DrBlockHed

Looks like a bunch of detailing nerds!!!! ; )

 

Wish I could have joined you guys. Sounds like a great time and I've never attended one! I had something come up and couldn't make it.

 

Hope to catch one this summer so I can finally make a decision on whether I want to do my own paint correction or not.

HGG is 19.99 and looks really sweet, Dylan demoed it, you basically apply it while the car is still wet after a wash, apply with a double soft, wipe off with a double soft and you have that glossy finish of detail spray plus a sealant. I Picked that up, the new wash wedge and a couple of other things. The Adams team is always great at being available to all questions and extremely helpful.

Thanks for holding this again Phil, looking forward to next year!

BUMP! The day is rapidly approaching... and we've decided to go for it RAIN OR SHINE!

 

Adam, Matt, Ashley, and myself will all be there - the first time ever we've all been in one location for an east coast event so don't miss the chance to meet the team.

We're coming out with a couple of surprises including your first chance to buy an all new product before it goes on sale anywhere else and a few sneak previews of products set to release later this year. This will be a clinic you don't want to miss!

New product??? Man, last time I went I set myself a budget and spent about triple what I set it at.... Looks like this could be another budget buster

Forecast says possible rain for Saturday, when would a possible postponement be announced?

In for labels only!

I was there for the last one, bought my flex and some other goodies, count me in!

I used it in the past, when something got low, I'd put it on my wish list, then I could see what I needed and when a sale popped up I would buy what I need..... And most likely what was on sale at that time

No big deal if you can't clay before sealing or waxing - you might not get maximum durability out of it, but it will get you through the winter just fine.

 

Apply the sealant a panel at a time and level it off with a towel as you're doing it - then wait the 24 hours; give it a dusting; then apply the Americana.  Freezing temp is fine for the car & sealant - just don't leave the product bottles themselves in those conditions!

 

And as a triple crown winner: fellow Mazda owner, fellow NJ resident, AND fellow Adam's Forum member, if you ever need a hand or some shelter to detail just shoot me a PM and we'll make it happen

Nice!! Where about in South Jersey are you? Im in Monroe, near Princeton

My wife has a black Mazda CX-9, we've been getting a decent amount of snow here in NJ and the truck hasn't been waxed/sealed.  I want a layer of protection.

FIrst off, is it ok to wax/seal w/o claying/polishing?  Then when it's warmer out I can strip it then correct the paint?  

Second, I have both Americana and Machine Sealant, I planned on using the sealant but have never used it before (I have a Flex), after I seal it, it cures for 24 hours, do I just have to wipe it down again (due to being some high spots) and is it ok to leave out overnight in sub 32 degree temps during that 24 period?

Thanks in advance

I have a black Mazda SUV that is next in line, I know it will be much easier to see flaws in the paint being black.

The car is def. a ton shinier, and I got the results I had hoped for (looks like a white mirror and smooth like glass), I was also able to get rid of some RIDS which i was really pleased with.

All in all it was fun to do, car looks awesome, is fully protected and had a blast w/ my brother.  I do think I used too much product all around, I'm curious to see what I do w/ the Black Mazda as far as using product.  It is so much easier to tell when it's flashing (I got to practice once at an Adams event)

So I did my white Trans Am today, the only pic I have is this one:

As soon as I was finished, it started to drizzle, so I wasn't able to get many outdoor shots.

I have a couple of questions about polishing, I think this pertains more to a white car than a darker colored car.

I had trouble seeing swirls, the most noticeable difference was the pop in the paint when I did my test spot.  Is there a better way to see white?  I tried sunlight, a halogen light... still really tough.

It also made it difficult to see if the polish was flashing, any other ways to tell that pad needs to be hit w/ detail spray or more polish added?   I may have been using too much polish, when I was cleaning my pads, it seemed like there was a lot of polish left deep in the pad, is this typical?  I only used on orange and one white pad for the whole car.  

Last, I glazed and waxed it w/ Americana, after wiping the car down, we found some random spots were the wax seemed to re-haze, could I have used too much wax, or let it set for too long?

All in all I think the car came out awesome, a big thanks to my little brother who helped me today.

Any thoughts or suggestions, please share.

Thanks

I'm going to have to do the entire car, would u recommend a 1:1 after drying or just keeping the car wet after washing?

So I'm going about totally correcting a white TA, it def has some iron deposits, I know Iron X is a good decon, can DWC also be used as a decon also on paint?  

Has anyone ever used it before?  What were your results?

 I already have a bottle ready to go!

Thanks

Nick, thats great news! Best of luck with your future addition, its an amazing time for your family!

The polishes are Diminishing Abrasive, so yes, you can use the next step over the first step polish assuming you have polished it all the way until it's flashed. If you're not exactly sure how to tell if that's happened, I would still take the polishes off in steps. If you haven't worked the polish out all the way and put a finer step over it, you're still going to have abrasives left from the previous step.

 

After all done polishing, you should def IPA before you seal. I buy the 70/30 IPA bottles and then just mix half/half with DW in a spray bottle.

Ok, so it seems like the IPA is the way to go. I wonder why Adam had recommended using the BG then. He said it omits a step from a wipe down then using BG, he also noted it makes the wipe down much easier. Perhaps someone from Adams can chime in

I do see where the IPA wipe down would make sense, the car will be "primed" for the next step.

When doing the IPA wipe down, DW = distilled water I'm guessing?

After you spray it on, just a wipe down a MF towel? Anything that needs to be avoided or anything else I should know?

I'm going to skip the machine sealant on my garage kept car and go w/ Americana over the BG, for the DD I'm doing the machine sealant then BG.

Thanks for the help guys.

You are correct, you can leave the polishes in place when you move to the next finer polish. Remove them when you complete working with FMP, before you start with the protection and/or BG.

Thanks for the info.

I'm also positive at the clinic in Norwood Adam recommended always using BG, as it makes the removal of polishes a breeze with an eaay wipe with a single soft

Anyone elae hear this or am I remembering incorrectly?

When doing paint coorection, I plan on doing the entire car with one step then on to the next step (as opposed to doing it in sections). Adam shows the steps being done without wiping the car down (swirl/haze, fine machine, glaze)

If i am doing the whole car, is it ok to leave the residue from the previous step on until i come back around with the next step?

i know section vs whole car is a preference thing, Im looking to do whats most efficient time wise.

Thanks

Looks like I'm going to get the Americana. Do I need the larger size? How many uses will I get out of each size? And will it ever go bad?

Thanks for the input guys

I have my Flex, my polishes, machine sealant and brilliant glaze.

For my daily driver, I figure to finish the car off w/ the sealant for the longest lasting protection.

I also have a car that doesn't see the rain on purpose, never sees the snow, so it's mostly out in fairly clear weather. I don't plan on putting the sealant on it, so I figure to use a wax. I'm guessing the consensus will be to use Americana. Does anyone use the Buttery instead? the price point is fairly significant.

Both cars will get the glaze, Adam recommended using it after polishing because it makes taking the swirl/haze remover and fine machine polish off that much easier.

Thoughts anyone?

I got the opportunity to see Adam demonstrate on a bunch of vehicles this past weekend at Detailers Domain in NJ. Awesome event that I highly recommend!

 

I was at the same clinic! It was a great opportunity to learn. If you dont mind me adding to the questions, what about the corners of the car, going from the hood to the fender? Is there any special technique? Most demos are on nice flat spots, is it safe to go around these corners, keeping the pad as flat as possible?

If you're looking for sympathy you won't find any on this forum. This is the worst addiction support group ever! Besides, it's totally understandable once you've experienced the Adam's brand of customer service and dedication...not to mention the fantastic products.

As for your car, I'd go ahead and plan on two days or a weekend, though it may be less depending on it's condition (but no point in rushing). Do you have a garage?

I'm def not in any rush and I do have a garage.

I just started getting into really learning how to clean my car. I stumbled upon Adam's products and found out they are USA made, after I bought some stuff, I was hooked.

Adam, Ashley and the crew were in Norwood, NJ today, so I decided to check it out as I was interested to see what they had to offer and learn a little about machine polishing/paint correction. I had no real intention of buying anything today.

Sooo, thanks to Adam for putting on what can only be described as an amazing clinic. It was informative, he was funny, personable, spent time to answer everyone's questions. I was originally interested in the PC, after getting an opportunity to correct paint w/ both the PC and the Flex, I knew the Flex was a much better choice, even for a beginner.

Ashely helped me pick out what kit I needed, took a look at my car to see what I should use and helped me put together an order.

So $430 dollars and a new flex and machine polishing kit later, I can't wait to correct the paint on my White 2000 Trans Am, my wife's Altima and my sister in laws car.

So, Adam, it's all your fault my bank account is a bit lighter this evening.

I Thank Phil @ Detailer's Domain, his crew, Ashley and Adam for really letting me experience what Adam's Polishes has to offer. It's a first class organization and it starts with him. The amount of time he spent answering questions even when I was one of about 15 people left was awesome.

Looking forward to my first paint correction and taking some pics of a "new" car.

Thanks

With all this ranting, anyone have any good tips for a newbie? I have watched all the videos over and over and had my hands on a Flex today. But I've never done a whole car, do most people do it in a day? Adam said he will do it over a week or 2.

Thoughts?

Used the detail spray and the great white towel for the first time the other day to dry my truck off. I wish I would of had these products years ago I couldn't believe the difference it made. I'm ordering the gallon container of detail spray and a couple more towels for my 5th wheel next. Can't wait to use the polishes since the spray and towel worked so good.

Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Just start buying the gallon refills. You're going to go through this stuff fast b/c you won't believe the difference it makes.

 

1. Wash
   
2. Dry
   
3. Clay
   
4. Polish
   
5. Seal
   
6. Glaze
   
7. Wax
   

 

Just to make sure Im correct:

For hand polishing, im using revive

Seal = quick selant

Glaze = Brillant

Wax = buttery (not ready for Americana yet)

Do i have this correct?

Also when claying, i just use detail spray, but after washing the car do I dry it or

leave it wet, clay it with detail spray then wipe it down.

Last, when done claying, I go right to the polish? No in between steps?

Thanks for the help

 

Yes... you've got it right. Your order of application will always be as follows:

 

1. Wash
   
2. Dry
   
3. Clay
   
4. Polish
   
5. Seal
   
6. Glaze
   
7. Wax
   

 

You can pretty much omit any step or steps of the process after the wash/dry but you can't change the order. So for example you can clay, polish then wax, but you shouldn't clay, wax then polish.

 

Make sense?

Yeah it makes sense.....

I already ordered the gallon of APC, Im waiting for the detail spray to go on some sort of special again.

When do you use the dikuted stuff? I love the way the detail spray finishes the car off and dont want to sacrifice the quality of the product.

Im going to the Adams Detail Clinic in NJ in April, do you guys usually have any sort of deals/specials there? im wondering if I should wait to pick up the seal/polish/wax etc until then.

Thanks everyone for chiming in