shane@detailedreflections

There's been some great feedback here. Looks like it'll be a Rupes polisher being added to the collection. It's only money, right? And a guy can never really have too many tools in the box. Think I know what I want for Christmas. And then my bithday. The Bigfoot. And then a mini. They'll be perfect additions to my cyclo. Again, great feedback. Exactly what I was hoping for and why I love this place.

Nice shine on those rides! Looks fantastic.

Lately I've been thinking of adding a second polisher to my collection. I currently have a cyclo polisher that works well and has been completely trouble free. My thought in a second polisher is that as I've been doing more detailing, I have someone who's willing to help me. The help is obviously nice since it can cut the time of a lengthy process down quite a bit. I'm conflicted between a second cyclo or a rupes. There's times that I'll detail a vehicle by myself. So the same machine would be used throughout. If someone assists me though, would it be noticeable if parts were done with a rupes and parts with a cyclo? Or is it better to have two of the same machine? It would be nice to have the choice between cyclo or rupes though. What are thoughts on two different polishers versus two of the same? Especially when giving thought to two people working on a vehicle? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the compliments guys. As I do more work, I'll post before and after photos along with some write ups. I need to get better about taking pictures during the process though.

When they're dirty. Or when I have time. But I try to be good about keeping my vehicles clean. My wife though...

I have one made by a competitor. I don't use it all that often to be honest. It seems like it gets in the way more than it helps. Could just be the one I have?

Thanks. I actually didn't use the pumpkin spice since I didn't have any. But I might have just ordered a gallon of it with the current sale along with some other goods. I'm super happy with how the car came out. Once I run out of the Americana I have and the patriot wax, in curious to use the new Americana. I like the old formula, but like how easy the patriot goes on and off and finishes. If the new formula tops that...wow. Taking the car out tomorrow with my wife. So hopefully it doesn't come back too dirty from New England roads...

Firefighter/Paramedic

Thanks. Here's the same combo up again on a different vehicle.

Well, it's finally done. The entire car was completed utilizing only Adams Polishes products. The process was long, but since the car was in good shape to begin with, some steps weren't so bad. The order of events was: - strip wash (using APC and car shampoo) - decon with deep wheel cleaner (which didn't yield too many contaminants on the body). - wheels cleaned with deep wheel cleaner, turbo stick and wheel whoolies;, tires cleaned with APC - clay - exhaust tips cleaned up with metal polish 1 & 2 - trim and rubber treated with VRT - two step polish on all painted surfaces. Anywhere that had clear bra I used detail spray(I was hoping to just use finishing polish, but wasn't totally happy so did full correction. - paint sealant - brilliant glaze - topped with two coats of Patriot Wax - glass cleaned inside and out - glass sealant on windshield - reapply VRT to even it all out - H2O Guard & Gloss used on the wheels; tire shine on tires Interior done with total interior detailer, detail spray, leather and interior cleaner and leather conditioner Enjoy. I'm happy with how it came out.

Looks like it's just completely upside down now. Must not have rotated the correct 90 degrees.... Edit: Just retook it and got it right!

Thanks. I ended up doing a full correction on all the painted surfaces. For the parts with clear bra I used detail spray and sealant. Up next is some glaze and two coats of patriot wax for what will hopefully be eye popping depth. Here's a sneak peek of it sealed though. Hopefully the pic comes up right. I turned it horizontal like you suggested. Enjoy.

A split shot of LPS, BG and topped with two coats of Patriot from last summer. The finish on that truck was flawless. I'll post some shots of the car I'm working on currently when it's complete topping it with the same process. Doing some light correction on it before I layer it up.

So I've got some time off from work after having surgery to remove a few bone spurs from my ankle. I decided it was time to give my Lotus Evora some proper love. It only has 4,000 miles on it but it's had some swirls from the dealer I just hadn't gotten to taking care of yet. Most people wouldn't even notice them, but I know they're there and it's enough to bother me. The car wasn't horribly dirty before, but figured I'd document the process a little bit. Here's a few before pics...so far I've gotten it strip washed and decontaminated with DWC. Just getting ready to start claying, but ended up starting a thread while I grabbed a bite to eat. It might take me a few days before the final product is really done. But I'll update here and there as I go! Enjoy! And if anyone knows why my photos post at different roatations from my phone, I'd love to know why. And more importantly how to fix it.

No need to put the wax on with a machine. It can be done, but at no real time savings. Americana goes on easy and comes off simply. I think it would take me longer to apply that product with a machine.

You can try some APC on it and see if it loosens up at all. That is one of the problems with the bras that are applied. I know my car gets it too and luckily comes clean easy with a wash. But my vehicle that has it isn't a daily driver too, so I'm sure that's a factor.

The deep wheel cleaner when sprayed on the vehicles paint will dissolve a lot of the metal contamination that's on the paint making the clay process quicker and easier. Spray deep wheel cleaner on. Let it work. And rinse off. Do that prior to using clay with the regular technique. It will do a lot of the heavy decontamination for you. I've read that the deep wheel cleaner can be diluted at 1:1 for decontamination purposes. I have not tried it diluted yet though.

The sealant can be applied by hand. Just try to apply it evenly. The machine application usually helps keep it even and makes the process quite a bit faster. But definitely not impossible to apply by hand. Enjoy the labor of love.

I honestly don't know what type of film it is. It was applied from the factory by Lotus. Best course of action might simply be sealant and wax on it rather than risk damage.

Hey guys. Quick question about cars that have a clear bra. I know this has been asked before, but it seems as though there's a bunch of conflicting information which leaves me wondering what the current best practice is. For a vehicle with a clear bra, my understanding is that the finishing polish can be used on it to remove imperfections? My gut says correction polish is most likely too abrasive for the vinyl. Outside of that, I know it layers with sealant and wax like any other part of the vehicle. Will it take a glaze as well? Thanks for the help.

Should last six months or longer depending on how much you drive it. On my garage queen, I usually strip it and reapply about every six months. Sometimes to keep me feeling good. Sometimes to make sure it's protected. And it guarantees I give it a good going over every so often. The daily drivers I do a bit more often since they're subjected to more elements.

Agreed on the glaze! I always seal, glaze and then wax.

If it's a garage queen, use the sealant topped with the Americana wax. There's no reason to top it monthly with buttery when it spends most of its life in the garage protected from the elements. Wash it and dry it with detail spray. Live happily ever after until the next big detail when you redo sealant/wax. If you have the itch, every few months toss another coat of Americana on it. Too much wax will buildup and look hazy.

Glad it worked out for you. Nice work.

Don't underestimate the power of layering up the product. There's plenty of before and after here with amazing results. As for the crack, well that's just a physical defect. The fading can definitely be improved.