[condor]

Ah - there you are. Alloy wheel cleaners from any of the regular manufacturers. I am using F-21 from Turtle Wax. It is a spray.

So, after washing the alloys, I move to the tyres. Wash the tyres & use a spray for the tyres. (using 3M for this).

For cleaning the alloys, you can use a tooth-brush/ old soft cotton cloth / sponge.

@Dot, Mr Muscle is a generic cleaner, isnt it ? Not specifically for alloys ?

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by dot

Simple Mr. Muscle or any other power cleaner with a toothbrush and a old cotton sock to wipe off liquid is enough to clean the grime and keep the normal shine.

Hi dot,
Thanks. Have been reading that one should avoid harsh kitchen/household detergents/cleaning agents and acid based cleaners on alloys.
And therefore was looking specifically for alloy wheel cleaners.
And of course for activities post that cleaning, there are specific alloy wheel polishes (wax based) also available !

At this rate I think, to clean the Admiral, I'll need to down on Saturday night itself and come back on Sunday evening. Think I'll carry some dry rations - type K and a bottle or two of water too.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by condor

Ah - there you are. Alloy wheel cleaners from any of the regular manufacturers. I am using F-21 from Turtle Wax. It is a spray.

So, after washing the alloys, I move to the tyres. Wash the tyres & use a spray for the tyres. (using 3M for this).

For cleaning the alloys, you can use a tooth-brush/ old soft cotton cloth / sponge.

@Dot, Mr Muscle is a generic cleaner, isnt it ? Not specifically for alloys ?

Hi Condor,
Many thanks for the info and tips. Shall keep a look out for F-21 spray from TW. I don't think I have spotted it at the FNAS.
Do you use any alloy polish post the cleaning of the alloys with the spray and water rinsing ?

The only other thing I need to buy after this is a 1BHK house to keep all the bottles of the potions and pills, cleaning rags, cloth & microfibres, multiple tool kits, additional gear/s etc of Admiral.
I am already on notice from the LoH and the number of bottles and allied gear just keeps rising. And possibly the alloy cleaning spray bottle may be the last straw that would break the camel's back !

[dot]

Originally Posted by condor

@Dot, Mr Muscle is a generic cleaner, isnt it ? Not specifically for alloys ?

Originally Posted by Guderian

Thanks. Have been reading that one should avoid harsh kitchen/household detergents/cleaning agents and acid based cleaners on alloys.
And therefore was looking specifically for alloy wheel cleaners.

Multipurpose cleaners like Mr. Muscle are slightly alkaline in nature (pH 8-9). Not going to harm the alloys, as far as I know.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by dot

Multipurpose cleaners like Mr. Muscle are slightly alkaline in nature (pH 8-9). Not going to harm the alloys, as far as I know.

Ahhh...so you allay the fears over the alloy.

Is it this the same pH value or thereabouts for most of the domestic scourers or cleaning agents as well ?
Thanks for the info.

[Guderian]

As discussed yesterday here are some snaps of Admiral's alloys which portrays its grimy condition.

"If you have the inclination, we have the grime ". Any of you remember that HMT Watches ad from the 80s ?


The area where I found the surface chips/nicks on the alloys:


A close up:


As these are my first alloys a Q here to the gurus - are such nicks and dings common in alloys ?
Any remedy for these ?


And from the streets of Mumbai:

I want to be an SUV when I grow up !

Is this truly a Zen or was it a Touareg previously which Rajni-saar gently kicked for fun on the highway ?!!

A quiz for Togo Channel subscribers !
What has wheels and flies ?





Scroll down.





Down.











A: A Garbage truck !!!

[noopster]

Have alloy, will chip. Simple as that.

Mine are matte black (on the Swift) so I guess easier to clean and the chipping doesn't show as much. But it gets dusty/muddy as hell especially in this weather.

And yeah I remember that ad. A pause, and then for effect, "...the EXACT time".

Cheers!

[dot]

Originally Posted by Guderian

As these are my first alloys a Q here

- are such nicks and dings common in alloys ?
Any remedy for these ?

Was at SPAR couple of hours ago where @mdsaab reminded me during a phone call to click a picture of a good alloy cleaner for HG. Unfortunately SPAR's inventory was probably down today as I could not fish out any specific alloy cleaner. And HG has no longing for Mr. Muscle.

Anyways as @noopster said, alloys will chip.

That probably why there is a market for aftermarket alloys.

Originally Posted by Guderian

What has wheels and flies ?
A: A Garbage truck !!!

What garbage, I mean what a question. I thought the answer was simple:

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by noopster

Have alloy, will chip. Simple as that.

Siiigh...so what you are stating is that: When the chips are down - bend and pick them off the floor !
Never did imagine these wheels going through such pitting.
Wonder whether there is a Chip and Dale brand of alloy wheels ! Or even Chippendale.

Incidentally is it only the surface that can get chipped because of a coating face or even the chip can get further chipped ? Meaning a chip on chip on chip finally leading to a hole ? Stoopid Q ?

Originally Posted by dot

1. Was at SPAR couple of hours ago where @mdsaab reminded me during a phone call to click a picture of a good alloy cleaner for HG. Unfortunately SPAR's inventory was probably down today as I could not fish out any specific alloy cleaner. And HG has no longing for Mr. Muscle.

2. Anyways as @noopster said, alloys will chip.

3. What garbage, I mean what a question. I thought the answer was simple:

1. Thank you dot and mdsaab. Very kind of you to remember me.
And of course soon enough my stamp sized house will be resembling the residence of a car apothecary, if it isn't already. But then what the heck ! One more bottle, this time an alloy cleaner, ain't going to make no difference.

2. Sigh. I know.
Reminds me of the time when my son was born and the local wit ( an old Anglo Indian friend) came around to see him in the hospital and mentioned - " He looks like a chip off the old block....." looked at me and continued "...though the old block can't stand anymore chippin' !"

3. That is a beautiful tri-plane !
Von Richthofen. Zat muzt be ze Fokker Dr. 1 Dreidecker. Iz zat korrect ?

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Guderian

And from the streets of Mumbai:

On return, funny things are observed from the bridge of the Admiral.

Admiral meets his twin. A darker twin though. And another 'phoren' product.


A shower and some water logging. Glad to be on the bridge of the Admiral:



And on the same road a few seconds later, believe me just a few seconds later - bright sunshine and not a drop of water on the roads. Funny indeed.



All conditions and all terrains are fair game for the Admiral. Thank heavens !

[Guderian]

Sunday Snapshots June 19, 2011.

As I ambled off to the Admiral, this morning, I thought to myself that Admiral has now run out of features or items that can be shot and described. And being a Toyota product no more stuff that can hold your attention and create some delight. Now it is boring, plain and simple driving for years nothing more. All the goodies and toys (hardly any, though) have been snapped, described and done with, thought I.

But then Admiral hit back with some Japanese humour and a couple of features I thought I liked and worth clicking.

Humour ?
Above the middle row on the roof.

The AC controls for the passengers in the second row, no doubt. But to call it a 'Rear Cooler' ! Sure, when you are in a hot seat (read most of the corporate jobs today) you surely need a 'Rear Cooler' feature. A cat on a hot tin roof would love it too !
Incidentally the TFort, I learnt, has two ACs. One for the 'Captain's' row (can also be called first class/Dress circle) and the other for the middle (economy) and last (cattle class) rows.


To keep the middle (economy) row passengers happy:



Very chunky, solid plastic cup holder/s. Extremely good plastic, fit and finish. Wasn't sure whether had snapped it before.

Found this in the engine bay when I opened it up:


Now when the devil did Admiral sail past the Tundra region/s to gather some coniferous leaves ? Mysterious indeed.

Today decided to pay some attention to Mr Shocks, the battery.
Experience has shown that it is supposed to be inspected by the ASCs during the routine service visits. Experience in the past has also shown that it is rarely done and a grand 'Sab theek hai' certificate and smiles are issues with no one bothering to look up Mr Shocks.

As far as the T Fort/Admiral is concerned Mr Shocks is to be checked every 10K KMs. Though the 10 K KMs service visit is just round the corner - didn't want to leave it till then. As such I service the battery m'self and have the grease monkeys to only check the alternator output and the cell strength/s. As a result my batteries generally last me for about 4/4.5 years and in good nick too.
All that is required is routine/periodic top up with distilled water. This despite the fact that - it is claimed that the modern batteries are maintenance free. Anyway old habits die hard !

One only requires 1. A bottle of distilled water -Rs 12-15/- from a fuel bunker. 2. A coin - preferably Re 1/- - bigger - so better grip and torque. But ever Rs 2/- or Rs 5/- coin is fine. India doesn't have a Rs. 3/- or Rs. 4/- coin denomination/s incidentally - so don't even try searching for them.
3. A bit of tissue paper. Prefer tissue paper to cloth for this activity.




Clean up the area around the plugs. So that if D.Water spills and flows into the cells it doesn't carry in muck with it:


Open plug:


See the amount of muck even around the plug vent ?

Carefully pour DWater. Try and avoid spillage.


Fill till you can see the level till the estimated bottom of the plug. A little here and there doesn't matter.


Close and tighten plug.

Do it for all cells/plugs.

Recheck and tighten the plugs.


Now a real clean Mr Shocks.


A clean battery but a real dirty engine bay - thanks to the monsoon splashes:


A little better now, I guess:


I also like the design and chunkiness of the exhaust pipe. A real meaty tail pipe:

Why would one want to fix a muffler cutter on this ? But people do - to add more chrome !

Yoo hoo...anyone in there ? Helllooo.....!



Work in progress ! Delightful - the time when the Admiral is being thoroughly cleaned. I like the long shots:



And so after a week of battling the elements the Admiral is yet again brought back to its resplendent self !

[mayankjha1806]

I have never seen so detailed cleaning of the car Chief. I do clean my car once in two weeks with the cleaner but hats-off to you for the sheer depth and detailed cleaning activity every week.

[amitwlele]

@General - Every Monday morning i check the thread to see what new learnings i am going to get today. And you never disappoint the viewers of the TOGO channel.

Step by Step guide on Battery Maintenance was very useful. Also with rising inflation the rupee or 2 may not have much purchasing power but it definitely has some other use.

[mdsaab]

Fantastic post as always.
what @amitwlele says is absolutely true.
Monday morning and you never disappoint.
Always something new to learn.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

I have never seen so detailed cleaning of the car Chief. I do clean my car once in two weeks with the cleaner but hats-off to you for the sheer depth and detailed cleaning activity every week.

Hi Mayank,
Thanks for the observations.
But let me confess that these Sunday wipe and swipe outings on the Admiral, for me, is of great therapeutic value. A great stress buster really!

Originally Posted by amitwlele

@General - Every Monday morning i check the thread to see what new learnings i am going to get today. And you never disappoint the viewers of the TOGO channel.

Step by Step guide on Battery Maintenance was very useful. Also with rising inflation the rupee or 2 may not have much purchasing power but it definitely has some other use.

Hi Amit,
Thanks for the warm words.
But this is such a silly, easy maintenace process - I am sure everyone must be doing it one way or the other. Nothing great about it.
Though I think the trick is to do it religiously - every quarter or so. Learnt from old Army garage hands. In the days gone by, among other things like fuel tank cleaning etc, they (the army chaps) used to even stencil it around the battery or on the body of the vehicle as to when the last battery check and topping was done etc.

The reason why I put it up is to highlight the fact that though this is supposed to be done by the ASCs - they never do it on their own. So it is better that we owners do it on our own in the interest of battery life.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Fantastic post as always.
what @amitwlele says is absolutely true.
Monday morning and you never disappoint.
Always something new to learn.

Thank you very much sir. You are very kind.