Dan@Adams

Nice results Kyle! Revive Hand Polish can remove some staining and minor imperfections as you just discovered, but a random orbital polisher will take care of the rest of those fine swirl marks to get that finish looking perfect! The more I use the Rupes 15, the more and more I want one! I love my Flex for its fast correcting power, but it's definitely more effort to control. My Cyclo still gets plenty of use too, getting into areas where the Flex cannot get to easily, and with less vibration. But wow, the Bigfoot 15 sure is smooth!

I spent most of the afternoon and evening today getting my neighbor's new Tundra ready for Winter. I'll have a detailed winter prep write-up on it tomorrow evening

Hey Jeff, to give an idea of the cleaning power of Leather & Interior Cleaner, check out the line down the middle of this center console on this C6 that Adam and I cleaned at Corvettes at Carlisle back in August! The owner had no idea how much dirt buildup there was on the interior until we started cleaning it. Are your trouble areas something like that or worse? Clean driver side, dirty passenger side on the center console:

Like others have said, I use the Adam's Large Travel Bag and the Adam's Compact Travel Bag for carrying around chemicals (and sometimes one machine and polishing pads) to a show or a mobile detail, and lately I've been using the Flex bag to carry around an assortment of microfiber towels - Double Softs, Single Softs, Edgeless Utility, Glass, Waterless Wash, etc.

You were definitely clear, I totally understood what you were saying and I didn't take it as a negative at all! I apologize if my response came off as defensive or angry, that wasn't my intention at all I guess sometimes it's hard to convey things in the right context when typing, and what sounds good in my head may not be interpreted the same way when someone reads it...what I should have said was something like "I'm sitting here bored on a Saturday night after watching Ash vs. Evil Dead and I wanted to look up your order for you"

That's awesome they delivered that late Chad, and we certainly appreciate the kind words! I'll be sure to relay them to Adam and team. Happy Halloween...just don't let your dog eat or drink any of those great smelling products

Hi John, thanks for understanding! I just looked up your order now and it shows that it was submited at 7:59:57pm, so unfortunately the shipping team was home for the evening by then and they typically do not work on the weekends The Pumpkin Spice Detail Spray unveiling and sale has been a huge hit, and the guys have been working their hardest to get all of the orders out ASAP, so they should probably get to your order Monday morning! Once again, thanks for the support and be sure to let us know if you have any questions

Bonus points have been awarded for the Beetle Juice reference! My costume plan for this year was simple, civilian clothes Steve Rogers (Captain America) I already have a similar blue jacket and the movie prop replica shield since I'm a comic geek, but I didn't have time to get to the party last night. There's always next year

Hi Mike, beautiful car and great question. Is the vinyl top all original 47 year old vinyl as well? Edit: The more I think about it, it's probably best to stick with SVRT to treat the vinyl top. It will offer nice beading, SPF 30 protection from UV exposure, and it's very easy to apply. You can even dilute the SVRT down with distilled water 60/40 to make a sprayable "SVRT Milk" as a lot of us on the forum refer to it

Great tips there Joe and those are some awesome beading shots too John. I really like HGG! From the first time I tried it I was hooked.

Welcome Gary! I'm always a fan of Camaros, and well, just about most GM vehicles, but I've always really loved 4th Gen F-Bodies. Awesome ride man, and we thank you for your continued support of our products! Don't be a stranger on the forum. We're all here to help out with great advice and information and also have fun sharing our love of detailing and making your rides look great

No problem Chris, that's what we're here for I just replied to your PM you sent a little while ago too. Please let us know how everything works out!

Hey guys, great input and questions! With the Glass Sealant, a few drops onto the microfiber applicator and a few drops onto the glass itself is certainly enough, but if you pour a little more onto the glass it will just help spread a little easier and get more of the sealant down into any pores, tiny imperfections, small rock chips, etc to ensure you have great protection for a longer period of time. Just like you said Jared, even pouring a little bit more onto the windshield and rear glass for example, since those two surfaces are going to take the brunt of the winter weather, doesn't really use too much product out of the 4oz bottle. Then you can use fewer drops on the side windows. Using a small amount is fine too. If you do add a little more product onto the glass, let us know how it works out for you. Thanks! Hey Jeff and Ron! It's not totally necessary to wash the vehicle again after claying the vehicle and using detail spray in regards to Winter Preparation. In the interest of saving time, especially for a winter prep where you aren't trying to make your vehicle look 100% perfect if you live in a snowy messy area, it's just not time effective for me personally to go over the car again with a strip wash, a regular two bucket wash, or an alcohol wipe down after I've clayed the surface. If there is a significant amount of DS residue left over from claying, I like to give another quick shot of DS and wipe it down with a Single Soft or Double Soft to get the majority of that residue off, but the LPS will still bond to the surface if there is a little bit of residue left over and it will last several months to get you through the winter season The idea behind this winter prep video was to show a quick and efficient way to get your vehicle ready to be protected through the winter months, similar to how Adam did the daily driver video a few weeks back. You can absolutely do a strip wash or an alcohol wipe down to get the surface absolutely perfect for adhesion of LPS, but if you want to save some time, it's not necessary. As an example, I sometimes put down a layer of Brilliant Glaze right onto the bare polished surface after I do a paint correction with a machine polisher and before I put on an application of LPS...I know that goes against the popular opinion of most people, but I've found no degradation or longevity issues with LPS in doing that, and it still beads water and offers great protection for 4-6 months. This same idea applies to DS. So the summary would be that either option is fine in this case, whether you want to add a little more time to your process and give the vehicle an extra wipe-down, or to just apply the LPS after claying. If I'm going all out with getting a show car to be 100% awesome for the upcoming show season, I will definitely spend the extra time going through a very thorough and meticulous process, because I love detailing and it's a relaxing and educational experience for me on every car I work on. But if I'm working outside on a car in colder, often windy fall temperatures in my area of the country to prepare a vehicle for winter, then for me, I want to be as safe and efficient as possible For a high concentration strip wash with the foam gun, you could use 1oz of Car Shampoo and 1oz of APC. This should foam like crazy!

I think the reason he has 2 bottles of LPS in his order list is that the new 12 Pack Kit contains one bottle and the Porter Cable 74274XP Complete Paint Correction Kit contains another bottle

I'm seeing more and more people on facebook and other car groups using white tire pens to paint the lettering on their race tires and even their daily driver tires, so it seems to be coming "back in style" so to speak. As Rich said, they're more work to keep looking white and not have them start to turn brown. I guess one option you could do would be to mount them with the white lettering hidden on the inside, and then if you decide you want them, pick up one of those white tire pens and see how it works out for you. Personally, I think it would look cool either way...sorry I know that doesn't help your decision much!

Hi Derek, That list looks just about perfect, but I would suggest adding at least a 16oz of All Purpose Cleaner to use for cleaning the machine polishing pads. The APC will help break down the polish that gets built up into the pad face. I usually do 10+ sprays on each pad face to fully saturate the face after I have used the pad and it has polish built up in it. I'll let it soak for a few minutes, and then I will use the pad conditioning brush or my thumbs to work the APC into the pad even more. Next I will rinse the pad out with warm water and keep squeezing more polish out of it with your thumbs until you see clear water being squeezed out of the pad - that is when you know you have all of the polish out of the pad. I will wring them out and let them air dry for about 2 days on a wire shelf in my laundry room. It's also a good idea to have a second set of polishing pads, as I typically use 2 or more orange pads and white pads if I'm doing paint correction on a full vehicle. If you are just going to work on a few panels one day, then a few more panels a couple days later after you have cleaned the pads and let them dry back out, then one set will be fine for now. The 3 bottles of DS should last a good bit, especially if you follow the clay bar method that Adam outlines in the daily driver maintenance video. You could also add in a Car Wash Trio and some buckets and grit guards for a two-bucket wash method to ensure proper washing and drying of the vehicles with less chances to induce more scratches and swirl marks into the finish. As for the PC 7424XP, I wouldn't say it's really bad. It's a solid entry level machine that will certainly do the job to get you started, but it will give you more of a workout than say the Cyclo or the Rupes LHR 15ES...it's the machine that a lot of us on here started with to get a feel for machine polishing. If you find that you really enjoy polishing and paint correction and want to become faster and more efficient with it with a little less wear and tear on your fingers and forearms, then you could always sell it and upgrade to a more advanced machine. For the amount of vehicles that I detail, typically at least one per week, it's no longer the "right" machine for me, and that's why I use the Cyclo, the Rupes Mini, and the Flex now. Please give us a call on the customer service number tomorrow if you would like us to help you with the order and get the best bang for your buck, as Robert mentioned above! Thanks again, Dan

I'm not at liberty to say, but we are almost always testing and evaluating new and improved products. I will say however, that in the future, I want to make sure that our forum members are some of the first people in the general public to find out about new product releases, and I have some other fun forum exclusive ideas cooked up in my head too. Stay tuned!

Hey Ellie! Welcome to our fun community of shine fanatics You will find that all of us here on the forum are always willing to help out with any questions you may have, so don't feel hesitant about asking any questions! What kind of car do you drive and can you post some pictures? Are there any specific products that interest you?

Great photo Alex! Thanks!

That looks like a great starter list right there! Sorry I had to edit your post a bit - we like to limit mentioning of competitor products on the forum here - thanks for your understanding. Love all three of your rides...I would hardly call that sweet Colorado a winter beater though!

Hi John, we currently don't have any plans to reformulate TID anytime soon. The current version works great and everyone seems to like it a lot. Your suggestions and feedback are always appreciated for future products though, thanks!

Hey Jim, yeah we dropped the ball a bit there and failed to get the announcement out to our forum members here first. We were so busy with getting everything ready for the clinic last week (and many other behind the scenes things) that we didn't get the announcement on here in time. Expect a full thread either later today or tomorrow at the latest! My personal feedback on the new limited edition Pumpkin Spice Detail Spray - same great product and performance, but with a new orange color, amazing pumpkin spice scent...I mean seriously, it's a really nice scent! I was spraying it around in the air at the warehouse on Friday just to smell it As for how long it will be around for, the best I can say is Limited Time Only! It depends how fast you guys and gals buy it all up! Sweeeeeet! We appreciate your business and we think you'll love it! I absolutely see myself using it on my stainless fridge, kitchen countertops, etc around the house! Great! Thank you! The orange microfiber borderless towels are the same great towel design as our borderless gray towels, just in a cool new fun orange color to match the Pumpkin Spice Detail Spray. It sure was! We handed out a 16oz bottle and one orange borderless microfiber towel to around 60 shine freaks that stuck around to the end of the clinic as a thank you for their awesome support. It was a hit by everyone that tried it out

Oh, and let's see some pictures of your rides when you get a chance

Outstanding photos man! This is my first time browsing through this thread! You have a true talent for great locations, lighting, and angles. I was soooo close to buying a ZQ8 Colorado with a 5.3 back in 2009...I really like that truck...but I got a killer deal on a TBSS that I could not pass up. I saw a custom ZR1 LS9 swap Colorado for sale on Facebook a few days ago that I had to clean the drool off of my keyboard after looking at all of his pictures too!

Welcome to our fun and informative community Derek! It's great to hear you appreciate our involvement on message boards, and we also a strong presence and customer interactive in other forms of social media like Instagram and Facebook. It's even better to hear that you're interested in stepping up to a random orbital machine polisher to keep your rides looking their finest! I agree with TheWolf and others in getting the essential detailing items first, but if you're tired of paying shops to do a quick "buff job" on your cars, then doing a proper paint correction with one of our machine polishing kits is the next step to saving you some money in the long-term. Choosing a machine polisher or polishers is a big decision - we want you to be well educated before making a decision, so this post will be rather lengthy to try to help you out as best as possible. The Porter Cable 7424XP is a good entry level machine for the detailing hobbyist on a budget. It's the same machine I started out with and what got me hooked on Adam's Polishes many years ago. It is a very durable, reliable machine, but it does have more vibration to it than some of the other higher-end polishers that we offer. When I had mine, I would find myself taking more breaks in between panels on a vehicle, because for me, it would sometimes be a pretty good workout on my fingers from stabilizing the machine. Others don't have issues with this, so don't let my experience dissuade you from it. Taking breaks isn't necessarily a bad thing though, because it would let me work on other areas of the car for 10 or 15 minutes, like vacuuming a section of carpet or cleaning a leather seat. It has an on/off button and a speed setting wheel from 1-6, for going slow to apply Buttery Wax, Brilliant Glaze, or Liquid Paint sealant, to going faster for Paint Correcting Polish and Paint Finishing Polish. The on/off button will instantly bring the machine up to full speed if you have it set to speed setting 6, so you have to be prepared and have a proper grip on the machine when you power it on. The next two machine polishers I would recommend for a beginner would be the Cyclo Model 5-Pro Mark II or the Rupes LHR 15ES Bigfoot, for several reasons. With the dual head random orbital action of the Cyclo, with each pad face rotating in the opposite direction of the other pad, it provides a user experience of having near-zero vibration during use. It is an extremely comfortable polisher to use, and it is a tried and tested design that has been continually improved since the 1950's! I personally have one in my garage, along with the Flex 3401 VRG, and I use the Cyclo in some aspect on nearly every car I detail - whether it is correcting some light to moderate swirls and scratches with the 4" microfiber pads or laying down a perfectly even and thin layer of Brilliant Glaze or Liquid Paint Sealant in a fast and efficient manner. The smaller 4" pads allow you to get into tight areas such as A, B, and C pillars or front and rear bumper sections where a 6" or 7" pad cannot typically reach effectively, and then rotating the machine 90 degrees will give you a sizable 8" polishing section across larger areas like the hood, roof, and door panels. The Cyclo also has an on/off switch and a speed setting dial from 1-6, but it is easier to control starting it up at full speed due to it having a perfect balance with both pads oscillating in opposite directions. The Rupes LHR 15ES is truly a joy to use. From the first time I tried out the machine at an Adam's event at Carlisle PA, I could immediately feel the quality of the machine...it just feels right. It is very well balanced, not too heavy and not too light. Like the PC and the Cyclo, it has a speed control from 1-6, and it also has a trigger lock so you don't have to exert extra effort to always hold in the trigger while the machine is running. Where it differs from the PC and Cyclo is that it gradually throttles up to max speed, even if you have it set to the max speed setting of 6 when you pull the trigger in - this allows for better control of the machine for a first time user. Vibrations are very low, almost to the non-existant level of the Cyclo, and correcting power is strong with the 6" microfiber and orange foam pads. The 6" pads designed for the PC and Rupes Bigfoot 15 can get into tighter spots and contours a little easier than the 7" pads used on the Flex and Rupes Bigfoot 21, while still allowing for a nice coverage area per pass of the machine on a panel. If time is not really a concern to you and you only plan on polishing a few vehicles a year, then the PC or Cyclo would be a great choice. If you are looking to be a little more efficient with your details, the Rupes 15 will give you the same excellent results in a shorter amount of time. A lot of us here like to have multiple machines for different scenarios, but any of the three mentioned above would be a great choice for someone looking to take their detailing game to the next level. We've also made this comparison chart to help our customers make the right decision for their intended use: http://adamspolishes.com/whichmachinepolishershouldibuy I hope that helps and gives you a better understanding of the capabilities of each polisher. As always, if you have any other questions please let me know and I will be happy to help!