butters

My black 2005 GTO has only been washed with water 4 times, after every drive I use WW & WW MF towel and if it sets in the garage and gets dust I use DS & either Single Soft, Double soft or WW towel.

Wow. Out of curiosity, how often do you drive that Monaro- er, I mean GTO?

I don't use the handle either, I would guess that few people do. It seems to amplify the vibration like a whip, plus gets in the way and provides less feel as you work.

I think having extra pads for 1 vehicle is more of a luxury, in terms of being able to finish the car without needing to do so much pad cleaning. I've only ever worked with 1 pad of each type per car, keeping it clean as I go (non-professional detailer here).

I would not wash the car between polish and sealant, as there would be the risk for putting defects into the paint. Just buff away the polish residue with a good clean microfiber towel then go to town with the sealant. 1 pad for that application will definitely suffice - in fact, I bagged my applicator pad and then came back the next day to use it again for a second coat of sealant.

Well then, congratulations. This thread randomly caught my eye and I would like to offer a suggestion in case you haven't considered it... but take it with a grain of salt as I know nothing of the Chargers aside from what I read about them.

Perhaps you could have your cake and eat it too, by getting a dedicated set of snow tires and wheels. It seems like the 392 is a great DD, and if I had one I would want to enjoy it year round. Tire technology has come a long way.

Haha she grudgingly understands my nuanced compulsions, which I appreciate. The other item I harp on is closing the trunk - use the handle then the license plate, don't just grab the paint! I usually just refrain from letting anyone close my trunk other than me.

 It cost me a couple incidents of marred finishes and subsequent corrections to get the point across. "Sorry I can't make it, I have to get those scratches off my car. You remember the ones..."

Any other passenger won't be aware, thus my idea of PPF for that area.

+2^

I've trained my girlfriend to close the door using the rubber window frame at the top, despite the eye-rolling.

I like the zip as well, but prefer the A logo (like on the hat and t-shirt) because it's round and more simple. Perhaps the full oval "Adam's Premium Car Care" logo seen at top left of the website could go on the back with the round A on the front. Maybe it's because my tastes are a bit more modern... but I wouldn't go for it with that particular car (hope no one is offended!).

First off, congratulations on the new M3, that's an amazing car.

I can't answer the question regarding Revive, though I'd be interested to hear as I have the same highly-sensitive gloss black B-pillar covers (trim pieces between the door windows) on my F30.

I'm not entirely sure that they are painted, let alone clearcoated, but they are plastic and very soft, thus extremely susceptible to scratches and swirls. Not only that, but most people will use them to close the front doors with their hand, so you can imagine how quickly they'll be trashed. I've had success polishing them the same as I do my paint. My advice to anyone with them is to get the marring out however you can and then cover with Xpel, Clearbra, etc. You can buy small pieces in "bulk" for a low cost.

Another thing to put you at ease, especially if it's a purchase and not a lease, is that those black covers are actually fairly inexpensive as BMW parts go.. something like $30 each, so $120 to replace all 4. Removing them doesn't appear to be very difficult either. Amazingly, I have a small chip out of one of mine from a rock or something on the highway, so I want to replace it eventually. I'll be sure to apply paint protection film beforehand.

I'm wondering if I'm missing something, or is there not a wish list I can build? It's very helpful for sharing with family and my lady who might prefer not to go the gift card route.

I'm on the amateur end of the spectrum, about a year ago I picked up a little 2HP "AA255" wet/dry that comes with various car-oriented attachments. It's branded as "armor all" but I absolutely love it, the effectiveness and compact size are great, and it was under $50 shipped.

Looks great.

I justify the less-forgiving black DD by telling myself that I'd be obsessing over the paint no matter what color, so I might as well get the most shine and reflection for my efforts.

My first reaction is that it's probably too much product. I know many people do 2-3 sprays per section - e.g. per door - but I'll do as little as 1 spray vertically up the center of the door which I can then spread left/right, especially if it's not been long since last application.

The other suggestion I'll make is that you take a little more time / more passes to spread it over the work surface, assuming your towel is nice and wet, before buffing with the dry towel. In the wet application it might be a panel or 2 before the towel stops absorbing the bulk of the water, so you could try misting the towel initially so you don't soak the water away and end up with prematurely dry product.

If I notice it not going well - too dry or I can see streaks - I'll just run the wet applying towel back over the area. No harm in that... I don't think.

Sorry I guess I should have said would it be better to wash the vehicle again after using detail spray before applying paint sealant  

If it's not the very first application and you only wiped the car down, I don't think you really need to wash the car again.

If it's your base layer of sealant, and/or you clayed the car, I would suggest that the best practice is to wash the paint before sealing, or perhaps wipe it down withe 50/50 IPA.

I'm hoping it's priced fairly close to the Mark 1 and/or replaces the Mark 1 entirely at the same price point... mainly because I'd like to pick up a Mark 1 second hand at a reduced price. After watching Larry's video from the factory in Italy I have been drooling over the smoothness and efficiency of work compared with my lowly PC.

With my gallon of detail spray from the mystery box and weather cooperating, I washed and then clayed my car, thinking that since it was time for another application of G&G this made sense as the temps drop and I'm less inclined to clay.

Well, lesson learned the hard way - something is wrong with my technique and/or clay. I have had Meg's on hand for awhile, sealed and all, so I never bothered to order Adam's or any other clay. As I went to G&G my first panel, I noticed some nasty fine scratching in the form of rub marks. Perhaps it was from a bird bomb abatement? Nope, same thing in various areas all over! Ahh!!

I stopped right then, checked the weather to make sure I'm ok to drive my older weekend warrior for several days, and then decided I will need to polish the car after all. I'm the first owner and the black paint was in very good shape considering it had been through a period of dealer care, so I was putting off taking the PC to it as long as I could. Looks like I have to bite the bullet and break out the gear this weekend. I ordered some LPS since I have to strip the car anyway. Live and learn...

Hey Butter,

 

There is not another Cars and Coffee this Saturday.  Only the first Saturday of every month here.  But, if you have time you should swing by the headquarters just to hang out and say "what's up."  We always enjoy having customers come by the Warehouse.  Hope to see you around.

Ah bummer. Well perhaps I can make it out at some point, are you guys in on Saturdays? I think I gotta catch this current mystery box, and maybe I could even pick it up in person.

I'm in Colorado (Denver) over the next couple of days, leaving Sunday. I realized the proximity to Adam's and it has me tempted to check out the place and say hi if possible.

You mentioned a Cars and Coffee event - is there another one this Saturday, and will Adam's be there?

I went for a "satin" black painted finish on my winter wheels last year and found that although it does hide brake dust to an extent, the non-gloss finish seems to really hold onto that dust and dirt.

In the winter my washes often take place after sundown, and my usual routine would leave the wheels looking dirty the next day such that I'd need to follow up with another wipedown. I don't use any wheel cleaner product, I just use an old wash mitt with car shampoo and elbow grease (I do it often so that it takes minimal effort). It certainly takes more effort with a non-gloss finish, so I would recommend an additional inspection at the very end of your routine to be sure. I didn't have any real problem with persistent hazing, so perhaps shampoo is the way to go.

Just made another hefty order! My wallet is screaming at me. I was originally planning on including Liquid Paint Sealant but changed my mind last minute. Did I make a mistake?

 

I understand that LPS has better longevity than HGG, but let's say this is my routine:

1) Full wash with soap every other week with a rinse less wash in the weeks between.

2) HGG as final step once a month during second full wash with soap.

 

What do I lose out on by not using the Liquid Paint Sealant?

I asked this same question myself a few pages back, as my routine is very similar and I decided to not lay down a base of LPS.

I have no scientific rationale  and didn't get a big discussion in response to the question, but I don't think you're losing out on much. If anything, we might just not have the ability to go longer between G&G applications.

DS gallon $44.99

DS 16 ounce $12.99

128 ounces in a gallon

8 16 ounce bottles in a gallon = $5.62/16 bottle when purchased by the gallon

Just sayin'

Very true. I think I just need to let a little time go by since my last order and then go for the DS gallon. In the mean time I'll probably play around with some less concentrated rinseless spray to follow regular washes as a drying aid.

Thanks all for the input.

By constructing something like what is pictured it essentially become a lever and the physics of a lever is to exert a magnified output force from a smaller input force.

You're right that it becomes a lever, but not all levers magnify the input force. With the fulcrum being the rear hand, the input being the middle hand, and the output at the wash media this is a class 3 lever, and mechanical advantage will be less than 1 - i.e. force at the wedge is actually less than force at your input hand/arm.

Imagine the opposite case where you're using this pole to lift something at the end of it... it's going to feel heavier than it is.

Along the same lines, though, where the wedge already has its user somewhat disconnected from the feel of their paint relative to a pad or mitt, a wedge on a pole would leave the user very disconnected and they may apply too much force to compensate.

Still I think it's a good idea for those who have big vehicles and a lot of reaching in their wash routine.

When my first 16 ounces of Detail Spray began to dwindle, I started to look around at my options. I knew I needed by-the-gallon, but I'm not at a point in life where I'm very comfortable throwing wads of cash around like that considering how often I'd used it (ideally each wash). I had seen mention of no-rinse chemicals being diluted to serve this purpose and watched all the videos on Adam's Rinseless. The idea of rinseless washing scared me but it could be nice in the winter, and the economics of using it as a detail spray (and other uses) seemed very compelling, so I pulled the trigger on a gallon of the stuff rather than Detail Spray... for now. I have a black daily driver and I work to maintain a show-like finish, and ironically my non-daily is white.

So the Rinseless arrived, I ran out of Detail Spray and double checked the advice on Rinseless dilution. Ricky Bobby had posted in summer '14 that 1:16 works, so I added 1 ounce to my bottle and filled the rest with distilled water. I do like the smell and it's remarkable how strong the color is at such a dilution.. this stuff is concentrated!

That brings me to my main question - is there a possibility that 1:16 is too much for quick detail application? The other day I did a 2-bucket wash and then sheet rinsed, and began drying like always, misting as much as half the car then using my GW towel. I found it to be really frustratingly streaky/hazy, like the product was drying on me. I was in my garage after sundown though, albeit it in pretty humid conditions. Maybe the humidity was a problem? It seemed like misting more product wasn't helping, until the next day (hadn't driven it).

I keep a less concentrated solution in another sprayer and actually used that to clean the windshield of a loaner I have, with great results. It might be on the order of half as concentrated. I suppose there's some experimenting to be done here.

Anyways I was curious what the Adam's hivemind thought. I've done a couple Rinseless washess (GDWM) and despite the dirty laundry I'm now a convert, it's great, so I'm beginning to think I'll eventually break down and get a gallon of Detail Spray anyway.. I miss that smell.

I think it's a fantastic idea. Less bending over to reach lower portions either.

It's indoors in a conditioned garage. I used detail spray on the hood and it seemed to help. I'll probably just drive it a day or so and then wash it again unless someone with adam's tells me otherwise. I think a lot of the problem was the sprayer. It would be a fine mist and then a blob almost every time I sprayed. I shook the bottle up every time I sprayed but it ended up putting a lot of product down. I only did one section at a time but I probably loaded it up too heavily. I had put on a coat of Adam's sealant a couple of months ago so I just used this as a touch up. I think for me I may just be better off sticking with the sealant. I'm going to try it once more with the dry application method and see if that works better for me. Thanks for your help.

No problem. I've heard that they're looking into the sprayer issue, as many people agree that it's not consistent in its output. I try to squeeze as quick as possible to alleviate, and keep the surface very wet until I go to buff with the dry towel.

At this point should I just wash it again?

I wouldn't say that's necessary, no.

If it ends up hazy while in-process, what you can try doing is going back over the area with the wet applicator towel or perhaps another wet towel that doesn't have so much product on it. Moisture should help to get the surface clear; also make sure your buffing towel has a fresh enough side to use. 

A day later, if the car was indoors and not too dusty you could probably just mist the areas with water (or detail spray) and buff from there. I could be mistaken, but my line of thinking here is that you can treat the Xpel in the same way you'd treat a painted finish.

I used it last night. My z06 is completely covered in xpel ultimate. After the application and buffing it looked like I still had a haze on the car and the windshield. I ended up using 4 or 5 ds towels to buff it out but it still seems to have a slight haze in spots.  Any ideas on how to avoid the haze? I used about 1/4 bottle on the car so that may be too much product but the regular sealant seems to buff off easier on my car. Thanks in advance for any tips.

I can say with almost certainty, that's too much product. Especially with PPF, I would for example do a single quick spray across the door and use that for the entire door plus window, a-pillar and sideview mirror. A little really does go a long way.

To avoid haze I suggest being sure that the car is wet enough... some use a spray bottle of water, I'll use the mist setting on my hose trigger. Also if it's warm/sunny make sure you work on a small enough area so as to not allow any premature drying before you get to buff off with your dry towel.