Guess you don't know me or the other professional detailers in both SoCal and Colorado, or in the UK, or in Australia.... that stock and use Prima. Ignorance is bliss huh?

Having come from using Meguiar's professional products, I'd have to say Prima as a consumer product is best compared to Meguiar's professional line as the Meguiar's consumer line doesn't even compare. Course since I use both...it's easier for me to say that than for someone like yourself.

Oh yeah concerning your comment:
"I don't know any professional detailers who regularly stock the Prima line. It's just not that great. I know I'm going to get pelted for saying that here, but it is what it is."

Uhm your basis for Prima not being that great is because.....you are ignorant and don't know anyone else that uses/stocks Prima or because you have first hand knowledge? Maybe it's because a Prima rep didn't stop by and show you how great it was for you to be impressed??

Btw, for those that didn't notice your "warm" pic has the reflection of a yellow building in it, lol. Nice little added touch there.

Since we're comparing products...Prima Banana Gloss works just fine for this red paint (no retouching or color adjustments/enhancements). Best of all the BG carnauba let's red stay red (just warms it up), and doesn't make it orange.

Richard




Before Pic

 

Most professionals, excluding OG and a handful of others, are too concerned with profits to use quality products or spend the time to get quality results.
To be fair, most people don't even know that their "professional" detailing job really just hid the swirls - those there before and those installed by the "professional".
So yeah as a "professional" concerned about profit and time rather then quality and results - NXT may have real appeal. No effort required, hides swirls and lasts three weeks - just in time for next month's detailing appointment.

 

This is getting interesting now. If this debate keeps going at this pace, we may need a Moderator to step in, oh wait, there is no Mod for this forum, which seems to be becoming an issue for the whole site. Maybe someone should step up, I hear you only get insults thrown at you a couple of times a day

Mark

 

With a response like that, you would think that I'd insulted your mother. Sorry, but I thought this was a place where we shared our opinions of products and techniques. Guess I was way off.

FWIW, I have used a few of Prima's products first hand. They aren't bad, but fall short of having a wow factor. That's my take on it. But like I said, it's good for an OTC line.

I don't have any particular pony in this race. I don't advocate Megs as the best stuff on earth for car care. Personally, I don't think you can be an effective detailer if you stick to just one product line.

We could argue about sealant vs wax, mirror vs warmth all day, but it would be a total waste of time. There are multiple opinions, and better men than us have had it out over this before. So, I'm going to stop now, because this could get personal really fast. But, suffice it to say, we all have our preferences.

 

On Friday when I picked up my "new" MR2, I was doing a touchup repair on an Infiniti..we had plenty of time to let the paint dry..for us to drive an hour in traffic to pick up the car..lol. Well with all that time waiting..an old friend from my college days contacted me through Facebook about his newly acquired red Alpha Romeo and wanted some product suggestions. I told him to come by.

It was both a reunion and a learning day for him! He was going to be working by hand, and I showed him how claybar and BG would significantly improve his paint. I then showed him what an orbital and a rotary could do to the scratches and swirls. Despite the great looks, he opted for the least amount of work...since he was afraid of making the car look too good for where he lives. Also he noticed that the mismatched paint became more obvious once we removed the oxidation!

Banana Gloss made a night and day improvement in color and reduction of defects with very little effort and that's what the customer wanted.

He went home with a bunch of Prima, and although he had originally planned to work on the car on Sunday, I got a message from him that he couldn't wait to use his new knowledge and products..and did it all on Saturday.
******************
Re: advice

I couldn't help my self... I had to clean my car today.
Red Wow. It looks so gorgeous. Unfortunately, I just parked it under a ficus tree...hopefully no birds are hanging out.

Amazing how much more fun it all is when the products are good, including the simple towel.

Thanks for the products, info, and lessons.
**************

Richard

 

Yes it's a place to share opinions of products and techniques..but we don't go making baseless comments about them either.

If I were to say that Zaino sucked because it requires too many "layers" to look good..I'll get stomped.

If I were to say that Menzerna sucked cause ....well it just does...someone is going to say something.

Since you obviously don't know my history and background with Meguiar's, you really have no idea how I came to the conclusion that I like Prima better.

re:
Personally, I don't think you can be an effective detailer if you stick to just one product line.

Obviously this is just your "professional" opinion. I get the results I desire with the products I use..better than the majority of "professional detailers" anywhere. I think one of the biggest problems with budding detailers is the vast number of choices available and never mastering one particular system...instead they feel that have to resort to XX brand of product for different situations.

re:
I'm going to stop now, because this could get personal really fast. But, suffice it to say, we all have our preferences.

Haha too late...you already started the ball rolling my friend.

Richard

 

Many years ago, I asked a crusty old paint & body guy about spot-matching a repair on my car (which had definitely seen better days). He just shook his head slowly and said "Son, I can't put 'old' in a spray gun..."

 

They make perfectly good looking wood look "old" all the time on HGTV

Mark

 

Man, I'm glad to hear someone with a professional opinion that doesn't like Menzerna either. When I had my Mercedes, I gave their stuff a try because of all of the Mercedes owners that were raving about it. I used the "Intensive Polish", "Final Polish II" and "Full Molecular Jacket" sealant.

The FMJ was okay, but definitely no better than any of a dozen others I've tried over the years. Same with the FPII. The IP "chunked up" in the bottle after only a few weeks, and no amount of shaking would ever get it mixed again.

I have a hard time actually throwing away any of the detailing products on my shelves, but when I get around to it, the Menzerna will be the first stuff into the bin.

 

Sunday evenings are usually a good time for this sort of thing anyone need some

Mark

 

Oh, you sell Prima. This makes perfect sense now.

 

Knowing Richard, he doesn't like it because he sells it - he sells it because he likes it. He's the HMFIC at his operation, so he can use whatever product he chooses. Presumably, if he used a different product line, he'd sell that line.

 

You've proven it already man.... Ignorance is Bliss for you. I also sell Meguiar's, SM Arnold, Porter Cable, Lake Country, and a slew of other manufacturers. All the stuff I like to use when I restore paint.

If you had a even a clue about what you talked about, you wouldn't be so quick to think that my use of Prima was purely a financial one...but like you said.....it's your personal preference to be ignorant.

Oh btw, I don't sell ANY product I don't like or use myself. But why should that matter to someone as proficient as yourself?

Richard

 

That is sweeeeeeet. Hey I've got the white bonnet stripes, do I need to work around those, or should I just treat them like paint when it comes to Epic/Banana/Hydro?

Go Eagles!

 

Care for your stripes like you do your paint... BUT...

Be careful if you're using a PC buffer. Go over the stripes less agressively than you would the paint (I use only the mild polish on the stripes) and make sure you either tape the edges or stay away from them with the buffer. You never want to go against an edge of your vinyl for fear of lifting it up (even if you can't see it with the naked eye). You don't want dirt and stuff to build up under an edge.

And thank you for the compliment.

 

The combo I've settled down with that I really like is: Scratch X, Meguiar's NXT 2, Turtle Wax Ice Car Wash, Hydro, and Wheel Wax. I also use the Hydro on the wheels between applications of Wheel Wax. I religiously use the 2 bucket wash method with grid guards, lamb's wool mitt and micro fiber towels for the hydro. My neighbor that has a Liquid Yellow MINI says my Chili Pepper Red looks like glass!

 

[quote=OctaneGuy;2739538]Sounds like you got my DVD...How to use the PC for Show Car Results. It was made by the joint venture company I had back then called Show Car Garage..which became Show Car Detailing after Mike, the host on the video, stayed with Meguiar's.


http://www.showcarsupplies.com/shopexd.asp?id=62&bc=no

When will it be available. I've been eyeballing your site for the last couple of weeks and it is "out of stock"

 

wow this place can get ugly fast. Some people are down right rude. All i was asking was what would be slightly more agressive then the current polish i am using.Which everything i am using was based on OG recommendations from 2 years ago. nothing more nothing less...

 

Yes I know...I need to have more manufactured. In the process of doing so. Last production run I made...the existing files got lost during a hard drive failure...I needed to update some content because it still shows my old company...ShowCarGarage on it....anyways. We're a couple weeks out.

I've got like 4 DVD's in stock. 3 have been requested for via PM's, though I haven't responded yet to all of them. I will get back in a bit...just got too much stuff going on right now.

Richard

[quote=svaldes;2740824]

 

Any way you could make an mp4 out of it, say, formatted for the iPod touch/ iPhone and sell it that way ? I know I'll definitely put your video on my iPhone so that I don't need a laptop next to me once I start polishing on the first week-end of May

just an idea, dunno how feasible it is.

 

I've thought about that. I did it for another one of my DVDs just to demo it to people. I guess I'm concerned about how easy it is to redistribute it..not saying that anyone would. But I'm always checking Youtube and other video sites for copyright violations.

Richard

 

Agreed. I too was looking for some good products for my CR. Kind of a turn off.

 

Boy, we have some super-sensitive posters around here these days.

 

My only comment would be about Prima being "OTC stuff" and "not sold by professional detailers". I've ONLY seen it sold at professional detailers, and not ever at places that you can normally get Meguiars (Target, Wal-Mart, Auto Zone, etc).

All that said, I used Meguiar's (including some of the pro line products) before I switched to Prima. The results are much much easier to come by and much better. I think Meguiar's has a large following in detailing the same way that McDonald's does - it's cheap and easy to come by, and gets the job done in a basic way. But as far as going the extra mile with superb results and ease...well, that's why you go to Fleming's when you want a good dinner!

Everyone likes their own stuff. There's no reason to get ugly about it! Just know who's getting the results in the end

 

ML thanks... I have been using Meguiars based on OG recommendation from a few years ago and with good results. What i have been using is crystal polish (its easier to get the M80), Synthetic sealent, and there clay bar. But what i have been finding is sometimes the polish just doesnt quiet do it. So i was looking for the step better which sounds as if it maybe the M205 or M80. Or maybe just switch to Prima. But i only want to have a two step and a standby third if its a bad spot. Liek i said i have not had any problems with the meguiers just want that little bit better.
I should mention the car is 3 years old bought new and only has 8k on it and never get left out or driven in the snow.

Thanks everyone..