Can Amigo be used as a last step? It says it differs from most glazes as it allows for the use of a wax afterwards. But is wax necessary? What about touch up with Slick after Amigo?

 

I would still use a good wax after...waxing takes far less time than Amigoing!

 

I would absolutely use wax/sealant after Amigo - Amigo is NOT a protectant... just a very mild polish with some fillers that provides that mirror glazed look... but it's not providing protection. You should seal it with Epic ideally. Or at a minimum use Hydro now and after every wash...

Epic after a proper Amigo treatment looks INCREDIBLE...

 

As Blimey said, Amigo is not to be considered a protectant step. In a pinch, Amigo's dirty little secret is that it does offer a tad of short-term protection simply as an indirect result of some of its polymers that are there for other purposes. However, it shouldn't be considered your wax or protectant step because it isn't a very strong layer... both in terms of durability or active strength.

Amigo is a paint cleanser and "glaze-like", due to its filling and concealing abilities. We use the term "glaze" because without it, Amigo has no real categorical home. We could simply call it a paint cleanser but then its biggest forte, the filling/concealing aspects, are not clearly communicated. So, we call it a glaze or glaze-like product. However, the filling/concealing aspect is where the similarity to a glaze ends...

Traditionally, glazes are a final step over your wax... to help temporarily fill and conceal tiny imperfections that still remain, which effectively enhances the richness and clarity of the paint. Historically, they have been and are used most by those who show their cars- as a step that can be done right before the show for that final show-perfection look. Unforutnately, with the next rain or wash (or a few days time of sun exposure), glazes are gone. They are intended to be a very short-lived enhancement boost.

Amigo is different in that while it does an excellent job of filling and concealing, it is unique in that it is applied prior to your wax and is much more durable. It will last as long as your wax lasts (ie, Epic lasts 5-6 months and thus Amigo underneath Epic will last 5-6 months).
Also worthy of note is the fact that Amigo still allows a good wax-to-paint bond. There are some products which are similar in that they are to be used prior to your wax yet they are the weak link in durability. So, they can limit the durability of your wax by affecting the wax bond. Amigo does not impede your wax bond and thus you can get the maximum durability out of your wax.

So, as I hope I've explained clearly, Amigo is like a glaze in that it fills and conceals yet it is very different from a glaze in all other aspects. Indeed, it is an odd duck, but a beautiful one!

-Heather

 

I heart Amigo.

That is all.

 

WHat exactly is the proper Amigo treatment? PC/Orange? Black?

 

Heather,

If Amigo is a paint cleanser with glaze like properties--what happens when you apply Amigo over Epic?

Why would you do this? Well a glaze is normally put on top of a wax to hide imperfections and provide extra gloss for a show--if you used Amigo in that way, would you actually be harming the existing wax or adding to it due to the polymers in Amigo?

I use a white pad with Amigo--and Orange is too strong Amigo IMO, and Black doesn't do anything other than act as an applicator for Amigo--unless that's your goal. I like Amigo to act as a final polishing step with the White Pad, then do Epic with a Black pad.

 

I'm not Heather, but I play her on TV... the Amigo will remove the Epic. Quite effectively, I believe (i.e. it "cleanses" the Epic right off the surface of the paint). Does have some mild abrasives, so that's to be expected... yes?

Though, if you were to gently hand-apply Amigo on top of cured Epic, I dunno... though I'm guessing the solvent/carrier/liquid component of the Amigo would dissolve Epic... but that's a guess...

Agreed - I get great results with the DP/Lake Country white pad as a final polishing/hiding/"glazing" step... before Epic.

 

Wouldn't the abrasives in Amigo just strip off Epic?

 

Didn't I just say that?

 

I guess I was typing my response at the same time as you. You must have clicked "post" before I did....

 

...And you play a great Heather on TV! I can't wait for the movie version.

First, for the sake of preventing confusion to the newbie: this question refers to an unusual style of Amigo application. The common and recommended application of Amigo is to apply it PRIOR to applying your wax.

Of course, it's fun to experiment and sometimes certain situations call for variations in application. So then, in those cases when using Amigo AFTER you wax...


This is one of those questions that requires a detailed "it depends" answer.

When applied by hand or with a black (very light finishing) LC pad, Amigo cannot remove fully cured durable waxes such as Epic, despite Amigo's super-super fine cleansing abrasives and non-abrasive chemical paint cleansers. This is because Epic (and similar durable waxes like Zaino) are just too strong for Amigo to break.
(note: Regarding Epic, "fully cured" means that there has been at least 24 hours since Epic has been applied and wiped off)

When applied with a white (polishing) LC pad, then the answer is definitely "it depends." If you have used a non-durable synthetic wax (ie, Megs NXT) or a carnauba wax (ie, any paste wax), then Amigo and the white pad will most likely remove all or at least a significant portion of your wax. If you have used a durable synthetic wax (ie, Epic or Zaino), then Amigo and a white pad will likely wear down a degree of your wax but not all (unless you spend a very long time per section working it... this would continue to wear it down, potentially to nothing). If the durable synthetic wax was applied long ago and therefore is already pretty thin due to time/environment, then Amigo and the white pad could potentially wipe it out.

When applied with an orange (light cutting/swirl removal) LC pad, Amigo would definitely remove non-durable waxes and carnauba waxes and would likely put a significant dent in your durable synthetic wax, if not remove it completely. Again, the amount of time you spend per section is going to vary this a bit, as will the amount of wax that is on the paint at that time to begin with.

In conclusion, Amigo may remove your wax if applied after you wax. It depends on what kind of wax it is and other factors. However, if you apply it by hand or with a black LC finishing pad, and you haven't used a carnauba wax, then Amigo is not likely to remove your wax when applied this way.

Clear as mud? This is one of those that I wonder if I've conveyed it clearly. If not, fire away with more questions!

-Heather

 

Yes, no, maybe, it depends, and a little of everything.

First, see my last post regarding whether or not Amigo will remove existing wax because the answer depends on several factors.

Having said all that though, then yes, there is a potential, though unusual, use for applying Amigo over Epic.

As OctaneGuy suggested, one could be headed for a show tomorrow, for example, and wants to add extra zing to the paint for a win. In this scenario, Epic has already been applied, perhaps several weeks ago and therefore doesn't need to be repeated at this point. In this case, one could apply Amigo the day before or even right before a show in order to do some final filling and concealing and to add some extra gloss.

Of course, the best of all worlds in this final show prep scenario would be that the owner would have already applied Amigo then Epic (in that order) earlier on and is now adding a bonus layer of Amigo over Epic for extra zing. Incidentally, Amigo is layerable in that its effect will increase and build as you reapply it over itself.
(now I've opened a new can of worms, right?! For those already wondering, yes, you do clean off a small bit of Amigo as you reapply/layer it but as long as you're doing it by hand or gently with a black pad, you will still net a build-up of layers with Amigo)

-Heather

 

Though... really, in this specific car-show-prep scenario, if you had Epic-over-Amigo already, and wanted a touch-up, Hydro would probably be the right choice, methinks... pretty good micro-swirl hiding, easy application, adds some depth, etc....

 

Personally, that is exactly what I would do (which is probably why you play me on TV ). Hydro would be just as effective and quicker than Amigo in this scenario. (plus you get the olfactory bonus of Hydro)

Alas, to each his own! (and sometimes people like to just be different of course too!)

Technically though, you could do it either way.

-Heather

 

Ahh, Amigo. Since the subject has been broached, I have a couple "newbie" questions...because I am currently in day three of "extreme car make over" because I was gone for 7 months and my car didn't get washed while I was gone :

day 1: did a dawn wash (to try and get my old epic off)
yesterday: washed with mystique; renewed my black trim; cleaned the interior leather bits

today: applied amigo by hand. question 1: was I supposed to "work it in" ala a pc? I did some light rubbing in areas, but didn't really use a lot of elbow grease in total. 2: it's supposed to be a light coat, correct? 3: amigo can stay on the car for extended periods of time (more than 24 hours prior to removing it) or is that for epic?

Anyway, once I take the glaze of amigo off, I'm going to one-coat epic; let that seal up good...then next weekend I'll wash and HYDRO!

Does that sound about right? Like I say, I feel like I have forgotten the proper technique for taking care of my COOP.

 

Sounds pretty good!

I personally don't Dawn wash unless I'm stripping dealer applied wax, etc.... only because eventually Dawn may dry out your plastic, rubber trim, etc if you do it enough...

Epic & Hydro are A-OK!

For Amigo - the amount of elbow grease is up to you! It has VERRRRRY mild abrasives... which you really aren't likely to get any benefit from unless you're using a polisher... so when applying by hand, might as well just wipe on, let it sit for a bit and wipe off... I wouldn't leave it on for more than a few minutes, personally... but I guess you could... might be a little harder to remove after an extended dry time...

 

I agree with Blimey (aka the ken of Amigo!).

The more you work Amigo, the more you get out of it. Sometimes, a quick hand app is all you need (read: you don't need a ton of paint cleansing or filling/concealing... just a refresher tad of both). Other times, you might want to get more of both aspects out of it so you work it longer and harder... this can mean either a more time-intensive arm-workout of applying Amigo or it can mean using the PC with the white or orange pad (usually white is perfect in most cases).

Amigo is quite forgiving on the wiping off timing. You can wipe it right off without any loss in effectiveness or you can leave it on for a bit without any loss in effectiveness. If you leave it on for eternity, it may get a little stubborn to remove but it really does take awhile to get to this point. Either removal technique is equally fine.

Epic is the one that does benefit from a longer wait time. We recommend a minimum of 30 minutes between the time you apply it and wipe it off, assuming average temps and humidity. In lower temps and/or higher humidity, it's best to leave it on a little longer. It doesn't hurt to leave Epic on for hours and if it's more convenient for your schedule (ie, you find yourself caught up in an old 80s movie on TV and temporarily forget about your Epic). It won't become more stubborn to remove at all (assuming you didn't use too much... remember, only 1 1/2 oz to 2 oz per application for a MINI!).
Why do you want to leave it on for at least the minimum? This allows you to get the maximum durability out of Epic.
**If for some reason you are tight on time and cannot wait at all, you will only lose approx. 15-20% of your total durability (which, out of 5-6 months isn't horrible). So, don't fret if you just can't wait... it's not like you just wasted your entire application or anything. Sometimes you have to make trade-offs when time is an issue.

-Heather

 

cool thanks Heather...here's what I did. Took the amigo off after, oh, maybe an hour or two and it was super easy to get off. Then I applied the epic (tried to keep it very light, but it's hard to not go crazy)...let it sit for about 6 hours and took it off. Now RIPP is stunning (at least on the outside). Not only that, but about an hour after I took the epic off, it got rained on! Wow the beading. Maybe tomorrow I'll HYDRO.....

 

ok i am going to do a complete detail soon and going to break down and buy the prima products. Herman is a pure silver 03 mini that is in fairly good shape paint wise but still has a few little scratch marks that can be seen in just the right light.

plan of action is as follows:
1- clay like mad!!
2- prima cut ( unless highly not recomended ) to every mark out
3-prima

 

ok i am going to do a complete detail soon and going to break down and buy the prima products. Herman is a pure silver 03 mini that is in fairly good shape paint wise but still has a few little scratch marks that can be seen in just the right light.

plan of action is as follows:
1- clay like mad!!
2- prima cut ( unless highly not recomended ) to every mark out
3-prima swirl (probably 2wice)
4-prima finish (three coats)
5- let cure for 24 hours
6 - prima amigo

7 - what

 

ok i am going to do a complete detail soon and going to break down and buy the prima products. Herman is a pure silver 03 mini that is in fairly good shape paint wise but still has a few little scratch marks that can be seen in just the right light.

plan of action is as follows:
1- clay like mad!!
2- prima cut ( unless highly not recomended ) to every mark out
3-prima swirl (probably 2wice)
4-prima finish (three coats)
5- let cure for 24 hours
6 - prima amigo

7 - what wax? i know epic is the prima choice but this car is going into its first show about 2 weeks after i am done so it will probably be washed few times in between. Taking into account the light colour what would you recomend?

 

oh and sorry about the whole multi post thing...i dont know what happened there...think my computer had a brain fart

 

1) You probably don't need Cut if the paint is in "pretty good shape". If you have actual "scratches" vs. "swirls" (scratches you can feel with your fingernail) then you're going to need to touch-up with paint or clearcoat anyway... or wetsand, which I don't recommend unless you're prepared to repaint the whole panel if you make a mistake.

Personally, I'd skip Cut and start with Swirl.

2) You probably don't need Finish. Certainly not three passes of Finish. Swirl will suffice for everything, except MAYBE the black plastic A-pillars.

3) There's no reason to let anything "cure" after the polishing steps (finish is just a polish).

4) Swirl + Amigo will make your car look AMAZING if done right.

5) Highly recommend Epic. Then use Hydro after each wash.

 

ok maybe i will skip the cut step. only reason i have been thinking about it is i have gone over the car with swirl remover twice (megs) and after the wax, you can see a few slight "swirl/scratch" or something marks after waxing. Mind you it has to be in direct sunlight with just the right angle but still.

well there is one vote for epic..any other votes?