Need help with choosing best products for my situation

[John707]

Good morning everyone. I just purchased a new 2019 pearl white Chevy Tahoe and want to get this thing fully detailed inside and out. I have researched and came to conclusion Adam's is the products I want to use. Heck, even the official Chevrolet website sells/recommends them so they must be awesome!

 

My short intro---I use to work detail at a Ford dealership in my early 20s for a few years. Flash forward 15 years I know am married with a 6/5/2 year olds. Lets just say life is hectic right now! And time I will have to complete my exterior detail is limited.

 

What I am looking for is the quickest but best way to clay and wax the exterior. I was leaning on Adams medium clay mitt but the waxes I am lost. I do want to clay, polish, and then seal the paint for sure. I don't think my budget includes an electric polisher so I may be stuck doing by hand unless there are a super budget friendly polisher on the market? 

 

Any recommendations please? Thank you all! 

[OTW Z-Boy]

51 minutes ago, John707 said:

Well gx...I need to look at this master blaster I guess! SOLD! Lol

 

Or maybe my leaf blower would suffice hmmmm

I regularly use the leaf blower. Works best on “coated” surfaces 

[John707]

I am an early riser...6am washing my vehicles. Leaf blower is pretty darn loud tho lol.

[falcaineer]

1 hour ago, John707 said:

Well gx...I need to look at this master blaster I guess! SOLD! Lol

 

Or maybe my leaf blower would suffice hmmmm

 

This has been a much debated topic. But I'll say be careful with a leaf blower, especially if used around the yard. You're spitting dust, debris, etc on the coating. Those that have the MB swear by it as a dedicated drying tool. But honestly, with a coated car, you may not even need it since water will slide off easier than ever before. Add in a sheet/poll rinse and your car will be mostly dry by the end. To be honest, a Sidekick would be a better investment, IMO, because it works well on crevasses which is where most of your water will remain on a coated car.

 

I know, a lot to consider, but it's your dollar so buy what feels right.

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

7 hours ago, John707 said:

 

Yo yo your messing my budget up...I am about to buy the foam cannon! Lol

 

I saw so many ways to use this on youtube....but can I use the foam can like this:

 

1. Pressure wash truck rinsing it well

2. Foam cannon the whole vehicle let sit a few minutes

3. Hand wash truck

4. Spray off with pressure washer - Done

 

 

I've seen videos where people foam cannon the vehicle and then rinse the suds off completely then start hand washing. My thought is to foam cannon the truck then instead of rinsing off just start hand washing. 

Lol I’m sorry! Just like to share the love. It’s a fun hobby. Also you don’t have to get it all at once get it in phases. But while you’re at it, check out some mystery items. Those are fun!

 

either way is fine, I prefer to have the car foamed for extra lubrication. And I still do a bucket wash sometimes Two sometimes one depending on how dirty the vehicle is.

[John707]

Been watching  a ton of videos on the foam cannon, feeling even more confused

 

Should I use the foam cannon as a prewash and foam down the truck then rinse off then start the 2 bucket wash?

 

I mean my plan was to use the cannon to save time and get the whole vehicle super foamed up then go to town with the hand washing. I will have 1 bucket for mitt rinsing handy as well. But is this method will create some crazy swirls then shoot I better not! 

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

8 hours ago, John707 said:

Been watching  a ton of videos on the foam cannon, feeling even more confused

 

Should I use the foam cannon as a prewash and foam down the truck then rinse off then start the 2 bucket wash?

 

I mean my plan was to use the cannon to save time and get the whole vehicle super foamed up then go to town with the hand washing. I will have 1 bucket for mitt rinsing handy as well. But is this method will create some crazy swirls then shoot I better not! 

Its ultimately up to you - What process you like best. I encourage you to try them out and see wehat you like. When I was doing research, I found it very popular for the people in other countries, they like to do things in different orders than I've typically seen from people here in the US. (ie, foam first then rinse then bucket wash... another example is I saw in the UK somebody likes to do the body of the vehicle before the wheels and tires. That's opposite to how I like to do it and how the majority of detailers do it here in the US).

 

I have been using a foam cannon for many months now, and I do it consistently the way you're saying all in one step. I foam the vehicle wait like 2-3 minutes, then I use my mitt which is in a bucket with car shampoo, and I hand wash. 

[GXPaycheck]

14 hours ago, John707 said:

Well gx...I need to look at this master blaster I guess! SOLD! Lol

 

Or maybe my leaf blower would suffice hmmmm

Leaf blower is a 3 (not filtered and can deposit crap back on the car), MB is a 10. You can blow dry the dog from 10 feet away 😁

14 hours ago, John707 said:

Ok for a semi dirty truck:

 

1. Hose down truck.

2. Foam cannon

3. Hand wash with only 1 bucket for wash mit occasional rinsing

4. Spray truck and done

 

Would this method work? My thinking is the foam cannon eliminates my need for a wash bucket is that correct?

Not necessarily. All depends on how dirty the paint is. Foam alone won’t get road film off. Soap needs some physical help. Use multiple mits and you’ll only need one bucket (to put dirty mits in). Another factor is what you want your paint to look like. No swirls = extra effort. 

[John707]

52 minutes ago, GXPaycheck said:

Leaf blower is a 3 (not filtered and can deposit crap back on the car), MB is a 10. You can blow dry the dog from 10 feet away 😁

Not necessarily. All depends on how dirty the paint is. Foam alone won’t get road film off. Soap needs some physical help. Use multiple mits and you’ll only need one bucket (to put dirty mits in). Another factor is what you want your paint to look like. No swirls = extra effort. 

 

You know what GX, I just watched a video where a guy had like 5 mitts and only a bucket to place the used/dirty mitts into once he completed that section. His point was you have enough soap from the foam cannon applied to vehicle and can just use multiple wash mitts and no bucket wash method. 

 

I am going to try all the different methods and see which I prefer. Guess it's a good excuse to wash the truck even more lol.

 

On a side note my 6 and 5 year olds are probably more excited to use the foam cannon then me. We were watching all the foam youtube videos and these kids are obsessed with bubbles/foam as it is! They are saying daddy when is this cannon coming we want to try!

Edited September 23, 2019 by John707

[John707]

3 hours ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

I have been using a foam cannon for many months now, and I do it consistently the way you're saying all in one step. I foam the vehicle wait like 2-3 minutes, then I use my mitt which is in a bucket with car shampoo, and I hand wash. 

 

Yo Yo do you also have a rinse bucket when you are doing it this way? Or just the mitt wash bucket?

[RayS]

I might be a little obsessed with how I'm organized and what I use and when I use it, but for the most part the outcome is what really matters.  I also know that I didn't build the inventory of products used overnight, so I'm not advocating going into hock to build your inventory.   As you think about what you want to accomplish and plan for the next 20 years, think about how you are going to rotate items that wear out and increase your skills over time.

 

I have a 3 1/2 gallon bucket strictly for the wheels and exhaust tip, plus any other grimy area.  Then a 5 gallon rinse bucket and 5 gallon soap bucket.  I don't care what vehicle I'm doing, the pattern is the same for a full wash, the difference will be the wash mitt.

 

For large vehicles, I'll use the Adam's Car Wash Wedge which works exceptionally well on motorhomes, campers and enclosed trailers, garage doors and similar large surface areas.

The Red wash mitts are reserved for very dirty vehicles when I know I'm going to pick up debris, they get rinsed after each panel and then once grubby enough tossed to the side I grab another one.  

The Gray wash mitts are used on vehicles that are daily drivers that are kept in good shape and just need a bath or are going to be clayed and polished

The 10" wash pads are upper level vehicles that need a good wash and won't be touched beyond using boost, brilliant glaze or maybe reply Americana.

The Lambskin wash mitt gets used on the wife's garage queen and vehicles that are pristine and are coated, have Ceramic Paste Wax or Patriots on them and only touched by me.

[John707]

Thanks Ray! I felt a little overwhelmed to be honest as I just dropped over $300 for adams products then came across the air dryers, foam cannons, pressure washer attachments etc etc. But I will build my inventory up slowly as to not piss off my wife lol.

 

I did manage to secure a few family vehicles and do a full detail for some cash so that will help offset the costs. 

 

I just picked up a few 5 gallon home depot buckets and a 3.5.bucket for my wheels/tires as well. Adams grit guards coming in mail today via Amazon and now I am just waiting for my large order from Adams website to arrive then will tackle my first project--- my 2019 Tahoe. Can't wait! 

[John707]

I also got the Adam's micro fiber wash matt(gray color) that will be mine and 2 of the cheap Chemical guy green microfiber wash mitts which I am letting my 6 and 5 year olds use to "help" daddy out. I mean they are super excited to help with this foam cannon so I figured I'd get a few wash mitts for them. Will teach them the proper wash to scrub the vehicles down but we'll see how that goes. 

[GXPaycheck]

23 hours ago, John707 said:

 

You know what GX, I just watched a video where a guy had like 5 mitts and only a bucket to place the used/dirty mitts into once he completed that section. His point was you have enough soap from the foam cannon applied to vehicle and can just use multiple wash mitts and no bucket wash method. 

 

I am going to try all the different methods and see which I prefer. Guess it's a good excuse to wash the truck even more lol.

 

On a side note my 6 and 5 year olds are probably more excited to use the foam cannon then me. We were watching all the foam youtube videos and these kids are obsessed with bubbles/foam as it is! They are saying daddy when is this cannon coming we want to try!

You know you can foam the kids down too. Save them from having to shower later 😁

Blow dry them with the Master Blaster 👍

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

5 minutes ago, GXPaycheck said:

You know you can foam the kids down too. Save them from having to shower later 😁

Blow dry them with the Master Blaster 👍

Been dreaming of getting a pup just so I could foam him/her up and blow dry lol

[John707]

Hmmmm wonder if the foam cannon can take some kids shampoo and I can create a mini foam party for them...seriously lol

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

52 minutes ago, John707 said:

Hmmmm wonder if the foam cannon can take some kids shampoo and I can create a mini foam party for them...seriously lol

100% would recommend trying. 

 

make sure they wear goggles both to not get soap in their eyes and to make sure the corners of the spray don't hurt their eyes

Edited September 24, 2019 by Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin

[RayS]

@John707 your next objective is to ensure your wife's vehicle is perfect. Once she realizes how much you appreciate her and that all of the money and time to learn the craft is to take care of her vehicle, she'll not only say ok to the purchases, she'll tell you when there are sales and even put in the orders for you.   Then if you are really doing a good job and showing her that you are trying to save some money, it only takes a suggestion from @falcaineer or one of the other members and she'll question you on why you are not using the best towel or whatever on her vehicle.  Then you'll find out that she questions everything that is going to touch her vehicle to make sure it is the best. 

 

Seriously, if you watch your inventory and hit the sales, you can get the products you need over time and at a reasonable price-point.  Once you know the primary products you are going to be using, purchase the gallon refill kits, that way you get a second bottle to rotate and cost is considerably less than the 16oz bottles one at a time.  For the infrequently used products, I only get them in the 16 oz and there are products that I don't need, so I won't stock them.   If they ever do another mystery towel box, grab it, you can never have enough towels.  The borderless gray is my go to towel and I bought the largest bundle possible.  My towel inventory is 3 decades old with the worst of the towels being used for engine bays and such, but I buy a few towels every quarter to replenish the stock.

 

 

[falcaineer]

2 hours ago, RayS said:

Then if you are really doing a good job and showing her that you are trying to save some money, it only takes a suggestion from @falcaineer or one of the other members and she'll question you on why you are not using the best towel or whatever on her vehicle. 

 

Soooo, bought the Sprayable Compound yet??!! 😉😁

[RayS]

1 hour ago, falcaineer said:

 

Soooo, bought the Sprayable Compound yet??!! 😉😁

I keep trying to put it my wishlist so the wife will order it.... But, the wishlist hasn't worked in over a week for adding anything.   I also will need to get the glass ceramic and the new tire & wheel cleaner, I believe they were all your recommendations.   

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

16 minutes ago, RayS said:

I keep trying to put it my wishlist so the wife will order it.... But, the wishlist hasn't worked in over a week for adding anything.   I also will need to get the glass ceramic and the new tire & wheel cleaner, I believe they were all your recommendations.   

I actually tried it today and it worked for me. Have you tried today?

[falcaineer]

59 minutes ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

I actually tried it today and it worked for me. Have you tried today?

 

If it's intermittent please let me know. I need to pass it along to the staff.

[John707]

I totally forgot to ask one question. So on Day 2 when I tackle the already clayed truck (Day 1), what is the best towel to use to spray and wipe off the detail spray that I will use to knock off any dust prior to beginning polish/sealant? 

 

I have a 50 pack of Kirkland MF towels which if these aren't good to have in general let me know I'll return to Costco lol.

 

I also have 2 towels from my Adams detail spray collection kit I got. And I believe 2 gray towels from the H20 guard n gloss kit I purchased as well. 

 

I am thinking of buying the towel that comes with the waterless wash and it seems like a good one to use? Unless I can get away with using one of the towels I already have above?

 

Thanks!

Edited September 27, 2019 by John707

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

For using the detail spray, either the single soft towels or the borderless gray towels will work great. As for the Kirkland MF towels, I can't say I know the exact towels you're using, but for cheap packs of microfibers that I buy in large amounts, usually they are not great for the paint. So I used those for interior surfaces, wheels/tires, engine bay, or for around the house type of stuff. So they're not useless in my eyes, but I prefer the premium microfiber for touching my paint.

[RayS]

The low end microfiber towels are a step up from the shop rags or shop towels that you can buy in a box.  I keep some of each around with the full knowledge they are meant to be tossed instead of washed.  They work good with APC for engine bays, exceptionally dirty wheel wells and the back side of wheels when you pull them off a vehicle.   You can pick them up at the big box warehouse stores rather cheap.   Once you have cleaned the grease, oil and bad grime off with one of them, then you can use a real microfiber that is washable.

 

I also use the low end microfibers for putting on trim restorer, I've found them easier to use since you can put a glove on and then get into a small area with a finger compared to the microfiber applicator which works better on larger surfaces.  I never touch the body of a vehicle with them unless I'm dealing with pine pitch or something like that since I know it will leave marring and require correction.

[John707]

Got my big Adam's order delivered, super excited fella's! I live in california so it was only 3 days delivery from Colorado not too bad. I can't do my Truck detail until a few weeks tho so I am wondering if maybe ok to do a wash then apply some H20 G&G on the paint until then? Or no point in the H20 g&g since it won't be clayed/polished/sealed yet?

 

Thanks!

Edited September 28, 2019 by John707