Adam's Products To ?

This is my 2nd year of detailing as a side business and I have at least doubled my customers from the previous year. Every open date I have filled and am booked until the middle of September so I've been pretty busy. My arsenal right now is pretty much all Adam's products. While they are all great products I am looking to get a little more cost effective while still working as well or even better. These are the products I am looking for your input on for substitutes that are cheaper and work well

Adams APC: I've been looking at Meguiars APC plus and Super Degreaser. Thoughts?
Adams Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner: Saw Meguiars APC (green bottle) had some good reviews. Thoughts?
Adams Leather and Interior Cleaner: Same as above. Thoughts?
Adams Green Wheel Cleaner: Open at this point.
Adams Machine Super Sealant: Open to anything that lasts.
Adams Americana: Open to anything that adds great depth and shine.
Adams Invisible Undercarriage Spray: Open at this point.
Adams SVRT. Looked at Meguiars Hyper for ability to dilute. Thoughts?

Looking for any input you may have. Thanks!

 

Adam's definitely has some gems in the line up.

i would keep CUC, Invisible spray, and Super VRT.

the rest can be substituted for something else. see above.

 

The only thing I say is don' t limit your self to one product. I use lots of other products cuase it's not one product for every car.
Black wow is great for trim
menzerna power lock sealant is great.
Sonax wheel cleaner is great.
Swissvax tire dressing is great a bit $$$.
Leather master is good to.
Sonax leather foam is good used last weekend works great.

Todd

 

thanks for the input...anybody else wanna chime in?

 

I also work the weekends, I stopped buying adams way over priced I use products from California.

 

Yikes, although they can perform well, they [exclusively] would have no place in my detailing lineup if I wanted to make money.

I have nothing against Adam's products, I actually come back to a few. However, purchasing some Megs detailers line products [APC, Dressing] will last you a long time when diluted. Optimum products are also affordable and ahead of the game as well.

 

while i have the thread going...what are your thoughts on Adams Detail Spray and Waterless Wash?

 

Adams APC: I've been looking at Meguiars APC plus and Super Degreaser
Go with Megs APC+ or Optimum Power Clean

Adams Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner: Saw Meguiars APC (green bottle) had some good reviews. Thoughts?
Megs APC+ again or Folex

Adams Leather and Interior Cleaner: Same as above. Thoughts?
Megs APC+ again but not for leather. I use either (from Detailers Line) Megs Leather cleaner and conditioner, Megs leather cleaner or Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel (expensive). OPC works well on leather too. PERL is also a versatile product for the interior.

Adams Green Wheel Cleaner: Open at this point.
Most will say Sonax FE, but too expensive for my taste and there are less expensive products that do the job just as well. Megs All Wheel and Tire Cleaner works very well, Royal Brown is another good choice.

Adams Machine Super Sealant: Open to anything that lasts.
Duragloss 105 for a straight sealant or Duragloss 501 for a paint cleaner sealant

Adams Americana: Open to anything that adds great depth and shine.
Collonite, inexpensive waxes with great durability 915, 476s and 845 all great choices. Top DG 105 or 501 with one of these and the protection will last a long time.

Adams Invisible Undercarriage Spray: Open at this point.
No suggestions

Adams SVRT. Looked at Meguiars Hyper for ability to dilute. Thoughts?
I have compared Megs ASD to Adams SVRT on the same car on opposite sides and the look and longevity was the same. The biggest difference is the price. I would use ASD on tires, exterior trim and wells and Hyper diluted on the interior. Megs Water Based Dressing also works well and can be diluted to adjust shine and gloss just like Hyper. PERL is also a good product.


Note: All these suggestions are less expensive alternatives that will give you equal results. Yes there are better products out there, but you have to cater to your demographics and clientele. If you are doing high end exotics and charging accordingly I probably would chose different products, but for daily drivers the products mentioned above will not disappoint or break the bank.

I had many of the Adams products you mentioned plus more and either returned them to Adams for an exchange of their towels and applicators (which I love) or traded my buddies for other products.

 

Megs Last Touch diluted 50/50 for clay and Ultima Waterless Wash Concentrate Plus

 

I really like their Detail Spray to be honest because it is ready to use, smells good, and leaves the paint slick. It is very comparable, in my opinion, to Optimums Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer though. Smells good, easy to use [when diluted correctly], and leaves the paint slick. The OPT is $15 a gallon when diluted to the correct dilution and Adam's is $45 a gallon ready to use. Something else to consider, depending on what you use the DS spray [lube, wipedowns, drying aid, etc] is Optimum Car Wax. For $50 a gallon it is incredibly slick and can be used as a drying aid or a wax itself.

I have used Adam's WW but none others so I can't really compare it to another brand. It is 3-4 times more expensive than Opticlean, which people have had good success with as a WW and Quick Detailer.

If you haven't used Optimum No Rinse, I would seriously consider it for a Quick Detailer, Clay Lube, Rinseless Wash, Spot cleaner [bird bombs, bugs, etc], window cleaner, etc. Very economical and works well in most situations where it isn't necessary to use up a more expensive product.

 

yeah i have Optimum No rinse on my shelf already...really liked the product when doing a no rinse wash...i havent tried it for other things like you mentioned so i will have to look into that.

so far my cart has:
Megs Super Degreaser and APC + to replace Adam's APC, Green Wheel Cleaner, and Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Ultima Waterless Wash Concentrate to replace Adam's Waterless Wash
Meguiars Hyper Dressing and Perl to see which one i like better to replace Adams SVRT
I'll probably stick with Adam's Detail Spray (unless someone can sway me) and Leather and Interior Cleaner
Waxes I was looking at Black Fire Wet Diamond but that does cost more then Adams MSS so im not sure if thats worth it

most of my clients are farmers or family vehicles right now...live in a small farm town so it is what it is...im hoping to expand to the higher end world and with this only being my 2nd year im hoping it will happen next year

 

Like mentioned above, for wax alternatives look into Collinite. I only have personal experience with the 845 but it's had excellent durability, and they say it's the least durable of the three. It's also easy to apply, cheap, and a little goes a long way.

 

Adams detail spray > diluted ONR for QD. i love ths slick surface it leaves behind like mentioned above. unless im diluting it wrong LOL

 

I agree with that. OID and OCW are better for the price, but Adam's DS was done right. The newest version of ONR is fantastic though, definitely a lot slicker than the original version.

For a wax or sealant, just go with FK1000P or a Collinite wax. If your customers are farmers and family they will appreciate the durability and looks and not care about the extra price for a little extra shine from BFWD [if there is any].

 

For sealant, try collinite 845 for winter prep and Menz powerlock for summer prep.
Quick sealant, Ultima paint guard plus or Optimum opti-seal
Wax wise, try chemical guys butter wet wax. $35/gallon

apc, try chemical guys nonsense, Colorless & Odorless. $30/gallon
or Optimum power clean, can safely clean everywhere in/out of your car.

dressing, just use Meg hyper dressing, perl or ultima trim/tire guard
You have a DA? If yes, get a DA carpet brush for interior carpet/seat cleaning, it will save you a lot of time/energy.

 

As for leather cleaners/protectants , either Leather Master or Leatherique also pretty good .

 

ok lets talk car wash soap. what are your favorites?

 

adams smells good... then again ive only used adams car wash soap.

 

i think for the wheel cleaner i may go with Meg's Wheel Brightner...sounds like it has some good reviews and is strong enough to be diluted and still cut through baked on break dust

 

For maintenance washes Duragloss 901 or Majestic Solutions Ultra Gloss
For a strong wash that will strip wax Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss

Good choice, but be careful with WB you need to where PPE when using it. It is a strong acid based wheel cleaner and is not safe on all wheels. I wouldn’t only use it for caked on backed on stuff and have a non-acidic for well-maintained wheels.