Red Rambler

Photos of the trouble areas would really help. Streaks sound like coating that wasn’t leveled properly. The longer you let it sit as it flashes, the stickier and harder it becomes to remove. Couple that with thick application and you can load a towel up in no time and spread it more than buff it and level it. 
 
I can’t understate the importance of lighting (something not commonly discussed here for some reason) and using different types and angles. Especially when working for a while, things start to look the same and it’s easy to miss. 
 
A couple of pointers in how we apply coatings...
 
- a coating for us is ALWAYS a two person job. Two sets of eyes. Two people buffing. It all helps make sure we don’t miss anything. Not to mention makes the process go faster as our coatings get applied in one to four layers. One person can be exhausting. 
 
- use different lighting. Sunlight. Spotlight. Soft light. Different angles. Etc. Each one will reveal something different. And actually in polishing light is of understated importance. 
 
- we use multiple towels when applying, and even applicators. We don’t apply with the Adams blocks regardless of what coating we are working with. We use a foam block with a small suede applicator wrapped around it. They’re small, inexpensive and we toss them every couple of panels so they don’t load up. We do the first buff with a larger suede towel. It doesn’t lint up and does a great job of removing the coatings. We go through one to two of them every lap around the vehicle. We do a final buff with a soft microfiber. This final towel can get reused but goes into a bucket with water and then immediately to the wash when we are done. This multiple towel, throwing out, etc may seem excessive, but we strive for the highest quality product. 
 
- work in small areas. Especially if you’re not familiar in the application, nuances of a given coating. Overlap areas (both application and buffing). This will ensure a great finish. 
 
To repair your spots, you can try a very fine polish. You may want to reapply the coating to those areas to ensure it’s thickness. We typically use a paint thickness gauge if you know someone who will let you use one. This will tell you how much material you removed and if you need to reapply. When in doubt, reprep and recoat. 
 
Coatings are great and not inherently difficult to use, they just require critical eyes and a lot of patience. Especially when first being used. 
 

I can see why some people wouldn’t. I personally don’t use them on my own vehicles. But given the right situation they can be a great tool. Like my sisters car, the paint is a wreck. She wants it to be shinier and brighter. She’s not gonna wash and dry like she should. So I’m not gonna waste my time doing say a 1 step using slow arm speed etc. I’ll use an AIO with medium arm speed. It’ll remove light swirls and remove any haze and of course it’ll fill too. That will make the paint look much better and she’ll be happy. I’ll follow up with a spray sealant I have to add more protection and send her on her way. That is a good example of a lot of people out there.

I attended the Grand Opening this past weekend. What a blast! During the day, I was pleasantly surprised to receive some gift cards from Adam as a thank you to veterans.
 
So to @Adam and his entire team, I also want to say THANK YOU! Your focus on the customer is what makes you such a special company, and why I will continue to be a patron for a long, long time. 
 

 

 
 

Bulb are $25 for the four pack. So $110 to build two light stands. And add $10-15 for photo umbrellas if you want to double them for photos. You can also get one on a boom for shooting down if you want. Probably another $60 or so to build it. 

Everything came from amazon. If you need the items, i can go back and find the invoice for you that has exactly what I used. A quick amazon search though will find it all. 

As promised, here’s a photo of one of our lightstands. A basic photo light stand, a dual bulb light fixture and two LED spotlights. We can slide an umbrella in it for softer photo lighting. All told, I think they cost $50 each to build. 
 

We use dual bulb photo stands with two LED spotlights in each one. We also have one on a boom for angling down from above. They were relatively inexpensive to put together. We use the harsh lighting for checking our work. And we slide the umbrella in the stand for smooth light for photo ops and to better represent natural lighting and appearance. I’ll try to take some pics of our stand in a bit. 

TL;DR:
Wheel wash mitt + eco wheel cleaner makes cleaning wheels easy, less annoying, and overall cuts down on cleaning time. This combo is going to replace the original wheel cleaner and any type of wheel brush in my arsenal.
 
I've always wanted an easier way to clean wheels. Pristine wheels truly set off a clean car. However I've never been happy with ANY wheel brush I've ever used. They never seem to clean wheels well and unless the wheels are coated in mud, I've never seen a need for them. Therefore my wheel cleaning regimen was:
- Blast with water
- Spray Adams regular wheel cleaner on one wheel and let sit for a minute or two
- Blast cleaner off with water
- Detail entire car
- Come back after tire shine / VRT and use detail spray and a microfiber to finish cleaning the wheels. There was always a left over layer of dust that would require this last step. The microfiber I used would always get VERY dirty.
 
Enter the new Wheel Wash Mitt and the Eco Wheel Cleaner.
I've always thought this type of mitt (the kind with fingers) was the perfect solution to washing wheels. Especially intricate wheels (like the current BMW M3 wheels... ugh. Gorgeous but a pain to clean). So I was going to purchase the wheel mitt as soon as it was released. The eco wheel cleaner however, I wasn't sure of. The regular wheel cleaner does such an amazing job and just requires a bit of care when using to keep it from harming the finish on most wheels. However since there was a sale and I could pick up the mitt and the eco wheel cleaner for $20 I figured, what the heck.
 
When they arrived I was pleased by the quality (no surprise) of the wash mitt. It feels sturdy and I'm sure it will clean many wheels with no issues before it ever needs to be replaced. The eco wheel cleaner also had a nice pleasant smell. Doesn't smell like the old cleaner at all, but that made me curious. The regular cleaner does such a good job of breaking down heavy brake dust that I wasn't sure this one would do the job as well. Since I had a few hours this past Friday to clean my 2008 Z51 Corvette it was a perfect opportunity to test it out. This car has the cross drilled brakes and therefore can generate quite a bit of dust. I also hadn't washed the car in a few weeks (which is odd for me but I blame the crappy Northern Virginia weather) so this was going to be a great test for the mitt and eco wheel cleaner.
 
I started by blasting the wheels with a regular hose (I typically have my pressure washer and foam cannon out but decided not to use it for the sake of time). I then started with one rear wheel and sprayed it thoroughly with the Eco Wheel Cleaner (using the stream setting on the nozzle) I made sure to coat every spoke and the barrel. I then let it sit for a couple minutes. It obviously doesn't turn purple like the regular wheel cleaner but it does foam up well. Then taking the wheel wash mitt, I soaked it in water, squeezed it out, and began to scrub the wheels. This was so satisfyingly easy to do given the fingers and the overall design of the mitt. All of the brake dust just wiped away. However I immediately became concerned with how dirty the mitt was getting. It was only the first wheel and the mitt was already almost completely black. So I tried to wash it off with the hose and was shocked. Everything just rinsed right off/out of the mitt. Perhaps it was the combination of the eco cleaner and the design of the mitt but it cleaned almost completely with just a regular hose nozzle. I then rinsed off the wheel and moved on to the next wheel. I repeated this process on all wheels then stepped back to admire. They looked almost spotless. As clean as the wheels would after my final wipe-down in my normal regimen.
 
After finishing the car and applying tire shine, I dried the wheels with the blaster. I moved on to the final wiping down of each wheel expecting some residue/dirt to still be remaining on the wheels. I noticed there was significantly LESS dust/dirt/grime left on the wheels compared to using any wheel brush with the original wheel cleaner. I didn't need any detail spray or anything other than a microfiber. That microfiber also didn't get anywhere near as dirty as it would before. I was seriously impressed.
I'm now going to be ordering a gallon of the eco wheel cleaner and keeping it on hand. The regular wheel cleaner has now been relegated to extremely NASTY wheels, or wheels I don't care about as much.
 
This result has made me think. "Would I want to use the wheel mitt with the original wheel cleaner?" However given how strong that stuff is, I don't want to. The only thing I'm comfortable using with the regular wheel cleaner was a brush as I didn't want to soak my hands in the stuff and I don't think brushes work well overall as they still require a microfiber and detail spray after the initial cleaning. I think the pairing of the eco wheel cleaner and the wash mitt will become the norm for me. Quite impressed overall.

So I got to use the mitt Friday and man it is amazing. It cleaned all the tight nooks and cranny's very easily. Probably cut my time cleaning the wheels in half if not more. I attached a pic for reference if anyone is thinking about pulling the trigger I would highly recommend it.

Gave her a bath and added my mixture of spray detail and another product. Can’t beat the shine. 

Engine bay cleaning day!
 
Before

 
After

 
Product plug

And here comes some outside shots of the Lotus...
 

 

 

 

 

 
And the Indian MC that we finally got to finish...
 

 

 

 

 

 
And lastly a Honda Civic that came in for a one step polish and sealant...
 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been cloudy today and I want to take high res photos in the sun. But you guys can enjoy these quick phone snaps of the Lotus all coated up in four glorious layers of ceramic. 
 
It’s outside while we do a little interior work for a client. 
 

 

 

 
 
 

So this was really Sunday, but did a strip wash, clay (mitt...great tool!), polish (CP), and PS. All ready for summer!! And who says white can't shine?!
 

^^^This one looks like my car has a mohawk. 
 

I for one am thankful for this thread and looking forward to: A ‘71 Nova, a ‘65 Mustang, ‘67 Mustang and a ‘52 Ford truck.

I wanted to take some time and plug some adams products that i've purchased and love.
 
Wheels:
 
Tire & Rubber Cleaner - man this stuff is awesome, I love how much it suds so you can really tell when you're pulling the dirt and brown crap out of it.  I've used a few all purpose cleaners and none of them can touch this stuff for tires.
Adams Tire Brush - Didn't realize how a quality brush that's properly sized can make the process go quicker and more efficient.  The grip on this thing when wet is amazing.  Only possible con was it lost around a dozen bristles when i first used it but it's not noticeable - probably just like a paint brush - the stragglers get left behind
Eco Wheel Cleaner - I don't have a vehicle with high performance brakes (just a tundra and mazda 6) and I haven't tried the regular wheel cleaner yet, but I have tried Griot's heavy duty wheel cleaner (which smells terrible but I hear that's a common theme with the purple inducing chemical).  For my wheels however the eco wheel cleaner suds a ton and cleaned the rims every bit as well as the griots with much better nasal results.  Rims shined great and there was no issue with brake dust removal, no need to do a second application.  Can't speak to how it works with high performance brakes but that's obviously not it's intention and for my cars I'll feel a lot safer using this!
Exception - Original wheel woolie:  While the quality of this was fine, the handle was extremely thin and slippery when wet so I really had a hard time controlling this.  The angle was great to get behind wheels but I found myself frustrated with this one.  Also this item disappeared on me somehow, no idea where it went so only got a few uses out of it.
 
Glass:
 
Glass Sealant - This stuff amazingly goes a long way.  Unfortunately after 3 windshield treatments and still having about 3/4 of a bottle left the bottle disappeared (not a common theme, this was the only other thing that I lost).  I decided to try Griots glass sealant for around the same price but 4x more quantity and I have to use more than twice as much for a single application and the directions say to re-coat.  Performance of both is similar and I can't compare longevity as I can't do a side by side with the same conditions, but the Adams was waaaaay easier to apply.
Glass Cleaner - Smells good, cleans super easy, seems more lubricated than invisible glass (which gives good results but feels almost grabby with towels).  If price was not an issue i'd choose the adams over invisible glass.
 
Towels:
Ultra Plush Drying Towel - This thing amazed me, dried an entire SUV with no sealant/wax on it no problem no streaking.  Previously used Griots pfm drying which to be honest is also amazing but feels bigger than this one and dry capacity seems the same.  I also did not use this as written in the product description so will give that a go next time and see what the difference may be
Green Glass towels - again comparing to the griots pfm glass towels.  Both clean very well, the griots are palm sized with almost a silk backing compared to just a flat backing on adams.  Adams feel like they're 3x the size of griots and while I like the idea of griots, if you're not cleaning an already clean glass or an un-sealed glass then I find my hand sliding off the silk and not controlling it very well.  With the Adams towel I get the same results, no lint, no streaking, and it goes much further and i can shape it however I want.
Single Soft - This thing is super soft and makes me want to try the double and triple soft towels.  I've barely used it because it's so nice but just picked up some choc. mint detail spray so gonna give it a go with that for further testing
Utility towels - pretty basic but well made
 
Paint:
New Red Wash Mitt:  So this thing surprised the crap out of me.  I've never really thought about wash media before, have a mitt and sponge from pep boys that seemed fine.  Holy cow, this thing holds suds like no ones business.  Love the color and with the white fibers it's easy to tell when you've picked up dirt and when it's come off w/ the grit guard.  Love this thing and will probably get another in the future unless mystery buckets have a diff wash media to try.  Can't see something being that much better.
Waterless Wash:  This stuff smells like fruit candy.  Have only used it on one door panel so far but lubricity feels really nice.  I used this in conjunction with rinseless though so not sure how it would do with just a dry towel - will probably only ever do that if there's a bird bomb or something.  If anyone has any tricks w/ this let me know
Rinseless Wash:  Also just received this and used it once and can only compare this to the wolfgang uber rinseless.  Slickness wise they feel the same to me.  Wolfgang states to use it in slightly more water thus making it slightly more potent, but Adams smells better to me.  Uber smells fine, just like fake cherry.
Detail Spray:  While I haven't used it much yet I used some in the sample kit I ordered and I like the scent but my wife doesn't.  I did just receive the chocolate mint version which smells awesome, spot on guys!  Using it compared to speed shine from griots and wolfgang uber mixed to a detail spray setting, adams is definitely my favorite.  I can't speak for dust collection, but it takes a lot fewer wipes to be streak free and I don't really notice a shine difference between the 3 (I'm def not a shine connoisseur...yet).
 
Interior:
Interior scrubb mitt: I really like this thing.  The only real negative i could give it is it picks up so much dirt if your interior is dirty that after the first square foot or so it's hard to tell if you're picking more up because the mitt is brown.  Obviously this is not a negative as it's working but be aware if your interior is filthy and you like to see the dirt being picked up you'll need to be more creative about how you use this to get more of the surface of the mitt dirty or get more than one.
Foaming interior cleaner: Using this in conjunction with the mitt will strip all grime off of the interior.  Previously I've only used griots interior cleaner which does work well but i have not used that spray cleaner with the mitt or this cleaner with a regular microfiber nor do I have Adams regular leather and interior spray so can't speak to the difference between those, but my intention with this product was to use it with the mitt and that combo seems will clean anything in the car with no problem.
 
Misc:
Red Spray Nozzle:  This thing is really nice, pretty powerful stream and easy to control - definitely high quality.
Interior dressing applicator (red foam pads):  Only can compare these to the foam pads i got from pep boys.  These are twice as thick and feel softer and have been much nicer to use so far.
 
I have the black trim restorer kit i'm waiting for better weather to try out on my bumper and running boards but can't comment on it yet.  Will post more on the rest of the products i have but haven't tried yet as well as those i get in the 2 mystery buckets coming tomorrow.
 
I know this got a little long winded but the main point is that every product of Adam's I've tried has been awesome (except grip on first angled wheel woolie).  It gives me confidence that any product I continue to try will be awesome and with the company practices (110% guarantee, made in usa, high-quality fun to watch detailing videos, etc.) there's no need to look elsewhere.  Thank you guys for awesome products and the great service (the 1 time I had to contact you via livechat on website).  
 
 

Thanks Shane for the quick response!  The coating went on amazing.  Ill post some pics when I get it out of the garage.  It's still curing.  I have some Reload that was given to me by a friend that had some extra.  I figured it would be safe in the same way the Ceramic Boost is.  I wanted to double check.  

Also I just found this new video about the shampoos from Adam
 
 

Thanks for the compliments and the follows guys!
 
We finally had the chance to do some work on my own Lotus Evora to test some new product out.  This one involved two coats of a base layer and two coats of a top layer.  It's all done with the exception of some final touches and spraying their version of Boost on it.  That will happen later this week once it's all done curing.  Along with final photos...but here's some teasers for now.
 
These first photos are after the base coats were applied.
 

 

 

 
And the final one was after all four coats were applied.  Keep in mind lighting is NOT ideal when these pics were taken.  The lighting in the shop is harsh to show as much defect as we possibly can.  The car still has some light scratches in it but it becomes a dangerous game chasing perfection that most people will never even notice or that won't be visible in all but the harshest light.  It wasn't worth sacrificing that much clear coat to chase something you may not achieve.  These cars are assembled by hand in the UK, so they have their little quirks.  The paint is one of them since I believe they're even sprayed by hand as opposed to machine.
 

 
And that's when she shows you her butt!
 
Enjoy!

I polished this C6 yesterday. I basically got it ready to be sold. This guy buys Corvettes with a few problems, fixes them and then flips them. I did the inside and then wash, clayed and a light polish. The paint needs compounding and polishing but he just wanted it brightened up.
 
 

Finally got our garage banners installed

Recently while helping a client select a polisher for their needs, it got me thinking that it's not an uncommon question of "what size polisher do I need or want?" I figured since I have some time today, I'd try to write a little bit about the different polishers and their pros and cons since we are fortunate enough to have some experience with various sizes.  We've worked through what we thought versus what it really is...sometimes these were the same.  Other times...we were way off the mark.  So without more intro and babbling, let's get into it.  Hopefully the folks at Adam's and the admins don't mind a post like this...If you do, feel free to take it down!
 
There's quite a few options out there for polishers.  Rotary, dual action (DA), 12mm, 15mm, 21mm, micro...the list goes on and on.  As you're considering making the leap into polishing it can be a bit overwhelming.  Everyone who's picked up a polisher for the first time has had multiple thoughts of "can I do this?" or "am I going to ruin my paint?" The good news is that the DA polishers are safer for paint than the rotary polishers.  Rotary polishers have unparalleled power, but getting them to finish without noticeable trails is difficult or next to impossible without vast experience.  Add in the sizes, and you can't help but question if you're giving yourself a recipe for disaster.
 
We use Rupes polishers in our business with the exception of a single Cyclo we have set up as a powered carpet brush.  Actually, Cyclo is now part of Rupes, so you could say we are Rupes exclusive seemingly.  The Adam's Polishers are great and VERY similar to the Rupes.  For most users, they're a great way to save a few dollars or to even get a second polisher to really round out your abilities.  Let's take our polishers (sizes) in the order we use them from most to least...
 
So which polisher do we actually use the most?  Our absolute "go-to" polisher when we start a project.  It's actually not out biggest and most powerful polisher.  Both of us will grab the Rupes 15mkII as our initial tool.  The 15mm throw has the absolute best blend of correcting power and maneuverability.  The 5.5" pads cover good surface area while not having such a large rigid spot due to the backing plate that we can still work curves and edges with them.  The 15 is generally more then enough polisher in terms of power and is very versatile with the types of pads and polishes/compounds.  Use a compound on a wool pad and you have some serious cutting horsepower at your fingertips.  We constantly play with pad/polish/speed combos based on our goals and what's going to work in terms of time/effort/budget for our clients.  If we could have only one single polisher, without a doubt we would pick the 15 every single time.  It really is that good.  We aren't going to get into speed recommendations as it's largely variable based on the polish/compound/pad/polisher.  The variables are endless and an entirely different conversation.
 
Does the next polisher we grab go up or down in size?  Surprisingly, it goes down.  We grab our Rupes Mini with a 4" pad.  This little guy has considerable power for a little machine.  You can work the polisher with one hand if you need to, and the small size makes it the great bumper getter.  Swirly A-post?  No problem.  The mini will tackle it with it's correcting power without having a pad that's significantly oversize for the work area.  Mirrors are another great spot for the mini, and even inside door sills for those who need to get everything perfect!  The smaller machine is more maneuverable and has far better than pushing a bigger polisher with a longer throw and a larger backing plate around where it can find body parts to bang off of potentially causing damage to the vehicle.
 
We have a Rupes Nano in our selection, which brings us to number three.  We LOVE our nano since it can be configured a million ways.  Soft boars hair brush as a rotary to clean embroidery?  Got ya covered.  Small DA to a quick spot correction?  Say no more.  It supports a 1-2" pad.  When configured on the 3mm throw with a 1" pad, it's VERY easy to stall the action of the polisher.  It's almost not powerful enough to correct in that situation.  We do use it for light spot corrections on a scratch removal or similar though with the longer throw and it has adequate power.  It won't correct like a full size machine, but we've managed to take out wet sanding marks with ours.  Which is another useful component, We will configure it with the 3mm throw and have little 2000/3000 grit sanding disks that stick to a backing plate and we will use to spot wet sand.  The DA pattern makes the marks easy to remove, but it's easy to take significant clear coat off.  I wouldn't suggest this without a paint thickness gauge.  Actually, I'd be hesitant to take sandpaper to any vehicle without it.  The Rupes Nano also has a stiff bristle brush for the quick stubborn spot you're trying to scrub.  Couple the brush with some cleaners and/or steam, and you'll be surprised at what you can pull out.
 
So how does our Rupes 21mkII end up at the bottom of the list?  Well, it's powerful which is great.  But it's large.  So large it doesn't work curves that well.  It's fantastic for larger doors without body lines, hoods, roofs.  But bumpers?  Might as well put it down and swap your equipment out.  It has it's place for correcting large flatter surfaces quickly...but after using it, it's not an ideal polisher by itself.  The 21mm throw with a 6.5" pad means you're generating some real power in the correcting area of the polisher.  It also means you have a huge backing plate to bump off of body panels and lines and the way it rolls over edges isn't ideal.  It's a great tool, but we'd consider this an additional tool rather than primary.  We will commonly use it when we are correcting together.  One of us on the 21 doing the big flat areas, the other on the 15/Mini hitting the details.  It has a place though.
 
So the last polisher...the Cyclo.  The Cyclo was actually where I got my start right here through Adam's.  I still have that polisher and it's since been converted to a powered carpet brush for floor mats and such.  It works great as a correcting tool.  You can change the orientation to change the covered surface area and make it versatile.  Unfortunately, the body of the tool is still large and you have two pads to maintain and keep up with.  It's a great tool, but in favor of some other offerings available now...it's become used less and less as a correcting tool.
 
So what's the ideal setup?  A pick two?  It really is the 15/mini combo.  Between those two polishers you can really do a lot and achieve fantastic results.  I'm a firm believer that the weekend detailer can achieve the same results as the pro.  The biggest difference between the two is that the pro is usually trying to meet a time deadline (for a client and/or profitability), so the pro generally has more tools at their disposal that would be less likely for a weekend detailer to invest in.  Our garage is setup with multiple polishers, a car lift, MBR, sidekick, air compressor, shop-vac, hot water extractor, steamer, etc.  The other difference is that a pro does enough work generally to have a pretty set process and order of events for how things go.  
 
I'm consistently blown away by the work represented on this forum.  Hopefully this thread will help someone make some decisions and take the leap into polishing themselves.  If this thread is well received, I'll consider continuing to write about different topics as they strike me or people ask.  
 
Enjoy and happy detailing!

Glad this got sorted out, and no worries on being mistaken. If I had to admit every time I was wrong, I'd be pushing 5000 posts... 

I emailed Adams just to clarify on this. I am unsure how I got to the point of cleaning in between applications with ceramic boost , however, I was told in email to use the coating prep in between the two applications in a most current email. Sorry for the misinformation @Firebuff17 looks like you are good to proceed without the ceramic boost in between applications. However, you will want some to apply once in a while as it helps to really add some shine to the trim.

I worked today but my wife got bored and redid my Adams supply and hung my polisher holders and foam gun for me!