joelilton23

Thank you all for the advice! Yesterday, I had time to properly wash my car, to get off the residue left from 2 days of rain, and I used a 7 step process to clean the tire and wheels. Steps 1-3 and 6-7 where done on one tire/wheel at a time. 
 
Step 1: Wheel Cleaning
I sprayed on some Eco Wheel Cleaner and used the Wheel Woolie, Lug Nut Brush, and the Mitt to throughly get off all of the brake dust, and it did a really great job.
 
Step 2: Tire Cleaning
After rinsing the wheel, I then used the Tire and Rubber Cleaner, making sure to not get any on the wheel itself. After agitating with the coarse brush, I quickly rinsed the tire and wheel off.
 
Step 3: Spot Cleaning
After allowing a few moments for the wheel to dry, I would go back and hit areas that I missed with the Eco Wheel Cleaner again. 
 
Step 4: During the Normal Car Wash
Since I use the foam gun, I liberally applied the Car Shampoo to the wheels and tires when I was applying to the rest of the car. I would then use the Mitt to, once again, scrub the wheel. 
 
Step 5: Drying the Wheel
After washing, I used a Microfiber Utility Towel to dry off any standing water on the wheel. 
 
Step 6: Tire Shine
Once the rest of the car was dry--using the Spray Wax, I moved the car inside my garage and moved on to applying the Tire Shine. Because I have low profile tires, I sprayed onto the applicator first, and then applied it to the tires. 
 
Step 7: Quick Detail
Finally, I used the Quick Detail Spray on the wheels and used a Microfiber Utility Towel to apply it evenly. 

Great advice from the folks already.
But to answer your question on what to buy - It depends on how often you wash your car.  Maybe for you a 16 oz. bottle of Wheel Cleaner and Eco Wheel Cleaner will do you for deep cleaning (when needed), and use Car Wash Shampoo for the regular cleaning.
I have Wash & Wax mixed at wash strength in a bottle with a foaming sprayer for cleaning the wheels of my cars.  The foam helps the solution to stick a little longer, and they get a little protection each time I clean them.  

Bought my first house last May at the age of 26, and I realized quickly how much I enjoy taking care of my yard lol. I also enjoy woodworking, and wrenching on my vehicles. I'm kind of a jack of all trades and enjoy them all.

I can't enter, being from overseas, but super cool to see a giveaway for the forum - good luck everyone!

I can't enter, being from overseas, but super cool to see a giveaway for the forum - good luck everyone!

Great looking spaces, everyone.  
 
Can I play? 
 
 


 

Friends:  We started this shine-therapy forum over a decade ago!  Time sure does fly....doesn't it?
 
Thank you for being here, and participating in this shine-crazy community.  Thank you for your business, and for voting for products you like and don't like with your dollars.  Thank you for helping us create better solutions.  Thank you for calling attention to areas or products we can improve.  Thank you for helping us grow this business exponentially, I'm humbled beyond words!
 
Please, SMILE while you type....
 
Thank you for not using this forum as a place to air negativity.  Thank you for always being respectful of other members, and our employees.  Thank you for  using detailing, your therapist, or exercise, or meditation to work through your issues, when you feel like life is tough.  Thank you for making AdamsForums a positive and pleasant place to hang out!
 
In 2008, when we started this forum, we had 6 employees, and a few thousand customers.  Today, we have 125 employees, and over 300,000 customers.  One thing we have learned, for absolute certain:  WE ARE NOT PERFECT!  There was exactly one person who ever walked earth, who was perfect.  We are not Him.  We are not even close.  
 
If you are feeling perfect, like your finish is 100% swirl free, and never needs cleaning or polishing, if you feel like your poop doesn't stink, like you walk on water, and are comfortable coming here to blast members or the company who pays to maintain this community, please, don't.    Need to get some negativity off your chest?  Find a dirty or swirled up car to detail.  Find a therapist, let out a primal scream, go for a run or hike, a mountain bike ride, go ski or snowboard if that's your winter kick, like it is mine! 
 
There are many ways people like to get negative energy out. Blasting other members, or this enthusiast forum sponsor probably won't help you turn your frown upside down.  Please come, hang out, be kind, give and get detailing help, and understand:  We want to earn your business, but more importantly, we want your kindness. 
 
Vote for the products you like with your dollars.  Don't buy stuff you don't like, but please, don't bash them.  If you cannot understand the marketing team's decision to bring on a particular product, you are probably not the target customer!   I have never watched TV, don't buy soda or potato chips, and don't follow sports.  Do I hang out bashing Coke, Ruffles, or slamming the Super Bowl?  Absolutely not, it's just not worth the negative energy!  (Plus, my kids, wife, and employees need me to be a positive influence.)
 
 
So friends, I've instructed our incredible  Forum Leadership Team to permanently remove AF members who regularly post negativity.  Threads that are overrun with negativity are also going to be deleted, unless they offer detailing solutions or help to members searching.
 
As the only AdamsForums sponsor, we want people to feel great about being here.  
 
Thanks for your business, and your smile, and here is my Primal Scream, after getting this off my chest!
 
 
 

We got the Mustang back from the paint shop and now it gets to spend a week in the garage and wait for 45 days before it gets reinspected and then we can get it sealed up.   While I'm waiting, I'll get the headlights replaced, wheels and tires done, plus a few other items.  

A ceramic coating would be my choice to protect a fresh, bare painted engine bay. 
 
Just be sure to follow your painter's guidelines for applying any products to the paint. There is period of time where the paint has to cure. 
 
You bring up an interesting point being the engine bay will see more heat. I would still use regular ceramic coating in there. I've seen plenty of people use normal ceramic coatings for their wheels before and it holds up just fine. 

Hey all,
 
I have just received my weekend car back from the body shop after having the engine bay smoothed and painted. I am looking at protecting this paint the best I can before I put the engine back  into the car. Ceramic coating is obviously on the list, but I am wondering if it would be better using the Wheel Coating instead of the normal paint coating due to the extra heat that it will see. Does anyone have any experience with this?
 
Thanks!

Spend some time cleaning the new to me car I picked up a month ago - starting with the leather seats 🤢 The bottom part has been cleaner and the rest still needs to be done.  Not a bad car for $400 though, it needs a lot of love but should be a great daily driver once she's all fixed up. The paint is dull and looks flat, even though its metallic, so waiting until I can hit it with some polish to bring it back to life. 

What a difference already! Keep at it, Joel. Looking forward to updates...

Spend some time cleaning the new to me car I picked up a month ago - starting with the leather seats 🤢 The bottom part has been cleaner and the rest still needs to be done.  Not a bad car for $400 though, it needs a lot of love but should be a great daily driver once she's all fixed up. The paint is dull and looks flat, even though its metallic, so waiting until I can hit it with some polish to bring it back to life. 

There's a very active racetrack near where I stay, so every weekend the place is full of Porsches, BMWs, Corvettes and the occasional Ferrari, but this is the first time I've seen anything so legitimately rare.  Hell, I think this might be the first time I've actually seen an R34 in real life.....

We've been at it pretty good this week on the Bentley.  The inside is done.  It received a two step paint correction (three in some spots) and it has one of three layers of ceramic down on it.  So no finished shots yet, just teasers.  You guys can check out the interior of this car though.  Definitely the highest end car we've had the privilege of working on.  The thing is, the process doesn't change regardless of what we are working on.  We treat them all the same.

I picked this car up, Friday afternoon, two weeks ago. Perfect time to work on it, as my garage is currently empty. I knew this was going to be a long job. It's a 37 year old, rust free, Mercedes that spent the first 20 years of its life in the south; North Carolina, then into Florida before residing in Pennsylvania becoming a weekend fun car. The car is all original, single stage, paint except for the center section of the driver's side door, between the pin stripes and door belt line trim, that's base coat/clear coat.

She's a decent 20 footer

 

The main reason I got my hands on her was that the owner's husband had let something he was washing the car with dry on the paint, in the direct sun. Most of the damage was to the flat surfaces, but some was down the sides too, especially under the belt line trim.

These marks ended up being more than water spots, whatever had dried on the paint had actually removed pigment. It left the obvious spots, but also left a haze on the surface. Some of the haze was oxidation of the single stage red paint, and some was from the cleaner. Here's a before and after of some of the paint damage:
Before

After

Got started Saturday morning

Rinsed, foamed, washed, and clayed. Clay mitt to the entire car, then back over the glass and flat surfaces with Visco Clay. Rinsed again and dried with my Master Blaster Revolution.
No change to the paint damage

A thorough inspection showed paint missing on most sharp edges and thin spots on the tops of the front fenders, the top of the passenger's side door, and a spot on the hood
 
 

 

I left the engine bay alone on this one, other than cleaning up the radiator core support and cowl.

21 hours were spent just polishing. I cut in most panels with my Rupes iBrid Longneck Nano after taping off the edges of the surrounding panels (I went through 2 full rolls, 55'/roll, of low tack Detailing Tape). After cutting in with the Nano I'd move to the Swirl Killer Mini, and follow that with the 15mm Swirl Killer on the larger panels. Most areas were worked with Paint Correction Polish on an Orange Pad, and then followed  up with Paint Finishing Polish on a White Foam Pad. The Trunk lid seemed to have the most paint, and was in the worst shape. There I started with a Blue Foam Pad using Heavy Correction Compound before moving on to the PCP.
The scratches seen in the video were deep. It appeared the car had been parked for some time with the sun baking the passenger side of the trunk lid. The driver's side of the deck lid corrected pretty well, and didn't have the same amount of damage.
I got most of the spots out of the paint:

The above pic was taken from the same location as the other two above showing the spotting.
 

Once done with the hood I realized there was no possibility of perfection, I was going for a decent 5 footer.

 

 

 

 

The single stage paint didn't take long to clog up pads.

I went through three sets

They cleaned up well with Eco All Purpose Cleaner for a while, but eventually were too full of pigment to use again.

 

The interior was fully detailed too

 

 

 

Black Trim Restore was applied to the faded pieces of trim before all the trim was covered with Ceramic Trim Coating.

All chrome and stainless trim was worked with Adam's Metal Polishes #'s 1 & 2 and topped with Brilliant Glaze. The paint received Liquid Paint Sealant,  wiped down with Detail Spray and then a coat of Patriot 24 hours later.

 

 

 

I believe I accomplished the car as a decent 5 footer.

 
 
Follow me on Instagram to see more pics of the progress @ brzndave.

Nail polish remover should remove the nail polish.  Runs about a buck at a drug store. Then on ALL the leather, I would HAND RUB Leather Conditioner into all the seats and close the car up tight and let it sit for a day or two before wiping.  If it's streaky looking afterward, do it again until you get it all even in appearance.   

We will all love to know what works and what doesn’t. Let us know!

They definitely need some love, two kids and no care have wrecked havoc on the interior - there were car stickers all over the back window 
 
 
Thanks for the advice, will give that a try
 
 
Will do, tell Marquis I owe him a beer or two! I'll post some photos up after I give it a go, I'm hoping the hard leather on the front seat comes good with some cleaning and a lot of conditioner

Cant comment on the nail polish one...but I know @shane@detailedreflections will have an answer or from his main man Marquis. 
 
For the front I would think that just going after it gently with some of the Leather and Interior Cleaner and then some Leather Conditioner. You may need to apply the conditioner several times if it is either streaky or not bringing it back as evenly. Those seats are probably begging for some attention, remember leather is just skin in the long run and needs to be treated accordingly. 

Probably take the interior scrub mitt or a light, non scratch pad and with lots of lubrication, get the nail polish off. For everything else, just a solid clean with leather cleaner and then condition it. Like @pirahnah3 said, will probably need multiple applications of conditioner to bring the seats back. 

Thanks @shane@detailedreflections the King Marquis has spoken! 

I talked to Marquis on this one. He suggested possibly some acetone nail polish remover. But before you go whole hog on it, do a test spot in a hidden area (maybe where the seats meet to recline) to ensure no discoloration. Once you get it off, rehydrate that area with ample leather conditioner. 

I finally had a chance to pull all my limited edition bottles off the garage wall and take some photos. It’s crazy to think that I never planned to go this far, but here we are. So many awesome people in the Adams community helped me find all of these. They make for some awesome garage artwork and are a big conversation piece for anyone that comes over. 

I wouldn’t call it a dream garage, but it’s roomy (~26x36), well lit, clean, and laid out for year round detailing. I have plans for spring though which includes paint, new flooring, large tv, fridge, etc.