Make no mistake: this car is
adored. It’s fast, it’s fun, and
it’s without doubt the finest
front-wheel-drive machine
I’ve ever owned.
Yet, living on a farm
and being tasked with
transporting three springer spaniels around
the north of England, it’s fair to say the
Fondeo appears unloved. In fact, it looks
neglected.
So when MoT time came around again,
and again the ST250 passed without a hitch
(Alright! Don’t rub it in – Jamie), I realised it was
two years since the car had been treated to
a thorough clean. Washed and polished, yes,
but valeted...? Never.
And that’s when Sinbad at EKJ Auto Valet
came to the rescue. Despite visiting my
house in a VW van, Sinbad is Blue Oval to
the core – he’s not only owned stacks of
modified fast Fords, it just so happens that
he was the previous custodian of my three-
door Sierra Cosworth. His heart, and his
passion, is for keeping our precious motors
looking their best.ALL IN
THE DETAIL
Dan shows the hard-worked ST250 some
love with a full detailing session...
DAN FOCUS ST3QUICK SPEC Peron / AET Motorsport stage one remap Q Steeda cold air inlet system Q H&R 25mm
lowering springs Q Steeda short-shifter and bracket Q Powerflex Handling Kit Q H&R 20mm wheel
spacers Q Focus RS Brembo callipers Q EBC USR discs Q EBC Bluestuff front pads/Yellowstuff rear
pads Q EBC braided brake linesFor the Fondeo, Sinbad started by taking
photos of the filth... Twigs in the roof gutters,
dog prints all over the Recaros, a small
JDUGHQJURZLQJXQGHUWKHERQQHWb
His next move was a soaking with snow
foam, followed by a good ol’ wash, rinse
and dry. The engine bay – which I hadn’t
bothered to notice since fitting the Steeda
CAIS in 2017 – was treated to the spruce-up
it deserves; and all of a sudden, the ST’s
Ecoboost was smiling.
Inside, the Fondeo was vacced, de-doggy-
smelled and had its leather caressed. Then
it was time for Sinbad to select something
to buff the bodywork. Now, I won’t trouble
you with the makes of each and every
product he used (mainly because I wasn’t
paying attention) but let’s just say the drab-
looking estate I’d unlocked that morning had
morphed into the eye-popping Spirit Blue
67b\RXVHHLQWKHVHSLFVb
A few days later it was on display at
Ultimate Ford Show, and by the end of the
following week a layer of dust and farm-dirt
had smeared itself over the bodywork. Still,
at least I know who to call...Sinbad's clearly passionate
about cleaning cars. You'd
never see Dan this happy
while washing a car!Looking good as new! How long will
it stay that way? Not very, given how
much Dan loves driving the STTHANKS TO
)/.%983:%0)8Ʉ
07703 957539SEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DȽȽMake no mistake: this car is
adored. It’s fast, it’s fun, and
it’s without doubt the finest
front-wheel-drive machine
I’ve ever owned.
Yet, living on a farm
and being tasked with
transporting three springer spaniels around
the north of England, it’s fair to say the
Fondeo appears unloved. In fact, it looks
neglected.
So when MoT time came around again,
and again the ST250 passed without a hitch
(Alright! Don’t rub it in – Jamie), I realised it was
two years since the car had been treated to
a thorough clean. Washed and polished, yes,
but valeted...? Never.
And that’s when Sinbad at EKJ Auto Valet
came to the rescue. Despite visiting my
house in a VW van, Sinbad is Blue Oval to
the core – he’s not only owned stacks of
modified fast Fords, it just so happens that
he was the previous custodian of my three-
door Sierra Cosworth. His heart, and his
passion, is for keeping our precious motors
looking their best.ALL IN
THE DETAIL
Dan shows the hard-worked ST250 some
love with a full detailing session...
DAN FOCUS ST3QUICK SPEC Peron / AET Motorsport stage one remap Q Steeda cold air inlet system Q H&R 25mm
lowering springs Q Steeda short-shifter and bracket Q Powerflex Handling Kit Q H&R 20mm wheel
spacers Q Focus RS Brembo callipers Q EBC USR discs Q EBC Bluestuff front pads/Yellowstuff rear
pads Q EBC braided brake linesFor the Fondeo, Sinbad started by taking
photos of the filth... Twigs in the roof gutters,
dog prints all over the Recaros, a small
JDUGHQJURZLQJXQGHUWKHERQQHWb
His next move was a soaking with snow
foam, followed by a good ol’ wash, rinse
and dry. The engine bay – which I hadn’t
bothered to notice since fitting the Steeda
CAIS in 2017 – was treated to the spruce-up
it deserves; and all of a sudden, the ST’s
Ecoboost was smiling.
Inside, the Fondeo was vacced, de-doggy-
smelled and had its leather caressed. Then
it was time for Sinbad to select something
to buff the bodywork. Now, I won’t trouble
you with the makes of each and every
product he used (mainly because I wasn’t
paying attention) but let’s just say the drab-
looking estate I’d unlocked that morning had
morphed into the eye-popping Spirit Blue
67b\RXVHHLQWKHVHSLFVb
A few days later it was on display at
Ultimate Ford Show, and by the end of the
following week a layer of dust and farm-dirt
had smeared itself over the bodywork. Still,
at least I know who to call...Sinbad's clearly passionate
about cleaning cars. You'd
never see Dan this happy
while washing a car!Looking good as new! How long will
it stay that way? Not very, given how
much Dan loves driving the STTHANKS TO
)/.%983:%0)8Ʉ
07703 957539SEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DȽȽ