tmevilsizor

How much of the gallon is left?

The Porsche turned out beautiful! I can't believe all the dirt on the red portion of the steering wheel. How many hours from start/finish?

That is a very clean 24v! Definitely a truck worth polishing! Good Luck! 

Looking for advice about applying the ceramic coatings efficiently.  I bought all three (paint, trim and wheel) to apply to my wife's new car.  Should I just take a long weekend and do all three at the same time?  Or should I do each one separately?

 

Even though we received the car with just 10 miles on the odometer, the dealership still managed to put some light scratches and swirls on the paint.  So, I'll have to do a little bit of paint correction.

Hey Mark,

My best advice would be to apply quickly. The sooner you can protect that perfect new finish, the better off you are. I would at least do the paint and wheel coating the same weekend. Good luck.

What kind of car did you buy?!

I missed out on the last Limited Edition (only 200) Mystery Bucket. I am really hoping for another opportunity soon! The blue lid and graphic looked really nice. Any guesses on when this might happen? I'm hoping for the end of this week! Who else wants to get in on another LE Bucket?

Just a heads up guys Eric and Myself will have the Adam's rig set up at the Columbus,OH Goodguys show July 7-9 if anyone is in the area and would like to stop by.

This is near me! I had no idea that Adam's would be at the Goodguys show. Will Adam be there? It's only next weekend away!

Let me ask... Did you apply the Brilliant Glaze before the Paint Sealant?

Again, as I stated, a random draw would be the best option. No color has an advantage nor scenery. The $250 gift card makes it worth the effort to go out and take a picture. A shopping spree at Adam's worth $250 versus $20 off Patriot wax? I'm ok with a contest once or maybe twice a year. I believe the higher amount gift card (such as last year) is a much better option. Just my opinion.

I was incorrect with the prize. Last year it was a $250 gift card. It seemed to be a fairly fun contest. I agree with everyone thus far. My daily driver is a 2016 Honda Accord Touring. It is a nice car, but it wouldn't come close to winning against an old muscle car, a new muscle car, or even a classic. I think the only fair way is to post a picture with a reflection shot to be eligible to win. If you guys are interested, see the link to the contest last year.

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/31326-contest-reflect-on-this/

I remember at the end of last year they had a "shine" contest. Forum members submitted their best shine pictures and the winner received a prize. I believe it was a foam gun as the prize last year. I'm thinking it is time for AP to hold another "shine" contest, but select the winner randomly...

Welcome from Urbana/Springfield Ohio!

This sounds crazy, but MARGARINE!!! It won't hurt your paint. It won't remove protection. Put a glob on your finger and lightly rub. It will take all the stickiness away. I know it sounds crazy, but it really works!

These are brushes. They eventually wear out and will need to be replaced. They make the electric motor work. When your motor stops running, you will probably just need to replace these brushes. I think the majority of buffers come with replacement brushes.

Received my swirl killer today, I'm super excited to give it a try.
In the box I had the Allen key for the backing plate and 2 of these, image below. I didn't see in the manual what they are needed for

I will also be polishing wheels. Factory painted wheels. Ugh! These things scratch just by looking at them. You just reinforced my decision to go ahead and get the Long Neck. It won't effect polishing any painted areas on the car, so there is not a reason to buy the Short version. Good things come with Long Necks (bottles). LOL.

I responded but forgot to quote it. See above post
 

Ohh... It looks so nice! Sign me up. If only you had an Adam's matte sticker for that tumbler!

So the other day we were talking about coffee mugs when forum member Robert saved the day, I got many responses and one in particular stuck in my head.

Forum Member Nathan had a bright idea why didn't I just put a sticker on a mug. It's not going to work because of the dish washer at work is super hot. That got me thinking, I probably overworked my brain but who knows if it overheated lol. So I always have a ice tea (no sugar) with me on hot days and on the cold days a hot coffee. I need a beverage container that could work either way. So luckily Dicks had a sale on Hydro Flask containers with a nice 25% off this week. So i went and splurged a little. Luckily I had a sticker in the truck because I didn't want to wait for a long trip home.

Moral of the story if Adams offered these you can put me down for one maybe even two.

Here you go Nathan, this is what it looks like!

I REALLY want that IBrid Nano that you have there! I'm seriously debating on whether to buy your version or the L. Do you see the personal need for the L (longer neck)?

As I tried to explain in my rambling, this machine (FLEX 3401) is built for power and not necessarily for finesse. Think of heavyweight vs lightweight boxers. IMO this machine is great for removing imperfections quickly. However, I wouldn't want to wear myself out using this machine for light polishing/finishing polishing type of work. This is where I assume the Rupes excels ahead of the Flex. You wouldn't bring a strongman contestant to a jump rope competition would you?! 

Why would it not be suited for a finishing polish?

Phil,

You shouldn't need to clay your paint with a coating on it. Honestly, a little waterless wash should remove them. If they are still stuck on, simply spray some WW and allow it to soften the bugs. I have found the above method to be successful.

I see you're from Midwest Ohio. I'm from Urbana/Springfield area myself. I work in Dublin.

Anyone experience negative results using clay on a coated surface? Hit a patch of bugs last night and wanted to know if it would cause any harm.

Just to add... My passenger side C pillar has some tight angles. It was difficult to polish out to perfection because of "buffer walk". The results do speak for themselves though. White paint isn't known for the best reflections (i.e. Black/Red) but I was able to remove almost 100% of the imperfections with simply 1-2 passes with a medium polishing pad. The Flex can and will produce amazing results as long as your willing to spend some time learning this heavy machine. See the panel for yourself.

I can't speak to the ease of a Rupes, but I do own a Flex 3401. Generally speaking, the Flex is a strong machine! I didn't attempt to stall the pad. This buffer will work and work with no stalling in sight. All of this power does come at an expense. The Flex is a heavy duty GERMAN made machine. The buffer constantly tries to walk all over. It took me a few buffing sessions to finally "master" the technique. This machine needs to be balanced perfectly level when polishing. There is definitely a learning curve. Such an amazing machine, but if using for a finishing polish or wax application, it's not the quickest or easiest route. Every buffer has its place. The FLEX is the right machine for taking out some heavy swirls/scratches. If you just have light imperfections to clean up, I would recommend trying something else.

I honestly don't think there is any kind of protection that can protect rubber. Imagine getting in and out of you car daily with rocks on your shoes and who knows what else then rubbing it against the rubber during your driving trip, eventually the rubber will wear. Either way the rubber is meant to protect most interiors especially during harsh winter months. Once rubber is worn, it's worn! Time for new rubber matts becuse you know those lifetime warranties won't cover anything.

 

 

The protection isn't to prevent them from wearing out. It honestly gives them a new appearance and doesn't make them slippery. You can try VRT or something similar, but it adds slickness. As you know, SLICKNESS is your enemy on floor mats. It's nice to have a polished and waxed exterior, but if you get inside the vehicle and see chalky looking floormats, it ruins the FULL detail. Again, the protectant isn't to physically protect it from wear, but makes my mats dark and semi glossy (factory new) appearance. Don't knock it till you try it boss! 

I would love to see 2 things. The first is a dedicated spray type water spot remover. They exist, but not Adam's quality. This one is a MUST! The second product I would like to see it s dedicated RUBBER/VINYL FLOORMAT protectant. Again, this product exists but not up to Adam's standards. I recently read a post regarding the maintenance of "Weathertech" floor mats. I really feel that this product would be a great seller! Just my .02. Take it for what it's worth.  

I would suggest trying Boost. It adds a ton of shine/gloss and ups the hydrophobic properties of a ceramic coating. Have you coated your trim as well?

I haven't coated my trim with a trim coating. The car is less than a year old and no purpose to coat it yet. I use my current silica spray to maintain it. That might be my next investment. 

I'm actually in the same exact situation, I also have a two year coating on my car. Basically I use every Adam's exterior detail product on my coating, except for the waxes and sealant of course, with no noticeable effect on the hydrophobic properties of the coating. The waterless wash is great for when you have a little more dirt on your car and detail spray isn't enough to remove it. I've used waterless wash on my coating a countless number of times with no problems. Brilliant glaze is also something you could use as it doesn't last that long. I've applied the glaze and by the time rain comes around it's already basically worn off and my hydrophobic properties remain unaffected. I know friends who use h20 guard and gloss on their coated cars as well, I haven't found any of the products lessen their hydrophobic properties whatsoever, although I haven't personally tried the h20 guard and gloss to say for sure.

I'm so glad that someone else has experience with this situation. I realize just how much I enjoyed waxing once I applied the coating and not able to wax anymore. I have H2O G&G, but I had assumed it would lessen the ability for the coating to "self clean". I may go ahead and try the G&G during my next wash. I certainly appreciate your input.

One question. Do you notice the Detail Spray causing any issues with the coating and hydrophobic properties? I have a gallon of it sitting around. I absolutely love the detail spray and the smell of it is fantastic. Do you have any experience on using it on your coated car?

You can still wax over a coating, it will just not have as good hydrophobic properties, but waxing it is fine, you can always strip the wax later.

 

If you're after the shine, ceramic boost is made to work with coatings, to be a "wax" for coatings.

I know that I can wax over the coating, but it's pointless. I can't justify buying Patriot wax to put over the top of a coating. As I said earlier, I don't want to reduce the hydrophobic properties of the coating by applying a wax/glaze/sealant over the top of it.

I do want to try the Ceramic Boost. I would like to know if anyone has experience applying it to a "quartz" type of coating. It is a little cheaper than my current Silica spray.