New to the Site

[JoeMar]

New guy on the block, checking in.  I've spent more than I care to admit on Adam's products since sheltering in place has begun, and I'm ready to get my 2018 Camaro SS out for a full wash and detail over Memorial Day weekend - now that the Chicagoland weather is starting to cooperate.  I'll be trying Patriot Wax and Brilliant Glaze for the first time, hoping for some great depth and gloss on the black paint.  Any tips or tricks would be appreciated, along with any ideas on what to add to my arsenal next.

[RayS]

Welcome to for the Forum Joe.   We'll gladly trade you some advise for tomorrow in exchange for a picture today..😁.   

 

You'll love the outcome of the Patriots Wax and Brilliant Glaze will add that extra pop for a couple of days.  They key is the preparation of the vehicle and black can be especially challenging.  I specialize in doing Red vehicles, but the last two were both black, a Roush Mustang and 50 year old Datsun 240z.  I also looked at the one I'll be doing this weekend and it is another black vehicle, that will be dropped off on Friday for a Ceramic Coating.  I'll post the details and pictures on Sunday for that one.  

 

How are you planning on doing your prep?

[Rich]

Welcome to the forum Joe.  I'm a Chevy guy too.  Patriot and Brilliant Glaze will give you one big smile.  Questions?  Ask away! 

[falcaineer]

Welcome, Joe!

 

Black cars are a lifestyle, but nothing looks better when clean. I always say true shine comes from proper paint correction, the rest is enhancement and protection. Do you have the tools necessary? 

 

Oh, and let's see some pictures!

[Chris@Adams]

Welcome Joe!

[JoeMar]

11 hours ago, RayS said:

Welcome to for the Forum Joe.   We'll gladly trade you some advise for tomorrow in exchange for a picture today..😁.   

 

You'll love the outcome of the Patriots Wax and Brilliant Glaze will add that extra pop for a couple of days.  They key is the preparation of the vehicle and black can be especially challenging.  I specialize in doing Red vehicles, but the last two were both black, a Roush Mustang and 50 year old Datsun 240z.  I also looked at the one I'll be doing this weekend and it is another black vehicle, that will be dropped off on Friday for a Ceramic Coating.  I'll post the details and pictures on Sunday for that one.  

 

How are you planning on doing your prep?

 

Planned prep will be a normal hand wash, followed by the Visco Clay bar lubed with Detail Spray.  I tried this combo out last weekend on my daily (black 2014 Accord sedan), but used an older Adam's clay bar which was promptly thrown out due to the amount of contamination that it pulled up. For the daily, I used Buttery Wax, and applied after the claying, with the Detail Spray residue still on the surface. I was wary at first, having the residue still on, but it came out looking nice.

 

The order I have in my head for the Camaro: Wash > Clay > Patriot Wax > Brilliant Glaze.  Anything wrong with my process? Also, would it be redundant if I threw a layer of H2O Guard and Gloss in there at some point?

 

Picture attached is the most recent one I have available, from last November when I was prepping to store for the winter. I'll follow up on this post to show the after pics.

Edited May 15, 2020 by JoeMar
Forgot picture

[RayS]

Nice looking car.   Since I don't see any correction in there, I'm presuming it is swirl free and doesn't need anything.  Even so, going over the vehicle with Revive Hand Polish or now it is just called Hand Polish, not only acts as a cleaner, it also boosts the shine.   I always use Hand Polish on the tails lights and marker lights, it keeps the oxidation off and make these look good.

 

As for the H20, in my opinion, I wouldn't put it on the car.  The Patriots wax will give you a beautiful appearance and then for the weekend the BG topper will really make it pop.  Just remember that BG only lasts for a couple of days.  I tend to use the BG topper when we're going to a show or someplace special for the weekend.    If you don't have any Revive or Hand Polish, that is an item that is generally stocked at your local Chevy dealer.

[JoeMar]

16 hours ago, RayS said:

Nice looking car.   Since I don't see any correction in there, I'm presuming it is swirl free and doesn't need anything.  Even so, going over the vehicle with Revive Hand Polish or now it is just called Hand Polish, not only acts as a cleaner, it also boosts the shine.   I always use Hand Polish on the tails lights and marker lights, it keeps the oxidation off and make these look good.

 

As for the H20, in my opinion, I wouldn't put it on the car.  The Patriots wax will give you a beautiful appearance and then for the weekend the BG topper will really make it pop.  Just remember that BG only lasts for a couple of days.  I tend to use the BG topper when we're going to a show or someplace special for the weekend.    If you don't have any Revive or Hand Polish, that is an item that is generally stocked at your local Chevy dealer.

Thanks Ray. I’ll look into the Hand Polish and skip the H2O. 

[Rich]

Man, that's one sharp ride.  

[Mike E.]

Beautiful car!

 

You've taken very good care of her. There has been some excellent advise given. Let us know how it turns out.

[kaj41354]

Welcome Joe

[JoeMar]

After 6.5 hours today, I have finished. I’ll outline my process and welcome constructive criticism, and I’ll include some “before” and after photos, along with a group shot of all the products I used.

 

To start, I focused on the wheels and tailpipes, the tips of which were in need of a deep clean. Photo will be attached of after-cleaning, but before polishing and ceramic treatment. Started with the Tire & Rubber cleaner, which I’ve been very impressed with.  Did a second go-around with it just to make sure all the color was removed from the tires. With 20” silver painted wheels and gigantic Brembo calipers, you can expect that brake dust is my mortal enemy. As a result, I have multiple wheel cleaning brushes: lug nut brush, small wheel woolie, turbo stick, wheel brush, tire brush, and fender brush. Each were used for their specific purposes, and I feel the wheels came out looking nice, but they weren’t too filthy to begin with. I used the wheel woolie and some APC on the exhaust tips, stolen from Adam’s instructions on his video where he cleans that Cadillac’s tips, finishing with the Ceramic Metal Kit...more on that later.

 

After the tires, wheels and tips were done, I moved to the traditional wash, using the Ultra Foam Shampoo and the basic Foam Gun. Tips for using the Foam Gun would be appreciated (no pressure washer here) because right now I’m constantly popping the canister off the nozzle to rinse, and that gets kind of old quick. I hit the whole thing, focusing on the front grill to blast off some bugs with the Bug Remover. Detail Spray and the plush drying towel to dry, another combination I’ve been extremely impressed with. 

 

Backed it into the garage for the fun part, starting with the Visco Clay Bar and Detail Spray to clay the whole body down and decontaminate. I left the Detail Spray residue on the body then hit it with a layer of Patriot Wax. I was concerned at first that the applicator wasn’t picking enough of the wax up, but it was applying just fine. The applicator didn’t get as saturated as a hex would with Buttery Wax. The instructions said to wait about 5-10 minutes for the haze to develop before buffing off, so I would apply to a few panels, then circle back with the Double Plush Polishing Towel to finish. This worked pretty well, and I never struggled to remove the applied product. 

 

After the wax was applied and buffed off, I decided that would be it for the body. I did not put any Brilliant Glaze on this time around. I then circled back the wheels, and applied some H2O Guard and Gloss to the wheels, hoping that the protectant would keep some of the brake dust at bay going forward.  Worth a shot, I guess. I then applied Tire Shine to the wheels, and VRT to some of the trim around the windows and the windshield. 

 

Next up was the front of the car, I tried out the Ceramic Window Kit. Clean glass, clay glass, Wipe A, Wipe B, don’t forget the gloves and ventilation. This was an easy process, but it made me feel like a scientist with the gloves. I’ll be interested to see how it responds in the next rain I drive in. After that was another Ceramic kit: Ceramic Trim and Headlight Kit. I skipped the trim portion and just applied to the headlights. Again, easy application once I read the instructions.

 

I had one last Ceramic kit to try out (all three came in my Mystery Bucket from earlier in the month) - the Metal Ceramic Kit. Using Metal Polishes #1 and #2 (which were delivered during the wash) I polished the exhaust tips using both of those, then used the prep spray and the wipes to coat and protect the tips. I’d say I noticed some brightening on the tips, but with only 10,500 miles on the car, they weren’t too trashed to begin with.

 

One other item I’ve forgotten when it took place was the Ceramic Waterless Wash. I used this on my door jambs and the trunk area when opened. Spray on, wipe off, buff again, pretty easy. I’m glad they included that in the Mystery Bucket, because I believe you can use that to maintain and treat the glass coating periodically.

 

I believe that’s it. All in all, a very enjoyable morning and early afternoon. I feel like I have everything I need to adequately wash, wax and detail my cars...but wants are another story. Looking to pick up a swirl killer to get as close to perfect as I can, along with some paint correction on the Daily. 

 

Photo lineup (not sure how these will display): shot angled away is post wash, pre wax, side shot is fully complete, tailpipes with entirety of the reflector visible is post cleaning but pre-polishing, tailpipes with only half the reflector visible and something green (gallon of glass cleaner, I think) reflecting in the bumper is post polishing and protectant. Group shot of all the products also included. As I tell my wife, there’s a tool for every job. 

 

Thanks again for the warm welcome, I hope everyone has an enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend!