Whew... they came back. I would have felt bad about killing the thread.

No more crazy talk for a while... K ?

 

Good for you Mel, just say no!
I kind of do it the other way around though. Before I do the pre-clay washing I use Black WOW. Then after my polish and wax go everywhere I come back with some Wizard Black Renew to touch-up the trim. Same results as you though.
I have found it isn't so much the Epic that marks the trim as the Swirl. However since Swirl is water based it cleans up with BW underneath and Wizard on top.

 

+1

Mark

 

Thanks all. So, it seems if you have a PC, it makes sense to use it to appy Epic. I'll need it eventually, so I decided to go ahead and get it now. For removal, I'll use some MF mits from OctaneGuy.

BTW, I think I need to step up my energy to match Ken's 17 minute Epic application! If I recall my Zaino experience correctly from a few years ago (red S4), I think I spent way too much time applying it. I didn't tape or dress the vinyl bits, which may have cost me a lot of time in trying to avoid them.

 

Sorry Ken I ment

 

Congrats on your successful taping rebillion, MLWagner!


It is helpful, regardless of what wax you use, to apply your dressing/protectant to your exterior trim bits before waxing, as MLWagner mentioned. You're going to do it anyway, and this change in order prevents any potential staining.

That said, Epic does not stain most trim. Since it sometimes does though, it's best to just dress first and be prepared.

-Heather

 

Everyone else has already covered your answer very well so I won't repeat. In summary though, you can see that while hand application is fine, the PC is slightly quicker and makes it easier to achieve a thin and even coat. I always remove it by hand, but you can see that some prefer PC removal. Thus, to each his own.

Nick once applied Epic with the PC on a Volvo station wagon in 7 minutes! This doesn't include the buffing off/removal stage but was pretty quick! He was trying to go as fast as possible though- so it was a very focused effort against the clock. Granted, he has GADS of PC hours under his belt but I was still impressed!

-Heather

 

Does it stain the trim on MINIs, as this is one of the deciding factors that will get me to switch from Zaino products(that don't)

Mark

 

I intentionally slathered on Epic on my MINI trim and left it for a week. I couldn't get it to stain. Whether I put a thin coat or a thick coat, I found that intentionally staining the trim is more difficult than it would seem!

Richard

 

Great But I keep hearing about folks with staining issues. Are they talking Swirl?

Mark

 

Probably. Most polishes have a tendency to stain the trim, and not to mention you do spend quite a bit more time polishing and rubbing the chemicals into everywhere including against the trim compared to waxing that you just put on a coat and wipe it off.

Richard

 

Believe it or not, the answer is it depends. (I know, I know... what a frustrating answer!) Seriously though, it does. We've found that even between cars of the exact same make, model and year, staining results vary!

Our chemists tell us that it's likely that there are slight variations in the composition of the textured plastic of trim. These variations all result in the same looking trim piece yet can react slightly differently to wax and polish.

They assume that the slight variations are due to prices of some of the chemical components (ie, chemical X, #235 results in the same thing as using chemical X, #114... but this month #114 is cheaper than #235).

It's our best guess at understanding our varying findings!

I agree... most polishes (ie, Swirl) have to contain ingredients which tend to stain, whereas waxes can go either way.

Ultimately, when in doubt, just dress/protect your trim before you polish and wax. That way you don't have to worry about it (and would probably dress/protect your trim anyway so no extra steps... just a different order).

-Heather

 

Clear as mud Kidding I get it, I think No that explains it, thanks

Mark

 

I know... confusing! ...to me too sometimes! :impatient Ultimately, the bottom line is to assume it might and prepare that way (dress, etc).

Or, test a small spot somewhere. Even if it "stains" it does come off. Best case- it'll come off with a wet cloth. Worst case- it'll come off with Black Renew or Black Wow (work it in even if it looks like it disappears) or rubbing alcohol.

-Heather

 

I'm willing to dress, even scantily, but I refuse to do this again



Mark

 

I think people misunderstand the reasoning behind taping. It's not just to prevent polish from getting on the plastic--which dressing will help prevent it from sticking--it's also to prevent the polish from getting into all the cracks and crevices--in between the COOPER letters for instance, or around the headlight surrounds. If you tape, you will prevent the polish from getting into the cracks and crevices. Even more important is taping off the felt around the sunroof--if you don't tape it, you will make the black felt white! And cleaning that off isn't fun.

I think anybody that is interested in doing a quality detail should for their customer, maybe not for themselves, put out the effort to ensure they don't leave the state of the car in a worse condition than when it was first touched. Just my 2 cents.

Taping isn't evil!

 

No taping is not evil, and I can tape off rather quickly, but not having to tape off black plastic is a time saver.

I have seen the felt on a MINI sunroof that was not taped off, and it was ugly.

Mark

 

I'd rather 1. avoid the collection points in the first place and 2. clean up with Q-tips should I fail, than tape! Just me I guess but taping is so evil. I swear if we ever catch-up to Osama it will be because he is too busy taping to run.

 

Don't hold back Chuck - tell us how you REALLY feel...

 

True AND Funny !!

Yep, I hate taping worse than going to the dentist. No kidding.

And yes, just avoid those tricky collection spots and go around them carefully by hand after hitting most of the surfaces with the PC. That's much less time consuming and aggravating than taping.

 

Hey, Chuck... do you think Osama tapes his camel ?

 

I tried using a PC on a camel once... getting the hair outta the pads was a BIATCH. And it took a really long extension cord. And I had to put an engine on my detailing stool to chase the camel around. And, no matter how hard you work, you can't get rid of all the damn swirls. Kinda like Jet Black. But with hair.

 

Oh, yeah. And polishing out the boot SUCKED.

 

 

you guys are too funny. Everyone knows you don't wax camels. Simply use Hydro to get that hump shiny. Now monkeys on the other hand should be waxed but no polishing please. Turtles - polish & wax as you wish.
I think taping is a marketing ploy promoted by 3M.
My how the thread wanders.