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Hey All! New Adam's fan from NYC here for help!

WunLizzle

By WunLizzle
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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Hey All!

 

Like I said, I'm new to specialized car care products, and worse, I live in the one of the filthiest cities (after Philly haha). As a kid, my dad used to just use dish soap and water in a bucket. Well, now that I own a car that I love, I know that just won't do. So, after receiving a recommendation, I've found myself here. I learned about the fundamentals (dirt scratches, bird bombs, etc) but I am a bit unsure of what products to buy to make sure I'm all set to shine this coming car season. If anybody could recommend a kit and then maybe a few other nice-to-haves, I'd really appreciate it. I don't mind spending a little bit because the way I see it, protecting resale value and not paying for damaging drive-thru carwashes is actually saving money! Anyway, if it matters, my baby—uh, I mean, car—is silver and it's parked outdoors with a cloth cover year round. Any pro-tips and advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!!

 

My best,

 

Wun

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Nathan

Nathan

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I would get the merino wash mitt, car shampoo, detail spray, the new drying towel, some double soft towels (search it on amazon they can be cheap), paint sealant, brilliant glaze, buttery wax, the yellow or red hex applicator, tire shine, the tire shine hex applicator, and all purpose cleaner for cleaning pads and the wheels and tires, also would get the tire brush, wheel brush, and wheel woolie. Probably also want the leather and interior cleaner, leather conditioner, and glass cleaner.

 

All these have different purposes but this would be my essentials kit. Sorry I know it's a lot lol.

 

The first section for washing the car, second is sealant for protection, then glaze for shine, and wax for even more shine, the 3rd second for wheels and tires, last section for interior.

P.S. You might want to get a gallon of detail spray

Edited by Nathan
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falcaineer

falcaineer

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Welcome to the addiction, Wun!

 

Since you keep the car outside, and it sounds like a daily driver, getting sealant on it will pay dividends.

 

With the understanding you shouldn't be surprised to eventually buy everything on the site, here are some of my recommendations based on your request, just to get you started:

 

- Kits:

-- Winter Washing kit, http://adamspolishes.com/shop/kits/washing-cleaning/adam-s-winter-washing-detail-kit.html(it's currently on sale, and to add an additional 15% off with the current site sale...it's a steal!)

-- Adam's Can't Touch This Winter kit, http://adamspolishes.com/shop/kits/waxing-glazing-kits/adam-s-cant-touch-this-winter-kit.html(it's also currently on sale, and to add an additional 15% off with the current site sale, it's a steal, as well)

-- Paint Sealant kit, http://adamspolishes.com/shop/kits/waxing-glazing-kits/adam-s-basic-liquid-paint-sealant-kit.html

-- Mystery Boxes; they aren't kits, per se, but they are a great way to get your collection started

-- Take a look at the Essentials and Daily Driver kits, too, for additional items you could add, such as clay

 

- Nice-to-haves:

-- Machine polisher and pads (these are almost in the must-have arena)

-- Adam's Great White towel, or the new plush one (must-haves?)

-- Extras of the SST and/or DST (also basically must-haves)

-- Sidekick blaster

 

Advice:

- Start with the least aggressive method first

- Don't polish angry

- Watch all Adam's videos you can find, twice

- Ask questions on here

- Above all, have fun! Applying what you learn and making your own path to the shine is what makes this all worth it, in my opinion

 

Many, many other items to consider. And I didn't even talk about the interior (LC and ID are awesome). I'm sure others will weigh in with their preferences, so be prepared to invest and readdress missing items later. Good luck!

Edited by falcaineer
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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Nathan and Falcaineer, thank you both very much! I'm so excited to get started and as with many hobbies, it's super helpful to have guidance to get going in the right direction. I had a scary feeling that everything on the site could become a necessity, eventually! Thanks again. You guys both gave me some great tips to get going. Also, I just found the Adam's videos on YouTube. To me, they were even more helpful than those here on the site. Feeling confident enough to put my first order in soon!

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ocdrifter

ocdrifter

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Hey Wun, welcome to the club, enjoy your stay here. For newbies I recommend that you watch all the adams videos, they offer sound and solid advice for newcomers. My recommendation for getting you started Adams essentials kit since winter is over and we are headed into spring/summer. You can find it on this link here

 

http://adamspolishes.com/shop/kits/washing-cleaning/adam-s-essentials-detail-kit.html

 

Also adams offers mystery boxes once a month and that is always a good way to get your collection going.

 

Chris above offers some solid advice!

 

Good Luck and enjoy your stay

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Thanks again, guys!

 

Below, is a list of where I am now. I do have a question about the interior though. I'm curious if Leather & Interior Cleaner will safely remove the denim rub-off from my Stratus Gray interior. It's a very light gray and it's starting to show some denim rub-off on the perforated heated/cooled seats. I've watched three different videos for this particular product and it looks like the product itself is harmless, but my fear is spreading the denim dye. You guys have any experience with something similar? I've searched the forums and found people suggesting even using All Purpose Cleaner at a 1:1 ratio. I hope I don't have to go that far. 

 

List of current acquisitions:

 

2 x Adam's Car Wash Shampoo 16oz

 

2 x Adam's Detail Spray 16oz

 

2 x Adam's H2O Guard & Gloss 16oz

 

2 x Adam's Wheel Cleaner 16oz

 

1 x Adam's All Purpose Cleaner 16oz

 

1 x Adam's Metal Polish #1 8oz

 

1 x Adam's Metal Polish #2 8oz

 

1 x Adam's Tire Shine 16oz

 

1 x Adam's VRT Super Block Tire Dressing Applicator

 

1 x Adam's 10" Car Wash Pad

 

1 x Adam's 20" Fender Brush

 

1 x Adam's Short Wheel Brush

 

1 x Adam's NEW Mini Turbo Stick

 

2 x Adam's Borderless Gray Towel

 

1 x Adam's Double Soft Microfiber Towel 1 Pack

 

1 x Adam's 5 Gallon Bucket with Gamma Seal & Grit Guard

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falcaineer

falcaineer

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Sorry, I don't use the LIC so can't offer insight.

 

To clarify my recommendations on the kits, it's not that they're winter kits, but rather offer a lot of the essentials you can use year-round for a great price. The name shouldn't scare you away.

 

Some thoughts I'd offer on your current list (since kits don't seem to be what you are after right now ;)):

 

- Go with 1 WC, for now. It's extremely effective, but you may not need it as often as you'd think. Once mine were clean, I found using diluted shampoo worked just fine, or may be some APC.

- Go with 1 HGG, for now. You'll only need it about every 4-6 washes or so, so maybe invest in another product to test it out

- Pick up some LC and ID. Either of those might help clean up that denim, but if not, they certainly won't hurt and are both awesome products (least aggressive first applies to the inside, too)

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Hey Falcanier! I actually did get the kit you recommended (Winter Kit) and the Best Seller Kit. I just broke out the items in this way to make it easier to see what I was getting. Everything was in a kit or bundle, except for the Turbo Stick and Metal Polish.

 

I think I'm definitely missing some interior care products, looking at it now. Guess I'll place another order  ^_^

 

I read the Adam's information on wax/clay/sealers, and it sounds like H2O Guard & Gloss is the better solution for me, for a number of reasons—namely, durability and the fact that the paint is a very light silver. That's why the list doesn't have wax on it for now, if you're wondering.

 

Really appreciate the knowledge transfer, guys. First package arrives Saturday, according to tracking info. Sorry, but it looks like I'll be unavailable for most of Sunday  :D  :lol:

 

Some thoughts I'd offer on your current list (since kits don't seem to be what you are after right now ;)):

- Pick up some LC and ID. Either of those might help clean up that denim, but if not, they certainly won't hurt and are both awesome products (least aggressive first applies to the inside, too)

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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If you call Adams customer service and if your items have not shipped they will be more than happy to ad the items to your order!

 

Thanks, man! They shipped already. I moved quickly to place the order so I'd have something to use this weekend when off from work.

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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WOW.

 

Package arrived Saturday morning at like 8-9am.

 

WOW.

 

I spent half of the day Saturday and half of the day Sunday with my new found favorite products and the car.

 

WOW.

 

Thank you all so much for your advice!

 

WOW.

 

The car hasn't looked this good, not even when I drove it off the dealer floor.

 

WOW.

 

I sat there and just looked at it. I sat inside it and just listened to music. I kept sneaking peeks at it parked in the backyard every chance I got. I was in love before, but now we just leveled up. Thank you again for the guidance, guys. Thank you, Adam's.

 

–Wun

 

*time to order the gallon sizes haha!!

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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​Welcome Wun and congrats. on getting the correct products and getting your vehicle detailed and exceeding your expectations!  :2thumbs: 

 

Now you need to share pictures of it with the rest of us on the forum!  :D 

 

Thanks for the welcome, buddy! I can't wait to get some good pics! At work all week, but maybe this weekend I can get something a little more interesting than a chainlink fence and filth as a backdrop haha!

Edited by WunLizzle
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Nathan

Nathan

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WOW.

 

Package arrived Saturday morning at like 8-9am.

 

WOW.

 

I spent half of the day Saturday and half of the day Sunday with my new found favorite products and the car.

 

WOW.

 

Thank you all so much for your advice!

 

WOW.

 

The car hasn't looked this good, not even when I drove it off the dealer floor.

 

WOW.

 

I sat there and just looked at it. I sat inside it and just listened to music. I kept sneaking peeks at it parked in the backyard every chance I got. I was in love before, but now we just leveled up. Thank you again for the guidance, guys. Thank you, Adam's.

 

–Wun

 

*time to order the gallon sizes haha!!

Get the gallon detail spray and if someone hasn't told you dilute rinseless 16:1 to make waterless wash. Don't forget the all year round coupon code Tsowers

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Oh no! The natives are restless! haha. Okay, okay. FNG mistake. All I have are a couple of pics I grabbed with my iPhone without even really thinking. They suck because they're just hastily shot in the back of the house. The bikini models and lighting crew weren't available on such short notice  :P  

 

Exterior was rinsed then foamed with Car Shampoo, then hit with H20 Guard & Gloss. Wheels got Wheel Cleaner (discovered that I needed to do it twice or maybe next time let it sit longer—those brakes make a mess on the wheels) and then they got a little H20 G&G love too. Tires got Tire Shine after being cleaned. Exhaust got Metal Polish 1 & 2. Interior was vacuumed and got a little Detail Spray on just a few hard plastic areas, but that's about all for interior, other than the All Purpose Cleaner that cleaned the mats. Putting in an order for interior products since that will be my next project. Also thinking about Glass Cleaner, Glass Sealer and Clay Bar for windows. Oh, and under the hood got a bit of attention.

 

This may be a dumb question, but is it worth sealing the side windows, or just the front windshield? Also, can Brilliant Glaze go over H20 G&G?

 

Anyway, here is a candid shot of my four-wheeled love, my Lexus GSF. More to come...

 

-Wun

 

post-15944-0-18161600-1493762154_thumb.jpgpost-15944-0-52770900-1493762294_thumb.jpgpost-15944-0-57878600-1493763412_thumb.jpg

Edited by WunLizzle
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Nathan

Nathan

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I don't seal the side windows, you could H20G&G then but the product Glass Boost might be worth looking into.

 

And yes you can over H20 Guard & Gloss as well as the other coatings/waxes/sealants :thumbsup:

Edited by Nathan
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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Thanks, all. I like how the car looks, just not the post apocalyptic backdrop! In my head I'd like to take one of those sexy promo pics you see in front of some futuristic looking buildings at sunset, not my neighbor's contractor van beneath a tree haha.

 

Pollen is the worst! Not sure if I'd prefer a bird bomb to pollen. As soon as I finished it was everywhere.

 

Thanks for the tip on the glass and the coverage.

 

My second order is going in tonight. Officially a convert now!

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falcaineer

falcaineer

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My second order is going in tonight. Officially a convert now!

 

 

Pretty sure someone warned you about that. Let me check........

 

Guess I'll place another order  ^_^

  

 

Or two...or three...or 18... You've been warned! ;)

This is only the beginning. :)

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WunLizzle

WunLizzle

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Three orders placed so far. Oh boy, here we go. A new drug is all I needed right now.  :wacko: Haha! But honestly, I'm in love.

 

Serious question though— I got a door ding yesterday. After I cried and set the perpetrator's car on fire I went home and ordered one of those door dent puller kits from Amazon with the hot glue. Do I need to strip the area for the hot glue to properly adhere? (That'd mean four Adam's orders in less than 2 weeks...you called it, Falcaineer) It's just a quarter sized area like any typical parking lot door assault so I'm curious if I do need to strip it, could I just use something else for just that small quarter sized area? 

 

 

Pretty sure someone warned you about that. Let me check........
This is only the beginning. :)

Edited by WunLizzle
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