Texas Moe

My workplace is doing a charitable campaign this month. One of the events is a silent auction where people can bid on goods and services. Was thinking about offering a 4W car detail (wash, wax, wheels, and windows) for the silent auction but I've only ever detailed cars for friends, family, and myself. I'm curious if there are any issues I need to know about if I offer up this service. Thought the great minds on this forum could help me think through any potential problems.

Welcome Thomas! This is a good place to hang out and chat about detailing. You'll love the Tire Shine.

That is a righteous collection of brushes. I see at least two different versions of the wheel woolie sets. I now have brush envy.

Matt just posted a message on the forum announcing the sale and new fall items, including the scrub brush. Described the brush as "now with softer, more dense bristles." So, it is new and now I must have it...because it's new...and I don't have one...and I haven't ordered anything in over a week. http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/31500-adams-pumpkin-spice-detail-spray-15-off-much-more/?p=491745

Noticed that the Tire Scrub Brush was listed on the New Products page. Is this really a new item? Seems like the old one was blue but I'm not sure because I never bought one. http://adamspolishes.com/shop/specials/sub-category-1.html

The Shine Doc had a good video about that: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/28827-ask-the-shine-doc-ep-10-cleaning-accessories/?p=450783

John, I haven't personally experienced this problem with VRT but I have seen several other posts on these forums from users with similar experiences. Hopefully someone who has more experience with this problem will chime in. My recollection is that folks advise you to go back over areas treated with VRT with a clean, dry towel to mop up any product that wasn't absorbed and is just sitting on top of the trim. This may not completely prevent the runoff but will minimize it as much as possible.

"Dan is the man" at 7:54!

Brian, yes it did...because I happily took my time. Given 'life stuff' and hot weather in Texas, I hadn't done much detailing this summer. I definitely took my time on this project. It felt good to be out in the garage again! Jason, I appreciate the warning. I went back and hit the tread and a couple of inches up the sidewall with APC just to make sure I got all the slick off the wheels. She picked it up this evening and made it home safely so all is good. (And I got some good uncle points in the process.)

Our niece stored her scooter in our garage this summer. Thought I'd clean it up for her before she picks it up this week. Adam's made it look brand new (of course). Used the new T&RC on tires, black trim and matte plastic parts. Then followed up on those areas with VRT (and VRT milk). Cleaned all the shiny plastic with Waterless Wash and gave it a coat of LPS. Finally, I used the Leather & Interior Cleaner and Leather Conditioner on the seat. Very pleased with the results.

Welcome, Chris. Always good to have one of our servicemen on the forums. :patriot:

I usually watch that portion of the main page pretty closely. I think they generally change the daily specials 3-4 times per week. Usually whichever product they list on Friday stays there through the weekend. Then, when they offer a special like the Mystery Box, they'll leave it up for as long as the sale is going on.

I've made the mistake of mixing products on the trim that leave kind of a chalky white or uneven finish (I think it was VRT and then In and Out spray). Best advice I got on these forums when this happened was to use one of the brushes and some APC (or new Tire and Rubber Cleaner) to take all product off. It takes a bit of scrubbing but you can get the trim back to clean and then dress with one product.

Good job, Michael. That's one of my favorite combinations of Adam's products. Amazing results for minimal effort.

Here's a link to a helpful document that James put together. It has different dilution ratios for different sized containers. http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/29959-confusion-about-rinseless-wash-dilution-ratios/?p=469424

Yep, that's what I was asking about. Thanks for the response.

I just purchased and received two 32 oz. sprayers for the waterless wash and tire & rubber cleaner. While I was putting the sprayers on the bottles, I noticed that the pump head sticks up about an inch above the top of the bottle if I leave the cylinder hose straight. I think I am pushing the cylinder into the pump head far enough so that it feels like it is set. So, my question is am I pushing the cylinder into the pump far enough or do I keep pushing so that the hose points straight down to the bottom of the bottle? Or, is the cylinder designed to bend to fit into the bottle? Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong before bending those cylinders.

I know the "hipster" look is in right now but, honestly, Dan needs a shave!

Thank you for the correction. It will be interesting to see if people think the new WW is still better than RW as a pre-treatment for bugs if they're now more chemically similar.

I haven't used the new Waterless Wash so I'm answering based on what others have said on this forum. The two products can work almost exactly the same as a 'spray and wipe' cleaner (mixing the RW at 16:1). Many folks will tell you that WW works better as a pre-treat for bugs because it has more cleaning solvents in it. They both now add some shine as you're cleaning (old WW didn't) so that part is equal. The case for WW: Ready to use (RTU) right out of the bottle, better on bugs, no mixing by hand The case for RW: Cheaper because it can be diluted (even though you have to mix by hand), many more uses (detail spray, clay lube, pre-treat, bucket wash)

Will_Cog, the rinseless wash is your best friend. I've also got a black vehicle and I maintain it between sealant/wax with the rinseless wash method. Lots of threads on here about how to do it. Also known as the Garry Dean Wash Method. (Or the bucket of rags method). You can definitely use the new Waterless Wash formula (since it apparently has a wax additive for shine) but the Rinseless is more cost effective. Like you, I find the whole shiny car process relaxing so I think you'd like the RW method.

Dan, I always appreciate when a member of the Adam's family responds because I know you guys (and gals) are really busy, especially this time of year. It sounds like you're saying (nicely) that I was mistaken about the ebay store being the replacement for the old clearance page on the AP website. I totally get why you would have several digital storefronts and why the pricing doesn't always align with the AP site. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Hard to argue with those results!

Rich, I appreciate the reply. I actually mentioned the wash pad as being one of the good deals on the AP website but I can understand how it might have gotten buried in my long rant. My real question is why offer the ebay site unless it's for international customers exclusively? And, if the ebay site is intended to be a clearance mechanism, why don't we see more actual clearance items? For example, Adam's just introduced a new line of single-, double-, and triple-soft towels but we haven't seen any sale for the old models that just got replaced. (Apologies if this has all been explained before and I'm just behind the times.)