Adam's Polishes Frequently Asked Questions

Car Care Tips

• How do I care for my new car?
• What causes swirl marks?
• How do I remove swirl marks?
• How do I remove overspray, tree sap, and surface roughness?
• How do I restore a faded and oxidized finish?
• Instructional DVD
• Car wax, car polish, clay bar, metal & aluminum polish, chrome polish

Orders & Order Status
Have a question about ordering? Did you already place an order and want to know the status? Please contact us and we'll answer any questions you may have.

adamspolishes@aol.com
(403) 678 0243

Dealers
Interested in selling Adam's Polishes? If you have a showroom and are in an automotive-related business, we'd love to help you supply your customers with premium car care products.

adamsdealer@aol.com
(403) 678 0243

How do I care for my new car?

People often believe that new cars need no or very little care. Not true! When vehicles leave the factory, they sit in dirt parking lots, they are transported by trains, trucks, or ships, and then they are subjected to harsh washing conditions at dealerships. This is how to spruce up a new vehicle:

• Clean the tires with concentrated Simple Green and scrub off the existing greasy, oily tire dressing. Thoroughly wash and dry the vehicle.
• Use Adam’s Detail Spray and a Clay Bar to remove rough surface spots and contaminants. Clay the paint, chrome, and glass. Leave Clay Bar and Detail Spray residue on the vehicle.
• Rub Adam’s Vinyl, Rubber, & Tire (VRT) dressing on exterior rubber and plastic. Do the tires last.
• Apply Adam’s Revive Polish directly over the Clay Bar and Detail Spray residue. Remove polish with a micro fiber polishing towel. Follow with a fine coat of Butter Wax.
• For interior detailing, rub VRT on the dashboard and door panels and use Adam’s Leather Conditioner every two weeks for the first two months that you own the vehicle. Leather is very dry in new vehicles, so be sure to moisturize seats and other areas frequently.

Maintain your vehicle’s shine by hand-washing and drying it regularly, and by using a mist of Adam’s Detail Spray on the paint and glass. You will have to reapply the water-based VRT after each wash.

What Causes Swirl Marks and Surface Scratches, and how can I avoid them?

It’s important to understand the difference between Swirl Marks, Spider-webbing, and Surface Scratches.  It’s also good to know what causes each type of scratch, and how to avoid them.  See the next FAQ, “Removing Swirl Marks, Spider Webbing, and Surface Scratches,” for solutions.

Here is a brief guide the most common scratches plaguing today’s finishes:  

1. Swirl Marks are ultra-fine scratches in the finish caused by a high speed buffer and compound.  After a vehicle or panel is painted, color-sanded, and buffed, you will see swirl marks, especially in the sun or under lights. 
   1. Avoid high speed buffers, wool pads, and heavy compounds unless you are a pro.
   2. Avoid low-end body or paint shops.  Cheap body and paint work can reduce the value of your vehicle below its damaged value!
   3. Stick with a Dual Action, Random Orbital Polisher, like the Porter Cable 7424, 7335, or 7336.
   4. Only use foam pads with the D/A Polisher.

    

2. Cob webbing or Spider-Web scratches look like a spider web when viewed in the sun or under lights.  These ultra-fine scratches are caused by a few things:
   1. Driving through a Car Wash or other mass-volume wash system is the #1 way to scratch your vehicle. 
   2. Using Terry Cloth Towels or Cotton Diapers to wash, dry, or dust is a bad idea, and will always scratch the clear coat or paint.
   3. Use a new Wash Pad every twelve to fifteen washes.  It’s an investment that makes good sense, and helps reduce scratching while washing.
   4. Over-use of a car duster is a bad idea.  If you us a duster, it should be at a show, or after a short drive. Don’t use a duster on a dark vehicle more than once or twice a month.  Use a duster on a light colored vehicle not more than five or six times before polishing and waxing again.
   5.  If you like to keep your car free of dust, use one of these methods:

                     i.      Keep a car cover on the freshly cleaned vehicle.

ii.                   Use Detail Spray and a Micro fiber Polishing Towel to remove dust.  This lubricates the dust while picking it up, and adds shine at the same time!  

3. Fine surface scratches unfortunately happen with vehicle use or storage.  If you drive it, it’s going to get a scratch or two!  Scratches happen, and it’s important to think about minimizing their possibility.
   1. Don’t park close to other vehicles.
   2. Park far, far away!  Further is better.  Enjoy the exercise!
   3. Think about carrying boxes or bags through your front door, and not your garage.  Most scratches happen in your garage or driveway!
   4. Make sure your kids watch the detailing DVD before having them help you wash or detail your vehicle.
       

4. Want to Avoid Scratches all-together?  Store your vehicle up on a lift, in a locked garage or warehouse, with a soft cover.  Many of our customers who do just this, and it’s the only way to positively avoid scratches!

Reducing Swirls by Hand:

Minimizing Swirl Marks by hand, Adam’s Style

1. Wash vehicle, or use the Detail Spray and Micro fiber Polishing Towel to clean the surface.
2. Determine the need of a Clay Bar.  Using a sandwich bad or piece of flimsy plastic bag, gently rub the surface to feel for roughness. 
   1. Feel little bumps?  Clay it!
   2. Smooth?  Skip it! 

3. Dress your plastic, rubber, and vinyl with our Vinyl, Rubber, & Tire Dressing.  It’s okay to be a little sloppy and get some on the paint or glass.
4. Determine a good part of the vehicle to use a test spot.  Find a spot on the trunk or hood, where inspection is easy.
5. If working by hand, use our Swirl & Haze Remover (S&HR) and a Micro fiber Applicator pad.
6. Apply a small amount of S&HR to the surface of the vehicle.
7. Spay one mist of Detail Spray into the applicator pad.
8. Rub up and down over an area, say 10 inches square, covering each square inch at least five times.
9. Now do the same going side to side.
10. Do not remove the S&HR residue!
11. Using the opposite side of the MF Applicator, Apply the same amount of Revive Polish in the same manner as the S&HR.
12. Remove the residue with a clean Micro fiber Polishing towel. 
    1. Note:  Do not to use the cheap, bulk Micro fiber towels on your paint.  The cheap towels can scratch just like a terry towel.  Use only high quality Micro fiber, which should be ultra soft to the touch, wash after wash.
13. Apply a thin coat of Butter Wax to the vehicle, and then remove the residue.

14. Did you reduce the swirls to your satisfaction? 
    1. Yes:  Great!   Finish the car, completing one step at a time, one panel at a time. (Complete the S&HR step to the entire vehicle, then on to the Revive, etc.)

How do I restore a faded and oxidized finish?

Some finishes need to be repainted if they have been neglected for too long. I back my products with a 110% guarantee, yet nothing we manufacture will replace missing paint or disintegrating clear-coat. Note that because boat and RV finishes are different from standard vehicles, the restoration process is dependent on the age and color of the gelcoat or fiberglass. Contact  

For all other vehicles, follow these steps for removing oxidation:

• Wash and dry the vehicle.
• Follow with the Clay Bar and Detail Spray. The combination removes surface contaminants and facilitates polishing. For sever oxidation, use Scratch & Swirl Remover and Revive Polish, combining the two 70 – 30 respectively. Applying by hand, you can reduce swirl marks by 60 – 85 percent. To reduce marks by 95 – 100 percent, I recommend using a polishing machine like the Porter Cable D/A.  Purchase the tool at www.rockymountainclassiccars.com/polishers_supplies.htm, or at most home improvement centers. I find models 7424 and 7336 to be the most effective. We sell the applicator pads you’ll need. Use the black pad and set the machine to 4 (4K orbits/minute). Polish the entire vehicle. Remove residue with a clean micro fiber towel.