Can Prima Epic Be Used as an AIO

[jakonrad]

With a Lake Country orange light cutting pad: Yes

Now I'm not totally sure if the pad did all of the work or if the Epic helped, but I definitely noticed an improvement in paint condition after the sealant was removed with IPA. Below is the process and pictures; I hope everyone enjoys. Questions and comments are appreciated!

This was done on a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero that I know hasn't been washed in the last 4 years (I wish I took pics before it was washed).

Wash:
1. Pressure washed to get the magnesium chloride and gravel/dirt off the paint.
2. ONR QD presoak
3. Cleaned with ONR at wash dilution

Clay:
1. Meguiars Professional Detailing Clay

Polish:
1. Prima Epic with a Lake Country orange light cutting pad on a Porter Cable 7424XP
2. Sealant removed from paint using IPA wipedown to ensure the sealant was not hiding any defects and that the condition of the paint was the true finished product.

Pictures:

Paint condition prior to any correction:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kIFHMhuJuv0/UuaA0MDWiII/AAAAAAAAAt8/oNTsE8VMNbw/w1145-h859-no/Epic+Before.JPG

Paint after Epic was applied with an orange pad:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jP9bZFGwNes/UuaBDw2zSUI/AAAAAAAAAuU/0xSirS81E3A/w1145-h859-no/Epic+After.JPG

Paint after Epic was removed. You'll notice that there isn't a huge difference here and I believe the reason behind that is twofold.
1. The original paint is in terrible condition and
2. I didn't give the sealant a chance to dry/cure since I was just looking for immediate results
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q8NXXDWejVg/UuaA-hGGB3I/AAAAAAAAAuI/KxSws4kSSpo/w1145-h859-no/Epic+BefIPA.JPG

I hope this was useful to some out there. Comments are appreciated!

[hernandez.art13]

Looks good. Never heard of Prima Epic but it did a good job. Just wondering why did you do an IPA wipe down and what did you end up sealing the paint with? Either way nice job :props:

[jakonrad]

Thanks!

Prima Epic Synthetic Wax, liquid car wax, polymer wax, paint sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/prima-epic-wax.html)

I did the IPA wipe to see the true condition of the paint since this was a test and I didn't want any sealant masking it. I haven't sealed the paint yet (I'm going to do a few more tests with this car) but when I'm done it'll be sealed with Epic.

[OctaneGuy]

I have been using Prima for years and you are absolutely correct, Prima Epic with an Orange Pad can work great as an AIO. It doesn't contain any abrasives but it does enhance the paint significantly and it helps lubricate the pad which is doing all the cutting.

I often find that after doing it this way, I go back to using Prima Swirl first, then using Epic as it's intended use as an LSP simply because the results are better and I often find myself wanting just a bit more cut. =)

Richard


Thanks!

Prima Epic Synthetic Wax, liquid car wax, polymer wax, paint sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/prima-epic-wax.html)

I did the IPA wipe to see the true condition of the paint since this was a test and I didn't want any sealant masking it. I haven't sealed the paint yet (I'm going to do a few more tests with this car) but when I'm done it'll be sealed with Epic.

[jakonrad]

I have been using Prima for years and you are absolutely correct, Prima Epic with an Orange Pad can work great as an AIO. It doesn't contain any abrasives but it does enhance the paint significantly and it helps lubricate the pad which is doing all the cutting.

I often find that after doing it this way, I go back to using Prima Swirl first, then using Epic as it's intended use as an LSP simply because the results are better and I often find myself wanting just a bit more cut. =)

Richard

Thanks for the input!

I figured that what I was doing was using the cutting ability of the pad to clean up the paint. Would you say that using that aggressive of a pad with Epic would induce marring? I guess it doesn't matter as much since all I'm trying to achieve with this approach is a slightly better paint condition rather than a perfect finish for people who want their daily drivers to look a bit nicer. On the other hand, a dedicated AIO would probably finish out better.

On that note; what do you use for an AIO? I guess I've always just had a preconceived notion that using an AIO won't provide the level of protection that a dedicated sealant would and a dedicated sealant won't polish as well as an AIO.