Prima Amigo: My New Best Friend

[AutopiaTech]

Amigo is the Spanish word for "friend" in the masculine form. Not too often do you come across a product with such a unique name. While most car care manufacturers claim the best performance from their product, whether it is overall protection or depth of shine, only one claims their product will not only satisfy the user, but it will also become their new best friend. While I`m not particularly interested in becoming best friends with a bottle of polish or a jar of wax, I`m always on the hunt for a better shine when it comes time for that Sunday detail.

The product aptly named Amigo, manufactured by Prima Car Care, probably has an interesting story behind how it earned its name after it was developed. It`s pretty obvious from the first time you use Amigo that all of the research and development went into making Amigo unique and perform unlike any other glaze, and I would say that`s an accurate observation because Amigo truly is in a class of its own. The guys at Prima certainly know how to develop a product that offers a unique combination of intended uses, but how did they come up with such a catchy name to draw attention to it before people got their hands on it?

I`d like to think the name came from the main product tester at Prima after spending an entire weekend testing it on various vehicles. While jotting down preliminary test results he probably looked at a picture on his desk of an old friend, the idea popped into his head and the rest is history. While the name certainly catches your attention, there is much more to the product than a name.

Amigo is what you would call a segment buster. It`s a paintwork cleanser, polymer-based glaze, super-fine polish, and maybe a little magic thrown in the mix. Instead of naming the product Prima Pre-Wax Polymer Gloss Enhancing Super Fine Low Cut Polish & Gloss, it was simply designated as Amigo, because after you use it once, it will become your new best friend.

A friend of mine has a relatively new Toyota Corolla that`s in pretty darn good shape with exception to a few light swirl marks. While those of us with a well trained eye and a passion for perfect paint may notice them right away, your average bystander would have to put down their Slurpee and meticulously exam every square inch of the paint while under the intense lights at a gas station.

If you own a dark colored vehicle, you know even the most faint swirls can and will become an eye sore. With products such as Prima`s Amigo, you can use a glaze to cover up light imperfections to make them less noticeable. This way you can avoid abrading away paint every time you encounter minor swirls. If this sounds familiar to you, Prima Amigo is the solution that you`ve been looking for. Amigo contains an advanced blend of fillers to hide those imperfections so it`s almost like they never existed in the first place.

Amigo was used in conjunction with a Meguiar`s G110v2 dual action polisher equipped with a Lake Country Hydro-Tech Tangerine polishing pad. The Tangerine pad is ideal for this application because it has mechanical polishing ability that will take advantage of Amigo`s blend of cleaners and super fine abrasives.

First the pad was primed and then four pea-sized drops of product were added.

The G110v2 was set to speed 5 and the product was worked in for about 4-5 section passes. I applied very little pressure and moved at a medium arm speed.

I`ve used just about every product Autopia Car Care sells and Prima Amigo is without question the easiest product to wipe off the paint. Enough emphasis cannot be put on the word effortless while describing how user-friendly this product is. Butter doesn`t even wipe off hot pan cakes this easy.

Once removed you`re instantly greeted with what appears to be a pool of wet paint.

After completing the entire vehicle I grabbed the camera and snapped some photos before the Florida sun dropped down below the sky line for the night.

While I wouldn`t take a bottle of Amigo with me on a night on the town with my friends, Amigo has most certainly earned a spot on the shelf with other products that have made me come back for more. With a market that`s saturated with high quality products leaving you near endless choices and combinations to choose from, it`s nice being able to have a product that performs exceedingly well in several different aspects. Prima Amigo performs exactly as intended and the name might even give a cool story to tell your friends and family as they ooh and aah over your glossy paintwork.

Prima Car Care

[Pats300zx]

Amigo is certainly a product that I will always have in my detailing arsenal. I always use it as a prep for car shows on my garage queens. The entire Prima line is such a quality line of products for the money.

Slick and Hydro are some of my other favs.

[Todd@RUPES]

I laughed several times, mi amigo.

Great review, I have been extremely impressed with the Prima line as a whole. While my heart is broken that your search to find a friend has proven difficult; I am excited to see the paint look so good!

[ca.detailchick]

Nick,does this offer any protection at all?

If not , should you use it before or after LSP?

How long does it last? Thanks .

[Old Pirate]

Quieres un Amigo?



Great write AT!

[AutopiaTech]

Nick,does this offer any protection at all?

If not , should you use it before or after LSP?

How long does it last? Thanks .

It doesn`t offer any protection, and you would use this before applying your LSP. Because it`s a polymer-based glaze, it is more durable than your typical run-of-the-mill glaze.

[TroyScherer]

I really like Amigo... It is a good glaze and with the right pad combo can also have some cutting power.

Link to my review: http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...ana-gloss.html

[flamed03vert]

Used this on my DSG 2008 F150 with great results. Its my DD so I never do any serious correction on it, but the Amigo did remove some of the swirls and made some of the other less defined. It wipes off smooth as silk and smells great. Great stuff... I like the fact its a polymer glaze. 845IW topped it well with out removing it.

[polisher]

i wished they had it Canadian retail stores..but will have to order it

[ca.detailchick]

It doesn`t offer any protection, and you would use this before applying your LSP. Because it`s a polymer-based glaze, it is more durable than your typical run-of-the-mill glaze.

Thanks AT.

What did you top it with? Or what would be compatable ?

Is there any chance the LSP wont last as long as normal because of not bonding to the glaze well?

Also wanted to know because its black, can you use it on a white car without color transfer or streaking?

Or if anyone elses can answer my questions that would be nice too! Thanks!

[Mr. Gloss]

My ONLY car polish friend is Amigo. (I own black cars)

I have topped it with Prima Epic, Hydro and Hydro Seal. Epic produced the "best" gloss. BFWD was an honorable mention for depth and gloss next to Epic. Amigo claims to be compatible with any synthetic wax.

(avoid rubber and unpainted trim)

I have a question about priming and quantity. Amigo directions only mention a thin line of product across the pad. The thin line is 70% more product than 4 pea sized drops. Am I wasting product? Even at the rate I used it, it wiped clean.

[TroyScherer]

I tend to prime my pad and then use small pea sized drops as well. I feel like I get better product usage and don`t use as much overall. I also get better control and less chance of product sling...

[Mr. Gloss]

I don`t get any sling since I spread the product over the area as directed, then start the machine. It works well, just curious about product waste.

[TurboGLI]

Because it`s a polymer-based glaze, it is more durable than your typical run-of-the-mill glaze.

How does this compare to Menzerna Finishing Glaze?
Menzerna Finishing Glaze PO115C

I`m currently using the Menzerna now with good results, i dont tend to use a glaze often.

The prima line has surprised me every time i try a new product, i`m begining to wonder if i should pick this up and try it!

[AutopiaTech]

Thanks AT.

What did you top it with? Or what would be compatable ?

Is there any chance the LSP wont last as long as normal because of not bonding to the glaze well?

Also wanted to know because its black, can you use it on a white car without color transfer or streaking?

Or if anyone elses can answer my questions that would be nice too! Thanks!

I`m not going to reveal what I topped it with yet, however I can tell you the paint shimmers underneath the midnight sun.

My ONLY car polish friend is Amigo. (I own black cars)

I have topped it with Prima Epic, Hydro and Hydro Seal. Epic produced the "best" gloss. BFWD was an honorable mention for depth and gloss next to Epic. Amigo claims to be compatible with any synthetic wax.

(avoid rubber and unpainted trim)

I have a question about priming and quantity. Amigo directions only mention a thin line of product across the pad. The thin line is 70% more product than 4 pea sized drops. Am I wasting product? Even at the rate I used it, it wiped clean.

I`ve used Amigo a couple times now, and I`ve found priming the pad and four pea-sized drops yielded the best performance out of the product.

I tend to prime my pad and then use small pea sized drops as well. I feel like I get better product usage and don`t use as much overall. I also get better control and less chance of product sling...

This.

How does this compare to Menzerna Finishing Glaze?
Menzerna Finishing Glaze PO115C

I`m currently using the Menzerna now with good results, i dont tend to use a glaze often.

The prima line has surprised me every time i try a new product, i`m begining to wonder if i should pick this up and try it!

The Menzerna is a water-based glaze where Amigo is a polymer-based glaze. Because of this, Amigo is not water soluble like the Menzerna meaning it will last longer. The Menzerna would be the ideal product in a body-shop scenario.

Pick it up and try it out!