LSX Maestro

I like the Rinseless idea a lot, don't know why I didn't think of that. As for Glaze and Wax, I received a Buttery Wax in a kit but it's pretty weak stuff. So if you're recommending wax then maybe Americana should be added to the order. Since we only have a 4-6 month "nice" weather window, two coats of Americana a year will probably be all that I'd need and H2O may not be necessary altogether.

So, going to be bringing home my C7 Z06. The car sat in the showroom for over a year before I bought it. During that time it was subjected to I'm sure countless "Quick detail" wipe downs with garbage towels and products as well as probably people walking by it and touching it, purses and bags that accidentally swing into it, coat zippers, etc. It has quite a few light swirls/spiderwebbing and 2-3 spots with heavier marks (Not scratches though). I'm thinking that I'll just need Correcting and Finishing to get it to a crazy mirror condition. So here's my plan: Strip Wash Decontamination with Wheel Cleaner Clay with soap suds (As to avoid putting wax on the surface again) Re-wash Correcting Polish (I will experiment and see if Finishing is all that I need to get the light stuff out) Finishing Polish Coating prep wipe-down Apply LPS with gray pad Apply H2O GG Wheels: Thorough cleaning with Wheel Cleaner and TRC Coating Prep wipe-down Apply LPS Apply H2O Apply Tire Shine Here's a sticking point; I want to get the front bumper covered in XPEL. Should I do the the whole process above but then skip any wax/coating on the front bumper and then take it to the XPEL shop? Or should I just correct the front bumper, have it XPELed, bring it home, and then do the rest of the correcting/LPS work? Also, how well does LPS go over XPEL? How many pads do you guys recommend for each polish? Also, if I were to incorporate a layer of Brilliant Glaze, when should it be done? I'm thinking on top of the LPS but below the H2O? I know some put it under LPS but I can't help but feeling like it must leave some kind of a residue or even just dust/contaminates from a microfiber that would lessen the longevity of the LPS. Going to be loading up on all the products/things I'm going to need before I get started.

Ceramic Coatings don't have anything that will damage finish, at least in my experience with them. Should be absolutely fine.

Sounds good. I'll go with LPS/H2O and then wash them with just the Car Shampoo. Roger on the Strip wash, I'll only use that when I first get the car. And to strip off my other cars of old wax before doing them properly too.

Perfect. That’s what I’m doing then. Including the brush/Woolie/turbo stick.

For brand new painted wheels and other than a Ceramic Coating, would a base layer of LPS on the entire wheel followed by regular H2O GG coats after washes be the best way to keep them slick and easier to clean the brake dust off of? Or is there a better option short of Ceramic Coating them? I've also heard that the Ceramic Boost is really good for this task as well. Worth buying to just use on the wheels? Also, will Wheel Cleaner strip it off when you go to clean them? If so, maybe it would be best to just clean them with the soap from the Car Shampoo until the LPS/H2O/CB would be wearing down anyway and then reset with Wheel Cleaner and start a fresh layer of LPS.

Appreciate the input so far. I agree, no cutting corners with a brand new car. So I'm thinking for iron decon, Wheel Cleaner 1:1, mist it over the car and follow up with clay/DS? I will just use Essence if it won't negatively re-act with the Adam's stuff, not that it should. I already have some Essence at the Cadillac store. And Shane, if you were closer I'd definitely be in for a business partnership. Lots of our customers want their cars Ceramic Coated/PPF/Paint Corrections etc. and it's not easy to find people that I'd trust to do quality work and then employ them full time for maybe 2-3 cars a week until the name gets out there. But a partnership with an existing company would be great. We would both make mad money. It could even be added as a package into the initial cost of the car for detailed packages and therefore added to the finance/payments, that's in addition to walk in customers.

Yeah I'm hoping I don't have to deal with any rail dust, it's marked as a sold vehicle so it does have shipping priority and shouldn't sit in a yard for too long. I will analyze once it gets here but looks like a Revive/Finishing polish will be all I need depending. All the dealers/bodyshops/service centers etc. I'm part of are in Metro Detroit area. PM me if you ever need anything and I'll be glad to help. I instated a qualified detailing crew at our Cadillac store because we do boat loads of black cars there and I was tired of watching them be rubbed down with rags deserving of the garbage can. That's in the works at the rest of them hopefully. When we get Vettes in or other top level vehicles I ask the customer and see but usually I'll have them skip the free wash. Very few people that work at dealerships in my experience are "car people", and inside of the car people class even fewer are "Detailers" or at least detail minded. They don't understand things like swirling, contamination, protection and the damage you can do with improper habits. And it would be way too expensive and time consuming to employ people who did, as much as I would like to. If you ever take your car to the dealer, it's usually fairly easy to get them to skip it (The damn porters are lazy anyway!) just ask them to not wash it and they should be happy to oblige (I'm sure most of you already do this).

Going to have my 2018 ZL1 delivered next month and I'm going to bring her straight home. I toyed with the ideas of Ceramic Coatings and buying a whole bunch of CarPro products and stuff like that but I realized...my cars don't and won't see any kind of abuse and nothing that a Ceramic Coating could do for them that a LPS + H2O Combo couldn't handle, at least in my experience. So seems all the rage on other forums for brand new cars is to just do a very light polish with some sort of finishing polish, a majority of people use CarPro Essence which is an extremely fine finishing polish that just levels the clear coat out, cleans the pores and gets it smooth and shiny in preparation for a Ceramic Coat. Does Adam's offer something similar? Would using Adam's Finishing Polish or even Revive Hand Polish give the same result? The car won't be touched by anybody before I do, so zero swirls or blemishes should be on the paint. In case you're wondering how I'm going to keep it untouched, I happen to own the dealership. Thanks.

So I have a brand new 2018 ZL1 on order; should be here in April. And it's going to go right to the Xpel shop for front facing area coverage. After that, I'm going to have it Ceramic Coated. Ceramic Coating is a thing that I could handle but I don't have the time or a very clean facility to let it sit in. Anyways, the best detail shop in town (Raving reviews, 4.9 stars out of 5 across 100+ reviews on Google/Yelp) will apply 4 different types of Ceramic Coating...C-Quartz (2 year), Sonax (3 year), SB3 (4 year) and Opticoat pro, which they claim 7 years on. My question is, if I have them apply a C-Quartz coating...I have all Adam's in my detailing lineup. So I'd be using their Shampoo, Detail Spray, Waterless, Rinseless etc. (Obviously I wouldn't use any Sealants or Waxes as those don't bond with Silica). I know CarPro has a whole line of products that are highly respected too that are built to work together. I don't really feel like changing over for just one vehicle (And I won't). So would I be fine if I have my car C-Quartz and then use Adam's Car Shampoo for washings, Waterless/Rinesless for touchups, and then a Ceramic Boost as a monthly topper? Any experience? Or should I load up on the CarPro products like Reload, Ech20 etc. Thanks

This brings up a question that I know the answer to but trying to find a reason for. Also, Adam in one of the very recent videos (I think on his Denali or his Jeep) used H20 GG and then mentioned that the vehicle is ceramic coated. Seems redundant.

If they bake the paint, my body shop tells people to wait a few weeks. Unbaked paint and you’ll want to wait 90 days or more.

All I have are extremely small chips, and I mean extremely small. They look like dust flecks or overspray flecks but they don't clay off. And I can feel most of them as an indentation with my finger. There's no chips on the windshield over 1/16th of an inch.

I have this on my daily driver as well. I was thinking about a new windshield but a resin and polish may be the way to go.

I agree with the above sentiments...I wait until a warmish day (40s or 50s, all we'll get in MI) and then power wash it and maybe a rinseless if I want extra. With the LPS + H2O GG on it like I have it, it pretty much all power washes off anyway, you just don't get very much pop. Now adding a rinseless once I'm back at the heated garage and it's like a sparkly new diamond (Until I DRIVE IT ONE FOOT OUT OF THE GARGAGE ARRRGGGH). /rant Lol.

Or option for the "professional" sprayers too. A drop down with "No Nozzle, Standard Nozzle, or Professional Nozzle".

That’s exactly what I do, including the wait until you have straight water. I haven’t tested with Adam’s PS and I’m not going to but when I used to use a cheaper wax on my truck, and washed it at the quarter car wash, I used the presoak and it stripped most of the wax off. Water only! Commercial stuff is nasty.

There's no way I could just go straight to a rinseless without doing damage to the clear coat with my truck and our Michigan roads. I have the lucky situation of being less than 2 miles away from a quarter car wash so on dryish days I take it up there, pay $4 and power wash every single bit I can off the truck. On days where I'm tight on time, that can even be enough after I use air to dry it off at my garage. A rinseless takes it from being pretty clean to sparkly shiny white.

Some great ideas so far; I really would like a longer attachment for reaching higher places (e.g. middle of windshields, back windows on pickups, etc.) I'd be interested in newer coatings too as well as a glass coating (Would definitely do that).

For a good setup, you could get a 2 bucket washing setup from Adam's (2 Buckets, Grit Guards, Wash Pads, Car Shampoo, Drying Towels, etc.). Then I'd get a can of Americana or Buttery wax, and regularly coat the car after washings. Just note, there are better options than Wax these days for protection, especially since this car will be driven a lot. If you really want the best option, short of a Ceramic Coating... Strip Wash the car to remove all residue, waxes, and whatever film is on the car. (This can be done a variety of ways) Assess the paint to see if it needs to be clayed...It's a new car so it probably won't need it. Is your freshly washed paint still bumpy? If so, you'll need Detail Spray and Clay. Apply Liquid Paint Sealant (LPS). This will provide you with 4-8 months of protection. Paint Sealant needs to be applied to naked paint (Achieved via Strip Washes and Claying). Now you can optionally use an Adam's product like H2O Guard and Gloss on top of the LPS to get more shine, protection, and durability. (LPS + H2O G&G is a awesome setup, my favorite) Regularly wash it with Car Shampoo and good to go. The H2O GG can also be your only source of protection for your Glass, Wheels, and Trim. It will provide 1-3 months of protection and shine PER application, but I choose to apply it almost every time I wash the car to maintain the peak protection and beading capabilities. Ask away, just a few months ago I was a complete noob at all of this too. You'll find tons of help here on this Forum and from Adam's directly.

Put the Paint Sealant down first. Then you can put down the BG and if you want, add H2O GG to boost the Sealant and lock in the great shine you get from BG. You can also replace that H2O GG with a good wax (Though not as durable) or Ceramic Boost etc. Tons of options, just put down the PS first...

Just wanted to bump this with a little info...I talked to my dad who has owned body shops since the 80s and he said that, a baked paint job should be given anywhere from 2-4 weeks to cure or more to be safe. He's had customers that have ceramic coated or even waxed their cars immediately and had their paint crack at stress points.

Yeah that’s what I used my first go round. Seemed to work fine for me. Think I’ll order a SW for next summer though.

Thanks for that BG SQ5! I didn't even realize. And yeah, Photobucket sure did ruin the internet with their shenanigans.

I'm thinking preemptively for next summer when I'll be stripping + sealing all of my cars and I'm wondering; does an APC + Shampoo wash do as good of a job as Strip Wash? Will I be burning through APC since I have at least 4-5 cars to do?