GerryC

Depends on the finish of your wheels. Since you mentioned wiping them with SVRT I am assuming they are matte? QS would be the best solution unfortunately. I don't think wax on a matte finish would work out so well. SVRT is a good option to go with though, it will help keep dirt and water from sticking, you'll just have to apply it more often than if you were to use something like QS. Another member has a nice writeup on caring for matte here: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/26544-caring-for-matte-finishes

You would use QS in place of, or before, wax, especially if your car is a daily driver. Additionally, QS is great for protecting wheels, exhaust, etc. since it can withstand high heat. Correct -> Polish -> Seal -> Glaze -> Wax You don't have to use each step (for instance, glaze or sealant can be omitted) just don't jumble them up.

QS is rated up to 300 degrees if I remember correctly. This application was put on almost two months ago. Car is driven almost daily, washed weekly, and sits outside 24/7. No need for a wheel-specific wax or sealant, when you already have a product that is this durable and versatile.

Super VRT wipes off pretty effortlessly if you happen to get it on paint or glass. That is one of the many benefits of a water-based dressing as opposed to one that is oil-based. Be sure your stripes are clean before applying the product, and after you may want to go over them with a clean towel to knock off any excess that didn't absorb into the stripe. This will help prevent runoff if the stripes ever happen to get wet.

Personally I don't like spraying water directly on the engine. A. you get water all over the place, and B. you need to keep the engine running like Jason said to make sure you don't flood anything for too long. With the engine running it'll start to warm up, and the last thing you want to do is spray cold water on a hot engine. I use a detail brush similar to the "trim and lug" brush, with a bucket of water and a bottle of APC. Wet the brush, spray APC in it and scrub whatever you want to clean. I do one area or component at a time. Dunk the brush in the water and then use the clean wet brush to rinse the area. I use utility towels to dry everything off.

APC and a utility towel. If the residue is gone but you can still see an outline of the clay, then put a drop of polish on the towel, rub it in and wipe it off. And if for whatever crazy reason all of that doesn't work, then 3M Adhesive Cleaner.

I use this stuff when cleaning my metal cookware. It's powdered magic in a can.

I wipe the residue off with a waffle weave towel after finishing each panel.

The long answer is they can't be mixed with other types of materials in the same load, and you can not use fabric softener. There are other topics that go into detail, here is a good one: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/24216-washing-machine Everybody has their own methods to cleaning their towels. Whichever way you choose is perfectly fine as long as the basic rules are followed so you don't ruin them.

Adam's used to sell these and I still have about 5 of them. Love them for tires because of the finger slot. I use the regular blocks for trim and such since I can cut them into different shapes.

Ragg Topp is a good a fabric protectant.

Start by washing the car. If there is any other wax or sealant on the paint already you should add some APC to your wash bucket to help remove it. Everything from here on should ideally be done indoors, on a cool surface, out of direct sunlight. After washing, use the clay bar and detail spray (lubricant) to remove bonded contaminants from your clearcoat. Spray an area and rub the clay over the surface until you can feel it become smooth. Continually fold the clay so you expose clean areas every time it looks contaminated. Many people leave the rinse water on the car for this step as it helps stretch the DS so you don't end up using too much. Next is polishing. After drying the car completely, start with the orange pads and the PCP to remove your swirl marks and scratches, and then follow that with the white pads and the PFP to make the paint shine. Whether you use the foam or the microfiber pads, the process is pretty much the same. The microfiber pads are more aggressive, so if you have a lot of damage or if you have a hard clearcoat, I would recommend starting with the microfiber pads. In any case, I would always finish with the white foam. The idea is to step down the levels of aggressiveness until all the damage is gone, and the white foam is the finest of the 4 pads. When machine polishing it is important to "learn" your paint, since every car is different. Work in an easy-access area like the trunk or the hood, in a section no larger than 2'x2' and do the entire two-step process to that one square until you can get the paint to your satisfaction. If you are working in a garage, pull the car out into the sun after finishing that 2x2 area to be 100% sure you have figured out what it will take to eliminate all of the damage. Only once you've figured out that one spot should you go and do the rest of the car. Learning the paint first will save you a lot of time and aggravation later on in your detail. Once you have your paint looking the way you want, apply BG, either by hand or using the Cyclo and the red pads, to enhance the finish. Then top that with Americana to protect all your hard work. If you haven't used a paste wax before, it is a little different than a liquid. Paste sets up pretty darn quick compared to liquids, so I'd recommend only applying the wax to one or two panels at a time. By the time you're done applying to the second panel, the first panel is ready to be wiped off. If you let paste wax set for too long it can become stubborn to remove. Adam's has plenty of videos that walk you through each step in great detail, so grab some popcorn and use them to help fill in the blanks. If you have any other questions feel free to ask and make sure to post some pictures of your car

When Adam's introduced RW, I was skeptical of the idea, especially since it was suggested to use (and re-use) only two towels during the entire process. After a few washings, I started figuring out a few ways to make it a simpler and safer process. You don't need ten gallons of water. You don't need two buckets. Heck, you don't even need a grit guard if the buckets are clean to begin with. You also use less RW which translates into more uses out of your bottle or gallon. Now, instead of 2 ounces of RW, two buckets, and 5 gallons of water in each bucket, I use about 1 ounce of RW, no more than 2 gallons of water, and one bucket. Not only is this cutting your water and product use by half or more, but you're getting a higher concentration of solution to boot. I have six plush 16x24 towels I use for rinseless washing. If you fold them in eighths, that is 96 6x8 usable towel surfaces, which is more than plenty for a car my size. Once you completely use a towel, put it off to the side. This is somewhat similar to the "Garry Dean" method that some people are familiar with, except you are following the Adam's technique of wiping in straight lines and flipping to a fresh side each time. Never reintroduce a used towel back into your RW solution. Why? Well, for starters, your unused towels will then be sitting in dirty water. Secondly, if your solution is never contaminated, you can save whatever's left and use it next time. I don't even dry my rinseless towels after cleaning them anymore. Once they're washed and rinsed thoroughly, I just throw them back in the rinseless solution and seal the lid. Now they're ready to go at a moment's notice, and I can top off the solution with more water or RW as necessary, instead of throwing out ten gallons of water and 12% of my bottle of Rinseless every single time. Speaking of boots:

How bad is your brake dust? A cleaner like DWC isn't meant to be an every-wash cleaner. Most people use it only a few times a year for heavy decon, and use soap and water for maintenance cleaning.

I only use two coats of LPS on my G8. No glaze, no wax. a. because of reasons mentioned since it sits outside 24/7/365, and b. because I don't notice any difference using glaze/wax on flat white. I save that stuff for the vette.

If you are working outdoors, then working one panel at a time is the best approach. Do your entire process - all the way to wax - to a single panel before moving on to the next.

To be fair, you usually need to polish after using traditional clay as well. Maybe not the full two-step system if the paint is in good enough shape, but in all likelihood you will need a finishing polish to clean up any micro damage induced during the clay process, especially if the car is a darker color or has softer clearcoat. For the record, I have used clay alternatives which attach to your dual-action polisher; however, I would only use them on glass.

If you are working indoors you can certainly do the entire car before wiping off the residue.

This is exactly why topics get locked. And then people complain that topics get locked. It becomes lose-lose for everybody, so save this banter for private messages.

I have not tried the 4" microfiber pads with the PC, but I have used the 7" and they do cut better than the foam, so I would imagine the 4" hold the same advantage. I would stick with speed 5, you just don't ned to use as much pressure with the smaller pads, since the power is concentrated in a smaller area.