KSRegalGS

Decided to bring my products with me to work. Wiped down, protected, and conditioned my interior on my lunch break. it was a nice mental break.

The color seems to be key. Especially with the current blue design for all wash products.

Pretty cool stuff coming up! New products, product updates, and other great additions. One product that hasn't been teased or revealed anywhere yet is set for release the first part of next month. Its been a top secret development that we think will blow you away - any guesses as to what it might be?
 

What about a despicable me minion holding a bottle of buttery wax. Another minion holding tire shine. And both of them saying "banana"? Can you tell I have kids?

What about a despicable me minion holding a bottle of buttery wax. Another minion holding tire shine. And both of them saying "banana"? Can you tell I have kids?

What about a despicable me minion holding a bottle of buttery wax. Another minion holding tire shine. And both of them saying "banana"? Can you tell I have kids?

If your swirl marks are in the surface of the glass, this post will mean nothing.  But, I do notice swirl marks depending on how I last touched my glass.  I always start with a fresh microfiber towel and a little elbow grease.  A towel that looks clean isn't always clean.  You could be dragging latent product across the surface that leaves the hazing swirls to only be seen at night or with a foggy environment.  I haven't had much experience with Adams glass cleaner. I just picked up a bottle and haven't really used enough to experience it's cleaning ability.  (Distilled water in a spray bottle can go a long way as well...)  A lot of cleaning products on the market will leave a haze.  I also like to put a coat of wax on my windshield since I dont have any glass sealant at the moment.  I would still wax my windshield over using rain-x-esque products.  And as I mentioned, any residual product left behind will be noticed.  I always find those nasty swirl marks when I get to work and am not able to clean them.  DARN YOU PESKY SWIRLS!, DARN YOU!!!!!!!  

Nice car!!   Any suggestions for cleaning exhaust ports?  I was hoping DWC would help cut the carbon, but my buildup is pretty gnarly. 
 

That's good to hear. OnStar is a great feature in all GM products.

I recently completed my first total exterior detail to get my vehicle through the rest of winter. I wanted to write up my process so those with more experience and knowledge could critique, provide feedback, and maybe suggest a time saver here and there.
 
This all took place inside a climate-controlled hangar.  Photos below.
 
1)   Cleaned tires and rims with APC, Deep Wheel Cleaner, and Wheel Woolie (my rims are awesome but semi-intricate!  This took well over an hour)
2)   Two bucket wash
a.     Sheet rinse
b.     Detail spray entire exterior
3)   Dry (could I have skipped this step?)
4)   Clay
5)   Dry
6)   Waterless Wash for inside door areas
7)   Detail sprayed inside door areas
8)   Metal Polished #1 chrome exhausts
9)   Quick Sealant
a.     Rims
b.     Chrome exhausts
c.      Inside door areas
10)  Brilliant Glaze (red hex applicator 1) and buffed (single soft 1)
11)  VRT
                        a.     Tires
b.     Rubbers seals around
12)  Liquid Paint Sealant (red hex applicator 2) and buffed (single soft 2)
13)  Glass Sealant
a.     Windshield
b.     Back window
14)  Americana (red hex applicator 3) and buffed (double soft 1)
 
I was the most disappointed with the Americana waxing process (so I’m pretty sure I was doing something wrong).  I used a red hex grip applicator and it worked well for the first panel.  After that panel, it seemed like the Americana was not making it onto the surface of the car.  I could barely see any visible indication of the wax.  Sure enough, I squeezed the applicator and a good deal of Americana came oozing out.  Needless to say, after 8ish hours, I kept squeezing out Americana and moving along.  But it still didn’t seem to be making it onto the car panels the way that it should.  This is where I need the most input.  (Shine Doc – I know you’re a busy guy, but I’d love to hear from you too!)
 
The liquid paint sealant also didn’t haze up as obviously as I was expecting.
 
Overall, after I got this car, I started spending serious time on the Adam’s site watching videos and reading the forums.  I can relate to those with the Adam’s bug (as you can see from one of the photos below…that’s all the products I used…this time).  Every time I buy something I need something else.  I now need to fill in the few gaps I have and then pick up a polisher…  (Could hand application of Americana and LPS be a reason for the lack of proper hazing?)
 
Thanks to Adam’s for making videos to show proper use, creating the forums, and making great products.  And you’re welcome for buying them all!  My family and I have been using detail spray to remove bugs from an airplane for years and soon it will be getting a full detail treatment!
Looking forward to hearing feedback.
 
P.S. Oh by the way, less than the week after I completed this process, we got slammed with a snowstorm. 

What a shame it's so frigid outside. Might just wash some matchbox cars with a thimble and Qtip to test this stuff out

Shortly after getting my 2014 Ford Raptor, I did a full detail to protect the paint, add some jaw dropping shine, and to make it easier to wash.  Since I was new to serious detailing, I spent a lot of time researching detailing forums, watching how-to videos and asking questions.  This is the process I came up with.  Luckily the truck did not have any dealer-installed swirl marks or other scratches, so no paint correcting was required.  This was also my first time using the Cyclo.
 
Detailing Process without paint correction (machine application):
Clean tires and rims with Deep Wheel Cleaner, wheel wells with All Purpose Cleaner [30 minutes]. Wash vehicle with pressure washer and Car Wash Shampoo 2-bucket method, pressure washer rinse [60 minutes]. If needed, do iron decontamination on body with Deep Wheel Cleaner, rinse within 5 minutes, do not let it dry. Thorough rinse and then apply Detail Spray, do not dry. Clay Bar treatment with Detail Spray (used 1.5 bars or 75% of one pack) [45 minutes] Wash vehicle with Car Wash Shampoo and 2-bucket method [45 minutes]. Dry with Great White Drying Towel, do not use Detail Spray [30 minutes]. SVRT on trim with Block Applicator and Microfiber Utility Towel (used 10%) [50 minutes]. SVRT on tires with Hex Grip Pro Tire Dressing Applicator (used 15%) [10 minutes]. Quick Sealant spray on vinyl graphics, wipe with Double Soft Towel [10 minutes]. Quick Sealant spray on wheels, wipe with Microfiber Utility Towel [10 minutes]. Liquid Paint Sealant with Black Machine Sealant Pad and Double Soft Towel (used 20%) [90 minutes]. Brilliant Glaze with Red Machine Glazing Pad and Double Soft Towel (used 20%) [90 minutes]. Americana Paste Wax with Black Machine Waxing Pad and Double Soft Towel (used about 15%) [120 minutes]. Glass Cleaner on exterior windows with Microfiber Glass Cleaning Towel [10 minutes]. Glass Sealant on exterior windows with Mini Applicator and Microfiber Glass Cleaning Towel (used 10%) [30 minutes]. Invisible Undercarriage Spray in wheel wells. In & Out Spray on front grill. Vacuum interior. Total Interior Detailer on dash and door panels with Microfiber Utility Towel. Glass Cleaner on interior windows with Microfiber Glass Cleaning Towel. Leather & Interior Cleaner on seats with Microfiber Utility Towel. Leather Conditioner on seats with Microfiber Applicator and Microfiber Utility Towel. Here are some pics and comments on the process:
 
Unless you are a pro, watch the videos on the Adam's site before you do each step.

 
Having a rolling seat helps with the lower areas and I also added some padding to the handle of the stool so I don't scratch anything getting too close and it is also nice to rest your knees against when reaching for the center of the roof.

 
Clay baring leaves a lot of residue, so I added a full wash before doing the paint sealant.

 
The clay cleaned off a lot of stuff, even on new paint.

 
For each section, I did around all the trim and other plastic by hand with a mini applicator to reduce the amount of clean-up. I also did the sealant on the graphics by hand.

 
I then did the rest of the large areas with the Cyclo.

 
Use all the good stuff.

 
And have lots of Double Soft Towels.

 
Photos of the results to follow in the next post, as my first attempt to build this thread crashed because the photos were too awesome.
 
Edited on 10/17/14 to update hyperlinks to new website.