falcaineer

Agreed, sadly. Looks like the start of clear coat failure to me, too. Polishing will only accelerate the process, and as @The Guz said, a repaint will be required to fix it.

4 hours ago, chrisdlove said:

Hi @falcaineer,

Yes trying to avoid 2-step polish system as i purchased two 12oz scratch and swirl remover product (but no blue compound) and doing that by hand using Scratch and Swirl remover product for a XC90 will definately be challenging without a machine.  I did recently buy the 1-step polish, 1-step pad, suede microfiber towel, and dbl-soft microfiber towels - they are enroute to my home now. 

 

The plan is to get rid of the swirls and scratches, then polish as you and RayS pointed out, apply surface prep, and then Graphene coating.  I plan to buy a mid-range speed adjustable polisher machine RPM 1500-6800 RPM 6" so i think this will save me a lot of time!

 

Hopefully this will work!

Chris.

Gotcha. If I may, I would recommend steering clear of a 6" machine. They can be cumbersome and not get into areas you could otherwise reach with a smaller polisher. Adam's has an entry level machine and kit, which also includes the Compound and Polish, and with available discount is very reasonable. Here's a link...

https://adamspolishes.com/collections/machine-hand-polishing-kits/products/adams-swirl-killer-9mm-lt-polisher-basic-kit

Welcome, Joe!

10 hours ago, chrisdlove said:

I have one more question.  If you lightly polish with a machine using the scratch and swirl remover - is that acceptable or does it need to be hand polished using the orange hex applicator? My hood is pretty bad  - and honestly so is most of the car panels.

Yes, it can still be used with a machine but was designed for use by hand. Just curious, are you trying to avoid Compound and Polish? Using them with a machine and pads will yield the best, most consistent results.

1 minute ago, CorvZ061 said:

I have some strip wash and iron remover already. Those won’t hurt the coating if it is still ok? I’m thinking it’s not dead, yet. Reason being it rained yesterday and the sides of the car are still beading quite a bit, it’s really just hood, roof, and trunk that are struggling. After washing it again with regular car shampoo instead of the graphene shampoo the hood and roof and trunk are beading better than they were. Do you know if the purple/blue car shampoo has a stronger/more effective cleaner than the graphene shampoo? 

No, it won't hurt it to use them. 

And no, the Graphene Shampoo is more of a heavy degreaser than anything else, while Car Shampoo is a basic soap and the (purple) Ultra Foam, if that's what you mean, has some silica added for protection. 

I would try Strip Wash and Fine Grade Clay, and maybe Iron Remover, too. Those should help remove and decon the coating.

Welcome, Jon! Beautiful car.

First, welcome! After you wash the car and rinse it, you do not need to dry it before using my iron remover. Also, do not allow the iron remover to dry on the surface, 5 minutes might be...probably is...way too long. Simply wait for it to turn purple and then you can blast off with a strong stream of water or power washer. Also, be very careful around black textured trim and do not allow it to dry on there either, it can stain so wipe it away almost immediately. When you clay, you can do pretty much the entire car at once and then come back and wipe away any Detail Spray that's still wet  If it dries, that's not a big deal and it will be immediately removed when you polish. The scratch and swirl remover can be used in whatever size area you want to work, just know that you will get relatively uneven results versus using a machine. Be prepared for sore shoulders! Also, there's no reason to wait 2 to 3 minutes before wiping off any of the polish residue.

Ceramic coatings need a completely bare surface, so the wax should not be applied first. It will inhibit the coating's ability to bond properly yielding poor results. Surface Prep should be used right after you polish, and right before you coat. In short, it's the last thing to touch the car before the coating goes on.

Here's an article with pretty much all you'll need to know about prep and coating. For the advanced version, you'll need to wait for it to rainbow and then that rainbow will start to dissipate and turn chalky, it will also get tacky. That's when it's time to remove, not just the rainbow.

For maintenance, wait a full 24 hours indoors before applying a topper like Graphene Boost, and a full week before a traditional wash.

More questions? Fire away!

Have some questions... Which version of coating did you apply? What did you Wash with before coating, and did you use Surface Prep before coating? Which booster are you using?

Welcome, Michael!

8 hours ago, Bobby1 said:

I’m having the same issue with this spray I want it to work but I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I first used it after I washed my car and dried and that didn’t turn out good so I applied when wet and used as a drying agent and that creates lots of streaking. Am I using too much product? Is my towel bad ? Yes the towel that I use is a small towel that is a somewhat old but I use the same towels with other products like meguirs detailing spray and the shine is like no other . Please help 

While awesome, silica-infused sprays can be a little finicky. Streaks can be caused by one of or a combo of a few factors. For example, using too much product - a little goes a long way. A couple of things you can do are to have two towels, one to apply and the other to buff off any residual product that could streak. Also, use in the shade whenever possible as direct sunlight can cause streaks. It could also be your towels. High quality, plush towels usually work best to absorb the product. But it's also important they're cared for properly because normal detergent and fabric softener can clog the fibers and they won't absorb well. Try changing one or all of those and see if you get better results. Let us know!

Mega Foam will produce more foam, it's the most concentrated version available from Adam's. Anytime you add protection like the Ultra Foam has, it reduces the amount of foaming capacity. Add around 2 ozs of Mega Foam to warm water in the canister, turn up the concentration on the valve all the way to +, and enjoy!

Hi, James, and welcome!

Is it a fabric top?

It's pretty good stuff! I tested it during the R&D phase and used it with the Foam Cannon, as described, and really liked the immediate hydrophobics and the shine it adds. I've actually used it a couple of times, and I think you'll like it, too.

Welcome!

I'm not a "water expert," but I've never heard this from any customers and I've seen the Deionizer work when run through the hose and snub nose attachment. The end result? The water reads 0.0ppm, as designed. Adam's also offers a 110% satisfaction guarantee so there's no risk for you to try it out and be your own judge.

They won't be, they're discontinued, as is the entire "Delta" lineup. CS3 is essentially the replacement for Ceramic Waterless Wash, by the way.

Fair enough, Jon! Hopefully you only took my inputs as trying to help. Adam's doesn't claim to make the best of everything, either, I only hope you find something that works as well for you as the Polish has so far for me 🙂.

And that does look amazing!!

20 hours ago, Marshall said:

Thanks for the feedback here Falcaineer! I have considered this Pro unit for myself as hondaman117 has. My issue is that I don't need 2 units, lol. My Mi-T-M is 9hp, 3000 PSI, and 3 GPM . By far my biggest complaint is the noise, even for a Honda engine. Portability is great and I installed a glycerin filled PSI gauge on it so I could dial down the PSI to 1800 ish for vehicles.  The harbor freight dolly makes perfect sense to make the Adams Pro somewhat portable. 

You bet. The Adam's 2.0 and Pro are really quiet, while the Active has a bit higher pitch. 

6 hours ago, Marshall said:

The Pro washer definitely looks legit! It's built more like a commercial unit but not needing 220V power. My gas unit is a similar pump/unloader valve design but with a little more pressure and GPM's. In my experience with pressure washers, GPM is a very important aspect. Decent PSI and only 1 GPM isn't giving you very much. The Pro seems like a good balance of both and the Active 2.0 seems decent too. My only qualm with the Pro is lack of portability around a house or business? Mabey they offer a wheel kit??

Adam's has designed the Pro and the Adam's 2.0 to optimize them for detailing, balancing both GPM and PSI. The Pro is also adjustable PSI but works great as-is. It's also extremely quiet, as is the 2.0. The Pro isn't offered with a wheel kit, at nearly 100lbs with the hose it's not something you want rolling at your car. That said, you can get a simple dolly to make it more mobile, if you so desire. I got one from Harbor Freight to do just that for floorspace until I can get it mounted.

Both are designed as mobile, and I'd offer the Active is moreso since it's much smaller. The hose on the Adam's 2.0 is longer than the Active base 20' hose which is is just about useless. To upgrade will cost you.

Which store are you close to? The CO tent sales, for example, should offer some Pro Series at a significant discount  but they do go really fast, with people even camping out overnight to be in line first for them. It's an awesome machine, though, and can be wall mounted to save floorspace. They also usually have other pressure washers to choose from, along with accessories like pressure washer hoses.

I have all three, and if you can afford it, I'd definitely recommend the Pro. My next recommendation would be the Adam's 2.0, followed by the Active.

This article should help. Personally, I don't like the newest Tire Brush, the bristles are too stiff. The Wheel Brush is fairly soft and would help with cleaning, while the Boar's Hair brush is even softer.

https://adamspolishes.com/pages/wheel-and-tire-cleaning-detailing-guide#

So many factors to consider. What machine, what speed and how much pressure are you using with the Polish and white foam? How many passes? How fast are you moving rh machine? What size area are you working with? Are you certain the pads are clean?

I will also say don't chase perfection - it's a fool's errand. I'm a firm believer in the current Polish and white foam, but there is a process and as you allude to, every paint is different.

Really depends on the results you're after. CS3 is super easy go use and would offer longer protection. HGG is also really easy and longer lasting.

They're generally about the same, but I would try the APC, steel wool and polish. I think you'll be happy with the results!