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Its been a while since I posted, reviving an old thread…just wanted to post pic of my daily.  Original Adams ceramic coating applied 3 years ago.  Decon done once (annually).  Considering it was supposed to last up to two years..i think it looks pretty good!    I have Advanced coating waiting to get applied!!

Its been a while since I posted, reviving an old thread…just wanted to post pic of my daily.  Original Adams ceramic coating applied 3 years ago.  Decon done once (annually).  Considering it was supposed to last up to two years..i think it looks pretty good!    I have Advanced coating waiting to get applied!!

My guess would be that the white chaulky spot it left over residue from body lotion or just sweat from leanig on that spot. ...And that the LC or LIC just didnt reach down into the crevasses and remove the residue.  Try using cockpit brush with LiC first then LC

So, I just received my bottle (2 actually, one to use and one to save) and I guess its come full circle. Pictured is my 12 year old unused original bottle of Adams cherry car shampoo !
Same scent although not as strong being old. Kinda cool having both or I'm just getting old. LOL
 
 

Did this in the driveway when it was shaded at 70 degrees and less the 50 percent humidity .
Put in the the one car garage overnight . Awsome water beading . These pictures are with about 2 days
outside. Did one process per day over about 4 days washing in between . (So as not to burn out and start screwing up)
1 wash and Iron x maybe 2 hours 
2 wash and clay bar maybe 2 or 3 hours 
3 wash and polish. 6 to 8 hours 
4 wash use prep and apply graphene coat.  4 hours
 
Front Fender is freshly replaced to I can't do that for about 90 days.
 
2006 325 xi bmw wagon

Hey everyone! I wrote this technical article for the website a few weeks ago. A big thank you to our creative and marketing teams for making it look much more presentable with nice photos and layout design. 






 





Preparation Instructions
Prep for Paint
Thoroughly wash the vehicle using a shampoo without any protection additives like Adam’s Car Shampoo or Mega Foam, or through a Waterless Wash or Rinseless Wash process.
a. Use a Foam Cannon or Foam Gun if possible, as well as a Two Bucket Wash Method with Grit Guards.
b. Use multiple clean towels if performing a Waterless or Rinseless Wash.
c. The safer you are in the wash process, the less chance of wash-induced marring or scratching.
(Optional) Perform iron decontamination with Iron Remover if necessary, by referencing our videos and other blog write-ups.
Thoroughly rinse and dry the vehicle with an Ultra Plush Drying Towel or Air Cannon.
Mask off any plastic and rubber areas that come in contact with paint, using detailing tape or painter’s tape.
Remove bonded contamination with a Clay Bar or Clay Mitt using Detail Spray as a lubricant.
Wipe away clay residue with a clean microfiber towel and Surface Prep.
Perform paint correction with a machine polisher by referencing our videos and other blog write-ups.
a. Remove previous protection with Compound and a Microfiber Cutting Pad.
b. Remove oxidation, swirl marks, light scratches and other imperfections using various stages of Compound and Polish with their respective pads.
c. Always do a test area first. Every vehicle will need a different level of correction.
d. The better you make the surface look in compounding and polishing, the better the graphene ceramic coating will look in the end. Coatings do not fill in or hide swirl marks and other imperfections.
Wipe away Compound and Polish residue with a clean microfiber towel.
Move the vehicle indoors if you have not already done so for claying/compounding/polishing. Remove any Compound and Polish dust from body panels, body seams, etc. using a clean microfiber towel and Surface Prep.

Prep for Glass
Clean exterior glass using Adam’s Glass Cleaner and Green Microfiber Glass Scrubbing Towel. Clay glass with a clay bar or clay mitt using Glass Cleaner as the clay lubricant. (Optional) Polish the glass with our white Polish or Hand Polish with a Blue Hex Grip Applicator. Wipe away residue with a clean microfiber towel. Use a second clean Glass Towel with Surface Prep to ensure the glass is 100% clean.
Prep for Wheels
 
NOTE: If you are coating a set of new wheels, we strongly recommend coating the wheels after the tires have been mounted and balanced. Wheel weights can have difficulty sticking and can fall off if you coat the wheels before mounting and balancing the tires.
If you wish to coat the outer and inner portions of the wheel, carefully remove the wheel from the vehicle after lifting the vehicle and securing it with jack stands. Heavy brake dust: Thoroughly clean the wheels using Adam’s Wheel Cleaner or Adam’s Wheel & Tire Cleaner, with the Short Wheel Brush, Trim & Lug Nut Brush, and Wheel Woolie for the inner barrel. Light brake dust or light dirt: Thoroughly clean the wheels using a shampoo without any protection additives like Adam’s Car Shampoo or Mega Foam or Adam’s Eco Wheel Cleaner with the Short Wheel Brush, Trim & Lug Nut Brush, and Wheel Woolie for the inner barrel. Thoroughly rinse the brushes or scrub them on a Grit Guard in a wash bucket multiple times throughout the cleaning process as they become dirty. You do not want to continue scrubbing dirt into other parts of the wheels and possibly scratching them. Thoroughly rinse and dry the wheels with a Mini Plush Drying Towel, Air Cannon, or Blaster Sidekick. (Optional) On clear coated, chrome, or gloss powder coated wheels, remove bonded contamination with a Clay Bar or Clay Mitt using Detail Spray as a lubricant.
a. Wipe away clay residue with a clean microfiber towel and Surface Prep.
b. Perform paint correction with the Swirl Killer Mini or Swirl Killer Micro Polisher by referencing our videos and other blog write-ups.
c. Remove previous protection with Compound and a Blue Foam Pad.
d. Remove oxidation, swirl marks, light scratches and other imperfections using various stages of Compound and Polish with their respective pads, or Metal Polish for chrome wheels.
e. Always do a test area first. Every wheel will need a different level of correction.
f. The better you make the surface look in compounding and polishing, the better the graphene ceramic coating will look in the end. Coatings do not fill in or hide swirl marks and other imperfections.
g. Wipe away Compound/Polish/Metal Polish residue with a clean microfiber towel. Use a clean microfiber towel with Surface Prep to ensure the wheel is 100% clean.  
Prep for Trim & Plastic
Remove any detailing tape or painter’s tape from the plastic and rubber trim. Clean exterior plastic trim and rubber using Adam’s Trim Cleaner or Tire & Rubber Cleaner with an Edgeless Utility Towel.
a. Fold the towel into fourths. Spray the cleaner directly into the towel, not onto the surface, to avoid over spray onto surrounding paint and glass areas that may have already been cleaned/polished/prepped.
b. Use one side of the towel to scrub away dirt, oxidation, and previous dressings. Use a dry side of the towel to wipe away excess residue.
c. (Optional) Use a Deep Clean Eraser in place of the Edgeless Utility Towel for very heavy cleaning. Test first to ensure the eraser does not scratch soft plastic.
d. Clean the plastic until you no longer see new dirt/discoloration in the towel. If there are white/chalky wax or sealant stains in plastic trim, you may need to repeat the above cleaning steps multiple times before all discoloration is removed.
a. You do not want to coat over any stains or discoloration in plastic.
b. The coating will not hide the stains, and then they would be locked in underneath the coating. Use a second clean Edgeless Utility Towel and generously clean the area with Surface Prep to ensure all Trim Cleaner or Tire & Rubber Cleaner has been removed.  
Application Instructions
Application for Paint, Glass, Wheels, and Chrome
 
NOTE: Rubber gloves are strongly recommended for applying a ceramic coating, and a pair are included with the Graphene Ceramic Coating Kit.
Move the vehicle (or wheels if coating wheels only) indoors into a garage.
a. This minimizes dust and moisture exposure, as well as provides a more consistent temperature.
b. Use multiple light sources at various angles to work more effectively and see the coating flashing more easily on lighter colored finishes. Generously wipe the surface with Surface Prep and a Borderless Grey Towel. The Surface Prep will evaporate to a degree while wiping - this is normal.   Thoroughly shake the Graphene Ceramic Coating 60ml bottle or the Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating 12oz bottle to mix the solution evenly. Graphene Ceramic Coating: Pour several drops of the coating onto one side of the Suede Applicator Block. Do not use the side that is stitched together. Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating: Facing away from the vehicle, mist 2 or 3 sprays into the Microfiber Applicator Block. Apply the coating to a panel in an even manner.
a. We recommend outlining the panel first, then pour/spray a little more into the applicator and fill in the remainder of the panel by applying in overlapping left/right or up/down passes.
b. Try not to lift the applicator from the surface when applying the coating. Lifting the applicator will expose it to more oxygen and leave heavier spots of coating in those sections, which can possibly become high-spots later on.
c. If you apply in a left/right path first, then do another pass in an up/down path. You do not need to apply more coating into the applicator at this point - you just want to spread it for more even and complete coverage. After a few moments, the coating will begin to have an oily, rainbow-like appearance as it begins to flash on the surface. Once the coating becomes slightly tacky on the surface, gently wipe the coating with a new, clean Suede Microfiber Towel to remove approximately 50% of the coating residue or more.a. The time in which it is ok to remove the coating residue can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes or more, depending on temperature and humidity.
b. If the Suede Microfiber Towel seems to glide very easily without any slight tension, let the coating flash for another 30 seconds and test again.
c. One other way to verify that the coating is ok to wipe off is when the rainbow effect begins to fade into a more clear look on the surface. Wait another 20-30 seconds, and then take a new, clean Borderless Grey Towel to thoroughly wipe away all remaining coating residue. Repeat the above steps for the remaining, body panels, glass, or wheels. Inspect all areas of the vehicle to ensure all coating residue has been removed.
a. Use the UV LED Light to inspect coated areas for complete coverage. Some areas may appear to glow more heavily than others. You may see streaking, or overlap lines with the UV Glow Tracer - as long as the coating residue has been fully removed, these inconsistencies that are seen with the UV Glow Tracer will not show up under normal light.
b. Temporarily move the vehicle outside to inspect it under natural lighting, both sunlight and overcast conditions if possible. No matter how much lighting you have in your garage, you will most likely see a few high-spots that you did not notice indoors. Polarized sunglasses can also aid in spotting high-spots.
c. To correct any high-spots or other issues, please see the next section of this blog.
d. Move the vehicle back indoors. Allow the coating to cure indoors for the required minimum time frame.
a. Graphene Ceramic Coating: 24 hours
b. Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating: 4-6 hours or longer if possible  
Application for Textured Plastic and Rubber
 
NOTE: Rubber gloves are strongly recommended for applying a ceramic coating, and a pair are included with the Graphene Ceramic Coating Kit.
Move the vehicle indoors into a garage.
a. This minimizes dust and moisture exposure, as well as provides a more consistenttemperature.
b. Use multiple light sources at various angles to work more effectively. Generously wipe the plastic or rubber surface with Surface Prep and an Edgeless Utility Towel. The Surface Prep will evaporate to a degree while wiping - this is normal. If the plastic or rubber trim does not appear to have a uniform color appearance after the Surface Prep is fully dry, go back to the PREP Steps and clean the area again before continuing. Thoroughly shake the Graphene Ceramic Coating 60ml bottle or the Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating 12oz bottle to mix the solution evenly. Graphene Ceramic Coating: Pour several drops of the coating onto one side of the Suede Applicator Block. Do not use the side that is stitched together. Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating: Facing away from the vehicle, mist 2 or 3 sprays into the Microfiber Applicator Block. Apply the coating to the plastic or rubber trim in an even manner. Use the applicator to level the coating evenly across the rubber or plastic, so that it appears uniform, rather than having some areas heavier or shinier than other areas. Allow the coating to flash and soak into the surface for 30-60 seconds. It will not rainbow as it does on paint, glass, and chrome. Use a clean Edgeless Utility Towel to thoroughly wipe the plastic or rubber trim to ensure that all solvent from the coating has been removed. Allow the coating to cure indoors for the required minimum time frame.
a. Graphene Ceramic Coating: 24 hours
b. Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating: 4-6 hours or longer if possible  

 
 

 


 
We hope this in-depth blog and reference videos help to clear up any confusion or hesitation you may have on our Graphene Ceramic Coating™. You can take a look at our reduced graphene oxide products HERE. Please let us know below if you have any questions!

I honestly feel so bad for u ( i know that doesnt help the situation!). 
 But when all said and done the CC is gonna make that black paint shine!

Looks great. Glad you didnt have to compound the whole car!  Its supposed to rain Tomorrow night so you can get to see how the water beads off it!

Check out this video. 
 
 

So , figured out a solution and thankfully it worked . Used BG  on a white foam pad and and a orbital and did a few light passes over the high spots . Some sections required a little more working in . But amazingly it worked and cleared up the whole section . Did all the top surfaces yesterday and will tackle the sides today . It worked like magic and I was able to put another light coat of CC . Can’t wait to pull the car out of the garage and see how it turned out . Thanks buddy appreciate it man . Seems like you out here in NY . Im
in Long Island . 

I have done light detailing before using a clay bar and buffer and Klasse .
My car is  a 325xi bmw 06 wagon.  
Wanted to try the ceramic thing and  not deal with coating to often.
Did the entire process probably put in 12 hours total. 
Wash and Iron x . I was somewhat scared of this stuff l left it on for the 5 minutes and 
hosed it of. Couldn't see much color on the paint but hosed of water was purple.
Wash and Clay bar this took about 3 to 5 hours . Clay bar seemed to slide a little easier 
maybe because of the Iron x , easier than the last time I clay barred. 
Wash and polish this was the most labor intensive part of the process 6 to 8 hours. 
Wash and use the Prep Solution and Apply the Grahene/Cermaic  Coat. 
This went pretty easy it rainbowed and I timed it for 1 minute then lightly 
buffed it and came back with a final buff. 
Got tired and sloppy toward the end with that process and had a couple of smugged spots
that I noticed the next day but I could take most of them out with a cloth buffing a couple 
I had to use might lightest rotary buffing pad by hand.
It's been 24 hours did the water test on a small section amazing water beading .
Also found the UV light quite useful for finding missed spots.
 
 

Home Depot has the Gorilla Ladders 20 inch Work Platform for $34.88 (regular price $74.88) as part of their Black Friday Savings.  The load capacity is 300 lb., and it folds to 3.25 in. for easy storage.
I had the Werner work platform, but now have 2 Gorilla platforms, and the Werner is in my mother-in-laws garage for use there. 

"The most bang for the buck" on just about any car, including a Shark Gray C7, is found in proper cleaning, correction, and ceramic coating.  My C7Z is Elkhart Lake Blue Metallic, rather than Shark Gray, but the shine shown here was accomplished with all of the above.  Limiting yourself to "hand polishing only" limits the shine you'll achieve, increases the level of effort to maintain it, and forces you to repeat the "hand polishing" process more frequently.  YMMV, but that spells low ROI to me.
 

I will second that as well 
Here are some orange/white Adams polishing one two punch pics
 

You mean this scratched up old beater ?! LOL
 
 







 

Respectfully, this can be done by individuals and the results from it can be just as shown in ads, as well as other venues. I've done it, and have seen it done. There is a process, though.
 
That said, it's unfortunate your results weren't what you'd hoped. Streaks can come from many factors, including temps, humidity, time to removal, towels used, etc. 
 
Which brings me to my questions:
 
- What were the weather conditions like temp and humidity? High or low for either?
- How did you determine when to remove the residue after application? 
- What type of towel(s) did you use to remove it, and what was your process?
- Did you use the UV light to ensure full, even coverage?
 
And is the type of streaking you're seeing? Just making sure I'm looking at the right thing.
 

FOR STARTERS. Pictured is my FIRST TIME ceramic coating a vehicle.  My 2008 Harley Truck.
 
 
I'll take the other side of all the "helping" advice given to you by people way more professional in their craft than yourself. First and foremost, with only 3 messages on the forum, you come off pretty harsh ! Maybe you should find out how we can help instead of talking s**t. I am sure you are mad but TAKE MY ADVICE it can be taken care of.
Did you strip wash your vehicle, clay EVERYTHING including windows, 2 step paint correction? Ceramic prep wipe down should only take one wipe down if done correctly. You have to take your time doing all the prep work and even longer applying the coating. My guess, you worked to fast, just by looking at the high spot you left on your quarter panel, you should have caught that, fixed it, and then moved on. Bad towels, my guess, is the next issue. What are they and where are they from ? Streaks everywhere as mentioned? That means you worked to fast, or your towels (hoped you used suede towels) are not picking up all the ceramic, thats where streaks come from. Have you ever ceramic coated anything before? How many cars have you buffed with a high quality machine? Answer all the questions asked above, so we can help instead of coming off as a ....! Another hint, TAKE MY ADVICE, don't ever let a car dealer detail your car !! Seriously, that's where bad detailing advice starts.
 Worse case, buff it all off and start from scratch.
 

I was thinking the same thing, that's why I asked if the UV light was used.

To me the red circle/streak looks like where the ceramic coating ends during an application.  Untreated/treated portion. At least it looks like that during all my applications, especially on darker cars.  
 I can tell you one thing is i wouldnt pay anyone $1k-$1500 this coating would cost if done properly.  It is really not a bad process    Try the spray Cc. Its even easier.  

Im half an idiot…i watched numerous videos and read up on Numerous ceramic coating topics. 
 The longest and toughest part is preparation.  If you are content with how your paint looks and opt not to do a correction then you save yourself
hours of work.  
  As far as ceramic application…I first applied Adams first edition CC.  I did it, it was def more difficult then Adams newer CC such as Graphene and Advanced versions, but doable! 
 And even my first application looked great. Maybe one high spot that no one could see. 
 More recently i applied the Advanced to 2 of my vehicles. Came out great. 
  Just take your time….dont rush. 
 If you are absolutely terrified, which you shouldnt, then try to ceramic spray coating.  Thats boarder line idiot proof…quickly wipe on and remove after a few mins! 
but i wouldndef do the full Advanced CC. Shines and repels like crazy

Sounds like u rushed into it! Review some videos, all correctable issues. 
 My advice would be dont Ever let the dealer detail your car! EVER! 

You may have noticed we launched some new products onto the website yesterday afternoon, as well as Mystery Madness, with all sorts of different mystery boxes, buckets, crates, stools, etc! 
 
First up is product that many have been requesting for quite some time, Adam's Water Spot Remover! This is a very effective cleaner, but keep in mind it does have acid actives in it, so wear gloves and make sure to review the product video before use!

 
Product Video: 
 
 
We also introduced a new formula update to one of our most popular products, CS3. The short answer for what is different about it - we made everything about it better with a few simple tweaks to the formula. The longer answer from our chemist: "We adjusted the ratio of cleaners to protectors to make it slicker, even glossier, less prone to streaking, and more durability." It should reliably last up to 2-3 months now per application. The scent was updated a bit as well, mixing passion fruit into the original pineapple orchid scent, to help distinguish the formula update too. 


A few new detailing accessories were added to the site as well! First up is the Adam's Rolling Wheel Detailing Stand. This high quality powder coated stand will make the process of cleaning and ceramic coating your wheels much easier. It can accommodate 14" to 22" wheels, and the rollers can be tilted to prevent the wheel and tire from tipping over. This one will save you time and effort when coating wheels!


Then we also added a new Handheld Dual LED/UV Flashlight. This rechargeable light has 3 different shades of white on the color spectrum, as well as UV mode for using any of our coatings with our UV Tracer Technology. 

 
You can find these items and more, plus all of our mystery box options under the New Products section of the website. Make sure to use code SAVE for 15% off of your order, excluding mystery items.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW!

Hi @EnzianF90
 
Unfortunately this type of bird dropping looks like it has etched the clear coat to the point that it has fractured the clear, which looks like small cracks and ripples in the clear coat. Bird droppings can be very acidic and can damage a clear coat in as little as a few hours if left on the surface or out in the hot sun. The acidic dropping eats through the clear, and the acid penetrating combined with the heat from the sun causes it to web outward - almost like how you will see a crack in a windshield enlarge and split out in different directions with extreme heat or cold, just on a much smaller scale. This example looks similar to what is known as "crow's feet" clear coat failure; however with crow's feet, it is a problem that is usually in a large area of a panel or sometimes an entire panel due to the cracks spreading from improper prep of the area (or from a repainted area that may not have been prepped very well).  

Polishing the area like you did can make it look better and reduce the appearance somewhat like Chris mentioned, but from looking at those pictures, the etching/cracks in this spot are most likely through the entire clear coat portion of the paint job, down to the base coat. So if you continue to compound and polish it, you could get down to the base coat before the cracking is fixed, and then you would have a bare paint spot that will be shiny but look different than the rest of the vehicle (I did this before being greedy with sanding a scratch on my project truck). Our Scratch & Swirl Remover has a fine grit abrasive to it, but I don't think it will fix this 100% in this particular case - if it was staining and discoloration from bird droppings, I usually have good luck with repairing that to near 100% fixed though.

In this case, you will most likely need to sand down the area and spray new clear coat, blending it in as evenly as possible. Painting is not in my skill set, so I agree with falcaineer's suggestion and would have a paint/body shop take a look at it like. If you want to hold off on body work, protecting the area with a sealant or ceramic coating would prolong the amount of time before it would potentially become worse, so it comes down to if it's in a very noticeable area of the hood that will bother you, or if you can tolerate it for the time being and try to hide it some with sealants and so on. If it was me, since my area is very cold in the winter months, I would wait until it warms up some if I had to go with the repaint option.

This was not intentional is and was accidental. The team is aware of what happened. They recently completed year-end inventory at headquarters, so that is my best guess as to how this machine was placed into the wrong area.
 
These polishers are meant for display at our locations and show events like SEMA. The clear plastic will crack easily, and can melt if used. 
 
Thank you Jonathan for your honesty in returning this. The team will make it right with you.
 
 

I would guess that was intentional..either that or somebodys gonna be sweating it out today looking for it!!!