slapshot87

I gave a new 32 oz. bottle of Meguiar's QD to a coworker the day after I used Adam's Detail Spray for the first time.

Welcome, Rob! Very nice work on your truck - huge difference in your before & after pics!

How much APC or MR do you add to water in order to make your soak solution? I have some H2O G&G that I want to start using but I've been putting it off because I don't want to ruin all of my nice MF towels.

50th post - now I can trade! Woohoo!

Hi, Bob! I'm pretty new here so it's a pleasure to "meet" you!

Welcome to the Forum, Kebin! Be sure to check out all of the instructional videos on the website (and also on YouTube) - they are extremely helpful!

Welcome from Michigan!

Welcome, Kevin! Be sure to watch all of the product videos on the website - they are tremendously helpful!

Looks great! I too would've expected it to light up just around the perimeter, but yet again, Adam's exceeds expectations! Very nice pick up!

I concur, Jeff - and thank you. On a side note, I currently live in an apartment complex and my building has a designated car wash area - just a place in the parking lot right outside my building with an external water hookup & hose. So while it's not a covered area, it's certainly better than nothing - at least I can easily do bucket washes without having to drive somewhere else. Anyway, I had to laugh at some of the looks I got from people (mostly men) as I was using my foam gun - that thing is awesome and totally fun to use! I love it!

Thanks, Chris, for the kind words. And this is one video that I haven't already seen so I appreciate you posting it for me - I'm going to watch it now.

Well, I completed my full detail yesterday - it took me all afternoon but I'm happy with the results. Thanks again to everyone who responded within this thread - I really appreciate all of the pointers. I tried really hard to get some pics that captured the glossy shine that I can see in person, but it was partially cloudy so the sun was in & out. Plus, my vehicle is silver and I swear, lighter-colored cars are more difficult to photograph - it seems like all of the details get lost. I don't drive anything fancy but, as promised, here you go:

I do have a bottle of Revive on hand, but the full wash seems like it would be easier/faster since the paint at this point doesn't require polishing (that I can see anyway). I will keep this info in mind for future reference though because I'm sure that I'll need to polish at some point - thank you, Dustin! No polish this time, Chris. The car is pretty new and from what I can see, it doesn't require polishing. I've been very careful when washing/drying and fortunately, I haven't induced any swirls or scratches. I do have a couple WW towels - no isopropanol on hand though but I will definitely pick some up for next time around. This is a really good tip - thank you, Chris! Interesting. I do have plenty of Detail Spray on hand to allow for using it as my clay lube (and I just purchased another gallon during the current holiday sale), but I am certainly interested in ways to save a little extra money if an alternative method also works well. Do you use Adam's car shampoo? That's what I use - the blue kind (I don't have the 'throwback' red version). Thanks for your input. I appreciate any and all tips & suggestions - thank you guys for your expertise!

Definitely. I plan to wash & dry it in order to get the clay residue off prior to applying the paint sealant. Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks, Chris & Jeff, for the additional info. I have watched the clay video a couple of times at this point just to make sure that I do everything correctly (all of the videos are great and make it so much easier to successfully use the products - especially for someone like me who doesn't have a lot of experience). I never really thought about the clay increasing in size as it gets used - that makes sense though. And I plan on being very conscious of folding & kneading the clay often. Honestly, that is the part I'm most looking forward to tomorrow - using the clay bar. I didn't know until somewhat recently what caused the roughness you could feel on the paint even after it was thoroughly washed - and I certainly didn't know how to remove (or at least lessen) it. I too have a non-Adam's microfiber wash solution that I'm currently using (purchased prior to finding Adam's). It does a good job on my towels - I'll try it out on the pads as well and will see how they turn out. If they don't turn out well for me, at least they only cost a couple bucks. Thanks again! Hope you all have a nice evening!

Thanks, Dustin & Jacob - appreciate your feedback & suggestions. I will be sure to remember that 'less is better' when it comes to the paint sealant & will definitely post a photo or two!

Hi, all- I'm planning on doing my first full detail tomorrow on my DD - strip wash, Visco clay bar, Liquid Paint Sealant, Glass Sealant, H2O G&G, Interior Detailer, etc. - and I just have a couple basic questions for those of you who are more experienced. 1. I know to use plenty of Detail Spray as a clay lubricant, but once I'm finished with the clay, should I rinse it off with water prior to placing it back into its container? Leave on it whatever amount of Detail Spray is present? Dry it off? I've never used clay previously - I don't want it to dry out or break down in any way after use while it's being stored in its container. 2. I'll be manually applying Liquid Paint Sealant with the grey microfiber applicator pads that came with the kit configuration I purchased. Do you think that two applicator pads will be enough for a small SUV? I've ordered some additional pads to have on-hand but at the moment, I only have the two (as well as a separate one, of course, for the Glass Sealant). Once the pads get loaded with product, I'm not sure if it'll become difficult to continue to put down a thin, even layer of sealant and I just don't want to find myself in a position where I'm struggling simply because I don't have enough supplies on-hand. 3. Can the microfiber applicator pads be cleaned & reused after applying Liquid Paint Sealant? Or should I just view them as 'disposable' - one-time use only? Thank you in advance for any input!

My mistakes are similar to what some others have posted (cheap towels, Armor All, etc.) but the worst one of all? Using the foam brush at the coin-operated car wash on my entire vehicle (it pains me to even type that, but shamefully, it's true).

I'll have to pick up a variety to try when I place my next order - thanks!

I haven't ordered any of the air fresheners yet - what kind of longevity do they tend to have? I realize that they're inexpensive and even if they don't last long, I would've only spent a couple of bucks on one - just wondering what to expect.

I'm pretty new around here but I've had good success so far with the Waterless Wash. I just turn the nozzle to stream, fire away, let it soak in a little before hitting it again & following up with a microfiber towel (which I also pre-wet a little with additional spray). From what I've read on here, it seems like a lot of the forum members dilute their Rinseless Wash (16:1) and use that on bugs and bird bombs. Once I use up my current supply of Waterless, I'm going to try that myself since diluted Rinseless is much more economical.

Haluski? I was a little surprised to see that until I noticed your location - southwest PA. I was born & raised in an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh so I know exactly what that dish is! Yum! Enjoy your family picnic - and GO PENS!

Thanks for the reply, Jim. I do have a clay bar that I'm planning to use on the glass prior to applying the sealant so that should hopefully get everything really clean. I never even thought about doing the mirrors until it was brought up within this thread - makes total sense though so I definitely plan on sealing those as well. I also have some of the Glass Boost on its way so hopefully between the the two (sealant & boost), I'll get some decent longevity. Appreciate your input - thanks again!

Thanks for the info, guys - I'm especially glad to hear that I don't have to be overly cautious about the trim. And based upon your suggestion, Nathan, I picked up some of the Glass Boost as well. I had already placed an order earlier today for other products (Perfect Glass Cleaning Collection, Perfect Vision Glass Cleaner & Sealant Combo, Total Interior Detailing Kit) and Bianca was nice enough to combine both orders so that I didn't have to pay shipping on the Glass Boost. (Thank you, Bianca!) Anyway, I'm looking forward to receiving my orders so that I can try everything out. Thanks again!

Hi, all- Just a couple of questions regarding the glass sealant from someone who has never used ANY kind of glass sealant previously. Do you guys seal all of your windows or just the windshield? That might be a stupid question but again, I've never used a glass sealant so I'm unsure if it really makes a practical difference to also seal the side & back windows. Also, do I need to be overly concerned about the sealant coming into contact with the rubber/plastic trim around the windows? If the pad with sealant makes a little bit of contact with the trim, is that OK? Lastly, I know that vehicle size largely dictates the answer to this final question, but do you find that you get more than one application per 4 oz. bottle of sealant? I've watched the video and it seems that, based upon the amount Adam uses on the windshield, the bottle would yield multiple applications. I have a small SUV (Kia Sportage) if that enables anyone to give me a better idea. Thank you in advance for your input. I am new to this level of detailing and appreciate the collective expertise of the forum members. My vehicle isn't anything fancy but it's new and I'd simply like to keep it looking new for as long as possible.