mc2hill

@JakeRogue First off, Welcome to Adam's Forums! I am with @ResJudicata, try the Rinseless Wash next. It is dilutable, and you can make up your own waterless wash, clay lube, or use it in a bucket for the wash. It only take 3.5 gallons of water to do a rinseless wash, and can be done anywhere (I did my friends 1912 race in an airplane hanger, just before it was the center piece at a DuPont Registry event). Fill one bucket with 2.5 gallons of water and add 1 ounce of Rinseless Wash (the wash bucket), and in a 2nd bucket place the Grit Guard and the remaining gallon of water (enough to just cover the Grit Guard) to use as your rinse bucket. Now wash away! Another way to do it is the 'bucket of towels' method. Just use one bucket with 2.5 gallons of water + 1 ounce of Rinseless Wash, and place 6-8 plush MF towels. Squeeze the towels so they are soaked with RW, fold the towel into 4's and wipe the car with a clean towel section. Just be sure to only clean a small sections, then move to a clean section of the towel. For both methods, after cleaning a panel or 2 (e.g. both doors on one side) wipe with a towel dampened in the RW wash bucket (squeeze it out so it is slightly damp) to remove excess solution, spritz with Detail Spray, and wipe dry with you favorite drying towel.

First off Welcome to Adam's Forums! I cannot help with #2, but the answer to #1 is Yes! You do not have to use a machine to apply Paint Sealant, but it can allow you put down a thinner layer than applying by hand. Many years ago this product was called Machine Super Sealant, and if you did not apply it thinly, it was difficult to remove. As for applying waxes by machine, Butter Wax would be just like PS, but you would need a smaller diameter pad (and probably a smaller machine) to fit into the canisters of Americana or Patriot wax.

I have one of the Adam's green MF glass towel, and a few grey ones from another vendor. The work great for me, with just a little cleaning liquid. I have given them to friends to clean mirrors and windows around the house. They work well for eyeglasses/sunglasses and screens too.

If it is large orbit polisher (not a Porter Cable type D/A) they want to run with the pad as level to the surface as possible - no tipping back/front or side/side. It took me some time to learn this technique, but the pad will still stop spinning where it catches a body line. Best solution for that is change to a smaller pad. I did most of a Porsche Cayenne with a 3" pad due to all the rounded body lines.

I have had a luck with foaming carpet cleaners and foaming tire cleaners. No scrubbing needed and the foam brings the dirt to you!

Most Tar removers will work on this, but you have to be patient to let it dwell a few minutes before working with the plastic razor blade. The last time I did this I used Stoners Xenit and it took the road paint off my mother-in-law's car.

I have been successful in cleaning foam pads and block with Tide Free & Gentle. I use a small container and fill with the Tide, put in the foam applicator, and let it sit for a few days. When I rinse it off the foam applicator is clean, and the Tide can be rinsed down the sink. This is the ONLY way I have found to get Paint Sealant out of pads. A client uses this stuff to clean parts on his brass cars (he has even had large stainless steel boxes made for big parts!), and it makes a great hand cleaner too.

I like very thick hand sanitizing gel - essentially a easy way to let Isopropyl Alcohol dwell on the sap. I let that sit for a minute or so, then remove with a 'work' MF towel. If it is stubborn apply the gel, then carefully use a plastic razor blade to remove it.

Welcome Craig. You are starting where most of us did. If you have any questions please ask away - this is friendly, knowledgeable bunch of folks.

Not sure where you are located, but I use Rinseless Wash 95% of the time for my cars. We rarely drive off the highway, and do not have harsh winters (so no salt, etc.). If done correctly it is safe, and can remove most dirt and grime. I have never done a traditional wash on our (purchased new) 2017 Accord, and the paint looks almost perfect.

@IslanderI use the 2nd method on my cars and that works great in Florida. I try do the LSP in the cooler months, then use H2O G&G as part of my Rinseless Wash. Wash panel Spray with G&G (I switched to a Tolco sprayer to allow for more adjustment to the pattern) Spread/level with damp towel (only used for G&G ) Wipe dry Done!

I have been keeping my opened bottles of coatings in canning jars. It seems to help the 'active' life of these products.

@ikihiI use H2O G&G as part of my Rinseless wash - I was the panel, then spray G&G over the panel (I switched to a Tolco spray head, as it disburses better). Then I wipe the G&G with a damp MF towel to spread it out evenly, and finally wipe with a drying towel. I have dedicated towels for the damp wipe part, as it can be difficult to remove from the towel. If I was doing a Rinseless wash without the G&G, I would wash the panel, do a wipe with a damp MF, spritz the Detail Spray over the panel, and try - about the same process.

@mattadams I am similar to you, just doing this as a "hobby" (my wife would disagree!). I have done some coating work, but without a huge garage to work in, I stick with Americana and Paint Sealant - they are easy to use and no long cure time is needed.

Welcome back Matt!

Michael is not a 'pro' in the sense that he details for a living, but he has more detailing knowledge than +95% of the detailers out there. Help from him will be invaluable!

Welcome! This is a very friendly group, so if you have questions just ask away.

It is very easy to heat up these fiber pads (vs. foam pads). When working with fiber (wool or MF) I use 2 pads and rotate them after each section. I use the pad, clean it, swap to the other pad, and polish the section, repeat... I have melted a backing plate on a long throw polisher using MF pads without letting them cool...it was a little scary when the pad detached and went flying across the garage, but thankfully no damage was done to the '67 GTO convertible clone I was working on!

Wow, that is a beautiful car! My 'go to' for show cars is Brilliant Glaze, topped with Americana. That combo really makes the paint pop.

Welcome Dan! And if you are here and asking questions you are not a poser! Do you have specific questions? If so, just post them up (you will not get flamed!). Otherwise check out Detailing Nitty Gritty sub-forums for lots of information.

Welcome! A former UPS guy here - 5+ years on midnight shift in a hub.

@mikemccraryI was in the exact same place (minus the coating) when I started 12 years ago. Did my whole truck and realized when I was done (many hours later), that maybe could look better! The answer is the 'test area' - a 2' x 2' area that is indicative of the overall paint defects (usually on the hood or trunk), marked with some tape. Work that area with compound or polish until it flashes, and compare that with the taped off area - is it the results you are looking for? If not, do another section pass on the area. If it is still not corrected to your expectations, then move up in aggressiveness - either a change in pad or product. After doing several corrections you will get an idea of a good place to start with a different car, but remember all paints are different, and ALWAYS err on the side of caution and use the least aggressive methods first. An extra pass or 2 to remove something is wayyy cheaper than a repaint!

Welcome Joe!

Welcome Donald! And post up some pics of that red truck (there are some folks on here that think that should be the only color available).

Sure you can. I have a pressure bottle of Rinseless Wash mixed at Waterless Wash strength (1 oz Rinseless to 16 oz distilled water), and a pressure bottle of Rinseless Wash mixed at wash strength (1 oz Rinseless to 2.5 gal of tap water) that I use for pretreating - the wash strength for knocking down dust or bird bombs, and the Waterless strength for bugs. Otherwise I load up the wash mitt and squeeze it over the panel before wiping.