Bscott94

Thank you and congrats on the new place!  IKR, I’m trying not to look at my order totals when I hit that “submit” button (or the wife) ?!  She will once the money starts rolling.  I’m out in Fishers.

No drinking the chemicals! 

Same towels (as far as I can tell) as The Great White. 
I use borderless greys with WW / Rinseless diluted too. 

Yep, as Jen said, same towel, just different color and size. Waterless Wash away!

I used an ice pack and had pretty good luck. It didn’t come out completely but it is way better 

I used an ice pack and had pretty good luck. It didn’t come out completely but it is way better 

I was thinking of using it as a duster on furniture, similar to ZMAN and Rich. I just moved to I need to dust shelves and tables and what not. I'll give ID a try. Possibly the Pumpkin Spice ?

I had the opportunity this past weekend to do a full detail on a previous customers new, to her, 2017 BMW X3 in Alpine White. I'd detailed her 2007 Acura MDX several years ago. Since then she's graduated college with a degree in Athletic Training, I believe, and bought this that need a little love.
 
She'd been looking for one of these for several months and finally located one at a dealership in NJ at a price she was willing to pay. The vehicle had been a rental with 15,000 miles on it, she's now put on another 5,000+ on it before turning it over to me for the weekend.
 
I picked the SUV up Thursday afternoon and brought it back to my place where the work would be done. It was raining Thursday, raining hard. We got over 5" of rain that day.

Yup, I started in the rain. Put on a hat, my Bean Boots and a gore tex jacket and sucked it up. Broke out the pressure washer and using Adam's new Pressure Washer Swivel Extension Wand cleaned all the debris from the felt lined inner fenders and took care of the wheels and tires. The 20* bend and shorter length is nice to really get up in where I wanted. Eco All Purpose Cleaner on the fender liners, Wheel Cleaner on the wheels and scrubbed the gunk that was on the tires twice with Tire and Rubber Cleaner to get them thoroughly cleaned.
 
The rain stopped overnight and the rest of the weekend looked like it was going to be great weather.
 
At first light Saturday morning I was outside. Didn't want to bother the neighbors with the pressure washer yet, so I did a few of the more quiet activities first
 
 Chrome exhaust tips polished with Metal Polish #1 using a piece of 0000 Steal Wool
Before:

 
After:

 
I removed the rubber floor mats and cleaned them

 
I vacuumed the interior, and here's where things started to get weird. I was finding shattered pieced of tempered glass in the carpet, along the gas pedal on the hump side, under the front passenger's seat,  between that seats bottom and back, and in the outside seat rail track of that seat.

 
A quick look at all the vehicles glass...
All windows have the BMW logo in them

 
except the front passenger's side door glass

 
The B-pillar on that door

It appears this vehicle had been broken into at some point. I contacted the owner. She said before she purchased it she saw the vehicle had a clean Car Fax, and that she had noticed all the glass shards sometime after she's gotten it home. She contacted the dealer she'd bought it from and was told they knew nothing about it.
 
Engine and engine bay tidied up

Eco All Purpose Cleaner a Fender Brush and Trim & Lug Nut Brush. I dried it with the 4hp setting of my Master Blaster Revolution, shut the hood and let her run for five minutes to dry the rest of the water off. While it was running I sprayed Odor Neutralizer inside the vehicle and into the recirculating intake with the fan on high to take care of any odors.
 
It was now late enough in the morning to get the pressure washer back out again. Adam's Snub Nose Pressure Washer Attachment and my Foam Cannon filled with 2oz of Strip Wash and warm water.

I let that dwell for a few minutes then proceeded to give her a two bucket wash with another 2oz of Strip Wash in my wash bucket and used the Red Microfiber mitt. Rinsed her down well and hit everything below the glass, including the C-pillars with Iron Remover to decontaminate.

 

 

Thoroughly rinsed the Iron Remover off the vehicle and clayed using the Clay Mitt and Detail Spray as the lubricant. Black specks all over the SUV. Worse on the rear panel and right quarter panel, but everywhere on the vehicle. The clay mitt wasn't getting it off.

My guess? The window glass was replaced at a Body Shop and the vehicle was sitting uncovered too close to the paint booth and over-spray made its way to the BMW. There were black paint specks even in the jamb of the rear hatch. They must have had the hatch open when the over-spray made its way onto the Alpine White.
Adam's Visco Elastic Clay was able to remove the over-spray, but it was a lot of work and about three hours of time I wasn't expecting! One last rinse from my Reverse Osmosis Spot Free system, and a quick blow dry with my Master Blaster Revolution, this time on the full 8hp setting..
Before:

 
After:

My right shoulder felt numb when I finished for the day from all the rubbing and pressure I had to exert to remove all of this.
 
Before the day ended, the paint was thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated and I began polishing. I was able to finish the front and rear bumpers, and most everywhere else I had to use my Swirl Killer 12mm mini and Nano ibird. Lots of curves, contours and angles required the smaller machines. Heavy Correcting Compound and a Blue Microfiber Pad, that's it on this one. This vehicle is washed at drive through car washes. Most of the marks in the paint are straight line marks from the car wash brushes. The combo I used got 75% of them out and left the paint with a nice high luster.

My GTO was pulled out onto the driveway for the next two nights and the BMW was put in the garage.
 
First thing Sunday morning I put the plugs into the front bumper she'd provided me. NJ runs a front plate while PA doesn't. She didn't like the holes. Can't say I blame her.

 

In & Out Spray to all the black Honey Comb up front too.
 
Completely Polished, including the headlights.

Also used my Swirl killer 15mm LT machine on the larger flatter panels, again Heavy Correcting Compound and a Blue Microfiber Pad.
 
Paint protected with H2O Guard & Gloss, wheels protected with Ceramic Boost, tires dressed with Tire Shine, Glass Sealant on the windshield. I even hit the little rubber splash guard in front of the rear tires with VRT.

My method for using the Guard & Gloss was one I watched Adam do at Corvettes at Carlisle the previous weekend. I'd never thought of it before. Go one panel at a time, spray the one panel with water from a water bottle, then spray the Guard & Gloss on that wet panel. Use a wet microfiber towel to even it out/level it off and a second to buff the panel dry, then onto the next. In the past I'd been pulling polished vehicles back out onto the driveway and wetting them with the hose again. Adam's method I was able to do while still in the garage.
Sunday was done...
 
Monday morning had three hours spent on the interior. Interior Detailer mostly, Leather & Interior cleaner on the soiled Steering Wheel

In & Out Spray in the vents, inside of the windshield and back glass got Brilliant Glaze, all other glass was wiped clean with Adam's Glass Cleaner. My McCulloch 1385 Steamer was needed to get the crud from inside the cup holders, the tracks in the floor of the cargo area, and a few spots on the drivers compartment floor. The interior came as nice as the outside, I thought.

An obligatory night shot. Which doesn’t do it justice...I need to break out the good camera when it’s all done!
 
 

A combination of posts here and having just attended accreditation training for another coating have once again gotten my writing mind working. It’s also an effort to go back to some detailing related discussion as opposed to this weeks special edition detail spray. 
 
It seems there are a million questions about ceramic coatings. What’s worse is that there are two million opinions on ceramic coatings, what they can and can’t do and when they should and shouldn’t be applied. So let’s get into it a bit...
 
What can a ceramic coating do?  Ceramic coatings are simply a different last step product that can change the maintenance regiment for your vehicle. They are not maintenance free by any means. A ceramic coating can lock in a deep gloss look that’s easily maintained and restored while offering some better scratch resistance (which we will get into shortly). 
 
What can’t a ceramic coating do?  A ceramic coating won’t stop rock chips. It’s not impossible to scratch (meaning proper care and technique when washing is still required). Also, a ceramic coating can’t last forever despite anyone’s claims that they will do so. Setting your hood on fire because it’s ceramic coated isn’t a good idea either.
 
So why would you want to ceramic coat your car?  Well, it’s typically lower maintenance than having to reapply the finish every so often and provides an amazingly slick surface that’s a bit easier to clean or keep clean. 
 
Maintenance?  Yup. The biggest complaint from “failed” coatings isn’t that they’ve failed, it’s that they haven’t been decontaminated properly to allow them to function normally. They still require periodic maintenance by claying and iron decontamination. To go the extra mile, some coatings require reapplication of a top layer. This is sometimes a spray or an actual top coating layer. This is widely variable based on the coating used. 
 
Can I do this myself?  It is in the wheelhouse of most serious weekend warrior detailers. It can seem overwhelming, but it shouldn’t be. Understand that the prep phase is literally everything. Poor prep will result in a poor coating. Great prep will help to get that great result. 
 
How do I do it?  Well, the prep is similar to most other details. Decontaminate the vehicle with wash, clay and iron remover. Polish the paint until you’re satisfied with the results (once you apply the coating, what’s there is there).  Give it a good wipedown to prep for coating. And install. We do wheels, trim and then paint last typically. You can change it in any order you like. In fact, we actually spray wheels when we have them pulled for an easier application. This comes at the expense of using more product. 
 
Rules of thumb?  Textured plastic gets trim coating. Painted plastic get paint coating. Textured plastic doesn’t usually require leveling, where painted trim does. Work in small bites. Know you’ll go through a bunch of towels and a bunch of applicators. It’s a slow process, especially when you’re not familiar. 
 
What kind of tricks are there?  Start working small. Make a “puddle line” down the middle of your working area. Then spread the coating across it (think like an H). The puddle line across spreads the heaviest product. When crossing it you’re spreading it and thinning it for a very even coverage.  
 
We use three towels when we buff off a coating. We use a low pile suede for the initial buff, then we go wider with a microfiber to pick up the push and then we use a third microfiber to get any remaining spots.
 
If it’s hot and/or humid, rapidly flashing coatings can be frustrating. We can stretch the open time of the coating by storing the bottle in a cup with ice in it prior to and during application.  This will give you some more time to let the coating flash and then buff off. I won’t get into flash times since they’re widely variable based upon environment and what coating you’re using. Always keep the cap on when you’re not applying to the applicator. And a little really does go a long way. 
 
If you get some coating where it shouldn’t be, wipe it immediately before it cures. 
 
If you have high spots, you can try brilliant glaze before it’s cured. You can also try a little polish on a rag and your finger. Or worst case you’re polishing it out and reapplying to that section. Adams coatings usually come off with glaze/polish. We do work with a coating that has to be wet sanded down once it fully cures. High spots are a nightmare. 
 
Which brings us to lighting. And a bunch of different types. Light from different angles and sources will reveal everything. Have multiple eyes look at it and see what they see. Things blend together after a while. 
 
Take your time. Plan appropriately for the time to prep, install and cure. Don’t rush it or you’ll pay the price. 
 
And lastly, what coating is for me?  That’s a very open ended question based on what you expect out of your coating for performance and durability. Only have the car a couple of years?  Use a lower end coating. Keeping it for a while and daily driving it?  Maybe a higher end coating is for you for longevity. Not all coatings are available to everyone. We have two coatings that are accredited or authorized installers only. We can’t even sell you a bottle if you wanted one. That’s because they’re a bit harder to work with and less forgiving. The flip side is the results from them are amazing. 
 
I think that’s all my brain has kicked out off the top of my head. If you have quesrions, ask. Between myself and others here there’s a thinktank of answers available. Take advantage of it. 

2013 Kia Forte. Wash, Clay mitt, heavy correcting compound, one step polish, buttery wax, and a little detail spray on or around 8/9. It rained all day today and I got these pictures while at the gas station. 

2013 Kia Forte. Wash, Clay mitt, heavy correcting compound, one step polish, buttery wax, and a little detail spray on or around 8/9. It rained all day today and I got these pictures while at the gas station. 

Anything can happen. I would have done the plumbing and electrical repairs myself but the seller got quotes and the title company wrote checks to the contractor. I wish the check would've been written to myself and I could chosen whether I wanted to pay someone or do it myself. We actually did get a home warranty. Our service fee is $65. Something is wrong with the ice maker in our fridge so I will be calling on them for that. Also, our dryer wasn't getting hot. I googled the dryer and the issue and found out that it was a $30 repair. I'll definitely see if it cheaper to fix myself but if it looks like its going to be more than my service fee, I'll let someone else deal with it. 
Thank you! That equipment looks stout. It is also easy to use and reasonably priced. I'll have to look into that. That would be easier and prettier than just sandwiching 2x4s together. 
 
It was the p-trap. On the quote that the seller got, it said the plumber would cut exploratory holes in search of the leak and the repair would be $250-500. The ceiling was clearly wet so I went ahead and cut it open and was just going to ask the plumber what he thought while he was there. He ended up fixing it. The plumbers also wanted $325 to replace the kitchen faucet. I told them not to worry about it and I ordered a new faucet for $80. There are a few things I wouldn't be comfortable doing but I am pretty handy and I like feeling accomplished after fixing something, either around the house or on the cars. And speaking to the hole in the garage ceiling, I also have to make more holes to install my lights so I'll probably just wait and repair everything at once. The drywall in the garage is in bad shape anyway. 
We got a Rustoleum cabinet painting kit from Menards. It was around $70 and came with deglosser, base coat, optional decorative glaze, and the top protective coat. No sanding, just a lot of scrubbing and cleaning to prep the surface. It looked amazing and I was one coat away from being done with the base coat. Hopefully the doors will dry out and be fine. I try to avoid staining because I never seem to get two different pieces to match correctly. It looks great when its done right though. 

Detailed my father in law's truck today.  Had several scuffs that I didn't think would come out but I told him let's give it a shot. I had received the revive polish in my TOMB.  I was blown away, kind of like the first time you use a magic eraser.  Looking forward to using this more till I can get comfortable with a polisher.  

Oh ouch, yeah moisture is no good, and sadly most of the cabinets these days are made out of particle board, or MDF of which neither do well with water on them for long periods of time. I would push for them to cover it all, and in all honesty I would get your insurance company involved letting them know what happened so that they can help you fight this. Hopefully they can get at least the floor taken care of quickly for you and have things mostly level when you move in.....actually if it makes the kitchen unusable can you even move in? Will they issue a CO if you dont have access to the stove? Not sure of the laws out your way. Oh, and get a copy of the before and after moisture tests, proves the water was removed later on if anything ever happens. 

Keep nicely pushing and you should be ok. Requesting the moisture test data should not be too hard to get ahold of and if nothing else is just good piece of mind. You already closed so the CO shouldnt have been an issue. Hopefully they just take care of everything, speaking to the flooring can you return what you bought and get your money back so that you dont even need to play games with them? That way they can just have a contractor provide it? Or if you can get knowledge of the contractor maybe you can work a deal with them. 

Hate to see you post something like this after recently purchasing a home...welcome to home ownership! Since you just purchased your home and it appears to be an older home a home warranty from a company like AHS or HSA could be a great investment. Prices depend on your area but for me is costs a $600/year which isn't bad at all. I bought my first home last summer and had the seller purchase the top tier home warranty plan of my choosing at no cost to me. It ended up paying for itself in the first year as I found out my guest bathroom's shower valve had a slow leak and it was trickling down the drywall and onto the carpet spike strip. I found it while I was removing the carpet to put down new hardwood tile floors. In the end it cost me $75 to have them rip open the wall, remove the moldy dry wall, replace the value and patch it up. My home is only 12 years old but this year I renewed my policy because living in central Alabama I am expecting my A/C unit to need replacing within the next couple of years. That job alone will cost $5,000-10,000 but with my policy I'll simply pay $75 and it'll be replaced! Also, you only have 30 days from closing to purchase a home warranty that actually covers all repairs, fixing walls, all interior electrical ,etc. Past 30 days the warranty programs are decent but nowhere near as good. Just some food for thought! 

Enjoy your new home!
 
This is what I used to build my shelves and work benches in my garage.  They may not look designer, but they are bomb proof and super strong.  One bench I have probably 8 bundles of shingles and a bunch of extra tile should I need it one day for a repair.  You can build them any size and height that you desire.  
 
2x4's and OSB or whatever you choose to sheet it with.
 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-18-Gauge-ZMAX-Galvanized-2X-Rigid-Tie-Connector-RTC2Z/204834336
 
Depending on what you plan on storing you may or may not be ok using any screw.  I use these screws for the structural integrity.  
 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-8-x-1-1-4-in-Phillips-Wafer-Head-Strong-Drive-Screw-100-Box-SD8X1-25-R/206101783
 
As far as your plumbing goes is that leak under the P-trap on the tub or something else?  This is why I have just learned to do stuff myself.  I have a hard time trusting repair people and they want a ton of money for stupid stuff.  I had a minor leak in my bathroom sink drain tonight while putting the sink back together.  Contractor that did the countertop screwed up and brought a counter top for an under mount sink.  To talk the wife into accepting it, they gave her the sink.  I had to strip all the old hardware off the old one and reinstall on the new sink.  The mack washer being on there for 18 years didn't want to seal.  Cost me $3 to replace and no more leak. 
 
That hole may look serious, but in all honesty it is pretty easy to repair.  No home repair project is all that difficult for the most part.  Some proper tools and patience. 

After posting stuff below, I realized you're painting your cabinets.  May be helpful in another part of your house, or to someone else.
 
As far as your cabinets go, look at the link below.  You can also go to YouTube and in the search bar type in "General Finishes".  Tons of informative videos on using the product.  I was looking at using it when I refinished my cabinets earlier this year.  I just couldn't get the color I was after and didn't want to mess with making a recipe and tinting.  It isn't like going to the paint store and asking for a color.  It was too much work IMO.  I found General Finishes at Woodcraft Supply.  You may or may not have one locally.  Their website will allow you search for a place that sells it in your area.  
 
 
I ended up sanding my cabinets down, which was a ton of work and them staining them.  Still wasn't the exact color I was after, but the process that I was trying to match was sprayed.  The wife said "NO" to spraying in the house and therefor accepted what I had come up with.  The process above in the link if you find a result you like is super easy.  Use the back of a drawer front as your experiment piece.  If you don't like it, wipe it off with some acetone.  Comes right off.  
 
Another video to look at.  I had never dabbled in staining until my cabinets.  The end results are endless depending on technique and product used.
 
 

Bingo, you got it Jim. The seller hired a company to fix a few electrical and plumbing issues and they couldn't get scheduled before we closed so they just wrote checks. They guys did the work on Thursday. I didn't have water when I went over Thursday night and when I came back Friday after work, that is what I saw when I walked it. The water shut offs in the kitchen upstairs began leaking at some point. I don't know how or when the water came back on between Thursday evening and Friday evening. The plumber must have tried to use the shut offs when he tried to rebuild the kitchen faucet. I'm guessing turning them caused the old, brittle seals to go bad and they began leaking. The plumbing company is covering some (they better cover all) of the damage. There was a water restoration company out this morning and they checked walls, floors, and cabinets and found moisture in almost all of the kitchen floor. All of the lower cabinets contained moisture. It sounded like a lot of it would be able to be dried and salvaged but they said all of the lower cabinets would likely need to be replaced. We have to be out of our current place by 9/13 so this should be a pain in my rear for the next 2 weeks. Fingers crossed everything moves quickly. 

I figured I would go ahead and start a thread to document the transformation of my new garage. It is rough right now but I can't wait to transform it and display my growing Adam's collection. Right now, I'm working on the kitchen. Painting cabinets and new flooring. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of the garage tonight but for now, here are some dirty kitchen pictures.

Well the unexpected happened. 

I think it will all work out. The plumber seemed to realize it was on them. He didn't admit that they screwed up but he knew that something happened. It wasn't leaking and then they did work and it began leaking. It was hard to tell how extensive the damage was but the moisture readings showed that it spread out everywhere. A lot of that might just need the fans blowing for a little bit and no other real action. I'm sure I can return it. We have had it for a couple weeks and I'm keeping all of the receipts for this place. I'll just not mention the flooring and if they ask what I want installed, I'll tell them vinyl plank and sell them what I have or they can buy their own. The boxes of flooring are in the condo but if they ask about it, I can say it's for our bedroom or something. The kitchen has sheet vinyl now so I think the planks are comparable. 

Well the unexpected happened. 

No that is there full selection in the pic. ironic that the only retail place it seems to be available is also about 40mins away from adams HQ where you could probably walk in and get it from the source if you asked nicely ?‍♂️ 

If you aren't seeing responses to email, try checking your spam folder. I didn't think I was getting responses either and after email a couple times, I finally had a response come through that showed previous response that I hadn't seen before. I checked my spam folder and saw that they had responded to every email sent, I just wasn't seeing them. They have a ticketing system and responses are sent from some weird email address. I can't guaranteed this is what is happening for you but I felt pretty embarrassed about following up after a response was already sent. When I have called, it has taken a couple tries to get through but I have had someone answer.