Adams Graphene Spray - At a Loss!!!

[PJM]

All,

 

New guy, and my first post here!

 

I want to be very clear, im looking for answers and what i may have done wrong, if anything, with this coating; so in the interest of that, 100% transparency and candor will be used in this post. As a side note, i did leave a review before i knew about the Adams forums which is severely condensed so i'll elaborate everything here. Get a fresh cup of coffee, or drink of your choice, here we go...

 

Vehicle:

2019 Chevy 2500HD, Diesel. Never had any buffing done to it - didnt let the dealer touch it, for obvious reasons. Driven daily, 60 mile round trip back and forth to work. Washed weekly, two bucket method with Adams "Ultra Foam" or "Mega Foam", whichever i have on hand.

 

The Process:

1. Wash vehicle with Adams strip wash, two bucket method and microfiber mits

2. Clay with Megs

3. Spray all painted surfaces, including wheels with Adams Iron remover. Wait for reaction while not letting product dry, rinse off

4. Re-wash vehicle with Adams strip wash, two bucket method and fresh microfiber mits

5. Final rinse and blow dry

6. Move vehicle under cover - surface temp 80 Deg F

7. Two step polish with Menzerna 1000 (Only a few spots needed a heavier cut) and 2500/3500 on the rest of the vehicle. 2500 and then 3500 were used on the areas that Menzerna 1000 was used on. 98% of the vehicle only needed 3500.

8. Re-wash with Adams strip wash after polishing - no spatter on the paint, but i prefer doing it this way with my vehicles to ensure everything is removed.

9. Blow vehicle down with compressed air and microfiber towels to dry.

10. IPA wipe down.

11. Following label directions apply Adams Graphene spray, allow to rainbow and then remove. I did one panel at a time. Applied second coat once i made it once around the vehicle.

12. Leave garaged for 24 hrs to "cure"

 

Here is where im at a loss - ive only gotten roughly six weeks out of this coating and its pretty much gone. To be clear, the usability and versatility (using on trim etc) is phenomenal - Adams, you did great with this aspect!!! The durability, atleast for me, has been horrible. As mentioned, i wash weekly, and saw a gradual decline in product hydrophobics and performance. The first wash was great, nothing stuck to the surface, not even soap - after that it was a steady decline. Is it possible that i got a faulty bottle??? Below is a panel by panel breakdown, i'll do what i can to be as accurate as possible, but i do NOT have any way to specifically measure.

 

Hood: Very little if any hydrophobic activity, not sure how to give a percentage on this so i'll be a little generous and say approximately 10% product performance remaining.
Windshield: Horrible, nothing left - No beading. No sheeting. Nothing
Door glass: Maybe 20% product performance remaining, being generous
Roof: about the same, 20% product performance left, being generous, little to no hydrophobics
Tailgate: Approximately 20% product performance left.
Fenders, Doors, Bedside: Top third of panel about MAYBE 5% left. 
Fenders, Doors, Bedside: Bottom two thirds of panel - ZERO hydrophobics, ZERO product left on panel. No Beading. No Sheeting. Water did not run off panel at all.

Plastic Trim: Nothing left. No hydrophobic activity. No beading. Nothing

 

To be clear, i know this is a spray product and not professional grade, but i also expected to get more than six weeks out of it. I live in the North East - so my goal i was hoping for was to at least get through the winter with hydrophobic activity etc, but with the way this has gone im guessing within 1-3 weeks or so that the Graphene spray will need to be, at the very least, reapplied. I want to like this product, the usability of it is phenomenal, but the durability, in this case is horrible!

 

Please feel free to ask any questions. Lets dissect this scenario and try to get to the bottom of it. My end goal is not to bash a companies products, i like the other Adams products i use which is why im at a loss here. So lets have at it, a candid, civil discussion and try to unravel whats going on so it doesnt occur to someone else; or if it does, have a possible solution to offer.

[Dan@Adams]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum! It sounds like your prep work was spot on, and goes above and beyond what most would do, so I applaud you for that.

 

My hunch for why you aren't seeing the proper longevity of the coating would be that it was wiped away too quickly after being applied to the surface, since you stated you allowed it to rainbow and then removed the residue. Our spray coatings will rainbow, or flash, almost immediately after hitting the surface as they are exposed to oxygen, in as little as 10 to 30 seconds sometimes; however I usually let the product set up for at least 2-3 minutes (sometimes more) before removal. Our spray coatings are more forgiving for application and removal compared to the full coating kits, so even if they stay on the surface for a few minutes, they will wipe away fairly easy. 

Allowing the spray coating residue to 'tack up' for a bit, usually until the rainbow begins to fade to a more clear hazy look, will cause your towel to have a slight amount of tension to it while wiping away the coating. This will ensure that it is better bonding to the surface. I will use one of our Suede Towels to spread/smear and level the coating, removing about 50-75% of the residue, then I'll let it sit for another 30 seconds or so, and then I'll take a second clean plush towel (Borderless Gray, Edgeless Utility, or Single Soft) to remove the remaining coating residue. Using this method, and maintaining with Ceramic Boost, CS3, or Graphene Detail Spray, I usually see around 4-6 months of protection on my daily driver with our spray coatings, which is exposed to all sorts of harsh driving environments - heavy rain, high humidity and pollen during hot summers, salt/ash/snow slush, etc. 

I would recommend to try re-application in a test area. I would do a wash with our standard blue Car Shampoo, rinse thoroughly, dry, and then do your IPA wipe-down (or Surface Prep). Very thoroughly shake the Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating bottle first to mix all chemicals, then spray into a Microfiber Applicator Block or onto the surface directly - I like to spray into an applicator to avoid over spray onto other areas of the vehicle - then apply and remove as described above. If applying a second coat, we recommend waiting at least 1-2 hours before applying the second coat. Joe explains the flashing and wait time at around the 4:22 mark in the video below:

 

 

[PJM]

Awesome. Thanks, Dan! I'll repeat the process with longer dwell time and see what happens.

[Dan@Adams]

33 minutes ago, PJM said:

Awesome. Thanks, Dan! I'll repeat the process with longer dwell time and see what happens.

 

Sounds good. Please remember to shake the bottle thoroughly too. Let us know if you see any improvement!

[PJM]

Will do!

[RayS]

Hi @PJM what @Dan@Adams described is exactly what I did on my first test panel and the results were the same as yours, it looked good, it just didn't last.   On my second test panel I let the product sit much longer and the results were excellent.   

 

The humidity can have a big difference in the time required.  The temps and humidity can be all over the place in South Carolina, so I usually do a small section behind the rear wheels and make sure it gets tacky and mark the time.  This gives me a good indication of how long I need to let each panel sit before wiping it down.

[PJM]

RayS -

 

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. Im kind of glad im not alone in this and it seems the issue is a function of time and letting the product sit and "stick" to the substrate. I'll definitely post an update using longer dwell time and post the results.

[CPT_Hoolie]

On 11/10/2020 at 2:48 PM, Dan@Adams said:

 

Sounds good. Please remember to shake the bottle thoroughly too. Let us know if you see any improvement!

It would be good if you put that in the instructions.  I applied Spray Graphene today and it's not anywhere on the label to shake, much less shake well.  Car is curing in the garage overnight so we'll see how it looks tomorrow.

[RayS]

3 hours ago, CPT_Hoolie said:

It would be good if you put that in the instructions.  I applied Spray Graphene today and it's not anywhere on the label to shake, much less shake well.  Car is curing in the garage overnight so we'll see how it looks tomorrow.

As a rule of thumb, any and every chemical, paint or other liquid should be shaken before being used unless the instructions state not to, such as carbonated soda.  Liquids will separate over time and this is not unique to Adam' products, it is pretty much every product.    I will state that I agree that as a general statement on every bottle and gallon there could be a line added to state "shake before using" to leave no doubt.

[Rich]

Dan hit the nail on the head with his answer.  I use only the Graphine Ceramic Spray (not the full Graphene) and I've had it last nearly a year. But like Dan said, you have to follow up with the CB, CS3, or the Graphene DS (which is what I use).  And I honestly thing 3 washes is overkill.  Wash, clay, polish , wipe down with prep, and apply the GSC.   And WELCOME to the forum.