joelilton23

Beautiful ride Van!
 
I have a 2006 Impulse Blue GTO that I bought new in 2006 and will never sell, and I picked up a 2016 Chevy SS sedan 2 years ago now as a daily driver. You could say I like blue Holdens just a bit
 

 
And the SS in temporary Rally North America trim:
 

First...a little back history. On July 2 my wife and I took emergency custody of her cousins four children by way of DCF. What was supposed to be a “seven to thirty day arrangement” looks to be much longer with the possibility of being permanent. So we went from a family of three...my wife, sixteen year old daughter and myself to a family of seven with the new kids being one, three, six and seven. 
 
Two years ago my wife and I purchased two Subaru Crosstreks as our daily drivers. We have a Lotus Evora as our garage queen. Well needless to say, the Crosstreks don’t handle five children and two adults so we found ourselves in the market for an SUV with a third row. We ended up deciding two was the better situation so we don’t have to swap cars back and forth or dealing with schedule changes.
 
After much debate, my wife and I settled on a pair of Subaru Ascent Touring editions. We got a grey and a blue. 
 
So after all of that, it brings me to the point of this post. If there’s interest I’m going to take everyone through how we do “new vehicle prep.” To start with, they’ll be prepped for traditional sealant and wax. The reason they aren’t being coated immediately is that we are most likely going through accreditation with a company that offers a nine year coating. If we do, that’s the coating I’d like to use on them. 
 
But we will also be installing Premium Shield paint protection films on the front end. 
 
Interior wise we we will be installing coatings on carpets and all leather as well. 
 
The windshields will also be treated with a glass coating. 
 
So stay tuned as we dive into this project!

Some times you need a little Fuego in your life ??

I loaded up the que last night for wrap it up Wednesday, some killer carne Asada 

What GT-R ???
Lol, just kidding.
It's in the process of being turbo swapped, electronics updated, upgrade fuel system and ecu upgrade.
Really wish it was mine but unfortunately not.
It's my buddy and I'm lending him a garage spot while he gets it done.
 
I really love how it looks right now. Dont think I'll need to add BG unless I go to a show or something. And thanks for advising me to get this H20 guard and gloss. I love it

No problem, the size of the storage tubs are 345 x 255 x 145 (mm).  Here is the link for them: https://www.bunnings.com.au/ezy-storage-8l-grey-storage-tub_p2583408
 
Unfortunately the place where I bought them from won't help you much as I'm in Australia.  But if you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, I got them from here 

That doesn't look like chrome at all, but rather a clear metallic powder coat - but the vendor's stock photograph(that might even be a computer generated image) makes it hard to tell.  If you don't have this product in your hands yet, you can ask the manufacturer what it is made of and if it is chromed, powder coated or painted.  Paint is unlikely.
So, first off the shifter itself really shouldn't need protection unless you are planning on putting your hand on it when you shift.  ?
As far as the shifter handle goes, chrome (if that's what it truly is) is very resistant to tarnishing and all you should need to do is polish it from time to time to make it pretty.  You can even put wax or paint sealer on it if you like, but it's really not necessary - just be sure you don't leave a slick surface.
If it is powder coated, probably the best thing you could do is have an additional clear-coat powder coat put on top of it.  Or it may already have that from the manufacturer. 
 
Probably the best advice is - make sure your hands are clean when you drive.  That should be the case regardless, though.  The oils in your skin can do bad things to interiors.

Wax would be fine and won't hurt it.  Most of those things are already coated.

I just wanted to give members a brief review of several Adam’s products ive purchased and used. 
 In February of this year I discovered Adam’s. After reading the forums I formulated a plan for my DD.  Ive always been careful being a weekend detailer but these forums took me to a new level and made me realize i was doing it all wrong!
 I decided i needed to do full corrections and then was going to CC both my cars.  (13’ Acura Tl 6speed manual,white and 17’ MDX sport black). Both stay garaged as often as possible.  I also realized my black MdX had a pretty decent amount of swirls and was in need of correcting. 
 I first purchased the 15mm SK kit.  I patiently waited for winter to pass and attempted my first full correction. 
Before:
After:
   Ive had zero experience with any type of polisher so I was extremely nervous to introduce swirls into the paint.  For those hesitant—make the purchase!! Its a great product. 
 Basically this SK was pretty much idiot proof and worked great.  All you have to do is take ur time, moving the SK slowly across the paint.  I was hesitant to use the blue pad w Hc,  but hit a few spots quickly; before taking my time and using the orange pad w/ CP. then finsihed with FP.  
 I actaully had to do this process twice because the first time i went too quickly and didnt let the product do the work.  There were still some swirls visible after the first attempt. 
 Others have said this but lighting is key!! Soo true. I had every LeD light I owned in my garage, looked great.  Pulled it out of garage and the sunlight showed some swirls. After another round, i was content.  It wasnt perfect but near perfect.  I could only see some swirls if i was leaning at a 75 degree angle
and the sun was reflecting perfectly off the panel!!  I figure thats about as good as im gonna get!!!
 I then ordered the new CC kit. I prepped car as directed and attempted the Cc on my white
TL first.  
I was extremely nervous about attmepting CC.  I had read about “high spots” and the coating being tacky and difficult to work with. 
   I applied as directed (and as Adam did in the video). I was able to see the Cc flash pretty quickly.  I waited around a minute and then wiped off excess.  
 The white paint made it pretty difficult to see any high spots.  I found that the Cc was somewhat slick and not tacky like other members said of the older 7H CC. 
 I completed the whole car and let sit about 3 hrs.  
  I then applied the CB. I used a few sprays per panel and found it easy to apply. 
 After CC and CB
I waited a week to see if I could find any high spots or streaking.   So far nothing!! Surpised myself!!
    Somehow i havent been able to test the hydrophobic properties yet because it hasn’t rained!!!!!!   Unreal. 
  This week i completed the CC on my black MdX.  The CC was still easy to apply.  you definitely have to be more careful
with the dark paints. It was much easier to see the Cc flash. I waited about a minute to wipe off.   You can actually see where the Cc was applied; it left the paint looking deeper and darker. I did feel like I used the Cc a little more liberally this time around.  The high spots were visible and inwas able to take them down right away by wiping with Mf.  
 I pulled the car out into the sunlight and did not notice any high spots. 
 I let the car sit for 24 hrs and applied the CB.  
Im not sure if it was the dark paint or me using a little more CB then i did on my white car but the CB was a little more difficult to use...but not bad at all.   I did notice some streaking from the CB but just took my time to work it in with a MF.   
 Here are the finished products:
 

 
 And thanks to you forum members my Adam’s collection has quickly grown..of course i needed every product thats made.

 
 I hope this is helpful to members either thinking about CC or full correction their vehicle. 
I was very worried about screwing up
both my cars.  But im very OcD about my cars and Im actaully very satisfied with the results. 
   ????Sk and CC kit well worth it and easy to use!! 
 
   Good luck
 

Joseph and the team really make all the difference for us Aussies!

@pirahnah3 was nice enough to let us do some work on his new Challenger after the clinic we hosted. So while the car is in, one request was that we ceramic coat his wheels. In the past, I’ve mentioned that we spray our wheel coatings as opposed to hand application. A few people were curious about how we do it...so here it is finally!
 
The first things I’ll get into are the reasons why we spray our wheel coatings versus hand application. By spraying a coating, we are able to get a more complete coverage and apply our coatings quicker. This comes at a trade off of more material used. For us where our time in a job matters, it’s a simple decision. 
 
First, here’s the wheels on the car. We have the luxury of a lift so we can pull all four wheels at once. 

 
Once the wheels are off, we spray them down with wheel cleaner. We still use the old bottle that we’ve filled a million times. It’s the new formula in it though. 
 
Once they’re rinsed and cleaned to our satisfaction, we spray them with Tire & Rubber Cleaner and scrub with the tire brush. 
 
Once this process is done, we actually steam clean the wheels and calipers to get everything from all the little sticky spots.
 
The supplies to do the job...gloves, a mask, an airbrush, coating, a suede towel and a microfiber towel. I can’t stress the importance of gloves and a mask enough. You’re aerosolizing a liquid that turns to crystal form. Don’t take chances inhaling it.
 
We use a Harbor Freight airbrush. It’s $10
and if we trash one, we don’t care really. We always clean it out with paint thinner when we are done.  

 
Load up your bottle with some ceramic coating, test to make sure you’re happy with the spray pattern and you’re ready to go. 

 
Spray evenly. If you spray a little heavy it’s not a big deal since you’ll buff off later. Let the coating cure for the required time based on the coating used and then buff it off with the suede towel. 

 
The suede will remove the majority of the coating. Give it a final buff with the microfiber towel. 

 
Repeat the process for the barrels of the wheel. Make sure you didn’t overspray to the front. So give a final buff with both towels one more time and let the wheels cure for a bit before reinstalling.
 
Next we steamed the calipers and cleaned them with Eco APC. 


 
Once they were cleaned up to our satisfaction, we reloaded our airbrush and sprayed the calipers. Overspray isn’t a big issue. 

 
Buff it off with the suede and follow with the microfiber. 

 
Allow the wheels to cure. And then mount them up and apply tire dressing of your choice. 

 
Toss your suede in the garbage and wash your microfiber immediately (the ceramic it picks up is negligible if you buff correctly). 
 
You can use this technique with trim coating and grills if you’re careful in doing so and spray evenly. Runs are harder to take care of in a grill. 
 
Thanks for reading!
 

Hey paint corrected, brilliant glaze and patriot waxed my challenger too! Wish the lighting in my garage was better...

x 3 for VRT "Milk".   Simple and effective.  Definitely a "pro" tip. 

This! ^^^ AKA VRT 'milk'

I just detailed my wife's Subaru Crosstrek and used Liquid Paint Sealant for the first time. So far, I'm amazed by the results of actually using the product, and the shine upon completion. I've yet to see how well it will hold up over time, but I'm expecting good things. This car looks really neat with the baby blue paint and the chunky black cladding.

For the car's next couple of washes, I was aiming to just do a simple wash and then use Guard & Gloss to dry & finish things off. I just purchased G&G, but have not used it yet. Are there any issues with repeated applications of G&G on top of paint sealant over time? I won't be washing the car all the time, maybe every couple of weeks, but I want to make sure piling layers of G&G on top of each other, on top of paint sealant isn't eventually going to make things look wonky, how having too many coats of wax on top of each other could.
 
Thanks!

Will give that a go -  thanks, Dan! 

GAUGE CLUSTER POLISHING
 
Not really sure why I waited so long to fix the scratches on the gauge cluster cover.  Most of them were there when the truck was new, and a few were added when I made the mistake of vacuuming the sand off with a less-than-soft brush attachment.
 

 
 
Tools for the task: Paint Finishing Polish, Brilliant Glaze, Single Soft Towels, blue painter’s tape.
 

 
 
Started by taping off the adjacent plastic, to keep the polish from getting on it.  Taping was easy since you can slide the tape behind the edge of the plastic, then wrap it around the front.
 

 
 
Put a small amount of Paint Finishing Polish on the Single Soft Towel.
 

 
 
Then polished by hand with just the portion of the towel that has polish on it.  I wrapped the rest of the towel around my hand to keep it from catching on the tape.
 

 
 
After polishing for about 15 minutes, I wiped the residue off with a clean portion of the towel, then checked with a strong light to make sure all the major scratches were gone.
 

 
 
I did see some minor scratches on the back of the cluster cover, but they are not that noticeable.
 
Next up was some Brilliant Glaze applied with a clean Single Soft Towel.  The Brilliant Glaze contains fillers, so it will help hide any scratches that did not come out with the hand polishing.
 

 

 
 
After the glaze hazed up, wiped the residue with a clean portion of the towel.
 
A significant improvement!
 

 

I posted up some before and after pics of the wet sanding I did on my Shelby on another post on the forum and since I just got it back from adding a new hood, new side and rear splitters, and had my rocker panels, pass and drivers side painted, I thought I would show you the end result. Although there is no wax on the hood (needs to set up first) and only a coat of Brilliant Glaze on the car, the paint after wet sanding and buffing REALLY makes the paint POP !! Couple more things to do still but spring is on the horizon !! 
 
 

Bump for this thread.
Here’s my helper, Callie. We adopted her about a month ago from the local humane society. She loves to fetch toy mice! She brings them to my feet every morning while I’m drinking my coffee, and as soon as I come home from work. 
 

First of all welcome, second ditch the Meg stuff and upgrade yourself to Adams paint correcting products ! They will work faster, easier and produce better results in the end, As far as one stage paint, be careful ! Its a one shot deal and with older cars like that there's no turning back if you screw up. Go slow, be careful on corners and take your time, chances are the paint on the car is older than you. Here's some pics of some one stage paint corrections using ADAMS products. So start with an order to Adams on paint correcting products, get some Brilliant Glaze and Americana Wax, and have at it !
 

I'm at work (it's Monday noon here) watching the live-score online and eating jalapeno poppers and mac and cheese I ordered from the American Takeaway shop down the road from my work - Predicting a Patriots comeback!

Purchased some wall shelves that have a bar on them to hang bottles off of and store my bags that I take my personal car care supplies to shows in.  Although this year will definitely be using the Adams trunk organizers.  Also found a sign to hang up that fits perfect for me, since own a HotWheels and as well do have HotWheels...lol  The three trunk organizers still have all the product that came in them...still need to unload and shelve those items.

 

Bingo! The Fibonacci sequence it is. 
 
I will be getting to all the posts and PMs shortly, and I will update with anything remaining. 
 
EDIT: All (and a few extras) were spoken for. I hope everyone keeps the spirit of the season year round. 

Here's mine.......
Sorry no open door pics, I keep my products,  MF towels and machine polishers in my Gladiator cabinets.
 


IMG_0076.MOV

I posted another Rinseless wash topic last winter, but just wanted to follow up with another.  It rained here on Saturday, and was cold enough to snow flurry and put a slight coating down on Sunday (Christmas Eve), which meant that PennDot was out salting the roads much to my dismay.  Anyways, I brought the dart into the garage this evening and used the rinseless wash on it, I took some before and after pics on the drivers side of the car as the lighting is a little better on that side of the garage.  For anyone contemplating whether to use it or not with some salt on the car, I'm hoping this helps make the decision a little easier, I looked very closely and don't see any scratches, swirls, etc.
 
NOTE:  My car was prepped for winter back in mid October (wash, clay, paint sealant, wheels sealed, etc.) so the car is usually in pretty good shape, but I just wanted to put this out there as a heads up, basically, I was starting with a "dirty" car in my opinion, but even when my cars are dirty in my opinion, most people think they look pretty good, so I had a pretty good slate to start with.
 
I started by jacking up the passenger side of the car, and sprayed some waterless wash in the wheel wells as they just had some salt crust in there and I didn't want to use any all purpose cleaner or anything without being able to rinse it out, plus I have a gallon of it, and I don't use it a whole lot so I figured it'd work well enough for the wheel wells.  After that I used detail spray on the wheels, and then invisible under carriage spray on the wheel wells, and tire shine on the tires, I then did the same process on the driver side.  
 
I then filled one bucket with a grit guard and warm water about 1/2 to 3/4 full and another bucket with grit guard about 1/2 full with warm water and a few ounces of Rinseless wash.  I also had a small 4 oz spray bottle that I put roughly one ounce or so of rinseless wash in and filled the rest of the way with water to use as a pre-soak.  
 
I worked my way from the roof to the bottom of the car, first by spraying the panel I was working on with the pre-soak and then I used the method shown in the Adams Rinseless Wash video where you slowly turn your hand as you wipe to reveal a new clean section of the towel.  
 
I used 4 double soft towels for the rinseless wash, I reused them over and over throughout the process, but I was very careful to clean the towels against the grit guards each and every time before re-using it.  
 
I ended up using 2 double soft towels to dry the car as my first one got a little saturated about 3/4 of the way through the car.  I did use detail spray while drying as well.
 
I did also dump my "clean" water after doing half of the car, probably not necessary, but just something else I decided to do.
 
Hope this helps, I'm really happy with the results!