SumBeach35

The steamer is good for mobilizing a lot of things in seats or carpets (think gum, etc). It will not clean as well as an extractor. That doesn't mean that you can't achieve awesome results without one. You could use the carpet and upholstery cleaner and a soft brush to agitate the spots. Then a good vacuum cleaner and you should be able to get most things out. It may take more work and a little longer than using an extractor. Your ideal compromise may be the steamer and a little Bissell. That would hit the majority of both of your needs. Truth be told, I don't use the extractor on every single detail. Anything that looks questionable though, and it's put to work. When detailing for others, time is money and the best tool for the job is most efficient. It depends on your priorities and the types of vehicles you're seeing. I don't think there's a universal answer.
 
Just as a side note, I've used my extractor around the house as well. It's useful to have around.

Looking back on the incident,  i broke the cardinal rule mentioned by Adam in one of the videos.....I polished angry and to make it worse, i was pressed for time too.
 
BRC & Ricky Bobby-  i didn't use least aggressive first.  If i remember correctly and since it is my mini, i was using a green Rupes pad and Adam's correcting polish then went to the yellow Rupes pad and Adam's finishing polishing.  Green pad is where it broke through and then i polished around the damage with the yellow pad.
 
 
Really was just a complete screw up by me that thankfully was on a cheap piece of plastic and it very small and hard to see unless you know exactly where to look. I haven't replaced it and not sure i will.  might be a good reminder to see every time i wash her SUV.

​I would do full prep, then use Liquid Paint Sealant as a base, and then top that with Patriot.
 
​Protection and shine...............  

Wheel Well Coating
 
To provide better protection on the plastic wheel wells, and to make cleaning easier, I applied Ceramic Trim Coating while the wheels were off the truck.
 
The Ceramic Trim Coating Kit comes with everything you need for the application.
 

 
 
I started by washing the truck in the driveway, spending extra time scrubbing the plastic wheel wells and plastic mud flaps with Tire & Rubber Cleaner, then rinsing good with the pressure washer.
 
This photo shows the rear splash liner after the regular wash.
 

 
 
Moving the truck into the garage, and removing all four wheels, I gave the plastic liners and the plastic mud flaps another scrubbing with Tire & Rubber Cleaner and a small dish brush.
 

 

 
 
Next, I rinsed with distilled water in the Pressurized Spray Bottle, with a plastic tub underneath to catch the runoff.
 

 
 
This scrubbing and rinsing process was repeated for the front liners, with the addition of a piece of cardboard on the floor to soak up some of the rinse that did not make it into the tub.
 

 
 
I used the Blaster Sidekick to get most of the water off the plastics, then followed up with a clean Utility Towel.
 
To prepare the surfaces for coating, I used the Coating Prep by spraying the plastic, while being careful not to overspray the paint, then wiped thoroughly with a clean Utility Towel.
 

 
 
Using the provided applicator pad, I applied the Trim Coating to the plastic surfaces, first applying in a vertical pattern, then going right back and applying in a horizontal pattern to ensure even coverage.
 

 
 
On the larger front wells, I applied the product to about ¼ of the area, vertical then horizontal, before moving on to the next area. This was done to ensure that the product did not start to cure before I could go back over it in the opposing direction.
 

 
 
After letting the coating cure in the heated garage for 24 hours, I then sprayed the plastic wheel well surfaces with Ceramic Boost and wiped down with a clean Utility Towel.
 
 
The Trim Coating did darken the plastics nicely, especially on the front liners.
 
Note that for each step/product, I used clean Utility Towels. You do not want to re-use any towels for the different steps.

Thanks Jason. I was able to get away with a single towel. I did use a towel on the wheels and then toss it. And repeated the same with the paint. I might have gotten away with using the same towel, but chose not to risk it so I never looked at it. I don't even know if it hardened up or not to be honest.
 
As for a breakdown of man hours, I'd have to sit down and figure it out. The numbers might be skewed a bit since there were two of us working on it, the wheels were already off and the truck had less than 1000 miles on it which saved the polishing steps. We also didn't really have to do anything inside the truck other than a wipedown and vacuum along with glass.
 
The first day was about seven and a half hours. At that point we'd had everything prepped and coated. The second day was about an hour and a half to finish it up. A lot of prep is similar to any other detail. Once you'd normally seal, glaze and wax is where you apply the coating. I can see the coating taking longer working alone though. We were able to get in sync and keep moving.
 
I think this was a story of having everything align perfectly for a faster and efficient job. We are going to coat my garage queen in the next couple of weeks (maybe this weekend). That will make for a better case study of time. It doesn't need crazy polishing but there's some spots on it. It's also got clear bra on parts of the car that will be hand polished with revive to make sure it's smooth and clean before coating. I'll also have to remove the wheels and put them back on twice (once to coat, once to boost). It's not easy to put on jackstands, so they'll just go on and off twice.
 
I'll try to keep a better record of time on that one. But again, it'll be two of us working on it; so adjust accordingly.
 
If you have other questions I'd be happy to answer.

Yes, keep the tools. You won't get a lot for them anyway. The PC still serves a primary mission as a sander, and also works great with a brush tool for carpets.

Who says the Foam Gun can't compete with the Foam Canon?! Bob, you've got to tell us what tip and how much soap you used. That's A LOT of suds.   

I'll like night washing better when it's my house and not a rental. Currently only have a 1 car garage with horrible lighting, old electrical that would need upgrading to add lighting. Can't wait until i have a 2+ car garage with great lighting that I can wash in if needed.
 
The wind is what kills detailing for me right now living close to a lake with a house that faces north. An hour after a detail, car is dusty again from the wind.

I love night washing, it's one of my favorite pastimes, also saves the paint. Looks good keep it up. Kevin if it makes you feel any better I'm on the west coast and I did the same last night on Wednesday and I woke up to pouring rain lol, at least my trucks protected lol.

Couldnt stand the winter grime any longer, stopped by a touchless wash on the way home then I squeezed in a Rinseless wash followed by H2OG&G and Ceramic Boost application in the 20-40 mph winds we have here in NY. Did it in the dark for the most part except for the outside lights on the house and garage. Sitting in the garage overnight to cure without any water from the supposed rain tomorrow.
 
 

Wahsed the other vehicle and it started to pour before I could even finish washing. Kept washing anyway. Used wash and wax for this wash for some winter protection

I've done them before.  You just need to make sure it flashes and you wipe it off correctly so you won't get a high spot on the lens.  And I would use the paint coating.

Dan:
 
You're probably right.  I know my buddy is active on the forums over there.  He's a great guy and super into his truck and his toys.  I can't wait to see how it comes out for him.  Luckily I have high standards for myself, since he has high standards.  He did a bunch of research about coatings before he decided to go for it.  
 
The good news is that when this truck comes out awesome (I'm confident it will), I stand to pick up some more work from people he knows which will be a nice thing to have!  I think he said there's three or four people already that want to see his truck and then do it as long as it looks as great as everyone says.  Here's hoping I can catch at least a few jobs (ceramic or not) out of doing this truck.
 
I just need to remember to take during photos.  I'm usually pretty good about before & after, but during I just get in the zone of working and don't think to stop and document the progress or the story of how it's done.  I'm planning on writing a good write up of the whole thing once it's done and I've digested the process myself.

Wow! You guys are great. Going above and Beyond! Exceptional Customer Service! Thanks Dan and Adams for the great Customer Service. I was just talking to Dan on the phone about my stolen package situation and they are sending me MB at no cost. Wow! Again Thank you so much!

I used them recently with the glass cleaner and coverage was much more uniform across the glass. the length of the tube caught me off gaurd at first but it coiled down into the 16 oz. bottle just fine.

This isn't a huge new product announcement, but it's an important one that I wanted to make everyone aware of. If you haven't received an order recently, we're now shipping all 16oz spray products with an all-new spray nozzle:
 

The new 16oz sprayers have several improvements over the old sprayer design.
 
The old sprayers that we had worked well. Simple use - squeeze trigger and they sprayed, but as with everything, we always look to offer better products through testing and research!  We have been testing these new sprayers very rigorously for over 6 months now. I do believe the cost is a little bit more than the old sprayer design per unit, but it's worth it to us to give customers a better experience when using products. This new spray nozzle sprays in a much finer, more consistent mist. The spray pattern is much better at a half-trigger pull (like how most people seem to spray products when I watch them) compared to the old sprayers, but they still work excellent at a full-pull of the trigger as well. The new sprayers also atomize our thicker liquids like H2O Guard & Gloss, Tire Shine, and Wheel Cleaner better as well, again giving a more consistent spray pattern. 
 

While the nozzle adjuster itself has the same indication symbol for stream or mist, they do still have both spray settings and two off (STOP) positions. 
 

With our old sprayers, the spray trigger could eventually fail or snap off from too many uses; however with these new sprayers, even after hundreds and hundreds of sprays of purposely trying to break the triggers in testing, they kept going strong! 
 

The new trigger also requires less effort to pull than the older sprayer, which can make a difference in fingers cramping up when spraying a lot in succession, like with Waterless Wash, Wheel Cleaner, etc.
 

These sprayers have a more natural fit to your hand, with finger grips molded into the spray trigger. 
 

The sprayers may arrive in your shipment in two pieces. Simply take the flat portion of the stem and insert it into the bottom of the sprayer head until it snaps in place. The curved end in the above picture should go down into the bottle. 
 

The stem of the sprayer is also slightly longer than the 16oz bottle to ensure that you get as much as possible out of the bottle before having to refill.
 
Lastly, we've done tests of hanging bottles upside-down at various angles and temperatures for a few days to see if they would leak, and the only leaks were the small drop or two at the end of the spray nozzle adjuster itself. 
 
Grab a 3-pack here if you don't want to wait to try them out until your next order arrives:
 
http://adamspolishes.com/adam-s-16oz-replacement-sprayers.html 
  I think after you use these new sprayers for a while you will see how much better they work. Let us know what you think by commenting below! Thanks to Joe T. and Benjamin F. for the great photos as usual!

On my old G8 GT I had great success with a white pad and M205. Least aggressive products first so you don't make more work for yourself. Also tape off the rubber weatherstripping or you're really making extra work for yourself, experience talking here...

While vrt reduces the polish staying on the trim,. The taping is more for residue management. When you hit a fresh pad on a rubber trim or seal, there is always a black mark left on the pad. With soft clear the rubber left behind on the pad after the contact could cause micro marring as you try to correct the panel.
 
That is my thought process for taping off the rubber and trim around the panels even if VRT has been applied.

Would I be too much of a jerk to rub it in that regardless of temperature, my heated and insulated garage (when I run it) hovers around 50-55? I built my house so got to design the garage at the time and completely designed the garage around washing indoors year round. I wash indoors in the summer as well cause washing in direct sunlight is just a big a no no as anything else. Long story short, winter has zero impact on my detailing ability since I wash indoors year round anyways; except I don't wax in winter. Hey...you asked!

I'm in southwest PA and winters here are brutal.  No heated garage for washing either. I'm lucky that I'm retired and don't have to drive in the "crap" every day.  Before it gets too cold, I make sure the daily driver gets a good detail done inside and out and a good coat of sealant and wax. Washing the car only gets done maybe once a month if it gets above 45*.  I'm planning on doing it this week since it's supposed to get close to 50* on Thursday and I can be sure the driveway won't freeze after.  Right now it's only 11*.
I'll do a full wash with the foam gun and the Wash and Wax, detail spray dry, and Guard n Gloss. A bit of VRT on the tires and clean the glass and that's about it for the winter. 
I keep saying to myself........"only 70 more days till spring" .

I use all purpose cleaner or 409 and scrub with a finger nail brush. I spray the brush so I lessen the chance of wax removal on painted surfaces. Wipe dry with a towel.

Thanks for the review! I've contemplated getting a flex fit, but wasn't sure about the size. I too have a 7 3/8" dome, so I'm glad to know that yours fits well.

Check out the Adam's winter wash video for some pointers. 

Well dried off the car today very easy to dry no streaking and the shine is outstanding the surface is hydrophobic so there wasn't that much water on the car I was very impressed again I'm not a chemist just a guy that likes to detail so the way I do things somewhat not protocol here is my car just wiping it off the real test is this coming week it's going to snow rain and freezing rain so let's see how it holds up

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