I was detailing my wifes car this weekend, putting the hard top on, more Zaino.... getting ready for our wet season, and noticed (for the first time) some slighly discolored spots on the hood of the car. Never saw them before and I wash the car at least 2x a month. As best as we can figure last weeks rain (our first in 11 months here in San Diego) caused a lot of water to leak though the parking garage at my wifes office. Apparently it is not very weather tight. The rain water must have splashed on the hood after seeping though the concete above and left the marks. I tried buffing them out with a polish but that did not work. So they were probably not just some mineral deposites on the surface. Used alcohol to remove the Zaino and the spots went with it. Cleaned it up and rezainoed. Anyone run into this before?
WOW! Tornado sirens! Don't think I could deal with that. Hope all is well. Saw the results on the TV today. At least you got the Z on. It was not as nice as they said it was going to be here. It was "warm", but it was damp. I couldn't find what little ZFX I had, so I didn't Z. I'm sure the Z5 would not have dried.
We'll still have some nice days if this rain ever stops!
I know someone that had spots on her car from her all concrete parking garage. I think that they actually ate into the paint. I think the concrete must have a different pH. The spots were from condensation dripping when the weather went from cold to warm.
Last weekend, applied 3 coats of Z5, this weekend, applied 3 coats of Z2. Even if Z is easier than most applications, I find myself missing the old days when I owned a reasonable looking, used, 1996 white Camry LE that I was not fanatic about. I don't think that owning a nice car fits into my lifestyle. Oh, for the days when I dared take my car to an assembly line car wash, and the days when I would have loved to say "yes" to the Lexus dealership offer to wash your car after service. Sigh.........now, I am hoping I can go until Spring with only Z7.
Concrete is definitely alkaline and the alkalinity will leach into water. I was pretty surprised it would discolor the Zaino layer, but pleased as can be that wiping the Zaino away with alcohol wiped away the discoloration too. I don't mind reapplying the protectant when it does it's job and protects the paint. Now if I can just get the wife to choose a dryer parking spot....
Don't throw away that Z1. It has a bit of cleaning action that ZFX does not. From the feedback on this board, as well as the Zaino web site & the bottle's labeling, Z1 is a "pre-cleaner and gloss conditioner". I find a bit of Z1 cleans some spots on my Zaino shine that Z6 would not. ZFX is a great way to do multiple Z2 or Z5 coats in the same day, but I think Z1still has a place in my Zaino arsenal.
I buy Z by the case from my local distributor and always get a "mix" of products (Z-1, Z-2, Z-3, Z-5, Z-6, etc.). Because I already have multiple coats of Z on both cars, I don't need the ZFX. I agree that the slight cleansing action of Z-1 is a plus, and I use it every 6 months or so. Takes only an extra few minutes to apply the Z-1 prior to the Z-2, 3 or 5 (my wife's 1977 MB 300D does not have clear coat paint, therefore the Z-3).
I thoroughly rinse and then handwash both vehicles (both are black) but still have a problem with swirl marks. I am new to Zaino, so I have just put two coats of Z5 on both vehicles and still have some small swirls visible in the paint. Does anyone have a suggested wash procedure that will minimize swirls and scratches?
I use the 'two bucket' wash method and also use two wash mitts. One mitt for the painted upper part of my SUV and the other for the cladding (which gets more grit). If I drop a mitt, I get a fresh one. Won't use the dropped mitt until it has been re-washed and well rinsed. Drying the vehicle is done by blotting with a large MF towel. No dragging anything over the paint.
This will help REDUCE the swirls. To eliminate swirls requires an orbital polisher (or rotary).
I have also been very concerned about washing since I bought a new black Lexus about a year ago. Besides applying Zaino immediately, the best thing you can do is be careful when washing.
In my experience, I find that the following procedures seem to be working. Use two buckets and two washmits, as Harry31 mentions above. Be sure the washmits are all cotton (try the Viking ones). I have marked the washmits on the cuff with a waterproof marker so that I always use the same one on the upper surfaces and the other on the lower part, even after washing. Grit is your enemy.
Wash only with Z7. After rinsing, rinse again with the sprayer off of the hose, allowing the water to just flow onto the car. For some reason, this pulls about 75% of the water off, which makes drying easier.
I next use the California Water Blade, which removes about 75% of the remaining water (more if your car is flat and square; mine (SC430) has a lot of curved surfaces). Then use the same white cotton towels you use for Zaino to dry the car. These will not scratch because they have no polyester fibres in them.
I think that marks from washing come from using sponges and cheap towels or rags. Many people here use better and more expensive towels on their car than they have in their bathrooms, but then your butt doesn't scratch as easy or shine as much, I hope.
Thanks to both of you for the comments and suggestions. I am following many of your suggestions already (two wash mitts, thorough rinsing, water blade, etc.), but I think I will try some new towels.
Some of us have problems with scratches. Perhaps it is the dry climate I live in, but the CWB can cause friction if swiped across an already dry or semi-dry surface. I stopped using mine.
In theory, the CWB can cause scratches, just like a towel can, if it picks up a piece of grit and drags in across the car, with pressure.
I am very careful with my black car, and have even cut the labels off of the towels, but have used a CWB for almost two years and have never had a problem with it.
First, nobody should be dragging in across a dry surface. Not that the soft material would hurt the car, but that would be a waste of time. I have found, however, after washing and rinsing, there isn't any grit left on the car surface. What you don't want to do is drag it (or a towell or a rag) across a dirty surface.
Only if the drying medium picks up grit will a scratch result. The towel or the blade by itself will not scratch.
Also, I think that the blade, being a preliminary drying tool and not designed to dry a car completely, is used mostly on the upper 75% of the car, which should be completely free from any gritty particles, if you have washed and rinsed well.
So, yeah, be careful, (e.g.: don't use it to wipe rain off the car right after driving, and don't use it on a dry, dirty car) but there are a lot of posts from people here and on other auto care boards who use the blade all the time with excellent results. I have never had a problem and find it makes drying the car both easier and faster.
Everything squidd99 wrote about the California Water Blade has been my experience too. If used properly, it's a great addition anyone's car care products.
Many here swear by dring with 100% cotton towels...others use the CWB.
For me, I only use the CWB on my windows. Other than that, "the Absorber", which is a synthetic chamois, is as easy to use (or easier) and just as quick. You can buy it almost anywhere, including Costco and Sam's (sporadially). I use two of them to dry my car. I'm anal, but I use one to dry the upper part of the car, and another for the bottom part. I also use two buckets and two wool wash mits, in the same manner.
Have not had much of a problem with swirls since using this method.
All this talk about CWB, Absorber, white towels, 2 wash mitts etc. makes me want to go out and wash the CL! Still haven't washed it since September. Looks nice out, but the wind has been blowing gale force for the past 2 days.
Well....maybe the "gale force" winds would allow you to Z7 wash, but not have to dry the car?
They're talking snow here in the OH Valley today. Temps don't look to be getting up much over freezing for the foreseeable future. With that comes the slush, salt and, in general, an ugly car for Thanksgiving!
That means my recent "quick" Z session looked good for all of two weeks.
I am just curious as to if anyone has seen this stuff/heard of anyone using it? www.permafinish.com is the hyperlink. they say that you won't have to wax your car for 6 years!!! I have seen the display in their Atlanta office, and it is quite impressive. 'course, it may end up being the Slick 50 of car care. Please, let me know if this stuff is "for real"
Naturally, I HAD to take a look! I know NOTHING about this product, but all I can tell you is that if I was selling/promoting a "finish" like this, I would have some REAL GOOD pics to show off the shine!
I have better pictures of MY car's shine than they do! That's my personal opinion. Click on my name above and you'll see what I mean.
What you have there is a site for a car finish place which does not really describe what they are doing to you car, does not have pictures of the "shine," and does not even tell you what it will cost.
The "testimonials" from customers are done in a way that you can't get in touch with the "writer" yourself.
Clearly they want you to bring your car in for an "estimate" and they will twist your arm and maybe sell you a condo in Florida while they are at it.
If there was a method out there for putting a clean finish on a car that would last for 6-10 years without maintenance, don't you think even one car manufacturer would hop aboard?
I have been lurking around this board for a while and I just picked up my new 03 Accord Sedan EXV6 in Graphite Pearl (Dark Gray)with grey leather interior. I have e-mailed zaino for which products I should buy for this car, but I thought I would ask anyone here. It seems you guys know more about the products than Zaino! :-).
Also I'm in NY, and its freezing out today. I don't have a garage for the car, so when can I get this stuff on my beautiful spotless car. The dealer put something on the car, saw the wax on the lower door. What should I do until it gets warm. Thanks for your help
You have two choices: Z it now as soon as possible or wait until warmer weather, probably March, depending upon what part of NY you are in.
You need to know that the initial application will take some time because you have to get everything off the finish first, and you might as well clay it while you are at it. So you wash with Dawn at least once, clay, using lots of Z7 for lube, then wash all that off. Then you apply either z1, then Z2, or you get ZFX, mix it with Z2, and apply three coats of that.
As with most things, the first time takes a little longer.
And it's cold outside, and there is a lot of water involved.
If the car has some wax on it now, the finish probably will not be harmed too much if you wait, depending on road conditions, salt, etc.
I would suggest getting everything you need from Zaino, including towels, read the old posts here to learn what you need to do, and just wait until a warm day. It does not seem like it now, but you can get a reasonably warm day in December or January, sometimes. Maybe that will happen on a weekend. Maybe it will not happen until March or April. At that point, go to it.
In the meantime, read up on washing, so that if you do not get a chance to apply Zaino, you do not apply swirl marks by improper washing/drying techniques when you wash the car between now and then.
Thanks for the info. I got an email from Sal and will be ordering in next few days. I will keep my fingers crossed for a warm day, who knows, last year we had a 69 degree day in Dec. Again, thanks for the response....
Its now below 32 and I can't even wash the car. I was down in MD for Thanksgiving. Brought all my Z stuff, but it was just to cold to do anything. At least the Z2 anti-static properties seem to eliminate much of the road dirt.
...yeah, that 1 degree wind chill makes it a bit difficult to do any Z work. Also the road salt used in the past week has a stronger magnetic field than Z's anti-static propeties!! Both my vehicles are a nice shade of gray. Perhaps the 6-8" predicted for tomorrow in Boston will give me a pretty color for a few hours.
What do you recommend for sweeping the snow off your car. I had about 4 or 5 inches of snowfall last night, and although my "good" car was in the garage, my little RAV4 SUV is, as always, parked outside.
As I was using a broom to sweep the snow off the roof and hood, I was thinking, I bet this is putting marks in the finish.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I am thinking maybe I should take one of my Zainoing all cotton bath towels and wrap it around the end of the broom. Has anyone tried that or are there some specialized car tools out there that will sweep the snow off without scratching the finish.
Fortunately, (1): there is a lot of plastic cladding and glass on the car, and you can't see the top anyway since it's so high, and (2): it doesn't snow all that much here.
Still, using a broom on it can't be all that good for the painted areas.
I just brush the snow off the car by hand and I don't try to remove it all at the surface. A light coat remains and will fall off when the temperature again rises above 32. I do use a scraper for the windows, however, as I still have to see to drive. I would guess that a reasonably soft brush would be OK for heavy snow accumulations.
The real problem is all that road salt and sand which is put on the roads during times like this. That stuff will scratch. Don't try to remove that stuff without a Z7 wash to disolve the salt. Z6 is not any good under these conditions. All you can do is wait.
...I do the same thing as pblevine. I use a gloved hand or arm to sweep the snow off the horizontal surfaces and the brush very gently. The rest will melt or slide off eventually. But wrapping a towel around a brush will help as well.
What I find interesting is that with a Z finish sometimes the snow will slide off if I can brake just hard enough.
I was out in the snow tonight, and tried that hard braking trick, and the snow slid forward just like you said, but the car stayed right under it and skidded along at the same speed.
You COULD take a trip to FL to Z your car! ;-)))))
SNOW! My poor CL still hasn't been washed since September. Still looks good thanks to the last Z application in August!! Yikes- I am getting lazy! NEVER went this long before washing or Z'ing. Of course, we are buried in snow this morning too in So. CT.
Oh well, time for work I guess.
fastdriver
PS Hope those 60 degree days from last Dec. come back this year!
After a summer of looking out my window at work to see my nice spotless, shiny, beautifully Z'd navy blue Impala, I now get to look at my grey/brown dull filthy salt-covered navy blue Impala. Very depressing. At least I can rest knowing that I've got three fairly recent coats of Z under all the filth.
I'll have to take her through a touch-free wash tonight to get the top layer of grime removed (I know, the purists will be cringing, but I have no other alternative). Fortunately I park her in the garage overnight so the doors won't freeze!
Finally got to wash my car after two weeks. Man, it was cold! Must have been at least 67 Saturday morning with a cold breeze. Almost had to have a long sleeve shirt and long pants on to wash the car but I braved the elements in my t-shirt and shorts....
We're getting ready for an ice storm later today. I was cursing the cold the other day when a friend told me to "Just think warm" and "All your troubles will fade away". That was just before I hit him with a snow ball.
I last Z'd the car in early October (two coats of Z5 / ZFX plus Z6). Despite the unwashed appearance, the Z is holding up quite well.
in Wyoming at our dealership on all the new vehicles. They really work great. No scratches, rub marks, nothing. They're also tough enough to break up ice and snow patches after it's harder than "fresh".
I've actually used the CA Water Blade for snow removal. Works great if you wear gloves and there isn't a "ton" of snow sitting on top of your car. Doesn't work well for tall vehicles, though.
I know it's too cold now, but I was already thinking about spring and Zaino-ing my car again. I believe this was discussed earlier, but I forgot the answer. What I was wondering was, when spring comes, do we just wash and Zaino, or should we clay bar first. If we clay bar, do we do the Dawn wash and start over again? Or, can you clay bar and still leave the xx coats of Zaino on the car? Thanks for your help,
Dawn is used to remove grease based protectants, particularly residual waxes. If you have not used any of these since your last Dawn wash, you should not need to do the Dawn bit again.
You only need to clay bar if you need it. Bretfraz, whose opinion I respect highly, recommends that you wrap your hand in a plastic bag and run it over your car to tell whether you need to clay bar. If your surface, after a wash and Z application, is not smooth as glass, i,e, if there are rough and kind of gritty areas, you need to clay. Most of us probably need to clay once per year at least.
Once you decide to Clay, you follow the following process: wash car with Z7, rinse, dry, clay with Z7/water lubricant, wash again with Z7, rinse, dry and then do your regular Z2/Z5/Z6 thing. After you clay, you will probably want to apply multiple coats of Z2/Z5 as I believe the clay removes some of the Z protectant.
IMPORTANT: Don't forget to use the 50/50 water/Z7 mix as a lubricant when you clay your surface.
Thanks for your quick reply. I guess the part I was concerned about was losing the Z protectorant. I did not want to put all the coats of Z on this last summer just to clay bar them away in the spring.
How much protectant you would lose with clay bar. Sal usually answers very quickly. I guess bretfraz must be on vacation, since he has not piped up with his usual great information.
Comments
WOW! Tornado sirens! Don't think I could deal with that. Hope all is well. Saw the results on the TV today. At least you got the Z on. It was not as nice as they said it was going to be here. It was "warm", but it was damp. I couldn't find what little ZFX I had, so I didn't Z. I'm sure the Z5 would not have dried.
We'll still have some nice days if this rain ever stops!
fastdriver
Sigh.........now, I am hoping I can go until Spring with only Z7.
Jon
And by the way, Z1 also makes a great paper weight. I now keep it in the far corner of a closet along with my original AT.
This will help REDUCE the swirls. To eliminate swirls requires an orbital polisher (or rotary).
In my experience, I find that the following procedures seem to be working. Use two buckets and two washmits, as Harry31 mentions above. Be sure the washmits are all cotton (try the Viking ones). I have marked the washmits on the cuff with a waterproof marker so that I always use the same one on the upper surfaces and the other on the lower part, even after washing. Grit is your enemy.
Wash only with Z7. After rinsing, rinse again with the sprayer off of the hose, allowing the water to just flow onto the car. For some reason, this pulls about 75% of the water off, which makes drying easier.
I next use the California Water Blade, which removes about 75% of the remaining water (more if your car is flat and square; mine (SC430) has a lot of curved surfaces). Then use the same white cotton towels you use for Zaino to dry the car. These will not scratch because they have no polyester fibres in them.
I think that marks from washing come from using sponges and cheap towels or rags. Many people here use better and more expensive towels on their car than they have in their bathrooms, but then your butt doesn't scratch as easy or shine as much, I hope.
Keep the edging of the towels folded under. The threads used to edge the towels may not be cotton. They can cause swirls, too.
Aren't you glad you bought a black car? =:-)
I am very careful with my black car, and have even cut the labels off of the towels, but have used a CWB for almost two years and have never had a problem with it.
First, nobody should be dragging in across a dry surface. Not that the soft material would hurt the car, but that would be a waste of time. I have found, however, after washing and rinsing, there isn't any grit left on the car surface. What you don't want to do is drag it (or a towell or a rag) across a dirty surface.
Only if the drying medium picks up grit will a scratch result. The towel or the blade by itself will not scratch.
Also, I think that the blade, being a preliminary drying tool and not designed to dry a car completely, is used mostly on the upper 75% of the car, which should be completely free from any gritty particles, if you have washed and rinsed well.
So, yeah, be careful, (e.g.: don't use it to wipe rain off the car right after driving, and don't use it on a dry, dirty car) but there are a lot of posts from people here and on other auto care boards who use the blade all the time with excellent results. I have never had a problem and find it makes drying the car both easier and faster.
And I'm all for that.
Many here swear by dring with 100% cotton towels...others use the CWB.
For me, I only use the CWB on my windows. Other than that, "the Absorber", which is a synthetic chamois, is as easy to use (or easier) and just as quick. You can buy it almost anywhere, including Costco and Sam's (sporadially). I use two of them to dry my car. I'm anal, but I use one to dry the upper part of the car, and another for the bottom part. I also use two buckets and two wool wash mits, in the same manner.
Have not had much of a problem with swirls since using this method.
Hope it helps.
So much to do, so lttle time! ;-))
fastdriver
They're talking snow here in the OH Valley today. Temps don't look to be getting up much over freezing for the foreseeable future. With that comes the slush, salt and, in general, an ugly car for Thanksgiving!
That means my recent "quick" Z session looked good for all of two weeks.
www.permafinish.com is the hyperlink. they say that you won't have to wax your car for 6 years!!! I have seen the display in their Atlanta office, and it is quite impressive. 'course, it may end up being the Slick 50 of car care. Please, let me know if this stuff is "for real"
Naturally, I HAD to take a look! I know NOTHING about this product, but all I can tell you is that if I was selling/promoting a "finish" like this, I would have some REAL GOOD pics to show off the shine!
I have better pictures of MY car's shine than they do! That's my personal opinion. Click on my name above and you'll see what I mean.
fastdriver
What you have there is a site for a car finish place which does not really describe what they are doing to you car, does not have pictures of the "shine," and does not even tell you what it will cost.
The "testimonials" from customers are done in a way that you can't get in touch with the "writer" yourself.
Clearly they want you to bring your car in for an "estimate" and they will twist your arm and maybe sell you a condo in Florida while they are at it.
If there was a method out there for putting a clean finish on a car that would last for 6-10 years without maintenance, don't you think even one car manufacturer would hop aboard?
This does not pass the smell test.
LOL... HEY! Wait a minute...... a condo in FL!!! Mmmmmm.......THEN, I MIGHT check it out! ;-))))
fastdriver
Also I'm in NY, and its freezing out today. I don't have a garage for the car, so when can I get this stuff on my beautiful spotless car. The dealer put something on the car, saw the wax on the lower door. What should I do until it gets warm.
Thanks for your help
You need to know that the initial application will take some time because you have to get everything off the finish first, and you might as well clay it while you are at it. So you wash with Dawn at least once, clay, using lots of Z7 for lube, then wash all that off. Then you apply either z1, then Z2, or you get ZFX, mix it with Z2, and apply three coats of that.
As with most things, the first time takes a little longer.
And it's cold outside, and there is a lot of water involved.
If the car has some wax on it now, the finish probably will not be harmed too much if you wait, depending on road conditions, salt, etc.
I would suggest getting everything you need from Zaino, including towels, read the old posts here to learn what you need to do, and just wait until a warm day. It does not seem like it now, but you can get a reasonably warm day in December or January, sometimes. Maybe that will happen on a weekend. Maybe it will not happen until March or April. At that point, go to it.
In the meantime, read up on washing, so that if you do not get a chance to apply Zaino, you do not apply swirl marks by improper washing/drying techniques when you wash the car between now and then.
Or you could borrow a buddy's garage???
Bad timing. Good luck.
Next time, buy your car in May.
Again, thanks for the response....
As I was using a broom to sweep the snow off the roof and hood, I was thinking, I bet this is putting marks in the finish.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I am thinking maybe I should take one of my Zainoing all cotton bath towels and wrap it around the end of the broom. Has anyone tried that or are there some specialized car tools out there that will sweep the snow off without scratching the finish.
Fortunately, (1): there is a lot of plastic cladding and glass on the car, and you can't see the top anyway since it's so high, and (2): it doesn't snow all that much here.
Still, using a broom on it can't be all that good for the painted areas.
Thanks.
The real problem is all that road salt and sand which is put on the roads during times like this. That stuff will scratch. Don't try to remove that stuff without a Z7 wash to disolve the salt. Z6 is not any good under these conditions. All you can do is wait.
What I find interesting is that with a Z finish sometimes the snow will slide off if I can brake just hard enough.
I need better tires.
You COULD take a trip to FL to Z your car! ;-)))))
SNOW! My poor CL still hasn't been washed since September. Still looks good thanks to the last Z application in August!! Yikes- I am getting lazy! NEVER went this long before washing or Z'ing. Of course, we are buried in snow this morning too in So. CT.
Oh well, time for work I guess.
fastdriver
PS Hope those 60 degree days from last Dec. come back this year!
I'll have to take her through a touch-free wash tonight to get the top layer of grime removed (I know, the purists will be cringing, but I have no other alternative). Fortunately I park her in the garage overnight so the doors won't freeze!
I hate winter.
Brad
Life's rough in paradise.
Aloha from Hawaii
It's going to be a blistering 40 today. I've got to wash the van so the insurance adjuster can look at it - Oh joy.
I last Z'd the car in early October (two coats of Z5 / ZFX plus Z6). Despite the unwashed appearance, the Z is holding up quite well.
http://www.snorake.com/
CUSAFR
You only need to clay bar if you need it. Bretfraz, whose opinion I respect highly, recommends that you wrap your hand in a plastic bag and run it over your car to tell whether you need to clay bar. If your surface, after a wash and Z application, is not smooth as glass, i,e, if there are rough and kind of gritty areas, you need to clay. Most of us probably need to clay once per year at least.
Once you decide to Clay, you follow the following process: wash car with Z7, rinse, dry, clay with Z7/water lubricant, wash again with Z7, rinse, dry and then do your regular Z2/Z5/Z6 thing. After you clay, you will probably want to apply multiple coats of Z2/Z5 as I believe the clay removes some of the Z protectant.
IMPORTANT: Don't forget to use the 50/50 water/Z7 mix as a lubricant when you clay your surface.
Thanks again,
CUSAFR
Sal usually answers very quickly. I guess bretfraz must be on vacation, since he has not piped up with his usual great information.