Junior

LOL... My wife complains about the smell of the truck in the garage, but I love it. Smells like gasoline, rubber, and old car.

I'll jump in on this and offer some insight - There are 2 things that kill GWDT (or any waffle towel for that matter)
 
FABRIC SOFTENER - if a dryer sheet mistakenly gets into a load of microfiber laundry or if your dryer has excessive amounts of softener residue in the drum the towel will pick this up. Serious enough buildup in the towel will actually make it seem like it repels water more than it absorbs it. CHEMICAL BUILDUP - using DS, WW, or RW as a drying agent when you dry helps a ton, but over time the chemicals can buildup in the towel. There is a finite amount of absorbancy in a towel both in the fiber structure and the woven pockets. Once those become completely clogged with chemical residues it loses its ability to hold water. This is why the use of detergents like woolite are not recommended. They can't break loose the waxes, polymers, and other contamination from deep within the fibers. This can also be compounded by really poor water quality (ie. well water) If you go to use a GWDT and it doesnt' do the best job of holding liquid anymore try doing a wash with a heavy amount of MFR&B or go to the boiling method. Releasing the fabric softener and/or whatever contamination has been trapped in the fibers/weave will restore the towel to like new.
 
That being said - the lifespan of a towel is going to be entirely dependent on how often its used, how its cared for, what products its used with, water quality, where its stored, etc...  theres no way to say for sure. Towels do eventually go bad, but its typically only after LOTS AND LOTS of use. I have some GWDT's that are 5+ years old. They look terrible, but they still work. I have others that got contaminated and haven't been boiled that are less than 12 months old (I suspect a rogue dryer sheet). Just depends.

Yeah.. I prefer the interior detail spray to be neutral in scent. I prefer the smell of my new car.

... what scents would you want?
 
 
I've been kicking around a few air freshener ideas, but the challenge (as it always is) to designing an interior scent is satisfying the preferences of as many people as possible. We're not going to get into the game of offering 200 different scents to satisfy every need, but 2 or 3 options could be in the works.
 
So post up your top 5 preferences for interior scents and be specific - so for example "berry"... what kind? Stawberry? Blueberry?
 
These will likely be spray-in odor eliminators/air fresheners... not the little trees type mirror dangles. Lets hear your input - its your feedback that will help us decide where to take this project and if we move to development what scents we'll focus on.
 
To get us started, heres mine:
 
Coconut Leather Piña Colada New Car Detail Spray  
 

If I can't see dirt upon a close inspection, I re-use.

Yep I'd go touchless all the way. You could pre treat any heavy soiled areas with WW or the Rinseless diuted solution and that should help. You could even go into the coin op and do Touchless in there the same way. If the car has a good LSP, you should be able to knock a lot of junk off of it that way. I have my DD protected with Buttery Wax along with Quick Sealant and Liquid Paint Sealant in places. Those seem to keep most dirt from sticking to where I can hit it with the coin op rinse and take care of most of it.

Chris, I'm thinking he's referring to a different brand all-in-one polish.
 
I will let Dylan chime in for a better answer, as I don't have much experience with All-in-One polishes, but I would say if the surface is heavily swirled and you are using Adam's polishing pads, then you would still probably want an orange microfiber or orange foam pad for their correcting capabilities. Granted, it's not designed to be an AIO, but I've been able to do a one-step polish using the orange pads with Paint Correcting Polish on a few cars that I've detailed...it all depends on how soft the clearcoat is for me.  If the surface isn't too bad, then use the white polishing pads.  You always want to try the least aggressive pads and polish to start with in a test spot, then determine if you will need to go with a more aggressive pad and polish solution.
 
One other factor to consider, which polisher are you using?  7424xp, Flex, Cyclo, other? 

heisenberg himself mixing up chemicals for the new coating

Can't beat this steamer from McCulloch for $150
 
http://www.amazon.com/McCulloch-MC1385-Deluxe-Canister-System/dp/B00G00BTEA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418935561&sr=8-3&keywords=mcculloch+steam

Speaking from experience, and I'm sure Adam will chime in on this as well - the key to success on fleet work is speed. The faster you can get thru the job the more profitable it is. Thats true of any detail work, but its magnified 100x over on fleet work b/c the nature of it. Good luck whatever you decide to do... keep us posted and feel free to ask more questions along the way.

Once again, Team Adams has exceeded my expectations. I called customer service for some help on a purchase and Ben was extremely helpful and efficient at getting things handled. It is getting to be almost ridiculous how good these folks are time and time again. I wonder what Adam does to have a team that knocks it out of the park 1000 percent every time! I can definitely see a common mindset in all phases of this company. And now you guys got ol Dylan back too. Outstanding product support and customer service! Thanks Ben and team, Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all of you!

Once again, Team Adams has exceeded my expectations. I called customer service for some help on a purchase and Ben was extremely helpful and efficient at getting things handled. It is getting to be almost ridiculous how good these folks are time and time again. I wonder what Adam does to have a team that knocks it out of the park 1000 percent every time! I can definitely see a common mindset in all phases of this company. And now you guys got ol Dylan back too. Outstanding product support and customer service! Thanks Ben and team, Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all of you!

For something like this steam would likely be your best bet, not only in terms of speed, but also what its capable of doing. You'll have to do some reading up on steamers and determine the best way to use it on the specific materials you're addressing, but it would be a worthwhile investment if this is a long term gig.
That being said, from the sounds of it you'll still want to at least pre-clean with the method you're using now to break up the surface soiling, then go back with the steamer to sanitize.
 
As far as Cyclo attachments. We currently offer the carpet brush option, which is probably a little too aggressive for what you're dealing with. They offer a more mild option we have debated bringing on on thats better suited to leathers and vinyls.
 
Any chance you can get us a picture so I have an idea of what exactly the condition and type of panels are that you're working on?

How about foaming sprayers?

So you want to start mixing and diluting products for various uses, but you're not sure how to decode the ratios? Not to worry - the Shine Doc has got you covered! Dilution and mixing can be a very important part of a good detailing regimen, whether its to reduce the strength of a cleaner for more delicate needs or reduce the shine of a dressing, its key to know how to properly read dilution recommendations.
 
WHAT PRODUCTS CAN BE DILUTED?
Virtually any chemical can be diluted in one way or another, but things like wax for example won't be diluted often. Other products like Super VRT, Leather & Interior Cleaner, or Rinseless Wash will be things you dilute all the time.
 
CAN I USE TAP WATER TO DILUTE THINGS?
Yes and no, it really depends on the product you're mixing and what its purpose will be. Typically any product that has an 'optical implication' should only be mixed with distilled water. By optical implication we're talking about products with a visual impact on reflection, clarity, etc. So for example Super VRT can be mixed with regular tap water as the clarity of your tires or trim isn't an issue. On the other hand Rinseless should (ideally) be diluted with distilled water to reduce the chance for streaking when its used as a waterless spray.
 
DEFINING 'PARTS' IN A DILUTION
The term 'parts' are used in simplified dilution ratios that allow the user to calculate a dilution ratio regardless of the size of the bottle or batch you are mixing. Simply put 'parts' are a basic way to break down a mix and scale it to whatever amount you need or want.
 
In a dilution ratio your first number is always the water and the second number is your chemical, so for example:
 
If you were trying to create a dilution of Car Wash at 4:1 it would read 4 PARTS water and 1 PART car wash. Because the ratio is a simplified dilution you can apply it to something as small as a 16oz bottle or as large as a 5 gallon bucket. As long as you know the parts you can create any batch you need at the identical dilution ratio.
 
HOW PARTS MAKE UP A TOTAL YIELD
With the parts understood we can discuss how those parts add up to create your total yield. The total yield is the amount of the finished mixture you will create with your dilution. Simply put, the sum of the parts equals the yield. Sticking with our 4:1 mixture for Car Wash from earlier -
 
4 parts water and 1 part car wash equals a total yield of 5 (the sum of the parts)
 
If you were using a dilution of 20:1 your total yield would be 21. If working with a dilution of 10:1 your total yield is 11, etc, etc.
 
DETERMINING YOUR BATCH SIZE
Your batch will be dictated mostly by the container you intend to mix in. Keep in mind that most bottles are not defined by 'full to the top' as almost every bottle manufacture leaves an air gap at the top to reduce spillage. If your bottle doesn't have markers or a gauge to indicate sizes use a measuring cup to determine where the fill lines should be and mark them with a sharpie.
 
CONVERTING YOUR RATIO TO OUNCES
So now we know what parts are and how they add up to the total yield. You also know that your batch size will be dictated by your container, but how do we break the formula down into ounces and start mixing? We need to convert our parts to ounces. Lets say we're going to mix 32oz of our Car Wash solution at 4:1 to clean a set of delicate aluminum wheels:
 
 
BATCH / YIELD = OUNCES PER PART
 

Remember BATCH is the size of your container, or the amount you wish to make in ounces and YIELD is the total number of parts in your dilution ratio so in our example:
 
32oz  /  5  =  6.4 ounces per part
 
Now that we've determined our ounces per part we can plug that number back into the original ratio and determine exactly what we need to create our mixture in the correct batch size
 
4 PARTS WATER       x     6.4oz   =     25.6oz
1 PART CAR WASH   x     6.4oz   =     6.4oz
 
Double checking our math by adding it together you can see we have a total of 32oz of mixture being created at our desired dilution.
 
TIP: PRE-MIX LARGER BATCHES
Armed with all this new found knowledge of dilution how can you make it even more effective? Try pre-mixing larger quantities of your most commonly used ratios for refill purposes. Diluting directly into the bottle, while convenient and easy does present a challenge - if you are almost done with your mixture and need to refill it how can you accurately measure when there is already liquid in the bottle to contend with? By mixing gallon or larger batches to then refill your spray bottles you can eliminate the guess work and the need to mix for 128oz of use.

So the next time you exhaust a gallon container don't toss it out! Mix up a batch of your most commonly used dilution and have it ready to go whenever you need it!

 
COMMON DILUTIONS
Below you'll find just a few suggestions on various dilutions to use your Adam's products at. If you have a dilution ratio you like for a product reply here and we'll add it to the list. The beauty of diluting products is you can find a variety of needs and new solutions for products you may not have thought of before.
 
All Purpose Cleaner 8:1 - Delicate aluminum wheels or trim 4:1 - Bug or tar pre-treater, door sills, kick panels 1:1 - Ceramic coated wheels, gloss or matte black painted wheels, delicate engine bay Car Shampoo 128:1 - Soap Bucket 8:1 - Foam Cannon or Foam Gun Leather & Interior Cleaner 8:1 - Delicate surface interior cleaning 3:1 - Moderate soiling 1:1 - General coated leather cleaning (when no stains are present) Mega Foam 256:1 - Soap Bucket 16:1 - Foam Cannon or Foam Gun Rinseless Wash 16:1 - Waterless washing spray 64:1 - Clay lubricant 6:1 - Pre-Wash/Pre-Soak solution Strip Wash 128:1 - Soap Bucket 8:1 - Foam Cannon or Foam Gun Tire & Rubber Cleaner 1:1 - Maintenance cleaning of lightly dirty tires, delicate engine bay Ultra Foam Shampoo 128:1 - Soap Bucket 10:1 - Foam Cannon or Foam Gun VRT Tire & Trim Dressing 1:1 - Spray on low gloss tire dressing 2:1 - Spray on detailer for vinyl soft tops/tonneau covers and engine bay plastics/hoses (sometimes referred to as "VRT Milk") 3:1 - Quick detail spray dressing for matte vinyl wraps Wash & Wax 128:1 - Soap Bucket 10:1 - Foam Cannon or Foam Gun Wheel Cleaner 1:1 - Paint decontamination/removal of ferrous metal (Iron Remover is preferred and more effective for full body panels) Wheel & Tire Cleaner 2:1 - Fender wells and engine bay 1:1 - Maintenance cleaning of lightly dirty wheels and tires 

I got one of my wishes! 

Thanks all!
 
It was Super Easy! I didn't clay the car as I didn't have that amount of time. I did do a winter bucket wash yesterday, but drove about 30-40 miles last night and therefore had to do a waterless wash before I applied LSP.
The hardest part was seeing where I already applied the LSP. My car is gray in color and I feel like that made it very difficult to see the LSP on the paint.

Reformulation of SVRT? The longevity of bearded tire dressing is better. Water activated sealant as well.

Water activated sealant. AIO polish. My two suggestions.

Water Activated Sealant & recommended dilution ratios for APC.

A couple of things that I can think of at the moment for new products would be an AIO polish and a Water Activated Sealant.. I'll think more about it. 

How about a little competition in the bug/tar remover category? Rural missouri is a nightmare when it comes to both.

Also maybe if Adam's offers Dr.Colorchip? I know a lot of us would probably order it.  Sometimes you just can't avoid chips and cuts in your paint.  
 
I'd also like to see Adam's offer a premium wash media option like a microfiber wash pad or something along those lines.  Maybe one made of foam that's easy to use and maintain. I use a MF pad from another company and it is fantastic.  

Things I frequently use from other manufacturers because they're not available from Adam's:
 
1. bug/tar remover that doesn't strip durable sealants.
2. AIO with real swirl removing ability and a long lasting sealant that is effective by hand or machine.
3. spray sealant that doesn't require a final buff. 
4. dedicated spray on/walk away wheel protectant. I go through a LOT of this stuff and I only know of one version on the market.
5. microfiber wash mitts. they're so much easier to take care of IMO.
6. a QD+ / spray sealant like V07.

AIO
Water Activated Sealant
Bug/Tar Remover
APC concentrate
User friends Coating