Hamilton Detail

He hit the jackpot on that Trunk Organizer bag!  Nice!  

In my opinion, Pan has the best detailing channel on YouTube. So I was very excited to see this 😁

Same here.  The majority of the towels I have are from TRC and I've never had an issue with them.  Customer service has been excellent also.

Interesting. My experience has been the exact opposite.

303 Fabric protectant works pretty well. I've also heard great things about Carpro Fabric. Gtechniq and Gyeon both have their own version of it and I can't say I've seen negative feedback on them. 

This slight of hand switch was the last straw for me with Adams.  When you reduce product by half and still charge nearly the same as before,  and then attempt to justify it by telling me I didn't need that much product in the first place, that's a MAJOR problem and borderline insulting.
 
The cost per detail of this entire product line has reached astronomical levels.  I still kick myself for learning that fact the hard way...

It has become clear to me why more pro level detailers don’t use Adam’s Polishes. It’s become increasingly difficult to keep them on our shelves in a cost effective manner.
 
I am aware everyone here is heavily pro-Adams. And their products work well for the consumer. But there’s a whole world of products out there, and some even work better. The pricing here was what lead to that discovery for us. 

I use the all purpose cleaner and it usually does the trick.  

Done!

I’ll also add that a $15 headlight restoration?!?  Some materials and the time to do it right and you may as well hand the client some cash when they pick their car up. Headlight restoration usually runs in the area of $100, often times more if you get into wetsanding and applying a coating over the top when it’s done. 
 
Seems that figuring out pricing is a matter here. So let’s get into it a bit. 
 
When figuring our pricing, you’re setting a few things. A target time for the job. And a target profit margin. In order to figure that out, you need to find your expenses. 
 
- How much is the product you consume per job?
- How much wear do you put on your consumables?  You don’t need new pads every time, but you will need to place orders. 
- How much are towels?  How often are you replacing them?
- How much is your time worth?  What are you paying yourself?  
- How much do you want to leave for other business related expenses and surprises? Expansion?  Etc. I just cut a sizable check for accreditation through another supplier. And before that it was a very sizable investment in PPF (inventory, cutter, training).  You need to plan expansion. 
 
Once you know your expenses, that’s your minimum to break even. From there you need to pad those numbers. At your pricing, you aren’t paying yourself much after expenses. And you certainly aren’t leaving anything on the table in the business for growth or other expenses. 
 
You can reduce cost (or increase margin) by buying smart. Don’t limit your product selections within reason and when you buy less expensive, your margin goes up without impacting the client. We buy towels in bulk for example. 100 at a time. It’s cheaper for me. 
 
And this isn’t my full time business either, but I did get it set up as a legal entity and all that so we are legit. I have a career as a firefighter. But if I’m taking time away from my family to work, it needs to be profitable to do so and improve us. 

I agree w Shane..for $60-full correction—give me the first appointment u have!!  Assume ur gonna need at least 2 pads which cost about $30. Plus the polishes.  
 
 -CC kit gonna cost u $115- leaves you $185 for other supplies/labor. 
 
Basic detail seems priced right.  But upgrade to “pro detail”. differences includes clay, strip wash and polish.. grest deal for customer for only $50 more.  Seems like a lot a labor for u for only $50.  
 
Best of luck. ????
  Just my non-professional opinion!!   Dont want u to lose money!! 
 

A few thoughts from a fellow business owner...
 
- You don’t include what’s really included. For example, on a “pro interior detail,” what does that cover?  Extraction?  Steaming?  Or just brushes and a shop vac?  “Machine polished” could mean a simple single stage or could mean three or four?  People are more likely to part with their money when they understand what they’re getting. 
 
- I’d lose the add-on services.  Or at least a lot of them. They confuse people. And quite honestly, your prices seem extremely low. I know it varies based upon your locale, but there’s no way you’re doing a paint correction on a car for $60. True paint correction for us is $85/hour. We build in regular steps of polish into our prices but if you want the true correction...it’s done hourly and it’s $85 per. 
 
- Ceramic coating for $300?  Again, what’s it include?  Can I expect wheels off and barrels done?  All trim?  
 
- On our website we provide with range of prices. Using your sheet, I can bring you my SUV and have it done for the same cost as a SmartCar. You set yourself up for a headache at that point when you try to deviate. 
 
- Your prices seem low. Like really low. We won’t do an interior for less than your “Pro Detail.” And even at that price, I’ve been leaning towards a price increase. That being said we have blowers, extractor, steamer, etc to justify our cost and we make that clear. Quite honestly at those prices when you figure in your costs, you’re working for little to no money and certainly not leaving money on the table to reinvest and grow. 
 
If you check my post history you’ll find a bunch of thoughts on how we run the business and how we research some options we offer. 

I’m sure some have asked before but I want to see about the Adam’s team come out with an Under Armour or Nike or something Polo shirt. I mostly wear polos and wouldn’t mind having a few of them to wear to work or when going out and about. 

So I picked up two of the new detailing lights for my Swirl Killers and used them for the first time today.  Made a huge difference in what I actually saw and what I thought I was seeing. NOW I can see everything. Every swirl, every dirt spot, anything I missed, etc.  Great products. I found for me, they work best up a little higher than they suggest, but that could be because of the size of my hands.   The one on the Mini really helped when I was doing the wheels. I could see into every corner so I didn't miss a spot.  Only bad thing was, I found my Cadillac's first and ONLY ding in the side.  I know where it happened, I just didn't know it happened until today.  Yeah, the car is 6 years old, so only having it's first ding is a pretty good run.  The daily driver looks pretty darn good.
I really recommend these lights. 
 

Just wanted to say how great Adam's customer service is. 
 
My day job is being the parts department manager at Shafiroff Racing and I speak with vendors ALL day long. 
 
I had a slight issue with a 6.5" orange pad and I sent the team an email. All they asked me for was an order number that it came on and the very next day they sent out a replacement! To boot, they threw in a bottle of orange correcting polish  How nice of them is that?! 
 
Just wanted to share with everyone how fast, easy and delightful this experience was. 
 
Thanks guys! 

Hi All, 
 
After seeing a need for some flowcharts and more "processes" for overall detailing, especially Ceramic Coating and maintenance, I've developed the roadmap to Ceramic Paint Coating! Let me know what you think and how this can help you-- Also, If there are any processes you are confused by, list them here and I'll consider them for future flow charts! 
 
 

This place was amazing! You can see it from the highway and it is huge! Everyone there was really nice and willing to answer any questions. Adam even took time out of his busy day to say hi. I got to watch a video shoot as well! I really can’t express how grateful I was to be able to drop in and take a tour. Went to Colorado to visit the wife’s family, but really I agreed because they were only 15 minutes away from Adam’s. I have been a huge fan of Adam’s products for years and this just solidifies that bond. It is a good thing I don’t live in Colorado or I would go broke! I would have to work there for sure. Here are a few pics that I snapped while I was there.

This place was amazing! You can see it from the highway and it is huge! Everyone there was really nice and willing to answer any questions. Adam even took time out of his busy day to say hi. I got to watch a video shoot as well! I really can’t express how grateful I was to be able to drop in and take a tour. Went to Colorado to visit the wife’s family, but really I agreed because they were only 15 minutes away from Adam’s. I have been a huge fan of Adam’s products for years and this just solidifies that bond. It is a good thing I don’t live in Colorado or I would go broke! I would have to work there for sure. Here are a few pics that I snapped while I was there.

I agree with @Nickfire20.  Mine looks like that as well.  Perfectly normal.  

Thanks for all the tips everyone.  I think I will do just that. Try the VRT and the conditioner.
 
I might have to try the new interior detailer but not a fan of what I have.
 
This one is not new but new to me. 2017 with 13k on it.  I don't like the price on the new ones. Well can't say I like the price on the used ones either but I could stomach it a litter better.
 
Here is an outside picture. Iridescent pearl Tri-coat.
 
Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
 
Rich

The newer ceramic boost bottling has instructions for using boost as a drying aid. I have also mixed boost in with a waterless wash product as sort of a QD solution and works well as a drying aid.

I wanted to do a short write up on my first experience with the Adams Ceramic Paint Coating kit.  My wife purchased the Ceramic Paint Coating kit for me for Christmas, and since we were living in Pennsylvania at the time, I decided I would wait until the spring to test it out.  As luck would have it, we have recently relocated to Florida, so even though it is still spring, I was able to get out and test it this past weekend.  Much like some of my other posts on here, I will let you know up front that I've used Adams products for well over 10 years now, and my cars in the opinion of most people (family, friends, co-workers, etc.) are never "dirty" in their opinion to begin with.  That being said, I was able to do a full detail on my 2016 Dodge Dart this weekend (I've got some other cars I want to use this stuff on, but figured I'd test it on the dart first.)
 
Car Info
 
Year:  2016
Make:  Dodge
Model:  Dart
Sub Model:  SXT Rallye, 2.0 liter 6 speed
 
Adams Products Used:
Adams Strip Wash
Adams Total Interior Detailer (dash, door panels, console, etc.)
Adams Leather Conditioner (dash, steering wheel, door panels, leather boot around shifter)
Adams Invisible Under Carriage Spray
Adams Tire Shine 
Adams VRT (rear diffuser, splash guards, engine compartment)
Adams In and Out Spray (grille, engine compartment, cowl area by windshield wipers)
Adams Visco Clay Bar
Adams Swirl Killer 15 MM
Adams Orange 5.5 inch foam pad
Adams Microfiber 5.5 inch cutting pad
Adams Brilliant Glaze
Adams Detail Spray
Adams Ceramic Paint Coating Kit (Ceramic Prep, Ceramic Coating, Ceramic Boost)
Adams Glass Cleaner
Adams Glass Sealant
Adams Tire and Rubber Cleaner
Adams Wheel Brush
Adams Wheel Woolie
Adams Tire Brush
Adams Wheel Cleaner
Adams All Purpose Cleaner
Adams Metal Polish #1
Adams Metal Polish #2
Adams Paint Correcting Polish (Orange)
Quite a few microfiber towels and applicator pads
 
 
Process:
Just a quick run through of the steps in the order I performed them.
 
Thursday (4/19)
 
Cleaned interior with Adams Total Interior Detailer, Adams Leather Conditioner, a vacuum, and Brilliant Glaze on the inside of all of the glass.  I also applied detail spray to the touch screen and sun-visor mirrors, as well as the gauge cluster. Pulled the floor mats out and sprayed them with All Purpose cleaner, scrubbed them with a tire brush and hosed them off Sprayed a wheel and brake caliper / brake rotor with Adams Wheel cleaner, while that was soaking, sprayed all purpose cleaner on the tire and wheel well.  Scrubbed tire and wheel well with Adams Tire brush, and then after the wheel cleaner started turning from blue to purple I scrubbed the wheel with the Adams wheel brush, then hosed the wheel well, tire, and wheel in that order.  (I did one wheel, wheel well, and tire at a time) Washed car using two bucket wash method and Adams Strip wash, following the directions, I DID NOT use detail spray or any other drying agent to dry the car off, I just wiped it down with one of the drying towels. Moved car into garage  
Friday (4/20)
 
Jacked up the car and sprayed Adams Invisible under carriage spray into the wheel wells, and sprayed Adams Tire shine onto a black hex grip applicator pad and worked it into the tires.  After approximately 20 - 30 minutes, I wiped any areas in the wheel wells with a utility towel to avoid any streaks in the under carriage spray. Treated all trim / rubber seals (weather stripping) with VRT. Treated engine compartment with VRT and In & Out Spray (engine compartment wasn't very dirty to begin with so rinsing with All purpose cleaner was not necessary) Sprayed grill and cowl area with In & Out spray. I cleaned the exhaust tip with Adams Metal Polish #1 and #2. Took a clay bar all painted areas on the car, and the windshield.  (The car really did not need to be clayed but figured I would take all necessary steps since the coating was going to be applied).   Applied Adams Glass Sealant to the windshield. Ran the Swirl Killer over the entire car using the Orange foam pad and the microfiber cutting pad as well as some of the Orange correcting polish.  Again the car really did not need a thorough polishing, there was one area on the trunk lid that had a few minor scratches from some snow removal this past winter, I did not feel the need to use the white polish / pad to polish the car.  
Saturday (4/21)
 
Starting with the roof I applied the Adams Ceramic Coating Prep.  Once I finished the roof, I gave it a few minutes to finish drying, and then it only made sense to me to prep one area, and then apply the coating instead of prepping the entire car and giving it a chance to get dusty / dirty since I was doing this with the garage door up all day.  Anyways, after applying the prep and giving it a chance to dry, I applied the Ceramic Coating.  I watched the video a few times on the website and applied it to 1/4 of the roof (the section from the middle of the roof to the to the back glass to the sunroof.  I then did an "L - Shaped" section of the roof from beside the sunroof to the front of the sunroof (between the front edge of the sunroof and the windshield).  I then moved on to the tops of the doors, the trunk lid, and so on.  Again, I would prep whatever area I was working on, wait a few minutes, and then apply the coating, this method seemed to work well for me, until I finished the entire car (roughly 6 hours stopping for lunch / water / going to the bathroom)  
Sunday (4/22)
 
Around 6 PM (roughly 26 hours later) I pulled the car out of the garage to look it over and then I applied the ceramic boost, again starting with the top of the car and working my way down.  I did not see any spots that required re-application.   I applied Brilliant glaze to the outside glass I applied tire shine one last time I took the floor mats and sprayed them with Tire and Rubber cleaner, scrubbed them with the Adams Tire Brush and then hosed them off and set them aside to air dry.  
 
Lessons Learned / Helpful tips
 
First of all, I will say that I was a little bit intimidated by trying to take this on, normally I have a second set of eyes to at least look things over with me when I detail a car (wax, polish, etc.) but with my wife and I still being in the middle of moving, she was not here.  The other problem was that the lighting in our current garage is less than ideal, literally one LED light bulb, hence the reason for doing this with the garage door up, not to mention the heat / humidity of Florida, however, it wasn't that bad this weekend.  
 
I agree with the video that the more time you spend on the prep work, the better the results.  At times I felt like I was moving pretty slowly when it came to claying the car, or polishing the car, but just kept telling myself that the prep work was key.  I'm also not very good at visualizing things sometimes, so when the video for the ceramic coating referred to doing a 2 ft. X 2 ft. section I grabbed the tape measure and would often hold it up to the body panel and measure just to give myself some sort of reference in my head to say (okay, I can do this section of the door, or this section of the hood, etc.)  I would definitely recommend not trying to push it and do anything larger than 2 feet by 2 feet, as the coating starts to "rainbow" within 30 seconds and is noticeably more difficult to remove (not impossible, just takes a little more elbow grease).  I also laid out some additional Single, Double, and Triple soft microfiber towels ahead of time for help in applying the coating prep, and kept a bottle of Brilliant glaze handy (although I did not need to use it) to help with wiping off the coating (at the recommendation of the back of the bottle).  I'd also say be incredibly thorough in wiping off the coating, I made pass after pass after pass it seemed with the single soft towel working from a few different angles to make sure that I got all of the coating wiped off after it had "rainbowed", this definitely added to the time I spent, but I feel it was well worth it.  
 
All in all, I feel the car came out well, unfortunately, it is hard to tell exactly how much of the coating you have used because the bottle is dark, so you have to go by weight / feel, but I would guess that I used somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 (definitely feels like less than 1/2) of the bottle to do my dart.
 
What questions do you have?  Let me know your thoughts, and enjoy the pics!  Hopefully this will help with anyone who is on the fence about trying this.  I have not had it out in the rain or anything yet to see how the water beads up or falls off of the car, or the longevity, but if this stuff works even half as well as advertised I will be very happy! 
 
Thanks for reading!!
 
P.S.  Sorry I don't have any before pics, I was so pumped to try this stuff out that I didn't take the time to take them :(
 
-Kory
 

I've been in a similar position before, so maybe I can weigh in some.   I've kept Adams products on all of my cars for years, and all of my family / friends know the lengths I go to in order to keep my cars looking great.  We had an issue where the factory hood on my wife's Chrysler 200s was starting to bubble around the headlights.  We took this to our local Dodge / Chrysler dealership, and it was indeed covered under warranty.  They said it was a common issue, something about the factory welds on some of the hoods not being done properly and allowing moisture to build up and basically rust / corrode from the inside.  Long story short, they took it to their body shop and it was fixed.  The point of my story here is this... when we dropped the car off to the dealership, they were instructed both verbally and in writing that under no circumstances were they to wash the car, attempt to wax it, detail it, etc, I explained that I was very meticulous and touchy about our vehicles, and while I understood it is typically a courtesy for them to at least wash the car, I did not want it done.  They respected my wishes, and kept me happy.
 
I wouldn't trust anyone to clean / detail my car, even using my preferred products, it just isn't the same, and if you are like me, no matter how good of a job they do, it won't suit you.