Awesome, good to know. I tend to overthink a lot. Kept second guessing if I should just return it or not and buy official website and be without it
Exactly, I just bought a couple things from there earlier. I wanted to get one more thing and forgot when I did my large order from ADSTRC has an Amazon storefront. If you look underneath the product to see who it’s sold by, as long as you see The Rag Company, it’s coming right from them
Sad thing is the Amazon will get here by Friday, whereas the genuine order wont be here for over a week. Boise Idaho to East TN is a haul and they are covered up with the sale I am sure.. Cost me a few extra bucks, but worth it to get here faster.
And there’s a big snow storm that’s supposed to be coming through the Midwest this weekend, that will slow shipping down as well. Right now they’re saying we could get up to 12” here in ChicagoExactly, I just bought a couple things from there earlier. I wanted to get one more thing and forgot when I did my large order from ADS
I can totally relate to this and I wish you the very best and positive vibes... My buddy was my only friend I had left as well especially when I moved to where I live now right before Covid hit, and he was my rock thru that season. I lost him a little over 2 years ago and it was terrible, but I was happy to have had him for 14 years. Fortunately I found new friends here over the last couple of years, mainly thru my Mustang ironically. And much like you, detailing became my outlet
. It is especially worse during the holiday and colder season (here in the US for us) when it starts getting dark on my way home from work in the evening.
That’s my biggest gripe too is no eastern distributor. It takes a week for me to receive orders from them.Exactly, I just bought a couple things from there earlier. I wanted to get one more thing and forgot when I did my large order from ADS
I see your mention of ignoring ceramic coating claims. Now what about costings in general? See they worth getting? Debating having some roof rust fixed in my 17 and getting it polished and coated (coating and polishing alone is anywhere from 2000-3000 for a 2-3 year coating depending on shop. (Don't really want to deal with applying a coating myself+ need it buffed since it's been in the shop for paint and has a ton of dirt nibs and bad polishing from the shop and could probably use wet sanding to remove some sandpaper marks the shop left behind2025 XR6 Detail
The time has come to give the XR6 some love. I last polished this car in December 2020, and in truth, its needed attention for a while now. Thing is, with how many times I’ve polished this car over its 17-year life, I’m starting to get nervous about how much clearcoat I have left to play with. Ideally, you’d whip out a paint depth gauge, but for whatever reason I don’t have one.
The paint doesn’t need much, and I won’t be pursuing total correction. I’m at point now where chasing every single scratch or mark is waste of time. There, I said it. The reality is, unless you put the car in a bubble and NEVER touch it again, marring is inevitable. So, you either live with the marring, or go through a cycle of enhancement and maintenance, enhancement and maintenance………………….This is also a reason why I say to ignore longevity claims of ceramic coatings, especially ones with bogus 7 to 10 year figures because the paint will need enhancement long before that theoretical end date.
PREP WASHING
As you would expect for a garage queen that is washed to death, there really wasn’t much to be done here. Only four products were used today, ADS Decon Soap, Carpro Clay Lube (at 10:1), TRC Ultra Clay Scrubber and Carpro Eraser.
I won't be touching the wheels for this detail, so I foamed them with Touch-less, scrubbed the tyres with Wise Guy, then rinsed.......done. From here, the whole car was rinsed for the next steps.
From here, I foamed with Decon Soap then went ahead with the contact wash. I love ADS Decon Soap because it's super slick and stays on the car for the whole wash rather than disappearing as you work. Great product! After another rinse, I went around with Carpro Clay Lube and a TRC Ultra Clay Scrubber. I really didn't want to douse this car in iron remover, and from experience, it's not a worthwhile step on these garage queens. So, a very light clay treatment was all I felt was needed, and even then, I'm not sure how much contamination there was to remove. Still, I did it to tick that check box. This was my first try of Carpro's clay lube, it's probably not as slick as Gyeon's but I like how it stays active for longer and even lathers up a little bit as you work. It also rinses freely.
After one final rinse, the old girl was driven back into the garage for a drying. After a blow down with the Ego, including the door jambs to flush out those stray drips, I went around with two large Gauntlet towels and Carpro Eraser to finish off the drying and prep for polishing. The appropriate areas were then taped up.
TODAYS OBSERVATIONAL RANT -
Most manufacturers of high-pH soaps sell them as a "strip wash" to remove existing protection products. Let me tell you, in most cases that is just not going to happen. This is especially so with modern ceramic coatings and spray sealants. Yes, if you ramped up the dilution strength and repeatedly washed the car over and over, maybe you'd see a stripping effect. But who is doing that? Not me. So, after washing your car with these products and you still see water beading, this is basically normal.
In my case today, the decon wash knocked back some of the water behaviour, but even then, that often happens after washing with soap as they tend to leave a slight film behind. After the clay step, there was another slight degradation to the water beading. The Eraser wipe/dry process will have played a small part as well. Polishing will ultimately finish things off.
So why use these soaps if they don't actually remove an LSP? The idea is to remove as much surface level contamination as possible prior to hitting the paint with clay bars and polishers. So, while the "protection" may still be there, it's at least clean before you go rubbing on the paint. This improves the effectiveness and longevity of your clay and polishing pads.
Note - If your car only has something minor on the paint (say a detail spray), or a failing wax or sealant at the end of its run, then yes, a decon soap will toast whatever is left. For most enthusiasts who are forever "topping off" the protection with drying aids, this probably won't apply. I guess what I'm saying is to be realistic in what you will achieve with these soaps rather than saying product didn't work.
POLISHING -
The last time I polished this car, it was my first time polishing with battery power. And what a revelation. Unless you are running a polisher all day every day, we are at the point now where a power cord is basically obsolete. No management of cords, more flexibility, superior balance.
A lot has happened between 2020 and 2025. Like many who were at home for most of 2020 and into 2021, I doubled down on detailing to save my sanity. That included everything from trying new products, to expanding my tool artillery, even learning new skills and methods such as ceramic coatings and rinse-less washing. I also did my best to make my garage more functional, more efficient. The sink was transformative, likewise the new flooring. The cabinets meant everything had a place, and the wall mount pressure washer made washing so convenient. And during all of that, I was like a dog with a bone, it was an obsession that meant I was pursuing something positive and distracting myself from the world, the people I was working with, my depression and chronic pain. The amount of time spent researching just the nozzles to go with that pressure washer.......insanely excessive. So, when people would question why anyone would need 15 different tyre dressings or an expensive pressure washer, they were missing the point.
Anyway, a lot has changed, but then all but one of the cars remains the same. The last time I polished the XR6, I used my then 1-day old ShineMate polishers with a new pad system, ShineMate Black Diamond. These machines with those pads were so much more natural feeling than my old Waxit polisher and huge Lake Country CSS pads, suddenly I felt more confident. I then paired both with an old favourite, Scholl S20 Black.
Fast forward to 2025, well I didn't want to hammer the paint too hard, so the pad and compound choice reflect this. That means a ShineMate orange polishing pad with Carpro Reflect. For the roof and hood, I needed to step up to the Rupes turquoise intermediate pad with Sonax Perfect Finish. In addition to the Rupes HLR15, this was my first proper go using the new ShineMate EB212.
This little machine rocks! The EB-351 3-inch it replaced was far too bulky and heavy for such a small pad size, to the point where I didn't like using it. I sat back and considered various alternatives from ShineMate, Rupes and Flex, but nothing really hit the mark. Then the little Mirka became the benchmark 3-inch, but is just too expensive for what it is. Then ShineMate dropped the EB212 earlier in the year, basically a Mirka for a third of the price. If you can't afford or justify the Mirka, this EB212 is the best 3-inch polisher on the market.
Despite it's compact size, this EB212 has more grunt than the larger framed EB351. It rarely stalls, probably the best d/a polisher I've experienced in that regard. And because it doesn't stall, its more effective in getting the job done. I absolutely love the size, basically taking everything I adore about the Rupes LHR75 pneumatic, but without the hose hanging off the back. Actually, the battery balances the machine better, especially with the larger 5.0 ah version. In terms of battery life, I used this machine the most today and still had power left to spare when I called quits on the session. Only two negatives for me would be how hot the machine gets, so you need to be mindful not to block the cooling vents with your fingers. It can also be a little hit and miss with the double-tap throttle lock feature. Apart from that, its a winner.
And that's where I leave it for today. I still have the doors, side skirts, front bumper, wing mirrors and door trims left to polish. I also want to polish the glass and treat the rear bumper insert with Solution Finish. Then it will be time for some fresh protection.
I've been struggling with depression this week, and as usual, I shut down. This has been compounded by my little buddy being sick. He'd been at the vet since Tuesday morning, and I've been lost without him. Thankfully, he came home this evening and is much perkier than Tuesday morning, I just hope he continues to recover. Over the last few days, I've been fighting the feeling that I'm rapidly approaching that moment we all dread. I'm not exaggerating when I say he is the only friend I have close to me, I just want him to be happy.
Starting on the XR6 today at least gave me an escape for a few hours, a distraction.
Hear here
I agree, have virtually met a lot of fine people here (and a few in real life as well, here is looking at you @Boyd and @cerbomark )
Thank you brother.Hear here
Thoughts are with you , no apologies needed, K9s are such a big part of some of our lives. TC
I am so sorry for your loss. It’s going to take time to grieve and to come to grips with this. Anyone who has experienced loss will understand this. Take what you need. We’re here for you if you need us. Otherwise we will see you when you’re ready.
