IT’S NOT KRYPTONITE SUPERMAN!

Alien Magic is a cool, artisan UK car care manufacturer and they recently sent me a bottle of their Krypton Si02 Quick Detailer and told me to put it to test as they reckoned I’d be pleased with the results.

Well, I tried it on my black X5, which had been pressure washed to get the worst of the road grime and sandy water spots from the ‘Saharan rain’ that came our way in Surrey recently. It did the job beautifully and worked well on top of the ceramic coating I’d put on it a few weeks ago.

Ceramic coatings are great More >

REGAL CALIPERS!

Four-piston ‘Princess’ calipers were commonly fitted as an upgrade to many Fords – and Ford-based kitcars, of course – that used the M16 caliper as it conveniently had the same mounting bolt pattern.

These Leyland calipers have become difficult to find as the Princess and Ambassador donor cars are rare beasts these days.

Burton Power is now able to offer a faithful reproduction of the ‘Princess’ caliper for those that prefer a period modification. The new calipers are now supplied with a spacer kit that allows them to be used with vented discs. Handy.

The calipers can be ordered as part number CAL4POTV More >

USE YOUR HEAD MATE

Mini Spares now offers a new kit of head studs and nuts, which it believes to be the best available on the market for road and lightly-tuned Mini A-Series engines. 

The material specification is impressive, using alloy steel that has been heat-treated to 75-tensile tons per square foot minimum and then finished in chemical black. 

Order as C-AHT279A at £32.60 inc VAT per kit.

Mini Spares can also offer a similar kit, but to an even higher spec for highly tuned engines -order as C-AHT280

For more details call 01707 607 700 or visit www.minispares.com ENDS.

WELL-BALANCED EQUILIBRIUM SUPER-SONIC!

The Sonic 7 was designed by Stuart Mills of MEV back in 2009 and later moved to Exo Sports Cars where it resided for several years.

Around 100-kits were sold before it was acquired by Equilibrium Kit Cars run by Angus and Kate Weijers in 2015.

Angus, a technical author by trade, has been working hard on making a few revisions to the package with little tweaks here and there, all things that have made a difference rather than being done merely for the sake of it.

I spent a lovely morning driving around some fine Gloucestershire roads, in warm sunshine (I readily More >

GLOSS KINGS – A NEW CAR CARE HUB

I don’t need to tell regular readers that I am partial to car care stuff and detailing in general and an exciting new arrival to the scene is Gloss Kings.

The main ethos with the business is to be able to offer something for everybody, whether novices in the detailing game or serious valeters and professionals.

The brands stocked (thus far) are Chemical Guys, Kleen Freaks, Bilt Hamber, Absolute Wax and a new company, Blue Goblin Car Care and although they are concentrating on re-selling initially, they have plans. Big plans.

More brands will be added to their roster in due course and More >

WHO NEEDS WATER TO WASH A CAR?

With the need to look after water use during times of hot weather a waterless-wash-type product comes into its own and there are many available on the market.

Having used lots of them over the years, with varying degrees of success, one of the best I’ve sampled is Meguiar’s Ultimate Wash & Wax Anywhere, which goes on easily, wipes off fast and leaves a soft-to-the-touch silk feel to your vehicle’s bodywork while also leaving a deep gloss.

A 768ml spray bottle is good for up to around four cars and retails at £15 ENDS.

I QUITE LIKED THE WINGS TRACK ‘JET’!

The Momo Jet, priced at £227.99 inc VAT, combines ergonomic design and dramatic styling with the finest quality materials.

Air leather ‘cushions’ and carbon-fibre inserts feature on the sculpted thumb grips, while black aluminium spokes and a six-bolt carbon-fibre centre ring surround an all-new MOMO Arrow horn button.

For more details call 01268 764 411 or visit www.momo-uk.co.uk ENDS.

FOLLOW THE BEAR!

I am in complete wonderment at the sheer amount of fine artisan car care companies in the UK who offer a variety of brightly coloured, heady smelling elixirs and potions designed to make your car look better than its best.

Another one that I’ve discovered is Bear Car Care who recently sent me a bottle of their Brilliance Hybrid Quick Detailer to try out.

It’s a bit different this one as it contains an advanced sealant resulting in the formulation leaving a crisp, clean finish on your car’s bodywork, while also giving protection against the elements.

I found it easy to use, pleasant More >

3J AND SPOOX MOTORSPORT TEAM-UP FOR FRENCH LESSONS

Latest news from 3J Driveline is that their British-designed, manufactured and built NXG limited slip differentials for Peugeot BE, ML and MA transmissions are now available exclusively through PSA specialists, Spoox Motorsport.

Spoox has been the sole supplier of 3J’s Peugeot BE crown-wheel and pinion sets and adding the latest products strengthens the two companies four-year relationship. They come with a super-strong EN24T steel endplate, the diff houses 3J’s own design ‘small-plate-pack’, which always runs with eight active surfaces, even when set up for light use, always giving maximum surface contact area during use.

Darren Spooner, MD of Spoox, said: “We’re really More >

NEW STUFF FROM THE TRIM MEISTERS

Several new products from soft-trim meisters, Woolies this week, such as Light Green Woollen cloth suitable for seating and headlining (Part No.143-LGRN) and the Market Deeping-based company has had this product made to the original pale/light green colour, so it’s a great alternative to the brighter more ‘garish’ greens on the market.

Excellent quality it is 95 per cent comes 75in (1.9-metres) wide and costs ££37.13 per linear metre.

Next up comes Woolies new Single Duck Binding (Part No.408-BLK Single) with a waterproof backing and is ideal for edging hoods or tonneau covers and making pipings.

It comes in 1¼in (32mm) and costs £1.50 More >

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