New Car , need new detail products

[Ericc]

hi everyone

Got a few questions

 

 

Car is ordered, and looking to get some stuff. Been looking at getting some new polish material. Which includes, polisher and pads, compounds etc

 

1. Should i get the 21 or 15 or 12mini ?

2. Need to get a clay as well. But, the adams clay does not state if it is Ultra fine/fine/Med/heavy. Also, its small the ounce size. This even enough to clay the whole vehicle?

3. Then  the pads, which is better? Car is new, so really hoping not to use any compound and rather just polish with White pad/White polish? how effective/Coarse is the Orange pad? and how much do these compounds dust and does it leave any hazing or streaks? Tips or ideas to avoid this would be nice.

4. I plan to Coat it with ceramic pro. I live in a Cold climate so not sure if Adams Ceramic Coats will suffiice. Might have to use CP CK edition . Now, how will adams, polish and say the detail spray effect a different brands of ceramic coats to adhere to vehicle?

 

Thanks lots of questions.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Welcome. Congrats on the new car. What kind is it?  Can’t tell us about a new one and not share what it is!

 

And now for your questions...

 

1 - I actually wrote a post about choosing a polisher size here. But the 15 is the way to go if you plan to have a single polisher. 

 

2 - Adams clay is on the softer side, which is good. And yes, one thing of clay is plenty for multiple vehicles. You don’t use very much and you constantly fold it into itself. 

 

3 - For new vehicle prep, we usually use a finishing polish with a finishing pad. If the car has paint damage from the dealer, we may use correcting polish with a correcting pad. To get the most out of your products, they paid accordingly. In a new, indamaged vehicle you’re simply looking to level the paint for the best gloss. This doesn’t take aggressive work. As for streaking and hazing, the DA polisher will help to eliminate that. The hazing is more common with compounds and that’s due to the more abrasive nature. Compounds generally require polishing steps after for that very reason. Streaks are more of a sign of a rotary work. DA machines are the way to go. 

 

4 - Are you doing the installation of a coating?  Or having it done?  If you’re having it done, go with whatever product is used by the installer you feel the best about. If you’re doing it, you may find some products not available to you. Ceramic Pro is an installer only type of line. When you talk about cold climate and how a coating is installed, it’s refering to the temperature at the time of installation. It has nothing to do with a coating that’s cured. So the CQUK product can be installed in the cold. Most require a temp of 40 or 50 and up. Temperature will affect flash times for when you buff the coating off. Many of the consumer grade coatings are similar in durability and installation. Adams would be fine and is quite durable. Some others go on in different layers. Maybe knowing more would help guide you to the best coating?  What type of durability do you want?  What maintenance do you want to have to do?  Coatings are not maintenance free. Adams products generally play well with other coatings, but always test a small spot to be sure. 

 

Lastly, if you’re going to install a coating yourself take the time to research the process. Set aside more time than you think you’ll need. Prep is everything. Gloss doesn’t come from the coating itself. Gloss comes from the prep work before hand. Coatings are not difficult to work with, but when you rush or skip steps it can lead to results you’re not happy with and coatings are significantly harder to fix. 

 

Things to consider about when we do coatings:

 

- we always have two people working on installing a coating. It’s faster. Extra eyes to catch high spots, blemishes, etc. 

- prep is literally everything for how the final product will look

- we use a variety of lighting and angles to help catch any high spots or spots that need more polishing. I could write an entire post on lighting alone. 

- you will throw away some towels. Possibly more than you think depending on how heavy you apply the coating and how many layers you need.

- we use two to buff. One to take off the initial coating and one to go over it again to make sure we got it. And once the car is done and cured, we use a third as a final wipe before it goes home. The original buffing towel (that really took the coating off) becomes garbage and quickly. We use non-linting suede for that first buff. And we toss them at least every lap around the car. If the coating is going on heavy, it might be every few panels. 

- did I mention prep?  And patience?  

[Ericc]

I'm still debating , if I should have vehicle done by a pro or just do it myself. It is a black dodge Challenger on the way.  I want to buy both of adams SW the 15 and mini lol. But, the cost is quite high. Maybe start with just a 1 single one for now and see If i like it ?

 

Tricky part is  want to have ppf done by a pro, so the process is also kinda weird if I do it myself. I would have to Decontaminate,clay, paint correct then Paint Prep, then take it to a PPf installer. Then come back then do a wash and paint prep again and check for defects again.

 

If the Ceramic coatings (which ever companies) are too hard or difficult, then I might just go with a sealant then wax on top. So if I mess it up, I guess easier to fix ?

 

 

Btw, tons of info in this forum which makes it nice I want to purchase any product that is made easy to the end user, and I prefer to stick to a brand during a process. So all the chemicals jive together I suppose for ease of mind. Hence why I came into to forum.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Black can be challenging. It takes patience and we usually discount a few dollars for a new vehicle since it’s typically less polishing involved in the prep. 

 

If you’re not going to polish regularly, you may want to pass on the polishers and put the cost into a pro to install your coating. Food for thought?

 

For PPF, that would be the first step. Well, first after polishing but before any protection. A good PPF installer will make sure the surface is clean. I’ve researched PPF a lot as we are most likely going to be offering it in the not too distant future. In fact, we will have the ability to pre cut and sell kits for DIY use. But you’d coat or LSP after PPF install. 

 

As for coatings and DIY, it can be done. Be patient. Plan more time than you think you’ll need. Be thorough and cut ZERO corners. If you search my post history you’ll find a lot of information on the process we use and potential pit falls. That being said, a messed up coating is inherently harder to fix than traditional products. 

[M3Eric]

Welcome to the forum! Glad to see you have chosen the best products for your new car! I personally have the 15mm swirl killer and I love it! If your gonna start with one and get another later down the road, I would start with the 15mm....looks like Shane has already covered your questions in detail! This forum is a great place to get guidance from experienced people who are always happy to help! Post some pics of that new whip once its home! 

[falcaineer]

Welcome!