Gearhead Grinds ☕

The car enthusiast's newsletter

Good morning everyone,

The person behind me when I tell them my car randomly hit the brakes because I bought it in silver:

Here's what's going on this week:

➡️ Wait... Now we need 2 pressure washers to rinse a car?

➡️ Are QuickJacks actually safe to use?

➡️ Applying a DIY ceramic coating? Don't make this mistake

➡️ more, of course 💬

This week's video 🚗

In this week's video, I share my strategy for cleaning any engine bay safely. It's not quite as simple as the other channels claim.

I get to the bottom of whether or not you should spray yours with a pressure washer, and explain 4 different methods of cleaning you can choose from.

Check it out!

Youtube

Applying a DIY ceramic coating? Don't make this mistake 🏁

A few years ago, I was applying a ceramic coating to a Datsun 280z I had just done an extensive paint correction on.

Most coating manufacturers tell you to work in roughly 2'x2' squares throughout the car - wipe it on, let it flash, then level it with a towel and move on to the next section.

I chose to split the hood into 2 sections, left and right, and applied the coating.

As soon as I took a step back after leveling it, I nearly had a heart attack.

There was this weird line down the center of the hood that marked where I started and stopped each side.

It wasn't a high spot either - it was just darker than the rest of the paint.

What the heck!

I tried everything in case it was just a high spot... applied more product, wiped it with alcohol, and even changed my lighting to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

Nothing worked.

So, I ended up grabbing my polisher and compounded the entire hood to remove the coating.

I started all over again, except this time, I applied the coating to the WHOLE hood, and leveled it together at the same time.

No line down the middle - it was perfect.

So from now on, when I apply a ceramic coating, I don't do the small areas as they recommend. I apply it to an entire panel to avoid any cutoff lines occurring again.

I don't know exactly what causes this phenomenon, and up until recently, I thought I was the only one who had dealt with it.

Then I saw this video where Larry mentions the exact same issue I ran into, and his fix is exactly the same - apply it one whole panel at a time.

Make your paint look new again!

Over time, your car’s paint becomes dull and faded.

Learn how to bring it back quickly and safely with the Canadian Gearhead Paint Enhancement Workshop!

Learn More

Up to speed in the auto industry 📰

Are QuickJacks actually safe to use?

I stumbled on this video recently and thought the problem sounded familiar. One side lowered the car to the ground while the other stayed up, leaving it teetering at a dangerous angle.

I remember seeing Matt Ross talk about it on his channel before as well, and I believe in both cases, the Quick Jack just needed to be rebled.

If you search YouTube for "QuickJack Fail", there are a few stories that pop up that seem to be either an issue like this or due to operator error.

So it seems like they're safe to use as long as you pay attention.

I kinda want to get a set but I've always been a little creeped out by them. Maybe I'll still get them and just upgrade my life insurance... I dunno.

Toyota announces the new GR sports cars 👀

There's been a lot of chatter about what Toyota has been working on, and now we have some answers.

Early this month, they announced the GR GT, GR GT3, and Lexus LFA in Tokyo.

They'll have a 4 liter twin turbo V8 and are intended to be able to "Take it for a stint at the track and stop at a nice restaurant on the way home."

In the press release, there was a brief mention of the LFA being electric, yet it has exhaust tips... not sure what's up with that.

Wait... Now we need 2 pressure washers to rinse a car?

Why is Obsessed Garage telling us to combine 2 pressure washers to rinse a car?

Hint: it's definitely not because he wants to make twice as much money so he can buy another Porsche lol...

Basically, it flows a lot more water, which means you can rinse a car off quicker.

It's interesting, but I don't think spending a thousand dollars to save a few minutes is worth it.

McLaren is probably building an SUV

I guess it makes sense since pretty much every other exotic manufacturer already has one.

There aren't many details other than the fact that McLaren showed a clay model to dealers recently. Journalists keep mentioning the Porsche Cayenne as a comparison, so it must be similar to that.

Expect a high-powered hybrid V8 to be the powertrain and questionable reliability like the rest of the brand haha.

The Genesis G90 randomly brakes (if you bought it in silver)

This recall is certainly a strange one.

If you're driving one of the 483 Saville Silver G90s that Genesis has sold so far, the aluminum in the silver paint can actually trick the car into braking automatically.

It fools the front corner radars into thinking there's another car getting too close.

It only happens when the autonomous driving mode is activated, and there have been 11 documented cases so far.

Can't say I've ever heard someone say "Sorry I brake-checked you, it's because my car is silver". 🤣

Talk soon,

Tim Rempel

Founder of Canadian Gearhead

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