I might finally have enough time this weekend to hit my car up with the clay bar, Amigo and Epic. I have a couple questions though.

I do not have a PC, just a cheap orbital buffer. Is it better to apply Amigo and Epic by hand or to use that? I assume a microfiber bonnet would be best? I am fine doing the old "wax on, wax off" dance by hand but was wondering that.

With Epic, I have read a bunch of stuff but it some of it seems to be conflicting. Am I correct with this? After Amigo, apply Epic. But with Epic is it wait 30-60 minutes before "wax off" and wait 12-24 hours before a second coat? Or is it wait 12-24 hours before "wax off"? I get that if a second coat is applied, it is after 24 hours. What I am not sure of is when the "wax off" step is.

I'm hoping to have an insane shine if I get the time to do this. Hopefully the 4pm showers in FL will hold off while I try to get this project done. Though part of me wishes I knew of a shop in Atlanta that could do all this for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

My understanding about Epic is that you must wait at least 30 minutes before wax off, but may wait as long as 24 hours. Now, if you wait 24 hours before wax off, can you immediately apply the second coat? My guess is yes, because the wax has cured.

I look forward to others more knowledgeable than me weighing in.
I love Epic but also like the Hydro line.
Do you use Banana Gloss?


Octane Guy needs to open a national chain, staffed with detailers certified that they trained under him!

Post pictures when you are finished, OK?

 

With Epic it is wait until it is dry to wipe off.
I would not touch it in less than 30 mins but it really depends on where you are and the weather. No harm with longer.
Use the finger swipe test. Swipe your finger over the waxed area. If it is dry you will know if from a clean pass and bright shinny paint under. If it is still wet at all you will know it.
As for a second coat, you are only making sure you did not miss spots. The second coat does not add more layers. I do a second coat/layer mostly because it is so hard to see Epic when you apply it correctly, very thin.
You can do the second coat as soon as you have wiped the first coat off.

 

All of the comments thus far are spot on. There is yet one other method that hasn't been mentioned and that few even know about. But first let's discuss how Epic was intended to be used. Epic is best applied and allowed to dry. The more dry it is, the easier it is to remove. If you are struggling to remove it, you either applied too much or it hasn't fully dried which wouldn't pass the "swipe test". Note that the swipe test should be done in different areas of the car, not just one and assume it's all dry.

The method I alluded to earlier is using Hydro in addition to Epic. You can actually apply Epic, and let it dry for anywhere from a few minutes to as long as you want, but use Hydro to assist in removal of Epic. What this does is replenish the existing wax and lets you remove Epic more easily without sacrificing durability. With this method, you can apply and remove Epic far quicker than ever before. I will affectionately coin this as the OctaneGuy Quick Epic method for the first time, unless someone can think of a better name. =)

One more thing regarding Amigo...Amigo is a polymer glaze. It adds gloss and richness to your paint as well as making it more slippery. It doesn't have any protection however, so to seal in those benefits, you apply Epic over that.

Epic can be applied by hand or machine. You want very thin coats applied. Translucent/vaseline like, not creamy thick. You can apply two coats back to back to ensure full coverage although if you want the best durability, apply the first coat and let it fully cure after a day or even a week, and apply Epic again. You will notice a difference this way. If you apply it back to back, you end up removing some of the wax you just applied.

re: littlewings comment about national chain..
haha that would be awesome but for now, I'm happy to "edumucate" all of you! =)

Richard

 

Thanks to all of you for making that clearer. I'm a lot more comfortable with the method now. I might go for the OctaneGuy Quick Epic method if I had some time to drop by Way's today to pick up some Hydro. Perhaps a shop in Orlando carries it.

I'll try to post before/after pics. This will be his first clay/glaze/wax since the adoption. I meant to do it all over Christmas break but ran out of time. It looks like my stuff shipped, now if only Fed Ex can get it there.

LittleWing was right though OctaneGuy. It would be too cool to be able to find someone locally that knows as much as you do about this craft.

 

Note, I've had in the works for the past year, a site that will make all of this Prima information readily accessible to the masses. So don't worry..lots of stuff in the works for Prima to help get it into more peoples hands!

As a Prima distributor and retailer, I figure if I provide the knowledge, more people will understand and love Prima, and the dealers can provide the product, it's a win-win situation.

Richard

 

Hi Richard, Its cool that you are getting the word out about using Hydro to help remove the extra Epic, I had done this once as an experiment last year, and checked with Nick to see if I had screwed things up, and he had mentioned that this was one of the methods they use. It would be great to get a FAQ of all of the tips and tricks to make us rookies better.

 

OctaneGuy Quick Epic Method!?!
How cool is that?
Just when I had almost convinced myself to let Epic go and embrace the Hydro System...
It's just that I know how durable Epic is that makes me not want to leave it.

How about this one that I read somewhere recently?
If applying Hydro Seal to a dry car, use Hydro to mist the car instead of water.
Since I always wash the car before using either Hydro Seal or Hydro I don't know about this. My car is always wet before applying either one. Why would anyone be putting Hydro Seal on a dry car?

Thanks for all the guidance Richard.
I hope you and your wife have had some time to motor in her gorgeous new cabrio!

 

Well, my car is going to have to wait for his claying, Amigo, Epic application. Everything was all ready to go for last weekend. All my stuff had arrived and I was good to go. Then, TS Debby decided to make it rain for several days in a row. :( Now I just need to find a garage. Hopefully I can do this soon.

 

You can also try this: Mix 2 parts spray Hydro and 1 part Hydro Seal in a spray bottle. Shake then mist the paint and wipe. You get the full effect of Hydro Seal with the ease of Hydro. Yes, you can also do this on wet paint.

 

I'm going to try this today!
I answered my own question about why people would use Hydro or Hydro Seal on a dry car. Other people have garages and don't need to wash/rinse their car everyday!
I think a garage is on my must have list now.