GerryC

Not crazy at all! Not only is it good in case you missed a spot, like you said (I tend to use WW instead of DS as my drying agent in case there are some stubborn spots that did not come off) but WW will also decrease the static electricity on the surface, so while you're moving on to other steps of your detail it won't attract as much dust.

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/23680-more-forum-improvements/

Also, everyone should find that the "Change Theme" menu now functions properly, alleviating the issue some people had with switching between the mobile skin and the full layout.

If the surface is too hot, the polish will dry up before it has a chance to break down fully. Even if it is only 70 degrees outside, if the car is sitting in the sun the surface can be much hotter. I don't have experience with Nissan clear but I would venture to say that it isn't as hard as most others. G8 clear is soft, and I was able to get about 90-95% correction on mine with just 2 passes of FMP and the white pad. Definitely try to adjust how you move the machine - make sure the pad is SPINNING as well as oscillating (watch the holes on the backing plate, or even better, make a thick line on it with a marker or a piece of tape and keep your eye on it while working). Don't move the machine too fast and apply the right amount of pressure and you should be good. Machine polishing takes practice, after a while you will get the hang of controlling it and you will be knocking out swirls left and right.

You do not need to re-seal or re-wax after a wash. Adam's Car Wash Shampoo is pH neutral and will not strip your protective coatings. Also when you do the entire detail, sealant is always before glaze and wax because sealant has to go on bare paint the be the most effective.

You're more than welcome to look through the Detailer's Writeups forum to see plenty of before and after photos

Brilliant Glaze followed by Americana Paste Wax is the ultimate dripping wet combo:

Buttery is less expensive, and easier and quicker to apply and remove, especially in direct sunlight. If you are doing your detailing outside rather than in a garage this may be a factor for you. A coat of Buttery Wax lasts about 4-6 weeks, offers decent protection, and in my experience you can do 15 full size vehicles with one bottle. The shine is better than every other liquid wax I have ever used. Americana is more expensive, it is pretty easy to apply but must be removed within minutes of applying, otherwise it will harden and become difficult to remove without significant effort. This will make applying Americana more time consuming (do only 1 or two panels at a time) but the end result is definitely worth it. Ideally you would want to apply Americana in the shade and on a cool surface. A coat of Americana will last roughly 2-3 months, again depending on wash frequency, road conditions, etc. It offers better protection than Buttery as well as a superior shine. You can do about 50 full size vehicles with a tub of Americana. When you do the math, the cost per application of both waxes is nearly identical. So it all depends on what you expect to be doing. I use Buttery on client's cars who just want a basic wash and wax. If they want to spend the extra $$ for polishing or anything else, I'll use Americana so it protects, lasts, and shines better. Please note that even though I've associated "shine" with wax in this post, the majority of your vehicle's "shine" will come from polishing. The more evenly level the clearcoat is, the more intense the shine will be. Wax is mainly a protection layer, however it does have optic qualities since it can "bend" the light as it hits your car, which can intensify the shine.

Since it took a lot of effort rubbing to remove them, it could be solvent pop, and the white specs are polish that is trapped in the holes. Do they feel like bumps, or are they flat?

My phone automatically loads the mobile skin when I go to the forums :/ The skin chooser link at the bottom currently doesn't work and it isn't something that I can fix myself (needs to be done server-side). This and other similar issues will be addressed in the coming week, as the staff has been busy this week with the warehouse revamp and dealer training.

Did the look like this?

The most recent car show I went to, someone was wiping down their brand new carbon edition C6 with a Costco microfiber and needed some help getting rid of swirl marks (wonder why...lol). I said the towel was scratching the paint, he said it was soft enough. I let him feel a doublesoft and his face turned into

Glaze on your chrome will make your eyes melt!

Wow, after reading your post I expected much worse damage than that. Glad everyone is OK, that Caddy definitely kept them safe.

Carl, FMP will not dust like SHR and SSR because it has far less dissolved solids (hence why it is the least abrasive of the 3). What kind of trouble are you having with it? Gary, were you applying any pressure with the Flex? Since the pad has an "egg carton" pattern, you need to apply pressure to "bottom out" the face of the pad so that it is flat against the surface, maybe that is why it was walking on you? If I remember correctly the Gen3 Flex pads were completely smooth, and would likely be easier to control if that was the case. My experience with the Flex is minimal compared to the PC so I am just thinking out loud here.

Revive is a hand polish, not a wax. Polish will add depth and clarity to the paint, which is good to do before you wax. You want to use Adam's Buttery Wax - easy on, easy off, even in direct sunlight. If you are an old-school hand-waxer you will LOVE Buttery Wax. When you wipe down your car at a show, you will want to use Adam's Detail Spray and either a Single Soft or Double Soft Microfiber Towel. You will use this same towel to remove the residue after you apply the wax. Check out the video below:

I moved this into the Hand Polishing forum. Anyway, I think what he means is that ever since he started using Revive, the effectiveness of his wipe-downs at car shows is diminished, not that he is actually using Revive as a wipe-down product. But Fairbanks and Chewy are right, you should be using a product like Detail Spray or Waterless Wash in conjunction with your microfiber towel to wipe light dust from your car, not just a dry towel. Using a polish will make the surface slicker, so without a spray agent like DS or WW, the towel will just push the dust around rather than picking it up, similar to how you've described.

I think it only shows five on the homepage for the sake of simplicity. There are an average of 20 member birthdays every day on the forum. As far as the forum not sending out birthday messages, I'll let Dylan know. In the mean time, check your private messages.

Well there you have it!

If it poses a problem at all, like if they don't fit the backing plate or if they don't work as well, definitely let us know. I still use Gen 3 focus pads personally (only reason being they are still in great shape) so I'm not sure of any recent changes in the Gen 4 design. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. Can you post a side-by-side pic to show us the difference?

Is your old set also Gen 4?

In that case then yes the QS would be the option to go with, unless they do not want another coat of wax on top, then it wouldn't matter. Besides he is talking about his own vehicle if I am not mistaken.

I don't think the wipe down necessarily needs to be done 12 hours later, just as long as it's done before another layer of wax or sealant is applied. All that you're wiping off is outgassing residue, so if you wanted to use MSS on the truck, you can leave it outside (and the SS inside) without a problem. Just drive the truck around until it's time to wash it again, then you can put a coat of Americana or whatever else on top.

Try 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner