i am going to have a virgin mini in about two weeks. i am trying to prepare for her delivery. who makes the best products for the price and why. i am in northern new england and i am in hope to get few coats of wax on before the real nasty weather gets here. can i wax immediately(will the paint be cured enough?)

 

First off, congrats on your new MINI!

The paint is already cured from the factory. No need to worry about that.

As far as who makes the best products--that's really up to you. You can search NAM and find hundreds of different opinions. The best product is the one that you like enough to want to use it often.

To some, that means the one that makes your MINI look it's best, and to others, it's the one that lasts the longest before reapplication.

Check our NAM Vendor Prima Car Care products aka DetailersParadise.com. I also carry their products at my shop--www.showcardetailing.com/eshop

Richard

 

I have to agree with Richard, so many products, so opinions and the different reasons for those opinions. I tend to believe you get what you pay for, higher cost=ease of use, durability.

Read the sticky threads at the top of this page, lots of great info there And visit this forum often, as there are always new problems/solutions.

Oh, congrats on your new MINI, and welcome to NAM

Mark

 

i wonder if NXT2.0 is any good....(?)

care to try on your new R56?

 

what is that

 

Don't mind him But ARE you willing to give it a try We would all love to hear about it

Mark

 

what is it

 

it's a new version of Meguiar's polymer wax called NXT.


Just recently released. it's suppose to last longer wash after wash.

 

ya, i am considering everything.

is the paradise super bundle all you need?is it worth it?easy to use?

 

For what it's worth ...

I got my new justacooper a couple of weeks ago. I got some microfiber and put a coat of Meguires gold wax on it right away, because that's what I had on hand while I was waiting for an order of "supplies."

Once those arrived, I stripped off the wax and used Griot's Paint Sealer. That product was incredibly easy to put on and take off by hand. Plus, there was no residue or whiting on the trim. When I was done there was a noticable difference to the feel of the finish - very smooth/slick. I was very happy with the way it turned out on Pepper White. I can't speak for resultes on darker colors. Also, I went with Griot's because it's supposed to last a long time and winter's coming.

From there, I'm on to Prima products - Mystique for once-a-week washing and Hydro for follow-up. With a little luck that will get me through the winter. Once we get that far, I'll have to assess my level of OCD for the spring cleaning ...

Good luck !
Spearsy

 

Yup, and you should be able to buy it at an auto parts store.

The first gen NXT was good, but Only really lasted about 3-4 months.

I wonder if the new stuff leaves the black trim white like the old stuff. Used to take me as much time to mask the trim as it did to wax the car



But it did look good when done.

Mark

 

yes the new stuff still does the white on black trim but it smells great and looks spectacular!!

 

For the harsh winters up there, a few coats of wax isn't going to be enough. You're going to need a heavy duty sealant, followed by a insulator wax. On a separate detailing forum, members rave about a duragloss/collinite combo.

The process is wash then clay/polish as need be (i would at least clay since its a new car) the apply duragloss 601 (bonding agent) then duragloss 105 (sealant) following up with collinite 845 or 915 as a wax. Results are a high gloss finish with some good depth that that is rock solid and will last 5 months. Maintain with a rinseless wash such as optimum no rinse and using duragloss aqua wax spray wax for added protection as often as you can. It will repel all the dirt, grime, and salt you are going to encounter through the winter and your car will be safely protected. Wheels should get 2 coats of sealant, at least. edit: this stuff is also VERY affordable, and could possibly be had at a local NAPA or Advanced autoparts.

I just got the supplies in this wek and will be doing our cars over thanksgiving weekend (4 jobs in a row lined up right now :impatient ). Will report back with results. From what I've seen and heard, this is best protection you can get while still looking good. Sure, it won't be show winning a shine like pinnacle or poorboys, but your car will be filthy for a while and all you should care about is protection. unless of course it won't be your daily driver in which case two coats of wax and not driving it very often, if at all, will be fine.

 

Not sure if this will be helpful. Maybe...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41760

 

are the prima products easy to use? do they offer good winter protection?

 

I dont know about winter protection but Prima Epic has lasted me about 3 months so far with a wash every two weeks. I think it might be starting to get a little bit worn out around the bottom near the front wheels, but i can say for sure (a question for another thread). In any event...

I had never seriously washed or waxed a car before. The first stuff i used was Prima and it was a snap for me to use. You will definitely want to read up on the basics behind waxing, claying, polishing and proper wash technique.

The good thing is that because your car is new you dont have worry about polishing, which is a pain to do if you dont have a buffing machine. However, because your mini is new that shouldnt be much of an issue and a good wash, clay and wax should suffice.

That said you should still wait for more people to chime in as i am still kinda new to this myself.

 

are all of the products you mentioned available at napa

 

Prima is a system of products that are designed to work together. And they do that well. Twice a year (Fall & Spring) I strip the old wax, clay, polish and wax. I just did it on my MINI this past weekend. Even after six months Prima Epic was still on my paint and I had to use P21S Total Auto Wash & a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol to remove it.
Even though your MINI is new you will want to do a couple of things. First you can assume your paint has Carnauba wax on it. To rid this wash with Dawn soap using about 6 oz in a 5 gal bucket. Though not something you want to do often, Dawn will remove the carnuaba wax. Next using the wash water or a clay lube, clay the surface of your MINI. You can find clay at PepBoys etc. and it usually is packaged with a lube. If not just get the clay and use your wash water for lubrication. This will make the surface of your MINI so smooth and silky its not even funny. Gives a good surface for the wax to bond to.
You may or may not want to get into polishing to remove swirls and minor scratches. Its amazing how many brand new cars have dealer installed swirls before you even pick the car up. Anyway I use Prima Swirl to remove surface imperfections and I use a random orbit polisher. This may be too much for your first go, but just know there is a machine available to easy the amount of elbow grease when you decide to get more into detailing.
If you skip the polish step and go right to waxing that's fine. Again, I use Prima Epic as my last step. Very easy on and very easy off. I've never had wax marks on my trim due to Epic so I don't worry about taping for waxing.
Now some other things to think about. Richard (AKA OctaneGuy) sells the best trim treatment I have found - Black WOW. One application will last at least four months and my MINI is a daily driver and not garaged. Also check out Richard's video on the Two Bucket Wash and his DVD on how to use a PCDA (Porter Cable Random Orbit) polisher. You will learn loads. Heather at Detailers Paradise is the Queen Of Clean and can answer any of your questions and help you with product selection.
Finally, read the Detailing Forum and ask questions here on NAM.
Congrats on your new MINI, have fun and drive safe this winter.

 

I have to disagree with you there. My trim has some very bad white marks since i did my first waxing with Epic. If you are uber careful you can skip the taping and just wax. Otherwise you can just say screw it and hit your trim with Black Wow when you are done.

 

Good point. I use BW before I even strip the old wax; before the first wash of a detailing. But really I never have had white marks from Epic. Swirl on the other hand, or any polish I've used will leave white on my trim. Most polishes are water soluble, but for some reason the marks are very hard to remove. That is until BW became available!

 

I've been told the duragloss line is available at them, but I can't confirm. I order all of my stuff online and most of it is not available in stores so I never go to them.

 

Cab's gonna be here in a week. Are you guys serious Dealer installed swirl marks Wax stripping, clay bar, polish, and sealing a new car My wife is already thinking about having me committed. :impatient I suppose it's imperative this all be done before my clear bra install.

I'm gonna have to talk to Heather about this. Then again, ask a barber if you need a haircut.....

 

My guess is the dealer is going to "detail" it upon delivery with their concrete soaked wash mitts, and wax it with turtle wax or something horrible. Claybarring the car is a good idea becuase the paint pick up alot of junk on it's journey to you and a paint cleansing lotion isn't a bad idea either. Both will the get the paint nicely cleaned up with a smooth as glass surface, perfect for your first coat of wax/sealant.

edit: also I can't comment on clear bra's and what you need to do to prep the paint. I hate those things.

 

I know most everyone on this forum favors Epic, and that is great. I have been using Zaino products for 11 years and they have proven to be quite remarkable. http://www.zainostore.com I just started using the new All-In-One triplet products and highly reccomend them.

 

I first started using Zaino. I still use some of their products like the Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss (it really is), their leather products (the Z-9 Cleaner anyway I prefer the less odorous Prima Nourish over the Zaino Z-10 Leather in a Bottle) and I love the Zaino clay. Still not really sold on the new Z-CS, but I've only tried it now a couple of time. I have yet to try the Zaino AIO. But for me I prefer the Epic gloss over the Z-2 shine. Ease of use and durability are about the same though so neither system would be a poor choice.