ralphsmithiii

It works OK, as a blower, but you have the issue of blowing the dirt from the hose on to the car. I prefer using the Sidekick for drying and the Vac N' Blo (same motor, smaller canister) to clean.

So this may be the better route to go then. I could pick up the vacuum and the sidekick for the slightly more money +/- than the 2-n-1 vac/blower.

Is the sidekick sufficient enough to dry a car (2-door sports for myself)? Or am I going to be out there for 20+ minutes trying to fan off the water with the smaller unit?

I know its advertised via Metrovac as a motorcycle dryer so I'm curious to know it's car drying potential.

I know this thread is over a year old but I was looking to pick up both a high quality car vacuum as well as a better blower than both the Adam's large waffle weave drying towels (that do work great) and my Toro electric leaf blower.

I could still just pick up a Metrovac sidekick and use the towels and be ok but then I saw this:

Adam's JUMBO Vac N' Blo Pro Series by MetroVac

and was wondering if anyone had any opinions/updates on its realistic capability to dry a car over other products.

On their site it says it works on all wheels, if I remember correctly. Does anyone know if this works on painted factory wheels without stripping the clear/paint? I could try and dillute it 50/50 but even at that strength I'm afraid it may do damage. My factory wheels are from my 2007 Z06 if anyone has any experience with APC.

Yep, this video. Easy to miss on the video selection the first time around.

Cleaning Detail Accessories Detailing Video

I believe I saw a Adam's video that shows Adam spraying the pads with all purpose cleaner then using his hands to work the cleaner into the pads starting from the center on out. Basically massaging the cleaner into the pad. Then, take a hose or facet and rinse the pad until the water runs clear. Set the pads to dry somewhere but make sure the Velcro side is up so the water doesn't potentially ruin the backing.

Yes, as much as I like to support vendors and buy lots of product, you can't beat the $3.00 buckets from Home Depot that work perfectly with the Grit Guards.

So, are you saying that you went from this:

 

 

 

To this

 

 

 

 

 

 

By doing only 2 passes of FMP/White pad on speed 4?

 

???

That was my same exact thought. I'm glad I saw this thread as I have a similar issue and possibly even more severe. I was using the PC on 5 and even tried on 6 plus the SSR and wasn't getting anywhere near the results I wanted. I never thought to slow the speed down.

Because I also own a vette (Z06) and it has hard clear, I just upgraded to a Flex and hope to produce similar results as you did here. I'll try it on the recommended 5 with the SSR and if that doesn't work, I'll back it down to 4 and see if I can get the similar results as you did.

Just a quick update.

Instead of wishing or wondering if the Flex will make or break the difference, I went ahead and ordered one. Should be at my house when I get home on Friday. I'll spin it up on Saturday and post back the results. Nothing like a little trial and error to see what works and what doesn't

Now if this doesn't work, I still believe based on it's review, the Flex is a better machine and I'll have to take it down to get it wet sanded.

I'm wondering now, would the Flex really make the difference on the hard clear that comes on the Vettes

Just replied to your thread over on CF Ralph... but I will here too just to make sure you get the info.

 

Your technique appears to be solid, no glaring issues I can see.

 

Definitely go forward with a test section including SHR/Orange and FMP/White before evaluating again to see if you get more improvement.

 

The etching does seem to be pretty severe, and our line isn't really designed for HEAVY restorative work. We're more for taking average to amazing, not so much about repairing heavy damage.

 

Your options, should nothing else work, would be some light sanding (SSR can take out 2500-3000 grit marks) or a heavy cut compound for the heavily etched areas.

Thanks for replying in both places Dylan

I was able to pick up some Meg's 105/205 locally and I hit the same area in the video using Adam's green pad and orange pad and the more aggressive compound did cut down the etchings quite a bit. However, I was only able to run a pass or two before I had to leave again out of town for work.

I am thinking now that it may have to be taken down further with wet sanding. Maybe a Flex will cut it down further but if that's the idea that Flex is more powerful, then my assumption is that the PC should be able to do the same just with more times/passes. I'm going to run back over it again when I get back home next week and if that doesn't work out, I'll dropping it off somewhere to get the clear completely corrected. Then, I'll go at it again with all of my polishes once the clear is etch free and check the results.

So far, all of Adam's products I've purchased have been awesome. The towels I got in the Porter Cable XP kit, Car Wash kit, and some other kit I bought were so much better than I had, I picked up the special on micro fiber towels that was going on last week, as well as the wheel woolies and yellow pad conditioning/cleaning brush. All top notch.

My only wonder is, should I have went with a Flex instead of the PC. I'm guessing after I get the clear corrected, my PC should be able to handle future swirl marks and polishing. If not, then I may need to look into upgrading.

Just a thought, but there may be a simple solution to your problem, that is if your not dead set on doing it yourself.

 

Why not get a local paint/body shop to run over the damage with a rotary and a heavy compound. This should clean up the etching quick smart, but leave you with a swirly, hologrammed mess to go home and clean up with the PC.

 

From what I've read Corvette's have a really hard clear, so the PC is always going to struggle correcting any major damage.

 

Might not be what you want to do, but some food for thought at least

That's an option I'm looking into. I have a body shop that does incredible work and plan to give them a call when I get back into town.

It is considered "one pass" when you work the product til it flashes. I doesn't matter how many times you went in different directions, when you work the product until it flashes, that's considered "one pass." Make sense?

 

That being said, you might not like what I have to say about those water spots. My Charger is flawless in paint care, and had a FRESH layer of Americana on it. And one day, I unknowingly parked next to a sprinkler (that I still couldn't find afterwards) or had some acid rain on a HOT day. And within ONE hour, those spots etched far enough into my clearcoat that repainting and wetsanding was necessary. Even SSR couldn't get them out, after 7 full passes.

Makes perfect sense and that may just be the case with my clear as well. A member of the corvette forums had the same issue as me and said he was able to get all of his water etchings out with another product and suggested I try a more abrassive polish. However, I understand every car, clear, imperfection is different and the only way I'll know is if I try. If my technique is correct then all I can do is:

Try another polish.

Buy a Flex and repeat.

And if that doesn't work, then wet sanding and go from there.

I did one pass or "run" which means I went left to right and top to bottom a total of 6 times, 3 in each direction. That's after I ran several passes the week prior with the orange compound and white fine machine polish.

I didn't expect it all to come out with that one pass, even with the severe swirl removal polish. However, I did expect it to gradually step down or start to fade/demish/remove or even lighten what was there before I started.

If I need to run it several more passes (top/down and left/right), I can easily do that. But before I do I need to know if my technique is correct or I'll be wasting more time.

Just to clarify, I should run the severe swirl remover over the same area just shrunk the size of the area down to maybe a 1 x 1 and see what happens? When I ran it in the video's I think I did around 6 total passes, 3 vertical and 3 horizontal which happened to be right around the time the product started to flash.

Hi everyone, I just got in the states and had a few new tools I ordered from Adam's last week as well as the Severe Swirl Removal polish and pad.

I just went out, taped off a section on my roof and went to town. 5 minutes later, I was and still are disappointed. There clearly must be something wrong with my technique as I am new to paint correction. When I researched different products and polishers, it was recommended to me to go with the Porter Cable as a beginner as it is supposed to produce the same results as the Flex but will take much longer.

Therefore, I broke out my camera and took two video's. One explaining my situation and it's about 1 - 2 minutes long. The second one is much longer at around 7 minutes. It shows the process I'm using to try and remove the swirls and hard water etchings out of my clear. I really felt confident that when I tried this a week ago I just didn't have the right polish. But even with the severe polish, I'm barely seeing any difference.

Please take a look at the video's and let me know what I am doing wrong. Maybe my hand speed is still too fast, or I'm not applying enough pressure / too much pressure. Maybe I'm using too little polish or too much polish. Or maybe it's just going to take many, many passes to get these imperfections out. Lastly, maybe I just need a more aggressive polish to cut through all of this.

Links to YouTube videos:

Part 1 - Explanation

Part 2 - Technique in action

To me, nothing beats sunlight. Nothing is more unforgiving for showing every tiny little imperfection in your paint than our copper friend!

Having said that, I agree that polishing in the sun, especially in the dead of summer is taxing. Not only does the polish dry up (use lots and lots of detail spray on your pads) but it dusts the rest of the car and makes it look horrible. Dust and polish marbles also get into all the nooks and crannies (and rubbers!) (enter lug nut brush!) And I'm not even talking about the sweating while you're in 90-degree weather doing hard labor...

 

What I usually do is do one panel in the sun to my satisfaction, and then repeat that exact process on the rest of the car in the shade and/or garage. I have to say mine is a DD so I'm not trying to get it concourse. I have a set of lights but I just prefer working outside whenever I can.

This is the approach I was planning on taking. The swirl marks on my car are really only noticeable on the top surfaces (hood, roof, hatch) and not really evident on the sides that I can see.

And yes, I was sweating quite a bit detailing even in my opened up garage which wasn't too fun. Because I think the hood is the most noticeable under sunlight, I am going to try correcting it there again with the Severe swirl polish and pad (since I didn't have it the first time around) and work on perfecting it. I will probably tape off a 2x2 section and maybe even video tape it so I can post it encase I don't get the results I want.

They sell a similar area/shop/flood light like the one above for $20.

Hmmm....for $20 at Home Depot that may be worth looking into. If I can avoid having to pull my car in and out over and over from the garage, that's what I'm aiming for.

Yes you can use all of Adam's products in the sun, even on black cars in the Summer, trust me I have done it many times @ Corvette Carlisle.

However if I can find shade I would rather work in the garage or shade any day.

Awesome. So the question is, if you are working in the shade or garage, do you constantly move the car in and out of the shaded area to check the progress? That to me seems like A LOT of time consuming/extra work. Not that I'm lazy, but if I polish a 2x2 panel and need to check it, what's the most efficient way to do so? LED flash light, Brinkman, handing lights, or polish in the sun?

I am sure it depends on your exact conditions, but for me it is an absolute worst case scenario. Black paint in the direct sun becomes too hot to even touch. My polishes will just cake up and dust leaving me in fits of rage! I have never been able to successfully do it, but that is just me. I also have only done black cars, so that is another factor. I am a bit bitter about it because to this day there are some spots I see where I can't tell if it is a chip in the paint or just dried on polish. That stuff is impossible to remove!

Thanks for the response. What I'm wondering now is if a decent LED flash light will be enough to see the swirl marks to check the progress while polishing in my garage. I've even considered getting a canopy to give me more space outside to work with while hopefully providing some shade.

I posted the corvette forums asking about a product various venders are selling for finding all the swirl marks / imperfections in the cars paint.

The product I am referring to is the Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Spotlight.

The response I've received thus far is that doing paint correction is best in the sunlight because you can see all of the swirls that way. The assumption is that you are using a compound/polish that can be used in the sun.

My understanding is that all Adams products can be used in the sun, however, from past experience with other products (many carnuba/Turtle Wax, etc...) you could easily bake the product on the car.

So my question/concern is wondering if its OK or preferred to do paint correction in the sun to see the progress of the swirl removal and then machine seal and/or wax in the garage. Or, would it be more beneficial to purchase a light as the one listed above or add shop lights with maybe fluorescent lighting?

Thanks for the welcome everyone

Hi everyone! My name is Ralph (cleaver screen-name, right?) and I'm new both to Adams products and Adams forums. I currently own a 2007 Le Mans Blue Z06 Corvette and discovered Adams products by way of the corvette forums. Originally I was going to purchase a new arsenal of detailing products including everything from grit guards all the way to a paint correction kit from another company.

Another Corvette forum member recommended I take a look at Adam's website, watch some of the video's about paint correction and make a decision. After watching the video's I was sold and placed my first (and most expensive) order of detailing products via the live chat with Mario and eventually through the phone.

This forum has a massive amount of experienced and seasoned information and I hope I can contribute sometime down the road. My car is my daily driver and I travel for a living, but I hope to be able to remove all the imperfections (swirls, hard water etchings) and bring it back to a glass-like finish.

Here are two shots of the car from about a week ago.