Bscott94

I noticed that the roof of my SUV is faded. It seems that the clear coat is gone and the paint is possibly on the way out. I want to prevent it from rusting. I'd like to have the whole car repainted one of these days but for the time being, does anyone have any suggestions for preventing further degradation? I'll post some pictures when I can get some. 

On 2/3/2016 at 8:18 AM, James__ said:

Attached is the Dilutions Table I made in case any of you would like to use it.  The amounts are not exact but are rounded up to the nearest quarter ounce.

Dilution Ratios.pdf

Is there anything that needs added to this for new products in the last 2 years? 

4 minutes ago, cwp2016nd said:

Yes. MRB for microfiber pads and APC for foam pads 

1 minute ago, cwp2016nd said:

I'm not sure if I've ever heard of MRB being used to clean pads. I always use APC and have never had an issue. Pads are clean as a whistle afterwards and the APC is cheap. 

This is from their website. I guess it is only referring to the mircofiber cutting pads. APC should be used on foam pads. Yes?

1 minute ago, falcaineer said:

 

 

All F&C works. Just realize it doesn't have the cleaning power of the MRB. Really recommend the latter to get your towels fully cleaned.

I''ll definitely add it to the list of "I need to get this eventually". For now, I need to save money so I will go with ALL. I see that MRB can be used for pads too. I thought I read APC could be used to clean pads too. Did I have the 2 products confused? 

Just now, falcaineer said:

Brand new video on the differences between the towels.

 

 

I saw that on their website but I haven't watched it. I'll watch it when I get home from work/when I get bored at work. 

2 minutes ago, cwp2016nd said:

If you don't want to spend a ton of money on microfiber cleaning solution, pick up some ALL Free Clear. It is a detergent that is dye/fragrance/fabric softener free. That is what you need for microfiber towels. 

GREAT NEWS! ALL was on sale a couple months ago and I got a bottle of the Free Clear to use on my towels. I remember reading no dye, no fragrance, no softener. I need to check about pre treating and whether or not specific towels need washed separately from others (detail spray towels/wheel towels/wax towels/interior/etc). 

@cwp2016nd sent me some towel suggestions so I would have plenty of each kind. That makes sense about washing them after every use. I don't have an issue with it, I just wasn't sure if it was necessary. I'll review the Microfiber care instructions and I may be back with more questions. Thank you all!

6 minutes ago, cwp2016nd said:

I personally use a one bucket method, but that's just me. 2 buckets, grit guards, car shampoo, strip wash, visco clay, buttery wax and 10-15 towels with a drying towel should get you started. 

 

The wheel brush, trim and lugnut brush as well as the big wheel woolie and wheel wash mitt would be perfect for 90% of the wheels out there. 

That list is a lot smaller (and cheaper) than I what I was expecting. Do you have towel suggestions? I ordered Adam's Edgeless Microfiber Utility Towels but I think I saw somewhere that those shouldn't really be used on paint. And should towels be washed after every use? I think the answer is yes but I don't think a drying towel or a towel used to add detail spray after drying would get super dirty. 

7 minutes ago, cwp2016nd said:

I'm just beginning to get my feet wet in detailing for money, but I have 4 polishers, tons of different compounds/polishes (and not even THAT much in the grand scheme of things), all the different brushes you can imagine, metro sidekick blower, two crates full of towels, 70+ compound/polishing pads, tornador w/vacuum attachment, waxes/sealants etc. I have well over $2,500 in my setup already and I don't have an extractor or steamer. Those are coming up on the "To buy" list but first I need a paint depth gauge which I think I'll order on Amazon today. 

 

My point is, keep your services limited to what you're able to accomplish and build your money and clients up in order to make big purchases. I didn't do that and had to pay for a bunch of stuff for a while with no clients. 

Thank you. I really just want to into detailing to pay for things that I wouldn't normally buy. I enjoy making cars shiny and clean, so why not get paid? I like the idea of limited services to finance additional services. I'll start with just a simple wash, clay, and wax and as I build clients, I can invest in additional supplies and equipment. I'll have to do some looking on here to find out what the essentials are to getting started. I'd say a 2 bucket kit would be a good start, correct? Shampoo, clay, hand polish, a couple waxes, all the brushes and towels? 

1 hour ago, RayS said:

The garage comes after the 2 bathrooms and kitchen.

It's the exact same for me. Hopefully I can sneak some time and money into the garage. 

@shane@detailedreflections Thank you for the information and advice. I have some pads, compounds, and polishes that came with my SK (I ordered the mystery kit a few months ago). I think I'll just do clay bar/mitt and wax to start out. I have done that before. I will polish my personal vehicles to practice and get the hang of it before I ask someone to pay me. I think I should get a sealant and Americana was for the Miata. The only wax I have right now is Buttery and I don't think that would be enough. I'll add the compounds and polishes that I have when I get a chance tomorrow. Again, thank you!

1 hour ago, MikeSoFlo said:

Check out this video, great idea for garage lighting. I'm doing some remodeling on a house I just bought and will be using some of the ideas from this video. 

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this. These are garage goals. I am getting a new house (condo) with a 2 car garage in August and it has the one light bulb like mentioned above. I am going to take what the guy in the video did and try to replicate it with cheaper products. I don't think I need that high quality but I want white walls, bright lights, some kind of work space, and a floor coating if I can afford it. 

Thank you both for the suggestion. I took a look at his profile and read his recent responses to people. If you look at me closely, you can see the knowledge oozing out of my ears. After seeing his work, I can't wait to get to work on my aunt's Miata. It will be my first real detail. I did the interior around a month ago. The exterior needs polished, and some kind of coating. She told me she tried to wax it and messed it up. I haven't seen it but hopefully it isn't too bad. I might try to talk her into ceramic coating. I think Americana wax would be fine for a summer weekend car though, right? 

Welcome to the forum. Let's see me pictures of the car ?

Welcome to the forum. You will find all the information that you need and so much more in here. 

Hey everyone, I tried searching and couldn't find much. I'd like to start a detailing side job for the evenings and weekends to help finance my Adam's addiction. I have a few Adam's products and I love them. They make achieving shine easy. There is nothing better than a freshly cleaned car. I was wondering if anyone had a list of services that they offer and their prices. Or if anyone has suggestions on detailing levels or anything like that. I have a 15mm SK, though I haven't used it yet. I also have a Bissel Spotclean for cleaning seats/carpets. I know there are a lot of variables but I'm just looking for general advice/suggestions. 

23 minutes ago, Burrell Images said:

It’s color matched Rhino Lining. It’s also not rough. Regular microfibers to fine. 

 

Ahh I see. I need to get mine fixed. It's due up for some attention anyway. Thanks for the info!

On 7/14/2018 at 7:32 PM, 636Bee said:

 

Here's pics of the new ride.  That IndiGo blue popped with the Americana and BG.

 

 

? Oh my. Blue is my favorite car color. That is so beautiful. 

Sweet builds! It looks like bedliner on the bumper and fender flares of the Toyota. How roughly textured is that? And what do you use to keep it clean? I used the roll-on bedliner to do the bottom quarter of my suv and it is incredibly rough and destructive to anything that I rub on it. I think I need to sand it down a bit and touch it up as it is pretty faded. Eventually I would like to have some rust fixed and get it all professionally repainted. 

On 6/24/2018 at 12:03 PM, ZO6Rebel said:

I have a few more photos that I will download soon.  I like all types of various vehicles trucks etc.  I also enjoy looking at the photos.  I have to say my basic Adams detail polish gets the most use.   The ZO6 has been paint corrected, ceramic coated and the front end Xpel paint protected (All not by me).  I do spend many hours going over the vette looking for paint imperfection orange peel etc.  When I find imperfections I use my Porter Cable and Adams Swirl or Correction polish with the appropriate pad and work that area until I'm satisfied.  With all the rain we've been having in the northeast that gives me a lot of time.   My vette is not my everyday driver so its rather easy to keep clean.  Enjoy!! 

I hope to have a Corvette like that one day. It is beautiful. I think blue might be my favorite car color. Welcome to the group. 

Wow, look at that shine! Welcome to the forum

I'll add something just because I want Adam's to be close enough for me to visit. I imagine it's way too small to be worth the drive though. I plan on attending for the first time this year.

https://www.artomobiliaweekend.com/overview/

• Dates - August 25, 2018
• City/State - Carmel, IN
• Number of people in attendance - Their website doesn't say, I would guess a few thousand
• Number of vehicles in attendance - 400+, according to the webstie
• Types of vehicles - It sounds like a lot of classic/rare cars. All of the class are listed in the website
• Number of years show has existed - This year is the 11th annual 

Hey Brandon, Brandon here. Sweet truck! My brother had the same rims on his 01 Duramax. They never looked that good though. 

Welcome to the fun!