I admit, I'm a slacker. Basil is almost a year old now, so I thought I would spruce him up for his birthday. I have a bottle of Amigo and a bottle of Epic waiting. I assume from what I have read that I should

1. Wash and dry
2. Use the Amigo per instructions
3. Give him a good coat of Epic
4. Start using the Hydro that I just ordered at each washing hereafter

Is this in the right order? Would you recommend taping off the plastic bits prior to the Epic?

Thanks much!

 

Sounds about right to me. I'd add going over with clay between washing and amigo. You can get a Mequire's clay kit just about anywhere that works very well. As far as taping, I'd say generally yes - especially if your using a PC. If you're hand applying you can generally get away with not but my hand eye coordination isn't that good. Some people use Black Wow to protect against going over and it works well for that. It should also be noted that if you take off the Epic from trim immediately then it won't be a problem. Clear as mud?

Go to it then!

 

im kinda concerned about this "good coat of Epic."

Epic only requires a super thin coat. otherwise you will just be
working on removing it after it hazes.

 

+1

For a MINI, use only 1-2 ounces of Epic per application. This means approximately 1 "quarter size" on your app to get started and then just a "dime size" on your app after each MAJOR panel.

Otherwise, it looks like a good plan!

Oh, and I don't like to tape personally... you can OR you can just apply some dressing/protectant to your trim before you use Amigo (any kind will do). This will almost always prevent the wax from staining the trim (and easier than taping, IMO!).

Happy Birthday, Basil!

-Heather

 

Thanks!

What is this Black Wow that you speak of?

By good coat of Epic, I mean't not too thick and not too thin (thanks for the guidelines Heather!)

I asked Basil what kind of cake he wanted - he said whatever I like, he wasn't hungry....

 

Black Wow is a plastic trim protectant and cleaner produced and sold by OctaneGuy. Wonderful stuff. Check out www.showcardetailing.com to get it.

 

A year old and you're just using Amigo ? Not going at it with some Swirl ?

Are you polishing by hand or with a buffer ?

After a year, I'm afraid your paint might need something a little more than Amigo, which is a very fine polish.

 

Hey, remember that he admitted he's slacker! Although I have seen many slackers quickly turn into OCDers, at least until he crosses that line I would support keeping it simple for him.

Yes, in an ideal world Basil could probably use a few hours of Swirl with the PC and the white pad (maybe orange?), then Amigo, then Epic. However, the 2-steps he's thinking about doing will make a big difference with some paint cleanser ala Amigo and then protection/depth ala Epic.

(jeesh... baby steps, CRPRJB, baby steps! )

-Heather

 

I'd say he wouldn't need more than a white pad if he used swirl. i've use a orange on my car once, and that was to get some wet sanding marks out of my hood after it was repainted.

 

I had to use the orange pad on the 2-year old JB MCSC. The swirls and light scratches just laughed at the white pad with Swirl.

But yes, Heather, you're right... baby steps. One time using your products and he'll be an OCDetailer for life.

 

Maybe what I was use is a little more potent. Except for that one time, I've never had to use a orange pad and I've done some 10 year old cars that didn't know what polish was. I don't even know why I have the yellow pad.

 

The most interesting thing on discussion forums like this is reading peoples suggestions.

Before suggesting solutions, spend more time diagnosing the problem!

Before anyone can even begin to recommend whether a white pad is needed over an orange pad ask these questions first (not necessarily this order).

1.) Is the car garaged??
2.) How often is the car washed?
3.) What sort of daily maintenance is done if any??
4.) What car wash practices does he use?
5.) When the car is dirty, how long before the next car wash?
6.) What color is the paint

I've seen absolutely horrid finishes after 3 weeks of ownership--thanks for car washes or even just bad habits that the owner didn't realize--using scratchy brushes for washing. A recent black Porsche customer did exactly this! Someone who is considering what to do with their finish after a year, could potentially need a lot of work to be done.

Different paint types need different processes. Jet Black is very soft and benefits from Swirl and the Orange pad. I then follow with the White pad and Swirl, then Amigo with the White pad, before going to Epic. The results will be flawless.

However with Pepperwhite, I might just do an orange pad with Swirl, and go to Epic with a black pad.

A few days ago I worked on a black 2008 Mercedes E550 with Ceramiclear--a super hard clearcoat --scratch resistant. The paint was pretty much flawless, so my prescription was wash, clay, Amigo, and Epic, and the customer was floored. Though I didn't do any hard polishing, I still spent 6 hours working on the car.

re: Taping
Understand why you tape. Tape is used to protect plastic trim from chemicals that might stain it and it also prevents areas like sunroof felt and body panel seams from getting residue that would require a toothbrush or other tool to pick out. Do you need to tape? Figure out whether it bugs you to see residue in the cracks or not before making up your mind.

 

Hmm on second though--since you're in Orange County--why not bring him to me and we'll give him the best birthday makeover present!

 

yah, i would also recommend OG "reset" your paint and
start the preventative maintenance.

 

The ultimate "Slacker" car care - have somebody else do it!
So if you choose this route (which is not a bad way to go) you can do no better the OctaneGuy. It would be one heck of a B-Day present.

 

Sheesh guys don't scare him off. Not everybody is OCD like us I think if he adds claybar & Black WOW into his original list that's an excellent routine for slacker car care or as y'all said Option #2, could be called "The Ultimate Slacker Car Care", take it to OG & let him do it

 

+1

In addition, there is also the rare case of even a "known" paint color and type throwing you for a loop... in other words, even otherwise identical Pepperwhite MINIs can respond somewhat differently from each other once you start polishing.

I agree... learn how to diagnose your own particular paint and use suggestions as guidelines.

That said, back to the slacker-version... keep it simple and don't feel badly about it OR take it to OctaneGuy!

-Heather

 

OK, you guys are scaring the slacker....

The car is garaged day and night, I hand wash at home with mother's car wash soap from costco and a microfiber mitt, dry with waffleweave microfiber once or twice a month depending on the weather. The finish looks pretty darn good to this slacker, with only a few minor swirls on the bonnet (I swear it happened at the dealer after I told them not to wash it but they did anyway ). I did buy some scratch X but haven't used it yet.

Thanks again for all your advise. If I wasn't such a cheapskate (as well as slacker) I would head up the freeway to OctaneGuy....

 

re: Cheapskae and slacker
Yeah that's not a good combination! But you haven't asked me how much it would cost. I already discount my paint polishing rate 50% for MINI owners. Maybe I ought to offer a MINI birthday special.

As it is, you'll spend more money buying supplies in one order and still wonder how to use them, than a detail with me where I actually teach you as we work--and then know exactly what supplies to use with your MINI.

How much is that worth?

Btw, I do offer free open garage clinics as well at my shop that VERY few MINI owners take advantage of. Just a suggestion for those without any spare cash. Just grab a package of hot dogs from your family refrigerator to attend---but please make sure it's not expired or moldy--yes I've had that happen before!

Richard

 

I have to be careful here, the mrs will want me to give her car the same level of cleaning that I lavish on Basil, and her car has a lot more paint (Honda Element - that roof is way up there).... The weather has been pretty nice here - I'd rather be playing golf or sailing than sweating over my paint finish. I know - heresy in these parts!

 

Haha, well a properly polished and prepped car is MUCH easier to maintain. After your MINI is worked on, you can replicate thatfor the Element--or you could bring that to me. Then all you have to do is wash with Mystique and Hydro once in awhile to keep it looking great all the time!

Richard

 

Ok I haven't even gotten my car yet and I know I will be an OCDer. First things first...I have never owned a new car so I haven't done any waxing or car care besides the occasional washing. I will have a (check signature), and I am very interested in getting a hands on garage clinic from Octaneguy. I am in San Diego, so I am not too far away. I checked your website...and I read your message. Any info I need to know about starting my OCD to keep my car pristine and how to get a tuturiol? thanks

 

I attended my first clinic at OctaneGuy's shop last month.

Actually, I stopped in a couple of weeks before the clinic, bought a boatload of goodies, read Detailing 101, and realized I had no idea what pad went with which product, which MF is used for what...blah, blah, blah.

The clinic was the answer. Lots of fun, good people, and what I learned gave me the confidence to get busy on the cars at home.

As generous as Richard is with his time and advice here, being able to hang out a half-day with him at his shop and learn some of his techniques all for the price of a pack of hot dogs was priceless.

If you have the opportunity to attend one of his Saturday clinics, you won't regret the time spent. Highly recommended!

When's the next one?

 

Ok, I've decided I'm just going to pay someone else to work on my car... every time I think I get a grasp on things I punish myself by reading more posts and getting confused again. =p

 

Even a newb could do better than most of the people out there who call themselves "professionals".

And look at it this way... will they treat your MINI with the same love and care that you will ?

It's not all that confusing... really. Just do the basics at first and then build up your regimen over time until you're more comfortable with the full-blown process.