Category Archives: Detailing

Cadillac Detailing — Preparation

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Working on some Cadillac detailing on my 2008 Cadillac STS-V.  I spend a lot of time on mods and tinkering and don’t spend enough time on grooming so I am trying to get my shine on.

Click on the thumbnails for fullsize images, then hit back to return.

Started with the wheels before dinner, since they can be hit with the sun up.  I used a wheel brush, water, and some spray-on wheel cleaner.  Even with some hard scrubbing the wheels could be cleaned up from here, and I’ll need to revisit them again.

Once the sun was behind the houses I rinsed, then used the 2-bucket method with car shampoo to quickly get enough dirt off so you can tell there is a Cadillac under there.  In the two bucket method, one bucket is clean water and one bucket is the mitt or microfiber rinse bucket.  Pull water/shampoo from the clean bucket, apply to Cadillac, rinse the mitt or microfiber out in the rinse bucket, wring it dry, repeat.  The rinse bucket gets dirty quickly, which confirms that you are pulling dirt off the car and into the rinse bucket and not into the clean bucket.

Hopefully if the weather holds I will be out before breakfast in the morning light and get more cleanup and waxing done.  I should have planned ahead and invited @berrylowman to give a master’s class in quick detailing.

Intercoolant Overflow in, Happy Friday

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During my intercooler research I discovered that although the 2006/2007 Cadillac STS-V had a intercooler coolant expansion/overflow reservoir, the 2008/2009 STS-V just has a tube that drains to in front of the battery.    Looking at the system, I suspect that this is because the expansion/overflow is not really needed.  I wanted one though, so I reached out to ebay and picked one up.

Cadillac STS-V Intercooler Coolant expansion/overflow reservoir

This is a photo of the new overflow installed; it is the white tank to the left.  The reservoir bolted right in of course, as it is shaped to fit in that spot.  The tube was tied off to a support, so I disconnected it, plugged it into the reservoir, and it seems set.

Cadillac STS-V Intercoler Coolant Reservoir Vent Hole

The reservoir is vented to atmosphere, so it is not pressurized.

Started my Friday morning by washing the STS-V with the 2-bucket method, car shampoo, and a microfiber towel for scrub, then microfiber towels for drying.  In the 2-bucket method one bucket is used for clean water/soap, the other bucket is used for dirty water and wringing.  So dip the scrub sponge or towel in the clean soap/water, scrub the car, then wash it off and wring it out over the dirty water bucket, repeat.

If I get out by 7 am the sun is not over the house yet and there is time to wash and dry.

I love Cadillac hats anyway, but I don’t have one that I keep in the V.  Clearly I need to change that.

With the nicely clean STS-V I needed to drop by Lowe’s to pickup a fan my Wife had ordered, then grab breakfast, and head to my day. Nice summer morning for Texas at 82F, so  I put the sunroof open, the windows down, and enjoyed the morning.  By the time I arrived at destination my hair was uniformly disheveled in a fairly comical way, straight up on one side and randomly placed everywhere else.

No, I didn’t grab a photo.  Yes, I’ll be adding a car hat.

@Cadillac Wrap – the CTS-V Coupe Racer

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Love Cadillac’s attitude on their racing pages:

IT ISN’T SO MUCH A WILL TO WIN AS
IT IS A REFUSAL TO FOLLOW.
Where do you go when you’ve proven you can build one of the world’s most acclaimed production cars, the 556 horsepower Cadillac CTS-V? To the racetrack, to make it even better. This season, Cadillac joins North America’s top production-based race series, the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge. Our competitors are going to get very used to watching these taillights.

The CTS-V Racers are prepared by Pratt & Miller

The V Racer colors are probably done using a vinyl wrap.  That makes it quick and easy to get the same effect every time,  after repairs, etc.

I would like to see Cadillac offer a wrap like this as an option for Customer Cadillac CTS-V Coupes.

Yes, I know it is not a conservative look  for a road car, but this is the sort of thing that some Customers might enjoy.

And it certainly would be remarkable to pull up next to one at a stoplight.