oldfordisbetter

No idea. Haven't used the product.
 
There are dedicated panel wipes that are far more capable of preparing a surface for coating than any soap could be.

Certainly that is true, my point is this - there is no standard by which coatings are measured and a pencil hardness test is easily manipulated by the coating thickness. If you do the deep dive with some of these products, and assuming they even actually did the test and will provide the information the 9H rating only comes in at a thickness of 25µ or more which is an unrealistic thickness to recreate on the paint of a vehicle. At the more realistic level of 5µ the hardness evaluation can drop by 4 levels or more.

Again - red herring.

Facts - can a coating provide increased resistance to light swirls and marring? Absolutely! Does a claim of 9H make one coating harder than another? Absolutely not unless both coatings are compared at their ACTUAL applied thickness for a set number of coats for the comparison.

LOL damn auto correct I meant pressure washer. That would be one shiny rinse! Haha

Jason, you rinse down with Patriot Wax or pressure washer?

Rigid vacs from home depot are amazing. I use the Ridgid WD4070 for my mobile detailing business with the pro car hose and attachments. I use it multiple times per week and it hasn't failed the 3 years I've had it. Many professional detailers use the same vac, it's like $80 (before any discounts). No use in buying an expensive metro vac in my opinion unless you just have money burning a hole in your pocket or you want a nice "shiny looking" vacuum. 

Thanks again Dan and Adam's for hooking me up. Look forward to the gloves!

One box of 100 Disposable Detailing Gloves Size Large will be on its way out to you either today or tomorrow!
 
oldfordisbetter chose these as his free prize. He is officially the first winner in some new contests I will be doing exclusively for our forum members

Good eye! I didn't catch that.
 
Joe, can we send out a prize? lol

And I thought you were kidding, but in that front row....

Get some Stoners Tarminator (or similar) and spray a little on the tire while it is dry. Then wipe it off with a cheap microfiber: you may have to wipe fairly hard: also the microfiber will be junk, so use a cheap one. I believe mineral spirits will also work, but I never used that. I have used tarminator and it easily removed that brown junk that your tires have. In fact, my case was a good bit worse than yours.
 
You should be able to buy Stoners locally.

Wish I could make it.  Have Joe break out the cameras so scenes can be watched (or streamed) by us unfortunate ones who are unable to attend. 

To put this thread back on topic....
 
With the point I made on the last page and to answer the OP's question again, if using a pH neutral, gentle Car Shampoo like Adam's, NO it is not bad for the clay, and NO it will not be "too slick to clay" it will work and decontaminate just fine.  Many professional detailers do so (Larry Kosilla was mentioned earlier).  If you are finished washing the car and have a clean bucket of suds go to town before you give it a final rinse and dry, and you can go right into polishing.
 
This is less about a "which product works is my favorite" thread, which is what it has become, and more about a "which process is more efficient" for those of us who detail for dollars either on the side or professionally.  Personally I clay after my wash and before I dry, and I don't personally use Detail Spray.  If you like to, that is perfectly fine.  I save it for wipedowns.
 
Again use what you like and use it often. Many of us would rather save the Detail Spray for wipedowns only, but if you like to clay with it, thats great!  As that is what is in the Adam's regimen, however, we do like to experiment and share ideas on this forum, so lets do so politely and with respect to the guys paying for the board.

Does a process become less efficient for someone maintaining their own cars vs someone who details for profit?
 
I fully respect Adams regimen for claying, but if I can accomplish it quicker and/or save money at the same time. Which is what the OP is trying to do using shampoo for his lube, it's just more practical.
 
Which I think is what this thread has become, a discussion on practical solutions for clay lube.
 
If you want to use standard clay, fine. I can use a prep towel and be done in less then 1/2 the time. 
 
Not knocking any Adams products. I like all of them I've used. I just like to be practical as well.

Not trying to beat a dead horse. No one said DS doesnt work great as clay lube. Im sure its works as good as anything. It just is not cost effective enough for some guys. Me for example, I work on a lot of trucks and will sometimes blow through 32 oz to get it all done. Do a couple a week and those $5 bottles DO get expensive. No offense to anyone. I"ll zip it now.
 
Two questions: is 5 gallons of DS eligible for sales? (15% off etc)
And what would the "expiration date" be on something like that?

When cost is literally half before diluting it is a no contest in my book. For the amount of product I can chew through  (we all like to be liberal with product right?) it makes sense to not use detail spray. And again I don't like wax in a detail spray for claying.
 
The bottom line is use what you like and use it often. But for me I have found other products that fit the bill for my uses better.
 
This isn't to say I don't like Adam's detail spray. I still use it for final wipe downs, just not claying or polish removal.

Less overhead means more profit. Business 101.
 
As I stated before I don't like that DS contains wax for claying. The product I am using is still a detail spray but designed to be diluted for clay use and contains no wax. It is also half the cost of Adam's.
 
Assuming that other companies don't have products that are as good or even better than Adam's would be ignorant at best. Adam's has some great products but they aren't the end all be all.

There is absolutely nothing that makes detail spray a better clay lube than diluted rinseless. It doesn't matter if you detail just your own car or customers, why waste the money to clay with detail spray? Save it for final wipe downs.
 
If you want to spend almost $6 for a bottle of detail spray to clay a car (if purchased in gallon form) then be my guest, I'm sure Adam will appreciate this tremendously. 
 
But to suggest that it is better to use detail spray than diluted rinseless is silly and misleading, it isn't better, it's just what you personally have always done. 
 
I'll keep using less than 50 cents worth of rinseless wash to clay my car, as it sounds like most everyone else will also. Or the soap already in my wash bucket. If it's good enough for Larry Kosilla and the million+ dollar cars he works on as well as many other professional detailers, it's good enough for your personal car. 

Find something you like... And use it often!

^Agreed with both above, Adams soap (bucket of suds for lube) is especially great if you use clay alternative mitts or sponges as they really benefit from the lubrication of soapy water

I agree with the others. Diluted rinseless is what I had used. Started using soapy water and really like that. Thats what works best for me and my situation. But lets be honest, $40 a gallon for rtu clay lube is plain ridiculous.

IMHO, using Adam's DS exclusively as a clay lube is not cost effective.  There are too many equally high quality products on the market, particularly available in concentrate, that does just as an outstanding job for much less money.

I think using DS as a Clay Lube is ridiculous because of its cost. There are cheaper dedicated lubes out there if thats what you're going to use DS for... I use diluted Rinseless.

1. So pleased to announce that those weight loss programs really work!
2. Uh- oh, I think I left my stove on
3. Does this guy on Youtube really know how to detail?
4. Wheres that stuff that makes hair grow back?
5. Monday morning Gatorade
6. No wrinkles allowed
7. Wax on, wax off
8. Outdated, gotta go.
9. What are you looking at? We're not taking it home.
10. up for adoption. Call 866 965 0400 to claim

I have stopped using the adams wash pads. For me they held way to much dirt that is near impossible to get out. They also catch on trim and leave little strands which is annoying

We get pine pollen here like crazy, and thanks to the dry climate it seems to just swirl around like dust everywhere for months. Just part of the deal - even if you move there is some kind "issue" no matter where you go. If it's not pollen it'll be something else.