Sam Y

Hello all. I applied 2 coats of Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating to my new vehicle about a month ago. I had done a strip wash, surface prep wipedown, and then 2 coats on painted surfaces. Now I am getting the car wrapped. How should I remove the ceramic spray coating and prep the surface for wrapping? Is there any way to "test" that the coating has been removed? The shop doing the wrap will do a strip wash already.

I use it on the wet car.

No way I could use any blow dryer on my car. My neighbors would complain for sure. In fact I cringe even when I use my regular leaf blower (electric) just to blow leaves. I don't know how anyone can live with that sound.

I really like ceramic boost (this car is ceramic coated 2 years ago) and I wanted something in between ceramic boost and waterless wash. I know it's more expensive, but I think it's way more effective as a drying aid compared to waterless wash / detail spray.

I used to use detail spray as my dying aid. I tried the CS3 for the first time for drying and I must say it's much slicker. I did a full bucket wash and then dried with CS3 as lubrication in 20 mins. It worked great for getting all that salt off the paint! I just wonder why they give such a tiny bottle for it. I almost ran out by the time I was finishing, and the car is just a mid sized sedan....

If I did have the money I would go ceramic pads!

One of my cars actually was professionally coated at the wheels. I feel like it only makes a difference when wiping down the wheels. Has little to no effect on actual brake dust buildup. All my cars have big brake kits so that means once you clean it, the wheels will be coated in dust 2 weeks later.

I did use wheel cleaner but I felt it was too harsh for my nose and the environment (take your pick) so I switched to eco wheel cleaner. Iron remover is the worst smelling product I've used by far but it does help to get some of the baked in iron stains on the wheels. These stains occur because I never bother rotating the wheels when I clean so some cleaner ultimately will dry if I move the car a space after cleaning.

Now to try one of those "rotating brush heads" that connects to the hose.

Yes, I have a separate supply for paint-bound towels and wheel-bound towels.

From my old experience using quick detailer (from other brands) helps gets most of the brake dust off, but if you don't do it often enough or if the detailer dries sometimes it binds to the wheel. So recently I used Adam's iron remover when I washed the wheels and it worked very well. However, this only needs to be done once or twice a year.

I just find hand cleaning and drying the wheels with microfiber towels way easier than spraying it with a brush and hose. Also, using a hose almost always requires you to wash the car afterwards because of the splash back.

Is there an Adam's product that's best used to clean off brake dust from the wheels without water? I hate using the hose so I prefer to not use the usual wheel cleaners, which I think will stain the wheels if left on too long.

I've tried both the wheel cleaner and the eco wheel cleaner. They work fine but honestly my hands get too tired holding the brush. I would rather go back to just using a microfiber towel on the wheels, which has much better results and is quicker. The product I used to use was from another brand so I can't mention it here.

I just use the regular detail spray for drying the car after a wash. I feel it helps with the lubrication and streak free results. I feel like drying first then using detail spray is too much work...

I don't think a day is long enough for it to etch into your paint. It should probably be fine.

I've used the Water Spot remover with good results. You can keep repeating the process as long as you neutralize it with waterless wash or even water I guess.

Adam's has a product, the water spot remover.

Depending on how long the water spots have been on your car, it may or may not be removed by the liquid remover. Also read the instructions, or else if you overspray or leave it on too long it can seriously mess up your paint/glass.

I would go with towels. I did my first touchless wash yesterday with Adam's mega foam and my friend's expensive electric leaf blower. I know it's not the same as the Adam's air cannon but it was heavy, tiresome, and loud to blow the blower. Granted, Chris's point about saving time and scratches is true, I just feel like if the car is clean you can spray some Adam's detail spray with the leftover water and it should be enough lubrication to not cause issues.

I agree. It's super quiet, not messy at all, environmentally friendly, and leaves the car pretty darn clean with a ceramic coating.

4 hours ago, chops1sc said:

 

I think softened water still has "stuff" in it that can leave spots. Deionized water will give you true spot-free drying as long as the resin is still good. It's all about the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water.

Yeah that's what a quick Google search got me. I was thinking of getting the Adam's spotless unit but considering it could help a lot of appliances in our house (coffee maker, washer/dryer) to have softer water I was trying to investigate a whole house softener. I know there are different kinds and I was mainly interested in the salt-free ones.

So it seems the resin-based systems (not sure if that's the same as salt-free) suspend the magnesium and calcium then there's an overall reduction in TDS (total dissolved solids)? I will probably have to talk to a professional plumber to get their idea.

I'm curious. If you rinse down a car after using a water softener, does it even need to be dried? Technically it should just evaporate and not leave any spots right?

Thanks for the videos, they were very helpful. The self-car washes here in NJ are few and far in between. Sometimes they are closed when it is below freezing. The newer ones even have blowers in the bay to dry the car off. However, they are not as wide as the ones in this video. Seems like most of the comments in youtube deal with people getting into trouble for bucket washing their car while others have to wait in line for a bay.

Any way to get Adam's soap onto a public pressure washer here? I couldn't get a good picture of the tip but I figure you get the idea.

If you're looking for the latest ceramic line the graphene products offer a full suite of tools: graphene coating, graphene spray, graphene detail, and the tire dressing. I've only used the graphene spray and it worked quite well with water beading. They even offer a ceramic paste wax which I've always wanted to try.

Best way to protect the leather is to get a good tint haha. Definitely try the leather and interior cleaner + carpet & upholstery cleaner. I think they were introduced rather recently. I've got both but haven't tried them yet since covid = no driving!

Thanks for the advice. I'll try brilliant glaze next time.

The spot went away on its own after the car got rained on. I would think a ceramic coat gives some protection against bird droppings, even if it's on vinyl.

On 3/30/2021 at 7:03 PM, Trap said:

Good to hear about the bug droppings, how does it work on the bugs

 

I meant bird droppings. Don't use it for bird droppings or else your paint will be marred. I learned this lesson the hard way.

For bugs, it can easily get most bugs off but I've had some instances where I had to use Adam's bug remover. The bug remover works quite well but it's one of those "don't let it dry on your car or there could be problems" products so I try not to use it as much. I've found if the bug guts are dried up from the sun I eventually have to use bug remover.

Having a ceramic coat also helps tremendously. All the ceramic coated cars I have no longer need the bug removal.

I tried to wipe it off with some waterless wash but it seems to have left a mark. My roof is wrapped with Inozetek Gloss black + coated with ceramic coat and I just noticed the bird crap today. The poop washed off but not really sure what else I can try to get rid of the mark.

Car is parked outside so, you know, things happen.

Waterless wash is my favorite product too! The Adams one is formulated quite well compared to competitors.

If you can't do a normal wash, it helps to hose down the car or wait for it to rain if the dirt is heavy. Also don't use waterless wash for bug droppings. Ask me how I know. 😭

I would recommend not using an exterior car cover. I've had one for years before I was able to afford a garage and all sorts of stuff (pollen, dust) gets between the cover and the car. It really just protects the car from the sunlight and possibly water damage. The surface wasn't too badly marred but once you have a huge gust of wind and the cover is half blown off you'll regret it.

The problem with this strategy is that the pay'n'spray areas near me usually close their stations in the winter. I guess it's the possibility of their pipes freezing?

I had to do a first-ever 2 bucket wash in my driveway. It was quite warm (50F) but the water was ice cold.

I didn't have a garage for the last 5 years and my only option was to visit the pay'n'spray on warm days to hose down the car, then drive home to air dry on the way and do a waterless wash. It worked well for a few ski trips but with salt on the roads you just have to be okay with not having a perfect exterior.

On 9/23/2020 at 11:55 AM, Dan@Adams said:

 

The current 16oz sprayers with the rotating head assembly and shorter pick up tube are due to a worldwide shortage on sprayers. We should eventually get back to the normal 16oz sprayers with the longer pick up tube and fixed sprayer head. It is a matter of that was all that we could source at the time.

Any idea when the old fixed head sprayers will be back? I'm running out... I refuse to use the temporary rotating head ones. They are so painful to use.

I'm talking about these: https://adamspolishes.com/products/adam-s-16oz-replacement-sprayers

I didn't mean to say Ceramic countertop. I have a Corian counter countertop and numerous quartz countertops I've used it on. I haven't noticed any difference whatsoever, but I use it anyway because hey I bought it.

I would think that even though it is porous the sealant still works. Wood is very porous, but most kitchen surfaces are already coated with a finish so I guess you are just sealing over the finish. 

Just wondering if the Emeril Lagasse Kitchen sealant works on wood. I've been using it for all my ceramic countertops and I still have a lot left. I would rather use it all up since I prefer not to have bottles laying around.