mjhpadi

If you guys ever want to meet up let me know, would love to meet other guys and exchange some detailing ideas/tips/process...anyway always enjoy meeting other people who are into cars and making new friends.

Yeah where? I'm from Lewisburg and haven't seen any of these other guys in Pennsylvania!!lol

I understand the problem your wife has, and not making lite of the situation, but one of the big reasons I dislike Meguiar's so much is that I can't count the number of bottles of their products I have dropped from less then 3 feet and have had break and lose the whole bottle of product. It's another thing I like about Adam's, I've had the bottles slip out of my hand fall of my cart and drop while I'm on a step stool and never had one break...I would much rather content with getting product out the losing it because the bottle breaks too easy. However, do not misunderstand, I still hate the lid on the Americana Wax, it's a PITA to get on and the other day I had to use a stone to beat it to get it off, sure hope the Americana gets a better container in the near future.

I also agree with these guys, a dealership isn't going to want "detailing" they are going to want cheap & fast, also they are not going to give you high quality products to use, more then likely you will get the 3M stuff that they can get in big drums.

This is a perfect chance to start your business, tell them you will do contract detailing, so you can charge them a per car basis...just remember there is a ton of things to consider when starting a business that is going to require you full-time..like the fact that you will have to buy your health insurance, time involved in travel, and on and on. Not a bad item, just don't sell yourself short. Maybe you could of them a discount based on the number of cars they have you do per month...I have no idea how to price this but I would think it they are a big dealer and they want you to do more then 2 cars per day...more then 60 per month, you could almost do a contract so you could hire additional help if you are priced right. They may or may not go for the idea but it wouldn't hurt to give it some thought and throw them an offer. Also if you take the job offer and think your are going to do detailing on the side, I think that will lose it's appeal rather quickly, having an vocation and avocation that is the same...really makes for not much time for doing any other interests.

Yeah, I thought they did a good job of removing the dust, then I realized that I was getting a bunch of swirls from the Duster....won't use it.

Take advantage of the Father's Day special..and I promise you will wonder why you didn't get the stuff sooner. You vehicle will look awesome after your first detail with Adam's! BTW....

I know that Brilliant did contain some cleaner so if you put it on over the wax it will remove the wax. I have been using it as a final step before the wax and then waxing on top of Brilliant and it looks great, really adds depth and gloss to the finish.

This is a great question. When I talked to Adam he told me that there was no need to remove the residue if you were going to make Revive the next step. The Revive will take off the residue and clean the paint. I have done it both ways, wiping off the residue before going to the Revive, but lately I just leave it on, and apply Revive over the clay bar residue. Honestly, I don't really see any difference, and leaving the residue on the car actually saves a little time. However, if you leave the residue on the car, when you do remove the Revive, you will need a few more towels because the will become dirty fairly quickly.

Would it help to keep the old style if you use telfon tape or on of the light duty thread lockers on the threads, that way you would still be able to get the adapter off.

If you are rinsing off with the hose, this is acceptable, it is much better then using a California Duster. Plus you said you are using Detail Spray to dry, so I see nothing wrong with your method...I have the same dust problem from a lot of truck traffic passing my house loaded with construction materials from a quarry, so I go through quite a bit of Waterless Wash and Detail Spray. Just remember that when you use the WW it wouldn't bring back the shine like Detail Spray...I usually end up doing a quick pass with DS after using the WW.

Glad to hear you are impressed with your results!

It sounds like you are doing a hand detailing and I agree with these guys. Before, I give you how I would do it, I would check the build date, I'll bet your car is probably old enough that it will not hurt to detail it immediately. I would start with the 2 bucket wash, and then clay it, even on new vehicles, you will get some dirt off and it will be surprising how much smoother the finish will feel after claying. I would then next go with the Revive, as this will help prepare the surface. Next I would use the Quick Sealant, this goes on and comes off easy and is a nice protection step. I would then use Brilliant Glaze, as this will add an amazing amount of pop to the final look, again, easy to apply and remove, and I feel it is really worth the extra time this step takes and then finally apply a coat of wax...since you are using Americana I would recommend applying 2 coats. I like to wait a few hours between coats just to let the wax cure a bit. I don't know if the wait is really necessary, but it doesn't seem to hurt. Hope this is a little help, and good luck, you will be pleased with how great your car will look after the Adam's treatment.

You can disagree but honestly there is no reason to use Dawn on an auto finish, it is hard on the finish and if you are going to clay bar, then use a paint cleaner, you will remove the wax without using the harsh wash like Dawn...and yes I know they clean marine birds that have oil in them, but I have been washing dishes with Dawn a lot lately and believe me, it isn't very gentle. So continue to use it if you like it, but I never have and don't plan on recommending it to anyone.

Only way my wife would allow me to get the SHO was if I promised to be buried in it...so I have to take care of it...so I look good when I die! lol

When my car was repainted they suggested no wax for at least 30 days to let the paint out gas and to cure. I think that 45 days is probably enough but I believe I would do whatever the painter recommends.

Removing all the badging makes the rear look too plain Jane for my tastes, especially with the big wide a** of the Taurus. But whatever you like best on your vehicle is fine with me.

Couple of comments, first a question, if we aren't producing enough oil to met our needs, why are we shipping oil out of the country? Next, I thought it was great when they started drilling for natural gas here in PA, but of course the government couldn't keep their greedy little hands out of the till. I live in an area that the gas companies came in an provided a ton of good paying jobs, and money to the area but our state and local governments had no rest until the hammered these companies with tax increases, they weren't satisfied with increase tax revenue from employees, sales tax, and living expense taxes. Guess what, the gas companies have moved out of the area for the most part, taking their jobs, and money with them....now we are hearing government officials whine about lose of revenue....maybe they should stop being greedy and try living with the revenue they get. Also, we have seen a lot of bad stuff getting blamed to the gas companies that simply isn't accurate, not that they haven't created some problems, but they have also fixed a lot of the problems like bad roads, so even if you have oil or gas on your property, don't count your chickens before they hatch, because if you would happen to strike it rich, believe me, your neighbors who don't have oil or gas on their property will complain about the noise, pollution, and anything else they can think of, because they can't get their hands in the till...I've seen it happen here over and over again.

I agree and point well taken, I was thinking moving from one step to the next without any time elapsing between steps, so I agree with you when you have an appreciable amount of time between steps, washing is in order.

Wow, sorry this has happened to you...have you talked to your insurance company, this should be covered under your comprehensive part of the insurance coverage. I know that is what covered my car when someone threw a handful of stones at my car as I drove by them.

Just a thought, but could it be these are swirls that you might have missed during the detail? I know that I have found some that I am sure I missed when doing the FMP, and show up better in a few weeks after the detail.

Don't use Dawn....never, never ever use Dawn on an automobile, there is no need for it. Really don't think you need to wash if you have already used Fine Machine Polish, it should be ready for wax, but if you aren't sure the surface is clean, I would use Revive or Brilliant or both, then wax.

Now granted this conversation took place a few years back, but Adam told me that you don't even have to remove the residue left from using the clay bar, but to leave it on and it will be completely removed when using Revive, which should be the next step. Now this might have changed and maybe someone has more recent insight, but I still leave the clay bar residue on the car and then use Revive over it and it seems to work fine.

Ahh, don't wait, after my first experience with Adam's, I threw my old stuff, that will remain nameless...but made me Car Crazy:D, away, and I never regretted getting rid of it and have never looked back!

These are still 2 products that I like a lot and use on a regular basis. both give outstanding results, you won't be disappointed that you purchased them!