stalebreadjr

Yeah. Im pretty sure that is my next evolution lol! Beginning next year I'll probably tip toe right into a SK mystery box..... 😁. I'll certainly be asking lots of questions to u guys too!

Thanks Ray! And thanks for all the input you have given me in other threads up to this point! Yes, definitely glad I polished with RHP!

Thanks JR! I hope it is helpful to others! I want to give back and support the way others on this forum do. It certainly has helped me!

Alright, let me set the stage for this one. First off, I am by no means a professional detailer. Prior to the last 5 months or so, I did not know anything about Adams products nor did I have any "arsenal" of products or materials. I got started with Adams off of a post that a friend of mine liked on Instagram. The videos intrigued me. So I started lurking on the forums and watching videos and dipped my toe in with a mystery bucket. That was all it took. Now here I am, showing you what this stuff can do, and if I can do it, anyone can do it. I don't have any polishers or any special machines, I just took a great deal of time and enjoyed working this project with my truck. So here we go. Oh and here is a before picture of my truck just before I started to work on it. I have already posted another thread on my Interior detail and engine bay cleaning. I started by completing those first. For the exterior cleaning I started with the Wheels, Tires, Wheel wells and Exhaust Tips. Products and Materials Used: Wheel Cleaner Tire and Rubber Cleaner ECO APC Car Shampoo Tire Brush Fender Brush Wheel Woolie Wheel Brush Lug Nut Brush Bucket of Clean Water w/ Grit Guard Tote of microfiber towels (I used the edgeless utility for any wipedown) I started by getting my bucket half full of clean water and I added a bit of CS to it. Here is where I kept all my brushes to be used. I worked each wheel entirely before moving on to the next wheel. On each wheel I would start by completely hosing down the wheel and well, removing as much dirt and grime as I could with water alone. Then I started with the Wheel well, spraying it down with the ECO APC and using my Fender Brush that was soaking in the sudsy CS water, I would shake the excess in the bucket, then spray the brush with ECO APC and work the whole Wheel Well. I then moved on to the tire and sprayed it down with the TRC and repeated the same steps with the Tire brush by shaking off the excess CS water and spraying the brush with a plug or 2 of TRC and working that tire. Then lastly I used what I considered to be the most agressive product in the Wheel Cleaner and sprayed the barrels of the wheel and face really well, using the wheel woolie I scrubbed the barrels, man this is a tool that I would definitely suggest having, NO SCRAPED UP KNUCKLES! Then I used the Wheel brush to clean off the remaining face of the wheel and finally I used the lug nut brush to clean all the spots that were hard to reach. Now, the lug nut brush also in my opinion is crucial here. There were spots inside the rim that did not scrub clean with the woolie that I was able to get with the lug nut brush and the same on the face of the wheel. Highly recommended to have this guy handy. I then sprayed down each wheel completely with water and inspected. If there was a spot to be revisited, I did that at this time. Now, as I used each of these tools I would give them a quick spray with the hose then scrub them on the grit guard in my bucket and let them sit there until the next wheel. After all 4 wheels were complete I cleaned the exhaust tips with a spray or 2 of ECO APC and the wheel woolie and lug nut brush. After completing all the wheels and exhaust tips, I knew I was about to wash the whole exterior, so I took this time to use the TRC and Utility Microfiber towels and clean all the oxidation I could from the rubber trim and other trim around my truck. I would just spray into a spot on the towel and work each trim piece until that part of the towel was soiled, then rotate the spot on the towel and repeat. Next I moved on to the first wash in my decontamination process. First I prepped the area by cleaning out my wheel bucket, spraying out those tools and hanging them to dry and setting all those chemicals aside. Next I gathered all the materials and tools for the First Strip Wash: 2 clean buckets w/ 2 clean grit guards 2 wash pads 1 microfiber Wash Mitt ( in case the pad was not aggressive enough) Adams Step Ladder Bug Remover Strip Wash Foam Cannon Pressure Washer Iron Remover I started here by prepping all my chemicals and tools. I mixed about 4oz of Strip wash in my Foam Cannon and set it aside. I then followed the prep for the 2 bucket wash by filling a bucket with clean water and Grit Guard and my wash bucket with Clean water, a bit of Strip Wash and my wash pads with a squirt of Strip wash on each of them and foamed them up. Now that I'm ready I used my pressure washer on a very mild pressure and went over the whole vehicle blasting off any bugs or obvious stuck on grime and junk. Next I followed the method Adam used in his presentation video for the bug remover and sprayed down the grill, mirrors and windshield with the bug remover and let it sit while I hooked up my foam cannon to the pressure washer. Here is the link to the product page which is the only place I have found this video. https://adamspolishes.com/collections/car-washing-products-best-car-shampoo/products/adams-bug-remover I started from the back and foamed the whole truck leaving the areas where I had bug remover soaking for the very last bit of foaming, this way they got the most exposure to the bug remover and now have a mix of bug remover and strip wash on them! TAKE THAT BUGS!!! The hardest part of washing this truck for me is reaching every spot adequately, so I used my long Adams Step ladder and started from the roof and again followed around the vehicle leaving the Grill windshield and mirrors for last. I'm gonna tell ya, it was pretty easy removing those bugs, and there were a lot on there. I wish I had taken a better close up shot before and after. I'm sold on this one. Bug Remover will stay in my Arsenal! Plus it smells good! Now that the washing is done I Rinse from here. Now, I did my rinse with my regular hose that has a multi-sprayer on it so I could control and switch from a shower spray to a stream spray if necessary. I just personally find that easier to accomplish what I'm trying to do. After a complete rinse, I did not dry, I worked around the vehicle with the Iron Remover panel or 2 at a time, spraying the panels, letting it sit for a couple minutes and then hosing off. I worked in smaller sections because the wind was mildly blowing and I didn't want the stuff to dry on the truck as there are multiple warnings about letting it dry. Now, my truck is black, so it was really hard for me to see anything happening until I actually washed it off and I could see a purple haze to the water coming off. I pretty much used the entire bottle of this stuff on my truck, there was a little left but not enough to complete another vehicle, probably a 4th of the bottle left or less. Next up was the Clay Decontamination. For this step I had personally gone back and forth on how I wanted to complete this step. Originally, I was going to mix up a bottle of CS diluted down and use that as my clay lube. My thoughts were to have a lubricant that would not leave behind any protective properties since I was actively stripping that off. Then, I had some discussion with @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin off forum about potentially just foaming each section of the vehicle that i was going to clay ensuring that I would have the lubricity there. All in all, with the mild wind coupled with the hassle of grabbing my pressure washer each time I wanted to clay a new section, I abandoned that thought all together and just used Detail Spray. I was able to control that and work at a steady pace and also work indoors in my garage. Shout out to @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin for all the great detailing conversation on and off the forum! Much appreciated! Here are the tools I used for the Clay Decontamination: Visco Clay Kit 1 Refill Visco Clay in case I dropped the one I was using 2 Bottles of Detail Spray Step Ladder This part of the process was brand new to me altogether. I have never clayed a vehicle before and let me tell you, it was easier than I anticipated and very satisfying! It is very hard to describe the feel of the process but you can "feel" what you need to clay a little more and what is done. I really like the visco clay bar kit. The Geo-Impression tool not only helps to mold the clay so it will pick up the contamination better, but it acts as a handle kind of and it feels good in your hands and it is very easy to hold on to. I worked 1 panel at a time here in the garage spraying the panel with DS and then 1 shot of DS on my clay each time I started a new section or anytime it seemed like it wasn't slick and again, you can feel that. I honestly thought I wouldn't see much on my truck because its in pretty good shape and stays in the garage when I'm not driving it, but man, there was a good bit on there and I used up the entire clay bar on the whole vehicle. The way I approached this was kind of how I did washing the vehicle. I did the panels that I thought were the least soiled first and left my grill and wheels for last, that way if I was picking up big bits of bug remnants or anything I was not doing that first, but rather towards the end of the clay procedure. I made it a point also to feel the panel with my hand before and after claying. Next I did a Clean Up Wash: 2 clean buckets w/ 2 clean grit guards 2 wash pads Adams Step Ladder Strip Wash Foam Cannon Pressure Washer Great White Drying Towel Accessory Drying Towel This was pretty straight forward. Before Starting I made sure my 2 previous wash buckets were emptied and cleaned out and sprayed out with the hose as well as the wash pads thoroughly cleaned up. I still had about a half a bottle of the strip wash from the first wash so that is what I used to foam the vehicle. I foamed the truck and washed it top down and then rinsed with the hose thoroughly. Since I was not going any further at the time I chose to go ahead and dry off the vehicle. So once it was rinsed I pulled in the garage and used my GW Drying Towel to get all the big panels and then the Accessory Drying Towel for spot checking and cleaning up drips. I did not use any form of compressed air. In the future I will probably invest in the sidekick and this step would have probably been way easier. Next step I took was to Polish the Truck: Venom Gloves Revive Hand Polish Blue Hex Grip Applicator Single Soft Microfiber Towels Step Ladder Respirator I'll be honest. I was not going to do this step when I first started buying the tools for Ceramic Coating. I don't own a polisher, really didn't want to make that investment right now, and have zero experience with polishing. However, I am so glad that I took this step. I used the least possible aggressive method by hand polishing and using Revive, but I'm telling you, it made a great deal of difference in the shine of my Clear/Paint. I started this step with much skepticism, and ended thinking about buying a polisher and learning how to do it better. This step took me the better half of a day to complete. I really took my time and really focused on what I was doing and tried not to make it a chore. I put a couple JRE podcasts on to listen to and took many breaks throughout the process. I made sure I had comfortable seating (That Adams Rolling Detail Chair is in my future BTW ), I took the globes off the lights in my garage to ensure I had the maximum amount of lighting and I had several LED Flashlights at my disposal to check the paint and polishing. It took me a good bit to get the amount of polish right, there were a couple times I put too much, and in that case I just polished a bigger section and primed the pad with DS for the next bit until the polish got thin before I put more on. After finishing this step I went ahead and cleaned up this pad with some APC and set it aside to dry. Just polishing made a noticeable difference. And here we are folks....I did all that for this moment! It was pretty dadgum exciting! Now is the time for the Surface Prep and Ceramic Spray Coating: Venom Gloves Respirator Adams Surface Prep Spray Single Soft Microfiber Towels Step Ladder Microfiber Applicators Suede Removal Towels A couple things I want to mention. The Gloves are a must for both polishing and coating. There is no way not to get any of this on your hands. I had originally purchased a pair of gloves off the Adams site, but I found these Venom Gloves at Lowe's when I got my cool flow disposable respirators and I really like them. They are very comfortable and my hands didn't sweat in them like they normally do in gloves. I went through about 12 pairs in this whole process because I would throw them out anytime I stopped and took a break or moved to a different process. I also highly recommend the Adams Surface Prep Spray. I know you can mix your own but this spray was easy to use and cleaned the area well. I could see in the Single Soft Towels where it was blue when I prepped some panels because I had not completely removed all the polish. To my naked eye it looked as if I had, but the prep spray saw it differently . I only took a portion of a panel at a time to complete this process. I wanted to make sure that I was cleaning, coating and removing all before moving on. I would prep the entire panel first and then I would coat a section around 2 x 2, let it flash, then use the suede removal towels to buff off the oils. These suede towels are another thing that I was NOT going to use originally but I'm so glad I did. They really made removal and buffing of the CSC easy. I coated the entire vehicle including the wheels. I took the advice of @falcaineer and I did not level any of the CSC that I put on the plastic trim. Speaking of the trim, I used the small suede applicators that come in the CSC kit to apply it to my trim and wheels, all of the other areas I used the microfiber applicators. I used 5 of the microfiber applicators in total in the process, I found that after using them for a couple panels they would start to leave a fuzz behind, so I just threw that one away and picked up a fresh one. When removing the excess oils, ANGLES, ANGLES, ANGLES! Although I had great lighting at my disposal, I would look at the panel from 3 different directions and usually I would find at least 1 spot I missed somehow. Once I was completely finished, I then let it sit about 12 to 16 hours in the garage before moving on to the final steps. Ceramic Boost, Undercarriage Spray and Tire Dressing: Ceramic Boost Double soft Microfiber towels Single Soft Microfiber Towels Microfiber Utility Towel Undercarriage Spray Tire Shine Black Hex Grip Applicator Block Applicator Cardboard cut to fit around wheels Venom Gloves This was the final steps in the whole process for me. I addressed the undercarriage and Tires first so that I could clean up any overspray or dripping before boosting the wheels. I took old Adams boxes (I saved them for this purpose) and deconstructed them to fit all the way around each tire. I then worked each tire and wheel well like I would on the cleaning process one at a time, outside in. I sprayed the undercarriage spray in the wheel well, then I used a piece of cardboard flexed into an arc (pic below) and sprayed the tire shine into the tread block all the way around the tire. I used the hex grip applicator to level out the shine all around the tire. My tires have the small grooves all the way around the tire and the hex grip applicator does good at helping to get the TS in all of those grooves. Instead of wiping in a circle I would wipe from the rim outward to the tread block, then last wipe would be circular around the tire. I let all of this set while I moved on to the ceramic boosting. I changed my gloves and started from the top again and applied the Ceramic Boost sprayed directly on the panel and wiped down with a Double Soft Towel. This is actually the only time that I use the premium towel during the Ceramic stages. All other applicators/removal tools were the suede towels or microfiber applicators that got tossed away after use. I'm not sure how to tell if the Boost I have is the 2.0 or not but it sure did seem to wipe up well. I tried to find any indication on the bottle and I couldn't, but it is in the new Grey label style bottle so I'm assuming it is the 2.0. I boosted the entire vehicle top to bottom. I then addressed the wheels and tires again. I changed my gloves and using a block applicator knocked down any streaking on the undercarriage spray, using Edgeless utility towel I cleaned up any overspray or dripping on the wheel itself. I changed my gloves again and applied Ceramic boost to the rims. At this point I stepped back and really admired how far this truck had come from what it was. I really thought it looked good before, but now it looks outstanding! I would encourage anyone even thinking about doing this to try it. Don't be stingy though and don't cut corners and listen to the advice of the professionals that are on this forum and those who have done it over and over. They certainly helped me and that advice modified what I ended up doing by about 10 or 12 times! I wouldn't omit anything that I did at this point, only add steps. I hope this was enjoyable to read and I hope this helps someone else and I can give back to this community the way it has given to me! Thanks for reading!

My understanding of what he was talking about, was that CS and MF do not have any additional protection agents or additives that would remain on the surface of the vehicle after use. So if you were preparing to do a ceramic coating, you would use either of these shampoos before moving on to paint correction, polishing and coating. Whereas the Wash and Wax and Ultra Foam DO have additives that you don't really want there prior to moving on to those correction steps. Alternatively, if you have already completed a ceramic coating, you DO want to use the Wash and Wax or UF shampoos because they would continue to play off that ceramic coating and increase protection. That is how I understood the video.

Nice detail job captain!

Thanks Ray! I enjoyed documenting it and hope that it was a good read. Looking forward to the exterior now! thanks....who knows....there may be an Adam's Brand Floor Mat Rack spawn out of this LOL!

Did you take any pics? I'm interested to see! I thought about the pressure washer but I have a multi sprayer hose that had a very similar stream with a lot less pressure so I opted for that option.

Thanks @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin! I appreciate the kind words. I have always tried to keep my vehicles in as good a shape as possible. I typically buy new, so it really is up to me, I can't use the excuse that someone owned it before me . My truck is 3yrs old now, and I plan to keep it looking the same. Very satisfied! The uncertainty of the engine bay cleaning was on my mind for sure, but after it was done, I was very satisfied and happy that I trusted the experts on this one. I really just took my time and didn't try to rush anything. I'm sure I will tweak some things the next time I do it but that is exactly why I wanted to document what I did.

Thanks Donald! I got the dilution ratio from that embedded video. I have seen some different ratios used throughout the forum so I'm sure you get different results based on what you like. Glad my post can help someone!

So, I've been on the forums for a couple months now. Slowly building my Adams detailing gear and materials. I posted in the newbie forum ("new to this game")and had some great discussion. Before I go any further I do want to say thanks to @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin @falcaineer @RayS and many others on the forum for being so helpful and responsive. @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin provided a very detailed write up on my post that I would say anyone should read, detailing steps for Exterior prep and Ceramic Spray Coating. Thanks all! For this thread, I will be focusing on the Engine Bay and Interior steps that I have taken so far on my full detail. I will be completing the exterior and Ceramic coating later on this week (after the rain blows through) I was very hesitant to even attempt the engine bay cleaning but I did a ton of research, talked with forum members and watched Adam's videos over and over and came up with my plan. Here is what I used: Engine Bay: Eco APC VRT "milk" (my ratio was 30% VRT/ 70% distilled water) Block Applicator Lug Nut Brush Wheel Brush Oil-Less Air Compressor Adam's Step Ladder (I'm short, so this makes my life easier ) As I said, I was a little skiddish to try this but I just used common sense and followed the videos that I had seen describing methodology. I started here on the engine bay because I knew I would get the truck wet in the process and figured I would have overspray. So why not start here and work outward. Here is a video that I like of Adam demonstrating. I first removed all leaves and debris from the bay. I set my water hose on the "Flat" setting which gave me a light mist of water but it was forceful enough to move dirt while not dumping a ton of water on my engine and components. I chose not to use my pressure washer mainly because I wanted more control of what I was doing. I sprayed all the loose dirt that I could see off. I then soaked the bay with the Eco APC. Using my soft wheel brush I agitated all of that and followed up with my Lug Nut brush on all the spots that I could not reach without banging the brush around on stuff. Using the "Flat" water hose I then rinsed off all the APC. I followed up with my air compressor and blew out as much water as I could. It was not COMPLETELY dry but it was not standing water on any of the engine bay. From this point I sprayed the VRT "milk" over the entire engine and closed down the hood. I went on about my business and started cleaning the interior of the vehicle and mats and such (detailed below). Once I was done with the interior I opened the hood back up and used the block applicator to knock down the wet shine or places where there was more product than I personally wanted. In the spots I missed I used the block applicator to apply there. Here are the before and after pics of the engine bay. So, while that was marinating, I moved on to the interior of the vehicle. Below are the materials that I used: Interior: Leather and Interior Foam Cleaner Interior Detailer Glass Cleaner Tire and Rubber Cleaner Tire Brush Leather Conditioner Microfiber towels Vacuum Cleaner w/ attachments I started here by removing all the Rubber floor mats from the truck. I also removed any and all pieces inside that would make them easier to clean. I have several coin holder type rubber inserts in my truck and they are all removable. I also pull all of my headrests off the seats to make the glass in the back of the truck easier to reach and also make them easier to dress at the later stages. So, I saw this video of Adam doing a winterization on a SUV in a public, pull up, pressure washer bay. In this video he had a tip to take out any rubber mats and hang them up on the wall using their clamps and spray them down with TRC. Then use the Tire Brush to really scrub them down. So I "RE'd" something of the sort here at my house and did just that. A good spray off with the water hose and then soaked with TRC and scrubbed with the Tire Brush. Then I hung them up and let them soak while I worked on the interior. Video: I stated with a thorough vacuum of the entire truck. I used to not do this part first but I found that I kick up dust doing this as a last step and end up with dust on my interior pieces after they have been wiped down. So after a thorough vacuum of the carpet, I moved on to cleaning all of the glass in the vehicle. I tried both types of glass cleaner that Adams has and I think I like the Green Spray bottle the best. I can get a real fine mist with a full pull of the trigger where the can gives me a wide foam spray. Next I moved on to cleaning my leather seats and any other heavily soiled parts of the interior of the truck. I used the Leather and Interior Foam Cleaner and a microfiber towel and it worked great. I did want to try the Interior Detailer (got both of these in a Mystery Bucket BTW) so I grabbed a second microfiber and used that on all my plastic pieces in the truck. It also worked very well. I controlled both of these products by introducing them into the MF towel and then wiping on to the desired surface. After cleaning, I then went on to the Leather conditioner and wiped down all the leather in the truck. This is where having the headrest removed also helped. I could really get all the way to where the leather ended at all parts of the truck without smearing on the glass or other surfaces. I could also hold the headrest in my hand and use the conditioner outside of the vehicle. Now I moved back to my Rubber floor mats. I hosed them off thoroughly and hung them back on the rack to dry. It was at this point that I moved back to the engine bay cleaning as mentioned above to visit and assess the shine of the VRT "milk". Here are some pics! BEFORE All in all, I am very pleased so far with the ease of use of all these products, especially for the shade tree novice like myself. I'll be taking pictures and posting about my exterior process and coating soon. Thanks again y'all!

I'll agree that you deserve a free bottle for that suggestion! I got mine and it smells fantastic. I wish the bottle actually said "apple cider" instead of "pumpkin spice" though! Through me off when I got mine. Mine is more orange than yellow too, but the smell is on point!

That's cool! Im looking for what you do in either case so it's all good! I travel a good bit for vacationing, usually driving not flying.

So, shortly, my vehicles will be ceramic coated (temps are still in the high 90s here... so im waiting a couple weeks) I personally was thinking about getting some airline travel bottles and putting CWW, DS, glass cleaner, and interior detailer. A couple microfiber towels in a soft case. But again, I'm more interested in y'all's take on this and what y'all do more than anything.

So far, I have found a wealth of knowledge here as a beginner. That being said I am very interested in what you all carry in your vehicle as a travel kit. Basically, what is the "don't leave home without it" collection for y'all? I'm wanting to carry a few things in a soft case or small case in my vehicles and I always like to ask before I buy. I know you all have refined what you use and you can't buy that kind of experience!

Nice Ray! Great pics and details of work completed.

Those stickers! Cool!

Update number 2! Got my vacation out of the way and final order is on the way. I think with my stock already (mostly from mystery buckets and organizers), my 1st order and this last order, I have all that I need to get this puppy done! Wish me luck and competence! Now I'm just looking for a dip in temps and a couple days of free time. Order 2 details: Adam's Block Applicator - 2 Pack Adam's Apple Cider Car Shampoo Adam's 21" Metal Garage Sign ( Not needed for this job....but you know ) Adam's Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener - 32oz Adam's Blue Hex Grip Applicator Adam's Revive Hand Polish Adam's Strip Wash Adam's Iron Remover - 16oz Adam's Detail Spray 2 Pack Adam's Tire & Rubber Cleaner - 16oz Adam's Small Barrel Brush Adam's Tire Brush Adam's Red Foam Cannon Adam's Trim & Lug Nut Brush Adam's Pro Tire Hex Grip Applicator *Tire and Trim*

This is actually the one I saw, finally found it again. In this one he doesn't have anything covered and uses a pressure washer, it also has the "VRT milk"procedure in it. I'll be sure to document my process and hopefully will not have any negative outcome.

Oddly enough, that thread is kind of indicative of what I see with answers varying so much. I wish the original video was still up as it sounds like it was very descriptive! It's obvious all the concerns are from folks not wanting the "Christmas tree"effect lol!

The second video was one i watched and 1 with Adam himself, I'll have to find it. My vehicles are 2016 dodge ram 1500 and 2018 jeep compass, no after market, no modifications. Thanks for the thread and other video, checking them out now Chris. Thanks everyone for your input!

So, I've watched several videos from the Adams team about cleaning and polishing the engine bay, but I'm still left with the question "what do i need to cover or avoid spraying with water?" In all the videos it is just stated that newer cars are "bulletproof" to spray the engine bay full on with light pressure water hose or pressure washer. I'm sure I'm not the first to ask so maybe you guys can point me to a thread in the past where this was discussed or give me your method. Both my vehicles are 2016 or higher. Thanks in advance!

Nice!

Thanks pal!

I'm so anxious to get it done man! But i wanna be sure i have all the tools necessary to do it right. So I'm being patient!