Eric Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) Hey guys, My name's Eric and i'm from the Bay Area, specifically San Jose but reside in Union City now. I own a 2017 Mustang GT I purchased it last December. Did my first "detail" on it a few days ago with materials i've used for quite awhile (none are Adam's). I've owned an Audi and on there a recurring theme on the forums was people using Adam's products and raving about how great they are (not to mention how awesome their cars looked). My routine is quite crude and simple probably by your standards. Also, while watching alot of the very helpful video i've realized i've been doing things the wrong way. Usually I get up very early around 7am to beat the sun on my driveway, rinse the car down, use a car sponge and suds down the entire car including wheels and exhaust last (1 bucket only! Doh!), rinse it off, dry with a towel, proceed to wax the car, clean the glass inside and out, shine the tires, then usually pretty much done. With Adam's products I want to do more.(In the pictures you can tell the trim desperately needs VRT) I want to foam the car down to give me more lubrication, I had no idea I was potentially causing a lot of damage this way (including using only one bucket). I also learned that I was using wax when I should be using a sealant. I love my car and would treat it like a baby if I could. It doesn't get driven daily but in my current situation it is NOT garaged. So it is exposed to the elements day in and day out. I typically wash my cars every 3-4 weeks. So guys what should my cart look like? So far I have: 32oz Foam Gun Car Shampoo Wash n' Wax Aerosol Glass Cleaner Red Wash Mitt 5 Gallon Bucket w/ Grit Guard Wheel Cleaner Super VRT Pro Tire Hex Grip Applicator Detail Spray Great White Microfiber Drying towel Perfect Glass Cleaning towel Liquid Paint Sealant Anything i'm missing? Looking forward to the products and this forum. Cheers, Edited February 28, 2017 by Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Hi Eric, welcome to the forum! Beautiful car and perfect color, but I'm a bit biased! That cart looks like a great selection of products so far and has almost everything you need. If you're going with the Foam Gun, I would recommend picking up at least a 32oz or Gallon of Car Shampoo since you'll go through it fast with a foam gun setup (2-3 oz in the Foam Gun canister and another ounce in your wash bucket). I would maybe add a Visco Clay Bar if you don't have a clay bar - we have a combo kit that packages the Detail Spray and Visco Clay Bar together to save a few extra dollars. The other item I would suggest would be either a Red Hex Grip Applicator or the Microfiber Applicator 2-Pack for applying the Paint Sealant if you don't have any applicators, or you could pick up the Paint Sealant Kit that comes with the applicators and a Double Soft Towel Lastly, I like to have two wash pads - one for the top half of the vehicle and one for the lower portions, so I would maybe add a second Red Wash Mitt or a 10" Car Wash Pad, and our Short Wheel Brush for those awesome looking wheels! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Welcome Eric, I think since you are using PS I would trade the W&W for H20 Guard & Gloss - It will help extend the life of you Sealant. And I would add WW and WW MF towels for in between 2 bucket washes. Looks like you are off to a good start! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumBeach35 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 (edited) Welcome to the forum. Awesome car, awesome color. I'm holding out for a 2018 GT after I finish school. Personally, I'd ceramic coat it and then maintain it with Ceramic Boost. Saves you some product to buy and will offer lasting protection and great shine. Edited February 28, 2017 by SumBeach35 Eric and Dan@Adams 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Welcome Eric, I think since you are using PS I would trade the W&W for H20 Guard & Gloss - It will help extend the life of you Sealant. And I would add WW and WW MF towels for in between 2 bucket washes. Looks like you are off to a good start! Noted! I'll swap those out. Is the WW combo with the MF towels and gallon WW okay? I'm not sure how long the chemicals last before they begin to degrade, for lack of a better word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Hi Eric, welcome to the forum! Beautiful car and perfect color, but I'm a bit biased! That cart looks like a great selection of products so far and has almost everything you need. If you're going with the Foam Gun, I would recommend picking up at least a 32oz or Gallon of Car Shampoo since you'll go through it fast with a foam gun setup (2-3 oz in the Foam Gun canister and another ounce in your wash bucket). I would maybe add a Visco Clay Bar if you don't have a clay bar - we have a combo kit that packages the Detail Spray and Visco Clay Bar together to save a few extra dollars. The other item I would suggest would be either a Red Hex Grip Applicator or the Microfiber Applicator 2-Pack for applying the Paint Sealant if you don't have any applicators, or you could pick up the Paint Sealant Kit that comes with the applicators and a Double Soft Towel Lastly, I like to have two wash pads - one for the top half of the vehicle and one for the lower portions, so I would maybe add a second Red Wash Mitt or a 10" Car Wash Pad, and our Short Wheel Brush for those awesome looking wheels! Thanks! I've made the changes based on your suggestions, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Welcome to the forum. Awesome car, awesome color. I'm holding out for a 2018 GT after I finish school. Personally, I'd ceramic coat it and then maintain it with Ceramic Boost. Saves you some product to buy and will offer lasting protection and great shine. The 2018s look really nice! Might be a dumb question but, when it's ceramic coated will it help at all with rocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Noted! I'll swap those out. Is the WW combo with the MF towels and gallon WW okay? I'm not sure how long the chemicals last before they begin to degrade, for lack of a better word. I think that would be a smart move going with the gallon kit. Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianT Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Welcome Eric, sweet looking 5.0!!!!! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) Welcome to the addiction, Eric! Beautiful ride. By asking for suggestions, you'll likely have every product Adam's sells recommended! Still, I'll offer my 2 shiny pennies...TRC and HGG (and borderless grey towels for application). Can't go wrong with either one. Make sure you check out the kits, too, since you can find some pretty significant savings while also using the current 17% or on-going 10% forum discount. OK, a little more than 2 cents worth, but Mystery Boxes are an awesome way to start out. I also don't see any polishes on your list - are you not wanting to do that? Edited March 1, 2017 by falcaineer Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Welcome Eric! That's a beautiful Mustang! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelilton23 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Welcome! As others have said, that's an incredible looking Mustang Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) I think that would be a smart move going with the gallon kit. Great, I'll go with that then. Welcome Eric, sweet looking 5.0!!!!! Thank you! Welcome to the addiction, Eric! Beautiful ride. By asking for suggestions, you'll likely have every product Adam's sells recommended! Still, I'll offer my 2 shiny pennies...TRC and HGG (and borderless grey towels for application). Can't go wrong with either one. Make sure you check out the kits, too, since you can find some pretty significant savings while also using the current 17% or on-going 10% forum discount. OK, a little more than 2 cents worth, but Mystery Boxes are an awesome way to start out. I also don't see any polishes on your list - are you not wanting to do that? Oh! I missed the TRC. I've been taking another look at the kits and have picked up a couple in place of the individual items. Polishes... Honestly, i'm intimidated. I've never polished a car in my life. My washes have been pretty rudimentary as stated in my OP. A basic wash then wax. Before posting Ive spent quite a bit of time looking at each product, it's description, and it's video if available. I've watched the series and realized how badly I was doing these basic washes or details. So now I want to stick to getting comfortable with the two bucket wash, and using all the proper products with the proper techniques first. Maybe then i'll get the courage to polish, maybe even drop the coin on an orbital. That will take more extensive research. Welcome Eric! That's a beautiful Mustang! Welcome! As others have said, that's an incredible looking Mustang Thank you everyone for the comments, i'm flattered! Edited March 1, 2017 by Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 The 2018s look really nice! Might be a dumb question but, when it's ceramic coated will it help at all with rocks? The ceramic coating is pretty durable and holds up a little better for me against wash-induced swirl marks on my Chevy SS (I've purposely been washing it with less-than-perfect technique to see how durable the coating is for testing purposes), but unfortunately even with it being coated, I've picked up 3 or 4 rock chips on the vehicle this winter. My township likes to use tiny pieces of gravel for traction on the hill in my neighborhood rather than salt or ash, and the sticky factory tires like to throw those little rocks all over the place Eric and SumBeach35 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 The ceramic coating is pretty durable and holds up a little better for me against wash-induced swirl marks on my Chevy SS (I've purposely been washing it with less-than-perfect technique to see how durable the coating is for testing purposes), but unfortunately even with it being coated, I've picked up 3 or 4 rock chips on the vehicle this winter. My township likes to use tiny pieces of gravel for traction on the hill in my neighborhood rather than salt or ash, and the sticky factory tires like to throw those little rocks all over the place Ah, OK. Rocks are my enemy. Even though I don't drive the Mustang daily my commute usually involves being on the freeway for ~20-25 miles in both directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadley Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 HI Eric ! Welcome to the forum. You say you want to do more! You've come to the right place. I almost have to flip a coin to see what goes in my shopping cart next Have fun with it! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) Since i'll be using Adam's products for the first time. Maybe I should strip wash it to remove all of the "other" products off first? Then start from the beginning... Procedure should be? 2 bucket wash clay seal paint -insert here to give more shine- then on the second time I wash it I'll use the G&G? Edited March 1, 2017 by Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Ok so I completely deleted my cart and started from the beginning going for some kits. This is what I have so far, I don't have the red mitts any more because they're not in the kits. I'll have to build my "collection" from here. joelilton23 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelilton23 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Ok so I completely deleted my cart and started from the beginning going for some kits. This is what I have so far, I don't have the red mitts any more because they're not in the kits. I'll have to build my "collection" from here. Looks like a great start! I would recommend grabbing a couple of extra Double Soft towels too, for general wipe downs of the paintwork - plus, they are super fluffy and a joy to use! You can never have enough towels! And maybe a bottle of Undercarriage spray, to make your wheel arches nice and black behind those gorgeous wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 I have very little fender gap so I'm not sure how I'll get the undercarriage spray up in there. Unless I remove each wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 I think I'm ready to tackle the Mustang! falcaineer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I think you're ready to tackle your entire block! Great start. Be sure to post some before and afters. Feel free to ask more questions along the way, too. Enjoy! Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 I somehow missed VRT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ls1transam Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Welcome and beautiful car Eric 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I somehow missed VRT! Suuurrrrrre you did. I use the same excuse when I want, er, need, to buy more stuff. It's yet another symptom of the addiction. Just don't be surprised when your cart has more than just the VRT. Must. Buy. More. Adams! You've been warned. 8675309'SS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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