Ok I am a noobie when it comes to waxing, I have only waxed one of my cars once, and it was red, but my Mini is B;ack and I would like to wax it before I go back to school, we get some snow and ice up there. I have heard you can eaisly mess up black paint when waxing is this true, I dont plan on waxing it myself I am gonna let my brother whom is alittle more experienced do it

 

Buy some Epic and some Hydro from Detailers Paradise and you'll be all set.

While you're at it, buy some Amigo and a bottle of Swirl.

Even better buy a Porter Cable RO polisher aka PC and my How to DVD in the NAM store and you'll learn everything you need to maintain a show car looking finish on your MINI.

I've got a Jet Black MCS.

I say it's false that you can easily mess up when waxing. I'd say it's true you can easily mess up if you don't know what you are doing or think you know what you are doing but really don't have a clue.

Richard

 

Are all of you salesmen for Prima in the Detaling forum, I evertime I have a question, yu have some Prima product I should buy, I wish I could, but I have very little money and from what I have seen those products look a little out of my price range

 

Well, I would say buy Prima products, too, and I'm not a salesperson for them. A lot of us have just found out that Prima's products are very good.

But if you can't buy them or can't afford there are other alternatives:

I originally bought Meguiar's products because I could buy them locally, but then tried the Prima products and just found that I like them better.

Here's a suggestion: go check out your local Auto Parts store (AutoZone, Advance, PepBoys, whatever) and see what you find on their shelves. Locally, I bought:
- a Meguiar's Clay Kit (which comes with 2 bars of clay, Quik Detailer -- which is important to have to clean off bird droppings -- and a MF towel). I don't love to clay, but this is a really good deal (I think it is under $20). Claying isn't totally necessary though, but it does clean the surface of the paint before wax very well.
- Meguiar's car wash and Meguiar's NXT Wax. I used NXT wax for my very first wax and it turned out nice. It's still the only wax on my bonnet and looks quite nice. I've since waxed the rest of the car with Prima Epic (haven't had time to do the bonnet!!!) and just found the application a bit easier with Epic. But it's not much different. When I did use NXT, I taped off the trim with blue painter's tape (wal-mart) not to get any wax on there and that helped a ton.
- at Wal-Mart (a store I generally hate) I bought a good sheepskin wash mitt (100% lambswool), some tire brushes and a $6 hand vacumm that plugs into the cigarette lighter to clean the inside.
- I'm using Prima Nero for the inside dash, etc, but there are plenty of Meguiar's products you can buy locally for this.

One other suggestion... check out ICE (I think made by Turtle Wax?)... it's a bit confusing because it says on the label "Polish" but a lot of people that don't want to spend A LOT of time or money use this and swear by it. The other thing that is good about it (from what I've read) is it can go on the paint AND the black trim. I'm sure it's not too expensive and less labor intensive than the others. Also, it supposedly gives a very nice shine. It might not last as long as some of the others, but if you have the opportuntity, look for a Spray-On Wax to use throughout the winter... it will help provide protection (don't know what you can find on this locally... but Prima's version is Hydro.)

okay, so I'm still advocating Prima products, but the point is, there are lot of things locally... go spend some time in an auto parts store or (dare I say it) Wal-Mart.

enjoy, good luck at school and happy 2007!

 

Ditto on mini_dreams' recommendations. Very good counsel. I was an ICE fanatic before trying Prima Epic - now I use Epic on the paint and ICE on the trim - but really, I believe the ICE was very good (Epic is just 'great') and would satisfy 90% of the world... It's very easy to apply and remove, not very expensive, and eliminates the need to tape off (or otherwise avoid) the plastic trim. Get the liquid - NOT the spray as the spray is a very dilute cleaning/detailing product.

Otherwise, I agree, get the local retail Meguair's products and avoid Armor-All and you should do fine...

 

You are certain to get quite a few responses to this. However this is my take on wax products.

The old adage "You get what you pay for" isn't necessarily true for wax products. Spending thousands of dollars on some lifetime supply of a product for instance doesn't make it the best wax for your car.

The cheapest waxes on the market aren't necessarily bad either--we're talking the difference of a few dollars in this realm. The Meguiar's consumer products (DC or Deep Crystal) are pretty decent when used correctly.

But the people here that are promoting DetailersParadise, me included, have found numerous reasons to support their products.

1.) Heather, one of the owners of DP, is on this forum, taking valuable time away from processing orders and selling products, to answer questions.

Other than Meguiar's, I really don't see any other manufacturers providing this level of support at such a high quality level.

2.) The MINI community isn't all that large. We tend to prefer to support those that help others MINI owners and provide good products so we can see them stick around.

3.) Think about how much extra you would pay to somebody to ask all the newbie questions about what products are good and why to make the huge task of learning to care for your car manageable without making any serious mistakes. I bet a few bucks more for this service isn't such a bad deal. But what if those products are better because they cost more to make?

I use lots of quick detailers in my business as well as for my personal vehicles. I've used all of the consumer and professional ones that Meguiar's sells (there are 4), and then all of a sudden I try Slick from Prima and find that it's not only easier to use than what I"ve been using, it makes my car look better with less effort.

Anyhow, I'm not going to make this post too long otherwise it won't get read due to it's length. However, if you want to learn about car care. If you don't hear about Prima, you're sure to hear about Griots, Zaino, Meguiar's, and even "shudder" Turtle Wax. Everybody has their favorites, and many in the other camps that will tell you how great Zaino or Griots are--haven't really tried out the Prima products yet with the exception of Kenchan.

Richard

 

I got a Meguiar's cleaning kit for Christmas. Came with some liquid wax, Quick interior detailer( love it), wheel cleaner, and car wash, I has rained near;y everyday since Christmas here so no chance to was my car with it

 

Hey congrats. I think I've seen that kit at Target. Normally you will want to wash your car, polish it, then wax it to protect it. Depending on the age and exposure to the elements, you may want to clay the paint before you polish it, but after you wash it.

Meguiar's has a clay kit for around $10 that includes the exterior quick detailer and a bar of clay, or for $15 another kit that includes a Supreme Shine microfiber towel as well.

I would highly recommend washing the car--watch my free 30 minute video at www.ShowCarGarage.com on the Two Bucket wash method.

Then clay the paint

Then wax with the wax you got for Christmas. I'm not sure which Wax you got, but it's probably the Maroon bottle Deep Crystal Step #3 Carnauba Wax.

Richard

 

Prima does have very appealing packaging.

OCTANEGUY - DP, isn't that Max at Autogeek's product? Are Max and Heather partners on that?

 

Meguiars has a great web site and forum. Michael runs the forum and he can really advise you as well. I too use clay with every waxing and folluw up with NXT. I do use a portercable as well. But Minis are small enough where you can also do it by hand if you are intimated by the RO.

 

Not sure which you are talking about but when I say DP, that's short for DetailersParadise.com which is the retail store for their Prima Car Care line of products that includes Epic.


Richard

 

Ahhhh- I see.
I was thinking of Detailers Pride, another chemical line.