Steps For a Full Details using Adams Products

[chrisdlove]

Hello Adam's Forum,

I am preparing in the coming weeks to do a full detail on my Volvo XC90 nd wanted to ensure I am following the correct sequence of steps.  I have the following products:

1. Surface Prep

2. Car soap foamer  (for a power washer)

3. Graphene Glass coating

4. Graphene Ceramic Coating (advanced)

5. Graphene Boost

6. Graphene Ceramic spray coating

7. Clay bar

8. Clay Mitt

9. Lots of microfiber towels

10. Graphene sponge for spreading liquid

11. A gallon of detail liquid (pink)

12. Iron remover

13. Ceramic car wax

14. Scratch and swirl remover

15. Hexagon orange application sponge

 

Can one of the experts please offer the correct steps to ensure  the correct sequence?

 

Here is what I believe is correct:

1. Wash car using foaming car shampoo

2. Dry with towels. Finish drying with detail spray (pink) and microfiber towels.

3. Apply Iron remover - wait 5 minutes and rinse off.

4. Apply clay-bar with detail spray working in small 3x3 foot areas.  Buff off with microfiber towel.

5. Apply scratch & swirl remover using orange hexagon applicator, working in 3x3 foot sections. Wait for 2-3 minutes.

6. Buff off swirl remover with microfiber towels

7. Apply ceramic wax working one panel at a time. Wait for haze and buff off with microfiber towels.

8. Apply surface prep one panel at a time and dry off with microfiber towels.

9. Apply Graphene Ceramic coating using applicator sponge in small sections 3x3 foot. Wait for rainbow haze. Buff off with microfiber towels.

10. Apply Graphene Glass coating one window at a time. Wait for rainbow haze and buff off with microfiber towel.

11. Enjoy car :)

 

[falcaineer]

First, welcome! After you wash the car and rinse it, you do not need to dry it before using my iron remover. Also, do not allow the iron remover to dry on the surface, 5 minutes might be...probably is...way too long. Simply wait for it to turn purple and then you can blast off with a strong stream of water or power washer. Also, be very careful around black textured trim and do not allow it to dry on there either, it can stain so wipe it away almost immediately. When you clay, you can do pretty much the entire car at once and then come back and wipe away any Detail Spray that's still wet  If it dries, that's not a big deal and it will be immediately removed when you polish. The scratch and swirl remover can be used in whatever size area you want to work, just know that you will get relatively uneven results versus using a machine. Be prepared for sore shoulders! Also, there's no reason to wait 2 to 3 minutes before wiping off any of the polish residue.

 

Ceramic coatings need a completely bare surface, so the wax should not be applied first. It will inhibit the coating's ability to bond properly yielding poor results. Surface Prep should be used right after you polish, and right before you coat. In short, it's the last thing to touch the car before the coating goes on.

 

Here's an article with pretty much all you'll need to know about prep and coating. For the advanced version, you'll need to wait for it to rainbow and then that rainbow will start to dissipate and turn chalky, it will also get tacky. That's when it's time to remove, not just the rainbow.

 

For maintenance, wait a full 24 hours indoors before applying a topper like Graphene Boost, and a full week before a traditional wash.

 

More questions? Fire away!

 

 

 

[chrisdlove]

Hello Falcaineer,

thank-you for the warm welcome and response.  To clarify one of the steps - you wrote, "Ceramic coatings need a completely bare surface, so the wax should not be applied first. It will inhibit the coating's ability to bond properly yielding poor results. Surface Prep should be used right after you polish, and right before you coat".

 

I recall reading that the wax and polishing it should be applied after clay and swirl remover, but the person who wrote that may not have intended to apply a Graphene coating.  That being said, I suppose that after the surface prep is applied, the Graphene coating can be applied, and then the wax?  I tend to think this would make more sense as well. I was thinking to myself that applying the Ceramic wax and polishing it next, and then stripping it off with the surface prep did seem a bit odd.

 

The Adam's advanced Graphene coating in my mind seems to be equivalent to a very hard wax, and I even question the need for applying the Ceramic wax after the Graphene coating is applied.  Assuming the Ceramic wax is applied after the graphene coating, is there really a benefit?  FYI, I have Simoniz Ceramic wax, not Adam's Graphene wax.

 

Thank-you very much,

Chris.

[RayS]

Hi Chris, Welcome to the Forum.

The one item I see missing from your list is the actual Polish.  You can use Hand Polish, but as @falcaineerstated, you'll be tired after doing it all by hand.  The Polish is where you will get your real shine from.   On your question about the wax, that must have been incorrectly aligned for the steps as you need to make sure the paint is base, which is the importance of the Surface Prep that goes between Polishing and putting on the Coating.

 

Good luck with the Coating.

[chrisdlove]

@RayS @falcaineer

thanks for the clarification re: polish/wax/sequence.  I watched the hour long Adam's video speaking about Graphene application, and the Adam's expert was polishing the car at the beginning.  He then applied the surface prep, which as you all stated brings the cars "surface" to the clearcoat/paint.  At that point he applied the Graphene coating.  Thus, I am now ordering some 5.5" polishing pads and one-step polish.  I suppose the scratch and swirl remover is really for deeper scratches and does not provide the "polish".

 

Polish is the last major step before Graphene application; the last step being surface prep.

 

No more missing steps! I think I am ready now.

 

Wish me luck!!

Chris.

[chrisdlove]

I have one more question.  If you lightly polish with a machine using the scratch and swirl remover - is that acceptable or does it need to be hand polished using the orange hex applicator? My hood is pretty bad  - and honestly so is most of the car panels.

[falcaineer]

10 hours ago, chrisdlove said:

I have one more question.  If you lightly polish with a machine using the scratch and swirl remover - is that acceptable or does it need to be hand polished using the orange hex applicator? My hood is pretty bad  - and honestly so is most of the car panels.

Yes, it can still be used with a machine but was designed for use by hand. Just curious, are you trying to avoid Compound and Polish? Using them with a machine and pads will yield the best, most consistent results.

[chrisdlove]

Hi @falcaineer,

Yes trying to avoid 2-step polish system as i purchased two 12oz scratch and swirl remover product (but no blue compound) and doing that by hand using Scratch and Swirl remover product for a XC90 will definately be challenging without a machine.  I did recently buy the 1-step polish, 1-step pad, suede microfiber towel, and dbl-soft microfiber towels - they are enroute to my home now. 

 

The plan is to get rid of the swirls and scratches, then polish as you and RayS pointed out, apply surface prep, and then Graphene coating.  I plan to buy a mid-range speed adjustable polisher machine RPM 1500-6800 RPM 6" so i think this will save me a lot of time!

 

Hopefully this will work!

Chris.

[falcaineer]

4 hours ago, chrisdlove said:

Hi @falcaineer,

Yes trying to avoid 2-step polish system as i purchased two 12oz scratch and swirl remover product (but no blue compound) and doing that by hand using Scratch and Swirl remover product for a XC90 will definately be challenging without a machine.  I did recently buy the 1-step polish, 1-step pad, suede microfiber towel, and dbl-soft microfiber towels - they are enroute to my home now. 

 

The plan is to get rid of the swirls and scratches, then polish as you and RayS pointed out, apply surface prep, and then Graphene coating.  I plan to buy a mid-range speed adjustable polisher machine RPM 1500-6800 RPM 6" so i think this will save me a lot of time!

 

Hopefully this will work!

Chris.

 

Gotcha. If I may, I would recommend steering clear of a 6" machine. They can be cumbersome and not get into areas you could otherwise reach with a smaller polisher. Adam's has an entry level machine and kit, which also includes the Compound and Polish, and with available discount is very reasonable. Here's a link...

 

https://adamspolishes.com/collections/machine-hand-polishing-kits/products/adams-swirl-killer-9mm-lt-polisher-basic-kit

[chrisdlove]

Thanks @falcaineer - its on its way and i'll take back the other one   And it is a very reasonable price considering all of the accessories, etc.  Maybe i should return the scratch and swirl remover if i have the compound and polish now?

 

 

[chrisdlove]

Finished the Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge today.

 

Here are the steps I followed:

1. Wash using foaming gun from pressure washer (20 minutes)

2. Rust oxidizer spray (10 minutes)

3. Clay bar with detail spray - entire car including windows (30 minutes)

4. Compound (blue) using swirl killer machine and microfibre pad - exterior painted panels  (4 hours)

5. Polish (white) using swirl killer machine and white foam pad (1.5 hours)

6. Surface prep (15 minutes)

7. Advanced graphene application using suede applicator (1.5 hours)

8. Window cleaner for exterior glass surfaces (25 minutes)

9. Surface prep for exterior glass surfaces (15 minutes)

10 Graphene window application using microfibre applicator (1.5  hours)

 

The pictures don't do justice as the mirror like finish is reflecting my rough garage floor...but the finish is near perfect.  There are still a few deeper scratches that i tried to get out, but i have minimized them significantly and they are barely noticeable now.  I have never seen my car look this amazing - ever!

 

It was a long day, but worth it to see the final result!  Thank-you Adam's Polishes for the great set of products and tools - the 9mm machine made the job much, much easier!  I don't think I would have been able to do it without that machine, and the products!

 

I do have a few questions:

1. I bought one step polish and the purplish pads...I am thinking of returning those and the pads and just substituting for a few more bottles of the compound and polish.

2. I also bought several bottles of scratch and swirl remove....I am thinking of returning those and  buying some other products. I don't believe you can use this product with a machine?  I have not read or seen that anywhere...and doing it by hand would be way too much work!

 

Any advice on these two questions?

 

Thanks again,

Chris.

 

[RayS]

Hi Chris,
The Scratch and Swirl remover is a very good product when used in the right context.  I purchased a bottle when it first came out and still have about 1/2 a bottle left.  When you get the bush that runs across a fender or your friend that takes their truck through a patch of raspberry bushes and leaves light scratches that length of their truck, it is fantastic.  

 

A little bit goes a long ways and it isn't anything you want to be overly agressive with, and you can use a machine with it, but you have to be careful.  Using a low speed and slow movements on a non-agressive pad, just go over the areas with the scratches.  If the scratches don't come out with a couple of passes, then they are most likely too deep to come out at all.   Once you've got the scratched area done, clean the area with detall spay to get all the residual grit off the panel and switch over the the compound and the compound pad and do the rest of the vehicle as you normally would.

 

 

[chrisdlove]

Thanks Ray....appreciate the advice on the Scratch and Swirl Remover. I am glad I don't have friends who run my vehicles through that kind of rough terrain  and it sounds like the scratch and swirl remover does help!

 

I assume you are in the USA, and if so, enjoy your long weekend!

 

Best,

Chris.