jpenny902

The videos are are a great place TO START. If one isn't willing to use common sense, then maybe one should let someone else do their detailing.

^in most aspects of life that is desirable ????????

Wow! Absolutely beautiful cars you have there! The paint on both looks great!

For those of you who have a hard time getting the tire shine in shoulder lugs and other complicated spaces, try adding a small paint brush to your detailing supplies. It helps tremendously.

Hey everyone, we are doing the finishing touches on our new show room! Check it out. If you're local, come by and see for yourself and grab some products while your here. 

Dan, welcome to our team, and thanks for being here in Colorado for the event today!  You add value.  Period!  More to come on Dan Tyger's official welcome...

A new super top secret limited edition product with an accompanying microfiber towel. I'm not 100% sure if Adam and Matt want to officially unveil and launch it just yet, so I'm going to have to defer that to them 
 
 
Mike McGuire, a very nice gentleman that I got to speak to for a few minutes. He's in the Rocky Mountain Triumph Club. I don't believe he is a member on here, but he went home with a Rupes LHR 15ES Bigfoot Polisher Complete Correction Kit - Rupes gave away the polisher of his choice and Adam gave the rest of the Complete Correction Kit to him, all in a nice Adam's Large Travel Bag - valued at a grand total of $691.98! He chose the LHR 15ES after trying it out earlier in the day during the demonstration by Adam. He was so excited that he went over to the inventory isle with me and bought more products too - a Car Wash Trio, two Grit Guards, and a few other things.
 
Very exceptionally cool of Dylan and Jason to giveaway the machine and for Adam to throw in the rest of the corresponding polishing kit!
 
Adam also did a runner-up drawing prize of a Winter Prep essentials kit, and Brandi Leighman was the winner of that great prize.
 
On a personal note, it was honor for me to meet so many wonderful new people today. It was great seeing some familiar faces and getting to meet Jason Rose. Within 1 minute of meeting him and inspecting a black hood on a VW, he taught me some new tricks and technique to maximize the use of an LED torch light at the proper angle to see scratches and swirls better, while minimizing the reflection of the metallics in the paint back into my eyes. His wealth of knowledge, combined with years of technical expertise from Adam and Dylan as well, was greatly appreciated by me and everyone else in attendance and made for the best detail clinic that I've ever attended. 
 
Lastly, I want to give a thumbs up to the rest of the Adam's Team - Ben, Kourtney, and Joe did great at answering questions and handling the rush of all of you shine fanatics wanting products, Shane and the rest of the warehouse team did an awesome job getting everything organized and set up for the clinic, Joe got some excellent photos throughout the event...me, well, I tried to run around all day helping as many customers as possible with detailed technical answers and information, looked at some problem areas on cars, corrected some scratches on a few, helped out during the outside demonstrations with Adam and Kourtney, and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was a very busy, fun-filled day - this is my passion and I wouldn't want it any other way!

I just performed the WORST car wash in the history of Adam's Polishes. My membership card is on the way back to Adam and I promise I won't tell anyone that I used his products.
 
I'll start at the beginning: My daughter is driving to Colorado and wanted me to wash her car before she left.  She, thoughtfully, gave me nearly 45 minutes to perform the Herculean task.
 
Let me describe said vehicle: It's a red (I think) Explorer that looks as though a pack of muskrats has taken up residence.  You know those races in the deserts of Peru that last like two weeks?  This is the vehicle they use to pick up the people that can't finish the race.  Every time you drive it under an overpass the homeless people boo.  The paint has more calcium than a milk truck, The bug guts have water spots. You get the picture. (Sorry - I didn't get a picture.  I only take pictures of pretty things. It's a rule I have.)
 
Anyway - I told her that there was NO WAY that wreck could be cleaned up in less than a week and she batted her eyes and asked me, "Can't you just WASH it, Dad?"  I caved and said, "Of course, Sweetie.  I'll have it ready in 45 minutes."
 
So I put some plastic wrap on the driver's seat, gripped the steering wheel with bar-b-que tongs, stuck my head out the window, held my breath and drove it to my house to wash it.
 
I should also mention that it was EXACTLY the WRONG weather and time of day to do this.  No room in my garage (I'm not taking the Rocket out for this).  Early afternoon sun, clear blue Texas skies, 20 mph wind, air drier than a Mormon convention. I don't know how you guys in Arizona do it...
 
No time for clay, no time for interior, certainly no time for polish. I hit the wheels with water and All Purpose Cleaner and brushed them off with the wheel brush.  Rinsed the entire vehicle with water and then foamed it down with the Foam Gun. Prepared my one-bucket wash (gasp!).
 
Before I could get the roof washed the soap had dried all over the car. I foamed down again and washed the windshield and hood.  Again - dry soap. More foam. More sections washed.  More foam, more wash. Final water rinse. The paint is so porous and rough it took FOREVER to get all the soap off the car and it STILL looked like a streaky mess.  The existing water spots just scooted over to make room for the new ones.
 
Broke out the H20 Guard & Gloss and started on the windshield and hood. I didn't bother with the roof of the car because my daughter is only 5'8" and she can't see it anyway. Started with the "wet method" but I had to revert to the "dry method" for most of the rest of the car.  Went over the paint, the glass, the chrome trim and the black trim.
 
Had a few minutes left so I went ahead and used Glass Cleaner on all the windows but then it was time to take it back to her.
 
I was pretty embarrassed - I mean, it's covered with water spots and streaks, the front grill looks like Armageddon. The flat back trim is chalky and grey.  I didn't do ANYTHING with the interior.  It looks TERRIBLE.
 
She took one look, gave me a HUGE hug and said she couldn't believe how great it looks! It's like a new car!  I just smiled and waved goodbye.
 

After claying, I use a rinse then a strip wash to remove the residue.
 
The clay bar is not magic, it does not remove 100% of the contaminates from the surface like some sort of magnet. A good portion of the bonded contaminates will stick to the clay bar, but some and possibly a lot can just get knocked loose by the clay and remain on the surface.
 
If you then removed the residue with a towel, these containments could possibly scratch the paint. If you did wipe the residue with the towel, and some contaminates in the residue got into your towel, you might get scratches and you might not, but if you are going to machine polish anyway, then it might not be a big deal to wipe the residue with a towel.
 
However, I do think that polishing with a machine directly over the residue is a bad idea. Any loose contaminates on the surface can get into the pad and cause a lot of damage. Any stray containments in the residue, that did not stick to the clay bar, would then get into the pad and get worked 100,000+ times over your paint, and you may end up with more clear coat damage than you had to begin with.
 
For me, a quick rinse and wash is cheap insurance, and takes much less time than having to fix damage to the paint after you polish. If you don't want to take the time to wash, then at least wipe the residue away before polishing. Plus, the clay residue will clog your pads and make them less effective.

Diluted Deep Wheel Cleaner at 1:1 may do the trick!

After some servicing upkeep, and several winter mods, I needed to take care of the paint around the front clip.
First let me show off or explain what was done.
New Absorbed Gas Mat Deka battery from a buddy that's doing subcontracting electrical work at the Deka facility.
Shifter was tightened back up. Two bolts hold the handle shaft to the shifter, one of the bolts had backed out a little allowing the shaft to move a bit fore and aft.
Sports Appearance Package Side Skirts were reattached to the lower rocker panels.
Brake rotor's hats, veins/fins were painted with POR High Temp flat black paint, calipers were thoroughly cleaned and touched up. Caliper brackets were sand blasted and painted with the POR paint. Russell Braided Stainless Steel Brake Lines were installed.
LOL! A little Redneck arts and crafts at the kitchen table with my good buddy Charlie who helped out quite a bit.

Hey, my wife took the picture, so I guess she was okay with this.

 

 

 

 

Better shot of one of the new brake lines

Of course, while the wheels were off they were polished again!

WW wipe down, Metal Polish #2, perfection!
 
I cleaned and Detail Sprayed the suspension, and entire underside of the car.

Nothing better than detailing the pumpkin with Pumpkin Spice Detail Spray, LOL!

Next I moved to the Engine. Stock it looked too sanitary, a set of plastic covers over top of the coils and valve covers. You really couldn't see the engine. With the plastic covers off the LS2 has, rough, cast aluminum valve covers with pegs coming out to hold the plastic covers, two bulky, painted black coil brackets, and a pretty lame looking fuel rail. The power steering reservoir is an opaque plastic that turns brown after many heat cycles, the engine bay also sports an air box with so many 90 degree bends before the throttle body I don't know how the motor breaths.
A bit of research on the ole interwebs, a couple dollars, a bit of labor, a few more dollars, a broken bolt, several more dollars, some more labor, and I finally came up with this!

 

 

Once all the mods were completed, a couple of pesky fuel leaks were addressed, and the hood was adjusted to close properly over top of everything, it was time to clean up the marring I'd induced to the paint on the front clip.
The front end was given a thorough wipe down with Adam's Waterless Wash using several of the Plush Blue Waffle Weave Microfiber Towels.
The rest of the car had just some slight dusting and was wiped down with Rinseless Wash mixed up as a Waterless Wash.
Wax was removed with a chemical wax remover.
I clayed the front end with the new Visco Clay; neat stuff, and it worked really well considering this car was already pretty clean.
I taped off a few areas I didn't want to have to deal with later.
Out came the Rupes 15 and Rupes Mini.
First was an Orange Microfiber pad and Paint Correcting Polish followed up with a White Foam Pad and Paint Finishing Polish. The Clear Bra across the front of the car was polished by hand using an old bottle of Adam's Clear Polish.

A coat of Brilliant Glaze followed up with two coats of Patriot Paste Wax and she's looking good again.

 

 

One more decent rain to wash the remaining salt from the road and she'll be back out on the road!

Would just like to thank my friends and family, and of course TheWolf for presenting me with this award! lol

Would just like to thank my friends and family, and of course TheWolf for presenting me with this award! lol

Just finished reading from the start, took me 2 days mind you. Some incredible information here that I will be putting to use when i detail my daily this spring! Thank you Dan!

Thanks guys!
Went and did the same job on a buddy's truck today, I couldn't believe how dry his paint was before we started and he couldn't believe how wet it was when we were done, he was sold on some Adams.
 

 

I'm sorry.. I had to do it.  I've never been a "shine freak addict"... I just kept wanting to get a new car because they just looked so new and shiny.  Well I saw another car like mine that just looked great and asked myself, "why doesn't mine look like that?"  Well it's probably because i've only washed it about a year ago and never since... So a New car to me would just end up being dirty and not very nice in a few weeks / month from when i bought it, because it would never be cleaned... So I started researching some products and while in a big box store, bought some M products.  Tried them out right away with the microfiber towels... That sort of did the trick, but lacked that "Pop" i was looking for on my black car.. so the search continued... after some google searching, i came across Adam's and this forum... i lurked for a while and then after calling and talking to Adam himself (He took the time with me on the phone and really pointed out a couple things a new comer should look at an consider)... Well 3 days later (I'm insanely OCD with research), i finally pulled the trigger and bought a PC, polish kit, sealant, and shampoo.  I was very impressed with the stuff so I went on at the next sale (4th of July) and bought another $200 worth of product including H20GG and the towel bundle, wheel cleaner, and glass cleaner w/sealant.  Just used the H20GG today and THAT STUFF IS INSANE... I love it... though I did spill some on my concrete driveway and lost half the bottle.  I was very mad at myself and kind of had a withdrawal symptom as i was looking as what was left... that's weird...  Anyway, my wife came out to see what i was doing and cursing in the driveway after spilling the GG.  She commented how great my car looked and then asked to wash her car (enormous minivan)... Figured why not.. so we (Wife, 4 yr old daughter, and myself) washed her car (2 bucket method of course with the whole starter kit i bought with first order), dried it with the several drying towels i've collected.. by then my other daughter was waking up from her nap (she's 1) and we had to go in (that and it's about 94 degrees out this morning at 9:30 am.  What's the first thing I do?  Run to the computer to order the special on H2OGG gallon to replace what I spilled... Well while in there I can't just order $65 and pay shipping, so what do i do... ummm order more to get free shipping of course!  Well that brings me to the point where i realize i'm addicted and it's not my fault... so I hate to say it, but I've reported Adam and the whole Adam's crew to the local authorities for selling addictive products... It's forcing me to spend more and more and it's not my fault.. this is all Adam's fault for having such good products and I NEED THEM... So I'm sorry guys... but just a request.. can you at least send out my next order before someone from some government agency comes and shuts you down?  Please, i didn't mean to, it was not my fault!  I was acting under duress from the spilled Guard and Gloss and not myself.
 
Your brother in shine,
TJ

Thanks again everyone. Well a gift card showed up email to apply to product so I guess Adams insisted on making it right even though I felt there was nothing to make right. Thanks Dan.
 
And as far as in the garage. Yes, I feel very fortunate to have the extra room and its my first nice garage. About 1100 sf (40' deep on shop side) and heated floors. When I built the house I did it in a manner I could wash vehicles two at time inside the garage. So has moisture resistant walls and 12" floor drains.
 
The only thing on my wish list I have not been able to afford yet is a quality wall mounted electric pressure washer. Warm water, soap injection, etc.
 
I placed another order last night and now I have a gift certificate to use so better order more. LOL
 
Madness I tell you.. madness.

I finally gave my truck the love it deserves. A few weeks ago I detailed my wife's Murano and this weekend it was my trucks turn. I had some new products that I haven't used before and needless to say I was blown away by the results. While I was doing my thing I had my oldest some using VRT and In and Out spray on the trim and then I hear "Dad, look at this". Immediately panicked because I didn't that was going to be good. Without me knowing he used VRT on my step bars. I have to say that they came out awesome!! Nice deep dark shine to them. My son can't clean his room but he took the initiative to do that so I was pretty happy.
 
Overall it was a great morning not only cleaning up my truck but hanging with my son doing guy things. Plus I learned a new purpose for VRT.

Yep, DSG.
 
Got the mirrors and grille wrapped today.    

These were from a trip my girlfriend and a couple buddies took around a stretch of road Calle the Cabot Trail, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Welcome!

Here some picture :
 
https://flic.kr/s/aHskqW1yCA

Sorry but I'd disagree. I think it lasts just as long. About 2 months on a daily driver, but there are many variables. Plus with how easy HGG is to apply it is better in my book, especially when you combine 2 steps into 1 (drying and protecting).