Kimberly

Well, it's long overdue for me to post a bit of my work here. Thanks Adam's for helping me deliver huge. to my clients. All vehicles have gone through a 2-bucket wash & clay barring.
 
2002 MB E430 polished w/ SHR & FMP. Sealed w/ MSS.

 
2002 Honda Accord HLR w/ 4" pads using SSR, SHR & FMP.

 
2005 MB S430 w/ MSS.

 
2009 Lexus LS460L w/ MSS. This one needs a major polishing in which I'll be doing in a month or so.

 
2002 Acura TL Type-S w/ 2-bucket wash.

 
 
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That is an amazing example. Thanks for sharing.
 
I had a customer last fall that said she tried everything on her Escalade leather. She had some hard stains, including coffee, on the tan leather. 3 minutes with LIC and the interior microfiber towel and the stains were gone. This is the best product I have used on leather. Combined with the conditioner, you cannot go wrong.

I will let him know about the 2-bucket wash, and also to stay away from car washes that touch the paint.

My friend owns a black Lexus and I noticed how bad his swirls were. I asked him if he didn't mind if I tried to correct his paint. Here is my first detail using a Portal Cable and the normal suite if Adams products. I would love feedback on my results. I spent about 8 hours on the detail, is that a lot or normal? My hand is killing me I found it very difficult to get it 100% correct. My friend loves the results so that makes me happy.
 
 
***BEFORE PICS***







 



 
 
***AFTER PICS***

On super soft black paints I've had amazing luck with the Red pad, low speed, and FMP... looks like you've got the hang of things now.

So over the weekend I did a Lexus GX 460. It wasn’t in terrible shape but did have numerous scratches and paint rubs. His wife closed the garage door on the rear spoiler and caused some scratches and paint transfer marks. Vehicle had about 50,000 miles on it and only been waxed 2 times since buying it brand new.  It is parked in a garage at work and at home. Also doesn’t get driven about 3 months or so out of the year while he vacations in Florida.
All Adams products were used to complete the detail:
Exterior:
Cleaned wheels with Deep Wheel Cleaner and All Pupose Cleaner
Washed with Adam's Shampoo and 2 Professional Wash Pad
Dried with the Blaster Sidekick and Great White Drying Towel
Clayed with Adam's Clay Bar (I still have old version) and Detail Spray over entire vehicle including glass and wheels
Dressed on plastic/trim/wheels with SVRT using a Block Sponge and Tire Dressing Applicator
Spot corrected scratches and paint transfer with Focus Pads and the old Swirl and Haze Remover and Fine Machine Polish (Waiting to run out before getting the New 2 Step System)
Polished entire vehicle with the Flex Polisher and Orange and White Pads using the old polishes
Put a layer of Machine Super Sealant using the PC and a Waxing/Sealant Pad
The following morning I put on a layer of Brillant Glaze then topped it off with Americana Premium Wax onto all painted surface and wheels. Applied both the glaze and the wax using  Americana Applicator.
All product removal was done using Double Soft Microfiber
Applied Glass Sealant to all windows
Interior:
Cleaned all plastic and leather surfaces with Leather and Interior Cleaner
Conditioned all plastic and leather surfaces with Leather and Interior Conditioner
Cleaned all glass with Adam's Glass Cleaner and Adam's Glass Towel
Engine :
Cleaned all surface with Adam's Shampoo and assortment of brushes
Dressed all plastic with SVRT using a Block Sponge
Used In & Out for all the nooks and crannies
Took me roughly 9hrs with 2 small kids and wife with walking pneumonia.
On to the pics and thanks for looking
 
 

Up until recently I had been a Zaino product user and was pleased with the results. Lately I had been gradually adding and using Adam products as needed. Today marks the first time I used Adam's from polish to wax.
My Lexus only needed the Finishing Polish to remove the light swirl marks on the 2010. Next I applied Liquid Paint Sealant. Both the Polish and Sealant were applied using a Griot's Garage using 4" foam pads. Next step was the Brillant Glaze which I applied by hand. After just receiving my order of the Americana wax it was applied by hand using the included pad putting on 2 thin coats. All buffing was with the Adam's white double side towels.
Pics show the results with lots of reflections. Mirror finish was an understatement. It was blinding. Though I have some Zaino products left I am sold on Adam's products.

Jeff, my Lexus has probably the softest paint (read easy to scratch and leave swirl marks) on any vehicle and I've used the Finishing Polish with a DA machine without any fear with great results. Try the Liquid Paint Sealant>Brilliant Glaze>Americana wax combination.

What I usually do is wet the car down for the wash, then i go over the car with the wash mit getting all the contaminants off, then rinse it down again to get all of it off. Then I actually use the soap bucket again and will soap up a whole panel again (ie hood) and then use that for the clay bar. Speeds up the process so much, never felt like the clay was dragging, and the clay actually comes out looking fairly clean after each large panel.

Using Adam's Polishes with a dual action orbital machine will not damage your paint. My Lexus probably has one of the softest paints around. I use the Finishing Polish with a Griot's Garage 6" and 4" polishing machine without any fear of marring my paint. Use it with confidence.

Hope to try Americana wax next week for the first time which will take me completely through the circuit of wash, clay, polish, seal, glaze, and wax. Thanks Jason. Appreciate the feedback!

You will LOVE Americana, best paste wax I've used and you will be impressed with the longevity as well! Just be sure to not apply to more than a panel or two before buffing off residue!

That will work, absolutely!
 
However, keep in mind that BG will only last about 2 weeks, which is why we always recommend topping it with a wax.  The wax will protect the BG, and will further enhance the shine it gives.

Though the body was "detailed" at the dealership when I got it home and ran my fingers lightly across several sections it was clear the car had about 4 years of contamination.  After washing with blue Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent to remove the dealership wax I clay barred the entire vehicle.  Some areas required a second pass.
After washing it again I carefully inspected for swirls or deeper scratches.  No scratches, but obviously there were swirls everywhere.  Knowing that Lexus paint is 'soft' I opted to use the whitle pad with Adam's Finishing Polish using my new GriotsGarage 6" orbital beginning with a quarter panel to test.  The Finishing Polish did the trick so I did not need to use the Correction Polish/Orange pad.
Once the car was polished I buffed and applied liquid paint sealant.  Since I don't have the Americana wax yet, the sealant will be my last stage.  Obviously, this is my daily driver so I am ok for now with no wax.
I am new to Adam's products switching over from Z's products and I have to say I am impressed with the ease of application.
At Subway today and someone asked how I liked my 2014 Lexus.  They were shocked to hear it was a 2010 with 50,000 miles.

Well, I used the GG 6" orbital using the white pad and machine finishing polish.  All I had on the paint were swirls with no scratches.  And with the car paint being soft I tested a quarter panel.  Once satisfied I finished the entire vehicle.  After the polishing I could not see any swirls so I sealed.  No wax.

What I will tell you is based on Adam's system you will definitely be using finishing polish with white foam pad.
 
What is helpful to you is although you have soft Lexus paint, at least you don't have soft BLACK Lexus paint.  The worst.
 
A little trick in case you are using the white foam/finishing polish and not getting the results you are looking for, either lighten up on the pressure at the end of your buffing cycle pass, OR, alternatively, you can use either the Red Glazing/Black Waxing pads with the White polish, so your pad is ultra fine and allows that jeweling effect for a truly hologram free finish with almost no cut from the pad itself.
 
I'm not sure if both are made of the same foam just different color, but would be something to try as well if you were having trouble finishing on the white pad/white polish.

Lexus black = the softest black clear coat there is basically.
 
Get yourself 2 of the wool wash mitts from an Adam's distributor, or 2 of the synthetic wool wash pads Adam's sells, if getting the 2 wash pads, rotate to a fresh set every 6 months regardless of how well you clean them after.  The wool wash mitts last longer as they release particles easier with the longer fibers.
 
Make sure you spray the surface with either Waterless or Detail Spray when drying, and I know this goes against Adam's mantra, but  having a wife with a Black Toyota (similar soft clear), my recommendation is to use the plushest, softest drying towel you can find if you aren't using a blower to dry it.
 
In my experience on the black the plush drying towels are much more forgiving than the waffle weave, especially when coupled with the lubricity of Waterless or Detail Spray.
 
 
Hell, Larry from AMMO NYC uses just 1 - 16x24 300-400 gsm towel to dry the cars he works on, he starts with a damp, clean towel, sprays the section he is drying with Hydrate (basically a detail spray/waterless wash product that lubricates the surface), and goes over it with his towel, then wrings it out after each panel.  He dries a whole car this way and although it is not my preferred method, it is quite efficient actually.
 
 
As well, I recommend adopting the 3 bucket method.  3rd bucket with a grit guard of different color, or bucket of different color, designated for dedicated wheel/tire/fender duty only.  If you never use a bucket or tool that has been used on wheels, on paint, you're less likely to introduce scratches by cross contaminating small particles.
 
Either way, if you adopt the techniques I mentioned and still practice perfect technique you will be polishing once or twice a year with a fine or medium cut polish just because the paint gets touched and small imperfections will be introduced, nature of the beast.