Paint Correcting Polish - Just 1-Step? I'd Love Your Input Please!

[Adam]

Friends, we just returned from Hot August Nights in Reno, NV our 10th year there.  Again, we had three locations, and as usual, it was massive, and we got to work on over 60 cars during the 6 day event!

 

I always try to spend as much time as possible with customers, and working on their cars.  This year was no exception, and I personally worked on nearly ever vehicle that came by the booth.  Key point:  I was able to blow through 4 bottles of Paint Correcting Polish during the week, and used only 1/3 of a bottle of Paint Finishing Polish. 

 

NOTE:  We have improved the Paint Correcting Polish, which now finishes even better, with much less or zero dust.  We have been shipping this formula for one week, which has a slightly lighter color orange.

 

Each of the vehicles were in different conditions, had various paint and clear coat finishes by different manufacturers.  The finishes ranged from wasted and ancient, to brand new, and nearly perfect.

 

Regardless of the above conditions, the process I used to remove swirls or oxidation, and correct the paint was identical, without a single exception:

1. Waterless or Rinseless Wash the finish.
2. Clay Bar, including glass and chrome.
3. Paint Correcting Polish, using the Black/Orange Microfiber Cutting Pads.
4. Cyclo Polisher at full speed, setting 6.
5. 6-8lbs of pressure, moving extremely slow across the finish. 
6. 3-4 passes over the same areas.
7. Working the polish longer makes it finish incredibly well.
8. Using the Cyclo with Red Foam Pads and Brilliant Glaze:
9. Apply directly over the Paint Finishing Polish residue.  (Or not...sometimes.)
10. (We also used a Microfiber Applicator, or the Black UFO Foam Applicator with excellent results.)
11. Remove Brilliant Glaze residue with a Premium Microfiber.
12. Vehicles that live indoors day/night:  Americana Paste or Buttery Wax
13. Vehicles that are drivers, and see some heavy use and/or outdoor living:  Liquid Paint Sealant.

 

Have you been using Paint Finishing Polish, or are you achieving the results you are after with just the Paint Correcting Polish?  

 

Reason for the question:  We are selling the Finishing Polish and pads like crazy, but I don't want to make customers feel then need it, if in fact, they don't need it!

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

-Adam

 

 

[egott_91]

I have found with all of the polishing that I've done I've needed the PFP to clean up the "damage" caused from the cut of the MF pads and PCP. However, I've never done 4 passes with PCP, I usually do 2 with PCP and 2 with PFP.

[gapwedge]

nm

Edited August 4, 2014 by gapwedge

[gapwedge]

Being new to Adam products and with a soft paint car like the Lexus I am planning on using the Finishing Polish/white pad first to see if I even need to use the Corrective Polish/orange pad.

[Tim]

On my wife's Camaro I tried the finishing polish, it wasn't cutting it (sorry for the pun) and then switched to the correcting polish.  I didn't need to go back over it with the finishing polish, it was that nice!

 

On my 'Vette, I like the finishing polish.

[Large_Daddy]

For what it's worth, I'm pretty new to polishing (bought the Cyclo kit in July). I find that the Paint Correcting Polish does a great job on its own.

 

I don't really notice any difference when I follow up with the Paint Finishing Polish on my Silverstone S2000.

 

I think the Finishing Polish adds a bit more shine on my Carbon Black Regal GS, but it might just be because I really want it to.

 

In both cases, the paint was in pretty good shape to start. Light swirls/scratches only. I'm still working on both cars using both steps mainly because a part of me feels incomplete not following procedure doing only one out of two steps, not because I think I need to.

 

Been using only the foam pads on both cars so far; no microfiber yet.

[camaro2ssblack]

If the car is not black and it's not a garage queen, I have been one stepping for a while now. Ease up the download pressure on the last section pass to leave a haze free glossy finish...

[LTDSC]

why would you reformulate PCP while still selling it and not tell your customers? Didnt want it to hurt the sale figures while you fixed it?

 

I liked PCP, it was very dusty though. The cut was decent, nothing major and i used it as a one step. I bought Finishing polish thinking it would actually do something. I was very disappointed. I've used PCP on a medium cut pad and a finishing pad. Both work great depending on situation.

 

I have since used all my PCP and will not be purchasing anymore.

 

You really need to lose the cyclo, its what is slowing you down. Im not going over a panel 5-6 times with an inept machine when i can take one-two passes with a better machine you used to believe in until the profits ran thin.

Edited August 4, 2014 by LTDSC

[egott_91]

why would you reformulate PCP while still selling it and not tell your customers? Didnt want it to hurt the sale figures while you fixed it?

 

I liked PCP, it was very dusty though. The cut was decent, nothing major and i used it as a one step. I bought Finishing polish thinking it would actually do something. I was very disappointed. I've used PCP on a medium cut pad and a finishing pad. Both work great depending on situation.

 

I have since used all my PCP and will not be purchasing anymore.

 

You really need to lose the cyclo, its what is slowing you down. Im not going over a panel 5-6 times with an inept machine when i can take one-two passes with a better machine you used to believe in until the profits ran thin.

You expect every company to tell you when they're changing a product or stop selling it while reformulating it? I'm pretty sure there are many products you have used from many companies where you weren't even aware something was changed. As for the comment about the sales, this post is about saving customers from buying PFP if it's unnecessary...which would hurt sales even more.

 

I agree there are products on the market that cut better, but if you like PCP why wouldn't you buy it anymore?

 

As for the Cyclo, sure, it's not as powerful as other machines out there. However, everyone has a choice as to what machine they want to use. If you don't want to buy a Cyclo, don't, buy whatever machine works for you. They advocate the Cyclo because it's made in the USA and is a good primary machine for a novice or for a profesional's secondary machine. As for the machine I believe you're referring to, I don't believe it was from profits, it was due to the fact that the company started producing their product in a different country.

Edited August 4, 2014 by egott_91

[Junior]

Adam, I have actually one stepped it using the white microfiber pads and Paint Finishing Polish and a hit of revive and seen really good results. I think the idea of going "least aggressive" is always a good way. I guess the type of paint you are dealing with really dictates it too. I have been trying to stay away from cars that are hammered lately.

[2quikta]

why would you reformulate PCP while still selling it and not tell your customers? Didnt want it to hurt the sale figures while you fixed it?

 

I liked PCP, it was very dusty though. The cut was decent, nothing major and i used it as a one step. I bought Finishing polish thinking it would actually do something. I was very disappointed. I've used PCP on a medium cut pad and a finishing pad. Both work great depending on situation.

 

I have since used all my PCP and will not be purchasing anymore.

 

You really need to lose the cyclo, its what is slowing you down. Im not going over a panel 5-6 times with an inept machine when i can take one-two passes with a better machine you used to believe in until the profits ran thin.

Just like Erik said, what company tells you they are reformulating something?

 

Not everybody here has a need for the machine your advocating, which I'm guessing is the flex. I only have a PC, and it does perfectly fine for me. Adams still advocates using either a flex or PC, which is why they still sell pads for both.

[Tim]

If the car is not black and it's not a garage queen, I have been one stepping for a while now. Ease up the download pressure on the last section pass to leave a haze free glossy finish...

I agree. My Vette is black garage queen, so I use the finishing polish.

[ledger64]

why would you reformulate PCP while still selling it and not tell your customers? Didnt want it to hurt the sale figures while you fixed it?

 

I liked PCP, it was very dusty though. The cut was decent, nothing major and i used it as a one step. I bought Finishing polish thinking it would actually do something. I was very disappointed. I've used PCP on a medium cut pad and a finishing pad. Both work great depending on situation.

 

I have since used all my PCP and will not be purchasing anymore.

 

You really need to lose the cyclo, its what is slowing you down. Im not going over a panel 5-6 times with an inept machine when i can take one-two passes with a better machine you used to believe in until the profits ran thin.

Do you think maybe the reformulating and testing phases weren’t ready so it the info wasn't released yet.  Would you rather have the PCP discontinued like other products and be pissed off because another product wasn't available or since it is a tested and known good working product continue to sell it and then when its improved upon then replace it with the new version?

 

or better yet.  shame on Adam for making products better and improving.  how dare he work to test and roll out a new formula that’s better.

 

hmmm... sales figures thats it...gotta be.. they are hurting for money...hello!!!! anyone there lets see new distribution centers, ever expanding and improving product line.  have you seen the pictures of the fedex pick ups.   Not to mention the overbooked orders from the constant sales and promotions that are offered...  Yeah i think its the sales figures....NOT

 

Adams didn't stop selling the PC and Flex because of profits they stopped selling them because they are now manufactured in China.  This is the company's choice to support American made products...  BTW they still support the units they sold and still sell pads and accessories for both machines. 

 

All this can be learned from taking the time and reading the forum.  So back on this threads topic PCP as a one step solution.  This sounds interesting.

 

Just curious was a rinsless/waterless wash done because of a lack of time at the show or because now the PCP is better at removing old wax,sealant, and other products?

 

What indicators are there to determine if you need the finishing products?

[Thorsager]

This is a 1995 Z3 BMW that was never machine polished. The paint had severe swirls, scratches, holograms, etc. I began to get worried because I had to have the car done by the next day. After going over the car with just the Adams Paint Correcting Polish I really did not have to follow-up with the Finishing Polish. So I used Adams Liquid Paint Sealant and Americana. I think it turned out great.

[Kingsford]

The Paint Finishing Polish gave me a ton of issues and I stopped using it, as you probably know.

 

I actually used to do the majority of my yearly correction to my black truck with the old Fine Machine Polish only. Still have tons of SHR so I haven't tried the Paint Correcting.

[IrishCurse]

I agree with Chase above. Unless its a show car, I've been one stepping with PCP for a while.

Edited August 5, 2014 by IrishCurse

[Adam]

Great feedback friends!  Certainly, this conversation and effort is not to maximize profit, or sales.  Losing a product would hurt both.

 

Reading here, that many of you didn't like the dusting that the Paint Correcting Polish caused, we started tweaking.  The formula was not so massively different, that we chose to do an email blast, and make a big deal about it.  Rather, we improved it, quietly, and while the new formula cost us a few bucks more, we kept the price the same.

 

Suppose I was merely wanting to give our customers the fastest way to a great finish.  After all, my entire childhood and young-adulthood was spent detailing cars for money, and time is money!
 

Now, when I was polishing 10X more than normal for 6 straight days, I wanted to share that the Paint Correcting Polish seemed to do the trick, and I followed with Glaze, Sealant, Wax, or a combination of those.

 

If I was looking to try and sell more product, maybe this post wouldn't have ever showed up!
 

I really appreciate the great feedback here, and thanks for taking time to respond.

 

Thank You!

 

 

[BRZN]

PCP, Orange Microfiber Pads with either the Cyclo or Flex give me the results my customers and I desire. When I use the PCP with the Orange Foam Pads I've found I need to follow up with the PFP and a White Pad; either Microfiber or Foam. I don't get dusting with the PCP I've been using since it's release.

 

I've a buddy that had issue with a bottle of PFP. It left marring on the finish with both the White Microfiber and White Foam Pads. He could remove the marring with the PCP and an Orange Microfiber Pad. He was sent a replacement bottle (overnighted) that worked fine for him. I have the bottle that was causing him problems and can not replicate his marring. Has to be something with technique, just don't know what.

[Fphillips]

I love both of them. I love the I can do a one step on most of the cars I do and awesome results. Especially when I'm detailing for money.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Fphillips

[gapwedge]

After reading all of these posts I may try a test section on my red Lexus with the updated Corrective Polish/Orange Pad which I should be getting since I just ordered it yesterday according to Adam.

[Michael@Adams]

After reading all of these posts I may try a test section on my red Lexus with the updated Corrective Polish/Orange Pad which I should be getting since I just ordered it yesterday according to Adam.

 

Let us know! You definitely should get the new new    

[matts88yj]

I one step most of the time with Finishing Polish and white foam on the cars that I have previously worked on.  Just did a Ferrari California this past weekend and that's all it needed.  I know that you can mix and match product to pads as well depending on the paint hardness or softness.  Currently my PFP is more used than PCP.  Not sure I'll be purchasing either product again since better options are elsewhere.

[Ricky Bobby]

Hey Adam,

 

Personally I really like where your head is at with the Correcting Polish looking to do a one step.

 

From what I have seen of it, unless you are working on soft black, there is a good chance the Correcting Polish can be a one step product.  Using the Cyclo you probably will need to use Orange MF and a couple passes, but the MF pads finish so well so you should be LSP ready.

 

In my regimen I do not have a place for Brilliant Glaze as I am not big on masking in between polishing and LSP, or after LSP for that matter.  However, I do appreciate eliminating steps and saving time, both for the professional and the guy who just wants to get it done on a Sunday.

 

I would say take the following tests on different spot panels and share these results with us:

 

-Wash down/clay a vehicle panel, say a hood of a black pickup truck, so that we are really seeing our results here

-Tape off 4 section panels for working

-From what I read, your Correcting Polish benefits from a longer buffing cycle in order to finish down its best, so use the Cyclo at the same speed and same time for buffing cycle and try making one pass on each section with the following

 

-Orange MF (most aggressive pad offered)

-Orange Foam

-White MF

-White Foam

 

Then after each pass and wipe off of residue, hit each section with 15% IPA/distilled solution (some say 1:1 but this is too much) and show us the results.  Should give us a pretty good idea on a black car what combination works well on a "1 step" process.

 

Some may prefer a foam pad with the Orange polish just multiple steps, but would still be cool to see what each pad combination with the Correcting polish can accomplish in one pass.

 

 

There are 2 heavyweights I'm sure you are aware of which get phenomenal raving press from many top detailers in regards to being able to cut fairly heavily yet still finish down LSP ready on most paints, with little to no dusting, if your reformulation of the Correcting Polish improves upon your last version I'm thinking it very well may be able to hang with those 2 big boys.

 

 

Let us know your updates Adam and I'm really appreciating the company mindset and encouragement of thinking outside the box lately, its very refreshing!  For what its worth if I didn't have 3 different polish bottles on my shelf I'd have a new one of yours on there, I should be empty by years end and plan on picking up the Orange polish when I re-stock, I may also see if I can get a sample as well to try it out next to some of my other currently used liquids.

[Team Adam's]

-Wash down/clay a vehicle panel, say a hood of a black pickup truck, so that we are really seeing our results here

It's like you're reading my mind....

[Gen9Rolla]

It's like you're reading my mind....

Ahh, the run through the car wash makes sense now Edited August 5, 2014 by Gen9Rolla