mc2hill

Did some more hurricane prep today (we got our water, food, and spare gas last month). I am working from home today, and when the wife and I went out for lunch, we saw there were still piles of sand at the local county park. After lunch I loaded shovels and gloves in the truck and headed up for my 10 sandbags. It was hot in that parking lot, but I am happy to have that chore out of the way. Last year I was planning to do the same thing just before a storm was predicted to hit, but the line to get into the park was over a mile long.

Welcome Randy!

Welcome Lisa!

@edlosee Have you tried Rinseless Wash? With that you clean panel by panel, so you wash & dry only a small area at a time. You can also do a regular 2 bucket wash this way, but it is more difficult. I do Rinseless washes about 95% of the time, and apply H2O G&G as part of this process - wash panel (one door, half the roof, etc), spray with G&G, spread with damp towel, and dry with a Waterless Wash towel. The small area allows everything to stay damp, so no water spots. I was working on 2 customer cars in February, with the temps in the low 80's, but the cars had been in the sun for a few hours while I did the interiors. When I started the Rinseless wash on the roof of the dark blue car, the wash solution on the back of the roof had evaporated by the time I got to the front of the roof - about 5 seconds. I had to work a smaller area, the 1/3 of the passenger side roof - wash, G&G, + dry, then worked the rest of the horizontal surfaces the same way.

I like to clean with Rinseless wash using old MF towels and some brushes - not has aggressive as APC or others, but works well. Then I dress with VRT 'milk' (the 80/20 mix of VRT and distilled water mentioned above).

@zapdonNice work on that great color! We were driving with friends (not car people) last summer and both the wives commented on the that color paint on a Miata. Mazda did a great job with that red candy.

Welcome to AF!

Welcome Tyler!

@DarkHorseFarmer First off, Welcome! Many of us 'long timers' started off were you are with the Porter Cable random orbital, dual action polisher. There are much better polishers on the market now, but there nothing wrong with that machine - I actually used mine last weekend (but not for polishing). But I would suggest moving to the 5" backing plate and the 5.5" pads. The smaller pads are much more efficient than the older, larger 6.5" pads, and the pad technology has improved too. Speaking of improvements, you should also grab the new polishes, as they are leaps and bounds ahead of what was available when I started in 2009. The Adam's Complete 5.5" Pad & Polish Combo may be a place to start (sorry, I cannot get to the website from my work computer, so no link), but I would recommend 2 blue pads, 2 white pads, Compound, and Polish vs. what is in the kit. Maybe give Adam's a call and they can fix you up with a better kit. And if Adam's does not have the backing plate available, it can be sourced from Amazon.

@sprzout I second what Chris said about Rinseless and Waterless Washes, especially with a Mini! With a Rinseless wash you could be washed and dried in 15 minutes! Oh, and about your wife's car, once you start using your Adam's products to keep her car clean and shiny, there will be less flak about future purchases. 😁

I had to do a 2 bucket with a hose yesterday! Anyone that reads my posts will know I do Rinseless Washes 98% of the time, but the Bro's at the neighbors July 4th party were shooting fireworks down the street (not up in the air) and my truck had lots of debris on it. After using my blower to move all the loose stuff from my driveway and the street into his driveway, I started with Mega Foam in the Foam gun to make sure the paint was slick, then the 2 bucket wash, and finished up the DS & the GWDT. It was fairly easy since I had applied H2O G&G the weekend before.

The Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner should work fine for that, and to wipe down the buckles. For a light cleaning just spray it on a utility MF towel, but for a soiled seat belt, spray the belt and scrub with a small upholstery brush.

Not trying to make this a generalization, but most of my female customers want - clean wheels with a nice shine on the tire, dark trim, and clean interiors. The detail project I finished yesterday started with a lot of vacuuming in a Infinity QX60 (3 kids all playing sports), and getting the rest of the interior sorted - this was the part for the Mom. Yesterday I returned to do the part that the Dad wanted - polish to make it shiny, remove some 'stuck' magnets, and put protection on. Mom was happy I could 'erase' most of the 'oops' in the paint.

Let me try this! From least to most aggressive: Hand Polish (formerly Revive Polish - a great tool in your arsenal, even if you don't work by hand) and a MF applicator, hex grip applicator, or MF towel Adam's Polish and a white polishing pad One Step Polish and pad Adam's Compound and a blue compound pad Adam's Compound and a blue microfiber pad The color coordination part is one thing Adam's does to make this easier beginners.

@Mantis This is my H2O G&G setup, if you are looking for a better performing sprayer - the gold & black is the Tolco 320ARS Acid Resistant (probably overkill, but this one was recommended and I like it!). The grey sprayer is the Tolco 320CR Chemical Resistant head on my Tire & Rubber Cleaner. I also upgraded my Wheel Cleaner with one of these Chemical Resistant sprayers.

I have done the same as @GXPaycheck with Rinseless wash solution. When I am mobile I put my used polishing pads in the bucket with some APC. At the end I put a Grit Guard upside in the bucket to keep the pads soaking, and spin on the Gamma Seal lid. I will let them soak for a few hours/days before cleaning the pads.

I have made a few adjustments to my media in the past year or so - switched to a Adam's Microfiber Wash mitt, a towel similar to the Adam's Edgeless (but only one fluffy side), and a Twist Pile Drying Towel (similar to the Adam's mini Plush Drying Towel). I have been using this on my 2017 Accord since we bought it new, and no swirls yet. Lots of chipped painted in the front, thanks to the thin paint and clearcoat, but no swirls! The next new car will have the front-end wrapped with PPF ASAP!

Welcome Robert, and way cool truck!

The last few times I bought 5 or more and they came from Amazon, but most detailing supply companies have them, including several Adams dealers - detailing.com is one I have used before.

@Mantis I use H2O G&G often (used it yesterday on the wife's Accord with a Rinseless Wash) and I love it. That being said, the sprayer that comes with the bottle does not produce the best results. Try the sprayer that comes with the Premium Dilution bottle, or do what I did and get a Tolco sprayer I use the 320ARS black and gold model, but any of the Tolco 320 models should work fine (this the sprayer the Premium Dilution bottle had in the past).

Welcome Martin!

Welcome Kyle!

12 years old!!! Holy cow!

Welcome Doug! The Porter Cable DA polisher is fine (I still have one too), but I would recommend changing to the smaller 5.5" pads and backing plate. They work better with the PC's power than the older, larger 6+" pads.

@HAMBO I mostly use the Adam's Microfiber Wash Mitt for a swirl-free clean. I clean with the mitt, wipe with a damp Plush Waffle Weave, spritz the section with Detail Spray, and dry with a Mini Plush Drying towel. I will use the 'bucket of towels' method for some special cars, but that uses a lot of towels and I can use the Wash Mitt over and over until the next time I need to do a load of towels (about every 3-4 months).