MAXI my 1996 ImpalaSS has been using Zaino products for 10+ years! My paint still looks better than the delivery day. In the early days, I bought ZAINO products directly from Sal for the POSSI (Pennsylvania Owners of SS Impalas) as he is only about an hours drive. My MINI "Hendrix" is also covered in Zaino. I can only say that Zaino has been good to me! MAXI has the trophies to prove it!!! I can not pass judgement on the Prima line as I have never used it. Oh .... Harley loves Zaino also.

 

WHOA! Why, why, why is it that whenever I step away for a few days (or more, in this case) I miss all the really good stuff?! Sorry... I've been either prepping for or at MITM. Like it or not, I'm back.

I just wanted to jump in and comment on JWardell's post regarding the lack of more varied commentary and brand variety on this thread...

While I do think that there have been some really good discussions in recent months that constructively debate different brands and product lines, I agree that sometimes the "cheers" for Prima can intimidate those who either want to express enthusiasm for other lines and/or want to know about other lines.

I'm thrilled that so many of you love Prima and its products. I do think Prima, as a product line overall, offers several advantages over many of the other brands. We worked hard to formulate them it way! Of course though, at the end of the day... to each his/her own! That's all part of the fun. Variety is a necessity, lest we become bored.

Here's what I would like to suggest: Perhaps when suggesting/recommending any product or brand, we could add a little more detail as to why and also why not for other products or brands.
For example, instead of "+1 for Hydro" one could say "+1 for Hydro because it's so easy to apply for a protective layer. I find it has a glossier look than Zaino, IMO" or something like that. I know it's quick and convenient to do the former, but the latter doesn't have to be really elaborate or really time-consuming either- just more than "+1".

That way, using the example above, a newbie doesn't just see the name Hydro over and over again and not even really understand why PLUS they are given another brand name which can prompt them to ask something like, "If you say you like the glossier look of Hydro over Zaino, then what does Zaino look like and what is it?" and stuff like that.

I agree that a useful discussion should include as much variety as possible, whenever possible. At the least, perhaps a little more detail and contrast with other stuff one has used when cheering on a brand or product.

Thanks to JWardell for his efforts to keep this thread varied and informative to newbies! Thanks also to all who support DP too. I sincerely love being a part of the NAM community and I'm glad to hear that my long-winded posts can be helpful.

Ok, that's my 2-cents.

-Heather

 

The same questions being asked over and over again by noobs on an internet forum? I've never heard of that before!

Maybe someone would like to join Brad and I on my "My Detailed Detailing Process" thread... I'd be happy to go back and add a 3rd person's views to the first few posts if someone else wants to go back and add the 'Prima' view or 'Brand X' view.

 

To clarify on the naming, Finish IS in fact the final abrasive step. The abrasive polishes run, from most abrasive to least: Cut, Swirl, Finish. That said, not all paints require Finish and Swirl can be used to "finish" (gotta love the diminishing abrasives!). So, in many cases Finish isn't needed. Still, it is the final abrasive polish in the lineup.

Amigo, on the other hand, is technically not considered an abrasive polish. It is a pre-wax polish. It preps the paint by cleansing it and filling any remaining fine imperfections (if any) prior to your wax step.

So, yes, it may seem odd at first that Finish isn't your last step until you think about the pre-wax and wax steps that usually follow the abrasive step or steps. For those paints that need Finish, it is your last step before your pre-wax step and your wax step.

Really though, is there ever a last step? Maybe a last step for the day but not really the LAST step period.

-Heather

 

I must admit, I am finding myself ordering more and more from DP . I already have a few more items on my wish list to try out . With my latest purchase, I was indeed "wowed" by the customer service. Heather did something I didn't expect and provided me extra value. It was completely unexpected and very much appreciated. I won't post the details as I don't want to make others expect the same but Heather did go out of her way to make sure I was satisfied. Thank you Heather, that is was nice surprise.

 

So far I do agree, customer service is very good. Griot's is almost as good. Griot's can get a bit testy when it comes to being firm. I do not think they are accustomed to people like me who politely tell them that they are giving me a full refund for something even though it is against their policy at this point to do so.

I didnt get amigo. After next winter gets through with the car, I will do it, but for now, theres not enough to fill as the car is in very good shape.

....waiting on my package... going to have to do it on Friday as the package didnt come today.. wax strip, claybar, Epic. I will give the real opinion on this stuff. I have been a carnauba only person for 15 years, and I bought the good stuff.

 

It's my pleasure!

Thanks for the kind words. We like to make sure our customers are well taken care of... we'd like to have you as our customer for the long haul!

-Heather

 

Remember that Amigo also cleanses the paint and preps it for wax (not just fills)... thus, giving you a better final look and increased durability, regardless of what wax you use. Of course, there are other pre-wax cleansers too that will prep in a similar way (you probably already have one or more of them from the sounds of it!).

I look forward of your assessment of Epic. As you're a high-quality carnauba person for 15 years, I'm particularly interested to hear what you think. While Epic does not give the same look as a carnauba, it is very similar and is often a good compromise with the protective/durability aspects for carnauba-lovers.

Keep us posted!

-Heather

 

Question:

Will the look of carnauba be closer with Amigo, less, or does not either way effect it?

I would have bought it but the guy said I didnt need it. shrugs?

 

I agree that you don't need it... especially if you have any other pre-wax cleanser product to use.

Since you don't need the filling properties of Amigo, using a pre-wax type of cleanser like Amigo (or P21S Paintwork Cleanser or Griot's PaintPrep or Zymol's HD Cleanse, etc) will remove any possible "gunk" (ie environmental pollutants, etc) that may be on your paint. A pre-wax step will almost always enhance the look of any wax you use. Clay overlaps with this paint cleansing function to a degree as well.

So, perhaps the best comparison is to do whatever you normally do. In other words, if you normally use your carnaubas without a prep step then you should use Epic without a prep step. If you normally use your carnaubas with a prep step then you should use Epic with a prep step. Assuming your car hasn't seen an unusual amount of "exposure" which would create an unsual amount of new "gunk" on your paint, then this would be the best apples-to-apples comparison between the two.

To answer the specific question of whether or not the addition of Amigo would help make Epic look more like a carnauba, the answer is that it won't affect the type of look at all. It'll only enhance the look by filling (when filling is necessary) and by helping accentuate the look of whatever wax you're using (ie, more glossy depth with Epic and more warm depth with your carnauba, for example).

Does that make sense?

-Heather

 

no :(

But, I guess I do not need it until the end of the winter. I am assuming by then I will want to take care of the winters ice damage a bit, at least visually.

I think I will be needing the gallon Hydro. 1 ounce can do a car, so that would last me over a year. I also am considering Mystique. It sells for nearly the same price as Griot's gallon wash costs. I havent been too overly impressed by griot's wash. I think it is similar to Meg's gold class except that it has a really nice coconut scent. You seem to need more than it says to get the "lubricity".

 

Are you measuring the soap into your bucket? I have a five-gallon bucket, so I measure out two-and-a-half ounces of soap for a full bucket of water. It seems like a *lot* of soap, especially compared to when I used to just "glug" some soap into the bucket without measuring. But, 2.5 ounces of soap per five gallons of water seems to give me plenty of lubricity.

Of course, depending on how hard or soft your water is, that could make a difference as well.

 

Well, my water is mad soft. it has no lime in it almost at all. It almost has nothing in it. Soap foams up instantly with very little agitation. really great to clean with.

I think i should be adding more. I guess I was doing slightly under 2 ounces. maybe an extra chunk will do it. I know that griot's pump does 2 ounce in 1 and a half pumps. so I guess two long pulls would be good.

I wonder about Mystique. Compared to griot's, does anyone know its lubricity per ounce?

 

Actually, the pump I got from Griot's with my gallon of car wash soap dispenses 0.8 fluid ounces per full stroke, so it takes *three* full pumps to get just about 2.5 ounces of soap.

They may have changed their pump, but you might want to check yours by dispensing ten full strokes into a clear measuring cup. With mine, that gave me exactly eight ounces of soap, so that's where I got the .8 ounces per pump figure from.

If you've just been using one pump or slightly more, you might only be using half the recommended amount of soap.

 

Mystique is very concentrated. The label says use 1 to 2 ounces with 5 gallons of water. This is more than twice as concentrated as Meguiar's 1 ounce per gallon or 5 ounces per 5 gallons.

I find 2 to 2.5 ounces to my liking with Mystique for the hard SoCal water.

Richard

 

I thought your super-whamodyne water filter removed everything that would make the water "hard". Or is the filter not an "every time you wash" item?

 

I still do the "two good squirts" method with Mystique. Our water is crazy hard and it works just fine.

But I hate suds, normally. And if I'm in a sudsy sorta mood, I bust out the Meguiar's Soft Wash...it makes so much foam you can't see how much darn water you have in the bucket!

I need a foam gun. Load it up with Soft Wash and I could suds down the whole neighborhood!

 

I've been thinking about doing something similar - take one of the garden sprayers that lets you dial in the chemical/water ratio and using that to apply my soap.

I know that that the car wash soap is probably too thick to run through the sprayer full-strength, but I could pre-dilute the soap with water before putting it in the sprayer, and then just bump up the soap/water ratio to account for the dilution (dilute 1 part soap with two parts water, and then set the sprayer dial for 6 ounces per gallon instead of 2 ounces per gallon).

 

What if you just put it in the sprayer with the water, and shake it up really good?

Hee.

 

Yep, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Take the 32-ounce sprayer bottle, fill it with 10 ounces of soap and 20 ounces of water, shake it up to thin out the soap, hook it up to the garden hose and set the dilution **** to 6 ounces per gallon. Viola! perfectly-mixed soap, and you never have to dip your wash mitt into a dirty soap bucket. (Of course, I'd have to use the hose to periodically rinse off the mitt as I'm agitating the soap around on the car).

 

hm. I will have to test again. maybe I am not doing it enough. I have been adding a bit lately extra to be the safe side.

I will be switching to Mystique though. I figure it will cost less and is a part of the DP system. increased slip makes it even better. The griots with more than 2 ounces is amazing, but that starts to cost a lot.

 

I'm thinking if you do the foam gun thing, you can just use one bucket for rinsing the mitt instead of one with soapy water and one with clean water. Might be easier, I don't really know.

 

Well, the Mystique costs 25% more than the Griot's, per gallon, but I guess if you can *really* get away with using just 1 - 1.5 ounces per five gallons it will be cheaper. Sounds like Richard's using 2 - 2.5 ounces per bucket even with the Mystique, but that may just be his water.

I'll probably give the Mystique a try too, once I've finished my gallon of Griot's. Fortunately, unlike clay and metal polish, I've actually found several brands of car wash soap that I like a *lot*, so I'm not in a huge hurry.

 

I thought about that, but if I'm going to rinse the mitt in a bucket, that bucket will get dirty, and I'm really not coming out ahead compared to repeatedly dipping the mitt into a bucket of soap and getting *that* bucket dirty.

I'm basically looking for a way to be 100% certain that dirt is only going in one direction - *off* the car. Don't get me wrong - the two-bucket method with a grit guard in the bottom of each bucket helps immensely. I'm just thinking about how to take it one step further.

 

It's too expensive to use for washing and soaping. I use it for rinse only, and it's not on every car. I try to use it sparingly. Just like how Mr. Clean is used.

Richard