Freshly Juiced SAAB 900

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:23 pm Post subject : Freshly Juiced SAAB 900

'alright guys - I've had a fun afternoon.

After fitting my new "shotgun" exhaust to the convertible, I washed the cars and being such a gorgeous day I decided to have a go with my newly assembled collection of Dodo Juice products.

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0664.jpg

... oh, and a sample pot of Supernatural.

First up was the Lime Prime Lite. Wow! What a lovely product to use Exclamation

It spreads nicely and wipes off easily. In the heat of the sun on a black car ... yes, I know Rolling Eyes

... it was a little streaky, but a quick wipe over with the applicator and wipe straight off seemed a good approach.

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0655.jpg

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0657.jpg

I know this is going to be a great product when I use it correctly Embarassed

So, a question - what's the best technique with Lime Prime? Wipe over like I did and leave to haze, or start wiping straight off like Meguiars #7? Also, given that Lime Prime Lite has no abrasives, can it be wiped over the top of a wax and then re-waxed to "sandwich" in, like I might with Meguiars #7?

Thoughts? Well, given I did not apply it in the best of conditions, I am very impressed and it will be a product I put on my next order with CYC. I loved it. Another similar product I tried recently and absolutely loved was Duragloss 671 Swirl Mark Remover and this can be used in the sun. Meguiars #7 is another similar product and one which cannot be used in the sun, lest it dries out and becomes the world's worst thing to remove from paint Wink

Lime Prime Lite was a lot easier to use that either of those - I just need to pick my work time a little better. For my black car, this is absolutely right. I love it Cool

The smell was fantastic - yes, lime ... well, duh! Laughing

My plan from here was to split the car down the middle and go with Purple Haze on the nearside and Banana Armour on the offside, with one top panel also topped off with Supernatural. After starting out on the boot, I decided to omit the sides which are happily protected and very glossy with Collinite 845, so it's the top panels only then ... which on a 'vert is the boot and the bonnet Laughing

So, wax on ...

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0660.jpg

... wax off ...

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0661.jpg

Blimey! That took its time. I don't think the midday sun helped, but we know I set out on the wrong foot and I'm doing it all wrong now, but what the heck ... I've started, so I'll finish Twisted Evil

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0662.jpg

I got a neat tip from Mulder about "charging" the surface of the wax, which I took to mean to rub my fingers around the surface quickly to get it molten and the waxes working. I must confess to have tried out all three on the coffee table last night, which it was remarked made a dramatic effect.

Purple Haze is a so-called soft wax. It's actually not at all soft and along the lines of Collinite (which is hopefully a product you are all familiar with), it's just a lot softer than their hard waxes, like Banana Armour. Purple Haze has a very pleasant scent of lavender, which is not always a good thing for a burley Northern lad to be smelling of but ... it "charged" very easily and a little went a long way. Having tried this out by applicator before (and out of the sun), a single wipe in that little pot covered a large area. The applicator remained stained purple, even after a wash so just a cautionary word there if you're planning on using an applicator.

Banana Armour is a hard wax and it is hard! Again, "charged" to release the waxes it spread really easily by bare hand and I was able to cover the other side of the car, stand back for a few minutes and then wipe both of the waxes off.

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0666.jpg

... and buffed:

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0671.jpg

Thoughts? I'm going to have to try again in a more suitable environment. The waxes were easy enough to use and remove. My previous go with Purple Haze was a lot easier, really showing that using in the sun is not at all suitable. I really enjoyed Banana Armour and looking at the paint very closely after removal I think there is a one in a millionth of a percent in favour of Banana Armour. Given that I preferred the smell, application and use of Banana Armour, I think that tips it a lot in favour for my black car. I think by foam applicator, this is going to be a dream to use.

Next week, I hope to wash the car and apply another coat of both waxes to the bonnet, which I will do with foam applicators. I also hope to have some Red Mist to try out, which as a step today I used one of my own concoctions (read on).

Finally, for the waxes, it's Supernatural time Shocked

I have tried this before and did not get along with it very well. Before, I used a foam applicator and the grittiness clogged up the pad and it did not spread well at all. I resorted to bare hand application, but on cold metal in freezing wind it was not going to work, was it Embarassed

I gather some things have been remedied in the version 2 of this product.

Here's a macro of the grittiness that breaks down when worked between the palms of the hands:

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0669.jpg

Forearmed with that knowledge, I "charged" the wax and had a small blob about the size of half a pea which covered the whole boot:

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0668.jpg

Fantastic! Much enjoyed ...

... finally, finally, I spritzed over the car with a nice little QD I have in - it is a blend of three parts Auto Perfection World QD with one part Exotic Detail's 'Showtime'. This makes up the perfect darkening QD for my black car and one which I really enjoy. I think Exotic Detail may well be missing in action somewhere, so a supply of the 'Showtime' product may well be lost now Crying or Very sad

Simon - if you're out there, pop into the forums here and say "Hi!".

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0667.jpg

I really like to do this final wipe-down on my black car, which is why I have been asking a lot of questions about Red Mist lately Wink

As I said, next weekend I hope to wash the car, apply some more of the wax and finish off with Red Mist. I may even grab a bottle of shampoo - Born to Be Mind, or Sour Power? Which should I choose?

So, freshly juiced:

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0675.jpg

... and here's a final picture I really like showing off an interesting conflux of shadows both in and out of the reflection and reflected in the paint. I hope you can see the brownish hue in the black paint, which I have often talked about - this shows up how my black paint is actually a "warm" black paint and as such, Banana Armour seems to be the right Dodo for this car.

http://www.pjgh.co.uk/gallery_albums/dodo_juice_my_first_juicing/DSCF0673.jpg

Yup! I have really enjoyed this experience and hope to have some more Dodo-based fun next weekend. As for my questions, can I use Lime Prime Lite over a wax and then re-wax over the top, like I can with Meguiars #7 and which shampoo should I pick for a maintenance wash next week?

Thanks for reading.

Moderator Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 3424 Location: Dorset

As ever, we always expect somethign a little shiny from your good self - but that is amazing, and an interesting write-up on hand application. Methinks Iknow how I will be applying my Diamond White Smile

Topb job mate!

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:26 pm Post subject :

Very, very nice fella, the entire car looks immaculate!

I did the same as you today, and tried my luck with machining a black car with Menz 3.02 and Menz FF, and struggled. Mid-day sun wasn't working in my favour at all, was drying the polish quicker than I could work it in and buff it off.

Had no shade at all, so finished up the bonnet and called it a day. Going to get it into a unit/garage with some halogens on it in the coming weeks and have another blast.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack fella. Embarassed

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:33 pm Post subject :

Great write up Paul. A very good read as always. Cute tub of PH you have there Very Happy

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject :

Thanks guys ... and thanks to all you guys who swapped this and swapped that so that my little stash built up Wink

If you look at the picture of the Lime Prime Lite as it was spread, you can see some glints of swirls. There are some swirls on there, but after the Lime Prime Lite and waxes they're pretty much gone. I put it down to all that nasty sandy rain we had recently. Heck, when I took the roof down this afternoon it was like being at the beach with all the sand that dropped out Shocked

I think I need a lightly abrasive surface prep, for which I have a good number of anyway but maybe Lime Prime itself would be a good choice for the future. I know my Autobright Top Line pre-cleanser is very good at dealing with light swirls, but I'm mightily impressed with Lime Prime Lite and hope the abrasive version can be worked by hand.

Guest

very nice

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject :

Thanks, pal.

On my travels around the various forums, I picked up a tip that Diamond White is pretty much their closest to Supernatural v2. I'm not sure what truth there is to that, but no-one seemed to question that nugget which I read on a couple of forums.

I guess you bought that wax for the Golf? You have a Golf, right? Despite it being aimed at light coloured cars, I don't see why you couldn't use it on the Cobra too Idea

I really like the bare hand application and with the hard wax I tried (the Banana Armour wax), I found it very suitable for hand application once "charged". Again, that just means rub your fingers around the top of the wax until a little bit liquifies. That little bit will go a long way.

Moderator Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 3424 Location: Dorset

Ah, your tipping my hand Exclamation

Yes I have a Silver Golf, but I have bought the Diamond White for a Gloss Black Passat which is currently working it's way through the robots at VW.

After a chat with Dom at Dodo Juice, he recomended it as it was not colour charged. I was thinking of getting their Supernatural V2, but I was not feeling that spendy at time Wink

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:46 pm Post subject :

Very nice as usual.

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject :

Ah, your tipping my hand Exclamation

Yes I have a Silver Golf, but I have bought the Diamond White for a Gloss Black Passat which is currently working it's way through the robots at VW.

After a chat with Dom at Dodo Juice, he recomended it as it was not colour charged. I was thinking of getting their Supernatural V2, but I was not feeling that spendy at time Wink

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:02 pm Post subject :

Nah! No worries - yours looks great. I'd like to see some more pictures if you have them.

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:02 pm Post subject :

The technology was miles ahead of everyone else in their day and to that end they are quite old-fashioned by comparison with today's cars. From the outset, I will say that the NG900 from 1994-1998 is not the same car by any stretch of the imagination. That is not to say they are bad cars, but they had a very close relationship with the Vauxhall Vectra (which is, of course a good car ... I'm not saying they're not) whereas the "Classic 900" is a proper SAAB designed car, SAAB engineered and full of SAAB's quirks.

How do they go? I said they were old-fashioned. Yes, they have the "big bang" turbocharger where you plant your foot on the loud pedal and count to three and then wonder why you're in the middle of next week Twisted Evil

The rate of acceleration is a little sluggish when the turbo is not spinning fully, but you get used to it ... after about half a second they accelerate as per a normally aspirated car with a similar sized engine and after another couple of seconds ...

There are really four type of "Classic 900". There are the normally aspirated cars which have all the go of any normally aspirated Euro-box from the day ranging from 100 BHP (twin carb) to 120 BHP (8V) to 140 BHP 16V. Next, there is the 8V turbo and my favourite - at 155 BHP with a Garrett turbo, that was quite a step up from the 120 BHP normally aspirated car and has the proper "big bang" turbo and old-fashioned Bosch CIS/K-Jet fuel injection system (like Volvo, Audi, VW, Porsche, Mercedes, etc of the day) which if you get the right shape venturi for the fuel distributor chamber can go off like a bomb. Mine does Wink

The next two are pretty similar - the 16V turbo at 175 BHP and 185 BHP (for Special Editions) pre-1990 they used the Bosch LH fuel injection system with a Garrett turbo and go like the clappers - THIS IS THE PORSCHE KILLER, or certainly was in its day and like the 8V turbo can very much hold its own even in today's traffic. After 1990 GM took a big bite and they used the Lucas CU fuel injection system and Mitsubishi turbos which had less lag and became less fun - no "big bang turbo kicking you in the back and re-arranging your insides" Crying or Very sad

Our 'vert is a "light pressure turbo" version aimed at the European market. Ours is not so "light" anymore - these are very tuneable and 250 BHP is not out of sight by any means. Likewise the 16V full pressure turbos can see 300 BHP with new injectors, but have some cash spare for gearboxes Twisted Evil

The 8V can get to about 250 BHP and there was a specification called the "Type M" which was 195 BHP - the torque curve on that is staggering. I ran it for a while on my 8V and I could drag bikes off the line Shocked

I should also say that I think the post-1990 cars are not at all as well made. I don't know if that was GM fiddling with the mix, but our 'vert is light and tinny compared to my white car. I say light and tinny but it is soooo well build compared to any of its peers except for maybe Audi of the day. BMWs from that era are very nice cars, but just don't compare. The nearest really is Audi and the old Coupe or the facelift 80 are quite comparable but SAAB still has something extra.

Maintenance is a doddle - that's the "SAAB Way". If you're finding it difficult, you're doing it wrong. Clutches can be changed at the side of the road in under an hour ... that's how easy. Made by engineers and engineered to a very high degree. If you want to know more, head over to http://www.saabmuseum.com for the lowdown.

For me, the "Classic 900" was the one. It was my dream car growing up and I love every second of ownership. The 99 that preceeded was nice, but old in comparison. The 96 before that is in the same league as a Morris Minor - nice, but classic. The NG900 that followed was nowhere near as good and the 9000 that paralleled is a great car, but a bit of a boat.

Despite only 155-175 BHP, the closest I have been to the thrill of that kind of acceleration is in a more modern Porsche. Even the mighty BMW M3 was kind of boring - no great surge, no howling turbo ... that, and it's built by BMW, so it's perfect in every way. Perfect acceleration ... no quirks, you see Wink

A pal of mine sold his Classic 900 for a new 9-5 Aero HOT - that's the 300 BHP car and he liked it, but every time I saw him he just talked about his old Classic. Anyway, he's dropped 125 BHP off to get that smile back again, sold the 9-5 and bought another Classic 900.

How do they go? In summary? With one hell of a surge and packing the punch of excitement at about double the power that they have. Being an icon, even if you lose out in a race against something with twice the power and 100 times the cost, you're still much cooler than them.

Solid, reliable and almost universally respected as an iconic car with a fond reputation for being a beast. What more could you want out of a car?

You can tell, I love 'em Twisted Evil

That, and they don't call Classic 900 drivers Pilots for nothing. I said "Pilots" Very Happy

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:19 pm Post subject :

looking great with the Dodo Paul and a good read too Very Happy

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:31 pm Post subject :

I think I have learned two things here.

The closest I have seen to this is when I tried Pinnacle Souveran. The nearest I have seen to the clearest, best preparation was with Duragloss 671 recently.

So, what have I learned?

Well, I know prep is the key to success, but to have a product the cleans and is full of polishing oils is a very good surface prep product for well kept paint.

Also, despite what some say you can buy a better finish with more expensive products. I know that will be contentious since we all know how good something like Collinite is and a great price, but on some paints that really show off what it is that a product does ... that £30-£40 bracket has gleaned much better depth and clarity than my usual £10-£15 products. For me (disclaimer) Laughing

Hmmm ... discuss?

Wash Mitt Joined: 10 Sep 2008 Posts: 281 Location: Slough

I've yet to try bareback waxing yet, I'm a little concerned I have cement and grout hands Shocked

Looks fantasic though and really enjoyable, I must get some suitable wax and give it a try.