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Also, has anyone heard about using Club Soda to clean windows? I heard through a friend that firestations use it all the time.
Do this... really clean your windows well (I use Sprayway glass cleaner, but you can also use vinegar in distilled water, and newspaper to rub/apply it. Really works well). Put some Z-2 on and then Z-6. You will get the "Rain-X effect" of the water streaking up your windshield, no wipers necessary.
Hope this helps,
--Robert
I promise that after I get done, all I'll have to say is that my car looks spectacular. Thanks for all your patience and help. You guys are swell.
Oh, for the person who uses Pledge - how do you think it will work on my spare tire cover?
Like any protectant, time and exposure will degrade the Zaino system. There is no formula for this as far too many variables come into play. But it's safe to say that if your car is a daily driver, it will need to be re-detailed at some point. 6 months is about the practical time limit for a sealant like Zaino. A twice-a-year full detail is a good idea to maintain a high level of protection and looks.
When you detail your car again it will need to be washed first. Use Dawn if you want but any good car shampoo, like Z7, is fine. If you feel your car needs claying, go ahead with that step. If the paint needs polishing to remove swirls or other defects, do that. Follow up with a few coats of Z2 or Z5 (or both) and you'll be set for another few months.
White cotten Towels, Micro Fiber ??
Could You guys recommend A Good quality Wash mit & Micro Fiber Cloth that WONT Cause Scratches & Swirls.
Thanks.
1. I prefer microfiber towels. I have relegated all my cotton terry towels to "dirty duty"; wheels, doorjambs, underhood, etc.
2. For washing I prefer 100% cotton chenille wash mitts. I like the mitts made by Viking Car Care. Most parts stores sell mitts made of cotton and polyester. The only parts store I know of that sells 100% cotton mitts are O'Reillys and NAPA. Of course you can find them easily online.
For drying and polishing, there are many high quality microfiber vendors on the internet. I've been buying from Waynestowels.com as of late, but other excellent sources are properautocare.com, pakshak.com and autofiber.com.
Tks.
Try a dap of gasoline on a towel and dab at it, this will remove it, if its tar, then apply a fresh coat of wax over the entire area.
Tar should come off with a petroleum-based solvent or cleaner. Mineral spirits, gas, tar remover, etc are all basically the same thing. If that stuff doesn't work, keep trying other cleaners. I have on hand: Acetone, mineral spirits, MEK, Simple Green, Goo Gone, PrepSol (wax and silicone remover), and brake cleaner. For me, DEFCON ONE is brake cleaner. If that doesn't work, I'm usually stumped. I guess an acid-based decontamination wash would work.
Hard to say but for now I'd stick with the household products and remedies and see how they go.
Secondly, I have been reading this forum a little at a time and am a little confused about what to put on the windows. I cleaned with Sprayway, then put (plain) Z2 on followed by Z6. I did not put Z6 on my wipers, but will in the future. This car is new, so the glass is OK. However, the windshield on my old car looked like it had sugar sprinkled over it when the sun shown in. I am not exactly sure what caused this, and don't think that I would be able to avoid it happening to my new car, but is there something that "fills in" those little dings? I'm not familiar with any "polishes" (like wax for glass??), and like I said, I only used Z2 on it so far. Any ideas?
Oh, one more thing. I have Z2 that is almost six years old. It is still liquidy, and mixes with itself well. I know that the website says that it is only good for two years. Has anyone else used such old stuff? I thought that I might use that as the Z2 for my windshield...
I'm no help on the glass. Have never tried Z2 and/or Z6 on the windows. I just use Sprayway and sometimes RainX.
Z2 will help repel water, making it act like Rain-X. But it won't help reduce road rash and abrasions. Honestly, the best thing to do is regularly clean the glass in and out. Use a good quality glass cleaner and a dedicated microfiber towel and you'll be good to go.
A bit of organic (carbon-based) chemistry: Any organic molecuIe (eg, acetone), as well as any organic "mixture" (eg, tar) has a characteristic "solubility", and solubility is fundamentally based on the electrochemical property of "polarity". In general, highly nonpolar ("greasy") molecules and compounds will not be dissolved by highly polar solvents such as water. Likewise, highly polar molecules or compounds (eg, salt) will not be dissolved by nonpolar substances such as cooking oil. This electrochemical concept of "like dissolves like" explains why, for example, fingernail polish is easily removed with acetone, but not by water (which is very polar).
Conventional "soaps" are typically mixtures of organic molecules with polar "head groups" attached to long, "greasy" carbon "tails". Because soaps combine the electrochemical features of both polar and nonpolar compounds, they are often effective in dissolving many substances through the process of "saponification".
If you think of complex organic molecules as consisting of beads of carbon atoms arranged in a wide array of lengths and shapes, then you can imagine how road tar is a highly complex mixture of various long-chain, branched-chain, and cyclic (ring shaped) organic molecules, most of which are rather "greasy" or nonpolar. Gasoline will indeed attack and dissolve the tar on your vehicle because of its properties as a nonpolar organic solvent, but it is also highly flammable, and it may attack your vehicle's finish. (And, by itself, rubbing alcohol is a bit too polar to easily remove road tar, and it may dull the clearcoat, not to mention being flammable as well.)
Would this be a problem?
I would guess no.
The only disadvantage is- Pep Boys sell the Mothers clay bar as a package so I ended up paying $14.00 for one clay bar with some other product that I dont need.
My wife's Accord is like a mirror-she has the Grey Pearl and that color really brings out the ulimate Zaino shine.
Does the Z product for tires keep them from turning brown?
Every tire dressing I've tried so far turns my tires brown (or tan) after a few weeks.
It doesn't effect my next dressing, but sure doesn't look very good after a week or so.
Any suggestions, other than a new application each week?? :sick:
Thanks.
Thanks for your help.
Z5 is used to remove swirls. I would ony use ZFX with the first coat whether that is Z5 or Z2 is up to you. When I wash I use Z7.
As far as the frequency of application, it depends on many factors. The best advice I can give is to reapply when necessary. If you park in a garage, it will be less often than when you park outside. Also, it depends on how many coats you apply.
Hope this helps.
Use Z-5 to minimize the impact of the swirls (it doesn't really hide or fill them - you need Z-PC or to wetsand the car, but I wouldn't think you'd have bad swirls where you'd need that on a new car - if you did, I'd make the dealer fix it :-). I'd use the Z-5 until you were satisfied, then switch over to Z-2 for its great gloss and shine properties.
I happen to use/mix ZFX with everything, but when I get to apply Zaino is hit-and-miss (may do a marathon weekend, then nothing but washes for 3 months). I try to get a layer of between 6 and 12 coats on a car in spring/in fall. Might add one or two during the year if I can. Don't forget to use the Z-6 gloss enhancer - it really does help bring up and out the shine (and you can use it on glass to help get the "Rain-X effect"). It's also useful to spray a little Z-6 onto your applicator to keep the Z-2/ZFX or Z-5/ZFX from soaking into it.
Yes, by all means, always use the Z-7. I just washed a friend's new IS350 with Z-7 wash only (no time to get it clayed, so I didn't do the Dawn Wash) and it's amazing how much it brought up the shine. Did the same on the wife's Envoy this past weekend (no Zaino applied since we got it last fall, *sigh*, maybe this weekend).
--Robert
Z5 has slight swirl filling ability (Z2 does not) so if your car has swirls, either remove them first (best idea) or use several coats of Z5 to fill them. Then use Z2 as a final protective coat.
Z7 has some of the same polymers as Z2 and Z5 so its a perfect compliment to the Zaino system. Same with Z6. You can use other shampoos and detail sprays, but only Zaino's products have the reinforcing polymers that enhance what is already applied to the car.
If you are currently using glazes and waxes, or products that fill very well, and are happy with the results, I say keep using them. With black paint, it's almost impossible to get it looking perfect and keeping it there. I've owned several black cars so I feel that pain. For many years I was a "glaze and wax" guy because that combo did the best job on black and other dark colors. Now I'm more interested in gloss and durability so I've stopped using waxes and moved into sealants like Zaino.
After applying many coats Z5 and Z2, does the swirling process stop since you are covering the clear coat with the Zaino protectant? Seems to me that would be the case since you are building layers of protection....
Z5 can only do so much but the more serious swirls will have to be removed by a polish if you want them gone. The goal should be to polish your paint to a very high level, then use a product to protect your hard work. Zaino excels at this.
Zaino is not stronger or more durable than an automotive clearcoat. Zaino can easily be removed with an abrasive paint polish or solvent like naptha or similar product. It is not like a suit of armor. Think of Zaino as more like a chain link fence, pulled very tightly across the paint. The chain link is chemically bonded to the paint but it's also flexible so it expands and contracts as the paint heats and cools. By comparison, a wax seals off the paint but is not flexible. Think of dipping your hand in hot wax and letting it dry. If you move your hand, what happens to the wax? This effect does not happen with Zaino.
I've seen the condition where very light swirls were in the Zaino coat and not the paint. This is very hard to see but it's happened to me. Using clean soft applicators and towels is the key to minimizing light marring in the sealant coat.
About the most Zaino you can apply to paint is 3-4 coats. After that the law of diminishing returns applies.
Hope all this helps. It's a good discussion to have.
It is known that you are the resident "detail guru" and I would like your input on my situation.
Profile:
Age 50
Anal Detail person
2004 Toyota 4Runner - Titanium (SP)Metallic.
I have been using the Zaino system: ie, wash, clay, wash
Z2,Z6,Z2,Z6 for 2 years with this car. Always by hand and with microfiber towels.
This past Thanksgiving, I had the time to do the above treatment with great results. My problem is that doing it by hand has taken a toll over the years on shoulders and elbows.
You have recommended the PC 7224 or 7336 buffers. I am considering a purchase of this buffer. However; I'm not sure on the type of pads or bonnets while using "Z" products.
I have used sanders/buffers (all they had at the time) from CIRCA 1972 with burned paint on my Corvette.
Could you give me a direciton in the type of PC I should use with pads, or should I keep doing it by hand.
Thanks for your input.
Mike
When using a PC to apply Zaino, its best to use the softest foam pads available, just as if you were applying a liquid wax. Most suppliers sell a "finishing pad" or "glazing pad" designed to be used when no polishing action is desired. Here is a nice chart outlining pad types: http://www.properautocare.com/dufopadcoch.html
What I'd recommend for starters is a kit that includes the machine, a velcro backing plate and a selection of pads. One nice kit can be seen here: http://www.properautocare.com/74uldemawico.html
There is lots to read about the PC and the various pads and products you can use it with. If you are still researching, have a look at the info at this link: http://www.properautocare.com/porcabpolac.html
This is the best PC "primer" I've ever read. It will probably answer all your questions about the machine and its use. The article is 3 years old so some of the pad and product recommendations are a bit dated, but the core information is spot on: http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1
I hope all this info helps. Feel free to hit us with any questions you have.
Thanks for your reply. Lots of good info to consider.
It sounds like this is what I need to take some of the effort out.
Mike
I zaino my vehicles about once a month in the temperate months and skip winter. So about 6-7 times per year.