Firebuff17

Thank you @8675309'SS
that seems to do the trick!

Try switching the theme to “Default“ and see if it doesn’t give you the option you are looking for.  I don’t use that feature, so I’m not sure if this is what you are referring to or not.  See screen shots I posted over here in this thread:
 

CS3 and Ceramic Waterless are indeed similar products, but they do have their differences. To clear up some confusion, both can be used on coated and non-coated vehicles alike.

Ceramic Waterless was initially made to serve as a ceramic-infused waterless washing and maintenance product, fitting in with the rest of the white bottle ceramic line to keep things together and easy to understand, more advanced than our normal product line if you will. CS3 was released a few months back as a very easy to use product for the consumer/hobbyist that might just be getting their feet wet with ceramic products. This is why we put it in the normal product line label, along with Ceramic Spray Coating - I think that anyone that has used either product will agree that they are much easier to use than applying a full 2-3+ year ceramic coating 🙂
 
You can think of Ceramic Waterless as being a Waterless Wash with ceramic-infused protection in it, almost like Waterless Wash + Ceramic Boost = Ceramic Waterless. To answer Cedric's initial question (sorry I missed this thread when he posted it last week), CS3 has just as good cleaning and protection, but it also has shine enhancement too. So you can think of it as Waterless Wash + Ceramic Boost + Detail Spray/Brilliant Glaze = CS3. These are not the actual combination of chemicals or makeup of the products, but this is the easiest way to explain them using comparisons. You are not losing any cleaning ability as a trade-off for increased shine - my SS had more than light dirt a few weeks ago from a rainstorm and I cleaned it with CS3 just to see if it could handle it. In my mind I wanted to at least do a Two Bucket Wash, but it was too cold outside. I used I believe 5 Blue Waterless Wash Waffle Weave Towels and they got filthy, but the car turned out great. I took the Color Match LED Light to it afterward and noticed no increase in swirl marks anywhere (there are a few swirls in some key areas of my car right now since I purposely haven't done much to it other than wash, boost, and CS3 all winter to see how the UV Ceramic Spray Coating would hold up). Three or four of the towels were used for lifting dirt, and the fifth towel was used to dry and make sure there was no streaking. I folded them in half 3 times, giving 12 working 'sides' per towel.

As a side comment in regards to percentages, some may get caught up in the numbers (I'll admit that I do sometimes too), or think that the higher the percentage of a chemical such as SiO2, the better the product (Ex: "This product has X% but this one has Y% - it has to be better!"). Yes, it might mean a little more durability, hydrophobic behavior, etc; however, just increasing the percentage higher and higher can also make a product more difficult to work with - streaking, smearing, and so on. There is a lot of chemistry and testing involved, and for a product like a waterless wash that we want to work safely and easily, making it a very high percentage may not always be the best option 👍

 

I finally was able to pick up the car today. Here’s the final list of changes:
 
-Wrap in Oracal Matte Sunset Shift wrap. 
-Wrap roof, a posts, mirrors, partial hood, spoiler, front splitter and lower rockers in gloss black
-Paint calipers in what ended up being a four stage paint to match
-Gloss black emblems
-Powder coat the wheels black
-6mm wheel spacers on the front and 15mm spacers on the back. 
-Ceramic Coat with a Vinyl/PPF coating everywhere, wheels and calipers in accompanying product.
-Drop a mild tune in the car to wake it up a bit.
 
These are quick shots with the phone. A good video and photo shoot will be happening. The wheel pic was after driving it home, so yup...they’re dirty. These brakes bleed dust everywhere. 

Generally I agree with your sentiment 100%. I’ve openly disagreed on things Adam’s has done in the past on this forum, as well as directly to Adam himself of various representatives of the company. Admittedly, I can be pretty critical. 
 
That being said in this case I feel your sentiment is misguided, despite being well intentioned. 
 
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” That’s the saying anyway. 
 
We are currently experiencing a pandemic on a world scale that is unlike anything we have ever seen. Economies are crippled. Death tolls continue. Infection rates rise. Resources are drained. 
 
This is something that has an impact on nearly every town, county, state, nation and continent. Everything is a fluid situation in a constant state of flux where needs change daily, or even by the minute. 
 
Not only do I own Detailed Reflections, but my true career (the one that really pays the bills) is being a firefighter in a community of 50,000 people. We have seen the feelings change from “we have plenty of gear” to “one to one replacement” so we don’t run out. So far to date, my community has over 200 cases of Covid-19. We have transported approximately seventy of these patients. I myself (and my crew) have had four direct contacts with Covid-19 positive patients to date that we know of. With every contact comes the need for more products to decontaminate ourselves and our equipment. This has created a shift where smaller local businesses have shifted their production to support their communities instead of the bottom line. We have an adhesive company a couple towns over that made hand sanitizer for every member of our department. This allowed them to keep their employees working, and helps the community. It’s the proverbial “win-win.”
 
Everyone now is being divided (right or wrong) into essential and non-essential. Non essential businesses are sometimes able to sustain themselves by offering something they don’t always. The need for general sanitization products versus car care products is clear currently. I can state that as the owner of a business that relies on car care products and the availability of them to keep going. 
 
Adam’s is putting their community before the needs of it’s existing “customers.” If our communities fail, the businesses fail. And companies disappear completely. You’re going to see a few crisis’ arise thanks to Covid-19 outside of healthcare. You will see a financial crisis, unemployment crisis, mental health crisis, potential housing crisis (credit will be trashed, savings wiped out, mortgages in default). It’s going to take time to climb out way out of this. The way we do that is by understanding that the needs of everyone have shifted significantly during this time. 
 
If you live in a lesser affected area, it doesn’t mean the companies in your area aren’t supporting those in areas of impact. 
 
For the greater good of society, and to end this as quickly as possible Adam’s has done the right thing. They should be applauded, not reminded that they need to get back to car care products and customers. 
 
I mean no disrespect to your thoughts, just sharing the views from the other side of the fence. I don’t want to bring Covid-19 home to my family because I couldn’t get what I needed to remain safe. And I don’t want to have to change how I interact with members of the community I serve out of fear or lack of proper supplies. Right now we all need to support each other. For the greater good. 

There are some sites telling you how to make mask, luckily for the wife and I we had some on hand due to our professions. 
 
In addition my wife has Covid19, and is due in 2 weeks with our 2nd girl,  she is absolutely miserable and we really only communicate through text and FaceTime,  our daughter and her were so tight and this is super hard with those two apart.  Not a sob story, but for anyone who thinks it can’t happen to you, think again!  Set things up now,  my employer has not helped at all, even with email after email, the union making false promises and the county exec always with his catchprases “we’re in this together “  bull****!
Her OB, primary, and employer...no help either!
 
Take care of yourselves and one another!
 
On a side note, I really enjoy the Hand Soap and the new fragrances look pretty nice,  think I’ll grab some more, and try the Sanitizer out too 😬
 
 

While certain TYPES of microfiber can be used for making masks, the type for towels shouldn't be.  You could use microfiber sheets or shower curtains, but not towels.  Here's an interesting article to explain.
https://stem.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mask-Materials-Matter.pdf

I had a car delivered last night and I got a good start on it before letting it sit in the driveway overnight since it was an exterior only job.   After a wash, iron removal and clay, I got past the layer to see how the paint itself was.  It was in a condition that I did my test section on the hood to find out what the effort was going to be.  Before it was all done, I spent 9 hours on the exterior just to make it presentable.
 
After going over it with Correcting Polish and a few Orange pads, it was on to Finishing Polish to make it look like a car again.  Unfortunately, the car came out of Florida and while it defeated many Love Bugs, they won the war and the paint eaten in many places and coupled with the many rock chips, the current owner is having it repainted this fall and then we'll Ceramic Coat it.  The front fascia is so eaten up that it needs to be replaced so I put the Original Ceramic Paste Wax on it to get through the summer .
 
The hood came out looking good, just too bad there are so many rock chips and love bug marks.  The last picture show the entire car and it is a beautiful car, it's really ashame the original owner didn't take care of it.  If it had of been Red, I probably would have made an offer on it today, it isn't every day that a 670 horsepower, 2017 Roush Mustang with a 6 speed manual tranny gets dropped off in your driveway.
 

I would Ceramic coat but I can’t since I don’t have an indoor space to store my truck for 24 hrs.

Congratulations!!
Yet another reason why I love this company!! Stepping up in the time of need.   

Congratulations!!
Heres to 20 more. 🍻

Look what showed up today!  Means next week they’ll be able to start wrapping the car!  More pics to follow...
 
PS - I hate the fluorescent lights since they don’t show the color shift well at all. 

Update time...well, more of a stay tuned. 
 
I dropped the Lotus off at ACI Dynamix in Seymour, Connecticut today. The materials are ordered. My car was scheduled for April, but I have a client who’s stuck with the Cornonavirus stuff impacting work for him so we swapped appointments moving me up!  
 
In a week or two (probably closer to two), we will go down to see it. We are going to coat it right in their shop so it doesn’t need to be prepped again and while they have the wheels off. The wheels and calipers will be freshly powder coated and painted so it’s an easy prep. 
 
Then it just needs some inside love quick and will be ready for photos.
 
I will post pics as I get teasers from them!
 
 

Again.. these series are great. Not that it’s much different than the other “edited” videos but these are great videos. 
 
I am always late to the party. I am still using up my gallon of wheel cleaner. I ceramic coated my wheels and have Tire Armor on my tires so I barely use wheel cleaner anymore. BUT, I will be ordering this when my current stock runs out. 

20 min CS3 wipe down after the rains! So quick, so easy!

Awesome! Keep in mind that the Wheel & Tire Cleaner is a very strong solution and will remove Tire Armor, so if you want the Tire Armor to last longer, I would recommend Tire & Rubber Cleaner for scrubbing the tires instead.

Again.. these series are great. Not that it’s much different than the other “edited” videos but these are great videos. 
 
I am always late to the party. I am still using up my gallon of wheel cleaner. I ceramic coated my wheels and have Tire Armor on my tires so I barely use wheel cleaner anymore. BUT, I will be ordering this when my current stock runs out. 

Took advantage of the warm Georgia weather and washed the goat.  I gotta brag on a couple things..... first off, ceramic spray coating holding up strong. Foaming soak of wash+coat, power rinse, 80% of the dirt and grime gone! Loving it! Second foam and wipe down got it spotless.  
 
Secondly, freaking tire armor! I literally just soaked the tires for a few minutes with TRC and then power rinsed.... spotless and shiny! 
 
Ceramic boosted, shiny! 
 
I mean, I'm no professional and I'm sure i can improve my coating techniques and shining techniques (which is why I learn from you guys on the daily) but if it's this easy for this dummy.... everyone should at least try it! 

Ceramic Spray Coating about 2 weeks old. 

Figured I would bring this back with some new posts. So incoming photo heavy posts. It’s been a minute...
 
25’ Bennington Pontoon Boat ceramic coated and protected. 
 

 

 
Audi A5 Sportback ceramic inside and out. 
 

 

 

 
Dodge Ram after being in a collision and body shop repair which included a “complimentary buff.” Two guys. Nine hours of paint correction and a new ceramic and this is the results from before and after. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Jeep Rubicon in ceramic inside and out. The top was removed and the roll cage serviced as well. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
BMW 435 for one step polish regular service.
 

 

 

 
1200 horsepower Nissan GTR polished and coated. 
 

 

 
Camaro SS ceramic coating
 

 

 

 
Aston Martin Rapide one step regular service 
 

 

 

 

 
45’ Show Hauler. Ceramic cab, sealed body. 
 

 

 
Porsche Panamera 4e Hybrid ceramic interior and exterior. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceramic Spray Coating about 2 weeks old. 

Washed the truck today. 
I had made an order a couple weeks back and ordered wash and coat, ceramic waterless wash, and interior Detailer. 
Truck has ceramic spray coating on it. 
I use a foam gun and 2 bucket wash with the microfiber wash mitt. Followed directions on the wash and coat. Put 3-4 ounces in the foam gun with water and a couple ounces in the bucket with the mitt and lather it up with the sprayer. I found that it does not foam very well, either in the foam gun (decent foam but not great) and very minimal in the bucket with the mitt. Went ahead and foamed the truck, washed with the mitt and rinse bucket, and then rinsed truck off. 
I have both ceramic boost 2.0 and now have ceramic waterless wash. I was conflicted on which one I was going to use as a drying aid as I don’t have a air dryer (yet. Lol). Decided I was going to use the CWW. Reached for the bottle, and couldn’t find the right size sprayer. When I loaded everything up yesterday, I mistakenly grabbed the wrong spray head for it. 
So I used CB 2.0 instead. Applied/dried using the wet method. Used 4 borderless gray towels for my crew cab pickup. Applied the CB to everything as it all has CSC, or ceramic trim coating, or both. Once completed and packed up I took it out into the sun. Came out amazing!! Pics I took don’t do it justice so not worth posting. Unbelievably smooth to the light touch. And didn’t notice any streaking or high spots. 
 
Side note: 
not completely sold on wash and coat. It does seem to work well. I bought the 12 ounce bottle and used just about half to wash it once. Maybe if I bought the 64 ounce next time. 

Washed the truck today. 
I had made an order a couple weeks back and ordered wash and coat, ceramic waterless wash, and interior Detailer. 
Truck has ceramic spray coating on it. 
I use a foam gun and 2 bucket wash with the microfiber wash mitt. Followed directions on the wash and coat. Put 3-4 ounces in the foam gun with water and a couple ounces in the bucket with the mitt and lather it up with the sprayer. I found that it does not foam very well, either in the foam gun (decent foam but not great) and very minimal in the bucket with the mitt. Went ahead and foamed the truck, washed with the mitt and rinse bucket, and then rinsed truck off. 
I have both ceramic boost 2.0 and now have ceramic waterless wash. I was conflicted on which one I was going to use as a drying aid as I don’t have a air dryer (yet. Lol). Decided I was going to use the CWW. Reached for the bottle, and couldn’t find the right size sprayer. When I loaded everything up yesterday, I mistakenly grabbed the wrong spray head for it. 
So I used CB 2.0 instead. Applied/dried using the wet method. Used 4 borderless gray towels for my crew cab pickup. Applied the CB to everything as it all has CSC, or ceramic trim coating, or both. Once completed and packed up I took it out into the sun. Came out amazing!! Pics I took don’t do it justice so not worth posting. Unbelievably smooth to the light touch. And didn’t notice any streaking or high spots. 
 
Side note: 
not completely sold on wash and coat. It does seem to work well. I bought the 12 ounce bottle and used just about half to wash it once. Maybe if I bought the 64 ounce next time. 

This write up will provide the products and steps taken to convert my 2017 Chevy Colorado Daily Driver from Ceramic Paste Wax to Ceramic Spray Coating.   The truck's last major detail was June 9, 2019 which means that the CPW has been on the vehicle for 111 days.  The CPW was in near perfect condition and there is not a single negative statement I could make toward CPW.  If you want a high end paste wax, I would absolutely recommend CPW.  It is on and for the foreseeable will remain on several of my vehicles.
 
Total time spent:  9 hours 30 minutes
 
Prior to starting the conversion, I planned the steps and made sure I had the necessary products.  After the first cup of coffee, I start getting everything ready (5:30 AM).   The items that were readied for action and put on the Detail Cart:
3 Buckets:  3.5 gallon wheel bucket, 5 gallon rinse bucket and 5 gallon soap bucket. Step Stool Platform
Foam Gun, Tire Brush, Wheel Woolie, Wheel Well Brush, Microfiber Wash Mitt, 4 microfiber applicators, revive applicator
Towels: 8 borderless gray, 6 single soft, 6 double soft, ultra drying towel, Green Glass Towel
Tire & Rubber Cleaner, Eco APC, Eco Wheel Cleaner, Strip Wash, Glass Cleaner, Revive Hand Polish, Clay
Surface Prep and Ceramic Spray Coating were left in the climate controlled room
Swirl Killer, 4 White Pads - more on this below.   Finishing polish
1 Gallon Meyers Lemonade - gotta keep hydrated and Music, classic Rock to be precise
 
The tires, wheels and wheel wells are always first.  Tire & Rubber cleaner is the first product along with a good tire brush.  After the tires, I do the wheels and on the Colorado the wheels clean very well with Eco Wheel Cleaner.  The wheels had been maintained with Ceramic Boost which really helped keep them clean.  The wheel wells were next and the Colorado has fabric and Eco APC along with the wheel well brush cleans them up nicely.  Then they are just rinsed off with a hose and I've found the Eco APC does not foam as much as the regular APC.
 
Next up was the strip wash, 4 ounces in the foam gun and a healthy squirt into the soap bucket.  I covered the truck and let it sit for a few minutes and then covered the truck again.  At this point the weather was perfect, it was about 10 minutes before sun up and 70 degrees.   My routine for washing is starting with the passenger side top, hood, drivers side top, drivers side front fender and then go around the vehicle one panel at a time.  I do not do the underside of wheel wells, door jams, fuel cover or front lower valance until everything else is done to prevent grit, sand or other grime from getting on the wash pad. 
 
The strip wash was very effective in removing the CPW  on the body and CB from the wheels, but it did not affect the CSC that I had previously put on the black parts of the truck and tonneau cover.  The first picture shows the water being pushed away with a gray towel.   Once the truck was dry, it was into the garage to start the real work.  The baggie test was performed along with a visual inspection for any issues. The body was smooth, given that it had just been done and was well protected.  I was fully expecting to be able go with Finishing Polish and nothing else.  Unfortunately, someone (to remain nameless) did a rather poor job on the roof and it needed a bit more attention, so back to the cool room, grab the correcting polish and an Orange pad.  
 
I worked the roof with the correcting polish and was rather happy, so I switched to the white pad and finishing polish and WOW.  It is probably important to know that this is the first time the Swirl Killer ever touched the truck, the previous corrections were with an extremely old polisher.  On to the hood with with finishing polish and I realized the roof looked better than the hood, so I decided to step back and work the entire truck with correcting polish.  I grabbed three more Orange pads and went at it, followed by the white pads and finishing polish.   My process for changing pads and/towels is always in pairs.  If the pad needs to be changed, then change the towel, if the towel needs to be changed, then change the pad.    While the recommended method is to do a 2x2 area at a time, I like following body lines when possible.  The doors on the Colorado have a big center section , maybe 2x3 and two small sections maybe 1x3 and I do each of them as separate panels, no tape required. 
 
I used Revive on the Tail Lights since I really like how it brings out the clarity of the lenses.
 
After the correcting and finishing polish, it was lunch time followed by another inspection of the truck and then it was ready for Surface Prep, followed by another inspection and then out came the CSC.  I grabbed a MicroFiber applicator since I prefer to spray the applicator instead of the body and it was at this point that I did use some colorful adjectives when the tiny sprayer broke.   This is the third small sprayer that has broken, two were on Glass Boost and now one on Ceramic Spray Coating - Yes, I will be contacting the sales office.  I'm not large and I don't abuse the bottles or tools and the only problem I've had with anything from Adam's is these tiny or toy sprayers.   I grabbed another sprayer, put it in the bottle and it worked - thankfully.  Update: I have been informed that they have been replaced with a better sprayer.
 
Starting with the roof, I applied the CSC.  While it is clearly understood that Red vehicles are superior to anything else, it is hard to see the rainbow effect on them.  I found that I needed to look at an angle to see the color changes to know when to wipe it down.  Everything went very easy for laying the CSC and wiping it off and in most areas I was able to do two panels just as the video references.  I consider the hood to be two panels itself.  Once all the panes were completed, I went back in the same manner that I do with the wash and hit the areas that I skipped, picture #3 is a door jam and yes, I know I need to vacuum again.  The final step was to do the wheels with CSC.
 
The last two pictures were taken after I completed the truck and parked it outside this evening.
 
It was a long day, but I am happy with the results and so is the wife. 
 
Thank you @Rich for the information you provided on doing the Equinox
Thank you @zw470 for showing the wheels, otherwise mine would not have been done.
 
 

Or get both. They each have their place. Think of Wash & Coat as Wash & Wax on steroids (the latter contains silica, not carnauba). Two things I will say about the Wash & Coat, though: it doesn't foam as much as I'd like, and the smell isn't one of my favorites. Somewhat subjective feedback, but I wanted to mention it no less.