Dan@Adams

Awesome TJ! Thank you for your business!

Hey Mike, welcome to our fun community! Feel free to ask away with any questions you may have, we're not like typical forums where users will just tell you to "Search!" and not provide an answer...we like to help out around here and share our passion of detailing and making cars shine their best I always wanted either a Mach 1 like yours or a Bullitt back during my college years, but then I fell in love with the GTO instead, ha! Beautiful ride man! Maybe some day I'll have a Mustang in my stable!

Hi Jeff! You could do an application of Buttery Wax over the LPS if you want, to add a little bit more shine (and just because Buttery Wax is so easy to use!), but the LPS is going to be the most durable protection that we offer. For my winter daily driver, I will put down a layer of LPS before the snow hits, and then I plan on doing two maintenance applications of H2O Guard and Gloss throughout the rest of the messy cold months, most likely one application in January and a second application in March.

That's awesome Robert. I should add that from a safety and liability standpoint, the dealership may not be allowed to let you use the wash bay...I hadn't really considered that.

Hi Brian! Congrats on the new ride, they're incredible! I hope you don't mind, but this will be a long response because I want to cover all of your concerns I'm right there with you in asking the dealership to never wash my cars or do any type of prep-work to them when I'm buying a new one or taking one in for service, because they know how much of a detailing fanatic I am. Having said that though, if they are going to be delivering it right during winter time, there's a great possibility that it's going to be transported through the elements and get fairly dirty on the car carrier; so my suggestion if the weather is bad, would be to maybe have them wash it down either by hand or with their wash bay if it is a touchless and brushless type wash bay - or instead, you could maybe even ask them if you could use some of your Adam's products from your collection, in their wash bay - like the Wash Pad, 2 Bucket Wash with Grit Guards, Car Shampoo, and a Great White Drying Towel, as long as you did it in a way so as to not offend them. Just explain that you are very particular when it comes to swirl marks and scratches and they might understand and be happy to oblige, especially since you could probably do a quick wash and dry in under 30 minutes. It doesn't hurt to ask and the worst they can say is no, but the way I look at it, you're making a substantial purchase with them, and they should do their best to make you happy Ask them what their typical slowest day of the week is for service, or maybe even see if you could pick it up on a Saturday when most service bays are closed, then that could give you plenty of time to clean the car after you sign all of the paperwork, if they would let you use a bay then. I almost always clay every new car I've worked on - mine, my parents, friends, etc - because they really can get a lot of contaminants in the clearcoat just from traveling across the country, especially rail dust if it's shipped by train. Then once it is clayed and smooth, I would absolutely recommend a coat of Liquid Paint Sealant just like Chris said, for the best protection during the winter months. You can apply it by hand or by machine, but just remember to apply it in a thin, even coat, and to work on one body panel at a time, especially if it's colder out. I've used LPS in my garage with just a space heater to get the temperature to around the 50-55F range and didn't have too much trouble. It's a little more effort to remove, but nothing bad enough to frustrate me or anything like that. As for the protective plastic covering, I would suggest you remove it before driving it home because you should inspect the entire exterior surface for any scratches or dents that it could be hiding, prior to driving off the lot with the car - that way it is on the dealership to fix them before you buy. As an aside, it's not a common problem at all, but some of the plastic coverings can leave a spotty milky residue that gets imbedded into the clearcoat from moisture getting trapped under the protective white plastic and it then works its way under the relatively still-fresh clearcoat - I mention it because it was a pretty big problem with the GTO when Holden shipped them over here by boat and they sat out for a month or two with the protective wrapping on them. The solution to remove the residue in the TSB was to remove the spots by using a heat gun in those areas to heat the clearcoat and evaporate the moisture. I'm not trying to scare you though, and you most likely will not have that issue. Plus that was 9 years ago and protective shipping wraps may have advanced by now. Once Spring rolls around and things warm up, you could do a full paint correction if it needs it, with your preferred LSP. One of my first Spring rituals is to always do a full detail on my daily driver. Here's to hoping you will still have warm weather when it's delivered. I know here in PA sometimes it can be 65 degrees in December and other times it can be 5 degrees!

Your GTO never ceases to amaze me Chris! That finish looks out of this world! I drove mine 4 times this year...too busy with everything else going on, way too much messy road work in my town everywhere, and it's having boost issues that I want to take care of before I drive it a lot.

Well, others may disagree but I usually wash all of my microfiber towels together with just Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener, and I know Dave (BRZN) does too. He's kinda sorta been my Mr. Miyagi to my Daniel-son, so I know his methods work! Unless I have some severely dirty towels or a handful that I've used for H2O Guard & Gloss or Liquid Paint Sealant - in those cases, I will soak those towels separately before putting them in the washer. Here's a great post from Dave: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/29000-microfiber-washing-to-avoid-cross-contamination/?p=455587

Just doing my job bud! I know the Adam's Foam Gun is a little more expensive than other options out there, but I feel that it's totally worth it. I owned one of those other options, and because of poor/cheap build quality, the quick connect leaked and sprayed so much water out of that connection that it frustrated me enough to buy the Adam's Foam Gun the first day it went up for sale

Hey Josh, welcome aboard! I think it's safe to say we're all addicted to shine in our fun community here, so don't be afraid to ask any questions and don't be a stranger I'm with the wolf man...what kind of rides do you own and what are your favorite Adam's products you've tried so far?

Hi John, I typically use half of the canister on my midsize Buick Regal G.S. daily driver and around 3/4 or even a full canister when I foam down a larger truck or suv, but I don't always foam down the whole vehicle in one pass. I will usually foam down the hood, roof, and trunk, let it soak in for a bit, and then clean those areas. Then I will foam down one side of the car and clean it, then the other side, then the front and rear bumpers. So to answer your question, you might be able to get one layer of foam down on 2 vehicles with one fill-up of the canister, but it all depends on the size of vehicles you are cleaning...and like Roger pointed out, I can refill the canister with more water and a few squirts of Car Shampoo in less than a minute. Me personally, I wouldn't foam them both down at the same time, because by the time you clean the first vehicle, the car shampoo foam will be dripping down the panels of the second vehicle. I think you will be pleased with the Adam's Foam Gun. It has excellent quality construction. I honestly use mine far more often than my pressure washer and foam cannon since it is a much faster setup, I don't annoy my neighbors with the noise of the electric pressure washer, and I'm not tripping over the power cord and hose line from the pressure washer when I'm in a time crunch and trying to work quickly and efficiently. And as with everything sold by Adam's, there is a 110% money back guarantee if you are not fully satisfied with the product. If you do decide to purchase it, don't forget to use the FALL15 discount code, plus you can save a little bit more money on one of the kits if you would happen to need some more Car Shampoo or a Wash Pad!

You will get better, faster results, so if you do that, just make sure you pick up the 5" PC backing plate in order for the smaller 5.5" and 6" pads to fit correctly. http://adamspolishes.com/shop/accessories/buffing-pads-applicators/adam-s-5-porter-cable-backing-plate.html

That truck is awesome! Perfect ride height to me, and that color looks outstanding. With the H2O Guard & Gloss, you only want to work one panel at a time. Spray it on the wet panel, spread it with a damp microfiber, and then you wipe it off to a perfect shine with a dry microfiber a few seconds later. Our Single Soft, Double Soft, and Borderless Gray microfiber towels all work great with HGG!

Wd40 does work well at removing plastidip, but I'm always a little cautious when I use it on clearcoated wheels to dissolve the plastidip - I know it's supposedly safe on clearcoated finishes, but I use it sparingly and make sure to re-wash the wheel immediately afterward to make sure I got all of the residue off of the wheel. Also keep in mind that it will strip any Quick Sealant or any other type of product that you may have on the wheel for protection, so make sure to reapply once the wheels are all cleaned up again! I typically use APC when removing plastidip from wheels, but I did try Wd40 once on a set of blaze orange wheels. The Wd40 does liquify the plastidip and it can get kinda messy, so I wore a pair of Disposable Detailing Gloves while I did the work. I will have to give Brilliant Glaze a try on the next set I work on. Since Matt said he has a bunch of Brilliant Glaze that he doesn't use on much else, if it's working for him there's no harm in using up the product if it's just sitting around from Mystery Boxes. Plus I much prefer the smell of it over Wd40

Hey gang! I've been out of pocket on the forum for a few days, but it's for a great reason, I promise. I'm participating in the 3rd Annual Rally North America 2015 Ohio Valley 700 charity road rally, benefitting the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio (EFWO). We just wrapped up Day 1 earlier this evening, and I need to get some sleep to be ready for more amazing driving and locations tomorrow, but here's a quick overview of the RNA organization and what we do. RNA is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise money for some of the best charities out there, through our passion of automobiles. Up to 80 teams can register and help raise money for the respective charity. Typically two events are held each year - the big event in July, in a different part of the country each year, and then a somewhat smaller event in the Ohio region each Fall, to benefit the EFWO. Other than a small entry fee to cover insurance, sponsor decal packages, and so forth, all money raised goes directly to the charity. Since 2010, RNA has raised over $460,000 for charities, and for this particular OV700 event, 50 teams helped to raise over $25,000 so far! The format of the rally is quite simple - it is NOT a race, but more of a timed scavenger hunt, usually 2-5 days in length. Teams have no knowledge of the day's route or checkpoints until they get to the start line and their time is officially recorded. Then you're off to find some very unique and breathtaking checkpoints along the way, with the help of GPS, google, paper maps...whatever your navigator decides to use Any type of wreckless driving or proof of a speeding ticket gets you an automatic disqualification from any podium finishes, and teams that do place are only eligible for a trophy finish on one day of the rally. Since we are doing this for charity and want to set a good example and be safe out on the road, we save the racing for drag strips and road courses, that are usually rented out for us after the finish line on a particular day of the rally. If you are interested in RNA or would like to learn more, feel free to ask me or check out the website at http://www.rallynorthamerica.com Ok, enough of my rambling, the rest of this thread will be a sort of picture-journal of my adventure on the rally. Thanks for looking First thing was first, the little blue frankenstein truck needed cleaned up after driving through nasty construction zones all week in my town, in order to take off some of the Smoky Mountain Rally decals from this past summer and to put the new OV700 sponsor stickers on: Yikes! Just a little bit dirty...my friend's at a local performance shop said "Dan, I don't think we've ever seen any of your vehicles this dirty before" Ha. I started out with some Deep Wheel Cleaner, Wheel Brush, and Wheel Woolie: DWC impresses me every time Next up was a two-bucket wash with the Adam's Foam Gun: Much better: With the truck nice and clean again, I took the hair dryer to some of the old sponsor stickers and finished putting the new ones on around 11pm Thursday night...when I was going to be leaving Friday morning at 6am to travel to the start line in Michigan! Nothing like waiting until the last minute, but I've been busy with a bunch of other exciting things! I'll continue with more updates tomorrow evening - my travel day to the start location and then Day 1 of the Rally. We're in Muskegon, Michigan this evening to start tomorrow morning and finish up in Dayton, Ohio. If anyone is nearby, we'll be drag racing at Kilkare Raceway tomorrow afternoon - 1/4 mile racing, live music, food, great people, and we will be showcasing all of the rally vehicles to the public.

Welcome! That Jeep rocks!!!

A year ago, while talking to a friend that works at NASA in WV, I kinda sorta volunteered to be in a group for a one-way mission to Mars, but then she let me know that all of the slots had already been filled. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut, a racecar driver, or an animator...I guess I better start preparing for 2023

Well I wouldn't consider myself a vinyl graphics pro, but thank you! I'm getting better and better each time I apply vinyl, but I will still get a few tiny bubbles here and there, whether I apply them using a wet or dry method - it's an art form just like machine polishing (which I enjoy much more! Ha!)

I'm a huge Holden fanboy...I love your car! Perfect color too! It's not necessary, but if you want to try something different the next time you detail the SS, apply the BG before the Americana so that the Americana will prolong the life of the BG. I almost bought an SS to go alongside my goat in the garage, but I got a deal I couldn't pass up on the Regal G.S., and I figured the all wheel drive and lesser horsepower of the Opel-Buick would help in winter driving. I still occasionally regret not buying the Chevy SS, so I might be picking up an interesting new ride very soon.

Those are some super results, pun intended! Customers always seem amazed when making a worn cover look new again. Just remember to treat it every few washes to keep protection on the cover and have it looking great all of the time!

Hi Annette! Hopefully it is a bad batch of black vinyl like he mentioned. I would certainly think that washing with APC, then using a clay bar, following up with a wash with Dawn, and finally an isopropyl alcohol wipedown would have that surface perfect for the vinyl to adhere to. And if your husband's car had no issues with the vinyl following the same treatment, then that leads me to believe your process is fine! When I'm putting on all of my rally sponsor vinyls, I do the opposite of what is suggested and always make sure I have a coat of at least LPS on the truck, since I'm removing and adding stickers a few times a year and want less chance of scratching when removing them. It's much more difficult to get the vinyl to stick initially, but I have a lot of patience

To clarify, I've never purposely applied SVRT to a plastidipped wheel, but I have spread some onto a wheel by accident and had no issues. I typically use Car Shampoo or Waterless Wash on plastidipped surfaces. I will have to do some testing with Quick Sealant and get back to you. I have a plastidipped mini fridge in my garage that could make a good test subject, or I will just dip a spare winter wheel I have laying around

I agree with Michael, if you can post a picture of the wheel or a link to it, that will be helpful - it looks like Schott has quite a few wheel designs! I'm assuming the wheel rim/lip area is polished and the center spoke section is brushed aluminum. If that is the case, I would recommend as Michael stated, to carefully tape over the brushed areas with a low-tack painter's tape or automotive tape, and to be extra cautious polishing at the lip edge where the lip meets the tape.

Yep, I've used both DWC and APC on plastidipped wheels with great success. Even on very bright colors of plastidip like Blaze Pink and Blaze orange, full strength APC did not stain or discolor the dip in any way for me. As always with plastidip, give extra care around the rim edge of the wheel to avoid having any of the dip peel back. I've had zero issues with SVRT as well, using a tire hex applicator to apply it.

Welcome Kourtney! I've had the pleasure to work with Kourtney at two shows now, and she is awesome! Don't let her modesty of her saying that she's still learning fool you, she's a detailing fanatic and has a wealth of knowledge...she has helped me a ton in the past 2 months and I can't say thank you enough

I wish I still had my TBSS with the matte black winter wheel setup to test out for you. I would recommend against using Metal Polish on a matte black painted wheel to remove hazing, mentioned earlier in this thread. Instead, I would try washing them again with Car Shampoo or Waterless Wash, or a clay bar if neither of those work. I would be hesitant to use any type of polish or glaze on a matte black wheel to remove the haziness without first talking to the customer or testing it in an inconspicuous area such as the inside of a spoke, as polish or glaze might give the matte wheel surface an unwanted amount of shine while removing the haze.