PDA

View Full Version : My review of Adams Polishes products



audia4guy
08-31-2005, 12:56 PM
To give everyone a little background on me, I detail around 5-6 cars per month. I have been active in the local PDX Audi, Subaru and BMW clubs and do all my detailing through word of mouth.

I have been loyal to Zaino polishes for years. With all of the talk about Adams Polishes, I thought I would give them a try.

I received my box of products yesterday. The packaging was excellent. I ordered Butter Wax, Revive Polish, Scratch & Swirl Remover & 2 Professional Wash Pads. I already had clay bars and spray detail from Sonus and Zaino.

I decided to give a test run on my 1 month old Imola Red M3. The dealer had really scratched the crap out of the hood on it`s first wash and I was having a tough time getting the cars paint back to perfect using my faithful Zaino products. I had tried using Z-PC Swirl Remover followed by Z-2 Show polish and I couldn`t get it to my standards.

Lets start with the Adams wash mits:

I wash my 3 cars once a week and have always used Maguires wash mits. I was really excited to see the size and thickness of the Adams wash mit. Once I filled up a couple of buckets of soapy water, (I always use a two bucket method of washing) I was blown away at how much water the mit held. The Adams wash mit was hands down the best wash mit I`ve ever used. I`m ordering a few more today...

After the wash, I ran some Sonus clay over the car (using soapy water as a lubricant) and rinse.

I dry my car using the Air Wand:

http://tinyurl.com/degmp

Followed by a good waffle weave towel.

http://tinyurl.com/d2c3s

I started my detail using my Porter Cable polisher and Sonus detailing pads:

http://tinyurl.com/7pj7w

http://tinyurl.com/9e9l5

I added some Adams Revive polish along with a small amount of Scratch & Swirl Remover to a Sonus Green pad and started polishing at speed 4.5 on my Porter Cable Polisher. I put the Revive & Swirl remover on pretty thin (I only used around 1 ounce total of product on the entire car). I noticed right away how easy it was to remove this product with a microfiber buffing towel.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwbt-2.html

After getting out a flashlight and shining it a couple inches away from the paint I noticed it did a very good job of taking away nearly all of the dealer installed swirl marks...

I then used a Sonus blue Final Finish pad to apply the Butter Wax. Again, I only used around 1 ounce of product (on the whole car) while having the speed around 5 on my PC Polisher. I let it dry for around 1 hour and then removed it with another clean microfiber towel. One HUGE thing I have to say about Adams products is the ease of removal. With Zaino I`ve always had a tough time getting all the polish off on my first shot. Zaino always looks best after the cars first wash to get off any existing polish residue. This alone will probably make me switch to using Adams Products...

By the time I was done with this detail it was dark so I didn`t take any pictures. This thread is worthless without pix, so I`ll get some up tonight when I get home.

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of the polishes. I`m going to be doing a couple more details this week on my black A4 and my black MDX to see what it can do there.... The real test will be on older paint and I`ll be giving that a shot in the next week as well.

ZaneO
08-31-2005, 01:01 PM
Thanks for the review. I`m looking forward to the pics...I love Imola Red.



On a side note, how much Zaino did you apply per coat?

audia4guy
08-31-2005, 01:20 PM
I use around 1.5 ounces of Z2 when I do a detail... I use the little 2 ounce bottle that Zaino provides with the ZFX and fill it up around 2/3rds full of polish. I always try to lay down the thinnest coat possible...

All said and done, the Z2 has a deeper, slicker finish than the Adams yet I might switch just because of the ease of removal...

ZaneO
08-31-2005, 01:43 PM
I use around 1.5 ounces of Z2 when I do a detail... I use the little 2 ounce bottle that Zaino provides with the ZFX and fill it up around 2/3rds full of polish. I always try to lay down the thinnest coat possible...

All said and done, the Z2 has a deeper, slicker finish than the Adams yet I might switch just because of the ease of removal...



Wow, that sounds like your problem for Zaino removal. 1 oz. should do 3 full coats (including glass and wheels) on your M3.



Now, post some pics! :D

audia4guy
08-31-2005, 01:48 PM
No Kidding?! So like 1/2 ounce per application?? The pad adsorbs a decent amount of polish. Good to know... Thanks for your input.

ZaneO
08-31-2005, 01:51 PM
No Kidding?! So like 1/2 ounce per application?? The pad adsorbs a decent amount of polish. Good to know... Thanks for your input.



More like 1/3 oz. per coat.

imported_Totoland Mach
08-31-2005, 02:42 PM
I`ve become an Adams Polishes fan for the past year. IMO, their best products are Detail Spray and Brillian Spray Glaze. The glaze is very nice to use on my Dark Shadow Gray Mach 1 right before a car show. Really adds depth to the metallic gray. Lastly, their Car Wash is one of the best on the market. I`ve used up my supply of others and use Adams Car Wash exclusively.



I`ve got both Revive and Butter Wax, but haven`t used them yet.

ZaneO
08-31-2005, 02:50 PM
Sweet, I`ve got some samples of Adam`s products coming...Butter Wax, Detail Spray, Brilliant Spray Glaze, VRT, etc.



FOR THE LAST TIME, POST SOME PICS :D :D

audia4guy
08-31-2005, 02:56 PM
LOL,,, no worries. I`ll be at work for another hour or so. I should have pix up around 6:00pm (Pacific Time) tonight...

Way2SSlow
08-31-2005, 06:12 PM
I have been 110% satisfied with every Adam`s polishes product that I have used. The only thing that I dont use anymore are the wash pads. They hold a TON of water, and they are nice size, but it`s hard as hell to get the dirt out of them. Other than that, I have tried just about everything in their line and have been extremely happy with everything. The VRT is KILLER, and the QD is my absolute favorite.

imported_UnsanePyro
08-31-2005, 06:23 PM
What store stocks Adam`s stuff? Online store that is.

audia4guy
09-01-2005, 07:57 AM
What store stocks Adam`s stuff? Online store that is.





http://www.adamspolishes.com

audia4guy
09-01-2005, 08:00 AM
OK,,, one thing I learned is that my camera sucks... It`s not even worth posting any pix of my M3 because you really can`t get the depth of the polish.. Anyway, I did a very quick detail of my A4 last night (wash, clay, adams revive & swirl remover, adams butter wax) and here`s a quick picture of the hood:



http://images12.fotki.com/v217/photos/1/194554/1903591/DSC00623-vi.jpg



This car is my daily driver. It is one year old and has around 11K miles on it. The hood was slightly damaged due to everyday stuff and the adams polishes really did a great job....

I`ll try to get some pix of my M3 soon (with a better camera).

spartacus_33
09-01-2005, 12:39 PM
Great work. What kind of "stuff" damaged the finish?

audia4guy
09-01-2005, 01:24 PM
Great work. What kind of "stuff" damaged the finish?



Just everyday driving and such. I work by a paper mill and I get all kinds of crap all over my car just by being parked all day.