GerryC

Good thing it was only half a truck otherwise you probably wouldn't have had enough daylight to take those after pictures The engine looks brand spanking new

You're welcome

And we also don't have to worry about asking for Woolite

where did you find that....and does it glow in the dark?

Thanks for the upgrade I'll gladly take the time to explain anything from product use/purpose to techniques or anything that may be confusing to new users of Adam's. I love taking pictures so most of my explanations will probably have a photographic accompaniment Here's to not having to remake this topic a third time:cheers:

Simply apply a thin coat using a microfiber applicator pad. Do one panel at a time, the border of the panel first and then fill in the base. This ensures you cover every square inch. Let the wax cure for about 20 minutes. When I use the mf applicators I like to fold it in half width-wise and apply the Buttery Wax, or BSG whichever I'm using, along the 'spine' of the fold. This way my fingers won't accidentally touch the car and it gives you more control over the pad for a better grip and a more even application. After the cure time has passed, swipe the residue with your fingertip. If it comes off like dust, it's ready to be removed. Take a microfiber towel and start removing the wax residue in the same manner and order that you applied it, again to ensure complete removal. You can lightly mist the towel with Detail Spray if it doesn't come off as easy as you'd like. As with most of Adam's products, a little goes a long way, you want to lay it down thin. Multiple thin coats are better. Make sure you have adequate lighting so you can easily see what areas are covered.

Heh, didn't occur to me to include that - Not married - basement sink = all good

(I apologize in advance for the range of the quality of the photos. In the ones where I needed both my hands on the products, I had to rely on my camera's self-timer to take the shot while being suspended from my neck on the strap, and resting against my stomach to keep it steady. Like the Junkman's productions, this came raw from my basement, and the pads weren't even used - I just took some product and rubbed it on for the purpose of this topic) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the most-asked questions about the Gen2 polishing pads is how to effectively clean, and, especially, dry them. I've taken the time to explain my technique below, along with some photos to help with the explanations. Ok, so you just finished eliminating your swirl marks, polishing the finish to a perfect gloss, and finally laid a coat of superwax to protect all your hard work. You think you're done, but not exactly. You've got to clean out the pads you just used You'll want to clean these out fairly soon, for a number of reasons. If you let the polish residue dry on (and in) the pad, it will be much more difficult to remove later, and you could rip the pad trying to remove dried up bits left on the surface. Also, you could cause damage to your paint the next time you try to use the pad if it has not been cleaned of dried up polish. So how do you effectively clean the Gen2 pads? Grab yourself some Adam's All Purpose Cleaner (or Green Wheel Cleaner if you don't have any APC) and spray down the pads liberally, focusing on areas that have a lot of polish. After spraying them down, gently agitate the pads with your thumbs to work the cleaner into the pad and break loose the polish. The more dense pads (white, and especially orange) will need more effort than the black pad. Now, thoroughly rinse the pads out with a pressurized stream of water. If you're doing this outside, your hose nozzle will work fine. If you're inside like I am, use the sprayer attachment on your sink. Hold the pad perpendicular to the ground and spray at a 45-degree angle starting at the top of the pad working down, using a side-to-side sweeping motion. This technique forces the cleaner and polish residue down the pad and out the bottom. I do it this way for the same reason that you would wash a car from the top down. If there is still polish left on the pad after rinsing, simply repeat the cleaner, agitation, and rinsing steps again. Now it's time to dry the pads, which is a concern I have seen often lately on the forum. If simply left to air-dry, these pads, especially the more dense white and orange ones, would take forever. If not dried completely (as with anything absorbent) they can become moldy (depending on their storage conditions), or if the pads are put in a sealed bag or container while still damp, condensation will form inside it. The first step to drying the Gen2 pads is to squeeze out as much water as you can by hand, being careful not to break the black plastic ring around the velcro. The next step involves using your wash bucket and Porter-Cable. We are going to use Newton's First Law (UGH, PHYSICS?!?!?) to get most of the remaining water out of the pads. Set the PC to about speed 2-3. For each pad, put it back on the PC, and position it inside the wash bucket with the pad parallel to the ground, as depicted below: There is still water standing inside the pads, and it will stay there unless acted upon by an external force. Turn on your PC to introduce said force, and let it run for no longer than 5 seconds. Letting the machine free-spin for any length of time is not good for either the PC or the pads. You can hold the pad with your free hand if you want more control. Make sure you are doing this with the pad inside the bucket. The majority of the water left in the pad will sling out, hit the sides of the bucket, and fall to the bottom. After doing all of the pads, they will still be slightly damp. You can let them air dry now that you've removed 90% of the moisture. You can also put them in your dryer if it has a stationary rack on the lowest heat setting possible for a few minutes. Or, what I do is sit the pads next to a dehumidifer if you have one. Blotting the pads with your waffle weave drying towel also helps soak up any water left over. I know it sounds like a lot to do, but I spend about 10 minutes total cleaning, rinsing, and slinging all 3 pads before sitting them out to dry. Following this procedure will dramatically reduce the time it takes for the pads to dry, which is good especially if you have more than one car to do.

it'll be the one Adam's box she won't mind seeing on the doorstep

I still have the old formula with 7/8 of the bottle full since I only use glass cleaner on the inside of my windows which rarely get dirty I'll have to start using it around the house

thanks Rich, I know you probably have quite a few things you need to restore. I've had my forum's database screw up multiple times and I know the aggravation of getting everything back to the way it was for me it always seemed to happen at the busiest times too

we lost our fancy member titles too Good thing the host had a recent backup otherwise the amount of data loss would be pretty bad considering how active the forum is

Hopefully soon, I need to get some of these to fix a mark on one of the vette's wheels before the first show in a couple of weeks

basically, yesterday didn't exist here

I'm assuming you're using a porter cable because of the machine polish step, in that case you might not need to use Revive after that, but some people do, it certainly won't be counter-productive The only thing is that the spray glaze should come after the wax. Also you don't need to use detail spray immediately after removing the wax (you can if you want to, others do, but I don't), just as a maintenance product once a day to remove light dust and smudges

Not to hijack Devin's topic but I had equally amazing results with little effort: before (stains were in there for at least 2 months before cleaning) after

How long did you leave it on the car for? With the paste you should leave it for only a few minutes. Since it is already a solid while it's in the jar it has very little cure time. The application process basically turns it into a liquid temporarily to allow you to put it on the car. Do 2 panels at a time, and when you finish applying the wax to the second panel, go and remove the residue from the first.

the foam paint brushes are awesome at applying VRT to hard to reach areas. They're inexpensive as well, and they're made in the USA http://www.jenmfg.com/poly-brushes.htm

the VRT is for the tires, rubber trim, etc. not for the wheels themselves. For the wheels you should use Spray Glaze, especially the chrome ones as it will make them mirrorlike If you have chrome trim anywhere on the car like the door handles, feel free to use the Spray Glaze on those as well

You came to the right place, welcome You can apply Buttery Wax once every 4-6 weeks after a good wash and dry. Brilliant Spray Glaze is more of a maintenance product between details, it restores the 'just detailed' look. Many people use it after washing and between waxing, or before a show or cruise. It's great if you have chrome wheels too. You will want to grab some of these towels: http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-409-adams-true-blue-super-plush-towels-2-pak.aspx I haven't used the new true blue ones, I still have the blue with black border, which are incredibly soft, and the true blues are supposed to be better. After touching one of these, you will never use another towel on your paint ever again It really depends on how much dust is on the car. If it is a very light layer of dust from being in the garage, Detail Spray and a microfiber towel can safely remove it. Your wife's car, since it stays outside, I wouldn't use just Detail Spray and a towel to remove the stuff on that because it oculd be a mixture of dust, pollen, and other junk from the air. Your best bet would be to wash, dry, clay, polish, and put down a good coat of wax (multiple thin coats of Buttery Wax give you good protection and a nice carnauba shine). Once you have the wax on the car it will be much easier to wash the cars afterwards.

VRT should do the trick. NTHEWIND had success restoring the color to his semi truck's hood latch using VRT. Take a look at this topic: http://adamsforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2888

How much is 'a bit left'? If there is less left in the gallon than will fill up your 16oz bottle, maybe get a utility knife and cut open the gallon container, basically turning it into a bucket. Then get a plastic spoon or something and start scooping it out to put it into the funnel. Otherwise you don't want to mutilate your gallon if you will still have some LC left over after refilling your bottle. In that case I'd suggest creating a vacuum like Dan said, or just let gravity do its thing overnight.

I thought it was black until the last pic

One of the first things I did to the car was take those wells off the hood and soak them in the bathtub overnight