Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin

Hi Bret! Welcome! A good way for people to start and get new products to try out is to buy a mystery box. Currently Amazon has 5 to choose from. Essentially, you buy a box and don't know what you're getting, but Adams promises to send you More Retail Product Value than you paid for. https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Killer-Polishing-Detailing-Mystery/dp/B078475PHD?pf_rd_p=dd4f5b57-ba5b-418b-a348-64ec62df14cc&pd_rd_wg=OFMgt&pf_rd_r=TN1QKDWZR5WER1RH7TQH&ref_=pd_gw_cr_simh&pd_rd_w=1Po8j&pd_rd_r=6a60ac92-50a9-4db6-9df9-db528802689f&th=1 If you're looking for specific things I recommend starting with reading the threads posted above by @falcaineer and @stalebreadjr. Getting on Adam's youtube channel and watching some of their tutorial videos. A good started kit would be to have a good soap for cleaning (Car Shampoo), a good mitt or sponger (Microfiber Wash Mitt), some protection (H20 Guard and Gloss), and you can never have enough good microfiber towels (Towels). https://adamspolishes.com/products/adam-s-wash-protect-kit < That's a great starter kit.

Great looking car. I'll hop on with the advice of going for the Ceramic Spray Coating. You also asked what to do after you polish for protection? Ceramic Spray Coating!!

The Microfiber Pad will probably be the most bite you can. Also, if you don't have any luck by just switching the pads, you may need to step up your polish to the Heavy Correcting Compound or Sprayable Compound may be necessary. Unfortunately, it will probably just be up to you doing a test section, since your paint is unique to your vehicle and environment. @Dan@Adams May have some good input with his experience.

Nice Job! @FrontRanger

I agree with both @SgtLip and @falcaineer You'll need (at minimum) a true decontamination step (IronRemover+Clay) and surface/coating prep step before applying the coating. Don't be afraid to use it on your glass or trim either!

My father in law just bought an F150 and the dealership claimed that the paint was baked, which means it's ready for LSP. If you're accepting input, I recommend getting into the Ceramics. Ceramic Spray Coating is amazing and easy to use.. Especially as a trial before you commit to a full blown Ceramic Paint Coating. By the way congrats on the truck!

Welcome Mike!

Hi Allen, and Welcome to the forum. 1. I believe this is safe on PPF. Let me see if I can find a clear answer for you on this one 2. Yes, I only use it on paint and on headlights/taillights. Use VRT for trim peices, and use glass sealant on the glass. If I may recommend, have you looked into the Ceramic Spray Coating? This is one of my favorite products and provides amazing protection. If you haven't already, we like to recommend reading over the link below to get familiar with different types of protections and figuring out what you want:

The mini is an awesome polisher; however, if you don't have one, I would recommend starting with the 15mm since it's more versatile. The mini isn't really built to take an entire vehicle at a time, it's more of a small sections where needed, or spot correction tool. The machine can create a lot of heat and melt the backing plate if used too long. The 15mm and 21mm are suited for tackling larger jobs.

Welcome to the forum, Craig!

Hi Bret, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that about your vehicle. So the best person to ask would be the body shop that did the work. If they bake the panel, then it's likely, it's ready to be protected as soon as you get it. If they didn't bake it, it's likely you'll have to wait 60-90 days to allow it to fully cure before protecting.

I am going to second what @falcaineer , @Nickfire20 , and @RayS are saying. That this is a learning experience. We all started with no idea what we were doing and are now doing trial and error. There is no one right process. It's about learning what your preferences are and continuing with those. On the topic of Wash & Wax-I have used wash & wax a handful of times on different finishes, and I think it produces nice results and a quick way of achieving nice results. However, I have found that in many instances, if I am in no hurry, I would prefer to use a shampoo that has no protection built in. It's just my preference for vehicles that are already sufficiently protected. That doesn't mean any shampoo is better or worse than the others. I don't necessarily consider many of these products to be superior or inferior, better or worse than each other. They serve different purposes. If I remember correctly from older posts, you've purchased a gallon of Car Shampoo, a gallon of Mega Foam, and a half gallon of Ceramic Waterless Wash. In my opinion, 3 products that you cannot go wrong with. Both Car Shampoo and Mega Foam are excellent PH neutral soaps for great lubrication and great cleaning both with or without a foam cannon. Ceramic Waterless Wash is a heck of a product. Use it as a detail spray on any vehicle, coated or non coated. Your Ceramic Spray Coating on your Avalon looked fantastic by the way, and any combination of the three aformentioned products that you have bought will work very well to keep it clean and maintain it's protection. As for Adam's creating a diagram or chart for pairing products, that is a very good idea, and I agree. It would be great to have a tool for beginners to learn what they will need. By the way, I always make a point to watch the videos and read product descriptions on both Adam's website and on Amazon. Sometimes I'll find useful charts on amazon that I had seen no where else.

@stalebreadjr Great Job, Matt. These pictures look even better outside! I think it's a must to have it outside! Whenever I detail a vehicle that's not mine, I always tell the person to take it out. Don't let this be in the garage the rest of it's life. I learned to detail so that I could use my vehicle as intended. I detailed my father in laws car and for about 2 months repeatedly asked him if he had taken in out in the rain. He said of course not it looks too good to be out in the rain, and I would say I wanted him to take it into the rain because it's been "waterproofed." It's been about 4 months... I still think that car hasn't seen the rain. By the way, I agree with how you went about your clay step. Detail Spray is just the easiest way to go, and I'm not concerned about it interrupting the coating process as long surface prep is involved. Also, you have the most up to date Ceramic Boost

John! Welcome! If you have any questions about products of anything don’t hesitate to ask!

The King! Happy Birthday, thanks for being the main contributor to my detailing passion (and knowledge).

Back packing on revive. I love it, I think it’s great. i have been wondering, has anybody used it on a white pad for machine polishing? I’ve been wanting to test that out for a while.

Hi Larry, Welcome to the forum!

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

Yes of course, the reason for so many products seems to be to accommodate peoples needs. Depending on what type of wheels you have, you can determine which product you may need. so start by thinking about what you have on your vehicle. Wheels- Wheel Cleaner - Not for delicate wheels. Basically the best wheel cleaner I've ever used. It's a very powerful cleaner with an iron remover built in. This one will turn purple as it reacts with ferrous materials, that's how you know its working. This is my favorite for my wheels so far. Fair warning, Wheel Cleaner doesn't smell the best, I like to wear gloves when I use it. Eco Wheel Cleaner- This is good for delicate wheels, like after market wheels and black wheels. This is a good cleaner which won't stain those delicate wheels if used properly. Smells pretty good, and people love it. I put it pretty close to Eco All Purpose Cleaner in my book. No iron remover built in here Tire and Wheel Cleaner- All in one product. Made to tackle wheel and tires. on wheels - No iron remover built in, but a very strong cleaner even using it diluted to half strength. Gets rid of build up pretty easily. Reminds me of All Purpose Cleaner. Tires- Tire and Rubber Cleaner - Great for cleaning rubber. This could be for tires, rubber trim, rubber pieces in an engine bay, etc. Really one of my favorite products. This turns orange-brown as you agitate to tell you that the tire is dirty. When I plan to use Tire Shine or Tire Armour after the cleaning, I make sure to do multiple passes until the Tire and Rubber Cleaner no longer turns orangey-brown but foams up white. One of my favorite products. Tire and Wheel Cleaner- All in one product. Made to tackle wheel and tires. on tires - VERY EFFECTIVE. Treat it like Tire and Rubber Cleaner on Tires, but it seems to pull dirt out way quicker. As soon as it hits the tire it seems to turn orange. Crazy. This also left my tire the most bare I've ever seen it. I like to use this on my tires more than I like to use it on my wheels. All Purpose Cleaner and Eco All Purpose Cleaner can also be used for Wheels and Tires, but I like using the dedicated wheel and tire products. Keep in mind all of these are strong cleaners, and should be used as instructed. You never want to give these enough time to dry on the surface.

yes, that's correct using the 16:1 ratio

Matt, Great write up! Great job on both your interior and engine bay! I think one of the special things about detailing is how you can take something that looks good and make it museum worthy. Like your interior - looked pretty good to begin with, then you take a few quality products and some time and effort, and it looks like it's been untouched! How do you feel after all that? and excited to see your pics for your exterior!

No, you want no protection on the vehicle prior to ceramic spray coating. the prep steps are essential when dealing with ceramic coating

Hi Tate! welcome!

Sorry, totally mis understood the question. I thought you mean vinyl on your car, not in your car. Hence my question! But yes leather conditioner is great

Nice ride, this forum is a great place to learn and see how other people do things as well as share your experiences!