# Astra Sports Tourer SRi 2015



## Jack R

Afternoon all :wave:

Having had to give my company van back and getting new job without a vehicle we had to try to find something suitable....... after a long week of looking and trying everything from cheap to brand new I've finally signed to paperwork for a 2015 Astra Sports Tourer 1.6 CDTi SRi  it's black metallic and has a few extras fitted on top of the very high spec and has approximately 59000 on the clock, most importantly it does 70+mpg and ids free to tax 

Should be picking it up next Thursday, but for the time being here's a couple of photos I took after the test drive.





The plan is to give it a quick go over with the DA :buffer: to make it sparkle and give it a couple of coats of wax to get it through winter :thumb:


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## Andyblue

Looks a decent motor from those photos. Looking forward to your progress :thumb:


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## Jack R

To be fair it was in really good condition, and seems to be in really well looked after which is why I picked this over a newer focus. Can’t wait now till Thursday when I can give it a proper deep clean along with going for a decent drive.


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## Jack R

Just been on eBay and picked up a few Vauxhall related parts just to add my touch to it when it arrives.


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## Del-GTi

Looking good. Always like an Astra J. What bits did you get from ebay?


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## Andyblue

JR1982 said:


> To be fair it was in really good condition, and seems to be in really well looked after which is why I picked this over a newer focus. Can't wait now till Thursday when I can give it a proper deep clean along with going for a decent drive.


Yes - looks much better on laptop screen than phone earlier, what goodies have you been buying ?


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## bluechimp

Very nice, big fan of any estate car, and no doubt this will come in handy...looking forward to the tweaks on this one and seeing what bits you have got :thumb:


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## Jack R

Thanks.

I got some irmscher number plate holders, key ring and wheel valve dust caps and also some pressed number plates although can’t get them yet as don’t want to tempt fate and jinx it, figured I can use the other bits for the Corsa if this falls through.
Need to figure out what colour it is as I want to get a touch kit for any stone chips I might find (found one earlier but it had been touched up already).


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## ibiza55

Lovely Jubbly, why people buy SUV cars I just cant figure out, estates are way more practical, no need to haul bags of shopping waste high and they have so much room in. Looking forward to the updates, I guess you'll be using some Adams products.


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## Jack R

ibiza55 said:


> Lovely Jubbly, why people buy SUV cars I just cant figure out, estates are way more practical, no need to haul bags of shopping waste high and they have so much room in. Looking forward to the updates, I guess you'll be using some Adams products.


I will do but I'm going to try my ODK revere out on this first :thumb:


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## Andy1972

I had a 2016 insignia 1.6 CDti (vxline nav) so same engine. I couldn’t get anywhere near 70mpg. Around town it’s was 40 and a long run at 65mph was 51-55 max

Was quite quick though for a 1.6 as they’d changed the gearing from my previous insignia 2.0cdti


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## bazz

looks a nice car fella and cant wait to see your handy work


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## Jack R

Andy1972 said:


> I had a 2016 insignia 1.6 CDti (vxline nav) so same engine. I couldn't get anywhere near 70mpg. Around town it's was 40 and a long run at 65mph was 51-55 max
> 
> Was quite quick though for a 1.6 as they'd changed the gearing from my previous insignia 2.0cdti


I know the insignia is quite a bit heavier than the Astra so it should get a bit nearer, it's in the book as being able to average 78mpg but anything over 60mpg I'll be very happy with :thumb:


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## Caledoniandream

We have a couple running, while the dashboard shows 69 mpg, calculated over 6000 mile it’s only 57,8 mpg, not bad, but not what it says on the tin.
This over a mixture of short and long distance, 1 driver, 1 vehicle.

Not a bad car, drives ok, it’s not a Ford, but for day to day it’s ok.


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## BrummyPete

Nice motor you have there mate, will look the nuts once you have worked your magic on her


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## marc81

I picked up almost the same car 2 weeks ago! Mines a 64 plate 2.0 though. Was very swirly when I got it so gave it a bit of TLC on Saturday. I'm no detailer and don't have a DA or anything but used what I had in and looks a lot better now. Washed with Autoglym shampoo.. applied some Farecla G3 to try and sort some of the swirls out followed by Poorboys BH and topped with Bilt Hamber DSW. I was happy with the results.









Marc


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## Andyblue

marc81 said:


> I picked up almost the same car 2 weeks ago! Mines a 64 plate 2.0 though. Was very swirly when I got it so gave it a bit of TLC on Saturday. I'm no detailer and don't have a DA or anything but used what I had in and looks a lot better now. Washed with Autoglym shampoo.. applied some Farecla G3 to try and sort some of the swirls out followed by Poorboys BH and topped with Bilt Hamber DSW. I was happy with the results.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marc


Looking good mate, done a cracking job there :thumb:


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## Jack R

Looks good, I’m assuming that’s the same colour as mine (although don’t actually know what that is at the minute)


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## Midlife

The best bit about changing cars is that 1st washing session isnt it.........


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## Jack R

Midlife said:


> The best bit about changing cars is that 1st washing session isnt it.........


Can't wait, even the dealer is happy as I've told him not to waste his time covering it in silicone:lol:


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## Maxtor

Lovely motor, we have the 2.0l SRI CDTI :thumb:

It looks like it could be "Black Sapphire". Have a look at the plate on the passenger side for the code.








:thumb:


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## Jack R

Thanks bud :thumb:


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## Jack R

First of the deliveries turned up today, with more expected tomorrow hopefully. Insurance is also sorted too :thumb:


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## graeme

JR1982 said:


> I know the insignia is quite a bit heavier than the Astra so it should get a bit nearer, it's in the book as being able to average 78mpg but anything over 60mpg I'll be very happy with :thumb:


Looks a cracking car and nice engine. I have the 2 ltr diesel in my insignia and average 53mpg normal mixed driving and 60 on a long journey so hopefully you will get decent figures.

Look forward to seeing the progress:thumb:


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## SBM

JR1982 said:


> First of the deliveries turned up today, with more expected tomorrow hopefully. Insurance is also sorted too :thumb:
> 
> 
> 
> If those valve caps are metal on the inside make sure you apply copper grease first. If not they WILL bond to the valves within a few days and be pretty much impossible to get off
> I speak from experience :thumb:
> Something like this will do the job:
> 
> https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/grease/halfords-copper-grease-20g
> 
> Enjoy though a very nice looking car buddy!


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## Jack R

SBM said:


> If those valve caps are metal on the inside make sure you apply copper grease first. If not they WILL bond to the valves within a few days and be pretty much impossible to get off
> I speak from experience :thumb:
> Something like this will do the job:
> 
> https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/grease/halfords-copper-grease-20g
> 
> Enjoy though a very nice looking car buddy!


Thanks, not 100% what there made from but that's a good call :thumb: got plenty of stuff so will do


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## S3 Chris

Cracking motor, it could be Carbon flash at that age? I am an ex vauxhall salesman for my sins.. loved that shape Astra i sold myself a Vauxhall corsa SRI CDTi 1.7 130 when I left. I got 79.6 MPG on a long drive from East Yorkshire to Henley on Thames to go shooting. The newer 1.6 should be as good if not better!


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## DRTZafira

I bought a Meriva B 1.6 cdti this year, same engine as yours.
I get high 40's around town and on a recent run to Scarborough and back (London) it done 71.2MPG which I was pleased with! Looks a lovely colour that!


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## Jack R

DRTZafira said:


> I bought a Meriva B 1.6 cdti this year, same engine as yours.
> I get high 40's around town and on a recent run to Scarborough and back (London) it done 71.2MPG which I was pleased with! Looks a lovely colour that!


Looking promising then for my 55 mile commute down the dual carriageway :thumb: it is a nice colour and looking forward to polishing it up, fingers crossed it repays me with some nice reflections. I'm like a kid a Xmas at the minute, only one more sleep :lol:


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## DRTZafira

JR1982 said:


> Looking promising then for my 55 mile commute down the dual carriageway :thumb: it is a nice colour and looking forward to polishing it up, fingers crossed it repays me with some nice reflections. I'm like a kid a Xmas at the minute, only one more sleep :lol:


Should be good for it, they aren't slow either and a quick remap will do it the world of good  haha! I don't blame you! Best of luck


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## Jack R

I was thinking about a remap, but wasn’t sure as I not fussed about making this car quick and I need it to be reliable and economical


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## DRTZafira

JR1982 said:


> I was thinking about a remap, but wasn't sure as I not fussed about making this car quick and I need it to be reliable and economical


It helps with the mid range grunt having them remapped, will give you a few more miles.


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## BrummyPete

JR1982 said:


> I was thinking about a remap, but wasn't sure as I not fussed about making this car quick and I need it to be reliable and economical


Remaps do help but as I find out quite often I end up using the extra power and do not benefit from the extra mpg. A good remap will be reliable but if you constantly hoon it then you will end up wearing the parts out more quickly.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk


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## ffrs1444

My DTUK is a great bit of kit More Torque and great MPG


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## percymon

The DTUK tuning boxes seemed to be well regarded by many Astra owners -probably find a used one pretty cheap on ebay once you know which one you need. I used one on a couple of VAG cars and another on Mini without issues.


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## Jack R

A few more bits turned up today, first up was this from slims as I forgot to order it with the Scholl compound the other day :wall:



And the second thing was this key ring.......



Still waiting for a few other bits but you may notice from the photo above there is a key attached to it already 

More photos soon but I'm going for a play first :driver:


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## ffrs1444

percymon said:


> The DTUK tuning boxes seemed to be well regarded by many Astra owners -probably find a used one pretty cheap on ebay once you know which one you need. I used one on a couple of VAG cars and another on Mini without issues.


Mine was EBay 4 years ago got it around £150 and when I sell the car one day can ither sell it or send it off to be sorted for the next car.


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## Jack R

Been out for a drive and it performed perfectly, figured out eventually how all the toys work and hopefully it will become second nature before long. When I got back I found these had arrived 



A pair of plates and frames, also ordered some genuine mats as it doesn't have any  , detailing starts tomorrow weather dependant :buffer:


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## Jack R

First modification  needed some way of charging the phone and plugging in the sat nav at the same time and due to this being fitted with Bluetooth it doesn't for some reason have a usb slot 
Rather than adding a lighter socket adapter I decided to do it properly and convert it :thumb:

This is what I started with



Bit grubby once I'd started stripping off the trim but a quick wipe down solved that



All came to bits quite easily once the two screws where removed



Just two plugs to undo which where a pain in the @r$e



Back in the shed and socket removed



New one fitted



Had to just rub around with a file to allow a snug fit



New loom extensions made



And fitted



Quick test to check it worked



All back together



And a successful installation



Should make life a lot easier and it was about £180 cheaper then adding the factory usb, although I might still do that later on if I can find a second hand control unit for reasonable price :thumb:


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## bazz

great job on the socket


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## Andyblue

Excellent job with the USB port


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## Will-S

I had an 1.6cdti SRi for 9 weeks while swapping company cars. Averaged 62mpg over that time, with best being 64mpg. Mostly motorway miles. Great car.


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## Jack R

Time to start the big clean, and winter prep!
First up some interior protection with Gtechniq smart fabric, god this stuff stinks!



Had to give it a proper airing after, hope it works.



In the mean time I got prepared



Sprayed some autosmart red 7 over everything



Wheels didn't react much which I suppose is a good thing



Although the bucket was black once the wheels where finished.
These will be coming off off to do a proper deep clean but I haven't got time today as I want to paint the callipers at the same time.



After a safe wash with Adams strip wash



It was on to the clay next, as you can see from the roof it was a bit dirty and the rest of the car was just as bad if not worse.



Now that's done I decided to try my DA for the first time, was quite pleased with it but I think next time I will stick to my rotary for the bulk of it and just use this to refine the finish with as it takes along time doing it all with this.



A few before and after shots, with about a 80% improvement overall which will do for this time of the year as I'm planning on going to town with this in the new year.























Wax time  and I had decided before I'd even got the car I was going to use ODK revere, this was a gift from Dan that I'd been waiting for the right car to use on for a long time.



Really pleased with how it now looks but you'll have to wait for the final photos, also fitted these which finish it off nicely



To be continued..........


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## BrummyPete

Nice work there mate 

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk


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## c87reed

Nice estate, would much rather have an estate over an SUV. Nice work with the addition of the usb socket.


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## Andyblue

Cracking job, looks to have come up well :thumb:


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## Jack R

Thanks everyone, makes it all worth while when you get a few nice comments 

This morning I’ve giving it a quick hoover, dressed the interior with ODK cabin and then cleaned the glass with auto finesse crystal :buffer:

All that’s left now is the external glass coating and a wipe down with ODK Exhibit, once that’s down I get some final photos posted of where it’s at now :thumb:


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## bazz

great job and looks like its come up great and loving the number plate and surround great touch


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## streaky

Doing some great work there. Particularly like the usb mod.


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## Jack R

Well the weather's been crap this afternoon so doesn't look like the cars getting finished today, but tomorrow is supposed to be dry so fingers crossed for that.
In the mean time I was greeted with this glorious glossy finish this morning before I set off to take the lad football training.



Should be able to get some beading photos soon too, if I can be bothered to go out the cold wet weather.


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## Jack R

Rain hasn't stopped, so as promised I've a photo of some beads :thumb: these are from the roof but unfortunately the rain doesn't seem to like the ODK revere and gets off as quickly as it's lands :lol:



I also fitted these with a smear of copper grease :thumb:


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## Jack R

Still got lots more I want to do but here is the photos of it finished for the time being :thumb:

Nice bit of beading from last nights rain  which was then dried off :thumb:



I then repaired this as the spray head had broke ready to do the glass



After which I then wiped over the car with ODK Exhibit just to finish it off















Really pleased with how it come out.


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## Andyblue

Spot on :thumb:


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## Jack R

Just been and pumped the tyres up Eco spec and reset the tpm to the same, so it’s all ready for its first run to my new job in the morning.
Also just been and added some ODK Glamour air fresher to make it smell nice.


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## Jack R

First at the new job so I decided to be lazy and just enjoy the ride with cruise control on but it still managed an acceptable 56mpg on the 120 miles there and back plus I did a bit of running around Letchworth too so quite happy with that, I think that's a good starting point which should easily be improved with time.

Also had these turn up today 



Now fitted :thumb:



This should also help with the economy as now I should be able to control my heavy right foot as it won't slip on built in plastic matt :driver:


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## Caledoniandream

It looks tidy, enjoy the ride :thumb:


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## Midlife

Wow what a good improvement i have a soft spot for Vauxhall's growing up with them. Hope new jobs going well, bet your cars best looking and smelling one in the car park eh haha.


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## Jack R

Went to fill up tonight and under the garage lights it doesn't look to bad however as always it does always highlight certain bits 

Thankfully got home to find this from in2detailing which will hopefully sort the problem if I can find enough time



Mpg hasn't improved much however I have noticed that the cars computer is saying there slightly under inflated and after checking them with a decent gauge it's right, so need to put a few more psi in them and try again :thumb: also on another note the jobs is going well and I'm settling in nicely


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## Jack R

Midlife said:


> Wow what a good improvement i have a soft spot for Vauxhall's growing up with them. Hope new jobs going well, bet your cars best looking and smelling one in the car park eh haha.


It is although there is a brand new Astra in the car park which is the same colour which is as good, but his has only done a few miles so I'm not sure if that counts as competition! I've also possibly been in the dirtiest car every, there was that much rubbish in it that my feet didn't touch the carpet  needless to say next time we went out we took mine! The best bit was he said he cleared it out at the weekend :wall: I don't understand how people can even drive with a car in that state it was disgusting.


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## RandomlySet

Where did you get the foot mats from?


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## Jack R

RandomlySet said:


> Where did you get the foot mats from?


Bristol Street motors Vauxhall main dealer have an eBay site where they sell off excess stock, they where only £22.80 and very impressed with the quality I might even get another set from them for it :thumb:


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## Del-GTi

They are excellent quality and long lasting too. 

The ones in my wife's Astra are 5.5 yrs old and the driver's side is due for replacement now. Not bad considering she wears heels of some sort constantly! 

Car is looking really good mate. Nice to see another Astra getting some care and attention. 

Just a tip for you, keep an eye on the rubber drain holes at the bottom of the doors, they are good at getting blocked and the doors tend to fill up with water! You'll hear a sloshing sound when opening and closing the doors.


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## Jack R

I have read about someone with that issue on the Astra owners forum, didn’t realise it was that common so I’ll keep an eye on that. Thanks


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## Jack R

JR1982 said:


> I've also possibly been in the dirtiest car every, there was that much rubbish in it that my feet didn't touch the carpet  needless to say next time we went out we took mine! The best bit was he said he cleared it out at the weekend :wall: I don't understand how people can even drive with a car in that state it was disgusting.


This should give you an idea of what I've been dealing with, the back is even worse and my OCD is going nuts :lol:


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## Jack R

Well managed to get the fuel economy to drop down to 41mpg today thanks to the terrible traffic both to and from work :wall: just crawled along at just the wrong speed for about 25miles  so in order to try and cheer myself up I decided to have so fun after the traffic cleared and absolutely hammered it for the last 30 miles  I must say not only did it go well (for the engine size and power) but the handling did surprise me, although I suppose it should being the SRi model with lowered and stiffened suspension but the best bit was even though it was well and truly thrashed the mpg's went up to the low 50's :doublesho not quite sure how but it obviously approves of a spirited drive :lol:

Anyway another day so another delivery, this time it's a new rear wiper as the old didn't like being accidentally switched on whilst frozen to the glass  I've now disabled the auto rear wipe so hopefully won't happen again :thumb:



Also got a few more bits coming soon, plus a big delivery of detailing goodies once I made sure I've got everything :thumb:


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## Jack R

Another small update, been out again this morning bright and early first up was to clean the glass on the rear window and fit the new rear wiper.



Another finishing touch added with this sticker, although it didn't like the cold to much and the co.uk bit fell off but a managed to warm it up a bit and rescue the detailing world part :wall: I'll order a new one for the summer :thumb:



I then gave it a quick hoover out and wipe down with some ODK cabin, I'm starting to notice little bits that need attention now that I'm spending a lot of time in it, and one of the things that's been bugging me was the edge on the load cover  it's started to fray along the edge.



So decided to fix with this :devil:



Nice big low temperature flame waved along the edge and hey presto 



Looking much better now :thumb:


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## Cookeh

If you know its going to go sub-zero over night, lift the wiper blades off the windscreen. Saves them!


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## Andyblue

Great little update and such a difference to the rear lip of the cover :thumb:


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## Jack R

Gave the Astra it's first wash since waxing it last week, used ODK Arctic and Sublime :thumb: I must say I've very impressed with the Revere the water behaviour is crazy :argie:


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## Jack R

Looking really glossy this morning after the drive to work!:argie:


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## Andyblue

Looking good mate :thumb:


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## bomasspot

Wow, that's clean. Sunglasses required .

Sent from my K6 using Tapatalk


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## Jack R

bomasspot said:


> Wow, that's clean. Sunglasses required .
> 
> Sent from my K6 using Tapatalk


Thanks, it's certainly better then it was but it's far from perfect yet


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## Jack R

Got home tonight to find I'd had a delivery from Jeff @ Prestige Car Care 
Got a bit carried away the other night, which I hold my wife fully responsible for as she went out and left me along with my iPad :lol:

So this is what I got.......



All very nicely wrapped as always



I'll let you lot add this up :wall:



Doesn't look too obvious now it's all on the shelf 



:thumb::buffer:


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## Jack R

It's all about the details :lol:

Thanks to Whizzer, I've now got some new stickers to replace the one I  up.


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## Jack R

Finally had my front wipers delivered



These will be fitted at the weekend along with a couple of other bits


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## bazz

liking the new adams cleaning stuff you got fella.


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## Jack R

bazz said:


> liking the new adams cleaning stuff you got fella.


I'm looking forward to trying the new bits out, should be able to clean the wheels a little easier now which means I can hold off on the deep clean until spring :thumb:


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## Jack R

Update time 

First up was to get my new Adam's wash bucket stickers put on :thumb:



Then I had this delivered, although the sidelight/drl's haven't arrived yet so I'll fit them all at the same time.



Next job was an extremely important one as the current sticker which I ruined was bugging me, looks much better now :lol:



In between doing all of the above it was hoovered out, inside wiped down with ODK cabin, then I gave it a wash with ODK Arctic followed by Sublime, the tyres where then dressed with Adam's tire shine and I decided try out some new things  first up was Adam's Ceramic Boost then Adam's Glass Boost, both of which I was very impressed by with them being so easy to use and it didn't look to bad either :thumb:



Leaves a lovely glossy shine :argie:



New front wipers fitted :thumb:



Next up was another new product to try, Adam's Undercarriage Spray which again was extremely easy to use but it does seem to highlight any tar spots :wall:
Before



Leaves a nice finish when dry
After



And finally, seeing as it's that time of year that it  down! It didn't take long until the rain came down, so it would be rude not to have a photo of some beading :lol:



Very impressed with how it beads and sheets off, and the glass boost also good too but the big test for that is how long it lasts for as a stand alone item.

Still waiting for various bits to turn up so I can continue with a few little modifications


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## Jack R

My wife just gave me a parcel and said this came on Friday for you :wall:



Looks like I could of got the lights done today after all.


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## Andyblue

Come up well mate, looking forward to seeing comparison shots with the replacement lights


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## Jack R

I’ll make sure I get some before and afters :thumb:


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## Prestige car care shop

Subscribed... Nice thread dude


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## Jack R

Thanks Jeff :thumb:

As promised I've got the lights done today, and really impressed with the improvements but also disappointed with myself that I didn't go for the PIAA headlight bulbs to match the side lights but at £58 for a set they'll have to wait :thumb:

Before- with original side light and dipped beam



Before- original Drl



After- new Drl which is nice and white, looks better in real life than the photo



After- new side light with dipped beam, and whilst it is a lot whiter there is still a small amount of the yellowish tinge to the light hence my comment about getting the PIAA bulbs



Also fitted my new pollen filter this one wasn't to bad but had some debris in it so old one out

[/url

Any new one in

[url=https://ibb.co/iMuWtV]

More to come soon :thumb:


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## Jack R

Update time, first up I need to mention how impressed I am by Adam's glass boost this stuff has to be one of the best I've tried/used it was effortless to apply and it's excellent! If I hadn't already brought the glass sealant with this I probably wouldn't of bothered, now only time will tell how long it lasts but I suppose I should do it properly and get it all cleaned off so I can add the sealant first :thumb:

Next up is the lights, I mentioned in the last post that they still looked a bit yellow but in reality the lights this morning/evening where a huge improvement and looked very white over the old after a few mins but that being said I still might invest in PIAA headlight bulbs.

Next up was a delivery......



Chromed indicator bulbs for the front indicators, look stupid with an orange build in a clear lens so I had to get them changed! I might even use my black fly net stickers over the lenses to tone them down further as I did on the Passat and the second item is my new side repeaters which i'm very pleased with :thumb: there actually a clear lens with a black back but because off the way there made you can't see the bulb


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## marc81

How were the PIAA DRL's to fit mate? Thinking about some myself.. I wanted LED but I believe its a pain to get ones that don't error without using separate resisters. I have some MTEC super white headlight bulbs that I removed from my old car before trading it which should fit and are nice and white so they'll probably go in... just wondered how easy replacing was as most cars nowadays are a pain in the a$$!!

Love your updates as it just looks like my cars twin.. first thing I bought too was that same keyring haha.


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## Jack R

marc81 said:


> How were the PIAA DRL's to fit mate? Thinking about some myself.. I wanted LED but I believe its a pain to get ones that don't error without using separate resisters. I have some MTEC super white headlight bulbs that I removed from my old car before trading it which should fit and are nice and white so they'll probably go in... just wondered how easy replacing was as most cars nowadays are a pain in the a$$!!
> 
> Love your updates as it just looks like my cars twin.. first thing I bought too was that same keyring haha.


Thanks bud, the drivers side was easy enough once the lid of the air filter was off but the passenger was a pain in the  due to lack of room and the fact that I've got big hands :wall: having said that I've done worst and I didn't have to take the bumper off like some suggest to do, not looking forward to doing the front indicators for that reason but I'm hoping to find another way of doing that :thumb: 
As for the PIAA bulbs are great and definitely won't buy anything else now that I've tried them and wish I'd brought the headlight ones at the same time instead of the osrams, the only thing that put me off was the price but there worth every penny .


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## Del-GTi

Are those definitely the correct bulbs for the front indicators? I could have swore they were PSY24W. Unless they are different from the non-fog light models. 

Just I remember looking to replace them on my wife's Astra for the same reason and they were something crazy like £20 a bulb and they were a unique fitment that were found on BMWs. Granted, this was over 5 yrs ago.


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## Jack R

Del-GTi said:


> Are those definitely the correct bulbs for the front indicators? I could have swore they were PSY24W. Unless they are different from the non-fog light models.
> 
> Just I remember looking to replace them on my wife's Astra for the same reason and they were something crazy like £20 a bulb and they were a unique fitment that were found on BMWs. Granted, this was over 5 yrs ago.


You may well be correct as I've just checked on the Astra owners network and that match's what you say :wall: thankfully I've just also checked my paperwork from where I got them from and it looks like they've mixed it up  I'll contact them in the morning, thanks and well spotted that's just saved me a lot of hassle :thumb:


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## spyk3d

Do you think you'll swap to the PIAA bulbs in your Passat?

You've now got me thinking about putting a set in mine as the headlights are woeful.

Although I've just bought a set on 19" Verona Alloys to run as summer wheels.


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## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> Do you think you'll swap to the PIAA bulbs in your Passat?
> 
> You've now got me thinking about putting a set in mine as the headlights are woeful.
> 
> Although I've just bought a set on 19" Verona Alloys to run as summer wheels.


Yes definitely, although that's not a priority at the moment as that's now the wife's car :lol:


----------



## Jack R

Gave the Astra it's weekly wash down and hoover out and whilst I didn't have much time to do much I did get my Side repeaters changed over.

Before



Light removed and only a little bit of grime



Which was soon cleaned up with some detail spray



New smoked light installed and now matching the standard rear smoked lights



Checked and working



:thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Great update, looking good on the black :thumb:


----------



## Caledoniandream

Very nice updates, how do you find the paint?
Have a feeling that it is Avery soft paint, similar to Japanese paint.
One of our car has light scratches from a bush wonder if I can polish them out?


----------



## Jack R

I would say the paint was harder than Japanese paint but it’s definitely not as hard as my Passat, the Astra was not to bad with the da but I will use the rotary next time to speed things up along with some slightly more aggressive compound although I might even wet sand it first.


----------



## Jack R

Prepared the new disc's ready for fitting over the weekend.

All masked off



Followed by two coats of silver heat resistant paint to maintain the OEM spec



All finished, paint bled a little but shouldn't be an issue once it's been up the road.



:thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Beading nicely this morning.


----------



## bazz

liking the new side repetaers fella go well with the black paint work


----------



## Jack R

Decided to start refreshing the brakes today seeing as I had a spare couple of hours, so I got it jacked up and took the wheels off and here's what I started with :thumb:



Caliper came off easy enough



As did the carriers and the discs



And this was why, it's had new pads! Why the  didn't they replace the discs at the same time baffles me but I suppose they didn't want to spend the extra cash :wall:



Measured the thicknesses of them and one was on the limit and the other (the wrapped one) was 1mm below the minimum thickness



Before and after, stripped, cleaned and repainted :thumb:



New discs on



Refurb'd carriers back on



Then I was running out of time and daylight, so decided just to put the caliper back on for time being without painting it.



Hoping to get some more time again either during week or next weekend to get things finished off


----------



## Andyblue

Coming on well :thumb:


----------



## bazz

great job on the discs and sound like they need a change. the calipers are coming along nicely


----------



## Jack R

Thanks it already looks so much better, now looking forward to getting the fronts finished and the rears tidied up. I have also ordered some new wheel nut covers as there a bit faded but need to think of an idea to sort the badges on the wheel centre caps as they’ve also faded but at nearly £60 for 4 new ones, that seems a bit much.


----------



## Jack R

Looks like I've sprung a leak :wall:





I contacted the suppliers, so hopefully they will exchange it fingers crossed.


----------



## Jack R

Delivery incoming from ODK


----------



## Jack R

Delivery today turned up at midday :thumb: and all arrived safe and sound.

First job was to find this



Then obviously had to try it out whilst I had a rummage through the box before having to put it away until I got home



A few hours later, I finally had time to unwrap it  I then realised I've forgot to order a few bits :wall:



The new wax stored carefully in its new home and in the prized central position :lol:



Another order coming soon Dan


----------



## Jack R

Received my new wheel nut covers from Vauxhall today



Just need to decide what to do about the wheel centre caps, now might see if I can take them apart and paint them.


----------



## graeme

JR1982 said:


> Looks like I've sprung a leak :wall:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I contacted the suppliers, so hopefully they will exchange it fingers crossed.


Funnily enough I have just noticed the same thing on one of my side repeaters on my insignia today. Chuffing vauxhalls lol. Car looking great though as do all your cars :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

graeme said:


> Funnily enough I have just noticed the same thing on one of my side repeaters on my insignia today. Chuffing vauxhalls lol. Car looking great though as do all your cars :thumb:


I contact the supplier the other day and whilst they took a couple of day to reply they are now sending out a new one :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

New side repeater has arrived today and been fitted, old will will be in the post tomorrow! Can’t fault there customer service, they’ve never questioned anything and just sent it out.


----------



## Jack R

Gave it a quick touch less wash today as it was looking very sorry for itself
Used ODK breakdown first, followed by ODK Arctic





Far from perfect but definitely better  rinsed it down with my harvested filtered water :thumb:





Also gave the inside a quick hoover out a wipe down with ODK cabin and a freshen up with one of my ODK air fresheners (think it was the blueberry one this time)



:thumb:


----------



## bazz

looking good fella


----------



## Jack R

New rear badge to experiment with 



Also got some 4" polishing pads for the angle grinder to help the devilbiss project along :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Looking good mate :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Today I finally managed to find out what colour my car is  been trying to find out for while now, looked all over the car for a sticker or plate but with no luck and having not been near any Vauxhall garages for while I had given up on it for this year...... any way to cut a long story short I thought I’d check to see what date the next service was due and in the book was the delivery info which says the colour is Carbon Flash met. 22C it turns out that was a £550 optional extra :thumb:
Touch up paint now ordered and I’ve also ordered some GM Silver Star 2 paint as I’ve been told that this should match the colour of the wheels :buffer:


----------



## Jack R

So since getting the Astra at the end of October, it has just clicked over the 5000 mile mark in my ownership! And whilst I’m not achieving the mpg figures quoted by Vauxhall i’m having great fun driving it (much more than I thought I would)  currently averaging between 50 - 55 mpg regularly on the way to work down the A14 and A1 even with my very heavy right foot, having said that I did get it to 68mpg with the wife and kids in the car :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

New rear badge almost ready to go on! Finishing touches left to do once it's fully dry :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

What have you used to spray the badge ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> What have you used to spray the badge ?


Started off with a plastic degreaser, then upol acid etch primer followed by gloss black for plastic which was from a model shop :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

JR1982 said:


> Started off with a plastic degreaser, then upol acid etch primer followed by gloss black for plastic which was from a model shop :thumb:


Excellent job - looking forward to seeing on the car - don't forget before and after shots


----------



## Jack R

Thanks, as always lots of photos will be taken


----------



## Jack R

Postman's been and hopefully it's a good colour match


----------



## Jack R

Found some time this afternoon to give it a much needed freshen up :thumb:

It's been a few weeks since a proper wash so was a bit grubby



With the state of the back and sides it looked like I'd been through a field 







Started with a covering of ODK breakdown on the worst bits followed by ODK Arctic and a 2bm wash with ODK Sublime, once washed it started to rain :wall:
So I opted for some Adam's H2o guard and gloss and Adams VTR as both of them don't mind the rain 
Here's the finished results









Beading again like it's just been waxed :argie:



And a very rare one of me (trying to smile whilst looking at the camera is quite difficult thing to do )



Also gave the inside a hoover and wipe down with ODK cabin :driver:


----------



## bazz

that was in a mess but looked much better after


----------



## Jack R

It’s the joy of doing at least 130 miles a day, it doesn’t stay clean for long.


----------



## Jack R

A few deliveries turned up today

First up is the star silver 2 touch up paint which will hopefully match the wheels, some red enamel for some of the smaller details



And these from Jeff at Prestige Car Care :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Finally finished the badge tonight although not 100% sure about it yet....
Thinking I'll save my judgement until it's on the car, but what does everyone else think to it?



Simple to change plus I still have the original, although I'm thinking the red might be better as a grey


----------



## Andyblue

Not sure about Vauxhall being in red - might be tempted to leave same or slightly different colour to rest of badge ? 

Quite like the V in red and do like the eye in red - think these 2 on there own would be my choice...


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Not sure about Vauxhall being in red - might be tempted to leave same or slightly different colour to rest of badge ?
> 
> Quite like the V in red and do like the eye in red - think these 2 on there own would be my choice...


I've been thinking along the same lines as that, whilst I do like the red I don't think the Vauxhall bit looks right. I might black that out tonight or my other option would be to do it in carbon flash (same colour as the car)


----------



## bazz

liking the look of the adams stuff dude. Im to sure about the Vauxhall in red eather. might look better on the car?


----------



## ffrs1444

Just debadge the Back Leave the Vauxhall Emblem On in the middle chrome one.


----------



## garage_dweller

You've done a great job on the badge but I would leave it silver personally.


----------



## Del-GTi

Star Silver II brings back memories - reminds me of my old Vectra B! Did you notice the name on the other touch-up box? - 'I'll Be Black' :lol: who knew Vauxhall had such a sense of humour!

Not a fan of the badge though, as someone else said, might look better on the car.

Keep up the good work. Your reminding me that I really need to clean the wife's Astra.


----------



## Jack R

It did notice the paint name on the box, made me chuckle. 

Gave it a full wash yesterday as it was looking very dirty, and thankfully it’s still looking clean after this mornings commute into work. 

Merry Christmas everyone and thanks for reading!:thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Got home tonight and it needed a clean after the long drive to work and back....

Unfortunately the wife didn't agree a told me to put the pressure washer back so I snuck out with my Adams waterless and gave it a quick wipe down 

This is how I left it....



Not bad after 130 miles :thumb:

Merry Christmas everyone :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Cashed in my Halfords voucher and some money that I got for Christmas presents today........



Picked up some more Autoglym screen wash, and de-ironised water along with some new products for me try :thumb: looking forward to seeing how well the Auto Finesse wheel ceramics lasts


----------



## Andyblue

Looking forward to your thoughts / review on the ceramic wheel :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

My Adam's mystery box turned up today.......



No new products but I'm running low on these so as far as I'm concerned it's win win, and I got a new drying towel to try  interested to see how something so thin will perform but I've never had anything off Jeff that I didn't like :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Any update of the badge ? What did you decide...


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Any update of the badge ? What did you decide...


It's been repainted in black and lacquered so far, although not done anymore with it yet  thinking I might try the carbon flash on the V and eye to see what that's like :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Gave it a wash and hoover out today as it was looking horrible, finished off with a wipe over with some Adam's detail spray. It was dark by the time I had finished but I got some ok photos


----------



## Jack R

Got to work this morning and it was still clean  so I decided to take a few photos next to its younger sister :lol:









And before anyone says about the parking I only popped in to clock in


----------



## Jack R

Beading heaven!

Cold



Colder



Freezing


----------



## Jack R

Gave the Astra another clean this week just as I did last week and the week before that :lol: the main downside to a dark car is the salt on the roads this time of year so it doesn't take long before it looks a mess 









ODK breakdown was used to start with







Along with some autosmart red7





It was then rinsed and foamed with ODK Arctic





Which then rinsed again





2 bucket method with ODK Jet



It was then finished off and dried with Adam's guard and gloss, and Adam's tyre shine


----------



## Andyblue

Looking good :thumb: 

ODK stuff certainly seems to work well


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Looking good :thumb:
> 
> ODK stuff certainly seems to work well


Thanks, and yes it does i'm a big fan  just ordered some more of the Cabin and the new Envious wax to try :thumb:


----------



## BrummyPete

Looking good mate, Im looking forward to giving my new black car a good polish, how long do you find the adams g&g last?


----------



## Jack R

BrummyPete said:


> Looking good mate, Im looking forward to giving my new black car a good polish, how long do you find the adams g&g last?


Thanks, I'm getting about 3 weeks from the G&G before it stops beading (although I know that doesn't mean it's stopped protecting) but I'm doing between 650 and 850 miles per week and the car currently getting washed every weekend because of it, which I don't think is to bad. :thumb:

Have you got your new toy yet?


----------



## wish wash

You certainly look after it but Jesus Christ I couldn't live with a black car again.


----------



## Jack R

wish wash said:


> You certainly look after it but Jesus Christ I couldn't live with a black car again.


I hadn't planned to get another black car, they just seem to find me :lol:


----------



## BrummyPete

JR1982 said:


> Thanks, I'm getting about 3 weeks from the G&G before it stops beading (although I know that doesn't mean it's stopped protecting) but I'm doing between 650 and 850 miles per week and the car currently getting washed every weekend because of it, which I don't think is to bad. :thumb:
> 
> Have you got your new toy yet?


That's not too bad, yeah I collected her a coupe of days before Xmas, haven't had the weather or time to give her some proper love, currently got a couple coats of bsd on just to limp through til the weather bucks up

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

BrummyPete said:


> That's not too bad, yeah I collected her a coupe of days before Xmas, haven't had the weather or time to give her some proper love, currently got a couple coats of bsd on just to limp through til the weather bucks up
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Adam's ceramic boost lasts a week longer but you have to dry the car before applying, which makes guard and gloss easier and more convenient to use in the winter although both are excellent at stand alone protection. On the wife's car it will last 2-3 months but she doesn't do anywhere near the miles I do :thumb:


----------



## ibiza55

Lovely Jubbly, I don't think any colour stays clean looking for long in Jan/Feb time.


----------



## Jack R

Had a delivery from ODK today, looking forward to giving it a try


----------



## spyk3d

Is that the full 200ml pot?

Looking forward to your feedback on it.


----------



## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> Is that the full 200ml pot?
> 
> Looking forward to your feedback on it.


Yep :thumb: been waiting for this since before Xmas


----------



## siradamrees

LOVING THIS. Great Job Pal. Looking forward to seeing the badge fitted..


----------



## Jack R

siradamrees said:


> LOVING THIS. Great Job Pal. Looking forward to seeing the badge fitted..


Thanks, just waiting for the weather to improve so I can give it a machine polish before fitting it. :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Just a quick wash today as the wife and I are off to London for a couple of days (minus the kids), but I'm off work next week so hopefully will get a chance to give it a proper going over then!


----------



## BrummyPete

Looking good mate, managed to give mine the beans today, was gonna wait till spring but my friend persuaded me to go for it 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

BrummyPete said:


> Looking good mate, managed to give mine the beans today, was gonna wait till spring but my friend persuaded me to go for it
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Thanks Pete, i've got my fingers crossed for next week depending on the weather although it won't look as good as yours does! Great job with that by the way :thumb:


----------



## BrummyPete

Jack R said:


> Thanks Pete, i've got my fingers crossed for next week depending on the weather although it won't look as good as yours does! Great job with that by the way :thumb:


Cheers mate and I'm sure you will do an excellent job on yours, I was lucky enough to have help this time as the Passat is a fair size motor, I would still be out there now if I was on my own

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

Not done much today as I’ve had the day off (and the rest of the week for that matter) so I decided to get a few jobs ticked off, as the Passat is possibly being part exchanged tomorrow I’ve finally been able to claim my Sat Nav back from the wife which has ment I can hard wire it into the Astra and get rid of the cable that’s been hanging around the steering column


----------



## Jack R

Couple of new products turned up today from Jeff at prestige car care, looking forward to seeing how well the tire shine lasts :thumb:



Another sticker for my draws


----------



## Andyblue

Enjoy your new products - be interested to know your thoughts :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Enjoy your new products - be interested to know your thoughts :thumb:


I'll put a review on here and on my new vehicle thread with how it well it lasts :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> I'll put a review on here and on my new vehicle thread with how it well it lasts :thumb:


Cheers mate. :thumb:

New motor going well ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Cheers mate. :thumb:
> 
> New motor going well ?


Think so, not driven it since the test drive :lol:


----------



## bazz

liking the look of the new adams stuff dude. look forward to your thoughts.


----------



## Jack R

Proper wash today, gone all out with three buckets and I even got the radio out :lol:



It's only done 300 miles this week, but it's dirty than normal :wall:







Doesn't look that bad in the photos until you get close





Started as normal with the wheels



Washed them with ODK breakdown first, then cracked on with Adam's tire and rubber cleaner



Then autosmart red 7



I also gave them a quick spray of tar remover before jet washing off



I then gave the rest of the car a blast with ODK breakdown



It was the snowfoamed with ODK Arctic, but I forgot to take that picture so you'll have to make do with the pre wash photos :lol:





I decided to do something different  after experimenting with my bottle of Adam's strip wash I have found out that it doesn't remove ODK Revere but it removes anything else that's been put on top :thumb: so with that knowledge I gave it a strip wash





Back to normal and all ready for a top up, although I think I might treat it to a coat of ODK Glamour seeing as I've not got time to machine polish it yet due to my new project :thumb:


----------



## BrummyPete

Looking good mate, I've done about the same miles been to butlins Minehead and the car is covered in sand, need to give it a quick wash before I go back to work tomorrow night 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Andyblue

Come up really well mate :thumb: 

Looking very glossy...


----------



## Jack R

New thread now started for my other car!

https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=412014


----------



## Jack R

Gave Adam's tire armour a go today, went on easy and left a nice finish although time will tell how long it lasts :thumb:



Not dry yet, but it did leave a nice Matt finish when it did



Also used the glass sealant as well (this was by far the easiest I've ever used), so once again we'll see how long it lasts


----------



## Andyblue

Looks good - is it solvent based ? 

How was it to apply - did you spray onto tyre or applicator ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Looks good - is it solvent based ?
> 
> How was it to apply - did you spray onto tyre or applicator ?


No it's not solvent based, it went on very nice after loading up an applicator and based on what I've seen so far it's very good. I will find out next week once I return to work how good it is, because if it's still there next weekend after 800+ miles I'll be impressed :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> No it's not solvent based, it went on very nice after loading up an applicator and based on what I've seen so far it's very good. I will find out next week once I return to work how good it is, because if it's still there next weekend after 800+ miles I'll be impressed :thumb:


Cheers, that's definitely a good test for it :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

I got around to waxing it this afternoon, this was just a top up to the original coat of ODK Revere and I very pleased with the results 

First job was to give it a wipe down, it's only done about 20 milesvon dry roads since it was washed but it had attracted a fine layer of dust.

It didn't take long with the waterless wash, and I forgot to get any other photos



So on to the main event, my most favourite wax and also the first proper one that I purchased.



Wax on



Wax off :lol:



I'll let the rest of the pictures do the talking :thumb:



















Two very shiny and glossy cars.



ODK Glamour is still my favourite, and whilst it my not last as long as some of the newer waxes or be as easy as some to remove it's definitely worth abit of effort sometimes as it's so rewarding when you see it finished


----------



## Jack R

Getting ready for summer


----------



## Jack R

Gave it a quick wash  looks ok on the photos but now it's getting sunny again I need to properly sort the paint as there's a few bits that keep catching my eye.



Very impressed by the Adam's tire armour, although it's now all but gone it's lasted about eight days longer than normal which I know doesn't sound good but these tyres have done 1967 miles over the last two weeks 



:thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Last night didn't quite go to plan :wall: got in the car at 4:30pm to drive home and the dash board lit up light Blackpool illuminations with a very annoying beeping noise, after pressing a few buttons I managed to stop the noise although not sure if it just stopped by itself  anyway the dash was telling me I had a flat tyre  so got out and had a look but it was still inflated  so back in the car I cycled through the menu and found the tyre pressure which showed I'd lost about 10psi in the near side rear.
After coming to the conclusion that I must of clipped a kerb I headed to Sainsbury's for some free air :thumb: unfortunately after pumping up the tyre I could hear a hissing noise :wall: time is now 4:50pm so off I went to find a tyre place, first up was a very smart looking place, who put it on their ramps and spent half hour looking over the car before even getting to the wheel in question :wall: after they had finished looking at it they came in and told me that it couldn't be fixed but wouldn't show me what they'd found??? They did however have a tyre in stock and would happily fit it for me for a very reasonable £195  I declined there offer and asked them to get there car off the ramp 

Plan B= as I was leaving I noticed a sign that said tyres so figured it would be worth trying (if still open, time is now 5:30pm) so the guy was just getting ready to leave but said pull in and he'll have a quick look  he commented on the detailing world url on the back window and took great care doing everything by hand (wasn't expecting much considering the state of the place but you mustn't judge a book and all that) after half an hour he said that will be £20 please and handed me this



Finally got home at 7:15 but at least I saved a decent amount of money  and the guy also said when I needed them he could get me a new tyre for £160 each or he'd do a pair for £300.


----------



## graeme

Thats a great result, well worth the extra time.


----------



## Andyblue

That’s excellent news that you’ve found somewhere reliable and from the service you’ve received, I’m sure you’d go back if / when required. 

There’s a local ‘corner’ shop tyre place about 10 miles away, does a great job and if you take the wheel in - he gives you a £5 discount as he’s not having to remove it from the car :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> That's excellent news that you've found somewhere reliable and from the service you've received, I'm sure you'd go back if / when required.
> 
> There's a local 'corner' shop tyre place about 10 miles away, does a great job and if you take the wheel in - he gives you a £5 discount as he's not having to remove it from the car :thumb:


Already looking a putting trade through him with the work fleet, just need to convince the bosses :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Gave it a bath today  started with ODK breakdown to soften the muck



Whilst that was doing it's thing I filled these up one with water, one with ODK Sublime and the other with ODK Rotate.



Finished off with my prestige car care big yellow drying towel and then gave it a coat of ODK Exhibit





I also topped up the Adam's tire armour, very impressed by this stuff so far :argie:



Can anyone help with this??? This is the only part that's affected, I've tried polishing it but that just made it stand out more :wall:



I'm guessing that this is something that's going to need to be replaced to fix it


----------



## graeme

Had a similar problem with the trim on my old vectra c. It's sadly just that fake chrome that if water ingress to it occurs pretty much makes it impossible to get out as its under the surface so to speak. I ended up just living with it and hope I don't get the same issue with my insignia.

Cars looking great by the way as usual an inspiration.


----------



## siradamrees

Jack R said:


> Gave it a bath today  started with ODK breakdown to soften the muck
> 
> 
> 
> Whilst that was doing it's thing I filled these up one with water, one with ODK Sublime and the other with ODK Rotate.
> 
> 
> 
> Finished off with my prestige car care big yellow drying towel and then gave it a coat of ODK Exhibit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also topped up the Adam's tire armour, very impressed by this stuff so far :argie:
> 
> 
> 
> Can anyone help with this??? This is the only part that's affected, I've tried polishing it but that just made it stand out more :wall:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm guessing that this is something that's going to need to be replaced to fix it


Car is looking fresh as normal great work. just an idea for you, you could have them wrapped. or try and do it your self.


----------



## spyk3d

I've got similar on my Passat and they seemed to clean up well with some metal polish and then I put some AIO over them to seal them. It seems to be the road salt and Citrus Prewash that causes them to go cloudy.


----------



## Jack R

siradamrees said:


> Car is looking fresh as normal great work. just an idea for you, you could have them wrapped. or try and do it your self.


I have said from the start I wanted to de chrome it so this might be a good excuse to get on with it:thumb:


----------



## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> I've got similar on my Passat and they seemed to clean up well with some metal polish and then I put some AIO over them to seal them. It seems to be the road salt and Citrus Prewash that causes them to go cloudy.


Tried some metal polish but that made it stand out more unfortunately, might have one more go but with the dremal and a polishing pad before either replacing or wrapping them.


----------



## BrummyPete

I used srp on my jag chrome trim and it helped, although replacing would have been the only way of rectifying properly 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

This is a big update, so I hope your all ready :lol:

Today started nice and early as the wife was going out after work so decided to make the most of it as she wouldn't be back until mid afternoon 

Start time today is.....



I had already been and dropped the wife off by this point so I had already pulled on to the drive forwards



Straight up on to the ramps :thumb:



Bonnet up and looking a bit grubby



I then noticed this had started to peel  need to see if I can get another one from somewhere as I have now removed it.



Next was to remove the tray from underneath as the access flap will only open on a proper ramp, unfortunately I was met with this mess 



Wasn't much better under here



This was also broken, so whoever last took the tray off only managed to put back 2-1/2 out of the 4 rivet fixings :wall: considering this has only been to Vauxhall it doesn't say much about there mechanics.



It's a bit black, not sure if I'd be brave enough to leave it for a full 20,000 miles between services



Old and new oil filter, also clean up the top as well.



Once the new filter and sump plug was back on I gave it all a good soaking with some G101 and left it for a couple of mins



Before wiping down after a few goes it looked lot better 



Time for some fresh oil :thumb:



Before moving on to the next job! 
The air filter was that next job and as you will see it wasn't looking very clean, I'm starting to get a feeling that there wasn't much taken with the servicing



Especially with all this lot in here



Even once removed and brushed out it wasn't looking very good so I gave it a wash with some more G101 and a stiff brush



Looking like new again



More to follow soon :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

This was next up, it was sprayed with a strong mix of G101 and left to soak for a while.



It was then rinsed off with the pressure washer



Not come up to bad, but it's jobs like this where I really do miss my old hot water pressure washer



It was then treated to a coat of Adam's VTR



Pollen filter was looking very dirty which is strange as it's apparently been changed during every service even though Vauxhall say it needs doing every few years.



Fuel filter was also changed during the last service apparently, again very dirty so I've either got a dirty fuel tank or this wasn't done as the book says.



Now that everything was done it was time to reset the computer 



Time is now 9am which means it's time to take the lad football trading and pick up some rivets for the tray.


----------



## Jack R

After training was over I popped into Halfords which resulted in me buying this 



Unfortunately they didn't have what I needed but that was solved by popping down to the local parts place.



All fitted back in place although this time with 4 fixings.



Underneath is looking good now



Time to sort the top out, as with everything else today it got a good soaking with G101 and agitated with a soft brush



After washing down, I then used a mixture of rags and airline to dry it off.
It was then coated with Autoglym rubber and vinyl dressing and I even gave the turbo heat shield a bit of a polish.



Seeing as I'd now made the car dirty from washing the engine bay, I decided that I might as well polish the glass to try to remove a few of the scratches. It improved by about 75% which has made enough of a difference to make the morning commute a little easier.





Bath time!
Started off by giving the dead flys a soak with ODK breakdown



Followed by a 2 bucket wash with ODK Jet, I then prepared the Polar seal as per the instructions on the bottle



I must say that this is very impressive stuff for what it costs, and is extremely easy to use and apply.



Combine what I said above with crazy beading and great gloss although it is on top of ODK Glamour which is also on top of a ODK Revere.


----------



## Jack R

Time for some final photos, went for a drive up the road and took these 

Apart from drying after the polar seal, the only thing I did was re treat the front and rear glass with Adam's glass sealant and I also dressed the wheel arches with Adam's undercarriage spray :thumb: the tyres haven't been touched today and have covered just shy of 1000 miles last week so very happy with how this lasts 









A few reflection photos







Hopefully I will able make a start on tidying up the paint work over the next few weeks as there's a few bits that are bugging me (stone chips, scratches etc.) and with the nights getting lighter as from tomorrow I should be able to get a bit done each night :thumb:


----------



## bluechimp

Great update Jack (have you changed your username?).

You have been mega busy and the engine and undertray have come up a treat and with the state of those filters, I think there have been some porkies told!

The rivets are the bane of my life, i bought a bag of 50 off ebay and keep ready but then there are different sizes

What did you use on the glass mate to polish it up?


----------



## Andyblue

Cracking update - yes really does make you wonder when some of those service items were last changed 

Cars looking good :thumb:

Did you dry with any drying aid after using the Polar Seal ?


----------



## Jack R

bluechimp said:


> Great update Jack (have you changed your username?).
> 
> You have been mega busy and the engine and undertray have come up a treat and with the state of those filters, I think there have been some porkies told!
> 
> The rivets are the bane of my life, i bought a bag of 50 off ebay and keep ready but then there are different sizes
> 
> What did you use on the glass mate to polish it up?


Thanks and yes I have thought I'd simplify things!

The car originally was on a business company car lease and all they had to do was book it in at Vauxhall as everything was included in the cost, the book says it's been to three different Vauxhall dealers and every time it's always had a major service but I might make a few calls to find out more :thumb:

I hate the rivets too, I've got loads of the dam things but never the right one :wall:

This is the glass polish I used coupled with a Rayon pad on my rotary :thumb:



I could of probably got the glass a bit better but my pad is coming to the end of its life so it will have to do for now.


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Cracking update - yes really does make you wonder when some of those service items were last changed
> 
> Cars looking good :thumb:
> 
> Did you dry with any drying aid after using the Polar Seal ?


Thanks, I just used the hose to fetch the bulk of it off then finished off with my big yellow from prestige car care :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> Thanks, I just used the hose to fetch the bulk of it off then finished off with my big yellow from prestige car care :thumb:


Cheers - how do you find the big yellow ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Cheers - how do you find the big yellow ?


Really good but I do need another with having two cars to do


----------



## Jack R

Got myself a bag of white powder 



Hoping to sort a few glass scratches out with this:thumb:


----------



## BrummyPete

I was tempted to buy the powdered version last week but ended up buying ceriglass, teamed up with a lake country rayon pad in hoping it will clean well 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

BrummyPete said:


> I was tempted to buy the powdered version last week but ended up buying ceriglass, teamed up with a lake country rayon pad in hoping it will clean well
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


After seeing a lot of you tube videos, I'm opting for a smaller rayon pad and a 1 part powder to 2 parts water mix. I did look at ceriglass but I thought I go for this, so I could control the mixture :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Well after a couple of weeks I'm very impressed by the Autoglym polar seal, the car seems to stay reasonably clean and it seems very easy to wash the muck off and it also beads well too :thumb:



Washed it again this weekend



And then the following day went over it with ODK Exhibit


----------



## Andyblue

Looking good :thumb:


----------



## bazz

looking good fella


----------



## Jack R

The plan was this morning to touch up the stone chips in the wheel, polish them up and then ceramic coat them.

So I thought I'd give them a wipe down first before I started touching up whilst still on the car before removing them this afternoon to finish, unfortunately whilst cleaning them down I discovered this.



My initial thoughts where overspray that I might be able to polish off, but it wasn't :wall:



So now it's decision time. Do I stay with the original colour which I could get away with just doing the fronts or do I change the colour completely?? If so what colour do you think would suit the carbon flash body colour??


----------



## Caledoniandream

I think a smokey grey would look amazing on that colour. 

Ps very clean for a daily user, :thumb:


----------



## ffrs1444

Gun metal Gray


----------



## Jack R

I was thinking about a dark grey, I like the colour that the wife's Juke wheels are finished in. 
In the mean time whilst I'm deciding on a colour in just going to blend some silver in, so I've been and brought some of this.


----------



## streaky

I hope your spraying goes well. The one thing I've never had the patience for.


----------



## Jack R

Had a delivery yesterday



Another new fuel filter, due to the state that the last one was in I've decided I'm going to put some fuel system cleaner in although not sure which one to use yet.


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> I was thinking about a dark grey, I like the colour that the wife's Juke wheels are finished in.
> 
> In the mean time whilst I'm deciding on a colour in just going to blend some silver in, so I've been and brought some of this.


Could you whip a wheel off her Juke and place in front of your wheel - to try to give you an idea of what the colour will look like against the darker colour car...


----------



## Jack R

Today I decided to get the wheels done, unfortunately it didn't go to plan 

Started off well first side jacked up up



Front arch not overly dirty



Rear was about the same



Wheels were a bit grubby



Gave the wheels a soak with Autismart Red 7, G101 and some tar remover.



They cleaned up well



I then moved on to scrubbing the arches



After jet washing and drying, the calliper was then painted and arch liners were then dressed with Adam's undercarriage spray



Next on the list was to fix the wheels (see photo from previous post), not looking to bad now although not perfect it will do until I get them refinished .



Treated them to a coat of ODK Momentum as I will save the Auto Finesse until there redone



After this I turned the car around and started on the other side, first up was the front which was all fine but then I ran into problems because when I got the the rear the locking wheel nut was  so couldn't get the wheel off :wall: 
Currently trying to get some replacement wheel nuts so I can bin the locking nuts


----------



## Jack R

I think I've also decided on my new wheel colour too! 
I've just stripped these centre caps down ready the repaint the chrome black and the background colour is what I'm going to match the wheel colour with, which then saves me having to repaint those bits too


----------



## Andyblue

Great job it looks on the wheels - looking forward to seeing what they look like when you get them repainted. 

Did you decide anything about the rear badge ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Great job it looks on the wheels - looking forward to seeing what they look like when you get them repainted.
> 
> Did you decide anything about the rear badge ?


The rear badge will be going on in black, but I have a slight issue with that as I have put it somewhere safe so it doesn't get damaged but I now can't find it :wall:

Things might be changing at work which will mean I don't need to use the car as much (mileage should drop to 10k a year), I will repaint once that happens so it gives me more time :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> The rear badge will be going on in black, but I have a slight issue with that as I have put it somewhere safe so it doesn't get damaged but I now can't find it :wall::


Been there and done that


----------



## Jack R

So I've just been out with these pair to have another go



Unfortunately it didn't work but on a positive note it didn't slip, so I need to find a bigger more power impact gun


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> So I've just been out with these pair to have another go
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately it didn't work but on a positive note it didn't slip, so I need to find a bigger more power impact gun


If you've got a socket that fits - worth trying a big breaker bar...


----------



## bluechimp

One of my biggest frustrations, most wheel nuts only need to be 140Nm and should be two stage torqued. People and garages feel the need to absolutely nail them tight with impact wrenches.

Painting is looking good mate, looking forward to seeing more.


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> If you've got a socket that fits - worth trying a big breaker bar...


A big breaker bar won't work as it try's to come off and slip making it worse, with the impact driver it's pushing against so it doesn't slip, I've just got to be really careful so it doesn't strip what's left as that then means I've go to attack it the old fashioned way which I'm trying to avoid.


----------



## Jack R

bluechimp said:


> One of my biggest frustrations, most wheel nuts only need to be 140Nm and should be two stage torqued. People and garages feel the need to absolutely nail them tight with impact wrenches.
> 
> Painting is looking good mate, looking forward to seeing more.


Tell me about it, I don't understand why people over do the locking nuts :wall:

Thanks it's certainly smartened it up, it will look better once all four are done.

Just need more time at the moment so I can get all the bits done.


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> A big breaker bar won't work as it try's to come off and slip making it worse, with the impact driver it's pushing against so it doesn't slip, I've just got to be really careful so it doesn't strip what's left as that then means I've go to attack it the old fashioned way which I'm trying to avoid.


Aah, fair enough, hope you get it off...


----------



## Jack R

So today I went over Bradgate Park with the family, and on the way home we popped into Costco and got chatting to one of the technicians in the tyre bay after explaining my issue he said if I brought the car around he'd have a look 
Anyway he first tried a metre long breaker bar with the help from a colleague they managed to achieve nothing, so he then tried my suggestion of impact gun and unfortunately whilst it didn't slip it also didn't free it off :wall: he did however say that a grip socket might work with another big bar (unfortunately they didn't have one) so my next plan is to find one.

In the mean time I decided it needed a clean so it's had a hoover out, wipe over with ODK cabin etc on the inside and outside got a wash down too.

Had another little problem today with the sunshine being a little to hot for the rear badge  came back to the car after a walk to find it hanging. Lucky for me I pulled it off before I lost it as I still haven't found the one that I'd prepared earlier in the year



Also got the three finished wheel centre caps repainted



And also managed to remove the forth without having to take the wheel off



Old rear badge repainted (and currently drying) also gave the boot a quick polish



Centre caps replaced



Just need to put the nut covers back on :thumb:


----------



## graeme

I feel your pain with the locking nuts I had a similar issue with my insignia year ago when swapping wheels. I was lucky I managed to hammer the locking key into place and just managed to loosen off before it slipped again. Then I ordered a set of macgard locking nuts which seem to better quality than the vx ones.

Hope you get sorted ok.


----------



## Caledoniandream

Last time my locking nut didn’t come loose and started slipping, I parked the car beside my side door steps.
Put the socket on correctly, tap with a hammer.
Put a standard breaker Barr on
Hydraulic jack (pump under otherwise it doesn’t get oil.) 
Pressure on as much as possible between the steps and the breaker Barr
Extension on the breaker bar, and crack lt loose.
Worked every time as the socket has nowhere to go.

And it’s better finding out when you want to clean the wheels, than beside the motorway at 6 in the morning 

Whenever one of my vehicles has been touched by tyrefitter or garage, I undo the bust and re-torque them, just to be sure.


----------



## Jack R

First job this morning was to stick the new badge on :thumb:

Some people won't like it but I do so I'm happy 



Next up was to remove the locking wheel nut, obviously by this point I was at work so I decided to go to the place that fitted it when the tyre was repaired during my break. Which was a waste of time, as he had ago then rounded it off and said he couldn't do anymore :wall:
Time for plan B, spoke to a colleague who mentioned a wheel refinishing place down the road and decided it was worth ago.

Ten minutes later, he handed me this



He then got worried as he confessed he'd scratched my wheel, but said he would do a deal if I ever wanted them refinished. I said I'll come back and talk to him about my options :thumb:



Anyway finally the wheel is off 



Not to bad as per the other rear



Quickly cleaned up and painted



And refitted



Also gave it a very quick wipe over with some Adam's waterless wash



Whilst I was at it i'd Refuelled before getting home so added this in preparation for another new fuel filter this weekend, fingers crossed this helps with restoring the fuel economy.


----------



## Andyblue

Good news it's off and was very honest of him to say he'd scratched your wheel :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Good news it's off and was very honest of him to say he'd scratched your wheel :thumb:


To be fair, I saw what tools he took out to use at which point I decided not to watch and this was followed by what I know was a lot of polish swearing which he admitted he didn't think I would know what he was saying, so I kind of expected worse :lol:


----------



## Jack R

Initial results seem promising from the fuel system cleaner as I drove in my normal fashion into work and achieved an increase of 5.1mpg :thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> Initial results seem promising from the fuel system cleaner as I drove in my normal fashion into work and achieved an increase of 5.1mpg :thumb:


Wow, that's impressive :thumb:

Hopefully maintains the increase ...


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Wow, that's impressive :thumb:
> 
> Hopefully maintains the increase ...


Fingers crossed once the fuel filter is swapped for a less restrictive genuine one :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Another job completed tonight :thumb: finally got the remaining 3 locking nuts off and replaced



With these shiny new nuts



Finished off with some new plastic covers, which smartens the wheels up



Also spoke again with the wheel company that removed the locking nut yesterday, they have come back with 3 possible colour options to closely match the grey part of the centre cap and have said that they'll strip the old coating off, make any repairs, powder coat and lacquer for £200, normally it would cost £240 +vat, not really sure what the going rate is for this although after inspecting various other wheels they seem to take great care with the cars they had in :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Just ordered a new brake kit from EBC delivery is planned for the 29th April which means I get a birthday present that I actually want/need


----------



## Jack R

Did a few bits today, it's was looking a little grubby after the rain so first up was a wash. No photos of this bit but after the wash I decided to remove the badges to tidy up the rear and sides, these came off relatively clean but I gave it a quick hand polish before going over the area with some sealant.









Then gave it a quick coat of ODK Exhibit and decided to shine the tyres up a bit with some Adam's tyre shine over the top of the Adam tyre armour which came up quite nice.









Also swapped out the fuel filter, now it's had the tank cleaner through it and also decided to give some Costco fuel a try which I've not only heard good things about but it's nearly 8p cheaper than the cheapest supermarket fuel :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Night time reflection photo


----------



## Jack R

A couple more reflection photos from today:thumb:





And the EBC fairy also came today but more on that later


----------



## Jack R

Time to unpack  I went for the Ultimate 2 pads with a view of if I need more I can upgrade again later :thumb:



You still get stickers :lol:



Corrosion protected disc's, with a free bottle of brake fluid



Just need to get a couple of extra bits before fitting :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Been shopping today with my birthday vouchers, and picked up a few bits



The rest of the brake parts should be arriving tomorrow hopefully ready for the weekend :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

All the parts are now here 



Just need to weather to stay dry this weekend now, so fingers crossed Sunday is as promised as Saturday looks like a wash out


----------



## Jack R

So today was the day for some new brakes 

First job though was to make some pliers to remove the lug nut covers abit easier. Found an old pair of needle nose pliers that had been damaged but not thrown away which were perfect for the job and after a bit of trimming, heat and bending they were ready for use :thumb:



Next job was to get a four wheels of the ground, one side up



And finally the other



Wheels were then taken off and this is after a full weeks driving, which I'll be using as a reference point the see how much dust the new pads make.



Fronts all stripped down



These pads have covered approximately 20,000 miles since being fitted, not much life left in them.



Rears all stripped down, which where all GM items so assuming that there original.



So if they are original these have covered 77,000 miles which isn't bad, but they definitely needed to be changed



Cleaned up the tears and gave them a fresh coat of paint



Then followed on the the fronts



New rear discs fitted



New fronts fitted



Front carriers back on



Rears back on



New shims and rubbers fitted



And finally the new pads are in :thumb:



All back together and ready for bleeding, once the other three are done



Final front calliper now complete



Time to clean the wheels



Used ODK rotate which made light work of dust



These were then refitted and it was then time for a test drive, the next photo is after a trip up the road :argie:



Very impressed by these brakes so far, considering they're not yet bedded in so only using them gently I'm looking forward to next weekend when they should be ready to use properly


----------



## Andyblue

Great update re the brakes - be interested in how they perform. 

Previous front pads didn’t last long - what make were they ?


----------



## Jack R

Thanks bud, they stop the car quick I’d almost say they would out perform the old brakes already even though there only being used lightly. The old front pads and discs where just cheap ones I put on when I got it which were less than a quarter of the cost of what the EBC ones were but the difference is night and day.


----------



## BrummyPete

Nice update mate 

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jack R

Been shopping today, and spent a few more of my Halfords vouchers.



Mixed it up very strong although not even close to what it says, and I must say it works extremely well as a touch less wash.


----------



## Del-GTi

Looking good. Where did you source the shims and rubbers from? 

Wife’s car supposedly needs discs and pads (following recent service, I haven’t looked) was looking at getting original GM parts but those EBC discs loook good.


----------



## Jack R

Del-GTi said:


> Looking good. Where did you source the shims and rubbers from?
> 
> Wife's car supposedly needs discs and pads (following recent service, I haven't looked) was looking at getting original GM parts but those EBC discs loook good.


The link is below they just do brakes parts, used them a few times now and have always been good.
The pads and discs are great getting them bedded slowly although they will have 150 miles on them tomorrow so can start using them normally soon, I got them off their main website EBC Brakes Direct although I probably could of gone and picked them up as there only 12 miles away from home 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/262019539703


----------



## spyk3d

How are you finding the Costco fuel? I now work round the corner from one and their Premium Diesel is a good 3p/litre cheaper than standard diesel so wondering whether it was worth using. 

Don't worry I am already a member and frequent the one in Leicester far more than I probably should.


----------



## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> How are you finding the Costco fuel? I now work round the corner from one and their Premium Diesel is a good 3p/litre cheaper than standard diesel so wondering whether it was worth using.
> 
> Don't worry I am already a member and frequent the one in Leicester far more than I probably should.


Same Costco I use, I'm normally there the first weekend after the 22nd of each month and then randomly throughout the rest . According to what I've seen on the info sheets and from what I've heard it's decent fuel and my mpg has gone up from 46.5 to around 53 ish and still rising although very slowly if I alter the way I drive on the same run I think I could get high 50's / 60's but were's the fun in that :lol:


----------



## spyk3d

Hahaha. DW Midlands meet at Costco?:lol:

Thats good to know. I had to run my Passat with the Software "fix" for about a year before I found someone I trusted enough to get it reversed and not just re-map it to try and fix it. Its made the world of difference to the power, fuel consumption and general noisiness of the engine.

Just thinking whilst this is cheaper than normal Diesel and supposedly better would I be better off going for it and seeing if it helps "clean" the engine some what.

Sounds like its definitely worth a shot to see what/ if any difference it makes.


----------



## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> Hahaha. DW Midlands meet at Costco?:lol:
> 
> Thats good to know. I had to run my Passat with the Software "fix" for about a year before I found someone I trusted enough to get it reversed and not just re-map it to try and fix it. Its made the world of difference to the power, fuel consumption and general noisiness of the engine.
> 
> Just thinking whilst this is cheaper than normal Diesel and supposedly better would I be better off going for it and seeing if it helps "clean" the engine some what.
> 
> Sounds like its definitely worth a shot to see what/ if any difference it makes.


That would be ideal, especially as they have detailing friendly parking bays :lol: the fuel is definitely worth ago as I was using Sainsbury's before which is better than some but there is a noticeable difference between that and Costco fuel, I now also use Esso when I'm not near to Costco :thumb:


----------



## ibiza55

Lovely Jubbly, nice work, those Vauxhall alloys are in very good condition for their age/mileage, maybe cleaning them properly preserves them for longer.


----------



## Jack R

ibiza55 said:


> Lovely Jubbly, nice work, those Vauxhall alloys are in very good condition for their age/mileage, maybe cleaning them properly preserves them for longer.


Thanks bud, there are starting to bubble in places but I've been touching them up as some a spotted which has helped I think.
It's now almost on 78,000 now so almost done 20,000 since I've had it, also a quick update the fuel economy is up to 55mpg now which is a massive improvement considering I haven't changed the way I drive  and I've discovered the abs works now the brakes work properly :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

New milestone hit, and I'm still driving normally (well for me anyway)!



Also gave it a wash last weekend and another on Monday as the rats in the sky used it for target practice :detailer:


----------



## Jack R

Another weekend gone, although as it wasn't dirty it just got a quick waterless wash  also as it had now done a full week at work this was what the wheels looked like with the new pads.



Much less dust than before, so really pleased with the EBC upgrade :thumb:



Also the fuel economy took a bit of a leap again which I wasn't expecting and is now sitting in the low 60 mpg's which I'm over the moon at! Starting to think low 70's might be achievable if I changed the way I drive slightly 
I have decided to chuck another bottle of cleaner in as it recommends every third tank.



Unfortunately I went out tonight to get some shopping and the check DRL warning came up on the dashboard  it would appear that the bulb has blown which is disappointing from a time point of view but they have covered 20,000 miles since I fitted them.



As I cover a fair few miles I decided to get it swapped as soon as, so off down to Halfords I go, and picked these up for £6 after discount.



They're a lot whiter than the old ones and give off a kind off blue / purple / white which lot quite nice on the car.





:thumb:


----------



## Andyblue

Looking good mate - very good minimal brake dust present by the looks of it. 

How are the brakes performing now they’ve bedded in ?


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Looking good mate - very good minimal brake dust present by the looks of it.
> 
> How are the brakes performing now they've bedded in ?


I can highly recommend them, considering there supposed to just be OEM replacements the difference is night and day, looking at changing the pads on the wife's juke next although I can't justify doing the discs on that as it's only done 22k


----------



## Andyblue

Jack R said:


> I can highly recommend them, considering there supposed to just be OEM replacements the difference is night and day, looking at changing the pads on the wife's juke next although I can't justify doing the discs on that as it's only done 22k


Cheers mate, next door neighbour was saying that his Juke and especially his wife's new Fiat 500 was really chucking out brake dust - I'll mention these pads to him :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Andyblue said:


> Cheers mate, next door neighbour was saying that his Juke and especially his wife's new Fiat 500 was really chucking out brake dust - I'll mention these pads to him :thumb:


These are the ultimax 2 pads, which are eco friendly in the way that there made and contain no metal in the pads other than the backing plate apparently :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Well today didn't start off to well as I discovered this in my tyre 



That's two in as many months :wall: this time however I decided to go somewhere different and found myself here, I didn't dare take a photo from the other side as it was in such a state and gods knows how they know where anything is but the service was excellent! Not sure if I'm allowed to mention who but I will anyway.. I took it to a place called Ardross Auto's in Letchworth, they spotted the detailing world sticker and took extra care of fixing the problem and even went the extra mile of completely cleaning the wheel including removing all traces of the old weights before rebalancing :thumb: all for the sum of £20! Admittedly it did take a hour to do but as they say you can't rush perfection 
The tools at the back of the car were being used for something else before any spots that :lol:



All clean and fixed 



Got caught out on the way home and decided to give it a quick wash and topped up the protection :argie:



All rinsed and beading nicely



Loving to Autoglym polar range, but I really need to find time to give it a proper detail and wax. In the mean time though it still looks good from a distance.


----------



## Andyblue

Always good to find a decent garage / tyre place that you can use :thumb:


----------



## spyk3d

I've had the same thing happen to me last week. Luckily got a full size spare but need to find a good place to get it repaired as the monkeys at Kwik Fit and ATS would only try to sell me a new one.

Got to love Loughborough :lol:


----------



## Jack R

spyk3d said:


> I've had the same thing happen to me last week. Luckily got a full size spare but need to find a good place to get it repaired as the monkeys at Kwik Fit and ATS would only try to sell me a new one.
> 
> Got to love Loughborough :lol:


I need to upgrade mine to a full size spare as I hate space savers, but I suppose I should be grateful that the original owner ticked the option box as most Astras don't have one 

Try to find a small garage rather than a tyre place as they take more care or pm Ben_w as he know a good place in Lutterworth :thumb:


----------



## Jack R

Small update, MOT booked in for Monday can’t believe I’ve had it a year nearly! In that time it’s now had all 4 tyres replaced, it’s second full service in my ownership and I think it’s just about to pass 35k in the year that I’ve had it. I’ll add some pictures later to keep the thread up to date, some good news is that I won’t be doing that kind of mileage next year as after an argument at work I’m currently no longer employed.


----------



## bomasspot

Jack R said:


> Small update, MOT booked in for Monday can't believe I've had it a year nearly! In that time it's now had all 4 tyres replaced, it's second full service in my ownership and I think it's just about to pass 35k in the year that I've had it. I'll add some pictures later to keep the thread up to date, some good news is that I won't be doing that kind of mileage next year as after an argument at work I'm currently no longer employed.


Oops! Reference job, hope you find something soon.

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