OK, I'm by far a detailing newbie and I'm VERY overwhelmed with the MINI detailing process. I've had various cars in the past 15+ years of driving and I've never paid that much attention to keeping them in tip-top shape.

Now reading this forum I'm petrified

I just dumped a good $140+ on Griots cleaners along misc tools.

I did NOT buy a polish or wax yet (is there a difference)?? I'm confused about waxing, polishing, claying etc, etc a NEW car....is it really necessary? Think I've waxed twice in my lifetime! My husband thinks I'm super crazy for being this attentive to the board and all the detailing advice.

I do see those "swirls" everyone is talking about in my blue paint...wouldn't have noticed if I didn't read these threads!! Now its really bugging me. My car gets dusty and it irritates me...it almost makesenjoying this new car a buzzkill. I'm just so **** over it not having a speck on it now.

So, thoughts, guidance...I just can't think straight after reading post after post of whats the "proper" way to detail my new MINI. I'm spinning here (plus running out of money bigtime)!

ONE other ? I have is with the Prima products...figured I would eventually polish then wax (or other way around?) with them. What order do I need to go in...and what Prima products? Amigo then Epic?

 

Would never claim to be an expert detailer but can give you a quick overview.

Polishing is the act of using a very light abrasive to remove a small layer of the paint/clear coat. Polishes come in a variety of levels that go from more aggressive to less. Often a polish is used to removed scratches, the lightest aggressive polish is used to remove the small circular toweling marks your describe.

Waxing is laying a protective layer over the paint/clear coat.

Clay is also a very light abrasive that excels with polishing and pulling particles impeded in your clear coat.


You might look at the small spiral bound book that Griots offers, it does a decent job with giving you some good insights for car care.

 

I'm right there with you. I've never even washed a car by hand before. But, I just bought some Prima products, and I'm gonna give it a shot this weekend. I'm gonna see how it goes with Mystique and Hydro before jumping into anything else.

 

So sounds like you've got a good start. But for the swirls, you will need a polish (good to have on hand anyway for the random scuff or minor scratch), and you need wax as your last step to protect the finish.

Can you list what you've bought so far? Then we could help fill in the gaps.

 

here is my huge laundry list:

Tools and such:
Grit Guard Wash Bucket
Wheel Brush
Package of microfiber towels
Microfiber wash mitt

and from Griots:
Speed Shine
Wheel Cleaner
Bug Off!
Spray-On Wax
Weatherproof Tire Dressing with Blue Detail Sponge
Touch and Flow Valve

Other:
Stoner Invisible Glass Pump Spray
Prima Mystique Auto Wash
Black Wow
303 Wiper Treatment
303 Aerospace Protectant

 

A polish either conceals or removes blemishes and defects in the paint but offers no protection to the paint from the elements.

A wax protects and seals the paint and often also helps conceal defects.
*********

When you apply a polish to your paint, you wipe it off immediately.

When you apply a wax, you let it dry first before removing.

Note with Zaino--their wax is labeled as a polish--so forget their confusing labels and realize that their products are waxes.

**************

If you polish, you must wax.

If you don't polish, then just wax.

 

So my only comment on what you have is that it's a good start, but it's really a lot easier if you pick a system (Griot's, Prima, Meguiar's, whatever) and roll with it. What you are doing right now with mixing Griot's and Prima is mixing carnauba and synthetics. Not a *huge* deal, but if you get to trying to layer synthetics over carnauba-based stuff, you can end up not getting the "wear time" out of the synthetics that you should.

 

i like my Griot's wax called BestofShow. it is carnauba and it gives a
super deep luster. i have yet to find a wax this easy to use that can
achieve this level of depth.

my other favorite is Hydro. on a new car and daily driven, imho, there
is really no real need to 'wax' a car. just wash, spot clay on occasion
and Hydro (polymer spray wax) after each wash.

polish once a year if needed. that's all i do on my dailydrivers. still
looks better than most claimed 'detailed' cars out there.

 

I haven't waxed any car in a long while, but I've gotten wax on textured black plastic trim before and it made white stains that I could never get off. I have a friend who did that to a brand new Subaru as well. I don't know if that's a problem with the MINI, but I'd steer clear of that black plastic.

 

Now I'm (more) cornfused (than usual). How does this convert to Prima Land?

(So far I have only washed and Hydro'd).

 

...well, only bought the Prima car wash (which shouldn't matter right?) so I can stick with Griot's wax/polishes since I haven't purchased anything yet. I've read a lot about all the Prima stuff and figured that would be the best route. BUT, now I will just stick to Griot's. I will just have to do a little more research on all their wax and polishes. Thx!

 

Griot's is good stuff.

 

which imho is perfect!

 

I have to agree with MLWagner79, buy into a system from one manufacture to make things easier to figure out. That said, you can cross over from product line to product line depending on what is needed to be done, but won't go there now to keep things simple.

As OxtaneGuy said, Zaino calls their wax products polishes, but also calls them a sealant, sealant being the important word here. Synthetic waxes are not true "waxes" they are sealants, but we tend to refer to them as waxes. Carnauba waxes are true "waxes".

So the order of what to do, in simple terms, and I'll refer to the Prima line, goes like this:

Wash
Clay, highly recommended, easy to do, hard to really go wrong, lots of info in this forum.
Polish, in the Prima line, Amigo
Wax(sealant) Prima line, Epic.

Now if cost is an issue, just remember, when you use high end products the up front cost may seem high, but you use so little product each time, that a product like Epic is going to last the average person many years, even if you wax 2-3 times a year. Plus the level of protection, and the durability (time the product lasts) are both much more than lower priced products. You get what you pay for, IMO.

Mark

 

here is a link to Griot's Detailer's Handbook: http://www.griotsgarage.com/category...information.do

You can call Griot's at their 800 number and ask about their products and
techniques ~ I have gotten pretty good advice from them.

Agree that you do not want to be mixing Griot's with synthetics.

Griot's Spray on Wax works great for me after a wash - and, fwiw, I've been using Best of Show Wax with good results too.


brian

 

Wow now I'm an OX?? LOL. Oxford? jk. Yeah, I think the term Wax is kinda like Xerox you know??? When you "xerox" something, you are making a copy of something, but not necessarily using that brand of product....except Wax isn't a trademark. Maybe it should be!


Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish - Z-2 PRO is used on lighter colored vehicles and offers great optics and industry leading durability.

Since when does a Polish offer durability??? (sorry this post isn't targeted at Mark--I'm just posting examples of what I'm talking about and wish they would standardize their naming a bit)

They don't refer to it as a sealent in their advertising. Even their AIO is called a cleaner, polish, protectant (wax??) Course I see in the banner that Show Car Polish is their slogan---so they use it in all of their products. It's just confusing.

They go on to say:
It locks those optical qualities in for months, thanks to the most sophisticated system of synthetic polymeric-based protection available.

Z-2 PRO™ will give your vehicle's paint total environmental protection and a long lasting, impressive show car shine. Simply put, it is the only protection your vehicle's paint will ever need.

Swirl is a polish. Going to use Swirl? Then you have to protect it with Epic/Hydro.

Not going to use Swirl, then use use Epic or Hydro.

I said it in generic terms. If you understand what the purpose of a polish is and the purpose of a wax, it should be clear as day which product is used.

Prima Polishes---Cut, Swirl, Finish, Amigo
Prima Waxes- Epic, Hydro

 

Thanks, OX

 

Don't feel alone with your questions and fear! Despite all of us more experienced loud-mouths on this forum there are literally hundreds reading your post right now with the same questions. Indeed, it can seem very overwhelming. One thing I'll mention right away is that you can feel free to call or email me directly to help clarify things. I've found it's really the easiest for the newbie who has read alot here but is now trying to make sense of it all! (and I'm familiar w/ all of your Griot's products and can help you with these products as well)

As for your specific question above, it's been answered already but I wanted to make sure you realized it has been answered specifically... so, you have it right. You polish then wax. So yes, Amigo then Epic.

In fact, Amigo + Epic is what I would eventually do in your situation (and color). Keep this in mind: Although to physically remove those nasty swirls you will need an abrasive polish (such as Prima Swirl, most likely), it is very difficult to do so very well by hand, regardless of the product you choose. Many people abrade with a polish by hand anyway but it is physically difficult and the results are usually a fraction of the potential improvement. For some, this is better than nothing but for others it can be more frustrating.

Amigo will not physically remove your swirls but will help to fill and conceal the minor ones and will last as long as a coat of Epic does (4-6 months).

In summary then:
To keep things simple, I would just use the products you have for now. Then, when you feel like getting more stuff, go for Prima Amigo and Prima Epic. THEN, one day, if you feel up to it, get into machine polishing (PCs) to remove all of your swirls.
Take baby steps and you'll enjoy the ride more than if you try to do too much all at once! You'll learn more as you go. There's no rush!

-Heather

 

OX is the only part i understood.

keep it simple. just wash and Hydro. and you're done.
you can even Hydro over your arches if you want. it will be a nice
black finish even with just the Hydro. not quite the level of perfection
of BW, but hey, it's simple and very effective.

SprayOn wax is a great product too. just a tad more work than Hydro.
i use SprayOn wax all the time on my MCS and G.

 

What is the difference between the polishes? Cut, Swirl, Finish and Amigo?

 

The amount of abrasives, listed from most to least abrasive.

 

cut course
swirl less course
finish much less course

amigo a little different from the rest with filling capabilities.

 

Yep everyone was spot on. The only thing I would add is a percentage in terms of usage. Meaning I use Swirl all the time-for 95% of the cars I work--that's all I need.

I rarely ever use Cut--mostly because I have other favorites that are more aggressive than Swirl.

Finish is used in instances where Swirl just isn't finishing fine enough, it mars. It's something I call "rainbow swirls" or maybe the finish isn't entirely clear. That means when I look at the reflection of a light bulb in the finish, I want to see all the detail and clarity of a mirror in that reflection. If it looks a little cloudy, I might try Finish to see if it improves it or not.

Amigo is something I use on dark colored paints. So of the 4 polishes, I use Swirl for everything, and Cut & Finish are optional or special case uses.

Amigo is a must for dark colors and optional on lighter colors. (Silver/PepperWhite).

 

Like Heather said, there are alot of loud mouths in this forum!

Find a system you like and stick with it. One of the things I have learned is mixing systems does not work that well. Both Detailers Paridise and Griots have nice simple systems to use and understand that give you great, but different, results. However, its both companies customer service that lead me to by from both of them. I have yet to be disapointed in either product line!

 

Also, on a side note, how do you know when the Swirl has broken down? I think I when I was using it last weekend I wasnt breaking it down all the way, I was stoping to early. It was very difficult to remove when used with the white pad. However, when I was using it with the orange pad, I seemed to get it just right. Any ideas?