Doug123

Good news on the dedicated rubber cleaner. I sometimes am finding they don't quite come clean on one pass, and only see it when they are dry. SVRT is good, but perhaps for sidewalls something tuned specifically for tire oils and oxidation is needed.

Agreed. The sealant is great for long protection for your DD. My DD is black and lives outside in a marine environment in SoCal, so I get the worst of both worlds. My typical setup is sealant on polished naked paint and then top with a sacrificial layer of Americana. I get great longevity with this combination. But I agree, if I had pollen issues, I would not have a problem using the sealant by itself, as it's a great look on black.

Glad to see it's back, as it is my favorite polisher, and it is well made and easier on the hands than my PC. They both will lay out a great shine if used properly, the Flex just gets it done faster.

Definitely a great tool, esp. if you have black paint (that easily shows every drip). Also good for drying motorcyles.

I like the foam tip makeup applicators for cleaning the fuzzy lining that touches the outside of the window glass. When they get gunk down in them, raising and lowering the window puts quick streaks in the window. A little APC on one and slide it in on the glass , and the rub back and forth just before washing, and it cleans them up nicely.

Dylan and Ashley were the first 2 Adam's crew I had met here in SoCal, with me a raw detailing noob (with BLACK paint). I have learned so much technique from both of them at the clinics, how to use Adam's products to their best effect. I still remember scrutinizing Dylan as he really pushed the SHR waay out into flash-land with a PC7424 - a slick technique that served me well. His efforts have helped this business grow by leaps and bounds, and helped him discover life east of the Sierras (lol). Take care Dylan, all the best in your next venture!

Your 'paint armor/last line of defense' would be the sealant on the paint. My solid black DD lives outside in a marine environment (SoCal) and I always use a sealant (QS or MSS at this point), then (if I have the time) optional glaze, then Americana to top it for 'that look'. I figure that even if the Americana comes off, I still have the sealant under there protecting the finish. I am looking forward to trying the Liquid Paint Sealant - if it's better than either of those previous two, it's going to be the new go-to sealant, esp. with the short cure time.

Can't wait to get my hands on this stuff. If it removes the contamination faster, I am all for that, as I am not the fastest detailer in the world and can use any help in speeding up the process. Plus the paint is (gasp) in need of a good polishing session. (hangs head in shame). I

I live near the beach here in California, and on occasion, the wind will come from the West/NW and there will be a fine (and slightly sticky) layer of grit on the finish from the wind and the beach sand. I feel that his stuff is dangerous on my paint, as it seems like it's more like sandpaper than ordinary dust. Because of this kind of sticky gritty gunk, I use a foam gun to soak that stuff loose and strongly rinse it off with the hose before I actually re-foam it, and only then put a wash pad on to the paint. If you even suspect that it's beach sand, wash the car, skip the Waterless Wash (in my opinion). My process: Hard rinse the car to knock as much loose as I can Foam the car, and wait 2-3 minutes for it to loosen up any gunk on the paint Rinse the car off hard Foam the car again Wash the car with 2 pads and two buckets with grit guards (one pad is for mid door height up, the other is for mid door down, and front and rear. Rinse it of hard, mist with detail spray, and dry. I know this works, as I felt the finish (gritty to the touch, and sticky in the beginning), during the first soak, and through the 2nd foam, at which point it felt pretty smooth. Since I have black paint, all I could imagine was that sticky sand being rubbed all over the paint by a wash pad (and the swirls that would be left behind). It seems like overkill, but it keeps the polishing sessions down, and less intense when I do them.

I have used the glass cleaner and microfibers on my niece's new apartment 'milky' mirrored sliding doors. Windex didn't touch them, Adam's glass cleaner and glass microfiber cloths got rid of the milky haze and made them like new. She was pleasantly surprised.

My two cents is to use the polishes on hand as they will give you a great result. If your paint is new and you are washing very carefully (two buckets, two wash pads, proper technique) to minimize swirls, you probably won't get into the SSR soon, and will have some use for SHR and of course the amazing FMP. I also think that mastering this combo is good experience for anything that is yet to be tried by you. Plus, as said above, after your friends drool over your paint and ask you to do work on theirs, you may find the SSR very useful. I only have had to use SSR on some rock hard clear I encountered.

I'd stay domestic. Don't rule out Ford, either. They have some very nice products.

I would suggest getting it cleaned up at a music store that restores brass band instruments. They should get it back in shape and coat it with a clear sealant, as they do on brass horns. Then you might get/make a cloth bag and put some silica gel ( or other dessicant) into the bag to help keep it dry. I would put a dessicant bag in the case where it is stored. I am surprised to hear of this much moisture in a snare.

Didn't APC get a slight revamp a while back to help reduce the coughing?

That is a FINE looking Nova. Absolutely love that red with the TorqThrusts.

Yeah, that works! Revive is a semi-magical underrated product. I have a special gray pad on my PC just for it. I think it does subtle things to my solid black paint. When I have the time to really 'gild the lily' I do a post-polishing pass with Revive on the PC. I think it's also really good on solid red, too.

Maybe set the dark gray font to white, then you'd have something with more contrast and more readable. My $0.02

Lived near there for 35 years. In the summers, you can self baste in that heat. Makes a cold beer really go down smooth.

Yeowch. A wash, a good claying, and a polishing session ought to do wonders for white. As said above, it's the clear coat that gets the work, not the underlying pigment.

Yes, it sounds like speedof the polisher over the surface is the thing. Also, are you cleaning the pads every panel? Sounds like a necessary part of the new polish/pad process. Slow is the way to go. If you think about it, if we hurry and get done and are disappointed, it feels like we wasted our time, right? I wish I could do a car in 2 hours! I go slowly, work a body panel at a time, take a break and drink some water every hour. I don't switch body panels until I have the results I want. If I rush, I probably won't get the results I want, so I take my time and inspect my work as I go.

Clear tubs for microfiber and pads. I keep the tops on loose, and crack the lid on the pads just in case. I have multiple pad sets (previous generations) for both the flex and pc, so there are a few around(6 for each). (I hate to end a detail session because I dropped a pad on the floor - I always have more than one clay bar around for the same reason). Since they live in the garage, nothing is out in the open where they could gather dust.

I think, like anything, if they towels are dirty, segregate the dirty ones and presoak them, then rinse them out, and then wash separately. I don't hand wash, only hand spot treat with APC or Revitalizer. I also air dry them in the dryer. No fabric softener is used anywhere in any machine, ever.

It was an accident - I accidentally knocked a bottle over and it spilled out on the floor (happened to have an oily area). I wiped it up and later washed it with the hose, and wow! it looked a LOT better. Let it soak in for a while, then give it a scrub with a stiff brush, then a water rinse and see. Maybe not perfect, but certainly way better. I guess it makes sense, in that if it will cut oil in an engine compartment, it will cut engine oil no matter where it is located. It also cleans a bathroom sink (a woman's sink with makeup in it) in a flash, too.

I asssume that you are using a PC with SHR and FMP. If the polish is 'flashing' too quickly, it may be due to drying in the heat, so another little spritz of detail spray on the pad will help. If it's drying, not 'flashing', it's not getting enough time to do the work it's supposed to do. The flashing (going to a greasy look, kind of like vaseline) is the change in the abrasives from having enough work done to them. For best results, don't hurry the polishing. That is the single biggest mistake we can make. We want to get done, so we hurry. Two hours for all the paint on a car seems way too fast. I have been known to do 1+ hours on a door panel (perfection for a photo shoot of my DD). Don't make the mistake I did on my first detail and think that more polish will work better - it doesn't, it works slower. (It's counter-intuitive) Only use 3 or 4 pea sized drops on the pad and a spritz of detail spray. If it's drying before flashing, give the pad a 2nd light spritz of DS and keep working that area. I know it seems weird, but you will get better/more efficient with practice. This is part science AND part art/skill.

For some people a car is like a pair of shoes. (They don't polish their shoes, either). Can't tell you how many NICE cars I see with filthy front wheels, makes the whole car look like a beater.