Hi - I'm a total newbie to doing my own detailing. I've been driving "mom-mobiles" most of my adult life so the local car wash has been good enough

So, I got my mini - 2008 BRG cabrio - and stocked up on Primo products and Black Wow.

I've washed my mini twice and went through a 1/2 bottle of Hydro in 2 washes. Am I using too much? I washed & rinsed. Then, section by section, sprayed and dried with hydro.

Am I using too much? I thought it would last longer.

BTW...Love the MF waffle towel from Primo! Ordering more tomorrow.

I also washed my mother-in-law's car. Used it as a practice with a Magaier's clay kit. Plus, used the Black Wow on it and she couldn't believe how great it worked. (Scoring points for Mother's Day!) Haven't used the Black Wow on the mini yet but after seeing how great it looked, I can't wait to give it a try!

Thanks - love this forum.
KC

 

You may be overdoing it with the Hydro a little bit. I usually use about two or three sprays per panel when drying my car. As the Waffle Weave gets dampened with the water/Hydro mixture, you can probably get by with even less for the last panels you dry (I usually dry the boot last, and only use one spritz of Hydro in a sweeping motion across the boot).

 

I'd say you are putting on a little heavy too.

 

when i use hydro i use a lot. my white DP waffle weave has orange
sections from the hydro. the reason why i use a lot is because im
DRAGGING a towel to apply Hydro when i would prefer blot drying.

hydro is part lube and part wax for me. this is why their bottle is not
enough for my use. im using one of my old griot's bottles and sprayhead.
works perfectly.

for smaller areas the Prima bottle is awesome.. like wheels and door jams.

i had minimal grit when i clayed the car..since almost a year ago.

 

I use very little Hydro, and DRAG MY TOWEL ... with very good results... a bottle will probably last me a dozen washes... maybe 20... just a spritz is all it takes... you don't need to "wet" the panel, just add a little hydro to mix with the remaining water that's already there... but Ken's a hydroholic... so...

 

#1 and you might want to try using it after the car is dry like a quick detailer. Takes very little and the results are !

 

i think one of the main reasons why i dont need to spend so much time
claying and polishing is because i use a lot of Hydro.

a car that wasn't polished for 2yrs polished in 3.5hrs yesterday. that's
quick. i clayed right after the wash but almost nothing attached
to the clay. the last time i clayed was last spring. and this is a
car parked 24/7 out doors.

 

If it wasn't for Hydro, I wouldn't bother with my car. I'm not the sort who likes to spend all weekend/every weekend cleaning my car. Been using Hydro for about a year after every wash and the car looks great (somewhere under the pollen). Takes me less than an hour to wash and Hydro the car and clean the wheels. Just recently finished my first bottle of Hydro.

 

Between the Mini and the wagon yesterday, I used half a 16 oz bottle of Hydro. I went a little crazy with the wagon though, as I hadn't really done anything with it since an application of Klasse AIO (with no topper) about three months ago.

 

to give you guys an idea, when i washed my dd (FitSport) this
morning before work, it took me 30min. that included setup time,
vacuuming driver area (other area is clean) dusting the interior,
cleaning/hydroing the wheels, and cleaning the glass.

 

I use very little with great results. Walk and spritz around the entire wet car and then dry. The black roof gets a bit more and I start there to kinda prime my waffle weave. My first bottle lasted about a year with weekly washes.
Only problem is I have to wax friends' cars to get my fix cuz the mini never needs it anymore.

 

as far as protection and appearance, you really dont need to use a whole
lot of Hydro to get the same results.

i just use more as lubrication while dragging the towel. it's up to you
how much you use. it's kinda like how i use Griot's SprayOn wax as QD
these days on my other cars. super lubricity, immediate results.

 

I usually use 2-3 sprays per panel, and one spray per black pillar, and wheel. I've used maybe a half a bottle so far, and it's been used for maybe six-eight washes.

Ken can afford to be more liberal with his Hydro, since he just got a nice fat raise.

The first time I Hydroed the MINI I think I was using too much. Even after I'd dried the panel with a waffle weave there'd still be what looked like smears of Hydro that I had to then go back and buff out w/ a monster fluffy when I was finished drying.

 

Some of my white DP waffle weave towels are orange because the freakin' orange Target MF towels bleed like a #$%#^& @!@#%$ in the wash.

 

see, should've listened to your mommy when she said separate
colors from whites. you dont put new jeans with your
white towels, do you?

 

actually that usually happens when the air is too humid...