wely324

what's going on with the forum? Seems like it's not the popular spot it once was? 

I want to trade these 3 stickers for a 16oz bottle of Car Shampoo. 1 sticker per bottle.

Hi guys, I have been a fan of TRC since it came out, but this last bottle I got doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Today I applied, scrubbed, and rinsed 3 times to each tire and if anything they are only dirtier than before. 

Has anyone else had issues with this product not working with certain tires etc? Or should I just keep trying to apply it till they get black?

edit: And yes the foam is turning white.

20 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

No more than a standard detail package. We don’t charge them an upcharge to reinstall the top layer of a product they already paid for. I can’t in good faith ask a client for a large sum of money to install the product initially and say you have to bring it back to me yearly so I can charge you all over again. At that point it seems like a money grab. 

 

The process of washing, iron and clay happens anyway when we get a car. 99% of our jobs involve at least a light finish polish. At that point it’s not significantly longer for us to reapply a top coat. The top coat we work with is forgiving and we are experienced in its application so two of us can get it done without significantly increasing the time of the appointment for a client. Most top layers we reinstall are done with remnants from initial application. 

 

With this process you can see our increased cost of maintenance is minimal, as such I don’t feel comfortable inflating the cost to a client. It’s not how we do business. We are making money on the service regardless. The least we can do is to do it right. 

 

That being said if someone comes in with a trashed finish on a coated vehicle, the costs get passed on. In exchange for our policy we expect at least a minimum level of care for your vehicle when it’s not with us. 

 

Hopefully that clears up any confusion. 

Seems very fair. I think my initial thinking was that it was a coating that should last 5 years and I won't have to touch it. Now I realize that is not realistic. 

I never asked my detailer what he would charge as I wasn't looking to bring the car back to him, over an hour away from my house now. 

from my experience with polishing a lot of chrome on a Harley and other chrome (no clear coat), you will not see any black or gray residue like polishing a bare metal.  The Adam's metal polish 1 and 2 do a great job, you probably will only need to use metal polish 1 with chrome. 

20 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

Just wanted to clear up a few misconceptions about coatings given your experience. 

 

Coatings get contaminated less quickly than non coated vehicles due to their hydrophobic, “self cleaning” properties. This doesn’t translate to not needing to be decontaminated. 

 

We recommend clients with coated vehicles to come back yearly so we can properly clay and decontaminate as needed. In that process if a light polish needs to be done we will, or even to reapply the top coat.

 

Many professional grade coatings are applied in layers so that the top layer can be damaged/removed/replaced as needed. We don’t charge extra for that once a client has a coating done. We simply do what needs to be done for our clients.  Most professional base layers are difficult to remove...think wetsanding. Polishing lightly is adequate, especially if you’re reapplying a top layer. 

 

If your vehicle went two years without the proper maintenance, I’m not surprised it doesn’t act like when it was new. My feeling is some decontamination and a light polish and that action comes back. 

 

The number one cause of people people who have coated vehicles and think the product has failed is that the surface needs to be decontaminated. Once you get contamination on the surface, it won’t act like when it was freshly installed as it’s not the same surface it was. A decontamination and a little top layer maintenance and you’re good to go!

 

Despite marketing hype, coatings can be damaged and they do require maintenance. It’s just a different maintenance schedule than a non coated vehicle. 

I think that is where a lot of people are mislead. I feel the hype of the "self-cleaning properties" over shadows the true maintenance schedule required.

And just to clarify, you don't charge your client to bring their car back for a clay, polish, and top coat reapplication??? 

22 hours ago, Chris@Adams said:

You are on the right track as far as polishing however I would seriously consider doing a full Ceramic Coating or Spray Coating.

Life washing and drying a coated car is MUCH easier especially a black one.

BTW You can use our Coating Prep do your wipe down instead of ipa  also you just need to do a wipe down when done polishing and before coating.

 

https://adamspolishes.com/shop/exterior/ceramics.html

I have considered a coating but applying it without a garage and proper lighting is my main concern, along with the waste of microfiber if I were to apply in stages. 

I am very intrigued by the spray coating as the lifetime is shorter than most coatings and the application process seems less prone to errors. My last car was black, and I had it professionally coated, which was awesome for the first 2 years. The "5 year coating" although still on the car needed to be polished and decontaminated, which basically meant it needed to be removed by compound and reapplied. I'm just not a huge fan of coatings on daily driven cars as it will probably need to be clayed and polished before the coatings lifespan. 

looking for some ideas on a good detail process for a new car that will have about 3000 miles through nj winter and only washed once by the dealer, I know. Regardless the car had some wash and swirl marks when i picked up the car new. So I'm not looking to do a 100% correction, but would like to get it mostly corrected with lots of gloss, it's got tons of gloss right now. From my research the black sapphire metallic bmw paint is fairly hard, so I think I will need to do a two step correction to remove the swirls, but I will test spot first with a finishing polish. 

The car definitely has some protection on the car as it beads up well. Would I be able to do a rinseless wash, clay, ipa wipe, compound, polish, ipa wipe, and then apply my wax or sealant depending on what I decide on? I was thinking if it would be possible to do that process panel by panel as im not sure i could finish the car in a single day and would be working outside, so weather dependent. 

My idea is to split the car into three sections and then give it a thorough wash after completing the exterior and add a fresh layer of sealant, etc? Or my other thinking is to just do a thorough wash, clay, one step polish, then glaze and sealant and call it a day? 

3 hours ago, pirahnah3 said:

@wely324 want a really quick and easy one.....try them with Brilliant Glaze. Doesnt last long but you get a great clean look and it beads like mad for....about the drive home lol. 

Yup, I tried and loved it, I love brilliant glaze on almost anything but plastic. Just wish it lasted longer, regardless the shine is worth it. 

I love glass sealant and also love topping the windows with h2o, it's a great combo.

On 8/8/2018 at 2:57 PM, pirahnah3 said:

Sounds like something was in a towel or in the wash pad. 

That's what I'm thinking, or maybe just need different towels. The borderless gray did not seem to glide smoothly when drying after h2o... 

I use to have microfiber revitalizer but ran out. I'm using a liquid tide free and clear. 

To clarify the scratching is mostly left to right. I'll try to get some pictures.

As far as cleaning and applying H2O, I wash each panel using the two bucket method. I then rinse the car and then go ahead and apply H2O. I put one spray in the towel and then go ahead and do one spray per panel using a wet towel to spread it, and then buff dry with a borderless gray. The wet towel i'm using is a little more plush than the borderless gray, but similar. As for direction of motion I try my best to stay with the direction of windflow over the car when washing or using a towel on the paint. 

The H2O is definitely on there as it is beading much better than the sealant/brilliant glaze on there. 

On 8/6/2018 at 12:48 PM, falcaineer said:

What process, including soaps, etc, do you use to wash and dry your towels? Please be specific. Also, did you allow the HGG to dry in the towels during a previous use? Lots of potential factors here, but if cared for properly, the MF towels won't leave swirls, etc.

I use tide soap with no fabric softeners, I wash them on warm with a cold rinse and dry using low heat till they are about 90% dry. I use to pre-soak but haven't been lately. The towels I use for the wet application are previous towels I have used with HGG, but they no longer absorb or buff dry H2O like they use too. So I now use them as a wet towel, but maybe that is the issue. 

On 8/6/2018 at 3:54 PM, pirahnah3 said:

I agree lots of potential issues, as listed by @falcaineer, one other thought is you mentioned that the swirls seem to be circular but that you applied the HGG in the same motion as the car was washed but do not elaborate on it. 

 

Also im confused on your statement on the wash pad. You state that after a dirty panel the pad doesnt clean, what was on the panel? does this come out after a wash of the pad? I dont see a pad developing a stain that easily but it is possible depending on what was on the vehicle. 

As for the wash pad this is how it looked after a panel or two. I switched and grabbed another wash pad after seeing it not rinse out so well. As for what was on the panels, nothing out of the ordinary. Normal dirt from driving in the rain and going to work etc. The dirt was coming off the car so easily, just not off the wash pad. 

How do you guys wash your wash pads?

After polishing out my black car, I applied sealant and then glaze and went about 2 weeks without washing. After the first wash I applied H2O using the wet method and drying each panel with a borderless gray. The micro scratching, which generally is only seen under the sun, seems to be following left and right motions and not swirls, but I washed and applied H2O the same. 

I'm thinking it could be from the drying process. It had been a while since I used H2O and the borderless towel seemed a bit grabby  in comparison to how I remember. 

As for my wash pad, it seems after a dirty panel where the pad turns black, it doesn't rinse. I'm guessing it's a stain or should I swap my pad out?

On 6/19/2018 at 9:15 AM, shane@detailedreflections said:

We don't run the washer mod on ours.  Our backing plate spins perfectly free, so I don't feel as though there's a need.  It doesn't stall (and we mark our backing plates so we can tell if they do).  We have a 15 and a 21, both are mkII though. 

Same setup, I think it's mostly user error and lack of proper lights along with working outside. I think I'll leave it alone, it's a nice way of knowing I'm probably doing something wrong. 

Regardless she looks way better now. 

Thanks, it was my first go doing a full car two step correction. I definitely missed a few spots or not enough correction. I think I need to invest in a light so I can see the progress of the correction better.

I got to use my new mini swirl killer for the first time and it is the exact polisher I needed for those concave panels and small areas my rupes 15mk2 doesn't work so well at. The big thing I noticed was how nicely I was able to adjust my pressure to get the pad spinning at the right speed. 

Is the washer mod worth it? Thinking of trying it with my rupes 15mk2, hoping to get better control of pad speed as it seems to bind up easily with not too much pressure.

Here are a few shots after a two step correction I did. Adam's products used were, mini swirl killer, detail spray, the older gray clay bar. 

looking to buy a mini swirl killer. Please pm if you have one you want to part with.

the metal polish twins are some of my favorite adam's products, they will do wonders to your chrome.

looking to trade a 16oz bottle or two for some new (in original packaging) wash pads or towels. Mainly looking for two wash pads. And will trade for any 2 of these products I have.

What I have up for offer is:

H20GG - 3/4 filled

Buttery Wax 

Tire Shine 

Under-Carriage Spray 

VRT

I thought there were a consensus that Adam didn't want to come out with a paint coating because he wouldn't be able to follow it with the 110% guarantee? I have no interest in a coating, but those of you that do, there are plenty of installers with A+ ratings that would love to install one for you. I'll take my chances with LPS.

Coatings are great, for certain people. I have had a coating on my car for 1.5 years and I don't think I'll ever have one again unless its for a garage queen supercar that never gets driven.

Billy. The reason that professionals use this method is because most require at LEAST 24 hours before you can introduce to moisture or condensation. The IR lamps cure the coating in much quicker time. Personal car can sit inside a garage for the full 24 hours. If the professional is getting paid a few hundred dollars to install, they want to make sure it is fully cured in a few hours instead of naturally air drying. Imagine if you had customers coming back because of a bad install of a coating? All because they allowed the car to sit outside overnight and receive moisture on the surface. The warranty claims would be astronomical. I still think of the term "baked" as referencing heat. The IR lamps do not emit any heat to "bake". It is simply a curing process. I think this is where the confusion comes into play.

Exactly what do you think the infrared lamp is doing then? Maybe research IR lamps first cause the whole process is about transferring energy to another object, which simply put, heats up the coating allowing it to fully cure or cure at a quicker rate.

I'm not sure what you mean by "baked on". Most of the professional series don't even require "baking". No heating is ever required. Some people use IR lamps to help cure the coating FASTER than air drying. Maybe this is where you are getting the baking idea from?

Sounds like you do know he meant by "baked on."

Whether they require it or not all high end approved detailers that use coatings, which are generally for professionals only, will use infrared heat lamps which bake the coating and make it harder. Baking is a term that many installers use to describe the process. Maybe they are just feeding everyone a bunch of BS, but these are "approved installers." I actually think it would be harder to find a professional who doesn't use IR heat lamps than ones that do.

Any coating Adam's offers will probably not be designed to use or require a infrared heat lamp. But coatings that are designed for consumers as well and not just professional use only won't last as long either. 

edit: professional coatings tend to have thickness that is measurable as well, where consumer grade coatings are very thin and unnoticeable to a paint gauge.

To be honest, I'm not a fanboy. First product I actually dread using.  I wish Adam would back his old wheel cleaner.  If it smells this bad it can't be good for your wheels clear coat. I'll use up the rest of it and have to find another cleaner.  There is one on the market I do like currently that smells ok and works fine for clear coat wheels.

Not sure what being a fanboy or not has to do with this topic.  And I can't comment on the current wheel cleaner as I don't know the facts about it, but the Deep Wheel Cleaner is an acid free ph balanced cleaner. As safe as you can get for a cleaner that breaks down brake dust and leaves the wheels clean. If I feel I don't need deep wheel cleaner I then just use car shampoo diluted in a spray bottle. Also if you apply some type of sealant to the wheels, works great on clear coated wheels, cleaning them is that much easier and using car shampoo to do so will work excellent.  

Love the deep wheel cleaner smell, also really like how it performs, the new wheel cleaner performs quite well from experience as well but I have plenty of the deep stuff left and enjoy it's smell more.