PHOKUS

Honestly, it sounds like your older tires aren't getting clean enough, and may be exhibiting tire bloom.

With T&R Cleaner, it took several bouts of applying/scrubbing to get the tires CLEAN, but when I did they were black as new. I no longer use VRT on my tires, I use Tire Shine, but it lasted for almost three weeks. Including driving through two thunderstorms!

It sounds like the stuff you get from work is pretty powerful, but may not be suitable for tire rubber compounds. Using the correct chemical with appropriate elbow grease is the best route to renewing your tires (and pretty much your entire vehicle!).

Gotcha. Thanks bud!  Here's what was done:

 

Clay bar

Bucket wash

G&G

 

I expect to do a LPS soon.

Let's see some pics when you're done!

I own a black car, and I love the just-detailed look. With black cars, it's ALL about prep and protection.

Here's what I do to keep it in tip-top shape.

1. Strip it down to the bare paint using best techniques outlined by Dylan and Adam's videos.
2. Apply two coats of sealant.
3. Apply two coats of Americana
4. Quick wash with Rinseless (There is no such thing as a "Wipe Down" on a black car. The sooner you realize this, the less pain you'll endure)
5. Full wash once or twice a month, follow up with G&G to maintain protection.

This provides about 6 months of excellent protection, 9 months if garaged regularly.

Glass Sealant then H20 G&G, then Glass Cleaner when needed.

I hardly ever use wipers.

Key point, make sure your glass is stripped CLEAN. Might take 4-5 clay bar attempts. Use water to clay glass, not detail spray. Glass doesn't need lubricant like paint does - it's MUCH harder than clearcoat!

Clear coat failure.

If you do attempt this, be diligent about residue management. You'll be pulling a LOT...I mean a LOT ​ of dead clear off, which will saturate your pad and it will stop cutting completely. If you don't manage it, you'll get heat buildup and likely trash your pads.

There are quite a few good videos out there on compound residue management. Educate yourself before attempting this, and have 5-8 compounding pads ready to go. You'll probably need all of them.

Good luck!

Wow. I get almost an entire season out of my glass sealant.

Here are a few reasons why I think your Glass Sealant is wearing off too quickly:

1) Your glass wasn't contaminant-free when you applied your sealant

2) You are using your wipers

3) You aren't cleaning your windshield using Adam's Glass Cleaner on a regular basis

Reasons 1 and 2 are probably why the sealant seems to wear off quickly. Also, I apply G&G over top of my sealed glass, which seems to lengthen the product life.

WIth the new forumlation of Americana and its easy on/off application, not to mention superior durability, Buttery simply does not measure up. My Buttery goes on the friends' wife's daily.

Hex applicator or machine-applied. The MF applicator soaks up too much product IMO

UPDATE!!! Ok folks after 1500 miles and 2 really bad rain storms the glass-sealant has quit working. So 1300 miles more then the bottle says. This stuff is great thank you Adams for making another great product!!!

Just curious on a couple things. Did you mean 1,500 miles, or 15,000 miles?

Also, are you using your wipers during these rain storms?

Thanks for the responses everyone.

He is going to try melting the wax in hot water tonight. I'll try to get some pics.

I have a few small scuffs on my personal vehicle that I'd like to remove. However, to justify purchasing a polisher and all the goodies I need more reason. I know it can be used to apply liquid sealant but what about buttery wax?  If so, is there a specific pad for wax?

 

Also, do you always remove polish, sealant, wax by hand with MF towel? It seems like removing by machine would be ideal.

I have tried buttery and Americana with machine, it doesn't apply well due to the viscosity change caused by heat. Sealant viscosity doesn't change much due to the heat, making it ideal for machine application.

I always remove by hand. Single-softs are my favorite for removal.

LPS and paint correction is all you need it for (as mentioned above).

I am still struggling applying LPS and pretty sure I am using too much.

 

So I am still not sold on using a machine for sealant. Not saying its not right but I am still learning how to do it.

While using a machine, if you can see the sealant going on you're using too much. A few small drops per panel is all you need.

My best friend, whom I recently introduced to Adam's, purchased some Americana and he stored it in his garage. His garage happens to get pretty hot. 

He removed the round label between the applicator and the wax for storage, and it appears about 1/3 of the wax has been absorbed into the applicator. Additionally, the wax inside has retreated from the edges of the container, and the wax is 'loose' inside the container.

In case anyone asks, I strongly urged him to store the wax in a cool place - but he did not heed my advice. He now agrees with my advice but wants the remaining wax to "stick" inside the container like it did when it was new.

Is it possible to heat the wax inside the container enough to put it into a liquid state to achieve what he wants to do? If so, could somone describe that process?

Thanks!

Additionally, what Gen Adam's pads were you running? I had a Gen5 pad delaminate at the velcro backing while using Rupes 15MkII on a hot day on some particularly bad paint. It was simply too much heat. I wasn't dealing with residue appropriately, either, which likely contributed to the delamination.

That looks like glass strands. Were they brittle or pliable?

Looks fantastic! Great job, and what a great surprise to come home to!!

On the matter of the residue, how many times did you swap pads? I find that on older/more abused cars, the residue management becomes a large factor. The worse the paint, the more pads I swap/clean after several panels. I have found that not only does the correction stage go faster, I work less in the process. And, the most important factor, the residue (if any) comes off MUCH easier.

For my purposes, I don't mind spending the extra $100 or so to keep 4-6 MF cutting and Orange pads to get my desired result in less time with less effort.

I have a garage queen Trans Am WS6.  It always gets the Brilliant Glaze and Americana Wax treatment.  The car gets driven on the weekends and only during nice weather.  I was just curious if H2O Guard and Gloss would be something I could add to the detail regimen, or is it better suited for a car that gets daily driven? 

I am now firmly in the camp of Americana + H20 GG. I used to use Detail Spray as a drying lubricant. However, the net effect was that my car became a dust magnet with the Detail Spray. H20 GG actually seems to repel dust. And layered on top of Americana + Brilliant Glaze, H20 GG seems to be a near-perfect complement.

There are lots of great products out there. I came to Adam's for the quality products and guarantee, and stay because I believe in the company ethos.

I   Rinseless Wash for precisely this reason. 

To add yet another approach, I have been doing Rinseless washes for the last few weeks and I love it! Less water collects (if any) and I use less water as well. 

I have tried both Waterless Wash and diluted Rinseless Wash (5:1 Distilled Water: Rinseless) as a pre-treat for bugs and I have found that Waterless does a MUCH better job at breaking up bugs. Even baked on bugs wipe off with very little rubbing required. 

If you can, buy your towels in bulk. You pay more initially, but the cost per towel is much lower. 

Americana + BG is probably the best combination of products I have ever used. Both incredibly easy on and off, and the shine is so intense it almost defies logic.

Oh, and the combination of scents between the two are perhaps my favorite of all Adam's products.

Thanks for the feedback, it was about 80* not very humid. I should have taken some pics of the old girl. I'll wash it next weekend and try to remember to take a few shots. I'm crashing here between our old house closing and being able to move into the new one so I've got some time on my hands.

 

 

Looks like the one above except it has a silver front grill. It's a really cool ride, they don't make 'em like that anymore. My Dad has always had a thing for large cars, when I was a kid I learned to drive in a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis....

I know what you mean about huge cars. My first car was a 1974 Mercury Monterrey 2-dr. It was something like 27ft from stem to stern. ​

I just received my July 4th order of a gallon of car shampoo. Few weeks before that I got a 16oz to try. Noticed today that the smell is totally different between the two. Has the formula changed?

Unpleasantly different?

Remember, Adam's offers the best guarantee in the business. Your best resource is calling Adam's and explaining the nature of your dissatisfaction.

My Woolie gets used. A lot. Wheels, engine bay, door hinges, grille.

Great product.

I'm not gentle on wheels at all. I seal them in the winter when I swap my winter setup in. I seal them again in the Spring when I pull them out. Then I wax them once for the summer. That's it.

Wash with shampoo, use Wheel cleaner as needed. Since I switched from the OEM pads to StopTech ceramics, my wheels look clean for weeks. Stark contrast to the OEM pads, which were FILTHY after 5 minutes of driving.