My first order of Prima Car Care products http://www.primacarcare.com yielded this little collection:




Detailed with Slick and Monster Fluffy

The Monster Fluffy (MFmf?) Microfiber towels are fantastic. Not just in their weight and softness but that with just a single wipe, the Slick detailers spray is gone, along with the dust on the surface. Fewer wipes means less chance of scratching the finish. A second wipe using the back of the towel ensures a completely clean, glossy paint surface.



Since my own MF towels aren't as soft as they were when new, I've decided to try taking care of my new towels differently. Not wanting to waste water, I'm using this mini dorm washer known as the Wonder Washer, filled with warm water and laundry soap, to wash the few MF towels I've got. After the 15 minute timer runs out, I rinse it out under cool water, then drop it into the washer which is set to the Spin Cycle for drying. Then I airdry them on a clothesline. The first time I followed this process and my towels were as soft and fluffy as they were when new!




BEFORE


AFTER


Spin Cycle

These two products, Amigo and Epic allowed me to polish out this trunk lid to an absolutely flawless finish. While the paint was already in decent condition with very light visible swirls, Amigo and a PC allowed me to take the finish to the next level and then protect it with a Synthetic Wax.








The owner standing by his car. (NAM member Tonester)

Infiniti G35
This 2003 Infiniti G35 was next--rebadged as a Nissan Skyline.
Here it is polished out using mostly Amigo, with some Swirl and Finish applied via Rotary Buffer and Meguiar's W9006 finishing pad, then followed via PC with Meguiar's W8006 polishing pad and Amigo.









While I was working I couldn't find my polish, turned out they rolled away! That's a drawback of round bottles!


Due to this car being in a car show, it was imperative that I make the finish as flawless as possible. Looking at it in diffused lighting looked great, but under this hot light, as will be typical for indoor car shows, the defects were evident. This car had to look great from inches away and not feet!


While these swirls are very slight and acceptable by most people, it wasn't for this owner and that's why I was hired.


Amigo was perfect for this situation. The last time I worked on this paint, I had numerous issues in getting all the swirls out and had a very frustrating time. I was keen on trying Amigo due to both its ability to remove deeper swirls and hide finer ones, both properties that were necessary to achieve a show car finish on this car.

Read more here:
http://www.showcargarage.com/forums/...read.php?t=502

BMW 325CI

Here's the next car, a black BMW 325CI washed only at the car wash, this is the result.


Under diffuse lighting, black looks great!


Got all the essentials for washing the car. Two 5 gallon buckets with Grit Guards. Real lambswool wash mitt. Deionized water filter. Mystique car wash solution. Measuring cup. Only 2 OZ for 5 gallons or about 0.5 oz/gallon.


All taped off and ready for buffing. Still looks great from afar doesn't it?


But look closer, it looks horrible!


That's a tape line above. You can see the unpolished area above, and the swirl free portion below. The specs/dots are paint imperfections like rock chips that can't be buffed out.

I used the rotary buffer with a Meguiar's W8006 buffing pad and DP's Swirl to get these results. I followed that with DP's Finish with the same buffer, then hit it with DP's Amigo. The trouble is, I then saw holograms, and realized that I had to follow the DP's Swirl with the same product on the PC in order to get rid of any stray holograms. I thought I could knock them out with Finish on the PC, but the chemical was too fine. I needed some cutting power, so back to the polishing pad and Swirl. My final processed ended up being

Rotary/Polishing Pad/Swirl
Rotary/Polishing Pad/Finish
PC/Polishing Pad/Swirl
PC/Polishing Pad/Amigo
PC/Finishing Pad/Epic



Progress shot showing that I had some holograms and some swirls on the panel edge that still needed more work. That's what working under halogens in pitch black darkness does to black paint! It reveals ALL the flaws.

I was out of time for any after shots. The customer had a plane to catch, and I had to wrap up my gear and get out!


Finally a concluding shot of why I don't like DP's round bottles. After packing up all my gear, this was my greatest fear--having one of the bottles fall out of my box and I'd have to chase them half a mile down this dark hill! Fortunately it didn't happen.

More tests and results on the way. Will Prima replace my Meguiar's products? Stay tuned!

 

"As the Prima Rolls"....love it!

The photo of the client's reflection in his paint is amazing!

 

those bottles didn't want to work on a saturday? jk

nice work. that guy can't wipe his smirk off his face after your
artwork, can he?

 

Octane,

Great pics and a totally better understanding now of the process.


Ken, your assignment if you choose to accept....Find a rack or cleaning holder that won't let the little bottles roll away.

 

the problem is, these new hot products will walk off on its own
even if we put them on racks. we need a vault!

 

Thanks Octane...good to see the products work well in the hands of a professional. I would like to hear your opinions and comparisons on them vs your usual products.

 

So far, while I like the DP products, and I'm still cautious to make any assumptions until I feel fully confident that I'm using the products as suggested, I'm finding their system equivalent to the Meguiar's 80's system of products. Although it seems less aggressive than what I'm used to, which actually means more work for me, it accomplishes the same thing in about the same amount of time. But regardless, DP's products will still be a complement to my Meguiar's arsenal and not a full replacement.

For instance, I detailed a MINI yesterday with White 16" Kosei rims. Meguiar's Wheel Brightener is a safe and effective wheel cleaner for painted rims and it removed more than 95% of the brake dust just by spraying it on wet wheels.

While I used Mystique Car Wash Soap for the paint and engine bay, I still preferred Meguiar's Hyperdressing for dressing the engine bay, though I used Nero with great success on all exterior plastic trim and rubber. I tried it on the tires too, but didn't like the flat look, so back to Meguiar's with their Insane Shine or Endurance High Gloss-neither which slings very much.

Meguiar's Interior Quik Detailer is awesome for removing dust from vents, scuff marks on door and floor, and general gunk and finger prints from everywhere, not to mention dust from head unit. Plus it leaves behind a nice lemon scent.

While I wasn't a big fan of the DP clay initially, after much claying, both myself and the owner of the MINI agreed that the DP clay doesn't stick to the fingers or come apart like the Meguiar's clay, so while it does take more effort to knead it and work with it, the clay results are the same, and even slightly more friendly to use.

More coming---I got a black 2002 M3 tomorrow, and a Pearlescent Lotus Exige on Saturday, and a family members Scion Xa on Friday. LOL Also supposed to have a Ferrari coming down my way shortly. Possibly next Tues, I may have a chance to use the DP products on a black Mosler....definitely some fun cars in the works.

Richard

 

^^ hey, i use the InsaneShine from meg too for tires.

i have to say, that is a OTBWD product, imho although consumer
off -the-shelf product.

is this the one?

 

OTBWD
One Tough But Wet Dressing? Hhaah I have no idea what the means..

To me Insane Shine is for quick and no mess dressing. It doesn't last very long, but it's easy to reapply. Endurance High Gloss (clear bottle, purple gel) is my favorite for long lasting, best gloss, no sling dressing.

Richard

 

Only The Best Will Do

Ords came up with it, i think.

 

btw, i use to use the Meg gel (endurance) but it's such a pita to apply
onto the tires. i have a whole bottle unopened...but started using the
Insane instead.

 

Thanks OctaneGuy for doing such a thorough review and posting it!

We really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences.

I laugh right out loud when I see that picture of the bottles rolled away... they look animated, as if to say, "Hey, mister... help!!! We're stuck!!"

Thanks again and keep us posted of your ongoing experiences with our Prima line and MFs.

-Heather

 

Interesting, how is it a pain? I pour some on a foam applicator, and wipe it on. Goes on very easy--a little goes a long way. I do this to all 4 tires before I begin polishing so that the tires will be dry by the time I hit the wax step.


Hi Heather,

You're welcome. It's definitely an ongoing experiment for me, and I like how it's going so far! Can't wait to see how it works on other paints!

Richard

 

I am envious




In the meantime...I think it is about time I give the DP stuff a try. I already have three of the monster fluffy things en route. Like you, I did not take too good of care of my suprememe shine microfibers so I think I am going to be extra cautious with the new MF's.

 

I just ordered a quart of Amigo and a gallon of Slick and another 3 pack of Monster Fluffies--if that means anything to you about what I like on my black MCS, and black cars in general.

My Monster Fluffies have been holding up nicely. I've washed them 3 times, about to do a 4th right now, and they are still as soft as new. My customers ask if they can buy them and use as bath towels.



Richard

 

dang, you pro's buy these like Costco toilet paper.

octaneguy- i can't seem to spread the Endurance all that well with my
foam applicator.... the high viscosity or something...just too thick.

InsaneShine is so easy to use. just lightly spray and it easily spreads
with no effort with the applicator. and from wat i saw (on my wife's car
that gets about 3k miles/month use) the Endurance didn't last any longer
than the Insane.

 

Heather, are you reading this? Matt isnt the only one! Heather, can we have these in time for Christmas?

 

my wife said it was the softest towel she's ever felt...and this was
only the Platinum MF towel from DP.

 

I wish I came up with that one! But it works!

 

I know, I know! I wish we could have the Monster Fluffy Bath Towel for Christmas shoppers... they'd probably outsell everything else we sell just because of the broad appeal to anyone who likes something super soft!!

Unfortunately, there's no time for such an endeavor.

-Heather

 

I agree... Ken, you have an assignment!

Either a rack or holder... or maybe some kind of a "detailer's toolbelt" made of the Monster Fluffy that accommodates all sizes of bottles, including the round Prima bottles. It could be a joint effort!

-Heather

 

That's a great mental image...I can just see the quick-draw contests with bottles of Slick...

 

Yes!! LOL.

-Heather

 

^^ yah, but i wouldn't want ImagoX in the mix... with his IPP, he might
pull out something else.

and we will all go home, embarrased.