New Shampoo & VRT Feedback *Vid Update*

[JDrach]

Ordered some more detail spray, adams new car wash shampoo, and VRT as well. I will say I do like the finish of the VRT. It seems to last long on the trim around the window, cowl, front grills,  and the roof rails alot longer than the tires. Even after wiping all the applied areas down the VRT did start bleeding down onto the paint as show in the close up of the picture shown below. That, I am not a fan of or the longevity of the product. 

 

The shampoo however I had problems with. Car is protected by (claybar) LPS, H20 GG, and buttery wax over the course of a month or longer. The when using the soap, the foams in the bucket was great. However, creating foam on the car with a foam spray didn't yield the suds I would expect. ( Two different soaps used prior yielded better foam from the spraying and with the mitt than Adams). As seen in the pictures, the back of the decklid in the back had minimal soap on it, and when i tried washing with the mitt, virtually no soap appeared. I used an ample amount of soap in the bucket, and foam gun (not adams/CG).

 

Car looked great after the wash/detail using VRT and detail spray, but those were my two concerns wtih the soap and VRT. 

Edited August 6, 2016 by JDrach

[JDrach]

[Chris@Adams]

Sorry that you aren't completely satisfied with the Shampoo & VRT.

The VRT is water repellent but not water proof, some plastics and rubber trim the VRT will adhere to better than others and remember it's still a dressing that will need re applied after rain or a few washes. I would next time after applying wipe down one final time to make sure that you aren't applying too much VRT....that can also be a problem at times.

The Shampoo you said that you used a foam gun but not Adam's? If that's correct I really can't speak for why the FG didn't make you some serious suds. My guess would be next time double up on your shampoo and see what that does.

BTW, Your Pontiac looks good & Thanks for the feedback.

PM me if I can help you in any way.

[The Guz]

How much soap did you use in the foam gun?  That is if you know how many ounces you put into the foam gun.  From your photos, it looks like you did not use enough soap in your mixture.

 

Are you using a bucket as you wash or spraying the foam onto the mitt as you wash?

[JDrach]

I did clean the trim and rubber well, wiped it down, applied, and wiped off excess vrt 2 separate times throughout the day.

As for the soap, I had to use around 2 to 3 Oz in the bucket, FG, and a few squirts on and inside the mitt. Ever time I touched the paint the suds darn well disappeared almost instantly haha. Even tried spraying the foam gun into/on the mitt and the wiping down. No success. I will give it another whirl again later this week. The first time I used it I didn't have a problem, this time however I did. I just don't know what the issue is and don't want to run out of product too quickly for no reason. Like I said, it foams up well in the bucket. But once I shot it out of the FG or the soapy mitt touched the surface of the car, there we practically no suds.

[JDrach]

I wonder if the protection put on the car (LPS, h20gg, and buttery wax) caused the foam to fall off the car or some how dry up/absorb.

[Odds and Ends]

I've never had a problem using the foam gun to get foam to go onto the car, but I have experienced your situation when washing a car with multiple layers of protection.  When I first start out, there is plenty of suds but as I go from panel to panel, by the time I'm done, I am practically washing with no suds at all.   There are plenty of suds in my bucket and in the wash pad but they seem to dissipate when I wipe the car.  This exact thing just happened last night on a customer car and happens on a couple of my cars too.

 

I don't have a scientific explanation for you but you're not crazy and everything is fine.  Suds are fun but more important is the lubrication and slickness of the shampoo.

 

- Darryl

[JDrach]

Yes I was making sure the surface was at least lubricated well from the soap. I would just soak the mitt then squeeze off all the water and soap onto the surface before going over the area. Just upsetting I want suds lol

[Dan@Adams]

Did you make sure to fill up the foam gun canister mostly with water first and then add in the 2-3 ounces of Car Shampoo? It should create a significant amount of foam as long as you have good water pressure at your household. A Foam Gun will not produce the level of clinging suds that a Foam Cannon with a pressure washer though.

[gabhart]

Same issues with VRT. It does help significantly to wipe it down after application to get rid of the excess. Personally there are other products that do not require a second wipe and do not run when it rains and I prefer those.

[JDrach]

Dont see how adams couldn't remedy the VRT then gabhart, and I poured the soap in before the water in the foam gun i use, if that matters Dan?

[briarpatch]

One question about VRT...is it a water-based dressing?

[gabhart]

One question about VRT...is it a water-based dressing?

 

Yup!

[JDrach]

 https://youtu.be/ep9vkF4femQ

Here is a video update I did today, was still having trouble.  Lack of suds and seeming to wash with mostly water is what concerns me. Ample amounts of soap used. 3 lines of soap on the mitt, then dunking into the bucket seems to work best for creating suds as you wash, but the suds die out quickly after a panel or so.

 

[The Guz]

What is ample amount of soap? I fill up my bucket with 2 gallons of water. I then add 1 oz of shampoo and blast a jet of water to create suds. I end up with about 3 gallons of water.

 

In the gun I use 3 oz of shampoo.

 

I do measure out everything to get pretty close to exact measurements.

 

It could also be hard water.

[JDrach]

Everything I use is unfiltered water. And it would have to be around 2-5oz. I do not measure, but I see how adams squeeze their soap into their buckets. And they seem to do rather short quick bursts three times, where mine are more prolonged like no stop squeeze. Three full circles around the bottom of the bucket, few lines on the mitt, one good squeeze inside the mitt, and then i fill the bucket up about 2 inches high, then spray the soap sitting at the bottom and on the mitt to create the suds. It seems like i have better luck with the suds at my work, but adams gives me the peace of mind with pH balance. Having a hard time wanting to buy again.

[BrianT]

To me the suds in the bucket weren't all that great. The suds I get in my bucket are thick enough that when I drop the mitt back in I don't see any water.

[JDrach]

I would have to agree Brian. I do really love adams products and enjoy using them, but I'm not convinced yet of this soap. Even grabbing the soap and water and feeling the surface for lubricity, isn't what I expected or hyped it up to be. I would just like to see more suds and on the car so I don't see myself pushing water around.

[07RS4]

Definitely strange man, especially when the mit hits the car.

 

I have never used the Adams foam gun, but on the Foam Master setting D/E with 2 OZ of soap you get a ton of suds (for a hose gun) and the soap in the bucket isn't even close to what I've gotten every wash for 5 years. I do the standard, put a couple ounces or so in the bucket and putting some on the wash media and I don't agitate the soap until I'm ready to wash and I've never had an issue. A few things I can think of:

 

1. Extremely Hard Water?

2. Was the car paint hot? I feel like a may see less suds if the panels are warm. (Vid looks shaded)

3. Try agitating the suds immediately before putting the media on the paint

4. I'm not sure your LSP at the moment (didn't catch it if you posted it). If you don't mind re-applying, throw 2 OZ of all purpose cleaner in your foam gun for kicks. You get substantially more foam with APC in there...lets see if it does the same thing. Don't forget to shake the foam gun to get the chemicals mixed.

5. Another option is go buy some over the counter stuff, don't change a thing in your process and see what happens.

 

*A few caveats...I still use the red soap and like aforementioned, never used the Adams foam gun. However I've never gotten those results, definitely not typical.

[clg82]

I get the same issues when using adams car wash in their buckets.....I get plenty of suds at first but often throughout my wash i notice that i am just getting more and more water more than i am suds on the wash mitt.  some big box stores car wash soap suds better than adams in the bucket...which is disapointing.  I do however get great amount of suds with the adams foam gun....no issues there....

[JDrach]

LSP was LPS after clay, then up kept with h20 guard and gloss and detail spray (1 or the other) after every wash. Which works great by the way. Also added buttery wax somewhere in the middle. But the car was sitting outside prior to wash, but I always let the cold water run over the surface several times to cool off the paint,such as initial rinse, I'll scrub tires, rinse the paint again. The paint was not hot or warm by any means during that video for it wad indoors. I would just use the soap my work gets for it provides alot of suds, but adams seems "safer" as far as pH Balance for my protection and it can dry. Always try agitating the soap and bucket to suds up the bucket and mitt before apply. Just stumped. My next step is to buy chemical guys torq foam gun for it looks to work well, and provides suds. So if I can use that in conjuction with adams soap that would be great.

[TheWolf]

My advice would be to have your water tested to see if it is hard.  Hard water kills suds, so you need to use more shampoo than normal.  You can also get a inexpensive meter and do it yourself:

 

https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY?ie=UTF8&dpID=31u0sy1uLFL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0AZ6BHG574FP1J7QZNRJ&ref_=pd_sim_60_2

 

Next time, use a measuring device to put 3 oz in your bucket, and see if the suds are any different.  Using the squeeze method might not be very accurate.  "Three lines of soap" is hard to quantify, as it depends on how thick the lines are.  You could also turn the bottle upside down, make a mark of the product level on the label, make your three lines, then see how much product was used from your original mark.  From a 16oz bottle, you can estimate how many ounces are in your soap lines.

 

Finally, keep in mind that suds are only part of the equation.  More important is the amount of lubricants in the mixture to encapsulate the dirt and make washing safer.  Some shampoos have lots of suds, but not much lubrication, and that is not good.

 

The chemicals that add lubrication will work against the suds, so there is a balance between amount of suds and amount of lubrication.  Lots of suds and not much lubrication, or lots of lubrication and not much suds.  A good example of this is Rinseless Wash; it has tons of lubrication, but no suds at all, and it is much safer for a rinseless wash method than using regular shampoo.

[JDrach]

That is a good way to put it. It's the the fact of pushing water around and the solution(not suds) is very unappealing for the fact I feel it's harming the car. But if it neutralizes the hard water marks in sacrifice of lack of suds, I guess that's best.

 

Which brings me to another point. Just drove from Chicago area to IndiAnnapolis. Car is full of bugs, and the fact I didn't bring any adams kills me, because naturally I want to take it to a self wash to wash the car, but the chemicals I feel in the self wash will ruin and protection the car has. This kills me haha

[clg82]

My advice would be to have your water tested to see if it is hard.  Hard water kills suds, so you need to use more shampoo than normal.  You can also get a inexpensive meter and do it yourself:

 

https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY?ie=UTF8&dpID=31u0sy1uLFL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0AZ6BHG574FP1J7QZNRJ&ref_=pd_sim_60_2

 

Next time, use a measuring device to put 3 oz in your bucket, and see if the suds are any different.  Using the squeeze method might not be very accurate.  "Three lines of soap" is hard to quantify, as it depends on how thick the lines are.  You could also turn the bottle upside down, make a mark of the product level on the label, make your three lines, then see how much product was used from your original mark.  From a 16oz bottle, you can estimate how many ounces are in your soap lines.

 

Finally, keep in mind that suds are only part of the equation.  More important is the amount of lubricants in the mixture to encapsulate the dirt and make washing safer.  Some shampoos have lots of suds, but not much lubrication, and that is not good.

 

The chemicals that add lubrication will work against the suds, so there is a balance between amount of suds and amount of lubrication.  Lots of suds and not much lubrication, or lots of lubrication and not much suds.  A good example of this is Rinseless Wash; it has tons of lubrication, but no suds at all, and it is much safer for a rinseless wash method than using regular shampoo.

Than what is the point of the foam gun and foam cannon?  Isn't the suds supposed to encapsulate dirt and junk to keep it from scratching the paint? 

[The Guz]

Than what is the point of the foam gun and foam cannon?  Isn't the suds supposed to encapsulate dirt and junk to keep it from scratching the paint? 

 

No it is not.  The purpose of the foam gun is to add a coat of soap to act as lubrication between your wash media.  The foam cannon has no benefit other than the fun factor and coolness factor to catch the eye of passers by.  It would be recommended to initially rinse all dirt from the surface using either tool.