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Prima Epic, synthetic wax

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
3	25712	11/14/2006

Recommended By	Average Price	Average Rating
100% of reviewers	None indicated	9.3

supersize

Description:	Prima Epic is a long-lasting synthetic wax with a brilliant "wet-look" glossy shine. The combination of resins and polymers creates a barrier which protects against UV and environmental damage. The super-slick finish is extremely dust resistant. Prima Epic can be layered for extra slickness and protection. Epic is non-dusting as well as easy on, easy off. RECOMMENDED APPLICTION : Epic can be applied by hand or by machine. In either application method, thinner is better. If applying with a Porter Cable Dual-Action polisher, we suggest a Paradise Black finishing pad. Apply a small amount to the perimeter of the pad. Work a 3’x3’ section until the product gets so thin it appears to flash dry, usually about 15-30 seconds. Apply a little more Epic to the pad and move on to the next section. Overlapping sections is fine. Repeat this process for the entire vehicle. Wait 30 to 45 minutes and wipe off residue with a plush microfiber towel. If the product is not fully dry, it will smear. Simply wait a bit longer and try again. Epic can be left on the paint for several hours or several days without issue. Over the next 24-48 hours, Epic will cure with a noticeable increase in slickness. Avoid washing the car for 24 hours after waxing. A rainstorm or rinsing is fine during this initial 24 hour period. Wiping with a QD, such as Prima Slick will not affect the curing process.
Keywords:	synthetic wax sealant prima epic polish polymer
Web site:	http://www.detailersparadise.com/Vie...20060714131508

Author

MiniMaybee
Former President MINI5280

Registered: May 2006
Location: Centennial, CO
Posts: 6041

Review Date: 11/13/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	Easy to apply, looks excellent and lasts a very long time
Cons:	Can leave white marks on trim

As a former Zaino user I can easily say that Epic is better. There is no need to use an accelerator with the Epic for multiple coats, the shine is much more intense and durability is at least equivalent. I've switched to the Prima car care line from Zaino and use (in order) Finish - swirl remover/polish, Amigo - filler/polish, Epic - sealant/wax and Slick - quick detailer. As the main part of this system Epic provides the synthetic protection for your finish. I used a Porter Cable 7336 Dual Action Random Orbit polisher for the application, though hand application is easy, and then I removed by hand using a microfiber buffing towel. No problem removing if applied thin and no dusting. Care should be taken to keep Epic off your trim since it can leave white marks. However I found that should you get any on the trim if you remove it quickly there are no issues.

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kenchan
6th Gear

Registered: September 2003
Posts: 31442

Review Date: 11/13/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	Very easy to use, excellent wet look. It shines through dust.
Cons:	Hard to apply in colder temps.

The ease of use is amazing... just put on a very thin coat,
dry 35-1hr and wipe of the haze. No buffing needed. The
result is an exceptional deep wet look. Not plastic shiny kind
of look, but a nice wet shine.

The wax will turn black plastic and rubber bits white so pay
close attention when applying. If it does get on the black bits,
wipe off immediately and it will not harden.

Epic was a little hard to apply in colder temps.. it appears 55-60F
is the lowest ambient temp you can use this product in the shade.

You can place your car in the sun for a few minutes until the panels
are warm to the touch if you plan to apply in colder climates.

Definitely a nice product!

ImagoX
6th Gear

Registered: June 2006
Posts: 5690

Review Date: 11/14/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Pros:	Extremely durable. Leaves paint almost supernaturally smooth, even after weeks of rain and grime on my daily driver. Exterior trim cleaner/conditioner does not wash off, even after repeated rains. Detailed application instructions leave nothing to chance
Cons:	Detailers Paradise is in Colorado, so I have to mail-order everything and can’t wander the aisles, browsing (I’m sure my wife, however, would see that as a “Pro”). Product bottles are colorful and attractive (targeted at women, perhaps? Hmmm...), but feel

Like many, I was clueless about taking care of my car for many years. Protect the finish? Me? Um… sure, I did. I washed the car at least once a month. OK, maybe every other month. And I tossed the Burger King bags out of the rear seat at least quarterly, more in the summertime when the heat made the ketchup and stale fries residue smell like low tide in Baltimore.

So, when I finally bought my “big boy’s car”, a 2006 MINI Cooper S convertible, it came as somewhat of a shock to me that I found myself in possession of… strange feelings. A desire to wash my car. To keep it looking shiny and clean at all times. To be able to see my reflection in my gorgeous hot orange paint.

Like many, I spent those first few months roaming the isles at my local Wal-Mart, Target and Pep Boys, buying up all I could find in the Meguiar’s “consumer” line, from detail spray to Gold Class carnauba-based natural wax to plastic trim dressing.

But, it wasn’t until I tried the line of products from Detailers Paradise that I felt like I really had “arrived” if you will into my zen-like happy-place of car care nirvana. As I will try to show, keeping your car doesn’t take a boat-load of crushingly expensive products; all it takes is a few key chemicals and a bit of patience to achieve great results.

My journey began simply enough: with a clean car, freshly washed with degreasing car shampoo (“classic” blue Dawn dish soap in my case). I had used a Porter Cable random-orbital polisher on the finish a few months before, and regular sessions with Meguiar’s external detailing spray and Gold Class wax had kept the finish reasonably shiny and scratch-free, but I was tiring rapidly of the way that the Gold Class needed to be re-applied so quickly (in some cases, the Gold Class would begin to exhibit diminished slickness after a single week or two).

I began with Epic, Detailers Paradise synthetic wax, applied with a ultra-fine grade waxing pad attached to a Porter Cable device. Detailers Paradise recommends using a mechanical application process with the Epic, since only a small amount of product should be used applied in a thin, even coat (only about 2 teaspoons for the entire car). I could have done this by hand, and did so, in fact, on the front and rear bumpers, as my polisher was too large to easily get into all the nooks and crannies there, but doing the entire car in this manner would have been far more difficult.

As per instructions, I waited for about an hour for the wax to “cure” on the paint, then buffed the residue off by hand with one of Detailers Paradise’s unparalleled “Monster Fluffy” microfiber cloths. (I feel I should pause here to say a few words about these fine, fine cloths: “superduperincredible” and “amazingsoftawesome” spring to mind… really, they’re hands-down the best cloths for car care I’ve ever used.) The dried residue came away with little effort, revealing an incredibly smooth surface beneath.

To give you an idea of just how slick the treated surface was: a plastic bottle literally skated, like an air-hockey puck, across the waxed hood when I set it down on the car after final polish. Following suggestions on the bottle and reinforced by threads on NorthAmericanMotoring.com, I allowed the wax to cure for an additional 24 hours before applying a second coat, this time by hand. After a second coating, the paint was even smoother (I wouldn’t have thought it was even possible), basically refusing to offer even slight resistance to a clean polishing cloth.

Paint waxed, I turned to the MINI’s infamously-difficult-to-keep-clean black plastic trim. Detailers Paradise sent along something called Wizards Black Renew for the exterior trim. This thick white solution, applied with either a microfiber applicator pad or with a simple terry towel, restored my black trim to a deep, lustrous black without the unattractive “wet” look that some products can impart.

On the interior, I used a combination of Nero plastic trim dressing and Clarity, their non-ammonia glass cleaner on a specially-designed glass microfiber cloth. The interior has never looked better and the Clarity glass cleaner is easily the best product of its type I’ve ever used, head-and-shoulders easier to work with than Stoner’s Invisible Glass or simple Windex, evaporating without a single streak or fleck of residue. The Clarity spray is safe for tinted windows, as it is water-based. The Nero was sprayed on a cloth and used basically like a dusting spray on the dash and other interior surfaces, and left the dash with a “new car” satin finish, not greasy or shiny like Armor All.

So, my car looked fantastic, but Fall was well underway, with all the accompanying rain, leaves, grime and other road hazards I’ve come to expect from late September to early November in Ohio. Experience has shown me that even in relatively tame conditions the carnauba-based natural wax I was accustomed to working with would break down in a few short weeks – how would Epic do in such a harsh environment?

I’m happy to report that even after several weeks of harsh treatment, the Epic-treated surface still polishes up mirror-smooth after a few spritzes of Detailers Paradise’s Slick detailing spray and a quick buff with a Monster Fluffy towel. It’s almost uncanny – the surface still feels as smooth as it did on the day I waxed it. Plus, the Slick smells really wonderful – like a tropical drink. Better, the black trim, which would become streaked after a rain or two when treated with Meguiar’s plastic and vinyl trim sauce still looks even and clean after treatment with the Wizards Black Renew, once the concealing road grime is lifted away with a quick swipe of Slick.

The mirror-like reflection of the Jack-o-Lantern on the bonnet is the result of a quick swipe of Slick followed by a buff with a soft, 100% cotton towel. The Epic wax was applied almost five weeks ago now, and has endured multiple rain storms and daily parking outside in the rain during daylight hours... impressive

Conclusion: With just a few simple products, both enthusiasts as well as beginners like myself can get really amazing results. I can’t wait for Detailers Paradise to release new products (as I write this, I’ve just learned that they’ve put out a new clay bar paint cleaner, for instance). When they do, I’ll be amongst the first to try them out. Congrats Detailers Paradise for such an amazing series of products.

Tested products:

Epic synthetic wax
Slick detailing spray
Clarity glass cleaner
Wizards Black Renew exterior trim cleaner/conditioner
Nero interior cleaner/conditioner
Monster Fluffy microfiber cloth (for exterior paint final polish)
Gray microfiber detailing cloth (for interior detailing use)
Microfiber applicator pads (for hand wax application)
Glass-cleaning microfiber cloth

Products I’ll be looking forward to testing this Spring:

Mystique car wash
Prima Clay clay bar
Swirl polishing compound (on a Porter Cable random-orbital polisher)
Amigo paint sealant (used after claying but before wax application to protect the clear coat form contamination)

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Reviews	978
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