Stutopia

Having driven the BRZ home and back, Day 2 began with a snow foam and two bucket wash. I must say again that the BH Autofoam is even more impressive when fired out a heavy duty pressure washer, instead of the fast running foam I get at home from my Karcher, which drips off in 5-7 minutes, this produces a heavy, dense shaving cream. It holds it shape for quite a while before dripping away. Left to its own devices, out of the sun, I’m sure it would cling for 20 minutes! Just because I can, I fired up the Dezyna Dog Gizmo again. This is definitely my favourite pro-tool. Sadly John isn’t as impressed as me, pointing out that it moves the water around too much, instead of blasting it off the car. Whatever. I love chasing the water away with it!
Up on the ramp I found this unpleasant surprise, no idea what has done it, but it must be me as it’s fresh and crud free – needs touching up pronto before rust takes hold L

Being up in the air meant a rare opportunity for wheels off cleaning. I really dislike cleaning wheels at the best of time, particularly fiddly ones with narrow spokes, this means I don’t do it as much as I should. They got hit with Bilberry, both as a concentrated spray and shampoo. I’ve not really fallen for this product. It looks like it should be a fallout remover, with its deep reddish purple, but it isn’t. I’m not convinced by it as a shampoo either, I can’t see it dislodging my Envy Evolution and AMMO Plum for the time being. Another new, Red 7 fallout remover. It seems to do the trick, in that it smells like the inside of Mr Creosote’s jockstrap and turns iron to a purple streak, again I haven’t fallen in love and CarChem Revolt won’t be being dislodged from my shelf just yet.

This is the Red 7 after brush agitation, but not much falling out, as I had washed them at the weekend, including a Revolt stage.

This next item, I did fall in love with. My current AMMO woollies were superb on the 350z’s RAYS, but are just too damn thick to go through some of the narrow BRZ wheel spokes, but this little beauty gets into even the tightest of apertures, the EZ Detail Wheel Brush. I’ll be having one, no doubt.

The wheels got a fairly familiar, to me, coating of Gtechniq C5 and as you’d expect from thier range, they look glossy, reduce water/drit adhesion and should last 3-6 months. This is the first time I’ve bothered to coat wheels, rather than wax, so I’m hopeful it’s up to the job, because (did I mention it already?) I really hate cleaning and sealing wheels. Like. Really. A LOT.

With the car up in the air for wing and door inspection under the lights, it became clear that they had seen a bit more action than the bonnet, roof and boot.



Accordingly, Scholl S20 Black[/url] was broken out. Apparently a true one stage polish, which reduces down from a cutting compound to a finishing one, just through the working on the panel. All thanks to the diminishing abrasives.  

As with any product which purports to do many jobs, it can sound a bit too good to be true to me. But, I must say that on a yellow pad, it shifted the majority of my scratches and left a stunning finish, so that just shows what I know. Polished Bliss goes so far as to use the phrase, “Holy Grail of polishes”. Looking at these pics, I can see why they’re so effusive. These first few pics don’t appear to show much, but it’s harder to photograph scratches than I expected, and wider shots with bigger reflections tend to hide, rather than reveal. So I’ve included these to try and show how super the finish is.



Slightly wider.


Up in the air is truly the way to work on the side of your car. Instead of tending to rush a job to save either my back or knees, all of a sudden you can take your time and get eyeball to eyeball with the paint. Now, I have to tell the truth here. I’d like to say that the wings and doors were expertly corrected by my fair hand, but John did the work here and I studied and took pictures.
Remember the monster defect above? Well this is what was left of it after a few passes with S20 Black by a professional. Still visible under the lights, but incredibly hard to find outdoors


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlrBQUDDAQY
 
Not a bad finish eh?

Another great tool, the Scangrip Sunmatchinspection lamp is so much better than the LED torch I use to try and find swirls. The light is super sharp and is a must for finding defects and checking work.

Naturally I quickly decided I needed one in my life, until I found out that they’re the best part of two hundred sheets. I learnt quickly in my time in the workshop, and it’s well worth remembering if you go to a professional detailer for a quote, EVERYTHING in detailing is expensive. I daren’t even look at the price of the floorstanding lights.
On to the final stage, this is where it gets interesting (well for me anyway, perhaps for you, if you’re still reading!). I’m a natural sceptic, accordingly any kind of superduper sealant/coating/wax/spray/magic dust which claims to be an all in one glossifier, anti-stone chip, anti-etching, super strong but flexible mega product which lasts for 100 years - always seems a bit far fetched. However, the boss advised me that the [url= http://www.ceramic-pro.com/en/]Ceramic Pro[/url] range was so good that not only did he literally wet his pants when he first saw it, but he became a fully paid up fan boy. I was further swayed when another pro detailer dropped in during the week and told me tales of being a converted sceptic who was won over by the product upon use. This was enough to convince me that having a chance to have it on the BRZ was not an opportunity to be passed up – especially as it’s about £219 for 50ml for the 9H :scare:
So here it is. Much like myself, it’s not very tall but the magic juice inside makes the difference

It’s unforgiving to the untrained, so I was placed on long pile buffing duty for this, well away from the product, which was applied by a trained professional. It needs to be worked relatively quickly but isn’t a huge departure from the Gyeon and Gtechniq sealants I’ve applied in the past. In a nutshell, don’t use too much, spread evenly and precisely, wipe away promptly with one towel, look for high spots and buff again with another towel (my job).
After only a few minutes it leaves a very pleasing level of gloss, I’m sure you’ll agree. 






Once complete, the coating needs a minimum of 8 hrs out of the elements, so she spent the night in the workshop. I returned this morning to pick her up and have a feel of her wares. Ooooh and indeed errrr. Well, what can I say? The slickness is phenomenal. You know what paint feels like when it’s been clayed to perfection, and it’s glossy and glass like? Well it’s beyond that. It’s super, super slippy. It’s so super slippy I’m sure that as well as feeling immense, the car actually goes faster. Slipping through the air as it struggles to get a grip on the panels. I’m going to keep an eye on my MPG, as I’m convinced the reduced drag will mean an extra 5mpg
I may be a little over excited, possibly the drag coefficient has been affected, but I must admit that having been a bit of ceramic coating sceptic, I’ve certainly been won round on the look and feel front. In terms of its ability to repel dirt (mainly bird s**t around here – more on that later) and traffic grime, only my first wash after some motorway miles and standing in the elements will tell. The same can be said of longevity, I’ll be keeping a close eye on her for the next 6 months at least. The marketing describes it as “permanent” but I’ve not drank so much of the koolaid that I’m willing to buy in, just yet!

Having driven the BRZ home and back, Day 2 began with a snow foam and two bucket wash. I must say again that the BH Autofoam is even more impressive when fired out a heavy duty pressure washer, instead of the fast running foam I get at home from my Karcher, which drips off in 5-7 minutes, this produces a heavy, dense shaving cream. It holds it shape for quite a while before dripping away. Left to its own devices, out of the sun, I’m sure it would cling for 20 minutes! Just because I can, I fired up the Dezyna Dog Gizmo again. This is definitely my favourite pro-tool. Sadly John isn’t as impressed as me, pointing out that it moves the water around too much, instead of blasting it off the car. Whatever. I love chasing the water away with it!
Up on the ramp I found this unpleasant surprise, no idea what has done it, but it must be me as it’s fresh and crud free – needs touching up pronto before rust takes hold L

Being up in the air meant a rare opportunity for wheels off cleaning. I really dislike cleaning wheels at the best of time, particularly fiddly ones with narrow spokes, this means I don’t do it as much as I should. They got hit with Bilberry, both as a concentrated spray and shampoo. I’ve not really fallen for this product. It looks like it should be a fallout remover, with its deep reddish purple, but it isn’t. I’m not convinced by it as a shampoo either, I can’t see it dislodging my Envy Evolution and AMMO Plum for the time being. Another new, Red 7 fallout remover. It seems to do the trick, in that it smells like the inside of Mr Creosote’s jockstrap and turns iron to a purple streak, again I haven’t fallen in love and CarChem Revolt won’t be being dislodged from my shelf just yet.

This is the Red 7 after brush agitation, but not much falling out, as I had washed them at the weekend, including a Revolt stage.

This next item, I did fall in love with. My current AMMO woollies were superb on the 350z’s RAYS, but are just too damn thick to go through some of the narrow BRZ wheel spokes, but this little beauty gets into even the tightest of apertures, the EZ Detail Wheel Brush. I’ll be having one, no doubt.

The wheels got a fairly familiar, to me, coating of Gtechniq C5 and as you’d expect from thier range, they look glossy, reduce water/drit adhesion and should last 3-6 months. This is the first time I’ve bothered to coat wheels, rather than wax, so I’m hopeful it’s up to the job, because (did I mention it already?) I really hate cleaning and sealing wheels. Like. Really. A LOT.

With the car up in the air for wing and door inspection under the lights, it became clear that they had seen a bit more action than the bonnet, roof and boot.



Accordingly, Scholl S20 Black[/url] was broken out. Apparently a true one stage polish, which reduces down from a cutting compound to a finishing one, just through the working on the panel. All thanks to the diminishing abrasives.  

As with any product which purports to do many jobs, it can sound a bit too good to be true to me. But, I must say that on a yellow pad, it shifted the majority of my scratches and left a stunning finish, so that just shows what I know. Polished Bliss goes so far as to use the phrase, “Holy Grail of polishes”. Looking at these pics, I can see why they’re so effusive. These first few pics don’t appear to show much, but it’s harder to photograph scratches than I expected, and wider shots with bigger reflections tend to hide, rather than reveal. So I’ve included these to try and show how super the finish is.



Slightly wider.


Up in the air is truly the way to work on the side of your car. Instead of tending to rush a job to save either my back or knees, all of a sudden you can take your time and get eyeball to eyeball with the paint. Now, I have to tell the truth here. I’d like to say that the wings and doors were expertly corrected by my fair hand, but John did the work here and I studied and took pictures.
Remember the monster defect above? Well this is what was left of it after a few passes with S20 Black by a professional. Still visible under the lights, but incredibly hard to find outdoors


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlrBQUDDAQY
 
Not a bad finish eh?

Another great tool, the Scangrip Sunmatchinspection lamp is so much better than the LED torch I use to try and find swirls. The light is super sharp and is a must for finding defects and checking work.

Naturally I quickly decided I needed one in my life, until I found out that they’re the best part of two hundred sheets. I learnt quickly in my time in the workshop, and it’s well worth remembering if you go to a professional detailer for a quote, EVERYTHING in detailing is expensive. I daren’t even look at the price of the floorstanding lights.
On to the final stage, this is where it gets interesting (well for me anyway, perhaps for you, if you’re still reading!). I’m a natural sceptic, accordingly any kind of superduper sealant/coating/wax/spray/magic dust which claims to be an all in one glossifier, anti-stone chip, anti-etching, super strong but flexible mega product which lasts for 100 years - always seems a bit far fetched. However, the boss advised me that the [url= http://www.ceramic-pro.com/en/]Ceramic Pro[/url] range was so good that not only did he literally wet his pants when he first saw it, but he became a fully paid up fan boy. I was further swayed when another pro detailer dropped in during the week and told me tales of being a converted sceptic who was won over by the product upon use. This was enough to convince me that having a chance to have it on the BRZ was not an opportunity to be passed up – especially as it’s about £219 for 50ml for the 9H :scare:
So here it is. Much like myself, it’s not very tall but the magic juice inside makes the difference

It’s unforgiving to the untrained, so I was placed on long pile buffing duty for this, well away from the product, which was applied by a trained professional. It needs to be worked relatively quickly but isn’t a huge departure from the Gyeon and Gtechniq sealants I’ve applied in the past. In a nutshell, don’t use too much, spread evenly and precisely, wipe away promptly with one towel, look for high spots and buff again with another towel (my job).
After only a few minutes it leaves a very pleasing level of gloss, I’m sure you’ll agree. 






Once complete, the coating needs a minimum of 8 hrs out of the elements, so she spent the night in the workshop. I returned this morning to pick her up and have a feel of her wares. Ooooh and indeed errrr. Well, what can I say? The slickness is phenomenal. You know what paint feels like when it’s been clayed to perfection, and it’s glossy and glass like? Well it’s beyond that. It’s super, super slippy. It’s so super slippy I’m sure that as well as feeling immense, the car actually goes faster. Slipping through the air as it struggles to get a grip on the panels. I’m going to keep an eye on my MPG, as I’m convinced the reduced drag will mean an extra 5mpg
I may be a little over excited, possibly the drag coefficient has been affected, but I must admit that having been a bit of ceramic coating sceptic, I’ve certainly been won round on the look and feel front. In terms of its ability to repel dirt (mainly bird s**t around here – more on that later) and traffic grime, only my first wash after some motorway miles and standing in the elements will tell. The same can be said of longevity, I’ll be keeping a close eye on her for the next 6 months at least. The marketing describes it as “permanent” but I’ve not drank so much of the koolaid that I’m willing to buy in, just yet!

That's a great little run. Cool pics too.

Couple of snaps from today's little run out in Yorkshire



Classic colour combo*
 
And a quick synopsis of the route
 
 
*Please note - the red, white and blue is in no way a Brexit endorsement 

The tools jump up and down in the boot as well. Try taking them out and see if it makes a difference.

Been pretty quiet on the not modding front, did some essential maintenance by replacing the battered and corroded OEM nuts, with some rather fetching blue ones from Chris at TarmacSportz.

 
Much better, I'm sure you'll agree. I also did this, which will be super useful.
 

Firstly, thanks to @Twigman for posting this http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/topic/3364-folding-rear-seats-down/ and inspiring me to make life easier when I'm putting in my golf clubs. Also @Brig for the critical info.
For this mod I had to order a suede effect 3mm thong and a leather thong. The suede effect was for the mod, the leather one was just for wearing whilst doing the mod. I also ordered a couple of fabric Subaru key rings, given the size of these when they arrived, I have no idea who would use them as an actual key ring.

 
I also grabbed my long bendy grabber thing and trim removal tools for popping clips. Please excuse the mess in the boot, I should have hoovered before instead of after.

 
I started by laying the seats flat (hopefully for the last time via the buttons) and removed these two press clips. I don't think it was strictly necessary to undo the left hand one, but it gave a big more room to work. The blue shaded area is approximately where there is a square cut out of the backseat, behind the fabric, I used this later.

 
Most of the effort is focused around this hole in the fabric where the backseat mechanism latches, it's just below the button and impossible to miss. Fold this back a touch to get a view in there.

 
Close up.

 
I lowered a doubled length of cord down into the hole and used by grabber to grab it and pull it back up the other side of the metal rod. You can check which is the right rod by operating the push button in the seat, the rod will move slightly. Once I had the cord around the bar, I looped the other end through and pulled it tight. This material seems to have the right amount of friction to get purchase on the rod. Dropping the cord in and then grabbing it from the other side is a PITA and easily the most infuriating step, it took a few attempts and some coarse language.

 
I did initially just leave the cord coming through the factory fabric hole but I found that up there it interfered with the latch when the seat was locked into position.

 
A better solution is this is the lower hidden hole, which is behind where I marked in blue in image three, I used the grabber to pull the thong through here.

 
I then took a scalpel and made a very small incision in the fabric and threaded the cord through. I tested it a few times, one I confirmed it was good I fitted the Subaru key rings as a finishing touch and to avoid the cord getting pulled back through the hole. Pop the clips back to complete.

 
Do this on both sides. All done.
 

Firstly, thanks to @Twigman for posting this http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/topic/3364-folding-rear-seats-down/ and inspiring me to make life easier when I'm putting in my golf clubs. Also @Brig for the critical info.
For this mod I had to order a suede effect 3mm thong and a leather thong. The suede effect was for the mod, the leather one was just for wearing whilst doing the mod. I also ordered a couple of fabric Subaru key rings, given the size of these when they arrived, I have no idea who would use them as an actual key ring.

 
I also grabbed my long bendy grabber thing and trim removal tools for popping clips. Please excuse the mess in the boot, I should have hoovered before instead of after.

 
I started by laying the seats flat (hopefully for the last time via the buttons) and removed these two press clips. I don't think it was strictly necessary to undo the left hand one, but it gave a big more room to work. The blue shaded area is approximately where there is a square cut out of the backseat, behind the fabric, I used this later.

 
Most of the effort is focused around this hole in the fabric where the backseat mechanism latches, it's just below the button and impossible to miss. Fold this back a touch to get a view in there.

 
Close up.

 
I lowered a doubled length of cord down into the hole and used by grabber to grab it and pull it back up the other side of the metal rod. You can check which is the right rod by operating the push button in the seat, the rod will move slightly. Once I had the cord around the bar, I looped the other end through and pulled it tight. This material seems to have the right amount of friction to get purchase on the rod. Dropping the cord in and then grabbing it from the other side is a PITA and easily the most infuriating step, it took a few attempts and some coarse language.

 
I did initially just leave the cord coming through the factory fabric hole but I found that up there it interfered with the latch when the seat was locked into position.

 
A better solution is this is the lower hidden hole, which is behind where I marked in blue in image three, I used the grabber to pull the thong through here.

 
I then took a scalpel and made a very small incision in the fabric and threaded the cord through. I tested it a few times, one I confirmed it was good I fitted the Subaru key rings as a finishing touch and to avoid the cord getting pulled back through the hole. Pop the clips back to complete.

 
Do this on both sides. All done.
 

Firstly, thanks to @Twigman for posting this http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/topic/3364-folding-rear-seats-down/ and inspiring me to make life easier when I'm putting in my golf clubs. Also @Brig for the critical info.
For this mod I had to order a suede effect 3mm thong and a leather thong. The suede effect was for the mod, the leather one was just for wearing whilst doing the mod. I also ordered a couple of fabric Subaru key rings, given the size of these when they arrived, I have no idea who would use them as an actual key ring.

 
I also grabbed my long bendy grabber thing and trim removal tools for popping clips. Please excuse the mess in the boot, I should have hoovered before instead of after.

 
I started by laying the seats flat (hopefully for the last time via the buttons) and removed these two press clips. I don't think it was strictly necessary to undo the left hand one, but it gave a big more room to work. The blue shaded area is approximately where there is a square cut out of the backseat, behind the fabric, I used this later.

 
Most of the effort is focused around this hole in the fabric where the backseat mechanism latches, it's just below the button and impossible to miss. Fold this back a touch to get a view in there.

 
Close up.

 
I lowered a doubled length of cord down into the hole and used by grabber to grab it and pull it back up the other side of the metal rod. You can check which is the right rod by operating the push button in the seat, the rod will move slightly. Once I had the cord around the bar, I looped the other end through and pulled it tight. This material seems to have the right amount of friction to get purchase on the rod. Dropping the cord in and then grabbing it from the other side is a PITA and easily the most infuriating step, it took a few attempts and some coarse language.

 
I did initially just leave the cord coming through the factory fabric hole but I found that up there it interfered with the latch when the seat was locked into position.

 
A better solution is this is the lower hidden hole, which is behind where I marked in blue in image three, I used the grabber to pull the thong through here.

 
I then took a scalpel and made a very small incision in the fabric and threaded the cord through. I tested it a few times, one I confirmed it was good I fitted the Subaru key rings as a finishing touch and to avoid the cord getting pulled back through the hole. Pop the clips back to complete.

 
Do this on both sides. All done.
 

Made some myself last night from a pair of laces. If you drop the back seat and put a finger in where the release catch mechanism is and press the release button at the same time you will feel a wire rod moving up and down. It's about the thickness of a coat hanger. Just loop a lace around this tie it off and you can have as much or as little as you like hanging. Will see if it's ok over a few weeks then make some loops of webbing and attatch to laces. 

Firstly, thanks to @Twigman for posting this http://www.gt86.org.uk/forums/topic/3364-folding-rear-seats-down/ and inspiring me to make life easier when I'm putting in my golf clubs. Also @Brig for the critical info.
For this mod I had to order a suede effect 3mm thong and a leather thong. The suede effect was for the mod, the leather one was just for wearing whilst doing the mod. I also ordered a couple of fabric Subaru key rings, given the size of these when they arrived, I have no idea who would use them as an actual key ring.

 
I also grabbed my long bendy grabber thing and trim removal tools for popping clips. Please excuse the mess in the boot, I should have hoovered before instead of after.

 
I started by laying the seats flat (hopefully for the last time via the buttons) and removed these two press clips. I don't think it was strictly necessary to undo the left hand one, but it gave a big more room to work. The blue shaded area is approximately where there is a square cut out of the backseat, behind the fabric, I used this later.

 
Most of the effort is focused around this hole in the fabric where the backseat mechanism latches, it's just below the button and impossible to miss. Fold this back a touch to get a view in there.

 
Close up.

 
I lowered a doubled length of cord down into the hole and used by grabber to grab it and pull it back up the other side of the metal rod. You can check which is the right rod by operating the push button in the seat, the rod will move slightly. Once I had the cord around the bar, I looped the other end through and pulled it tight. This material seems to have the right amount of friction to get purchase on the rod. Dropping the cord in and then grabbing it from the other side is a PITA and easily the most infuriating step, it took a few attempts and some coarse language.

 
I did initially just leave the cord coming through the factory fabric hole but I found that up there it interfered with the latch when the seat was locked into position.

 
A better solution is this is the lower hidden hole, which is behind where I marked in blue in image three, I used the grabber to pull the thong through here.

 
I then took a scalpel and made a very small incision in the fabric and threaded the cord through. I tested it a few times, one I confirmed it was good I fitted the Subaru key rings as a finishing touch and to avoid the cord getting pulled back through the hole. Pop the clips back to complete.

 
Do this on both sides. All done.
 

I'm very much enjoying the PS4s, the grip is superb and I was amazed at how much stick they could take before giving up, even in the wet. 
Here's a more impartial Evo view.
 
 

Sorry, but as a tech myself,  i would never,  ever expect a customer to have to retorque his or her wheels after ive worked on it. 100% dealership at fault.  

I'll see if I can get one tonight.

Yes he was saying on the phone when I booked that a lot of these cars as stock at actually around 195bhp and are tuned to a real 205bhp. It's all relative though the feeling is still the same. 
Im really looking forward to seeing if my intake kit and Cobra exhaust system including manifold have done anything to the stock bhp. I'll report back in a frenzy on Thursday I'm sure 😂

They told me it was nitrogen
#racecar

So it rained today and I finally got to see how good my first detail is at beading and how good this harly wax actually is. I am very impressed. I am still a newbie to all these things but I would say that its a fairly good job!

Well, they say imitation is the highest form of flattery, you've bought basically the same car as me and now this. You don't need to tell me anything do you?!
That looks like they'll be staying for a while, doesnt look like an easy process.

Great selection of gifts for your birthday and the 100k milestone, thanks for the reviews too.

It's essentially a stone chip protector for the lower bumper..

Everything fits, it's just a case of how much my bodyshop guy charges!

Wouldn't fit a BRZ anyway lol, nuts should be here soon, had to get them from Muteki usa

These haven't been available for ages but we finally got some stock in last week
 
I only have one left now though - one of the nicest subtle lips going, bit different to the norm as the ends curl up
 
£145 delivered
 
Some pics from a customer in Spain
 

 

 

I've been working through a few bulbs recently, these are what I've fitted so far:
Front & Rear Indicators - Bulbs
http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/xtec-585-wy21w-chrome-amber-indicator-capless-wedge-bulbs/
Reverse - LEDs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LX8OQEN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
These are on order, I hope they will fit:
Boot Interior & Plate - LEDs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I798TKO/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item
 
List from the manual below: