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mc2hill

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  1. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from Captain Slow in What did you do today?   
    My wife and I choose that weekend to visit my son & daughter-in-law in Chicago!  It was lots of firsts for this Florida boy - first time in snow/ice/slush, first time in sub-zero temps, and first time wearing long underwear all day!  We looked at it as an adventure, and thankfully the brave Uber drivers were always available - my son's car locks froze on the Saturday, so we used them alot (but the plus was we always got into a warm car!).   
    Hats off to anyone that can live in that weather, but it ain't for me.
  2. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from RayS in What did you do today?   
    My wife and I choose that weekend to visit my son & daughter-in-law in Chicago!  It was lots of firsts for this Florida boy - first time in snow/ice/slush, first time in sub-zero temps, and first time wearing long underwear all day!  We looked at it as an adventure, and thankfully the brave Uber drivers were always available - my son's car locks froze on the Saturday, so we used them alot (but the plus was we always got into a warm car!).   
    Hats off to anyone that can live in that weather, but it ain't for me.
  3. Like
    mc2hill reacted to Captain Slow in What did you do today?   
    Looking forward to warmer weather. This is the SS after I got home from the office Friday night.

     
    We’ve had a blizzard and two additional snow events since January 12. Here’s a pic from the ride into the office in the blizzard. This is in town. Visibility in the country on the way in was greatly reduced compared to this view.

    I was all by my lonesome in the office that day.
     
    The following Sunday morning was -14*F (-26*C). If I wasn’t ushering 8 AM service I’d have stayed home. Attendance was half of the usual attendance.
     
    I’m not worried about our vehicles as they’ve both sporting Advanced Graphene Spray Coating topped with Ceramic Boost under all that salt. 

    BTW: winter tires are fantastic! No matter what I drive next I will have winter tires for it.
  4. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in Sharing some good family news - Non-Detailing   
    The good family news is that the family is growing.   This weekend, plus a couple of days, was a fun filled event for my oldest daughter and her husband who had their baby shower.   This will be our first grandchild and we are most certainly looking forward to the family growing.  We'll be expecting our grandchild around Christmas and with any luck our son-in-law won't get deployed between now and the arrival.   In celebration we hosted about 30 guests for an extended weekend and everyone had a great time with the family and friends that hadn't all been together since their wedding about 10 years go.
     
     

     
     
    Along with the daughter being spoiled, the wife's new custom shed arrived on Saturday.  We did have to ask our daughter if the child was going to look like her, since the wife's shed looks like a child of my garage.  Hard to believe the wife's new shed is a 10x12 and could fit through my door since it is only 8' 9"  high.   It will end up being a true She Shed, fully insulated, plywood walls and whatever else she wants for her storage and plant stuff.  I'm not sure if it will get heat and air, but it is already wired, so I know it will have power.
     
    I need to get the interior completed, skirting put on, flower boxes under the windows and whatever else the wife wants, so it will make for a nice winter project in addition to spoiling the first grandchild.

     
     
     

  5. Like
    mc2hill reacted to Captain Slow in What Did You Wash, Shine, and or Polish Today   
    After Church the family came by our house for coffee, donuts and conversation. My older brother came by shortly after. I had promised him to get his daily transportation ready for winter some time this past summer. Fast forward to today and his 24/7/365 parked outside 2016 Toyota Corolla finally got some attention. It hadn’t been touched by me in almost two years.  I foamed the car with Adam’s Strip Wash and let it dwell while we gabbed in the garage. I rinsed it and re-foamed, this time with Adam’s Car Shampoo. I washed the car, rinsed it and re-foamed. At this point he headed into the house and left me to my business. I used the Adam’s clay mitt and “ clayed” the paint. After this, I rinsed it, then dried it off. Since it is his commuter car I wiped the car down with Adam’s Surface Prep then coated the entire car with Adam’s Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating Advanced. Glass, paint and trim all got coated. Yes, no polishing was done after claying the paint. He wanted it protected and he was tickled pink with the results. 
    When he got home he texted me “I really appreciate the mirror finish on my car!”  That compliment was all the “pay” I needed for the work.
  6. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in Campers and Foam Cannons   
    I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the Foam Cannon Premium today and it was fun.   The camper that I washed today is a 36 foot Flagstaff with three slide outs.  
     
    I have found that Wash & Wax does a good job on the campers and other large surface area items, such as vinyl fences and metal buildings.    I use a soft brush on the end of the 12' pole and while the brush I have is probably 15 years old, it looks just like the Adam's Truck Brush, which should last you a lifetime if you get one.  When doing taller objects I also use a 24" extension on the Snub Nose so I don't have to get on a ladder to reach the higher areas.  
     
    Just like a vehicle, I do the tires and wheels first and then start with the foam cannon doing one side at a time.  Because of the total surface area and using a brush on a pole, there is little doubt that you'll miss some spots, so I always plan on doing each side twice.   If you have the run marks that most campers get on them from the roof, awning run off or just going too long between washes, you may find some places that you still need to use Camper Black Streak Remover.  I have not found a Adam's product to substitute for this specialized product, so please let me know if there is one that you've found.
     
    For the rinse after using the brush, I've found that the Fire Host Nozzle using a wide pattern works well.  It also prevents hitting the edges around the slide outs will to much pressure and getting any water inside.   On a camper this size, if you are doing it on a sunny day, you may need to do smaller sections, today was beautiful day, overcast and in the low 70's, so it was perfect for working outside.
     
    While Wash & Wax does not lay day the volume foam that get with some of the other shampoo's, it does cover well and sticks pretty good.    Here are a couple from each side with the first coating of Wash & Wax from the Foam Cannon Premium.
     
     


  7. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RamMasterFlash in 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hyrbid   
    Hey everyone, Ramsey here. Greetings from Connecticut!
    My wife and I are having a baby in about 3-7 days (maybe even sooner?!) and decided to invest in a solid family car that can grow with us (and our two dogs). I opted for the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. Love the car, but was impossible to find and the only color I could get my hands on was black. And as I like to say, the only way to keep a black car scratch free and clean is to not buy a black car. 
     
    In any event, I was paranoid about maintaining our investment and so have had PPF installed on the front of the car, including the front driver and passenger side doors, and the rear fenders. Between the vehicle purchase and the PPF, my budget has been maxed out, but I also wanted to ceramic coat my car while it was brand new and unscratched. I was super nervous about doing it myself, but even more nervous about not doing it.  After hours of researching, reading and watching videos (Thank you to the Adams team for all of the content!!) I felt comfortable giving it a try. I bought the Adams Advanced Graphene Ceramic coating and spent 2 days prepping the vehicle and applying. I am blown away with the results! The car looks way better than when I bought even just last week. Im letting it cure in my garage now, but cannot wait to get driving. Even my wife was impressed, and she is a hard lady to impress these days in her current state! 😂

     
     
     
  8. Like
    mc2hill reacted to Rich in Lost Focus   
    Different owner, different focus.  And I agree with you.
  9. Like
    mc2hill reacted to Norton in Lost Focus   
    I miss the days when Adam's was focused on what made the company great - outstanding detailing products and exceptional customer service. 
     
    Recent emphasis seems to be on endless "flavors of the day," clothing, tchotchke, etc. 😢
  10. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from Captain Slow in Question about h2o G&G   
    @1stFST I use H2O G&G as part of my Hoseless/rinseless wash - I wash 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.
  11. Thanks
    mc2hill got a reaction from RayS in What to add to wash routine to get rid of this yellow pollen/sap residue?   
    I know is has been a while since you asked this question, but one way to remove them is with a thick hand sanitizer.  It is the alcohol that helps remove the sap, and the gel helps it stay in place.  Rub the hand sanitizer on the sap, then let it for a few minutes, and try removing with you finger nail.  
    It they are very old you may have remove them carefully with a plastic razor blade.
  12. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from 2Fords in Question about h2o G&G   
    @1stFST I use H2O G&G as part of my Hoseless/rinseless wash - I wash 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.
  13. Like
    mc2hill reacted to The Guz in Adams Rinseless Wash Video Review   
    With current drought conditions across the states and other countries, rinseless washing will become a more regular routine that traditional bucket washing.  It is a perfect solution for those that don't have access to water such as an apartment complex.  
     
    It has been years since I used the Adams Rinseless Wash and after using it again it certainly is a good product in comparison to other products on the market.  The only thing that I don't recall is it separating and having this brown look to it.  Not sure what that is about.  
     
    Another experiment is using Foam + Wash as a pre-soak and using it with the rinseless wash as sort of a hybrid rinseless wash.  
     
    https://adamspolishes.com/products/adam-s-rinseless-car-wash
     
    https://adamspolishes.com/products/adams-foam-wash
     
    https://adamspolishes.com/products/adams-cs3
     
     
  14. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in Preparing for Spring 2020   
    I managed to complete another project on the garage over the long weekend, which was 5 days long for me.   After taking everything out of my garage and the wife being nice enough to let me put it all in her garage, I coated my floor.  The weather was excellent and it wasn't difficult to do it was a matter of following the steps and paying particular attention to the preparation.    It was really surprising how many marks were on the floor, yet I know the floor was clean. 
     
    To make sure I would have the optimal bonding of the coating to the concrete, I did the three step process for cleaning.  Degrease the bad spots, sand the really bad stops and the use the Citric Acid with a triple rinse to ensure it was fully etched, which got the floor to this condition.

     
    The tape around the wall is one single piece with the exception of the overhead door. If you have never had to tape along a floor, it is one of the easiest places to tape.  Just lay the tape roll on the floor, unroll it the length of your arms and press it in place.  If you do need get some touching the floor, just trim it with a razor blade or box cutter.   For the tape across the door threshold, you can go up to the door, under the door or all the way to cut.  I decided that I wanted the coating to be partially under the weather seal, so the tape is aligned to the middle of the weather seal.   
     
    The tape on the left side floor, follows a stress cut since I had a concern of having enough material, and if I ran short, it would have made it easy to have a set line to star the next round after running to the hardware store.   Fortunately, the 2.5 garage kit was enough to cover the floor, but would not have been if I didn't have the cabinets in place.  The garage is 31x23 and the floor is smooth with reduced amount of coating required.
     
    Here are the results of the Coating + Chips + Clear

     
    This is this post cleanup with the center lights turned on.

     
    If you are thinking about doing this to your garage, I can say that to me it was absolutely worth it.  It took me 5 days of about 5 hours per day to get it done.  You need to complete each step, let the floor thoroughly dry, find any spots that need more attention and then move forward.   If the instructions say you can do light walking after X hours, double that time just in case you have spot that hasn't dried enough otherwise you might leave a foot print - no need to ask me how I know, albeit light, I will know it is there.
     
    When spreading chips, ceiling fans on low speed are great, medium speed not much and high speed creates a mess.  Throw the chips in the air and let them settle, you can always add more chips if you want a deeper pattern, I liked the look of the medium density so that is what I went for.  If you forget to throw the chips and have gone 8 feet instead of 4 feet, let's just say you have to throw them very hard to get them to the desired area - I only made that mistake once.     Water or Sweat on the floor while you are doing the coating or clear top coat is a bad thing, you'll get a bubble or round gap.  It was warm, so I can show you each spot where there was a drop, fortunately there were only a couple, after that I kept a shop rag in the back pocket to immediately take care of the moisture.  
     
    Overall for being my first time coating a floor, it wasn't bad, a second person to help would have been nice, but wasn't required.  The outcome of the floor, even with my few foobars, has made me happy and the wife, so I'll get to do her garage next. 
     
    Now that the floor is done, I get to build my custom shelves to replace the metal shelves that I had in there, which will go into the wife's new shed which we ordered today.  Other tasks are installing the baseboard molding, getting the rest of the art put up and building the portal workbench.   The last thing is to convince the wife that we are not going to find a good condition used lift, so I need to purchase a new one. 
     
  15. Like
    mc2hill reacted to Wookiee in Long time customer - new account   
    Been using Adams for years, love all products. 



     

  16. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in Food Thread   
    Rich, I can assure you that you'll be fed well if you show up at my house in South Carolina.
     
    With Chris agreeing to send Mary on a trip, we can have a good party at my place, since the Chef is always willing to cook for people who enjoy eating. 
  17. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from shmedley in What Did You Wash, Shine, and or Polish Today   
    A little of 'detail something different' today.  My wife's niece has 'brittle bone' disease, and and was not supposed to live past about 2 years old - well she is now 32 and is getting married on Halloween! 
    I have detailed her mobility van several times, but she wanted her motorized wheelchair detailed for the big day.
    I was not sure how to tackle this or what I would need, so I packed the small polishers, Interior stuff, pump bottles of Rinseless and Waterless Wash, APC in several strengths, lots of brushes, and of course Detail Spray.
    It ended up that is was like cleaning an engine bay - lots of grimy/greasy bits, some plastic and chrome, plus a little bit of an interior cleanup thrown in.
    I took off the seat cushions (they were Alcantara) and cleaned them with Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner using the soft bristle Cockpit Brush.
    Next I sprayed down the chair with Rinseless Wash to loosen up the grimey stuff, then worked a section at a time with Waterless Wash & a work MF towel.  I went thru several towels before applying Interior Detailer to the plastic fender, and Detail Spray to the plastics.
    Finally I scrubbed the tires with Tire & Rubber Cleaner and a small scrub brush, and applied VRT to finish.
    Lots of nooks and crannies on this, and I wished I had brought all my Wheel Woolies to get to some of the hard to reach spots.  But my most used tool was a Popsicle stick wrapped around a MF cloth!  
     
    Before:

     
     
    Before and Afters




     
    And the full After shot:


  18. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from bosco1 in 1st time with Americana on Biscayne   
    I love that car Dan, the color combo is great! 
    I always use Americana on garage queens/show cars, but I apply Brilliant Glaze first, then top that with the wax.
  19. Like
    mc2hill reacted to bosco1 in 1st time with Americana on Biscayne   
    Have had a new container of  Americana for a few months now. Never have used this product. Decided to give it a try while watching the game today. Put a coat on BisQuick and Goodness does this wax apply wonderfully. Did panel by panel but don't believe it would have mattered. It removed just as easily as it applied. Gave the paint alittle deeper wetter look. Think I'll do the wife's Escalade next with it. Here's a few after pics. Great winter therapy..
     








  20. Like
    mc2hill reacted to 07stanggt in Bored, so polishing happened   
    With stupid cold temps over here outside, it was time to get going on my summer rims. They are on my daily driver F250 so they do get a little beat over the summer months. I used Adam's metal polish with mothers power ball, and a drill. Used Adams coating prep and finished them off with Adams Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating. About an hour per rim. Came out great! Here are some before, during, and after pics.












  21. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in 29 Years Old and ready for rehab   
    It is amazing how quickly time passes especially with the last 2 years being a blur most of us would like to forget about.  During this time the kids moved to a new house and the car spent almost a year sitting under a cover at my place. 
     
    Over the summer we got it moved to the kids new house and work has slowly been progressing with getting the engine out and rebuilt, the entire interior was removed for updating and a color swap and removal of the 300zx instrument cluster.  The wiring harness has been partially replaced and upgraded along with the suspension and brakes.  Interesting point, to upgrade the rotors and calipers, you have to use parts for a Mustang GT.
     
    The engine went back in a few weeks ago and the wheels came in this week and were installed.  The interior is getting close to being done, just waiting on the new seats to arrive.  There is still a plenty of work left to do on it and then it will go for paint and the son-in-law is saying it will be Magma Red.   
     
    Parts have been a challenge since the son-in-law is doing it as a Nismo conversion, so there are various body parts that have been and will be replaced in additional to the mechanical side.
     
    Here's a current picture that shows the wheels and engine and the color match being done.
     
     

  22. Like
    mc2hill reacted to The Guz in Vinyl wrapped car - Adam's Graphene Coating 60ml   
    1. The temperature and humidity are going to dictate the flash time.  You will have to figure that out.  Apply to a certain area and time it. The coating rainbows so when it starting to dissipate that is when you want to get it off.  Longer than that and it will be more difficult to remove.  
     
    2. Wash, dry, panel wipe and apply the coating.  
     
    3. Yes.  You want to use a soap that contains no wax, ceramic or gloss enhancers.
     
     
    The coating will give it a more rich appearance.  It will darken it but make it look richer but not glossy.  Here is a set of matte wheels to give you an idea.  
     
     
     
    The enrichen look will last a long time.  Hard to say exactly how long as the climate is different for everyone. 
     
    The coating needs 24 hours to cure.  After that you can drive it. 
     
     
    I prefer low nap pile microfiber towels.  I use 300gsm edgless towel from a well known towel company.  I find them to work better than a suede towel and super plush towel.  Again personal preference. 
     
     
    The coating can get wet after 24 hours.  
  23. Thanks
    mc2hill got a reaction from RayS in Two Year Comparison   
    Nice work Ray!
    Down here a corrected headlight with a sealant applied will start to cloud in about 6 months (probably similar to what you get in SC).  If you wetsand them (to remove the remaining factory protection) and apply a coating you can go a year or more before they start clouding again.
     
    FYI - applying a coating without sanding does not add anything, as the coating will not bond to the headlight sufficiently.  I checked this out with several vendors at Mobile Tech Expo (a detailing trade shoe) a few years ago.
  24. Like
    mc2hill reacted to RayS in Two Year Comparison   
    After two years we were able to go back to Florida to see the wife's father and visit my aunt & uncle.  This also gave me the opportunity to take care of the golf cart and redo the headlights on the Suburban.  The golf cart was done in November 2019 with Adam's Ceramic Spray Coating, which is the first picture.   
     

     
    The second picture is from November 2021 after getting washed and dried with CS3 and I must say that I'm impressed with the longevity and how good it looks.  I can tell that the black trim on the front needs to be redone and I will look at going to the Graphene Spray Coating in the spring. There is no doubt the Ceramic Spray coating held up well for 2 years given that the golf cart gets used every day since it is the way the father-in-laws gets around the park.
     

     
     
    Next up is the headlights on the Suburban and I already knew they had gotten pretty bad again.  I expect that I'll need to do the headlights on at least an annual basis if not twice a year.
     
    Before

     
    after using the Adam's Headlight Kit that used to be on the web site with the two pads and little bottles of correcting, finishing polish and detail spray along with the Swirl Killer Mini.
     

     
     
    As I was working on the Suburban I had five people stop and ask me if I did that for a living or if I had a card because they needed theirs done.  Unfortunately time did not permit me to take on additional jobs since I had more items on my list for the two houses than was possible to get done.  At least I know I won't be bored on the next Florida run
     
     
  25. Like
    mc2hill got a reaction from Trap in Rinseless wash   
    The fluffier towels will hold any dirt particles grabbed by the polymers in the Rinseless Wash solution better than the 'flat weave' Waterless Wash towels.  The WW towels are fine for drying after a RW. 
    I would recommend trying the Microfiber Wash Mitt as part of a RW.  I have been using this type of mitt for 4 years (I used the dreadhead chenile mitts before), and it works great.  My process is to wash the panel with the mitt, wipe with a damp, fluffy towel (something like a Borderless Grey), spritz with Detail Spray, and dry with a 16x16 version of the Jumbo Plush drying towel. 
     
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