Hot_Wheel

Since I like old style pinstriping, and I'm an Adam's dealer I had this little sign made. I thought it came out pretty nice. It is all hand striped, even the logo. It hangs just outside my inventory stock room.
Bruce
 

I also say "ANY Premium Plush Microfiber Towel... " in the video.
 
We include the singles as it keeps the cost down for those looking to try the product out that maybe already have a substantial collection of towels. The gray edgless also work well.

Next was cutting out the chrome arcs for the next circle section.
 

 
Then I hot-glued handles onto the back from a 15-foot ratchet strap from Home Depot ($3.47).
 

 
...
 
 
...
 
...And the finished result...
 
...
 
...
 
A full-scale flying Captain America Shield frisbee!
 

Week 4 of Ask The Shine Doc answers one of the questions that has been submitted most since we started this series - "How do I apply conditioner to leather seats without clogging up the perforations?" The process is actually quite simple and only requires a small adjustment to your technique... to learn more watch the full episode:
 




IN THIS VIDEO: Adam's Leather Conditioner | Interior Dressing Applicators

OCD?  Get a label maker!
 

Looks like Cooties to me.  You been parking near an elementary school or maybe a junior high?  

This being said, you should always follow up with a final wipe down to ensure an even coating of ANY of the interior products.

Hello everyone new guy to the forums, but LONG time customer of Adams and currently have every product to market. Just waiting on my wedge and H2O to arrive:). I didn't do any photos during, but have some after pictures. I can't stop to take photos when I'm on a roll or I get too lazy! I didn't want to post in the welcome area and here with a double post so I will place it all here! I'm from IL.
 
Wash
2 Bucket System (Adams Buckets) 6oz of Red Shampoo foam gun since using red soap. Need to use before buying the blue kind. Red Wash Shampoo 10x10 wash pad by hand Tires/Wheels
APC (Wheel wells) and tires  Deep Wheel Cleaner Lug brush Barrel Brush Quick sealant when I was finished with the car Tire Shine (Green) with black applicator Body
Blue jumbo clay bar with detail spray Paint Correct Foam Pad (Orange)- Porter cable Paint Polish  Foam Pad (White)- Porter Cable Glaze (Applicator Pad) - By Hand better control of product Sealant Foam Pad (Black) - Porter Cable NOTE - From IL as I said above, and went with sealant over Buttery Wax. Who knows I may throw some Americana or Buttery Wax on top. Love them outcome as usual as is. Exhaust 
Two step metal polish with drill attachment blue pads Drying 
Great White drying tower Blaster Handheld dryer Finally a great HIGH from all the fruits and flavors of our products...haha jk. Love this stuff. Enjoy the pictures and thanks again Adams!!
 

Plush to waffle weave, glass towels to wash pads, and even more recently polishing pads, microfiber has forever changed how shine freaks keep their cars looking great and how detailers correct, protect, and care for customers cars. The argument could be made that no single advancement in the world of car care has had a larger impact in the last decade than microfiber. Professionals and enthusiasts alike all keep a hefty supply of a wide variety of towels on hand at all times, but despite its omnipresence in the care care world there is still a fair amount of mis-information and mis-understanding as to how they should be cared for.
 
In this FAQ article I'll be covering the basics of cleaning and care for your microfiber towels and a little bit of background on what makes them the preferred choice of detailers.
 
WHAT IS MICROFIBER?
What good is it to get into all the minutia of microfiber if you don't first have an understanding of the materials composition and history?
 
Microfiber can be composed of many parts, most commonly in the detailing / car care industry we use a combination of polyesters and polyamides. These microscopic laboratory born fibers are around 1/100th the diameter of a human hair, this ultra fine thread is what gives microfiber its delicate touch and super soft feel. To put that size into perspective, if you were to think of a regulation basketball as the equivalent of the diameter of a human hair, an individual strand of microfiber would be smaller than an M&M chocolate candy!
 
Why is this important? While you might see a fluffy towel with your naked eye on a microscopic level there is a very tiny, but very uniform and durable strand there. Almost all microfiber will share an identical fiber structure, regardless of weave or pattern. How the fibers are laid out will impart different characteristics to the material (plush for delicate surfaces, waffle weave for drying, flat for glass, suede for coatings, etc)
 
Each individual strand has a star-like structure and all strands are virtually identical across the entire surface of a towel. If you could pull a fiber from one towel, and another from a different towel of similar quality and cross section them you'd likely not be able to tell them apart.  This leads to a uniformly soft towel that performs the same regardless of fold or what portion is in contact with the surface. This is in stark contrast to the wild inconsistency of cotton fibers which can vary in shape and size from one strand to the next. (see the image below)
 
The star shaped structure on each strand allow microfiber to trap small particles, dirt, moisture and debris making them very effective for cleaning. Compared to the inconsistent, tube-like, shape of cotton which is absorbent, but not ideal for cleaning microfiber has a clear advantage.
 

 
WHERE DID MICROFIBER COME FROM?
These tiny man made textiles were actually being produced back as early as the 1950's though the applications were extremely limited. Technology at the time had its limitations and it was next to impossible to produce long continuous strands in a consistent manner making it not only very expensive, but also very time consuming to produce. Technology began to catch up in the late 1960's when a team of Japanese researchers were able to produce microfibers in long continuous strands. This breakthrough lead to the adoption of microfiber for a variety of applications in the 1970's in the textiles industry. By the 1990's microfiber would gain popularity in the cleaning products market, but mostly in the janitorial and hospitality industries due to its sanitary properties and low tendency to shed or lint.
 
In the early 2000's I personally had my first experience with this new 'micro towel' a friend of mine had gotten his hands on. It was softer than the cotton diapers we were all used to using in those days and in the coming years we began to see more and more variety in towels available. A good friend and fellow detailer actually began importing these towels as a side business around 2002 and instantly the SoCal detail market began to change. Everyone wanted these incredible new towels.
 
In the years after that microfiber would explode and become widely accepted as the best option for any kind of detailing. The towels continued to improve and find new configurations - waffle weave, glass towels, foam core towels, applicators, and most recently the microfiber buffing pads. Its funny to think back on a time before microfiber, when a cotton diaper was the best option now, and even stranger to think that it wasn't all that long ago.
 
WHAT DOES 'WEIGHT' MEAN?
 
GSM or "Grams Per Square Meter" or "g/m2" is also referred to as the towels "weight". This measurement dictates the materials fiber density. In other words the relation between the mass of a towel and how much space or volume it takes up. Usually the higher the GSM the softer the towel. Plush towels for use on delicate surfaces should be at least 360gsm, but I personally prefer towels at least 460gsm or higher. Towels in the 200-350gsm range are best suited for non-delicate surfaces and tasks, like scrubbing leather seats or wiping off things under the hood.
 
Now, the GSM rating isn't always the best way to define a towel. For example a waffle weave towel may have a lower GSM, but thats due to the way its constructed not as much due to the quality of the material.

To be safe always buy your towels from a reputable source, and before jumping in with both feet test it in a small area to make sure its delicate enough for the job you're about to do. If you use a low GSM towel all over your car without first testing you'll have a lot of paint correcting to do!
 
USE THE RIGHT TOWEL FOR THE JOB
Because microfiber marks such a substantial investment in your detailing collection its important to do your best to preserve them to get the most use from them before they are retired. To this end its always a good idea to segment your towels into various types.
 
Plush or deep fibers are generally best for extremely delicate jobs, like wiping or polishing clear coat, while shorter or looped fibers have superior scrubbing and cleaning power. Waffle weaves offer the best absorbancy gram for gram and flat weave towels are ideal for non-delicate surfaces where streak free performance is paramount.
 
But don't just section your towels off by type! Sort your towels out in your collection for the jobs they're best suited for. Don't waste a good towel on a dirty job like wiping a door hinge or polishing metal. Preserve your best towels and retire old or stained towels to less important jobs.
 
WHATS CONTAMINATING YOUR TOWEL MAKES A DIFFERENCE
When you think about the contamination thats in your towels after a use you're talking about a pretty thick cocktail of polymers, waxes, oils, and other stubborn residues that need strong detergents to remove. For example waxes and sealants are products that BY DESIGN resist removal from detergents, water, heat, etc on your paint. A "good durable" wax or sealant is defined by its ability to resist detergents thru more than a few washes. These products behave no differently when buried deep within the fibers of your towels. Anyone whos tried to strip wash a sealant knows that sometimes it takes a pretty aggressive mix of All Purpose Cleaner to get it completely removed.

So knowing what kind of fight these products put up on your paint, why assume they'd be so much more easy going when bonded to a towel fiber? They aren't. This is why a stronger detergent or dedicated microfiber cleaner like Adam's Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener is key to maintaining your towels. Removing product residues is just as important to your microfiber as any other part of their care and MFR&B was designed specifically to break down the things most commonly found in detailing towels.
 
The types of contamination found in automotive detailing towels will be far different than the soil, food, and grime found in other towels around your home. While a dish towel might have a combination of last nights spaghetti sauce and that mystery food goo from the fridge, your detailing towels will be full of polish, wax, and sealant residues. Because of this the type of detergent you choose is important.
 
Regular laundry soaps are still an effective option - most good detergents can remove most anything you find, or at the very least break them up enough to be effective. We've all seen the TV commercials where brand X removes grass stains, wine stains, ground in dirt - but I haven't seen one yet that says it'll remove carnauba wax and polymer sealants. Removing a grass stain from your socks is a much different proposition to removing a sealant from your towels.
 

 
The option to avoid, and one incorrectly recommended by amateurs all over the web, are 'delicate' detergents like woolite. Products in this category are lacking in the areas needed to really remove all the residues found in your towels. Sure, if you need to clean a silk shirt or delicate unmentionables by all means reach for your woolite, but we're dealing with tough residues embedded deep into very tiny fibers - use a detergent capable of getting the job done. While microfiber is important, and should be cared for appropriately, it is fairly durable stuff and can handle stronger detergents to make sure they are 100% clean. Weaker detergents will continually leave behind a small amount of detailing contamination, leading to a slow buildup and eventually hampered performance.
 
 
REGULAR CLEANING:
Your microfiber should be cleaned after every use. While it might be tempting to let that drying towel sit and use it again next weekend you run the risk of contamination causing swirls or letting something set into the towels that will be more difficult to remove later. Cleaning microfiber is usually the least enjoyable part of a detail, but in the end staying on top of your laundry just ensures that your towels will be at their best and ready when you are.
 
CLEANING TOWELS
Always separate your dirtiest towels, like those used to clean wheels or for metal polishing, from your 'good' plush and drying towels to avoid cross contamination and wash them in separate loads. Keep cotton and other materials out of the wash loads. Wash microfiber only with other microfiber. Use a dedicated microfiber detergent like Microfiber Revitalizer or a dye free/perfume free liquid laundry soap - no powders or granulated. Set washer to a warm water setting. Some heat is required to break down waxes and polishes. Cold settings will not clean towels as effectively. If your washer is equipped with an extra rinse cycle, use it. This will make sure as much of the contamination and remaining soap is removed from the towels as possible. Microfiber can be machine dried if you prefer, use a low heat setting and NO FABRIC SOFTENER. Air or line drying is also an option, be sure to do this somewhere the towels cannot be contaminated with dust or lint.  
MICROFIBER PADS & APPLICATORS
Just like with towels, separate any extremely dirty or contaminated pads from the group and wash separately to avoid cross contamination. Wash pads and applicators separate from towels. The foam backing and velcro can become snagged and damaged during agitation by a towel in the same load. Use a brush to break up heavy, caked in, polish residues on pads before washing. Microfiber Revitalizer is preferred, but if using regular laundry soap make sure its dye/perfume free. Set washer to a warm setting, not hot. Pads have a glue membrane that is sensitive to high heat so stick to warm wash water settings. Air dry all pads and applicators on a wire rack to maximize airflow and expedite drying.
HEAVY STAINS AND CONTAMINATION:
No matter what there is going to be occasions where a towel becomes extremely contaminated or stained from either something you removed from a vehicle (grease, oil, tar, etc) or it becomes saturated with a product to the point there is some discoloration. In these situations pre-treating or at the very minimum pre-soaking the microfiber to keep these stains from setting in is key. Obviously, you can't stop mid-detail and clean your microfiber accessories, so here are some quick tips to help with heavier contamination on the fly.
Pre-treat any towel that becomes heavily soiled with grease, oil, brake dust, etc - spray liberally with All Purpose Cleaner or Microfiber Revitalizer. Soak the heaviest contamination and rub the towel against itself to agitate, then set aside for cleaning later. Pre-soak towels to help start the cleaning process long before you get around to doing your detail laundry. Prep a separate bucket with clean water and add 2-3oz of Microfiber Revitalizer. As towels become too dirty to continue using toss them into the pre-soak bucket. Place a grit guard, upside down and ON TOP of the towels after they've been put in the mix to hold them in the solution as they try to float to the top. For microfiber polishing pads or applicators use a stiff brush, like the pad conditioning brush, to break up residues before they harden and set in. Pads can also be added to your pre-soak bucket if desired. If a towel ever becomes so contaminated that it doesn't wash clean, it may be time to retire it to a new job. Rotate towels that have been heavily stained to less delicate tasks.
 MICROFIBER STORAGE:
Where your towels are kept when they are not in use is just as important as how they are cared for, so make sure you have a solution for keeping your towels out of harms way and dust free between uses. Plastic storage totes are an inexpensive solution - the lid will keep your towels from collecting dust in an area like a garage and will also minimize the amount of crawly insects that might find a new home buried in all that plush softness.
 
Always be sure your microfiber is completely dry before storage. Mildew will form on towels in some climates if they are even slightly damp. This is especially true of microfiber applicators and pads. The foam backing and cores is a magnet for moisture avoid using air tight containers for anything with a foam core or backing unless you are completely confident it is dry all the way through.
 
BOILING YOUR TOWELS:
Over time your microfiber may become contaminated past the point it can be completely cleaned using traditional methods. Typically this will present itself during use - drying towels will begin to feel less absorbent. Plush towels may lint slightly or smear products more than remove them. This is an indication that the fibers are 'full' either from residues deposited during use or things like fabric softener accidentally introduced during cleaning.

In any event, if your towels begin to loose their performance or just don't feel as good as they did new boiling is the solution, the last resort, to bring them back. NOTE: this process applies only to towels and microfiber without foam cores or backing. Never boil pads or applicators. 
Fill a large cooking pot approximately 2/3rd full of water and bring to a boil Add approximately 1-2oz of distilled white vinegar per gallon of water and stir Place a few of the towels to be treated into the pot, maintaining a slow boil Stir continuously with a large spoon, avoid letting the towels rest against the bottom or sides for too long After about 60-90 seconds in the boil, remove the towels using tongs and rinse under cool water Wash using the "Regular Cleaning" guidelines outlined earlier and they should be as good as new. NOTE: Should boiling fail to bring absorbancy to a towel or the towel continues to lint then you are most likely dealing with a towel at the end of its lifespan. Retire the towel to less important tasks and replace with a new one for future use.
 
HOW LONG WILL A TOWEL LAST?
There really is no set answer to that question. Depending on how frequently they are used, how well they are cared for, and the types of products they're used with a towel can last for a very short or very long time. On average a towel should last the average user at least a year or two. Understand that no towels are good forever, they wear out eventually like any other product that sees frequent use. 

If you experience diminished performance after some time and try the recommended boiling method it might be time to retire that towel and replace it with a new one. Your vehicle is a big investment and towels by comparison are a relatively small price in making sure it stays looking nice.
 
One thing is for certain - the better care you take of your microfiber towels and accessories, the better they'll do at caring for your vehicles.

Ok So I didn't think to take any before pictures on the boxes, well, just one, but I did take a few after pics of the box I worked on today so I will post them tonight, and the owner gave me the ok cause, well, he was just amazed.
 
To SSilver07. This may seem like OCD but, your KRA2411PC is an awesome tool box, and if it were my box I would detail it the same way that I've been cleaning these boxes. Pull all the drawers out, pull the slides out of the cabinet using the little orange screwdriver every mechanic has from their Snapon dealer, SDD204o, the little pocket screwdrivers dealers give away and use it to pry the tab, about 4 inches in on the slide, and then lift the slide up, it should just come out. I suggest pulling the slides because they trap a lot of dirt, don't forget to pull the mating slide off the drawer as well.  Then pull the slide lock out of the drawer cause the lips of the drawers are also dirt traps. Then use APC then Detail spray. If you want to polish it be careful as it is only a base coat of paint, no clearcoat but it is tough paint
 
Then, talk to your Snapon dealer and Order KA2411BSET. (Gloss black trim kit) that will make your box all black lol. Just my two cents .
 
Anyways, I Present tool porn. I'll have more pics next week.
 

So. Some background first. My father is a Snap-On Tools dealer since before I was born so I've grown up with him always telling me "Buy the proper tool once." Which means don't keep buying cheap tools that break and make you rebuy them, which I have always tried to follow...when I can afford to. Naturally I've always had a love for these tools as they have always put a roof over my head my entire life. However, my love for their tool boxes is even greater so imagine my giddiness when I see the Epic series toolbox in the adams videos.
 
Now, background and neurosis aside, this brings me to why I'm posting. A few days ago one of my father's customers had a fire in their shop. The fire damage wasn't bad, but the smoke damage was. I happened to be riding with my father that day and we stopped in to see the damage. My heart went out to these guys. Some of their tool boxes cost them more than $8000 and they were all covered in smoke, which when mixed with water from firehoses can become caustic and eat away at the paint. I was watching some of the fire cleanup crews using bags of tshirt rags and buckets of whatever to clean these boxes and scratch the paint and had to do something. I talked with the owner, told him I wanna try something on one of the boxes. I went home, grabbed all my microfiber clothes I had and a gallon of APC and Detail Spray and showed them how they can be cleaned better. Well, that was 3 tool boxes ago, and I have many more to do. The All Purpose Cleaner is kicking the carp out of the smoke damage and grease and anything else that's on these tool boxes and it's bringing them back to brand new. Then the detail spray is taking it to another level, one guy told me the box looks better than when they got it. And not one box smells of smoke anymore. I will talk to the mechanics and ask permission to take pictures of their boxes to post. I don't want to invade their privacy but there are a lot of happy mechanics now in the shop.
 
Adam's Polishes is the best, I had my doubts but every product that I've tried of competition still cannot beat the performance of Adam's.
 
 
Play hard, Clean hard.
Customer for life.

Not a fair fight to compare the stuff from wally world to ours... afterall the prices are often times half to 1/3rd ours.... and thats due entirely to quality of ingredients and concentrations of ingredients. Almost like comparing a hamburger to filet mignon. They're both beef... but they don't necessarily compete in the same arena.
 
I like to think of AP as the brand you graduate too once you realize how much better the results can be when you purchase quality products. There will always be those people who just want the cheapest stuff and don't care too much about the performance. Let them keep buying the junk at the store... if it suits their needs then more power to them.

I was trying to hold out on buying the new formula until I used up the rest of the old formula that I have, but that might not happen now

Chances are you've encountered tire blooming and you don't even know it. Blooming is what causes a tire to look brown. That new set of tires that you have to scrub over and over again to get them to look black, or the tires on a car you detail less frequently that are closer to the color of chocolate than they are black. Modern rubber compounds are becoming increasingly complex, far more than most people realize. Tire manufactures are continually pushing the envelop with chemistry and design to create tires that can keep up with the demand of todays cars and drivers. Higher mileage, more miles per gallon, better all-weather traction, or high speed and cornering as cars get better, faster, more intense the tires they roll on must change to keep up.

We expect increased performance from our vehicles and tires are an integral part of that, but rarely do we take the time to understand what exactly has changed about tires other than going from bias ply to radial in the late 1960's.

What does this all have to do with your tires turning brown? Read on.

ANTI-OZONANT
An anti-ozonant is probably something you've never heard of. Its an organic compound added to rubber materials that prevents, or at the very least, slows the deterioration caused by exposure to the elements. Anti-ozonants are used as an additive in most all of the exterior rubber and plastic parts to one degree or another, but they are most prevalent in tire manufacturing. The anti-ozonant additive keeps plastics and rubbers from becoming dry, brittle, oxidized or cracking. It does this by preventing the surface of the material from oxidizing and keeps the material pliable.

Thanks to anti-ozonants in rubber compounds we have have high mileage tires, performance tires, and everything in between. Without it sports cars would shred tires incredibly fast after just a few high speed turns or long track runs where the tires were heated up. Even your daily driven commuter car would need tires far more often as the sun and heat slowly rotted away the rubber compounds.

TIRE BLOOMING
Tire rubber compounds are designed in a wat that allows the anti-ozonant to continually work its way to the outside of the tire and as such, continually keeps the outer surface and sidewall pliable and resistant to oxidation.

Once anti-ozonant reaches the outside of the tire and is exposed to air and moisture it oxidizes, the result being a brownish residue. The term for this ugly brownish tire look is 'tire blooming'. Just like metals left exposed to the outside world will slowly begin to rust (oxidize) as it is exposed to water and air, so does the anti-ozonant component of the tire rubber.

Making matters worse is the use of mold releases in the manufacturing processes. These lubricant type chemicals provide a non-stick surface for the inside of a tire mold. The mold release chemical bonds with the tire and hold anti-ozonants onto the surface of the tire.






While some people will point to mold release as the primary and/or only source of tire blooming, it is in fact often times only a part of the problem. Even after the removal of mold release a tire will continue to push anti-ozonant to the surface allowing the brown residue to return.
 
THE ROLE OF COLOR CHANGING WHEEL CLEANERS
Wheel cleaners used to dissolve metallic contamination (Deep Wheel Cleaner among them) can have an accelerating effect on the oxidation of anti-ozonant. The reaction you see when brake dust it turned to a reddish slurry by Deep Wheel Cleaner or a similar product is, in a very simplified way, oxidation. The chemical reacts with the metallic contamination and begins to dissolve it.

Tires that have not been cleaned properly before or have been left uncleaned for long periods of time will have substantial amounts of the anti-ozonant built up on the surface of the tire. When an active wheel cleaner comes into contact with this buildup it will accelerate the browning or blooming. Because of this its imperative to regularly scrub tires to remove the buildup of anti-ozonant and 'dead' rubber - think of it almost like exfoliating your skin. If you are a regular user of Deep Wheel Cleaner or similar color changing wheel cleaners for their ability to remove stubborn brake dust then be sure to spend an extra couple of minutes scrubbing your tires as well.

Does this necessarily mean you should discontinue the use of Deep Wheel Cleaner? No, but it should be used with the understanding that the tire needs deep cleaning after the wheel to remove any residues or prevent tire blooming acceleration as a result of the oxidation process. Abrading the tire sidewall to remove this will prevent the blooming in the first place - the reason your sidewalls brown, but your treads don't is that the treads are continually worn away by driving so the surface never is allowed to sit long enough to display blooming.
 
DON'T BLAME THE SILICONE
For years the prevailing thought has been that silicone based tire dressings are the culprit for brown tires. Read any number of forums and the first thing most casual detailers will point to is the choice of tire shine the person with the issue uses. While silicone can be a messy and sticky solution to making your tires shine it isn't always the main culprit of the brown issue.

Most browning related to silicone will be due to the silicone holding dirt and debris on the tires surface, not the tire itself turning brown. This type of browning is very easy to remove as silicone dressings also remove with scrubbing and a degreaser like All Purpose Cleaner.





Don't think this means you should immediately start to treat your tires with tons of silicone, there are still a lot of reasons it's not an ideal way to dress your tires, but don't believe the story that your choice of tire dressing is the ONLY source for the brown residue. Silicone and water based dressings can be used and the tire can still exhibit blooming... its the tires surfaces and/or lack of heavy cleaning more than it is anything you've treated it with.
 
REMOVING THE BLOOMING
Removing the blooming is really a simple process - the use of a good degreasing agent, like Adam's All Purpose Cleaner, and a stiff bristle brush should be more than enough to remove even the worst blooming within a few treatments. Be sure to rinse the tires extremely well with clean after each cleaning to remove any chemical buildup.

Once the brown residues are removed regular cleanings with All Purpose Cleaner shouldn't need to be as aggressive or frequent, but if you notice the blooming returning just scrub well. The application of a quality water based dressing like Super VRT or a dressing low in silicone content like Adam's Tire Shine will help slow the reappearance of blooming by providing a barrier between the tire surface and the environment.
 
IT WILL COME BACK, ITS JUST A QUESTION OF WHEN
Because anti-ozonants continue to work their way towards the outside of the tire even a car which sees very little use or doesn't have very dirty tires may experience tire blooming when eventually exposed to oxidizers due to lack of cleaning. As such it is recommended that even relatively clean tires be treated to a semi-regular scrubbing to remove the anti-ozonants from the outer layer of the tire sidewalls.

Each tire will have a different amount of blooming it is prone to. Some tires may bloom very slowly, while others will bloom almost before your very eyes. The amount of anti-ozonant and the way the tire is designed to push it to the surface will determine how fast or slow it happens. Regardless, one thing remains true - regular cleaning and dressing of your tires will prevent or at the very least minimize the appearance of brown on your tires.

Hanging upside down, during the daytime.

um.... if you read a few of the threads on the forums you'll see we are actively in development, soooooooo....

Newly reduced prices on two very popular Adam's products - kits including these items will be updated to reflect the new prices shortly. Enjoy!
 
 
ADAM'S GLASS SEALANT
Was $19.95 NOW ONLY $14.95
 
No one likes doing windows, but with Adam's Glass Sealant getting your windshield perfect will be so easy that it might just be your favorite part of cleaning your car!
 
Our super concentrated Adam's Glass Sealant comes in a 4oz pour top bottle of super concentrated optical sealant and makes all your windows super slick. By creating a non-stick surface on your glass water will bead up and simply roll away, working so effectively that rain will simply blow off your glass at normal highway driving speeds without the use of your windshield wipers. Used in conjunction with our Adam's Glass Cleaner and Adam's Microfiber Glass Cleaning Towel your windows will stay cleaner for longer and look clearer than ever before.
 
One bottle contains enough of our powerful sealant to treat all the glass on all your cars and you might even have enough left over to do your shower doors!
 
 
 
ADAM'S WATERLESS WASH GALLONS
Was $39.95 NOW ONLY $29.95
 
Advanced emulsifiers and special lubricants make our Adam's Waterless Car Wash a safe and effective way to remove light surface dust and dirt without harming your clear coat. It's the perfect choice when your access to water is limited or you just want to conserve H20.
 
Your car doesn’t always need a full bath with soap and water. Light surface dust, finger prints, or other minor surface contamination can be easily and safely removed using Adam's Waterless Car Wash. It saves water and it's quicker than a traditional wash as well! It also prolongs your wax or sealant life by using a less invasive method to clean, it can also be used in direct sunlight.
 
Spray Adam's Waterless Car Wash on moderately dirty finish, wipe clean with Adam's Waterless Wash Waffle Towels. Special lubricants and wetting agents encapsulate dirt, making it easy to clean the paint without damage and without water.
 
How is it different than Detail Spray? Adam's Waterless Car Wash is a more effective cleaner, and has more lubricant designed to remove larger dirt particles without causing swirls. It also has no gloss enhancers, so it leaves your paint clean but not glossy. Follow Adam's Waterless Car Wash with Adam's Detail Spray to enhance the gloss!

Heres a quickie shot of the water behavior on the hood of the subaru that our video dude Joe put together
 

 
We'll be putting together the rest of the footage this coming week to give you a better idea of what was going on, but in the meantime:
 
The ramp where we do most of our detailing runs uphill, so unlike many examples of water shedding you see we are actually compensating for the natural downward slope and gravitational effect of the hood, basically forcing the coating to shed the water without much help from gravity. Far too often you see these tests or proof of concept videos on FB or forums and the person putting them up fails to point out they are pouring water on a vertical panel or something with a 45* angle to it... almost anything will run on that kind of slope. We repeated this test over and over... placing a few small drops at the cowl area and watching... they would sit still for only a moment, then begin to roll gaining speed.

Additionally, unlike a non-coated surface, these drops didn't leave a trail. The paint 100% shed the water till the end of the hood. Cool stuff for sure.

As I ramp up development of new products here at AP again I've been seeking out cars for detail service that will make good testers for specific products. This 2014 Subaru Forrester was perfect for what I needed this week. Purchased recently, new, right off the lot it was the perfect candidate to test a variety of new products including new soap formulations, a one step polish, different pads, coating primer spray and of course a coating.

I'll be following the progress on this car pretty closely over the coming weeks. We have a good amount of snow in the forecast and the owner plans to run it thru touchless washes a few times before it heads back for a refresh so I'll see exactly how the coating is holding up to the abuse.
 
The interior needed nothing more than a quick dry towel wipe to remove some light dust. It may be getting more substantial treatment in a subsequent visit, but the owner is going to enjoy the new car smell for now.
 
Started the detail out as you would with any, a thorough cleaning of the wheels, tires, undercarriage, and a wash. The tires/fender liners were sprayed with full strength APC and scrubbed. Wheels were hit with Deep Wheel Cleaner and then agitated with a wheel brush. The wheel woolie was used for the inside of the wheels.
 
I used a pressure washer to help speed things up and tested a new formulation of car wash that I've started working on. Stay tuned for updates on this...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
After the wash was complete, the exterior was decontaminated using a 1:1 dilution of Deep Wheel Cleaner to remove ferrous metal particles from the finish, surprisingly next to no rail dust was present. After that had a chance to do its job I clayed with the big blue clay bar to remove the remaining contamination.
 
I did a fast secondary wash to remove the residues from claying

 
I dried the exterior with the master blaster and a great white drying towel, then moved onto inspection. There were a few isolated RIDs that needed to be addressed, otherwise the finish was a perfect candidate for a one step polish as the swirls were minor. The customer requested we remove the dealership stickers, so before polishing those were addressed.
 

 
As you can see on this up close shot, the isolated RIDs weren't anything horrific, but they were more than your average swirl. We identified about a dozen marks of similar depth all around the car so these were marked with tape and addressed first just so they weren't overlooked.
 

 
Went to work with the prototype one-step polish and an orange pad. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even the deeper RIDs were able to be removed with this combo on the Flex so I would be able to take on the entire car with one setup. 
 

 

 

 
Once the polishing was complete it was time to test our prototype coating primer/paint cleanser. This product is designed to remove polishing oils, waxes, sealants, and anything else on the surface prior to applying a coating. It also deposits a quartz primer that should, in theory, equate to easier application and better performance from our coating. Testing continues.
 
After inspecting the paint and completing the primer wipe-down I moved to the actual coating application. It went on very effortlessly and aside from being difficult to see on this silver metallic paint was great to work with. Durability tests will continue in the coming months. Since this product is still in the testing stages it was applied to all paint, glass, wheel faces, and trim to test durability on the various surfaces.
 

 


 

 
Wrapping things up I dressed the tires with Tire Shine and addressed the wheel wells with Invisible Undercarriage Spray. As we were running out of light we couldn't resist playing with the hydrophobic properties of the coating - I'll add videos to this later... the water flat refused to stick and this was all on a hood that was parked on an UPHILL ramp, making it only a few degrees from level.
 

 

 

 
Lastly we rolled out to the front to get some final shots as the sun set, just in time for the owner to take delivery of their clean, polished, and coated rig - just in time for a winter storm to hit us this weekend too!
 

 

 

 

 
Even the boss was floored by the gloss when he was leaving -
 

 
Dub Magazine pose for good measure
 

 
Thanks for reading. I'll update this thread with durability info as we see this car again.

Got mine at Lowes and works great.  But I still bring them inside.  I suggest you get a couple of storage totes to hide your stuff in while in the house.  Or to make your wife happy, let her pick out some kind of storage trunk or toy chest or hamper type deal that will look okay in the house, but will hold your Adam's.
 
You know the saying.............Happy wife, happy life.  Man, is that the truth!

maybe its better for my bank account if i dont try one LOL

Was certainly a shock when we heard the news early yesterday... but definitely a move that makes sense for both sides. We are (clearly) close with the team at Cyclo and they are a first rate organization. Rupes is a rapidly growing outfit, and I've been fortunate enough to meet with them a number of times in the past year and the caliber of people there and the direction of the company is all great.

We're not privy to the specifics on what this means for manufacturing or if there are any changes coming, but we welcome the change as it brings together a few great companies and when that happens cool things can be created.

Now that we have a good number of these tools out in the world, some of them are likely due for some preventative maintenance to protect your investment.
 
Basic maintenance is very simple and only takes a few minutes:
Every 2-3 polishing sessions, add a few drops of light machine oil (like 3-in-1) into the bronze bushing on the top of the housing Every 2-3 polishing sessions, blow out the motor housing with compressed air There are some more maintenance items as your machine starts to accumulate more hours, like changing out the carbon brushes.  This is also quick and painless and will keep the machine running in tip top shape for years to come!
 
More info can be found here in the PDF from Cyclo Toolmakers:
 
http://cyclotoolmakers.com/documents/Cyclo_m5-6_instruction_manual.pdf

Thanks for the PDF, I've had my Model 5 since 1976 still going strong.  

Sealants, glazes, waxes, and even coatings - in the world of car care right now there are a number of options when it comes to protection and enhancement of your vehicles exterior. But what should you be using? While there is no right answer for everyone, there certainly is a right choice for you depending on how your vehicles are used, stored, and ultimately what your goals are for the finish.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR OPTIONS
Each type of product provides unique benefits and some level of compromise. Understanding what benefits are part of each type of product and choosing your last step product (LSP) or combination of steps based on what you need them to do is important. Ultimately, each person needs to strike their own personal balance between 2 aspects:

DURABILITY = how long the product lasts and how well it protects the underlying clearcoat.
AESTHETICS = the visual impact the product provides in terms of added gloss, depth, etc.


GLAZE:
Durability: Very Low | Aesthetics: High
Glazes are probably the least understood product considered a part of the LSP category. The term glaze has been used and misused widely over the years by a number of manufactures, but most professionals have come to accept that a glaze is most commonly a non-abrasive product used to mask imperfections and provide aesthetic enhancement.

Most glazes will be a blend of a few basic ingredients - wax, solvent, and oils. These three components are blended in a ratio to allow them to help fill in minor imperfections and thanks to the solvent content even offer a level of paint cleansing.

Glaze has long been a favorite product of car lots all over the world since they offer fast, easy, and inexpensive enhancement of painted surfaces in one step. However, the short lived effects have left more than a few new car owners wondering why their recent purchase looked so awful after just a few washes.

Ultimately glazes are best suited as a compliment to another LSP or used only for short term enhancement. The blends rarely lend themselves to more than a week of staying power in mild conditions and they're often easily washed away or evaporate when exposed to moderate heat.

In spite their short lifespan on your vehicles finish a glaze can offer fast, easy, and dramatic enhancement of gloss and depth making them a great choice as a topper right before a show, cruise, or whenever you want a little extra 'pop' on your finish.


WAX:
Durability: Low to Moderate | Aesthetics: High
Wax is actually comprised of naturally occurring compounds, harvested from a specific type of palm tree, commonly known as the detailing world as Carnauba wax. Carnauba wax comes in a variety of grades, purities, and can be refined to various levels. Its blended with oils, other wax types (like bees wax), and in some cases even some polymers to create car wax. Carnauba is actually a hard and coarse substance that has to be blended to create a chemical suitable for application to a vehicle - so be skeptical of any product claiming to be 100% carnauba. The makeup of carnauba would make it almost impossible to spread over your paint if it isn't cut with various other ingredients. See the magnified picture of raw carnauba wax below for a better idea why no car wax can be truly 100% carnauba.



Blending various waxes, solvents, oils and polymers together can give you virtually an infinite number of combinations and types of car wax, but there are some limitations no matter how good the blend. These limitations center mostly on how susceptible to deterioration from heat, detergents, and abrasion wax is. Even the best grades of carnauba will have a melting point between 160-180 degrees F, meaning a black car parked outside on a summer day in a climate like Arizona will easily begin to see evaporation of wax coating, within just a few days, or even a few hours the wax will be completely gone. Additionally, waxes will offer lower resistance to harsh detergents, like those found in touchless car washes.

The biggest benefit to waxes is their overall enhancement to painted finishes. A good wax will enhance colors, fill minor imperfections, and produce a rich, deep look that typically won't be seen with other LSP options. On dark colors (blacks and blues) you'll see additional depth and dimension. On brighter colors (yellows and reds) you may notice a more rich, vibrant look.


SEALANT:
Durability: Moderate to High | Aesthetics: Low to Moderate
Sealants tend to be mostly synthetic man made products chemically engineered to do very specific things, but mostly they excel at providing durable protection. Because these products are essentially created in a lab they can be modified, customized, and engineered to meet any number of criteria and perform in different ways.

On average a sealant will provide better durability than a comparable wax product. With much higher resistance to heat, UV, and detergents an application will withstand more abuse. Sealants encompass a wide variety of chemical compounds including acrylic resins, polymers, and aminos. Some will include varying amounts of wax in their blend to aid in filling or adding gloss.

For years sealants fell behind waxes in terms of providing aesthetic enhancement, but more recently sealants have been bridging that gap, offering better durability and an ever increasing levels of gloss and depth. While a sealant hasn't quite been able to recreate the rich depth found from carnauba based products the gap separating the two is increasingly smaller. Most sealants currently on the market offer excellent clarity and reflective properties making their look ideal for colors that don't typically benefit from waxes like metallic silvers and white.


COATING:
Durability: Extremely High | Aesthetics: Low to Moderate
The most recent technology for exterior protection is found in the coatings category. Once a product only for professionals the detailing world has begun to see more consumer friendly products that offer previously unheard of longevity and various other benefits. Described as nano coatings, glass coatings, or ceramic coatings the chemicals used in this category offer durability spanning multiple YEARS rather than months with some even claiming permanent protection.

Coatings can almost be thought of as a clear coat for your clear coat. They form a hard, clear, cured, hydrophobic barrier that is more resistant to scratches than automotive clear coat and even prevents contamination from sticking making them easier to clean.

The products in this category continue to evolve offering an increasingly diversified amount of benefits, with some coatings being easier to apply, others offering better scratch resistance, and others even focusing on some amount of gloss enhancement like a wax. The coating market is still very young and continues to evolve.

It should be mentioned that there is some level of skill involved in a coating application as well. A finish should be completely corrected prior to a coating application simply because any defects still in the paint will be trapped beneath the coating. Additionally coatings have specific cure times and techniques - be sure to research the application and requirements for any coating before attempting to apply yourself.


SO WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU BE USING?

There are no specific rules for choosing a product to use on your particular car, but there are some clear frontrunners to choose from simply by looking at how you use/store your vehicles mixed with your overall desire for increased shine.

For outright show car looks its hard to beat a wax. Its ideal for a car that spends most of its days in the garage or lives in more mild climates. A wax still continues to be the ultimate choice for someone looking to get the most 'shine' out of their finish. While sealants and coatings continue to find new levels of shine they still don't quite measure up to the look of a quality carnauba paste wax.

On the other hand a sealant or even a coating might make sense for your car if its a daily driver or its exposed to extreme winters or very hot summers. If you're among the large percentage of people who have to drive their car every day, even when the weather is less than perfect durability and ease of maintenance are your primary concerns. Ultimately you want to keep your car protected from the elements - so for a driver or car stored outside explore the options of sealants and coatings.

Ultimately, the choice of what is best is up to you. Find a product or products that have the right mix of the durability and enhancement for your budget and your free time. Afterall, if you just enjoy the process of cleaning and waxing your car then a wax is going to give you the most excuses to rub on it. Theres no rule you can't apply a wax to your daily driver or a sealant to your garage queen, but understand that you might not be seeing the full benefit of your product choice if its not ideal for the conditions its exposed to.




LAYERING MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

What if you want the best of both worlds? Well, you could venture into the world of layering. Working with a couple of product types in specific layers can give you a number of benefits, so long as you apply them properly.

As a general rule, the most durable product should always be used as the base, so for example if you were working with a sealant and a wax, the sealant would be your base layer that is then topped with the wax. The only exception to this rule comes into play with a combination of glazes and wax. Because wax doesn't bond to the paint in the same manner as a sealant or a coating a glaze can be used UNDER a wax to maximize the filling ability of the glaze without compromising the longevity of the wax coat.

The flip side of layering different products is in the top coat performance. Remember that whatever is applied last will be what outward behavior you see most. So when you top a coating with wax you will notice the aesthetic benefit, but you might also notice that the surface isn't as hydrophobic as it would've been with just the coating alone.

The best thing to do is to experiment for yourself to see what you like. With so many possible combinations theres going to be a process that suits you best, finding it is just a matter of trying them and evaluating for yourself.

MULTIPLE LAYERS OF THE SAME PRODUCT

If some is good, more must be better? Right? That might not always be the case. Many products will stack a few layers deep for additional surface coating, but there is a point of diminishing return. A wax for example will max out at about 2 thin coats, attempting to put 5 coats of a wax down in search of extra gloss and super durability just doesn't work. The additional coats simply begin to smear the base coats around and can actually have a negative impact on the clarity of the finish. The same is true of glazes for the mostpart.

Sealants, while more apt to layer without issues, still only stack a few layers deep before they begin to offer no additional benefit and you begin wasting product. Our independent testing showed no noticable benefit for a panel treated with 2 coats of sealant vs a panel treated with 4 coats.

With coatings, the tricky part of their curing process and the specific type of coating. Some coatings require substantial cure time before an additional layer can be applied, others require additional layers be applied before the first is fully cured to bond properly as the cured coat will actually repel the 2nd coat. Refer to your specific coating technology for guidance if you intend to layer.


LSP OPTIONS FROM ADAM'S:
WAXESBUTTERY WAX AMERICANA PASTE WAX PATRIOT WAX GLAZESBRILLIANT GLAZE SEALANTSLIQUID PAINT SEALANT H2O GUARD & GLOSS QUICK SEALANT GLASS SEALANT COATINGSCOMING SOON!