Mini post

I picked up my Oxford Green Countryman a few weeks ago. I immediately ordered a set of Prima products that just arrived. Below is my plan for her first detail. Let me know if I missed anything or if you have additional suggestions.*

1). Hydro Wash the entire car
2). Clay the painted surfaces
3). Hydro wash again to remove any clay residue
4). Hydro Seal the painted surfaces
5). Hydro Wax the painted surfaces
6). Clarity on the windows
7). Nero on the dash, doors, and leatherette

I planned to order Wheel Armor but forgot. *Can I use Hydro Seal as a temporary fix? *Temperature is not an issue as the average high the next few months is only in the 40s.

I was also wondering about using something like Dawn for the first wash to strip off the wax the dealer put on. *Is this necessary, or will the clay take care of it?

Any other suggestions?

 

Your plan is excellent. I'm not sure why people think it's necessary to wash their car after claying the surfaces. I've seen this recommended over and over, and it's totally unnecessary. You should be claying a small area at a time and wiping the residue clean with a MF towel and then checking the surface for smoothness and resistance. Once you've confirmed that, you can move on to the next section.

Also, while you can Hydro the Hydro Sealed paint, I think its better to just wait until the next wash and let Hydro Seal fully cure.

I would Hydro the door jambs however.

Yes, you can use Hydro or Hydro Seal on the wheels. Wheel Armour is more durable, but any kind of wax will offer better protection than not using anything at all.

re: Dawn
Yes you can use Dawn for that initial wash. It's not a bad idea but not something you want to use regularly. Note that Dawn doesn't strip synthetic waxes, just natural (Carnauba) type. However it's unlikely the dealer would use a synthetic. Clay will remove some of the wax but it may not remove all of it, so it's not a bad idea to prep the paint by washing with Dawn first.

As the creator of Black Wow, I would also highly recommend BW for all the exterior plastics on your MINI. Nothing lasts as long nor looks as good as BW.

Richard

 

Richard,

Thanks for the suggestions. I will pick up a bottle of Black Wow along with the Wheel Armor.

 

Excellent. There is some technique involved when using BW. It's unlike any other trim dressing. The basic concept is...let it absorb for days, and apply it before your next car wash.

You can read more here:
www.BlackWow.com

Or if you are a FaceBook user here:
https://www.facebook.com/OnlyWow

Richard

 

What type of lube will you use with the clay? I like a QD but you have other options too. I agree that a wash after clay is superflous. you will probably introduce more contaminants across the car that are in your lambswool or microfiber sponge than you would remove by washing again. BlackWow is awesome and it lasts forever. I bought one of the first bottles richard put out after the testing and I still have about half the bottle.

I might not put nero on the leatherette. I use lexol conditioner on the steering wheel and cleaner about once a year. I didn't even know you could use nero on the seats but I don't have a leather interior.

 

Thanks!!! Haha that was back in 2007...4oz goes a long way...lol

Leatherette is leather looking vinyl, lol. So yes, Nero works on all of the surfaces including vinyl seats. If it's truly leather, then use Lexol or Prima Nourish or Leatherique.

Richard

 

I also just ordered a bunch of Prima products for my Cooper. I added Epic as I read a few threads that said to start with that before going with the Hydro Seal / Hydro.

I was planning on mostly following the plan above except for the Epic so:

1). Hydro Wash the entire car
2). Clay the painted surfaces
3). Apply Epic, allow to cure 24 hrs
4). Hydro Seal the painted surfaces
5). Hydro Wax the painted surfaces
6). Clarity on the windows
7). Nero on the dash, doors.

I have cloth seats, anything special I can do for them?

 

The process sounds fine, but I would spread #4 and #5 out over a couple of days, meaning...once you've Epic'd the paint, going over it with Hydro Seal and Hydro spray wax is best done after it's cured for a few days instead of back to back. If I were doing this, I would Epic the paint twice, and then do Hydro Seal the next week and Hydro would be used as needed maybe once a month.

For cloth seats, just wipe them down with some damp microfiber towels. A steam cleaner like from Wagner that you get at Home Depot might do well for you if you get your seats dirty often. Otherwise you might want to spray an interior fabric protectant on them if the seats are light..you didn't say what color the seats were.

Richard

 

What is the downside for not waiting the suggested days and doing this back to back?

 

It's the same thinking that you can layer a wax...if you put on a coat of wax and then immediately put on a second coat...you don't effectively have two coats because the second application removes some of the first...it just ensures you have a uniform coat. On the other hand, if you put on the wax, let it fully cure atleast for a few days, then put on some more, the results "should" be better. Nobody knows for sure, but I do know that a sealant looks better after it's been on a car for a few days. It certainly improves as it cures.

Richard

 

Makes sense to me. Thank you for the follow up.

Pat

 

You're welcome!

 

I started my detailing today. I added a step in claying the car as the white roof really needed it. It had some yellow spots on it that didn't come off in the wash but claying it took them right off.

The first coat of Epic already looks great. Paint looks and feels like glass. I am going to do another coat of Epic tomorrow and then on the next nice day go ahead with the Hydro seal.

All of the Prima products smelled great and you really don't need to use a lot. A little goes a real long way.

I was wondering if adding Banana Gloss would do anything extra for me?

 

Congrats!!! BG won't do anything much at this point. BG is intended to be a carnauba (natural wax) that is super easy and forgiving to apply. Epic and Hydro will already yield a warm/rich tone to your midnight black. Save BG for later when you start to see some swirls and would like the filling ability of BG along with ease of use to do a quick carnauba.

Richard

 

Did the 2nd coat of Epic today. Here is how it looks so far:



Reflection from Drivers side door:

 

Looking great! Good work!

Richard

 

about Hydro Seal ??? .....I have not been on the forum here in a long time ......my '04 MC Chili Red is now 107,000 miles and runs perfect and looks amazing still ....I regularly do the 2 bucket wash method and a year ago switched from Zaino to Epic. This weekend I took advantage of the warm March weather and clayed and Amigo'd and Epic'd the car....looks ( and feels! ) amazing.

I was planning on doing nothing else other than washing/Hydro once a month and Epic'ing it againin 4-6 months .......question: what is Hydro Seal?? what? why? when to use? any reason to put that over Epic or would that product be in place of Epic.

also ...on the previous post about what to use on cloth fabric seats to treat/waterproof them .....7 years ago I used 303 Fabric Guard....easy to use and a couple years late I spilled coke on my front seat and it beaded up neatly and I just blotted it off and was gone .....hmmmm.....I guess I should treat my seats again

 

Think of Hydro Seal as a less intensive hand applied sealant over Epic. It fits between Hydro Spray Wax and Epic.

Hydro Seal gives a very slick surface that is easy to apply. Squirt some on a damp mf towel and moisten the surface with some water, and buff it on, wipe off any residue that remains if any. Easy as that.

Goes on quick, provides durability similar to that of Epic with no drying time.

Should you choose Hydro Seal over the Epic & Hydro combo? It's up to you.

Hydro Seal has proven to be a very popular product.

Richard

 

One tip that I have found very helpful. I have specific micro fiber cloths for drying and detailing the car and specific others for the windows when using Clarity. Two different colors and I never wash the towels together. Totally eliminates any glass streaking whatsoever. Not that Clarity streaks but no matter how you wash the detail cloths they retain just a bit of the waxes. I wash the car at least every other week and do a heavy detail just before winter. I use all of the Prima products and until this car, never even knew what a clay bar was! I even use Clarity on my house windows and use Hydra on the tile in my kitchen and baths. I love that stuff!

 

intrigued .....comparing Hydro Seal to Epic, you say durability is really basically the same? has anyone done a test ( in another thread I did a side by side durablitiy test Epic vs Zaino and they were similar) ...also which would leave a slicker surface and longer? do you need to keep the Hydro Seal off the black trim like you need to do with Epic?

If one plans to do the (regular) Hydro wash monthly sounds like the Hydro Seal would be a good replacement for Epic