Prima Amigo is a paintwork cleanser…It is a polymer-based glaze…It is a super-fine polish which levels up to 3000 grit imperfections. Combine all three properties and you can see why we think it doesn’t fall into any currently defined categories of car care products.

Mild cleaners in Amigo break up oxidation and remove dead paint. Embedded grime is gently lifted from the surface. Mineral deposits from water spots disappear. It is the perfect prep-step for well-cared-for paint that just needs a cleaning before wax.

As a polymer-based glaze, it fills slight imperfections, adds stunning gloss while leaving the finish slick to the touch. What’s unique about Amigo as a glaze is that it is polymer-based. Although it doesn’t provide protection the way Prima Epic will, it does allow you to go directly to your wax step without any bonding or durability issues. Try that with a “normal” glaze and your protection will simply rinse off. Prima Amigo allows you to fill imperfections, add gloss then seal it in with your synthetic wax. No other product on the market gives you what Prima Amigo gives you.

If you have ever fought with black paint as you tried to remove the very last bit of hazing left by your polish steps, you will truly appreciate Prima Amigo. Used with your polisher, it will remove the lightest of surface imperfections. Black becomes a crystal lagoon of depth and clarity. Red becomes a bright liquidy glow of its former self. Light colors pop with brilliance. Prima Amigo is your last step to perfection.

Thoughts:
Its not always possible to do a proper paint correction on a car, being a professional car detailer you find that not every customer wants to pay the extra money to remove swirls and imperfections for good, same can be said on your own car, its not always possible to do a paint correction everytime you see swirls appear, a glaze is good at hiding these imperfections till its worth doing a full paint correction, if you bring out the polisher everytime you see swirls appear you will have no paint left before you know it. 

They say it takes 5 layers to fill the swirls so you cannot see them, after 1 layer the marring that swept down the side of the car was gone, i then applied 1 more layer on the car and it resulted in the swirls disappearing. I first applied the product vertically, then wiped off. Then i applied it horizontal to ensure i was filling the swirls.

I was pretty impressed with the results considering i had only applied two layers, and the reflection and wetness of the paint when you stepped back and admired it was amazing, i have tried so many sealants and waxes on this car and nothing even comes close to looking this good.

Prima Amigo is the slickest and easiest product to wipe off, so i suggest trying some if its the kind of product your after, you will be extremely suprised.

You can layer a sealant or wax over the top of this product unlike most Glaze’s that are purely just for looks and you cannot layer a wax over the top as they are not polymer based and they simply wash off. Once you seal the Prima Amigo in it will last aslong as the sealant or wax.

Prima Amigo and the Prima range can be purchased from ZAS - Premium Car Care Products.

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Being a Professional Car Detailer I have tried many waxes over the years, and we still can’t decide on just one favorite! For example, we have one that works very well on light coloured cars, another that works well on dark coloured cars, another that is good for dark cars with swirl marks, and then we have the waxes which last a long time.

Despite any impression that a car care products company may give you, there is no real magic to waxes. They are all basically the same, it’s just that the quantities of the ingredients are altered to give different effects (such as shine vs longevity, ease of application, price, etc.).

The general rule of thumb is that the shinier a wax, the less it lasts. The two extremes of this are show-shine which gives a wet look finish but won’t last much longer than the show, and others that will last a good 3 months. Remember we are talking about Carnauba Waxes here not Synthetic.

Does ‘best wax’ mean the shiniest, or does it mean best protection, or does it mean last the longest lasting? My opinion is that it should be the best balance of all three with price and ease of use factored in. But for many enthusiast it usually just means the best shine.

Unfortunately, people do get taken in by fancy labels and extravagant claims, and with many things, trends and fashions can develop with people convincing themselves that a product is the best thing since sliced bread. Soon everybody is jumping on the bandwagon.

While we normally say that recommendation is the best way to pick products and services, you should always take products with fancy packaging and fancy price-tags with a pinch of salt, remember that all waxes are basically made of wax, fat, oil, solvent, emulsifier and water etc.

The real key to having a beautiful car is not the wax, it’s the preparation of the paintwork. As the old saying goes, you can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear, no matter what wax you use.

Waxes and sealants are clear coatings, any problems underneath will show through so you are better off thinking about polishes than waxes.

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Although black plastic trim is not as common now as it was back in the 80s and 90s, there is still enough plastic and rubber on a car to cause you trouble. Wax can build up on these areas leaving white or cloudy stains.

There are all sorts of products to remove this wax residue, but basically they just work because they contain solvents that melt wax. The same is true about peanut butter, I know it sounds stupid, but there are people who treat their plastic trim with peanut butter. Peanut oil mostly hides the stains and is no different to putting a silicone based product on your car, peanut oil is also a mild solvent, so it will remove wax residue. All in all, peanut butter is a poor dressing for plastic, a poor solvent for removing wax residue, and it makes a hell of a mess. So don’t bother.

If you want to remove wax residue, get yourself some Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) from the chemists or hardware. Alcohol is strong enough to remove wax, and mild enough not to damage, this is a common product used by any good car detailer for cleaning off wax from trims or preparing the paint work to ensure it is clean as possible for the first layer or wax or paint sealant.

Not all stains are wax residue, some might be polish or other contaminants, in which case you should never underestimate the power of good old soap and water along with a bit of elbow grease. I would recommend trying this approach first.

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In theory, a wax contains wax which stays on your car to protect your paintwork, and a polish contains abrasives which removes a tiny amount of dead and oxidized paint. In practice things might not be quite as simple as this because there are many products that can do both at once. And there is also the problem that the marketing guys can call a product anything they want and frequently do!

Sometimes you can’t go by what it says on the front of the bottle, you will need to read the small print to see what the product actually does. I cannot stress this enough, waxes and polishes are different and do different things, but the marketing people don’t really care about definitions and will call a product anything that they think sounds good (Wax, sealant, glaze, paint cleaner, etc.). So it’s important to understand what the differences are, what you want, and then choose your product based on what it says on the back of the bottle, on sound advice and recommendations.

Polish
The purpose of a polish is to clean your paintwork and make it shiny again. A polish usually contains abrasives, this is most commonly aluminium oxide, as you put it on the car will remove dead paint which has become oxidized. They may also contain lots of solvents which clean your paintwork (paint cleaning products). Products do contain waxes and oils but generally speaking, these are there for lubrication of the abrasives and not enough to give protection to your car. In fact having polished your car you will have stripped back any protection you may have, so you will need to put a wax on your car.
I’m often asked how often you should polish your car, the best answer is to do it when it needs it - when the paintwork starts looking dull and tired. You shouldn’t really polish your car every time you clean it, if you do want to follow a schedule, then once every 6 months is enough for most people, but once a year is fine to remove any oxidization or swirls marks.

Wax/Paint Sealant
The purpose of wax or paint sealant products is to coat your car in a protective, sacrificial layer. Wax products contain a blend of waxes and oils. The waxes can be natural waxes and/or synthetic, although there is a trend at the moment for the synthetic based products to be called Sealants. Both types of product get attacked by road salts, UV rays, ozone and all the other nasties but while they are bearing the brunt of this punishment, your paintwork doesn’t have to, which is why we call it a sacrificial layer. Waxes and sealants generally last from 1 month to one year, generally speaking most waxes last 3 months, be warned, they don’t always do what they say on the label. Many waxes will promise that they last 1 year but they seldom last anywhere near that, so it’s best to wax atleast every 3 months. Waxes are designed for slightly different purposes, some people like to wax their car every week and want the best shine they can get, other people want to put it on and forget it for a year, they require protection and don’t worry too much about getting a wet look shine. There are even products designed (Non Polymer Glazes) to make a car really really glossy that will last a few days, this sounds crazy and impractical, but they are perfect for cars in a showroom or at a car show.

All In One
There are plenty of products that both wax and polish. These combination products are on the whole very good and a perfect solution for most people, this perhaps why AutoGlyms Super Resin Polish has become the benchmark among all car care products. It is named a polish, but it is mostly a synthetic wax, and it is very slightly abrasive, and it contains chemicals that cleans your paintwork.. so in effect it does everything. It doesn’t give the very best shine, it’s not the easiest product to use, and when you take it off it creates a lot of dry dust. But it is a great all-rounder and it saves the weekend detailer alot of time.

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What is Orange Peel?

Orange Peel is the name commonly given to a slightly rippled effect that is found on paintwork. The paint is sprayed on at the factory and because it is wet and the spray guns are pushing out a lot of air, the airstream leaves a visable rippled effect which is actually nothing like an orange!

Orange peel is a very old expression from back the days when cars were painted very differently from they way they are now. Different paints were used, different techniques were used, and very good paintwork on high end cars would be as smooth as glass while bad paint jobs really would look like orange peel or worse.

These days different paints and techniques mean that paint is applied much thinner than it used to be. Most factories use computer controled robots to apply paint and you certainly won’t find anybody rubbing down between coats! The robots are able to apply the optimal amount of paint meaning that it goes on much thinner than it used to and this is the main reason that your paintwork is best left alone.

How Do I Remove Orange Peel?

To remove the orange peel effect would require wet sanding with ultra fine sand paper and polishing, each stage removes a thin layer of paint meaning your paintwork would become dangerously thin, especially near the edges of panels where the paintwork tends to be thiner to begin with. This means that not only is there is a danger of buffing or sanding through the paintwork, but your car would be left even more prone to scratches going all the way through your paintwork.

It’s also worth considering that a mirror flat finish has to be maintained that way or else it will show every blemish, it may also show up flaws in the paintwork itself, and even slight ripples in the cars bodywork caused by the pressed steel manufacturing process. It will certainly make tiny dents and dings a whole lot easier to see.

All-in-all, it’s really not worth doing. There is a huge amount of work involved and extra special care has to be taken at every step of the way, meaning a lot of man-hours.

However, if you have had some bodywork done and the panel that has been repainted has more orange peel than the rest of the car, it is worth having it flattened and polished to make it match the rest of the car.

Wet sanding and removal of orange peel should only be done by a professional car detailer.

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Cleaning the engine bay is not something most people worry about. This may be because it seems like a lot of hard work when only a few people will see it, or because the task appears to be too challenging. However, a clean engine bay can add to the value of your car when it comes to selling it, and undoubtedly makes it easier for mechanics to make repairs and carry out inspections. In contrast to what you might think, cleaning the engine bay is a very simple task, and once properly detailed, the engine bay is no harder to keep clean than any other part of your car.

Many people think that engines and water don’t mix. To a certain extent this is true. Anyone who has hit deep standing water and suffered a bent conrod as a result of water being drawn into the engine through the air intake will testify to this. However, as long as water isn’t drawn into the engine, or allowed to saturate electrical contacts, it will not cause any problems.

What you need to do first is break down the grease and grime using a degreaser. Up until fairly recently engine degreasers generally comprised potent mixtures of aggressive solvents, which were tremendously effective at cleaning but not very safe to work with and also not at all environmentally friendly. Fortunately, progress has been made to the extent that it is now possible to buy degreasers that comprise advanced detergent formulas and natural solvents, which makes them more environmentally friendly and safer to work with. The cleaning power of these products is almost as good as that of traditional degreasers, provided they are given sufficient time to work.

Once the engine bay is clean and dry, all you finally need to do is dress and protect all of the surfaces. This is very straightforward, as you are dealing with materials that are found elsewhere on your car, namely plastics, rubber, metals, and painted surfaces. As such, you can use the same detailing products to great effect. Painted surfaces can be easily and quickly protected using a spray wax. Plastic engine covers and components can be restored to as new condition using a trim restorer or a surface dressing. Rubber hoses can be nourished and protected using a surface dressing or a tyre dressing. Most metal surfaces can be polished and protected using a metal polish.

When it actually comes to the engine cleaning process, the first thing you should do is make sure your engine is cold - never try and clean a warm or hot engine. This is because products will dry too quickly and leave stains, and you could also burn yourself if you don’t know your way around the engine bay. The next thing you should do is cover the air intake and any sensitive electrical parts. The best material for covering these components is aluminium foil. This may seem like a strange choice, but it actually makes a lot of sense, as it is very easy to mould over awkward shaped parts, and it is 100 % waterproof provided you don’t tear it. Note that you do not have to fully seal every part you are covering - all you are doing is creating a mini umbrella that will prevent water ingress or pooling in or around sensitive components. To make the most of the umbrella effect you should only rinse off from a high angle.

Once the air intake and any sensitive electrical parts are safely covered, the next thing you should do is spray a degreaser over the entire engine bay, covering all surfaces, including the underside of the bonnet (although you may want to skip this latter step if you have a felt sound proofing cover secured in place, as they take ages to dry).

After waiting 10-15 minutes, the next thing you should do is rinse off the entire engine bay, including the underside of the bonnet if necessary. Under no circumstances should you use a pressure washer for rinsing off - you don’t want to drive water into any components. A normal hose with the spray attachment set to a wide angle is perfect, as it provides enough force to carry away all of the loosened grease and grime without risking ingress. Rinse off thoroughly but for no longer than necessary - once the suds have disappeared the job is done. After quickly removing all of the foil coverings, the next thing you should do is start your engine, in order to help to start the drying process. You should only leave it running for a couple of minutes though, as you don’t want it to become too warm, as this will adversely affect the application of surface dressings. After switching off the engine, finish the drying process using microfibre towels.

With the engine bay now clean and dry, the penultimate thing you should do is dress and protect all of the surfaces.

If you are not confident in undertaking this task yourself then always seek the help of a professional car detailer.

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Swirl marks are nothing more than micro-marring in the paint surface, alot of people over look swirl marks and say they cannot see them. Under a microscope they appear to be a scratch; however, you cannot feel the scratch with your fingers or finger nail. Even the best towels and wash tools cause some micro-marring.

The reason swirl marks and other micro marring show up so prominently on black and other dark colors is because the sides of the marring reflect light. When you polish, the edges are rounded and reduce reflection.

Incorrect use of a buffer or polisher is not the only cause of swirl marks. Every time you wash or wipe down your car you create micro-marring. The severity of the micro-marring depends on your tools and the contaminants present. Here are the ten most frequent causes of micro-marring (swirl marks):

1. Polishers/buffers with the incorrect pad or an untrained operator;
2. Harsh polishing compounds and paint cleaners;
3. Towels and applicators containing polyester threads;
4. A dirty chamois or a chamois that has not been properly maintained;
5. Wiping down a dusty or dirty car with a dry towel;
6. A dirty car duster or a car duster used on a car with too much dirt on the surface;
7. Not keeping your wash mitt or sponge properly rinsed;
8. Automated car washes with brushes and other wipers;
9. Not rinsing your car completely before washing, or not washing your car thoroughly before drying; and
10. Using a car cover when the car or the cover is not clean.

The most noticeable area for swirl marks is the bonnet and boot as the sun shines down on them. On dark-colored cars, they might also show up on the doors and fenders. Bright colors do not show swirl marks as well because they reflect more light. That doesn’t mean they don’t get swirl marks, they just show up more readily on dark colors. Black, of course, is the worst of all colors for displaying swirls and other imperfections.

Swirl marks can be removed by polishing. Polishing out swirl marks without a buffer is a lot of work. I recommend polishing your car one small section at a time so you can see the progress. (See Polishing Tutorials)

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Everybody would have to agree that washing your car every week is time consuming. In this day and age of rushing around, 12 hour work days and traffic jams, the last thing you have time for is washing the car. Yet, if you’re anything like me, you hate to have a dirty car. So besides paying a professional car detailer, what do you do about it? Quick Detailing is the answer. Otherwise known as the “waterless wash”

Using quick detailing techniques, you can reduce your soap-and-water washing to every other week on a daily driver, or once a month on weekend toys.  Time is only one factor in considering quick detailing.  Water shortage is another. Drought has pretty much affected all of us.

Done properly, quick detailing can reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning your car.  It also reduces the effects of harmful elements (road grime, bird droppings, bugs, etc.), and keeps your car looking sharp.  Ten minutes every other day is all it takes to maintain a finely groomed car.

To apply my Quick Detailing technique, you’ll need two or three premium microfibre towels, a bucket of water and a quick detailing spray.  A car duster also works well at removing the top layer of dust, but is not absolutely necessary.

Quick Detailing is not just for the exterior of your car.  There are detailing sprays for your car’s interior, as well. Prima Nero is an excellent interior detailer.  It removes dust, fingerprints and light soil from all non-fabric surfaces.

The biggest concern most people have with quick detailing is scratching or dulling the paint.  This is a genuine concern and warrants discussion.

Quick detailing your paint is perfectly safe if you follow a few cautionary measures:

• Use a quality duster to lift away dust;
• Use quality microfibre towels with plenty of nap;
• Use plenty of detailing spray; and
• Learn when your car is too dirty to quick detail and wash it instead

Here are the correct steps to quick detail your car’s body:

• Dust the vehicle with a paint safe car duster. Start at the top of your vehicle and work down.  Shake your duster frequently (rapidly flipping side-to-side is the best method).
• Clean the windows with your favorite glass cleaner and a premium microfibre towel.
• Wipe down the paintwork with your favorite quick detailing spray (mist the body panel, not the towel).  Starting at the top, wipe down your car, wiping in a single direction only.  As the surface of the towel gets soiled, flip it to a clean side.  When all sides of the towel are dirty, switch to a fresh towel.
• When the loose dirt is gone, wipe the car down again, giving a couple of shots of detailing spray into the towel for each panel.

If your paint is covered in mud or other heavy soil, it should be rinsed or washed before wiping with towels.  Use common sense when quick detailing and your paint will remain in great condition!

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Your wheels are probably the hardest part of your car to safely clean and protect, but with the right tools you will be able to successfully clean and get inside the wheel without having to take it off the car just like a professional car detailer, as they are subject to continuous contamination by brake dust and road grime. Brake dust is a major problem for owners of cars with alloy wheels, as it is corrosive, unsightly and difficult to remove. Brake dust is the product of friction between brake discs and brake pads. When braking, the surface of brake pads are worn way, producing dust that is deposited on other surfaces nearby, i.e. your rims. Brake dust is actually a combination of carbon fibres, metal filings and adhesive residues. It is often deposited on rims at very high temperatures, meaning that it immediately etches into any protective coating.

Regular washing should be the easy bit, but is often overlooked, particularly during the winter months, when wet and windy weather often means that weekends are spent indoors and the notion of going outside to wash the car seems pointless. Believe us, it isn’t. Get your coat on and give it a quick wash. It only takes a few weeks for serious etching to set in on unprotected rims, and in the winter many weekends can pass by without a nice day. Once etching sets in you’re facing a problem a bit like rust - no matter what you do it persistently gets worse.

We recommend that wheels are washed using a microfibre wash mitt and a quality wheel brush to get inside the wheels and a gentle shampoo. Note that you should never attempt to wash your wheels when they are still hot from driving. This is because products will dry too quickly and leave stains, and you could also crack the discs if you cool them too quickly by hosing them down with cold water. You should start the washing process by hosing off any loose dirt and grime using a hose or a pressure washer. You should then use your wheel brush covered in suds to clean the insides of your wheels, it is important to always clean inside the wheels first so your not getting the face of the wheels dirty again once there clean, then scrub the tyres and face of the wheels using the wash mitt, being generous with the suds and taking the time to get into all of the nooks and crannies and remove all of the brake dust (if you continually miss some wash after wash it will become more firmly bonded, making later removal more difficult). After washing all of the wheels, rinse them off with the hose. Finally, rinse everything again and dry the wheels off using a heavyweight waffle weave microfibre towel.

It is not always necessary to get inside the wheel on every wash, i find cleaning inside the wheel on every second wash is sufficient, and just cleaning the face of the wheel and spraying a wheel cleaner inside the wheel and giving it a quick hose is enough to remove any loose dirt and keep it looking clean.

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If your car doesn’t need machine polishing to remove heavier swirls or imperfections on the surface, then hand polishing could be a great option if you dont have the experience to use a machine polisher and would rather do it yourself then have a professional car detailer do it for you, hand polishing will remove very minor swirls marks and imperfections but it will take much longer then a machine and will not be as effective.

Many people and product manufacturers suggest using a terry cloth towel or terry cloth applicator to apply car polish. This is no longer accurate advice since this is not the best car polishing tool these days.

Today, the best tool for applying car polish is a Foam Applicator Pad. For buffing off car polish residue, a quality Microfibre Towel is far superior and less abrasive than a cotton terry cloth towel.

The polishing step is often skipped by many car care enthusiasts. This may be because they do not fully understand what purpose it serves, or because they are not confident enough to try it, or because they believe it requires special tools. As a result, many are left dissatisfied with the appearance of their paint, another problem is that people get confused between a polish and a wax and dont understand the differences between products.

When it actually comes to polishing by hand, the first thing you should do is ensure the paint is clean and dry - wash your car first and then clay it to remove any surface contaminants.

A common myth about polishing by hand is that you should only work back and forth and side to side, rather than in circles. We recommend that you try to work in all directions, because this will help to ensure that the edges of defects are rounded off evenly. Working in circles will not create new swirl marks unless you finish too quickly and do not allow sufficient time for the abrasives to break down. A good indication of this is a change in the appearance of the polish - many appear to become more transparent when they have been properly worked. Polish residues are often quite stiff, and removal requires firm buffing with a suitable microfibre towel. Plush towels with a short nap are ideal for this, as they are kind to the finish yet have sufficient bite to lift residues with ease.

Polishing by machine opens up more possibilities in comparison to polishing by hand, as products can be worked much harder and for much longer with ease. For example, the most popular dual action polisher on the market has a maximum working speed of 6000 orbits per minute. It is impossible for a human being to replicate this work rate - just imagine trying to polish a panel in a circular motion 6000 times a minute for 5 minutes or more, all the time applying constant pressure! Because the work rate is also selectable, machine polishers can be used to safely tackle all forms of paint defects, ranging from minor swirl marks to very deep scratches. A further benefit of polishing by machine at high work rates is that painted surfaces can be burnished to an exceptionally high lustre prior to the application of wax or sealant protection - the same quality of finish is very hard to achieve when working by hand.

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