Hey there... I got the Prima pkg from Detailers Paradise a month or 2 ago and have been loving it.

Here's what I normally do:

Exterior:
-Wash with Mystique
-Get about 60-70% of the water off with a blade
-Hydro (a few spurts per panel)
-Look over the whole car to see if I missed any drips or missed spraying hydro somewhere.
-Use Wheel Armor to give the hydro a chance to sink in.(seems like I don't use a lot but my supply is going fast. I also expected future cleanings to be easier after using it but it's just as hard the next time as it was the 1st time)
-Go over the whole car with Slick.

Interior:
-Vacuum and Nero (I love this stuff)
-Clarity on the windows if there are any streaks

Am I missing something? Am I doing too much? Not enough? Wrong order? I've yet to see any instructions on slick and in what order it should be laid down. (I've read a few different posts that indicate a layer of slick prior to Epic or just leave off slick all together and just use it as a quick detailer)

One of the reasons I'm questioning my technique/lay down order is that I washed my baby yesterday and I have spots! Argh! (We had a lil light rain and few days ago and yesterday here in so-cal)

I HAVE done a more major detail on it once. (about a month ago I washed, clayed, used Epic and then hydro and slick)

(I know there have been similar posts on the subject, but a lil more info can't hurt :P )

 

I wouldn't let the Hydro sit before drying the car. For one, I don't think it needs to "set up", and wiping it around as you dry off the car helps ensure you get an even coat over the surface of the car.

Also, if you've just finished washing the car and drying it with Hydro, I don't think there's much to be gained from an immediate application of Slick. I pretty much just use Slick as a quick detailer between washes.

As for the Wheel Armor, I think a lot of it has to do with the type of dirt/road grime you have in your area. In Coastal Virginia, it didn't matter whether I used Wheel Armor or not - the dirt wouldn't simply "hose off" no matter what wheel cleaner I used. But here in Mid-coastal California, the dirt comes off a LOT easier, even if I go too long between wheel cleanings.

 

I don't let it sit up at all... I wash the car, move it into the garage, blade off some of the water then start spraying hydro and drying at the same time. Sorry if my original post led ya to believe otherwise. My " -Look over the whole car to see if I missed any drips or missed spraying hydro somewhere." comment was more of a "get the drips I may have missed" statement
Thx for the response!

 

Yep - I was confused by the "Use Wheel Armor to give the hydro a chance to sink in" part of your post. Since you never said at what point you dried the car, I took it to mean that you did the Wheel Armor while letting the wet Hydro sit on the panels, and then dried the car.

 

I generally wash and dry them first. Then I apply Wheel Armour, letting it set a bit and then buffing it off with a MF towel. After that I apply Hydro. Seems to work pretty well.

 

I probably wouldn't Slick right after Hydro...it's QD, and the car is already clean. But it doesn't hurt anything and if you like the effects then whatever!

Everything else sounds fine!

 

OO... I think I'll put some hydro on my wheels tonight then

 

yah, instead of using slick at the end, re-hydro lightly to get out all
the last bit of the spots.

you might want to use compressed air or a leaf blower instead of the
blade.

 

I find that by using low water pressure, and letting the water sheet off the car, as apposed to high pressure spray, there is hardly any water left on the car. I then go over the whole car with Hydro, using very little product, then wipe down with a waffle weave, followed by a monster fluffy to buff.

I do buy Hydro by the gallon, but like most DP products, a little goes a long way.

I agree about using compressed air to get water out of seams and such, the idea of a leaf blower scares me though, many folks do use a blower, but the risk of kicking up crap worries me.

Mark

 

It works well on wheels. In fact, after I wash I spritz hydro on everything. Glass, chrome, trim, wheels.

 

also try hydro on your winking red trash cans.

 

BTW for FWIW, Diamond Bar is less than 10 minutes from my shop...should you need some Prima stuff the same day or next day.

I agree with others, save Slick for between washes, not as a final step after Hydroing.

As for your original question about spots...I'm a little confused. Are you under the impression that a waxed car won't get dirty?

The spots are contamination in the water or the rain mixed with the dirt/dust in the environment, or even the existing dust on your car before the rain. What a waxed car will do is make this easy to wash off.

Richard

 

yeah... I googlemappe'd ya the other day. Was thinking about coming down for next time you have a clinic (and to pick up some more Hydro when I run out)

I'm not under that impression at all. I know it's gonna get dirty. I was just a bit disappointed to see spots after I spend a lotta time washing my car after that light rain we had last week, that's all Granted, my coat of Epic is 3-4 weeks old, I just want to learn why they are there (I had a bud over last night and showed him and he said "dude?? WTF! It looks great! What are you complaining about??" Maybe I'm a little too picky :P

thanks again for all the replies.

 

even with the Griot's PaintSealant which is a much more durable
polymer than Epic, i still had some rough spots when i re-sealed the
paint over the weekend (clayed first, ofcourse).

with the hot sun and crap in the air and rain, it's just the way it is on
daily drivers.