[Snoopysvet]

Originally Posted by Desertnate

Are you going to machine polish the car? If not, I'd hesitate going over it with a claybar. Even when using a gentle clay mitt or other clay substitute there is always a chance of adding marring. The paint on these cars is really soft.

I'll typically always clay a car that is new to me regardless of age. The age of the car will drive how much effort I put into that step before polishing. For a new car, I'll typically go over the paint with either a clay mitt or just be very gentle with an actual clay bar. The paint always seems smoother as you remove embedded grime that accumulated from pre-sale transportation and sitting on the lot. For a used car I'll always use a clay bar and give it a good once-over to clean the paint. I've had a couple used cars that were in really bad shape and using a clay bar actually produced a visible improvement!

If there is any wax/sealant on the car it's probably applied during dealer prep for the sale. I wouldn't count on the quality being very good. I always detail my cars right after I bring them home. In the winter I'll apply a good sealant and wait for spring. If it's in the spring or summer, I'll drag out the tools and give it a full detail job.

I don't think you should use graphene as a decision factor for any sealant or coating product. I've not seen/heard any agreement on whether it really adds anything from detailers and chemists I've talked to/read. There are just as many products that will outperform a graphene enhanced one as there are graphene products that will outperform one that doesn't have it. Go on the overall merits of the product and not the inclusion of that one ingredient. In many cases its just hype at this point.

As far as that Adams coating goes, I've heard a few good things about it. However, if you've never used a coating, I would actually recomend CarPro's CQuartz UK 3.0 coating. It's easy to apply, VERY durable, great water behavior, and looks good. It comes in 30ml bottles for much cheaper than the Adams. I've used the CarPro coating on my vehicles for at least 6~7 years now and it's my go-to whenever I do someone else's car or reccomend a product to someone else.

I an easily do a car with 30mL (half the size of the Adams bottle) and still have some left over.

Very Good!