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BTW, one way to minimize the amount of water remaining on a car after washing it is to do the final rinse with the hose nozzle removed. Instead of having huge water drops (beading) over the car's entire surface, water will slide off in sheets! Also, spending three of four minutes with a California Water Blade will remove much of the water that remains. I've been using this procedure for a couple of years and find that I can then use only one large towel to complete the drying process before applying the Z.
Hope this helps.
About to take the plunge and order the Zaino starter kit. I just got a 2004 4Runner Limited in Dorado Gold Perl which I'd like to keep as shiney and as nice as possible. I'm not really one who like to sit on Saturdays and detail my cars, though - I'm more of a once every few months kind of guy. Washing every few weeks, maybe. So I'm hoping this whole Zaino thing will work out good for me. Maybe I'll just find out I'm just a Walmart/McGuire's kind of guy, but I think I want to give the Zaino a shot.
Anyway, I'm a little confused with all of the different products out there. I see chamois, synthetic chamois', the micro-fiber stuff, etc. Basically, I'm wondering what's the best price-to-performance stuff out there? I don't want a $50 drying towel, but I obviously want something better than the shop towels sold at auto stores. I'd like to pick up a nice wash mit, drying chamois or towel, and I guess some towels to remove the wax with. I've seen several mentions of the California Duster, so I've pretty much decided to give that a whirl.
Any other recomendations would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Aaron
Hope this helps,
--Robert
1. Wash mitts (2) Either 100% cotton chenille or pure lambswool. Use one to wash the top half of the vehicle and the other for the bottom half (to avoid dragging a dirty mitt all over the car).
2. Wash buckets (2) Use one for soapy water mix and the other fill with plain water. Use the plain water to rinse out the dirt from the mitt, dunk back into the soapy bucket and continue washing. Again, this avoids dragging dirt all over your car.
3. Microfiber towels You'll need a few of these. At least 3-4 for removing polish and wiping down the car after waxing, one dedicated to cleaning windows, and a large waffle weave towel for drying. Believe me, once you've used a waffle weave microfiber to dry your vehicle, you won't go back to terry towels or a chamois. And a microfiber towel with an automotive glass cleaner is the Holy Grail of clean windows.
4. Brushes A stiff nylon bristle brush to scrub tires and a soft, feathered-tip brush for cleaning wheels, running boards, mud flaps, etc. Buy specialty tools as needed.
All these tools are available at auto parts stores everywhere. Microfiber towels are showing up at retail but still the best ones are found online sold by folks who specialize in them. Check out pakshak.com, autofiber.com, and waynestowels.com for selection and pricing. Some offer kits that make buying easy.
I have my Zaino over two weeks now and the weather is not cooperating.
Hopefully this weekend.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/dec03/193244.asp
I wondered why my Aurora looked like it had been driven off-road... even had to go to a (touchless) car wash, something I don't enjoy doing...
--Robert
I can't belive it - what a mess! Those must have been some BIG dust clouds!
It took me aprox. 4 hrs. to complete, DAWN,CLAYBAR,Z-7 WASH,4COATS OF Z-2 WITH THE ZFX,Z-6 in between.
The car looks AMAZING, now I have to find the time to do my PEARL WHITE TLS.
The only gripe I have is- the advise Sal gave us about trimming off the outter ends of the towels.
I did it and my towels are starting to come apart- bad idea.
Next time I will try not to let the edges touch the paint.
TIP- You guys should clay bar the windshield and the windows too.
Wait 'till you get a few more coats on!!
I am still taken aback by the end results.
The White Diamond Pearl looks absoulutely SPECTACULAR.
What I dont understand is- how does it take some of you guys 2 hours to complete the whole process?
It took me twice that time with me going at a moderate pace.
DAWN WASH
CLAY BAR
Z-7 WASH
3 COATS OF Z2-WITH ZFX
Z-6 IN BETWEEN
Not to mention wheel, carpets and glass cleaning.
Hope everyone in the Northern half is driving carefully!
That is to say-DAWN, CLAY BAR Z-2 Z-6 etc etc.
I am planning on doing this around May- my first application was in December.
Right now all I do is wash the car on the weekends and apply some Z-6.
My TLS looks so amazing but I think my wife's Graphite Pearl Accord shows off the Zaino products better.
Also the Tire Dressing from SAL is really amazing- its not too greasy, yet it gives your tire a real glossy look.
You don't really need to use Dawn again. Just continue using the Zaino Car Wash. I've been trying to clay my car once a year in the Spring too.
Dry - Water blade and waffle weave microfiber
Apply product - Cotton terry covered apps or microfiber app
Remove product - Microfiber
Wipe down - Microfiber
Results have been great.
Claying - Claying will take off ALL the Zaino and wax as well as anything else on the paint, so you must do it only before polishing.
...My first is does claying with Z6 remove any of the Z7? Living in New England the winter can be tough on your car, yet I like to maintain my finish. I have a heated garage where I am able to wash my car during these cold days. I would like to keep the build up of black dots/spots (from all the salt/sand that use in Massachusetts) that appear on the side of my car to minimum, as washing it and following up with Z6 does not remove them.
Sal's response:
A light or simple Claying will not remove Zaino.
Repeated Claying of the paint surface will eventually remove Zaino....
Zaino is very durable....
Of course Sal said a Light" claying, right? Don't we all do everything to the max?
Long time, no here! I got behind on reading the messages. They started piling up, but I got behind. Then winter arrived!
For those who are new here, I am a ZAINOHOLIC and belong to Sal's "Zaino Cult"!! LOL.... I remember the good old days back in the summer of 98 when I first discovered Zaino from these boards. When I first used it on my red car, I couldn't believe the results and the shine. The more coats I put on, the shinier it got. Back then we were called SHILLS for Sal! LOL........ We were accused of being stockholders!!! Ah...the good old days.
Well, my car is still gleaming although a little less these days with this below zero weather we're having in CT and all the snow. I can't wait until the warm weather returns.
Just curious though... now that Sal accepts credit cards, what are the naysayers saying now? Are they complaining because maybe he doesn't take American Express or Discover or whatever?? Since I've been away so long, do the ZAINO HATERS still make an appearance here? Is there still a TH room where NO Zaino posts are allowed??
Sorry, I can't have all you new people click on my name above and see that Zaino shine from the links in my profile, but the "web wizards" at Edmunds must have been "tweaking" something that probably should have been left alone and I cannot sign in under my REAL screename fastdriver. I had to create a new account, fastdriver2, in order to get into TH. Very strange. I have written to several people at TH, but so far no answers as to what they did now.
Once my old account is fixed, I'll stop back here so you can check out the great Zaino shine.
fastdriver
Not nearly as much "Zaino sucks" posts as in years past.
If you look at just about any enthusiast car WEB boards, Zaino has become the defacto standard for car wax.
You'll see a few "johnny come lately" posts about this or that new "miracle wax", but this board, although less active of late, has morphed into a really good tool for those with questions about Zaino.
I'm still evaluating new products, testing new tools, trying new techniques, meeting new people, and learning new stuff. Always in my quest to know more about car care products.
Welcome to 2004, Bob.
Mmmm...if memory serves me right, weren't you one of the original Zaino naysayers? Then, with your testing procedures, you softened a little and sort of liked it, but never came out for it 100%?
Boy, you must have a lot of free time and money testing all these waxes/polishes/polymers. Your car would most likely win the blue ribbon for shine/durability/thinnest paint around with all the products you've tested. Any pics?
Some day I'll have to go back to read all the messages I missed from the summer.
fastdriver
I meet a lot of people who just want some decent products they can buy locally which is one reason I test a lot of different products.
I enjoy speaking with Sal. He's taught me a lot so I pay close attention when he talks.
I need to take some pics of my new truck right after I detail it, with the masking tape grid I use to compare several products on a panel. I don't leave the tape on the panel; I get too many strange looks from people.
BTW, you didn't miss anything from summer.
After all, that implies a Dawn wash every time.
Bret's mother must have been looking at a shiny car just prior to his conception!!
Oh, well, we won't go there. ;-)
It does make me wonder how much you folks pay attention to what you read because Bret has been using Z for quite awhile.
Have a great, car detailing new year, Bret and keep us lazy folks posted on the latest!!
"It does make me wonder how much you folks pay attention to what you read because Bret has been using Z for quite awhile."
I pay close attention to what I read. Having been here since the summer of 1998, all I was asking if he wasn't one of the biggest naysayers of Zaino when we were all praising it as Zainoholics, shills and stock holders!
I guess it's a rhetorical question anyway. I'm sure if I look way back I can find the answer myself.
fastdriver
1. You can put on as many coats as you like, it will just get shinier and smoother.
2. You must use the Z1 or ZFX at least once every 5-6 months to keep the polymner properly bonded to the paint.
3. You can clay whenever you feel that the paint needs it or is not perfectly smooth.
4. Dawn and other detergents do not remove Zaino, only wax, oil and grease.
It is ridiculously cold here in Connecticut.
It's a brushless car wash meaning that the car goes through a water sprinkler and soap sprinkler and the guys wash it with their hands.
What I am afraid of is the soap they use-I am not sure if this will defeat the purpose of the mutiple Z-2 and Z-5 coats that is on the car.
But, I do understand the need to clean the car when it gets to the point you just can't stand it anymore, and the weather won't cooperate for you to do it the proper way yourself.
On the other hand, I think it was PBLEVINE who went months last winter without washing his car to protect it from the car washes around his area.
However, he insisted that I wipe down the car again and go over it with some Z-6.
I can't wait for Saturday morning to do this.
PS- The car wash soap won't remove the Z6 according to Sal.
However, during the dead cold of winter (like the one we've been experiencing for some time now, with temperatures hovering in the single digits) while I may use a warm water mix from my garage spigots to hose down my SUV in order to remove just a small amount of accumulated road salt and winter road grime, I believe that I'm fortunate to have in my area several automated "soft touch" car washes that seem to do a very good job of quickly and efficiently removing much of the vast amount of highly corrosive salt, and sand, especially from the UNDERCARRIAGE of the vehicle.
In my opinion, a good quality "gentle" automated car wash poses no immediate or intermediate threat to the FINISHES of vehicle's which are properly and regularly "Zaino'd" (about twice a year). In fact, the finishes of my own "Zaino'd" vehicles have shown tremendous resiliency and shine even after 10 or more trips through an automated car wash, and let's be realistic here-- this is what Zaino products should and do provide-- PROTECTION as well as lasting luster, even after a long winter and numerous trips through a car wash! At the end of a harsh winter, my previous vehicle's "Zaino'd finish still beaded-up water and shined like crazy, even after 6 months since the last application of Zaino!
On the other hand, SALT is a very serious and ominous threat to the vehicle's UNDERCARRIAGE (not to mention the radiator fins, etc.) If you're the typical home owner like me, you're unlikely to be enthusiastic about buying a power washer and then CRAWLING under the vehicle in the dead of winter in a vain effort to "power wash" the undercarriage numerous times during a typical winter, let alone during a really harsh winter. But a good quality automated car wash can begin to do this fairly well, and in short order.
That said, there's really nothing else like those days in the spring, summer, and early fall that bless us with such an abundance of torrential rain and standing water which, when driven over and through, will tend to so thoroughly and forcefully wash, spray, and irrigate the undercarriage of our vehicles!
Bottom line: Let Zaino protect your vehicle's FINISH all year long, including reasonable protection from good quality automated car washes; and let those same good quality car washes (and torrential rains) help keep the undercarriage free from salt, sand, grime, etc.
P.S.: In the winter, when the engine and radiator are COLD, use a warm-water hose to periodically spray-off salt from your vehicle's radiator fins. Salt eats radiator fins.
graphicguy, bret, fastdriver: Ah, I too remember the 'bad old days'. Times have changed. And, Bret, you have been a fountain of good information, and I have learned a lot from your posts.
And yes, I'm the nut who will not go to a commercial car wash. In NYC, these establishments use recycled water and harsh soaps. And most of them use those big brushes too. So yep, my car IS covered in a white haze of road salts and assorted dust. Its been quite a Winter so far and the temperatures have been much too low to get out there and wash the car. I will agree that road salts can damage the underside of a car, but every chance I get to wash the car, also rinse the bottom too. That will, unfortunately, have to wait 'till it gets over 40 degrees around here. Ah, Spring!