A NICE BIT OF URBAN DETAILING
Jun 25th
I love the brand name of this go-ahead little car care brand from East London. They really are the Urban Detailing company!
It all sounds a bit cottagey but don’t be fooled. They have a real following and their products are extremely good. Take their Urbanize Quick Detailer that I had the chance to try recently.
The first thing that grabs is the lovely purple colour although the explosion of bubblegum is the next thing that hits. It seems to be a thicker liquid than most quick detailers, a bit like the also excellent Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer, in fact.
I love the More >
NOT THAT SORT OF ROLL
Jun 25th
Gunson has just introduced a new waxed canvas, traditionally designed tool roll (part number 77166) that is both practical and stylish — and will look great on your workbench or rolled up in the boot of your kitcar. This is a sturdy tool roll, with strong stitching, and two flexible leather tie-straps to keep all your tools secure.
This is a good, usefully large tool roll that features fourteen pockets for spanners or screwdrivers (tools not included) and can also be used as a mat to stop the tools rolling away while you’re working.
It’s perfect for storing those essential tools needed More >
SHINY TYRES
Jun 25th
Tyre dressings are very much an area where personal taste comes into it. Some hate them. Full stop. Others like a satin, subtle finish while others love their tyres to look glossy.
That’s fine but sometimes you’ll find that those mega-glossy ones can end up flinging themselves all over the sides of your car. Avoid cheap and nasty tyre dressings is my advice.
I do like a gentle gloss finish. I take the view that if you’ve spent hours on your paintwork, glass and wheels then why let the side down with dull and faded tyres?
Here’s a great tyre product – a More >
KEEP COMFORTABLE
Jun 25th
Meaco has announced the launch of its latest fan, the low energy, low decibel, cordless MeacoFan 260c Air Circulator.
Weighing in at just 490g – less than half a bag of sugar – this cordless fan can go anywhere. Wherever you need reliable cooling, be it at home, at work, the gym or outside, the portability of the MeacoFan 260c makes it the perfect choice.
The lack of a cable means you have the freedom to use it wherever you want without having to worry about trailing wires or having to position it near a plug socket. Place it in any position to More >
SUMMER FRUITS. DON’T DRINK IT FOR GAWDSAKE!
Jun 25th
Another very under-rated car care brand Dark Matter produce some very good products.
Their Dark Berry shampoo unsurprisingly has a summer fruits aroma and a novelty two-tone red-purple effect almost like a car care tequila sunrise! Shake the bottle to mix and agitate the active ingredients.
There is a nice amount of suds and a great lubricity that means that it’s easy to apply using the two-bucket method and a decent wash mitt. The car’s paintwork was very slick to the touch and it left a soft feel on the surface.
I liked this one a lot.
1-litre costs a very reasonable £11 with More >
COST-EFFECTIVE TUNING
Jun 25th
As one of the aftermarket’s largest and most influential ECU calibrators, HP Tuners provides what it believes to be the most complete and cost-effective tuning and data acquisition solutions for enthusiasts and professional workshops.
The latest addition to this range of calibration options is the Remote Tuning Device (RTD) interface, a powerful OBD-II dongle that allows dealers, distributors and tuners to relay modified ECU software more easily to end-users.
* Read and flash with no need to modify or exchange the PCM/ECU
* Fastest flash time in the industry
* Option to lock the ECU recalibration or allow it to be shared
* Option to specify additional More >
‘GEM’ OF AN ENGINE
Jun 18th
Gemzoe Motorsport may be a new name in the kitcar world but MD, Dave Gemzoe has a very solid background in engine building having spent a period working for Mathwall.
In recent years he’s been building special Crossflows and the like mainly for use by Caterham customers looking for a bit of tuning or an engine transplant for their Sevens.
Dave has recently come up with an EcoBoost package that has been finding favour with Caterham owners although it can just as easily be used in other Lotus Seven-inspired sportscars.
Based on a 1.6-litre EcoBoost with an SCS Delta GDi4 ECU conducting operations power More >
KEEP COOL
Jun 18th
Your vehicle’s cooling system really has to work hard. Everything’s fine when the system is new and the radiator core tubes are clean and free-flowing, but over time these very thin tubes can become contaminated and clogged. Introducing the new cooling system flusher from Laser Tools (part number 7686).
It’s the traditional method of radiator flushing using clean water, but now with the added power of the workshop compressed air supply. Connect up to a suitable hose or port on the vehicle radiator; attach the water hose and the compressed air supply to the tool and you’re ready to go. Press More >
SHEER BLISS!
Jun 18th
Meet Eden and Bliss, possibly, in my view two of the nicest air fresheners and odour eliminators known to man. They come from the good folk at Angelwax and although devised primarily for car use and also for sorting out stinky carpets and the like, I’ve been liberally spraying them about the garage and the house.
Both are really pleasant, and I don’t have a favourite. The fragrance lasts a long time which is good although bizarrely it’s normally those horrible, acrid ones that don’t go away!
Bliss features a black plum and is inspired by a candle in Angelwax’s Annie Lane More >
‘CHERRY’ NICE INDEED!
Jun 18th
As soon as I opened the bottle of Akira Brand’s Glacier Snowfoam I was hit by a lovely smell of cherry drops.
A 10:1 dilution rate and pour into a foam cannon giving the bottle a quick shake to agitate the product fully. You can then watch as the foam will literally engulf your car. A decent dwell time of seven minutes means that the product has time to start lifting dirt and crud.
The product seems to be particularly easy to rinse while it also dispersed from my driveway very quickly too. I like the fact that there was no marring More >
