GerryC

Availability issues with the supplier. The UFO style pads are the same foam, just different shape and color. But I agree, the hex grip was perfect for hand polishing and waxing. If anyone is looking for hex grips, the blue hex grip is still currently available on adamspolishes.com, and as always you can check with your local authorized dealer, as I'm sure they'll have plenty.

After an overwhelmingly successful turnout last year, Corvette Store & More is holding it's second annual car show on Sunday, May 4, 2014, from 9am - 3pm in Cheshire, CT. The show is open to all years, makes, and models (even motorbikes) and admission is free with a non-perishable donation for the Connecticut Food Bank. Food and live music will be provided on-site. Corvette Store & More is an Adam's Polishes authorized dealer, so stock up on supplies at the show to save on shipping. We will also be having product demonstrations for anybody who is new to Adam's or has any questions about detailing their ride. For more information, post here, or call Anthony at 203-710-9614 Corvette Store & More 312 East Johnson Ave Cheshire, CT 06410 Less than a mile from I691 exit 3

I have used DWC to decon the paint on my G8. I only did one or two panels at a time, while the surface was still wet with rinse water after washing and rinsing the car. This was done in the shade and the car was cool. Once I saw the red specks in the pic below, I thoroughly rinsed the panel(s) and moved on to another. After the whole car was done, I re-washed. It likely does mess up your protection, but this is a step I only do once or twice a year at most, which is when I apply fresh sealant anyway. The car has already been strip washed before doing this as well.

Happy birthday

Did you clay before you did the two-step polish? Did you notice any of these specks before you polished? They could be dried polish, paint overspray, or something environmental. Try diluting some IPA and wiping down a panel to see if the specks go away. If you clay, you may have to polish some light swirls out. Least aggressive method first.

You coat of sealant will last for months and is protecting all the work you already did. When you are ready to apply glaze and wax, all you have to do is re-wash the car. Claying and polishing are only done as needed, and will strip off your sealant.

Yes, the 4" focus pads were designed for situations like this where you need to concentrate your correction power on a small area. Just remember that the drill will mimic the actions of a rotary buffer, so keep the pad moving to avoid heat buildup.

Welcome to the forum, Jason. Plenty of stuff to learn here, so feel free to ask away. And show us some pictures of your car

Tough to get perfect - especially black - on your first ever machine polish job. If it's noticeably better than before you started, that's a win in my book. Now that you're a little familiar with the machine and the process, it won't take nearly as long to polish next time your car needs it. You can always practice on someone else's car in the mean time

Hi George. The clay bar in the video is an older version that Adam's no longer sells (one 200 gram bar). The new version is the one that you have (two 100 gram bars). Two thirds of one of the 100 gram bars would be the same as one third of the bar in the video. However, detailing is never down to an exact number, exact size, or exact amount. Everyone's vehicle size and condition, as well as skills and personal preferences, are different. Use whatever size piece of clay you feel comfortable with.

The 36oz bottles were sold full, so the warehouse needed to stock a bunch of 36'ers for every product that offered it. Since the Kwazars are sold empty, the customer can decide what to fill it with from their own current collection. The result is a better quality sprayer for those who want a larger bottle, and much less overhead behind the scenes. Nick should be around soon to provide an official answer, but this is just my take on it from an outsider's standpoint.

From another post of mine regarding BW vs Americana: Sealants are synthetic products that bond to the surface of your car and boast upwards of six months of protection. Sealants go on before wax. Tim and Mike pretty much nailed everything else.

Just giving you some reassurance

Yes. Products that are forming a layer on top of the paint (sealant, glaze, or wax) need some time to "cure", so it saves you time to apply to the entire car and then wipe it all off later. The only exception in this case would be Americana, for the reasons mentioned earlier. You spread them out, let them set, and then remove the residue. Typically, if you were to start applying sealant to one area of the car, by the time you finish applying to the entire car, the area you started in is ready to be wiped off. Revive is a polish, so it doesn't leave a layer behind on the paint. You work the polish until it's clear and then wipe it away. It won't hurt to do the entire car with Revive and then wipe, but it's probably easier to wipe once you've worked the polish in that area, since polishes don't cure.

This is a full gallon. The containers hold more than 128 fluid ounces, so the product will not be right up to the top. See Bluedog's post above for pics of his full gallons to compare. For the record, in the past I have filled empty containers with exactly 128 ounces of water, to compare side by side with new full Adam's gallons, and found that in most cases you're actually getting a tad more than 128.

1. Whole car. The only product that you should wipe off after every panel or so is paste wax, since it hardens very quickly. Keep this in mind for when you use Americana. 2. The 24 hour "cure" time you are thinking of only applies to the old product, MSS, which LPS has replaced. MSS required a secondary wipedown 12-24 hours after removing the residue, before applying a second coat. LPS can be topped after an hour, according to the label.

Since nobody has asked before offering suggestions...what are the models of the two cars that you are working on? If the "extensive correction" is going to be done on a vehicle with hard clearcoat, a Porter Cable won't cut it (pun intended? You be the judge). If you're working with softer clear, a PC would get the job done without breaking the bank, and it is the simplest polisher to use IMO for a first-timer. Also, Adams does support multiple polishers, they just don't sell some of them anymore because manufacturing or ownership has moved to China.

Strip wash, clay, rewash if necessary, VRT, Revive, IPA if desired, seal, glaze, wax. If you are going with sealant, like Mike said it's about personal preference. A coat of each sealant will last about the same amount of time, both can be applied by hand, and are very easy to use. LPS holds a significant aesthetic advantage over QS, but QS is very versatile, and the aerosol nature allows you to get into really tight areas that you wouldn't be able to hit with an applicator.

Since you are adding APC to your wash to strip, you can omit the IPA wipe down, or do it after RP to prep for sealant/wax. If the car has never been clayed before, it might be advantageous to re-wash the car after claying since you'll likely be pulling up quite a bit of contamination. Since your car is only a nice-day driver and has never seen rain, you might consider dropping sealant and BW altogether and instead spring for the Americana Paste Wax. Any further questions, feel free to ask.

I perform a strip wash every time I am going apply sealant, which is twice a year: beginning of spring, and the end of autumn. Simply add a few ounces of APC to your soap bucket and wash like normal.

Welcome Jim You went with the right combo of RW and DS to keep your (mostly) garaged car clean. As far as waxing/sealing, you have many different options depending on how often you wish to wax, and how long the car will be outside. Personally I'd recommend either LPS or QS as the base coat of protection for any car that will be exposed to the elements for extended periods of time. Sealants can withstand the high temperatures much better than a wax will. A coat of either sealant will last 4-6 months, whereas BW can last about 4 weeks, and Americana about 2 months. I compared the pros and cons of the two waxes in this post. Keep in mind, claying will remove wax/sealant, so while it is a good idea to clay before you wax/seal, it isn't something you should do every time.

IMO using both on the same surface is redundant, as they each have their own purpose. TID is aimed at maintaining, so think of it as a DS for your interior: mild cleaner, mild protectant, anti-static, anti-odor, matte finish. LC is more geared towards heavy rejuvenating, moisturizing, and protection (SPF65). I use the TID on the dashboard, steering wheel, shifter, and all of the hard plastic surfaces. I use the LC on the seats and door panels - the surfaces that have really thick hide leather that you want to stay soft and moisturized - since they will absorb the conditioner.

Sounds good. Sometimes you need an in-person hands-on demo to get on the right path. Videos unfortunately can only guide so much. Let us know how it goes.

If you were to buy a gallon's worth of SVRT one 16oz bottle at a time you would end up paying twice as much as what the gallon costs. If you go through as much as you say, I would just spring for the gallon and save a hundred bucks in the long run.

LPS can effortlessly be used by hand. MSS was so substantially thick that it required the use of a machine to spread it evenly enough. If used by hand, MSS could cause what people call "tiger striping" on the paint, where you would see lines of highs and lows where the product was spread, especially on darker cars. LPS can be applied by hand or by machine, and the residue can be wiped off much earlier (and easier) than with MSS, which took about 20-30 minutes to set up. The "cure time" of the products is the time before you can apply another layer of protection. You can absolutely drive your car between applying layers. The cure time of MSS was due to the fact that the product outgassed over the course of 12-24 hours, and this extra residue needed to be wiped off before applying a second coat, otherwise it would get trapped between the two layers.