Washing my new Z

Junkman2008

That would be wrong. I use regular ol' tap water and Adam's Car Wash.

No, I never said what I was using. I made those videos for a detailing website that has no access to the products I use because they are located in the UK. Like I said above, I used Adam's car wash.

Here is my kit that I tell people to buy if they want to get and keep their paint looking like mine. The first thing that you are going to notice is the price. You are going to think that the price is high. That's normal for folks who no nothing about quality detailing products and who are getting into serious paint care for the first time. I have been where you are.

Everything in my kit is there for a specific reason. Also, everything in my kit is made in America, and none of it is crap that is made in China. Until you can look at my paint in person, you will not be able to appreciate what that kit contains and how much of a bargain that kit really is.

Most of the stuff in my kit is a one time purchase. The only thing that you will be replacing is the car wash and the detail spray (about $30). Everything else will do multiple cars if you use it right and quit destroying your paint by washing the car wrong. That's the part of paint maintenance that so many people miss. You don't buy my kit to fix your paint a bunch of times, you buy my kit to fix your paint ONCE, and then you properly maintain it from that day forward. If you don't continue to destroy your paint, you won't have to keep fixing it.

I could preach and preach on why you're wasting your money on some over the counter products but all you have to do is look at all the threads that I have started on this forum and you will immediately get an idea as to what I can do with paint. I do NOT do it with stuff made in China, I use quality supplies.

Go cheap, get cheap results.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

christian370z

Anyone can achieve those results. It takes practice and experience, but it is much easier than people may be led to believe. Also, you can attain similar, if not the same results with quality over the counter products such as Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Swirl X or sealants such as Duragloss 105 and 111. Any good product can produce spectacular results if used properly, it is not a factor of over the counter vs. boutique products in most cases.

Also, just because something is made in China does not mean it is of lower quality. There are many Chinese made products that are of higher quality than US made products, and vice versa. I do agree 100% that knowing how to maintain a fully corrected paint finish is as important if not more important than knowing how to polish.

I polished my Saab's paint with Swirl-X, a black LC pad and a PC. Are these results inferior versus my Menzerna po85rd which is my go to finishing polish? No, I think the results speak for themselves. Process: Swirl-X, LC pads, PC, and was given an isopropyl alcohol wipe down. No wax or sealant is on the car: sun shots don't lie, you can achieve perfect results with over the counter products.

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-320whp / 259wftlbs-
SP Rays -- RE-11s -- SpecialtyZ Tune -- Swift Springs -- Stillen 25R Oil Cooler -- Stillen G3 Intakes -- Berk HFCs -- F.I. 12" CBE -- Stillen Sway Bars -- Es14 Spring -- INGS+1 lip -- CF Spoiler -- GTR Start Button -- VLED Parking Lights -- PWJDM V2 shift knob

Junkman2008

If that was the case, why are there detailers making money off people who can't?

So there are some cases where over the counter products can't hold a candle to certain boutique products? I agree with that too. I would like to see you use some over the counter products to tackle some of the stuff that I linked too in my intro thread.

We're not talking about "something", we're talking specifically about detailing products. Nane one detailing product that is made in China, that is superior to any of the made in America products that I use. Name one!

Pretty much every "made in China" thing that I pick up is cheap in quality and performance. It is made there for a reason. Cheap labor and poor quality control. You get what you pay for when dealing China made goods.

You can achieve perfect results with a few over the counter products depending on the severity of the damage. If things were as you state it, body shops would not bother spending the money they do on the quality products they use. They would do their shopping at Wally World. So why don't they?

They know that for the most part, you get what you pay for.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

christian370z

Because some people don't have the time, patience, or will to do it themselves. That doesn't mean they can't if they were to try.

Sure: 50/50 of one pass with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on a 1991 Saab 900 with just a Lake Country white pad and a PC, after IPA wipedown.



I know that is a big marketing ploy for Adams, but come on. I don't know if you have tried all the detailing products out there, but Chinese companies produce clay for Automagic which is one of the better clay bars available. Mytee carpet extractors are made in China, Chemical Guys microfiber towels that I have found to be consistently higher in quality compared to large brands such as Cobra. I'm sure there are more.

You know that Apple produces the bulk of the parts for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod in Taiwan and China? I don't see quality issues there. I lived in China for 10 years, the quality of most products is distinguishable compared to other countries I lived in especially with more and more environmental, labor and production regulations that are in place. They produce a large percentage of raw ingredients that find their way into most products, even if they are made in the USA.

There is no doubt about that, I was mainly arguing that you cannot make a blanket statement like that with no substantiation. It applies to certain things, but saying that all Chinese products are inferior or over the counter products are not up to par is wrong.

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-320whp / 259wftlbs-
SP Rays -- RE-11s -- SpecialtyZ Tune -- Swift Springs -- Stillen 25R Oil Cooler -- Stillen G3 Intakes -- Berk HFCs -- F.I. 12" CBE -- Stillen Sway Bars -- Es14 Spring -- INGS+1 lip -- CF Spoiler -- GTR Start Button -- VLED Parking Lights -- PWJDM V2 shift knob

Junkman2008

Yes, one pass. And your results drop substantially with every pass you make. Eventually, you'll come to point where you will not see any positive results and then you'll be forced to pick up a product that will actually do something. Who wants to make 100 passes with a OTC product when a professional product can get you there in 10?

Marketing ploy? Really? Millions of Americans have lost their jobs to cheap, overseas labor, a situation that Adam Pitale is very passionate about. To call it a marketing ploys demonstrates how much you know about the man and his loyalty to the American worker.

I would LOVE for you to produce proof of that claim! That I want to see!

I have found that the best microfiber on the market today comes from Korea. That stuff out of Chin is no where near the same class. I have experienced first hand how brutal China made microfiber is to today's finishes.

Again, we're talking detailing products, not computers (which happens to be my area of expertise).

I never said all Chinese products were not up to par, I said their detailing products Are not up to par. That I can easily prove. I think that your 10 years in China have skewed your perception of quality. I can pick up something that was made in America and then switched to China and there is a distinctive difference with those to items.

You can have your China products but I will choose to stick with American made when I can. Who knows, it may be my own job that I'm saving.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

christian370z

1 pass means working the product until it is completely broken down, I don't think it would take another 100 passes to remove the deeper defects judging from the results in my picture.


It is called competition. This is a global economy and the advantage in labor, production, and manufacturing goes to those who offer a competitive advantage.

This would be the Chinese manufacturer:

clay bar,car maintenance, detailing clay,car care products - AMS-C21-01 (China Manufacturer) - Auto Maintenance - Car Accessories Products -

This would be Clay Magic:

Clay Magic Detailing Clay Cleans the Surface of your Car

I find the quality indistiguishable between the higher quality Chinese microfiber, my Pakshak MFs (regarded as one of the best Korean MFs available), and *gasp*, my Adams edgeless and single soft MFs. I would like you to show me an example of how "brutal" chinese microfibers are from a mainstream reputable brand. An example such as Costco/Walmart/Autozone etc MFs do not count.

I didn't see you specifically referencing detailing products, only Chinese products in general so I responded accordingly.

Don't insult me. I have been buying detailing products for years from every company from Meguiar's to Zymol to Menzerna to Adams to Mothers to Optimum to Cquartz, not to mention every other product a regular consumer purchases both in the US and across the world. I don't know know if you remember where the US came from, but our manufacturing abilities 50 short years ago were not all that dissimilar to China's current state.

Keeping jobs in the US is vital, no doubt about it. However, if an American job was lost to an overseas country, what would you be mad about? Maybe that they are willing to do the same job for less? Maybe all the labor unions that demand pay and benefits that are far above the industry average present too much cost to a company? I am an American, but this sense of entitlement is really going to hurt in the long run. Obviously, there are many factors in this complex topic. But if you don't want jobs shipped out, you have to step up your game to become more competitive and present a better deal to the company. Jobs are a privilege, not a right.

As a disclaimer, I love to see jobs stay within the US but again, you cannot make blanket statements with the sole purpose of dismissing international products and elevating American made products. And you are on detailingworld, you should be seeing how the European/Asian nano technologies are producing detailing products that are far superior in performance to many traditional detailing products.

__________________
-320whp / 259wftlbs-
SP Rays -- RE-11s -- SpecialtyZ Tune -- Swift Springs -- Stillen 25R Oil Cooler -- Stillen G3 Intakes -- Berk HFCs -- F.I. 12" CBE -- Stillen Sway Bars -- Es14 Spring -- INGS+1 lip -- CF Spoiler -- GTR Start Button -- VLED Parking Lights -- PWJDM V2 shift knob

Junkman2008

Again, it's a curved scale. The first pass always looks good. By the 4th pass, people are wondering if the damage will ever come out. I talk to them all the time so I know this for a fact.

There are people on this very forum who know how long it takes to correct a normally swirled up car with the PC. How many passes can a guy do it 8 hours on one hood? I beg to differ with how long you think it may take using OTC products. That is what we were talking about.


And what does that prove? That Chinese manufacture can't sell their clay in the USA because AutoMagic has the exclusive patent here. Also, that Chinese company doesn't make clay for AutoMagic as you incorrectly stated.

Why don't they count??? They are MADE IN CHINA! I thought their stuff was the cat's meow? You appear to be back peddling now!

I was talking about detailing products, although they do make a lot of other junk too.

Sense of entitlement? That's what you call it when an American citizen gives 20, 30 even 40 plus years of their life to a company, only to have them close up shop, leave the states and take with them the very pensions that these people thought they would have to live on? Entitlement? Nope. I think that it's just fine for a company to suck the life out of their employees, build their fortunes on their backs and leave them standing with nothing to show for their blood, sweat and tears that they sacrificed.

That's exactly why I use Adam's products. He gets it.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

Gunzero

^+1

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christian370z

You are attempting to put words into my mouth. I did not say that all products from China are good, however YOU said that Chinese stuff is junk and since you did not give a specific example, that certainly sounds like you are saying that all Chinese detailing products are junk. That is not true. There are high AND low quality products of every field that come from the US, China, or any other nation.



So they should be guaranteed their job forever just because they worked there for however many years? That would be a sense of entitlement. Have workers been disenfranchised by companies moving labor overseas? Yes, there are many examples. Outsourcing has both taken and helped create jobs in the US, provided the US with cheaper products in various cases, and helped US companies increase their revenue base to support their US operations in which wages and benefits are much much higher in the US.

I believe in a balance of using outsourcing and maintaining a strong labor market in the US, along with supporting US companies. I am merely presenting the opposite argument to yours as using either extremes can distort an argument in either direction when completely opposing views are used. Outsourcing has helped and hurt the US economy, just as there are good examples of quality products from the US and abroad as well as products of very poor quality from both sides.



Also, you use Adams products due to reasons other than just the fact that you enjoy using them.

__________________
-320whp / 259wftlbs-
SP Rays -- RE-11s -- SpecialtyZ Tune -- Swift Springs -- Stillen 25R Oil Cooler -- Stillen G3 Intakes -- Berk HFCs -- F.I. 12" CBE -- Stillen Sway Bars -- Es14 Spring -- INGS+1 lip -- CF Spoiler -- GTR Start Button -- VLED Parking Lights -- PWJDM V2 shift knob

ZeeingAround

I bought an Adams Essentials Kit today, knowing that I will have no issue dealing with any one of Adams products if I feel it is not what I expected.

China and many other countries do not hold a level playing field for importation of American goods. We use soooo much product from China, they dictate the rules and we do our best to deal with it, but it is poor to say the least. We are all better off improving our economy, our lives by using common sense and using products that perform well, are made here, and fit our budget.

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Get some roosters for eggs and Bulls for milk . Then you will see that gender matters. Especially at milking time.

Junkman2008

Yep. If I don't like something, I can pick up the phone and talk to the man himself. If something new comes out, I can try it first. I got my own kit that bears my name, which people can buy consisting of the stuff that I like. Adam flies me to car shows all over the nation and foots all the bills, allowing me to meet the many friends that I have made on these boards. Doesn't cost me a dime. If I convince someone to try an Adam's product and they don't like it, they will get their money back plus 10% of the cost. Keeps me from being the reason that a customer is out of their hard earned cash. He takes the heat and my neck is safe. Name one Chinese company that is offering their customers this guarantee. Hell, name a US company!

Adam Pitale stands by his products and his customers. He runs his business the way I run my own company. The customer is king. I have yet to place an ad in any media for the entire 12 years that I have had my company and I stay busy. Why? Just as Adam does, I treat my customers as if they were my closest family members, offering them a quality product at a reasonable price. That's just a few of the reasons that I use Adam's products and shy away from stuff imported from China. I guess you could say that I support the man and his morals more than I support his product line. It's nice to be a part of the ideology that made this country great. I supported this country in uniform and I will continue to support the moms and pops who remember what got us here and strive to make me proud to be an American.

And just like me, you can pick up the phone and talk to the man himself. You can vent, praise or just shoot the soup with the man who's product bears his name. Don't like a product, full refund. Have a question about the product, someone is always around to answer, be it a phone call or these message boards. Like you said, there is no red tape with dealing with Adam's, only pure satisfaction or your money back. Other than myself, I don't know who else does that!

I couldn't have said it better myself.

__________________
"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."