and see if I can find replacement brushes (and maybe post pictures here in the forum since it is mostly used for the XF washing/drying). Way too much $ for those rather expensive lithium battery blowers everyone is pimping lately. 
Re: What did you do to your Crossfire today?