Okay, so I got my PC Buffer back in January. I've been dying to use it but I've just been so darn busy lately, I was beginning to think the job would have to wait until I got back from my business trip. But, I managed to have some time today before I jump on the airplane tomorrow.

So at 8:00, I pulled Bergey out of the garage. He wasn't looking too good due to all the rain we got this week. Normally, I'd QD him every evening, but I let him go because... well, like I said, I've been so darn busy !



So, Bergey needed a bath. But not just his normal bath with Prima Mystique. Nope, he needed to be stripped naked.... free of wax and contaminants. So he got a Dawn bath and a complete clay barring, windows and all.



He's so naked, the water won't even begin to bead, not even with the hose on "mist" setting.






Next, I pulled him back into the garage and dried him. Jelly blade and then the waffle weave MF towel.



You're not an official OCDetailer unless you remember to dry the door sills, too !!




So, Bergey was stripped and dried. Next, I broke out the tape and taped him off. His paint is in pretty good shape, being only 9 months old and treated very kindly. So he got a good going over with the Prima Swirl. Next, he got a coating of Prima Finish. Then, on went the Prima Epic, synthetic wax. While I was waiting for the wax to dry, the trim got treated to Mequiar's Back To Black and a coating of 303 Aerospace Protectant. The windows got some Prima Clarity, of course.

Here's Bergey after his big day:



He seems to be smiling in this one:



Check out his clean (and cute) butt:



Tired of looking at him yet ? Sorry, not done yet...




Last one. Here's a close up of his swirl-fee paint. It's kind of hazy and overcast today so this shot didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but....




Is that my hair sticking up ? Well, it is pretty windy, so cut me a break. Anyway, Bergey is looking pretty good. He's ready for his next BIG mod when I get back from my trip. Pics of that to come also. I bet you can't wait.

 

looks good!! very clean.

 

Very clean... coming from anyone else, that would be nominated for Understatement of the Month. But coming from YOU, the King of Detailing, that's a very large compliment.

So... THANKS !

 

BUENO! Bergey looks very very happy now .

 

Gracias, Senor Jeremy ! Si, Bergey es muy happio.

 

Now, I'm not spanish major or anything, but I don't think 'happio' is the right word .

Did you see this thread yet? You did just order a gallon right

 

I'm going to wait until I get back from my trip to order it. Otherwise, Roxanne is liable to get the package while I'm away. If she sees that receipt, she's liable to leave me for a man who doesn't spend so much money on detailing stuff.

But... oh yes... I'm going to get my gallon of Hydro and see if it's as good as advertised.

 

Heh, scared of the soon to be misses (I'd be scared of a misses too)

 

Nice work CR&PW! Just a little side note, but I've dropped Finish from my routine and replaced it with Amigo. So now I do Swirl (on a white pad), Amigo (on a white pad) & Epic (on the Black pad)
Looks great though and your garage floor is sweet too!

 

Bergey looks so happy and clean! Great work!

[ p.s. - you'll love Hydro! ]

 

Thanks, Maybee.

Yeah, I was kind of torn between the need for Finish or Amigo. I'll try the Amigo next time (in 6 months).

I used the white pad for Swirl and used the black pad for both Finish and Epic. So we're pretty close in agreement on use of the pads.

Thanks, m_d.

By the way, I did use some Slick on Bergey after I buffed off the Epic. Forgot to mention that. It made the shine pop pretty well. But I'm looking forward to seeing what the Hydro will do.

 

have a safe trip out there CR&PW. by the time you're back i think
it is Hydro time.

 

Looking good! You're making me wish I had stuck to my plan of breaking out the PC yesterday instead of deciding to go to the NYC autoshow...

 

Looks awesome! Epic is my favorite.

 

First, awesome work!! Bergey looked very well pampered to begin with and now he looks even better! Swirl free and goregous. Thanks for the photos and narration too.

I agree! You aren't an official OCDetailer unless you dry your door sills! I love your checkerboard in there too. Very nice!

-Heather

 

CR&PW- I think that this time around Finish was probably the best choice because without any fillers it showed you a very true representation of your paint's condition as you worked it.

I also agree with MiniMaybee that the next time around Amigo would add some pop and extra gloss. And like he said, you could do Amigo instead of Finish in your process. Then, every once in a while go back to Finish just to do more true "finish" abrading.

You both know this, but I'll mention it for others who are newer to Prima polishes:
Swirl & Finish are true abrasives and contain no fillers or oils. What you see is real... they don't hide anything as they work and abrade.
Amigo, while it is a super-fine finishing abrasive when used with the PC, also contains some concealer/fillers. So, Amigo is an excellent pre-wax step because it will fill any of the few micro imperfections that might be left and nagging at you, while also doing some super-fine finish abrading and paint cleansing before you wax.

So, one can see how Finish and Amigo overlap in some areas and yet are different in other areas. Most people enjoy using Amigo most of the time and then doing a step of Finish from time to time instead.

Again, great work!!

-Heather

 

I need to add Finish to my process, but I really don't want to be looking at 8 hour buff outs (Swirl takes me like 3.5 hours to do a sedan (3-Series)). O well. I need more Fluffies.

 

How long (many cars) should a bottle of Amigo do? I did my MINI and my dads Galant, and it looks like I only have enough left for one more car, am I using too much?

 

Yes, I'm afraid you're using WAY too much! In most cases, 1-2 oz per car is all you should need. If you really want to power-up Amigo's filling abilities then you can use more... but by working each area for much longer and needing a little bit more product in that sense. Also, sometimes in hand application it is a little more difficult to use such a small amount. Even then though, it shouldn't take too much more than 1-2 oz.

So, a standard 16 oz bottle of Amigo should do approximately 8-16 cars. Even on the really heavy side, it should do at least 5-6.

By the way, 1 oz. equals 2 Tablespoons (or 1 shot).

-Heather

 

Hmm...so I gotta work on using alot less...welp, bottle 1 was a trial anyway

 

Thanks, ken. The trip out here was safe but not exactly smooth... overbookings, bumped from flights, luggage damaged. But, we got here in one piece so all's well that ends well, right ? And one day of training down, 9 to go.

Yep, the order for Hydro is going to be placed while I'm away so it's on my doorstep within a day or two of my return. Can't wait to check out it's magical powers.

Thanks, Mark. Yep, you'll love using the PC. It's very easy and the results are very close to incredible.

Thanks, mcd ! Yep, that Epic is pretty impressive stuff.

Praise for The Queen of Detailing... what could be better ?! Thanks, Heather !!

Yep, gotta keep away the water spots on the inside of the car just like you do on the exterior ! And those checkerboard door sills are courtesy of our good friend, Mike, at Aesthetic Creations. The concept was a collaborative effort and the quality of the product was truly top notch. AC and DP... my two favorite vendors !!

 

nice! kind of an award for yourself for completing that 10 day training of yours. hope your trip back is smoooother.