Adams Wash & Coat Product Review

[Coz3z3]

Originally Posted by Joe M 2012 2SS

Thanks, I spent about 30 hours correcting the paint 4 1/2 years ago when I bought the car! That's where the shine comes from.

The benefit of SI02 is the protection it provides vs. wax or a standard polymer sealant.
Adams sells 2 different carnauba paste waxes, Americana and Patriot.

The Americana, like most "waxes" sold today also contains some polymers, so the durability lasts longer versus a wax made from only natural ingredients like their Patriot wax is. The Patriot though will give a much deeper/warmer look, because it contains a higher level of carnauba.

If your car is garaged, and not driven much, wax will last a lot longer vs. a car that's exposed to the elements.
Especially during the summer. Wax begins to evaporate off the surface when the temperature of it reaches 130* F.

While it won't get that hot outside, the surface of your paint, especially on a darker colored vehicle will easily exceed that during the summer when it's in direct sunlight.

Sealants, which contain mostly man-made materials, polymers, SIO2, have melting points of around 300*F, although many products are mislabeled. If it contains mostly natural ingredients, it is a wax.....if it contains mostly man made ingredients, it is a sealant.

Coatings provide the best and longest durability of any protection product. The reason why is after application they are 75-100X thicker than a wax or a sealant, and they cure as hard as the clearcoat on your car is, in some cases even harder.
Coatings however do require an initial cure time of at least 24 hours inside out of the elements, and cant be washed for at least 5 days after application.

If you want the best shine your car can get, there is no way around it, it must be compounded and polished, to remove defects. You can use glazes, waxes, and sealants to somewhat fill defects instead, but it's like putting makeup on your face, after it comes off the defects are still there.

Compounding removes the defects, like doing plastic surgery, and polishing brings your clearcoat to it's brightest shine and clarity.

As far as what to recommend for you, that's kind of hard to do, because everyone is different when it comes to paint care on their car.
Do you want it as perfect as possible? Do you want 70-80% of the defects removed? Do you just want something fast/easy to protect your paint and provide some extra gloss?

I like SI02 products because they provide great protection against acidic things (Bug splatter/bird bombs), and leave a surface that stays cleaner than a standard polymer sealant does. Because my car sits outside 24/7, this provides the best protection I can use.
If I had a garage, I would definitely have a coating on it, but being that it's an outdoor car, I can't do a coating, because it can't be left outside to cure.

The wash/coat is a topper for me, I use it on top of another SI02 product. I've found if you layer an SIO2 on top of a polymer sealant, or a carnauba wax, it wont bond very well and wont last very long.

You can use this as a stand-alone sealant as well, I just like to layer for added protection and increased durability of the bottom layer.

If you enjoy waxing your car (many people do), and you want to try SIO2, Adams has a Ceramic Paste Wax, that they state has double the durability of standard wax, so this could be a good option for you.

Before you put SIO2, or any protection on your paint, you must first prep the car properly.

1) Strip wash to remove old waxes/sealants.

2) Clay or use a Clay alternative.

3) Wipe the paint down with IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) and distilled water, about 15-25% IPA, or a paint prep. Wear nitrile gloves when doing this, you want your paint to be completely free of any oils that come off your hands, which will effect the bonding of whatever protection product you are using as your base layer.

4) Apply protection based upon MFG's recommendations, and keep those gloves on. No hand oil on the paint at all!

Excellent write up again man, answered and learned a lot just from that. I think I would like something that would protect the paint and give it some extra shine. My car is white. The wax I have been using is Adam's Americana. I do not necessarily want something "fast/easy" but this would be a learning process for me. I started looking at Adam's website again, I see they offer the surface prep which looks like has that IPA in it already.
Another question I have is they have the ceramic coating and SiO2, so would you recommend me going the ceramic route first, and then doing the SiO2??
Thanks again man! I appreciate all of this!

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by Coz3z3

Excellent write up again man, answered and learned a lot just from that. I think I would like something that would protect the paint and give it some extra shine. My car is white. The wax I have been using is Adam's Americana. I do not necessarily want something "fast/easy" but this would be a learning process for me. I started looking at Adam's website again, I see they offer the surface prep which looks like has that IPA in it already.
Another question I have is they have the ceramic coating and SiO2, so would you recommend me going the ceramic route first, and then doing the SiO2??
Thanks again man! I appreciate all of this!

Since your car is white, one thing you should definitely do is do an iron decontamination of the paint.

If you haven't done this already, it's likely after you wash the car, you see very small orange, or brown spots, on the paint. This is iron that has bonded to your paint, washing or claying won't take it off. You need to use an iron decontamination product. If you want to stay with Adams, they have one. Nothing against Adams, but I personally use Carpro TRIX, because it removes iron and tar at the same time.




Use the iron decon after going over the car with a clay bar or clay alternative. I'd highly recommend a clay alternative.
The one I use is the SM Arnold Speedy Prep Towel. It's extremely durable, they claim up to 100 uses.
I have about 50 uses on mine, mostly used on other cars I've done, only a few times on mine, and it still performs as new.
Use only fine grade, medium grade will leave marring on the clear coat.
The cheapest price I know of for it is on Amazon, about $38. I did happen to find one a few years ago at my local PPG paint store for $30, so you might check your local paint stores as well.

You'll have to use a clay lube with the SM.
I'd recommend getting a bottle of Ultima Waterless Wash Plus Concentrate.
If you catch it on one of the 25% off/free shipping sales on Autogeek, Autopia, or Detailed Image, it will be around $15.
This bottle makes 5.5 gallons of detail spray/clay lube/waterless wash. You can buy distilled water at Wal-Mart for about a dollar a gallon.
So for about $21, you have 5.5 gallons of product that should last you a very long time. It's a high quality product as well.

Only use fine grade clay/clay alternative, and with the alternative, you don't need any pressure when using it, just glide it across the surface to remove bonded contaminates.

How do you know if your car needs claying? The baggie test.




If you want to purchase an IPA solution, you can do that, however, you can pick up a bottle of 90% IPA at Wal-Mart for about $2-$3. Mix it with the distilled water mentioned earlier, and save yourself some money.

I personally use Carpro Eraser, because the smell of IPA gives me a headache.
I did get a bottle of the Adams Prep in the Ceramic Spray Kit I bought during their Cinco De Mayo sale, and after using it on someone's car this past weekend, it doesn't have a strong IPA scent, and worked well, but it is $12 for a 12oz bottle, and Eraser is $20 for a 34oz bottle.

If I were you I would first use up the Americana, prepping the surface properly as stated above, I'm sure you will see better durability with better prep.

If your Americana is almost used up, go with either the Adams Liquid Ceramic Wax/Paste Ceramic Wax/Ceramic Spray Coating for your base layer of protection, and if you want to top it off, either the Adams wash/coat, or the ceramic boost.

Another alternative that works really well is Carpro Reload, topped with Carpro Hydrofoam. I have been using that combo for years. I can state my car does stay even cleaner with the Adams wash/coat as my top layer, but I don't know if it's as durable as the Hydrofoam, only time will tell that.
If it's a few weeks less, I'd still be leaning towards Adams. A car that stays cleaner between washes would override a few weeks of durability for me.

Unless you plan on buying a polisher, or having someone else correct the paint, I wouldn't do a ceramic coating. To avoid any confusion, what I mean is a "true" ceramic coating. One that needs 24 hour cure time in a garage, that has durability measured in years, not months.

[Coz3z3]

Awesome, this is great. So I purchased some of the iron remover. I havent noticed any of those spots on my car before, but it cant hurt to do it anyways. I am going to order the speedy towel and clay lube next week. And in a couple weeks, when the weather finally clears up here, spend a weekend doing all of this. I still have a lot of the wax left, so I will use it up. How often do you recommend waxing? How about the speedy towel? Once a month? Once a quarter? My car doesnt spend a whole lot of time outdoors but not constantly in the garage. And I just purchased a cover from a member here, so when it is outside, it will be covered.
Thanks again! I am really excited to see how it turns out by doing it properly

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by Coz3z3

Awesome, this is great. So I purchased some of the iron remover. I havent noticed any of those spots on my car before, but it cant hurt to do it anyways. I am going to order the speedy towel and clay lube next week. And in a couple weeks, when the weather finally clears up here, spend a weekend doing all of this. I still have a lot of the wax left, so I will use it up. How often do you recommend waxing? How about the speedy towel? Once a month? Once a quarter? My car doesnt spend a whole lot of time outdoors but not constantly in the garage. And I just purchased a cover from a member here, so when it is outside, it will be covered.
Thanks again! I am really excited to see how it turns out by doing it properly

I'm sure you'll see some purple spots come up when you use the Iron Remover.

As far as the wax reapplication, I'd do it when your paint no longer beads/sheets water very well when you wash it. Since your car doesn't spend much time outside, and the Americana is a blend of Carnauba and polymers, I'd expect it should last several months before it needs to be re-applied.

You use the SM towel when your car needs it, by checking the paint after washing/drying it, doing the baggie test. It varies as to how often this is needed, because it's based upon what your paint is exposed to. Being that you garage it, It should be OK to do it annually.

When you use the towel, be sure to first break it in on the glass. It comes with a coating on it to protect the surface while packaged, and this needs to be removed. Fold it in quarters, using 1 section on the windshield, one on the driver's side, one on the rear glass, and one on the passenger side. Your towel will now be "broke in", and you can use it on the paint. It's OK to use some pressure with it on the glass.

When you use it on the paint, unlike standard clay, do not use any pressure, simple spray lube on the section, and on the towel.
I use a lot of lube because UWWPC is inexpensive. You will hear and feel contaminants as you glide it across the surface. When it is quiet, and you feel no more "bumps", continue to the next section.

If you accidentally drop the towel, rinse it in warm water. It will release anything stuck on it an be good to go.

When your done with it, rinse it in warm water, squeeze out excess, and allow it to air dry. Once dry put it back in the packaging.

Only use the cover when the car has just been washed. Putting a cover on a dirty car will grind the dirt into the clear coat, causing micro scratches.

Follow this process and you'll get the most out of your Americana.

When it's time to re-apply….

1) Strip wash the car - you don't want any old wax left over on the paint.

2) Do the baggie test after washing - if the paint feels good with no "bumps", skip using the SM Speedy Fine Grade towel.
If contaminates are present, use as described earlier.

3) Prep the surface - Use IPA or a paint prep to remove any residues or oils on the paint. You want the paint completely free of these to ensure the best possible surface for your wax to bond to.
Wear nitrile gloves! No sense to put oil from your hands in your towel, and wipe it back on the paint.

4) Apply your wax - Try to make your layer as thin as possible. Any excess you buff off is waste. Again wear gloves, you don't want oils from your hands on the paint.

5) When you remove wax excess that hazes, do it gently and slowly. You just want to remove the excess, no need to use a lot of pressure or fast movement. Keep those gloves on!

[Coz3z3]

Perfect. Thanks for being so descriptive! My only questions now are, can this all be done in one day? Or should I plan two days to do it? Example, do a wash, iron remover, rinse, one day. Then the next do a strip, clay, prep, wax? Or can I do this all in one day? And the break in process for the towel, will I know when it breaks in by being able to tell? Do I just do it on the glass dry, or with water, or the lube?

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by Coz3z3

Perfect. Thanks for being so descriptive! My only questions now are, can this all be done in one day? Or should I plan two days to do it? Example, do a wash, iron remover, rinse, one day. Then the next do a strip, clay, prep, wax? Or can I do this all in one day? And the break in process for the towel, will I know when it breaks in by being able to tell? Do I just do it on the glass dry, or with water, or the lube?

Yes it can be done in a day, always use lube with the SM towel.

Process is...…

Strip wash
Baggie test (clay if needed)
Iron Remover
Wipe down with IPA
Apply wax

[Coz3z3]

Thanks a lot! I got a little confused watching videos and things about it.
I should have waited on the ordering since Adam's is having a memorial day sale now haha!

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by Coz3z3

Thanks a lot! I got a little confused watching videos and things about it.
I should have waited on the ordering since Adam's is having a memorial day sale now haha!

It's easy to get confused when you have never done a process before, but once you do it, you'll find it much easier to do in the future.

Google "discount code for______" , whenever you make a purchase online, even if the company isn't having a sale, you can usually always find a discount code to save some money.

Get your best deal when the product is marked down, and you stack the discount on top of it.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

After week 4 no changes in beading/sheeting. Car is still staying very clean as well.

[HDRDTD]

On a non ceramic coated DD, which is more appropriate to use, the new wash & coat, or the H2O guard & Gloss? I have both.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by HDRDTD

On a non ceramic coated DD, which is more appropriate to use, the new wash & coat, or the H2O guard & Gloss? I have both.

You could use either one.

The G&G is an acrylic resin sealant, while the W/C is SIO2.

The G&G has recently been reformulated, I haven't used the new version, but the old one lasted 2 months, and was very easy to use.

The durability of the W/C is something I can't state yet, because I've only had it on for 4 weeks.

My best suggestion would be to try both, and see which one you prefer. Just be sure and strip wash the car first, and use fine grade clay/clay alternative if needed before application.

I personally like to use these as toppers to my main protection. Using G&G, I would have Adams paint sealant, or another polymer type sealant, as the base layer. I currently have Carpro Reload as my base layer, and wash/coat as the topper. The main reason being, a daily is going to get exposed to more bird bombs/bug splatter, and multiple layers provide much better protection against etching.

It has been my experience that SIO2 provides the best protection against etching between the two, and the car stays cleaner longer vs. polymer sealant.

[HDRDTD]

Originally Posted by Joe M 2012 2SS

You could use either one.

The G&G is an acrylic resin sealant, while the W/C is SIO2.

The G&G has recently been reformulated, I haven't used the new version, but the old one lasted 2 months, and was very easy to use.

The durability of the W/C is something I can't state yet, because I've only had it on for 4 weeks.

My best suggestion would be to try both, and see which one you prefer. Just be sure and strip wash the car first, and use fine grade clay/clay alternative if needed before application.

I personally like to use these as toppers to my main protection. Using G&G, I would have Adams paint sealant, or another polymer type sealant, as the base layer. I currently have Carpro Reload as my base layer, and wash/coat as the topper. The main reason being, a daily is going to get exposed to more bird bombs/bug splatter, and multiple layers provide much better protection against etching.

It has been my experience that SIO2 provides the best protection against etching between the two, and the car stays cleaner longer vs. polymer sealant.

Thanks Joe, I think I'll try the new Wash & Coat on the Malibu to see how easy it is to apply before I use it on the Camaro.

[Joe M 2012 2SS]

Originally Posted by HDRDTD

Thanks Joe, I think I'll try the new Wash & Coat on the Malibu to see how easy it is to apply before I use it on the Camaro.

Sounds like a good plan.

Last week I did Adams Ceramic Spray Coating, and topped it this morning with Adams Ceramic Boost on a neighbor's vehicle. I really like this combo as well for initial appearance. It's fantastic on black trim work! We will see how the durability goes.

[Adam's Polishes]

Nice job!