Newbie here just need some clarification on some info

[USCGRetiredJosh]

After years of just clay bar and waxing, I have decided to upgrade to a better detailing way. Been doing lots of reading about machines and how to's, during this winter. I have decided on the Cycle pro and get chemicals from Adam's. I just want to go over the process with a couple of questions.

 

Wash and dry vehicle - I use a brush(like for washing RV's and airplanes) to wash with and absorbent towel to dry(one of those you twist to get the water out) I haven't read anywhere that this way is an issue. BUT I'm going to buy a grit guard for my bucket.

 

Clay bar vehicle - I do this once a year.

 

Time for the fun part:

 

Tape off plastic parts - QUESTION: My wife's black 2010 4Runner has vinyl pinstripe, do I have to tape over these or can I polish right over it?

 

 Adams paint correcting polish - My wife's black 2010 4Runner needs this step. My 2015 iridium(color) Sierra doesn't need this, just bought it

 

(I like the fact that I don't have to remove correcting polish, to start the next step)

 

Then

 Adams paint finishing polish - I would start my truck here.

 

Then add my sealant I use: Mcquier's NXT - I prefer the synthetic stuff because it last longer and my vehicles are parked outside.

 

I use a soft toothbrush to clean up any wax build up around seams, emblems, and nook and crannies.

 

Then use VRT on trim

 

Then put sealant on rims and shine up the tires

 

How many pads should I have per vehicle?

 

Thanks for your help, I'm going to order my study soon and bread to start when the winter breaks.

 

 

[TheBurninator]

First I suggest sitting down and spending some time on the Adam's Polishes Youtube channel. Lots of knowledge that can be gained there for a beginner.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/Adamspolishes/videos

 

Wash and dry vehicle - I use a brush(like for washing RV's and airplanes) to wash with and absorbent towel to dry(one of those you twist to get the water out) I haven't read anywhere that this way is an issue. BUT I'm going to buy a grit guard for my bucket.

Generally most brushes will scratch the paint. I suggest wash pads and the two bucket method with grit guards. The man himself goes over proper wash methods in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgi-xD7NY-o

 

For drying you might want to look into some microfiber towels for drying. Mist the car with detail spray (acts as a drying agent) and the dry it. Sheet rinsing also helps as well before you dry. See this video:

 

Clay bar vehicle - I do this once a year.

Might want to start claying a bit more often unless the car is a garage queen.

 

Tape off plastic parts - QUESTION: My wife's black 2010 4Runner has vinyl pinstripe, do I have to tape over these or can I polish right over it?

 

 Adams paint correcting polish - My wife's black 2010 4Runner needs this step. My 2015 iridium(color) Sierra doesn't need this, just bought it

 

(I like the fact that I don't have to remove correcting polish, to start the next step)

 

Then

 Adams paint finishing polish - I would start my truck here.

 

Then add my sealant I use: Mcquier's NXT - I prefer the synthetic stuff because it last longer and my vehicles are parked outside.

 

I use a soft toothbrush to clean up any wax build up around seams, emblems, and nook and crannies.

 

Then use VRT on trim

 

Then put sealant on rims and shine up the tires

 

How many pads should I have per vehicle?

 

Thanks for your help, I'm going to order my study soon and bread to start when the winter breaks.

 

Remove any old wax/polish residue first. Otherwise you are working backwards.

 

Then I would start with using VRT on all of the trim after claying. It will save you from taping too much.

 

Tape off the vinyl pinstripe, otherwise the polish will take it off.

 

Tape off emblems. VRT on trim will help prevent polish from sticking to it, but still take caution to not get too much in there.

 

You may find the Paint Correcting Polish finishes out well enough that you don't need to go to the Finishing Polish. Check your work and make a judgement call.

 

Give Adam's Liquid Paint Sealant a try. It doesn't stain trim anywhere nearly as bad as NXT and is easier to remove. And you can apply it quickly by machine with a red or grey pad.

 

Wheels and tires should be closer to the top. I handle tire dressing the same time I dress all of the trim. And generally like to have the wheels sealed/completed before I touch the paint. I highly recommend Quick Sealant for wheels and door jambs. Great product for those areas and holds up extremely well. I also have a separate applicator just for wheels

 

Pads... This is a bit of a loaded question. You can probably get away with 2 sets of pads for a whole car, but you will be cleaning them often. I have 4 sets of each pad type for my cyclo and wouldn't mind another set or two.

 

 

[Chris@Adams]

 Josh!  First off if your wash brush isn't super soft you could be introducing scratches so be careful.

I would recommend watching the video's too. As far as pads it is always nice to at least have 2 of each......

[USCGRetiredJosh]

I have watch most of the videos already. 

The brush I use is soft.

 

Thanks for the info so far.

[GXPaycheck]

Any brush on paint will damage it!

The best way to wash is to touch the paint as little as possible. You can go through the correction process but it's wasted time if you take a brush to it.

[ForceofWill]

Honestly if you're using a brush to wash and a toothbrush on anything painted there's no point to spending the money on a Machine. 

[Team Adam's]

Welcome to the forum Josh! I'll see if I can be of some help here.

 

 

Wash and dry vehicle - I use a brush(like for washing RV's and airplanes) to wash with and absorbent towel to dry(one of those you twist to get the water out) I haven't read anywhere that this way is an issue. BUT I'm going to buy a grit guard for my bucket.
 

 

As the others have stated a brush is a less than ideal way to go, but ultimately you have to do whats right for you. Those brushes are great for things like RV's and Airplanes as they are painted with gelcoat or emron (sp?) paint - which is far less glossy/reflective than base coat / clear coat on a car, but also far more resistant to scratches and swirls.

The grit guard will certainly be a good addition to the routine, so it will help somewhat.

As far as your choice of drying material - depends on what type it is - a genuine leather or calf skin chamois (real leather) is safe, so long as you replace them when the oils have all been leached out. The only catch is you can't use any chemical drying agents with it as it will ruin the material. (No detail spray while you dry)

If you're using a synthetic chamois (like the water sprite or absorber) you're likely to see some additional swirling and damage in your process. Microfiber is the ideal material for drying without introducing damage.

Clay bar vehicle - I do this once a year.

 

Clay is an "as needed" process, just like anything in detailing. If its dirty you wash, if its rough you clay... and a vehicle that sees a good amount of outdoor exposure you'll need a clay bar fairly regularly. You'll certainly need to clay before doing any paint correction with the machine, regardless of how long its been, then theres just the in between times.
 
 

Tape off plastic parts - QUESTION: My wife's black 2010 4Runner has vinyl pinstripe, do I have to tape over these or can I polish right over it?

 

 

Vinyl stripes should be masked off, not that you can't polish gloss stripes (matte you shouldn't) but you do run the risk of lifting the edge of one of the stripes as well as jamming a ton of product along the edge of them which will be unsightly and difficult to remove.

 

 Adams paint correcting polish - My wife's black 2010 4Runner needs this step. My 2015 iridium(color) Sierra doesn't need this, just bought it

 

 

I'd be surprised if both didn't - I haven't seen a fresh off the lot vehicle that hasn't needed correcting polish to some degree. Never assume you can tell what something needs until you've actually done a test section. As we preach in our videos TEST a 2x2 area before you make any decisions about what will or won't work.
 
 

Then add my sealant I use: Mcquier's NXT - I prefer the synthetic stuff because it last longer and my vehicles are parked outside.

 

We actually offer a few synthetics that I think you'll find will offer much better durability than what you use now, and a few things on the horizon that will beat the pants off most anything in terms of longevity - but those are still 'coming soon'. The stuff you can get now:

 

Liquid Paint Sealant - http://adamspolishes.com/shop/exterior/15-off-using-protect-exp-2-21/adam-s-liquid-paint-sealant.html

Quick Sealant - http://adamspolishes.com/shop/exterior/15-off-using-protect-exp-2-21/adam-s-quick-sealant.html

I use a soft toothbrush to clean up any wax build up around seams, emblems, and nook and crannies.

 

Yikes! Even the softest toothbrush is still far more abrasive than what I'd recommend touching paint with, unless you don't mind swirls and scratches. The best medicine is prevention - if you don't jam a bunch of product in there to begin with you don't have to remove it. In the event you do have to remove it - I'd go with our trim and lug nut brush, which is a boars hair bristle - softer than anything you'd find on a toothbrush. Use with a little soap and water during a wash and it'll get that stuff out of the cracks.
 

Then use VRT on trim

 

 

We actually recommend SVRT be put on BEFORE you do polishing - that way any thats accidentally on the paint will be removed in the polishing stages, and if you happen to get any polish on the trim its easy enough to remove b/c the SVRT will be a barrier between the trim and the polish residue.

 
How many pads should I have per vehicle?

 

 

Its feasible to get it done with one set - but ideally you want a couple of each pad, just to be safe - that way if one gets caked up or you accidentally drop it you've got a backup already to go.
 
 

Thanks for your help, I'm going to order my study soon and bread to start when the winter breaks.

 

 

 

Hope that helps - if you need anything else let us know!

[Dan@Adams]

Welcome!  Dylan covered everything awesomely, so I will just add upon one thing real quick.  If you want to test out the wash brush you are using, if you have a spare blank CD laying around that you don't care about, try washing the data side of it the same way you would your vehicles.  If it scratches up the CD, then it can scratch up your rides!

 

One last thing, judging by your screen name, thank you for serving our country!

Edited January 28, 2015 by psu goat