Been away for a while, questions about new products

[Vincenzo]

Hi guys, some of you may remember me from a while back, but maybe not. Anyways, I spent the last year living in a dorm with no way to work on my car and no money to purchase detailing products, and I've apparently fallen out of touch with Adams products. I still had almost every product Adams sold from last year, even a year and a half ago, but I just did a pretty intense detail sesh on my car after a 4000 mile roadtrip and realized it's time to stock back up. I need new pads and polishes (I still have the old hex pads with the SHR and the FMP), claybars, towels, soap, well, just about everything! I'm surprised to see how much has changed.

 

Its actually left me with a lot of questions.

 

First, where is the SSR? I didn't see it in the products section, and I noticed the names of the other polishes have changed. Please tell me the SHR or whatever it's now called isn't the most intense polish, right? I plan on a bit of wetsanding and I need more grinding power for my PC than just SHR. Last time I tried that, I was working on polishing out one little section for over an hour. Is it just out of stock? I have 2 almost full bottles of SSR and I don't see the green pads or any kind of replacement. I hope I'm not stuck with 2 full bottles of product that I now can't use at all.

 

Also, are the formulas for the newly renamed polishes the same? I still have 2 bottles of SHR, about 10% full each, and I don't want to just get rid of them. I also have a nearly full bottle of FMP. Are they at least compatible with the new pads? I had 2 orange hex pads and they both fell apart towards the end of my last detail sesh and I can't afford to just waste the product.

 

And can anyone explain the brilliant glaze pads? Last I remember, BG was applied by hand.

 

And what happened to the flex products? I remember the Flex and the PC having different pads, but I only see 1 type now.

 

Also, what's the deal with the new Deep Wheel Cleaner? Is it worth getting? I know, I know, it's adams so it's a good product, but is it really worth the extra money over APC? I tried the GWC one time and it worked well, but I decided to stick to APC because it worked just as well for me. Does the new one make it significantly easier to clean your wheels? And does it really get rid of those little orange iron particles in your paint? My car is white and those are literally the bane of my existance.

 

And the new total interior detailer? What's that about? The way I understood it, 1 step 'detailing and cleaning' is a big no-no. Clean with 1 product, dress with another. That's what I always thought. I used to laugh at other companies that sold 1 step solutions like 'cleaner wax', to polish and clean at the same time. Is it just for light detailing work, like just getting it clean and making it look even? I assume it doesn't replace Leather/Interior Conditioner, but kind of is just the easier way of dressing up your plastics? And Leather/Interior Cleaner is still the right way to 'deep clean' your plastics and vinyl?

 

Anyways, thanks for any answers or help you guys can provide. I feel kind of dumb looking at the products and not knowing what I need. All that said, it's good to be back in the swing of detailing. My poor car really needs some work!

 

[Green Machine]

Adams now has a 2 step system. The Paint Correcting polish has a better cut than both the severe and swirl polish. The Paint finishing polish has slight cutting properties but leaves a slick finish. Similar to the big M's but better way better with amazing workability. And then saddle them up with the new microfiber pads and you have a system you can't beat.

 

The DWC is a must if you have a euro car that leaves a lot of pesky brake dust. It will not clean greasy wheels but ones that are iron stained from brake dust it works wonders. It will even work on paint with out harming it.

 

The interior detail spray is great has an SPF for sun and it doesn't attract dust!!!! Leaves a nice matte finish. It's the only thing I use in my new Audi with an all black interior. There are also new metal polish towels and the utility towels are now a thicker gray towel.

 

Also for the interior or exterior are the new swabs haven't used them yet but will get into all the knooks and crannies.

 

Welcome back by the way!

[LDM]

This should answer your questions about the new polishes: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/23891-new-2-step-paint-correction-system-discussion/  They're completely new formulations, and even though the colors match SHR and FMP they are not the same.

 

Brilliant Glaze can still be applied by hand.  The red pads are just an option for those that want to apply by a machine.

 

When Adam's came out with their newest generation of machine pads, they came out with a design that works on both the PC and Flex, so that is why you see only one style.

 

Deep Wheel Cleaner is really only needed on wheels that have stubborn metallic brake dust.  For regular maintenance, the Green Wheel Cleaner or APC is sufficient.

 

Here's the discussion on the Total Interior Detailer: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/23194-adams-total-interior-detailer-discussion/ It doesn't replace the Cleaner/Conditioner combo but is more for maintenance in between when the heavy cleaning isn't necessary.

Edited June 22, 2013 by LDM

[Vincenzo]

Ok, looks like I have plenty of catching up to do. Thanks for the info! But I still have 2 pretty important questions:

 

What do I do with my SSR? Can I still buy pads or are they discontinued? Or is there maybe an adams supplier that still has old stock? Those 2 bottles were expensive and I would really rather not waste them.

 

And has anyone experimented with using the APC to wash the new pads with? Or is the Microfibre cleaner really necessary? I'm on an etremely limited budget and I can't afford to buy that many things. I'd rather just get the gallon of APC I had already planned on, which I know can be used on the foam pads. Problem is, I really want to try the new microfiber pads, but I can't afford them if I also have to buy this new microfiber cleaner.

 

Thanks again

[Tim]

There are a couple of green pads in the clearance section. Bam, saved some cash.

 

Oh, and the new microfiber pads can be cleaned up with apc or even machine washed.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Tim

[Vincenzo]

Good to hear the pads can be cleaned with APC, those will definitely be going in the shopping cart. Unfortunatly though, the pads in the clearance section are made for the flex, and I only have the PC.

 

You know, the thing I was really hoping to see was some improvment to the claybar system. It's honestly my least favorite part of detailing. So much work for no visible reward, and to be honest its really tiring having to be down on your knees claybarring the bottom of panels and using plastic bags to make sure it's working. I have no idea what could be changed, but maybe adams will come out with a special spray to use with the claybar that is more efficient than detail spray. I think I remember a company called clay magic had the market for claybars locked up but I thought their patent expired. I don't know, just hope to see some improvement soon.

[LDM]

If you're on a limited budget, just use up what you have before buying anything new.  Just because there's a new product out doesn't mean your existing ones suddenly stopped working.  If you really need more green pads now, I'm sure there are some dealers out there that would love to get rid of their old stock.  If you can't find more though and your current pads wear out before using up the Severe Swirl Remover that you have, then you could just use it with the orange pads.  Would it be ideal? No, but it would still work.  I think it's great that Adam's simplifies everything with the color coding, but it makes some people think that other combinations aren't possible.

 

Yes APC will clean the new pads.  Just clean them the same way as the old ones.  Just buy what you can afford and don't feel the need to purchase all the new stuff if it's not financially viable for you.

[Len]

Good to hear the pads can be cleaned with APC, those will definitely be going in the shopping cart. Unfortunatly though, the pads in the clearance section are made for the flex, and I only have the PC.

 

The Gen 4 pads (the ones that look like egg crates) work with both the PC and the Flex.