I will say again...you guys rock!

 

Paint is paint. Whether it's inside or outside. Well except in the engine bay where it's not clear coated---but yes, the interior painted portions can be treated just like your exterior paint.

 

Wife: "Do you know what keeps happening to all my cooking oil?"
You: "Well, I've suddenly got an addiction to homemade fried chicken...yeah, that's it!"



I second what has already been said. Tell your wife it's protect it now, or pay for a new paintjob later!

 

I just wasn't sure if Hydro (or Epic for that matter) would react differenlty to paint on plastic versus paint on metal.

I forget what Hydro smells like... guess I'll have to check that before I go Hydro'ing my interior.

 

Hydro won't leave a smell once it has dried. And that reminds me, OG says that Nero smells like banana, I think it smells like coconut cream pie. My smell-ability is a little wacko so can anyone confirm my take or reaffirm what OG says?

 

Nero does smell like banana bread... and personally it's not my favorite smell.
(I like banana's, but do not like banana bread).

Hydro on the other hand smells real good... can't really explain wat it
smells like but it smells refreshing like the product itself.

 

Here's my 2 cents for anyone getting ready to place an order. If you live in a cold climate, a.k.a. freezing temperatures, place your order to arrive when it is above freezing. Yeah, speaking from experience.

And, OC or not OC, I STILL recommend a claying before putting the wax down. Clay bars and detailer aren't too expensive, and you will LOVE the way the paint feels after you've done it, and you won't believe the stuff the clay takes off!

 

OMG, now I'm DEFINITELY getting some Nero. I love BOTH those smells!!!

 

that reminds me, i need to go put some banana bread... er, Nero on my dash.


oh no, did your's actually freeze?

 

[hijack]

Not sure yet, but I will be SURPRISED if it survives. I've been tracking on UPS, and it's been on a truck all day since 6:30 this morning. And considering it was -5 F this morning and it's now 8 F? Yeah, I don't think it's going to be any good. I'm pretty sure that the cargo area of UPS trucks are not heated...

[/hijack]

 

Claying has more benefits than just feel. Wax will last longer because it can bond directly to the paint and not a barrier between the paint and the wax. That means yo don't have to wax as often! Claying also will make your finish shinier and less dull looking if it has a lot of bonded contaminants. Claying also has the benefit of removing certain defects that you thought were scratches, were really just paint transfers.

Claying isn't hard to do. Again, when done properly, you can clay a MINI in no time, and if you only clay one part--clay the boot--see how brown the clay gets and maybe that will encourage you to do the rest of the car!

If that were the case, then the paint on a Saturn or Smart Car which have plastic panels, or the paint on a Corvette with a fiberglass body, or the paint on a Honda or a MINI would all be different right?

Naw for all intents and purposes, they are all the same.

re: Nero Smell
It reminds me of bananas but it has a slightly off smell that also reminds me of a sweaty towel or something that just doesn't smell right to me. I really don't like the smell at all, though I do love bananas. Maybe I'm hoping it will smell like the familiar scent of a banana but because it almost does but doesn't, it confuses me.

 

Recommendations for clay? Do I need a spray lubricant to go with it? I plan to go by Pep Boys this week to pick up some.

Thanks AGAIN (and AGAIN and AGAIN... )

 

If you're ordering from DP, they have clay (although OG hates it). Pep Boys will have the Mother's and/or Meg clay kit. As for lube, some use QD but I usually just use my wash water. It lubes well enough and saves some bucks. Just be sure you're not using the gritty rinse water but rather the relatively clean soapy wash water (see two-bucket method).

 

the clay i've used and that I like (and I'm very much a newbie) came from this kit, which I got at a local auto parts store:

http://www.meguiars.com/?auto-detail...rface-Clay-Kit

it comes with Meguiar's Quik Detailer for lubricant, which I used for a while, but have since replaced with Prima Slick. Both work well, I just like the shine that Slick gives the paint a bit more. I found this clay pretty easy to use.

 

Another dumb question - for a 3 month old car, should I use dawn dish detergent prior to amigo/epic application? I seem to remember reading that the harshness takes off whatever the factory or dealer might have applied to make the new stuff grip better....

Thanks again!

 

^^ personally, i would just do a very good wash (good mitt, two bucket grit guard, good soap, etc.) and then concentrate on doing a good clay.

 

I use PaintPrep from Griot's when changing waxes, but im sure dawn
will work just fine. How about you do a gentle mixture?

 

I've talked with Heather about the Dawn wash and while it is good for getting all oils and natural waxes off the paint, if you are using it hoping to get any synthetic waxes off then keep hoping.
If you have Zaino or Prima applied and you want it stripped, you will have to go at it with either alcohol or vinegar. I asked Heather to get with her chemist to see if there was anything available to strip this synthetic stuff off that would be safe for the paint & vinyl. I'll probably try putting some vinegar in water and wiping down the paint when spring comes around. Then clay and the rest of the routine.

 

paintprep

 

Yeah, I got some P21S paint prep stuff. I'll probably give that a go. But vinegar is so cheep and it works so well on my pads and towels.

 

but vinegar smells like crap.

 

True, but if it works it would smell like money (saved).

 

Okay, that stinks, cuz I spent part of Saturday stripping my car (I thought!) of Zaino with Dawn, and then part of Sunday putting down all of my great new Prima... It needed it but I didn't clay because I was short on time and really wanted to try my new stuff! So now I'll have to try to make time again soon for a wash and clay. That's really hard to do because my hubby already thinks I'm nutty spending so much time shining up my MINI... so far the only way I can convice him is by offering to do all of the cars, so now I've got four to do. Good news though, he says I can invest in a PC. So OG's video is on the way and will order the PC in the next few days!

Oh yeah, forgot to tell Sin MINI... the clearbra has no UV in it so there won't be any issues with paint discoloration when it comes off. As others have said, when washing/waxing, treat it as you would any other area of the car. Just a warning tho... I used Amigo this weekend also, and I'd keep it away from the edges of the bra... it's grey, and wants to stick on those edges.

 

Yep, like mini_dreams said--the Meguiar's Quik Clay system includes two little cars of clay, Quik Detailer lubricant, and even a Supreme Shine Microfiber towel to wipe it all off with. It's not a bad deal. Most consumer clays are very similar, the difference being in consistency. The DP clay is very hard and takes too much muscle in my fingers to knead it. I don't like clay that hard--it makes me not want to knead the clay often which is important to always exposing clean clay and not scratch your paint. But because I bought so much 12+ bars, I'm trying to LIKE it. I find that pulling it like taffy and forcing it together, and then pulling and twisting is much easier than trying to knead it.

You'll want to get my DVD if you want to learn how to clay your paint plus learn 50+ other techniques. Most people who use clay for the first time don't use it right. They don't press hard enough, or use enough lube, or use it on a hot surface, etc...

That would be my recommendation as well. Available from places like Walmart, Target, Pep Boys, Kragen, AutoZone, etc...

But for me Slick is too expensive to use as a clay lubricant. While it may work well, I prefer to use the cheaper stuff like the Meguiar's Quik Detailer, and reserve my Slick for final paint care--this is of course my own opinion on taking care of my MINI.

Everyone provided good advice here. One more thing to add. The Porter Cable polisher with a foam pad is going to physically take off any old wax on the paint. That's why we polish with a paint cleaner. It removes the swirls as well as anything in the paint.

We start with Clay Bar to remove anything bonded to the top of the paint, then proceed to polish the paint to remove physical defects like swirls, and etchings and things have seemed into the paint. Then we wax it to protect the paint and all the work we've done.

So while Dawn and other chemicals could be used for stripping Carnuba waxes or maybe sealents, there's always the old standby of using the PC polisher!

Richard

 

i too use that crapola Meguiar's maroon bottle QuikDetailer for clay barring.