Kdawg15

Here's a better picture, I hope... It doesn't seem to be tar as it's not sticky! (referring to the spots deep inside the barrel)

Apologies I'll take better pictures later on when I'm free. I'm a noob, how can I tell for sure that it's tar?

Yea I think that might work! I'm on the verge of trying a scotch-brite pad now (non-scratch one). Makes me cringe thinking about it but I'll try in an inconspicuous first using very little pressure and see if it creates any noticeable scratches. Whenever this all comes off, I'll be sure to apply some liquid sealant and clean regularly, but sometimes you just can't avoid it!

Would a pressure washer work? :S

Hi all, I'm working on a 2012 MDX with factory clear coated wheels that weren't properly cleaned over the winter due to "reasons". I ordered a turbo stick and some deep wheel cleaner to attack the inner barrels and thought that would take care of these annoying caked on black "spots" which is the best way I can describe them (images below - didn't realize they were out of focus, but you can see them), However, that didn't work (didn't expect it to, caked on pretty good). I also tried spraying some bug and tar remover inside them and wiping them down with a microfibre towel but that didn't help either. Then, I brought out some clay and QD to try it on a portion, still no significant progress. Any suggestions as to how I can get rid of these black specks of gunk?

Wow, this post quickly went from grit guards to choice of soap . I did some number crunching myself - based on no coupon I see available as of today, the Adam's gallon comes out to $72.40 ($20 bucks for shipping!). The Meg's Gold Class I can pickup a gallon with tax for about $13.40. If it's on sale, then basically for $10 bucks at Costco. Michael has a point that I don't use a whole 5 gals as I mentioned before, usually half the bucket so 2.5 gallons. With the Meg's I get 51 washes with 2.5 oz per wash and 128 washes with Adam's with only 1 oz per wash. Basically, I have to use 2.5 times more Gold Class to get the same amount of washes which works out @ $13.40 * 2.5 = ~$34 bucks, half the price of Adam's car wash shampoo. Now, I'm not trying to say one brand's necessarily better than the other, but on cost alone the Meg's GC is the winner in my eyes. Beyond cost, I really like the product and have no complaints with it - it produces a lot of suds and is crazy slick, no swirl mark problems. Could Adam's be better, sure it can and no doubt in my mind it's a fantastic product. However, given where I live and the availability, I'm sold on Meg's Gold Class as of now unless someone literally breaks down the chemistry behind the products and shows at a microsopic level, why I should shell out the additional do-re-mi for Adam's shampoo. Now if only my deep wheel cleaner and turbo stick could get here faster! I have to work on some Acura MDX wheels that weren't properly cleaned for a few months due to a medical reason, hopefully the turbo stick blasts away the caked on cr

I'm using 5 gal buckets as well and currently using Meguiar's Gold Class shampoo. The dilution on the bottle says 4 capfuls (1 ounce) per gallon of water and I usually use about 2.5 gallons per wash on the small Mazda. Haven't tried Adam's car wash shampoo yet but the wash here in Canada comes to 70 bucks a gallon with shipping, I can get the gold class gallon for about 10 bucks locally! Is there a lower dilution ratio with Adam's car shampoo?

Thanks Feets and Beemer for your input, I guess I'll just stick to it and if I hit the grit guard before I'm done, spray some water in as I wash the very bottom sections of the car last. Guess this was more about opinion, and your opinion seems legit to me! Cheers!

Hey guys, Just joined up the forums, posted a brief hello in the new member check in! I already have a question regarding something I've run into recently. I've noticed that with my new 5 Gal wash buckets with grit guards, I usually end up wasting a gallon of soap solution at the bottom. Basically, where the grit guard comes up to, there's probably a gallon of soapy water that I can use if the grit guard wasn't there. So, the question here is: Would there really be much of a difference in the levels of grit if I just use one grit guard (or both) in only the water bucket rather than wasting all of that car soap when dumping out the buckets at the end of the wash? I know it's best to take every precaution possible when protecting your paint, but that ~gallon of perfectly fine soap solution is going to waste which is something I don't like to do! This might be different for everyone, but I really see no grit on the bottom of my soap bucket everytime I wash the car. Your thoughts?

Hi all, Kdawg coming in from Vancouver, Canada - we get a lot of rain! Somewhat of a detailing enthusiast just got into Adam's products recently and loving them already! Good to be here. Cheers!