I moved to Prima because of a couple things.

1.) M80 and M83 were often needed when correcting, but M83 is stickier and not has much fun to work with as M80. So a lot of times we'd spend a lot more time using M80 resisting the urge to go to M83. This is where the use of the polish dictates the results.

2.) M80 doesn't wash easily from your pads. To maintain your pads, you need soap and water, and those deteriorate the Meguiar's pads.

In contrast, Swirl washes out with a bit of water..under a faucet in 10 seconds. Lake Country/Prima pads don't deteriorate or suffer from being immersed in water.

Using 3 different pad levels, I can use the same Swirl polish and avoid the problem in #1 which is that different polishes have different consistencies and polishing characteristics. Most of the time I only two pad types...the LC Orange and LC White.

Prima Swirl gives me options, flexibility, and more capability than the M80 series of products, and even more over the DC (Deep Crystal consumer products)

Richard

 

Hey, OG... in a thread from a little over a year ago (IIRC), you said that when working on Jet Black, go from Swirl/Orange pad to Swirl/White pad.

Now, with Amigo... I'm planning on going from Swirl/Orange pad straight to Amigo on the white pad.

Will that produce great results ? Or should I still go to Swirl on the white pad before going to Amigo ?

 

On my JB Swirl/Orange leaves the soft paint hazy. I want it clear before going to Amigo. Check the paint under a light and see whether further polishing is needed.

Richard
(taking a quickbooks training class right now)

 

Oh... okay... THANKS. (shhhhhhhhhh)

 

OG i have noticed there are many differant prima polish products in what order from heavyest to least abrasive do they run. And do you stock most of the prima products?

 

I stock the full Prima line at my store.
Www.showcarsupplies.com

I always encourage locals to stop by so I can demo how to use it and answer any questions.

There are 4 Prima polishes. But of them only two are used the majority of the time and one of those 2 is optional depending on the color and desired effect.

I always use Swirl and I sell in 16 and 32oz bottles.
Amigo is always used on dark paints for maximum richness and gloss.

Cut is the most aggressive and rarely used
Finish is the least aggressive among Cut, Swirl, Finish. Also rarely used.

For M83 equivalent I would use Orange or Yellow pad with Swirl.
For M80 equivalent I would use White pad with Swirl
For #7 Show Car Glaze equivalent I would use White pad with Amigo

For M84 equivalent I would use Cut with a Yellow pad
These are just my preferences. I know Chuck Minimaybee likes to mix Cut and Swirl for additional flexibility. I don't.

Richard

 

CR&PW&JB

oooh... pretty....I'm like a bug staring at a light

 

HAHAHAHA !! You must be talking about the pic I posted early in the thread.

Funny thing... I've had people accuse me of photoshopping or using filters on that pic. I wish I knew how to do that stuff. Nope, pic was taken with a cheap digital camera after a full detailing. I must say, a lot of the allure of that pic has to do with the sun being in the right position. Chili Red looks dull and orange if you take a pic with the sun at the wrong angle. Prima products and my PC buffer gets the rest of the credit.

Thanks for the hilarious compliment.

 

Shwoo! I hadn't looked at this thread for a few days and WOW... it became a little kookie there for a bit. I'm glad to see that we're back on track with answering the original question.

However, there are a few thoughts I'd like to share about some of the discussions in this thread, if I may...

• Although this forum is not moderated, I've always been proud to be part of a forum that historically hasn't needed much moderating! I think that most of the time everyone here has been very cordial and respectful towards each other. I know that there is alot of craziness and extra stress in our world these days but let's work together on keeping what can sound like personal attacks at bay. This includes proofreading your posts before hitting submit... I think that often we're hasty in our typing and tone and words can come out wrong if we're not careful. I think that most of the negativity that comes up from time to time just stems from misinterpretations & misunderstandings. Tone is hard to convey in a casual communication medium such as a forum but it can be conveyed pretty well with carefully chosen words.
• I also think that this should DEFINITELY be a place where anyone can share personal preferences at any time. That said, I think it is fair for someone else to ask to have the preferences explained... not because one owes the other an explanation but simply because that is how the rest of us can all learn from these shared experiences. Likewise, if a statement of fact is made without supporting evidence then someone can ask for sources of the information, etc. That seems only fair. However, again, we should be careful that the tone we use is not challenging but rather inquisitive. We have all made statements that we thought were facts only to find out that there is more information out there... again, we should be here to share all this great collective info we have to offer each other.
• Regarding OctaneGuy's opinion of Prima as a professional detailer and also a retailer of Prima, I'd like to note that before he ever sold Prima he used it for quite some time. In fact, at first he was quite a tough sell because he was already using stuff he liked. Then he discovered some of the advantages of Prima and he began using it more and more. Then, and only then, did he apply to become a Prima retailer. I think it might be useful to understand the timing of those events in as one evaluated OctaneGuy's opinions of Prima.
• Regarding professional detailers who use Prima... I agree with MiniMaybee that, unfortunately, there are more professional detailers out there who aren't interested in doing a high quality job than those who are. There are several exceptions though. There are some pros who really do an excellent job and who do care about quality. I'm proud to say that several professionals who are of this caliber do use Prima. Not only NAM's very high caliber professional detailer, OctaneGuy, but others as well. Check out the May issue of Classic Motorsports magazine for a great writeup about Tim McNair and the products he uses. Tim uses Prima almost exclusively and prepares cars for Pebble Beach and Amelia Island. His most recent winning cars at these prestigious concours events were detailed with Prima products. He's also the detailer for the Simone Museum in Philadelphia. (see Nick's earlier post about a 1938 Delahaye 135MS HERE) Pretty neat stuff.

Sorry for posting off the original topic of this thread but I feel strongly about keeping this forum a useful and educational place, not to mention fun!

That's all I wanted to say. Thanks for listening. Now back to the original question again...

-Heather

 

Such a peace-maker.

 

Civility - novel concept.

 

Heather,
so what would you recommend for my CR/W 2006 Cooper S that is in great shape only has 8k on it. I am looking for maybe a 2 step and a quick detailer. I am using a sealant from mirror glaze and its has been good. But i am willing to try something new.

 

Heather, I also have a similar question. 09 CR with 10k miles. My issue is that I live in an urban area where I can't wash and wax as often as I like. In fact, I can't really even wash the car by hand anywhere, unless a drive to a relative's in the burbs or pay the typical $18 at a car wash. So basically, I'm looking for a protective wax that I can apply 2-3 times a year and be good against road grime and winter salt. When I have the opportunity I'd like to put a nice shine on it during the warmer months.

I currently have it hand washed once every 3-4 weeks. Never machine washed. I was using Megs Gold Class, waxing once before winter, and then claying and waxing again in the spring. Occasionally, I'll throw some NXT or Eagle One quick detailer on there.

What do you recommend for the 2-3 time per year protective wax? What would be a good 'polishing' wax in between that wouldn't compromise the protection of the base wax? Or is my approach not even correct to begin with?

Thanks in advance.

 

supercOOper, Prima's Epic will last up to a year, if you use Hydro when you wash. A lot of us here apply Epic twice a year, mostly a spring application, then a fall one.

Another option would be to use Banana Gloss, it last 45-60 days, again it will last longer if you use Hydro when washing. It is very easy to apply, can be applied in full sun, and down to freezing temps, so this may work well for you if you have to work on a street/parking lot.

Mark

 

For your paint, I would recommend 1 of 2 routes:

Option 1:
Prima Swirl (medium-grit diminishing abrasive polish) with the orange pad, with the possibility that you'll need to go over it again with Swirl and the white pad.
Prima Epic (very durable sealant that gives a wet-look) with the black pad

Option 2:
Prima Amigo (multi-tasker: glaze/filler/concealer, paint cleanser, very mild abrasive only when used with certain pads on a polisher) with the white pad
Prima Epic with the black pad

Option 1 would ultimatley yield the best results and the more long-lasting results but would take significantly more time and possible be 3-steps (if you had to finish the polishing with the white pad). The polishing step would likely take you an entire full day but the paint would likely be flawless or near flawless.

Option 2 would still provide excellent results because it would abrade and remove some of the paint imperfections and would fill/conceal the rest... all in a very short timeframe. The Amigo step would only take an hour or two.



For a quick detailer, you could go with Slick or Hydro. Slick is the "true" quick detailer, with more cleaner than Hydro. Hydro has less cleaner but is actually a synthetic spray wax (read: lasts longer). On Chili Red in particular, they will give you different looks. Slick will give a wetter and "more red" look while Hydro will soften and darken the red. Most CR owners I've talked to about this difference prefer the look of Slick but others prefer Hydro. To each his/her own!

-Heather

 

First, a quick tip for washing in your situation... we have lots of customers who go to the coin-op spray car wash places just for the water and protection alone. As long as it's not one of those days when there are cars waiting to use the bays, you can bring your own bucket(s), soap and mitts and other tools. As long as you're paying for the water, I think it's perfectly fine to use these places like this. Just don't use any of their built-in soaps, etc. That way you have access to water and have a protected bay in which to work. If it's really slow at the coin-op, you can even sometimes wax your car. In that case, you're not paying for the water of course... but if it would make you feel better you could throw a bunch of quarters in as you leave to "pay" for the use of the bay (you don't want to put quarters in while you wax because the wands always seem to give off just a tad of spray even in the holsters). Again, assuming no one is waiting to use it. Just an idea if it works for you!


Lotsie already gave you a nice summary of Prima wax options for you. Another note about applying Epic... it will perform best if you apply it and wait at least 45 minutes before wiping it off. This may impact your ability to use it, given your constraints.

As for a "polishing" wax for use in between waxings...
Technically speaking, there is nothing that will adequately polish or cleanse your paint without compromising your base coat of wax. Of course, the degree to which the base wax is compromised will depend greatly on the strength of the polish or cleanser, as well as the base wax's durability.

That said, here's what I would suggest, given your protective and polishing/cleansing desires, your location in Chicago (read: harsh winters) as well as your limited access to a detailing space:

Use Banana Gloss every other month from Spring through Fall. Banana Gloss has a very powerful paint cleanser, as well as a strong protective wax. Lotsie listed the reasons why it is so easy to use and forgiving. It sounds like it might be the easiest for you in your situation.

Then, apply a coat of Epic right before winter. Epic will stand up better against the harsh Chicago winter elements. It doesn't have the paint cleansers that Banana Gloss has, but your protection needs are more important in the winter.

Note that Epic and Banana Gloss have very different looks on Chili Red (and all reds, for that matter). Epic will give a very wet and lively look to your CR. Banana Gloss will darken the CR and give it a softer, more carnauba-look. For CR specifically, most people prefer the look of Epic. Others are the other way around and some don't even notice a difference. So, it's in the eye of the beholder but I thought I'd mention it in case the differences really matter to you.



Last, regardless of which wax you choose for either time of the year, if you think you can manage an occasional app of Hydro (SUPER easy to use... either on a wet surface as you wash or on a clean, dry surface after), it will boost your protection, especially in the winter months.

Hope that helps!

-Heather

 

^^^^ Now we know who writes the catalog/product details^^^^

Mark

 

thank you for the help mark and heather. very informative. I'll give those products a shot.

 

I have found Griot's Fine Hand Polish works and last really well. In between polishing I use Griot's Speed Shine. It's easy to use and takes no time at all to do the entire car.

 

I use Griot's Speed Shine as my QD'ing product, too. Great stuff. Has just a touch of natural carnuba in it. The dark colors of paint love carnuba.

 

WOW! Heather right on. Now thats info..... Looks like i will be placing my prima order soon. TY

 

Heather... do you have anyone in the Atlanta area that does detailing or sells your products you can refer?

 

Pertinent thread for all your CR owners
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2748741

If your Chili Red looks like this under sunlight, it needs polishing


Under lighting, those spots should be distinct and clear like this. The orange color is due to the type of halogen lighting I'm using.

 

Heather what is the differance in the pads and there colors

 

The answer was contained in a previous post
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...17-post56.html

Let me extract it for you:

Knowing there are 4 Prima Polishes in varying levels of aggressiveness..the pads are used in conjunction..and these are how I use the pads with the Prima polishes.

Cut with a Yellow pad (Most aggressive combo)
Swirl Orange or Yellow pad (Med aggressive combo)
Swirl with White pad (Light polishing combo)
Amigo with White pad (Minimally aggressive and mostly beautifying combo)

Epic with Black pad (Least aggressive and mostly for applying wax)