Zaino Car Care Experiences

joe166

Polyglycoat was one of, if not the first polymer on the market. It was originally sold only through new car dealers. At one time, I toured a factory that was being built in Puerto Rico to make it. It worked fine, but it was not a miracle. The hook was that it originally cost a whole lot of money and was sold with a paint fade, and peel guarantee. The further hook was that it required periodic re-application. If you maintained the car as it was suggested, you probably could have done well with any brand. I don't even know if it is still available, but it was not just in Arizona, it was big in the southeast, being distributed by the Toyota distributor for the SE USA.

fastdriver

cdnpinhead-

I believe that my 1987 T-Bird had Polyglycoat on it. I probably STILL have the "stuff" in my basement! LOL.... I remember that it did come with some other products that had to be applied from time to time to keep up the shine. As far as I know, it's no longer around. Dealers in CT used it too.

fastdriver

pblevine

Shades of old. I remember the term, but I don't know anyone who ever used it. And I doubt its still available.

graphicguy

AAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Warning....I'm probably going to offend some people with the following post.

Went to the mall yesterday, when what can best be described as a half blind octogenerian lunatic in a 15 year old Buick hits me. She was racing to get to my parking spot nearest the front door to the mall as I was pulling out. Even though she was easily 150 yards from me as I was backing out of my parking spot, she gunned it to make sure that no one else would get the spot. She scrapes my bumper in the process. She claims that she didn't notice me pulling out. Hell, I bet she hit 35 in the parking lot just to get to my space. I was 3/4 of the way out of the space and she was going so fast, she overshot my parking space and grazed me in the process.

Fortunately, the only thing left on my car was a bunch of oxidized paint on my bumper, it's going to take some work getting it off. No body damage on my car.

Question is, has anyone used clay to get something like this off? It appears to be on the surface only. It certainly won't rub right off, though. Any suggestions? I'm trying to stay away from a polish pad or rubbing compound. Damn, I had just Z2'd it earlier in the day and my car was looking "oh, so fine"!

To make matters worse, it was on private (mall) property so no insurance will be involved.

daverose

Clay should remove the contact paint that you describe.

Why does the fact that the accident took place on private property preclude you from collecting for damage done to your property from the person at fault? Their actions may not be ticketable, but whether a person is issued a citation or not should not matter for insurance purposes. You may even be doing the rest of the driving world a favor by collecting on this driver's insurance and possibly making it too expensive for them to continue to drive. Taking away someone's instrument of independence and mobility, their car, seems tough, but recall that one person's rights end where someone else's begin. The self-centered recklessness you describe sounds like it needs to be addressed.

graphicguy

Thanks! I've only used clay for removal of some tar and bugs....never "contact paint" It looks ground into my finish pretty good, but I'll give it a shot.

I did call the police and they showed up to the scene. The lady claimed I backed into her. Of course, no one was in the parking lot that actually saw the accident at the time...ergo, no witnesses. Police officer heard the conflicting stories (and feeling badly for a shaken old lady). She certainly wasn't confused or "shaken" when she hit the gas to get my parking spot. She turned on the "feeble old lady bit" just as the cop approached us.

Long and short of it, my insurance takes care of me (which I won't claim) and her insurance takes care of her...no fault was declared. I argued with the cop. His response "...c'mon, she's just an old woman, probably on a fixed income and you can get your car buffed out. There isn't even a dent!". Those were his exact words. Of course, when the cop declared "no fault" she made sure not to hang around while I was telling my side of the story.

pblevine

Man, I know the feeling. Still, I think Daverose has a valid point here: Your insurance agent will be able to tell you the best possible course of action, and/or they may wish to sue the old lady. Hey, I feel for old folks. But if you're going to drive, then the rules of the road and common sense will still apply. As daverose says: "The self-centered recklessness you describe sounds like it needs to be addressed."

I think you should attempt to remove the paint streaks via clay. You might wish to first use some gas as a solvent to dissolve the paint and the underlying Z2 layers. Since the paint (according to your description) may be 'embedded' in the Z2 layer, it has to be removed. Then see if the clay does any good. If it does work, then all you'll have to do is to re-apply Z1/Z2 again.
If not (ie: the damage goes down through the paint layers), then you may need a small paint job. In that case, make sure the old lady pays for it.

notm

Hey folks, back in the poop. I just washed(only Z7) my car(2000 black accord) and there was a 2 in. diameter bird dropping on my trunk. Because I was on vacation, the dropping could have been there 10-12 days. While drying that area, the light caught a blemish, where the poop was, it is slightly raised. I used a little Z6 to see if it would remove the raised blemish. It looks like it's under the paint . But I hope it is only under the Z2. The car has 2 layers of Z6 and one layer of Z2.

I want to remove the Z (in that area{trunk}) How?

I've seen bird poop stories here and searched but didn't find any similar situations immediately. Got any tips? Thanks.
Norton

pjyoung

Why not e-mail Sal Zaino - he's pretty sharp when it comes to this stuff.

fastdriver

notm-

Bird crap is as bad as acid rain! If it sat there for that long, most likely it ate through the clearcoat finish. There is NOTHING on the market to protect against this kind of damage except keeping the car in the garage under a car cover! ;-)))

If you want to remove the Z-2, try alcohol. Then I would clay the area and use several coats of Z-5 applied over as many days followed by Z-2 and Z-6. This may lessen the marked area.

Good luck.

fastdriver

daverose

Try white vinegar, then try clay a few times and then reapply the Zs. If that doesn't work, try 3M Foam Pad Polishing Glaze, or whatever the exact order of words form the product name. I bought some for some light oxidation I had on my 1987 Burgundy Dodge Caravan. It took a lot of elbow grease to remove the oxidation; if the stuff has abrasives, it must be very fine because I saw no scratches, but got the gleam/gloss back. I lucked out because when I bought the 3M, I didn't notice that it said for dark colors; I might have gotten one for light colors, if there is one, without knowing it.

Gischpel

My father brushed up against a parking lot rail recently that left a few paint streaks. I used a combination of clay first and then NuFunish liquid to remove them. I think the very mild abrasives/cleaner in the NuFinish made a huge difference in the end result.

He, too, did not want to go the rubbing compound route. Unfortunately for him, the crease in the metal could not be rubbed out...

Best of luck,

Terry

daverose

gischpel

Is your father looking into paintless dent removal? From what I've read about it, one should try that route before going the traditional one; they use innovative tools and techniques that remove, rather cover over, dents.

tiltboy

I have some old wax build-up that is on the wiper arms. It is a flat black powdercoat type of finish. I tried washing, but the stuff won't come off. I was wondering if using the clay would remove it. Any ideas? Thanks

fastdriver

tiltboy-

You could try it, but I think you would have better luck with Z-6.

fastdriver

daverose

I would try clay, it certainly can't hurt. Nor can Z6. Personally, I use Z3, the non-clearcoat polish, on flat finish wiper arms and on differently-colored surfaces in the engine compartment. I hate the look of wiper arms with flaked paint.

daverose

Sometimes we get caught up in discovering the tiny details of the "ritual" of good car paint care. I obviously did in my last post. Try Dawn as your soap in very hot water to remove the wax from you wiper arm BEFORE you clay, or polish, or wipe down with gloss enhancer.

croy2

After doing the full Zaino treatment including 6 coats of z2 on both my 2000 Honda Accord and 2000 Nissan Frontier Crewcab, the rave reviews keep rolling in. Sal needs to develop some cool "Shine by Zaino" window stickers so that I don't have to keep answering questions from Gawkers.

I had my Nissan truck at the dealer yesterday for an oil change, and I made it clear to the service manager that I did not want the compimentary "wash job" (i.e. swirl and scratch job). The service manager took one look at the truck and he wanted to know what wax I used. I explained the whole Zaino story to him, and he could not believe the shine. I think that he was worried that other customers who paid $299 for their dealer applied "miracle wax" would be jealous.

Time to reorder some more z2, z6, and z7. I'll mention the sticker idea to Sal (as if he needs any more business!). Shine on fellow Zaino brothers.

marcus216

I have been using Zaino for the past 8 months or so. Previously, I was a carnuba wax fanatic. Top quality Carnuba always gave a fabulous shine, but the protectioin lasted only about a month. After viewing the posts on this site, I gave Zaino a try, the whole thing, clay, Z7 wash, Z5, Z2, Z6. While the Zaino shine is excellent, IMHO, it is not that much better than top of the line carnuba. Where Zaino stands out is durability. It justs lasts forever. With just one coat of Z5 last winter, the finish on my 300M was beading water after 3 months of winter salt as if I had waxed it that day. I currently have 4 coats on both my vehicles and I am convinced there is no better protection available for a vehicle finish. It is easy to apply and remove and unlike wax products, you can apply mulitple coats without removing the underneath coats. I am addicted to Zaino!!!!

mbdriver

I've had a new 2000 Mercedes E320 for three months and started with Zaino just after delivery. Did Dawn, Z-1, Z-2 and Z-6 (no clay). Used Z-7 for a wash several weeks later, and the water beaded well all over the car.

Since then, I have NOT washed the car. Instead, every week I use water to remove the famous Mercedes brake dust from the wheels and reapply RainX Wheel Protectant after they're dry. Next, I use Z-6 and on several occasions reapplied Z-2. The car is garaged and it looks absolutely great all the time. I've finally achieved the "wet look" in the brilliant silver finish. Rainstorms don't affect the finish -- the water and dirt just roll off.

This morning I almost washed the car, but found that the Z-6 worked better. There was no visible dirt on it. The trick, of course, is to keep the car clean and not let a build-up of dirt accumulate.

pblevine

mbdriver: You should be a bit carefull with your use of Z-6. If you rinse down the finish or dust lightly before applying Z-6, you'll be OK. But if you apply Z-6 on top of a layer of dust (even very fine dust), chances are that you may create some (light) swirl marks. The dust may contain metallic particals which could cause the swirls as you rub them across your finish. I know.

Wiper Blades: a few post back someone mentioned using clay on the wiper blades. I've unfortunately had some bad experiences with Z-6 on my wiper blades. The rubber used on some of these blades is NOT the world's best. The oxidize quickly. After trying the 'fastdriver & graphicguy' conception of using Z-6 on my windshield (which DOES work), I went nuts and applied Z-6 on my wiper blades too. Bad idea. As the blades oxidize, tiny bits tend to fall off, and the result is those damn smear marks when using the wipers in light rain. The solution is to: 1. Replace worn blades as soon as possible, and 2. Really clean such blades on a regular basis. Dawn won't do it. Windex on a paper towel with some good pressure seems to work. But only if you continue to slide it over each blade until ALL of that black residue is COMPLETELY gone.

scsolara

Just bought a 2000 Toyota Solara SE V-6 BLK/BLK.
After reading all the posts, you have me convinced. How do I order. I found the order form, but can I call one in and use a credit card or something? I don't want to take up the time of mailing it in. Thanks.

graphicguy

www.zainobros.com

That's where you want to go.

Unfortunately, Sal doesn't accept credit cards. He will ship out your order as soon as he receives your mailed check.

Welcome Aboard!

mbdriver

Thanks for the tip on use of Z-6. Did you experience a problem with swirls/scratches by not washing or light dusting? The "light dusting" scares me -- I remember all the warnings with wax that dry wipe-downs can scratch the paint. I think I may send Sal Zaino an e-mail and get his take on this.

I actually hate to get water on the car while I'm working on it. It beads up on horizontal surfaces and is a bear to dry. Someone using Zaino Z-7 suggested using a lawn leaf blower as a first step to help dry the car. I figure that if I'm going to get it wet, I may as well use Z-7. But so far, using Z-6 followed occasionally with Z-2, the car looks better than when it was delivered.

Regarding Z-6 on glass, does it really work?

karenb3

I was wondering what causes the "orange peel" look on cars. I only have 2 coats of Zaino on my car, and it looks worse than it did before. Not that the average non-owner would notice. It looks like raindrops have left impressions in the Zaino. What should I do about this???

rubenv

A few questions before I "Z" my car:

When claying the car, do you hold it in the palm of your hand with the wide flat part down or use the edge?

Do you clay the entire car or just the sections that do not feel smooth to the touch?

Is it necessary to spray the applicator with water before applying the Z-1 to it?

pblevine

mbdriver: I once applied Z-6 with an ordinary cloth (not 100% cotton) on an 'undusted' car (mine). When I looked closely, I found these very tiny swirl marks. Sort of like interferrance patterns. Z-5 will cure this problem. But if you can avoid using Z-6 on an undusted car, do so. When I've 'dusted lightly', I didn't create any more of those little swirls. All I did was to gently pass a 100% cotton towel over the surface (ie: no pressure). Since prior layers of Z-6 created a slightly anti-static condition, the dust came off easily. And then my Z-6 application was more effective and left no swirls.

There are all sorts of methods for quickly drying a car, and I'm no expert. I use a wet chamois (sic?) cloth followed by a towel. Seems to work for me.

Regarding the use of Z-6 on glass, Zal does NOT recommend it, but both fastdriver and graphicguy have reported very good results. I tried it and it seemed to work like 'RainX'. But when I also applied Z-6 to the wiper blades, I experienced lots of those momentary smears during the next rain storm.

Karenb3: It depends on what caused the 'orange peel' condition. It could be a defect in the paint job or a dirty surface prior to the Z-1 application. You really should email Sal Zaino on this one. I'd try claying. Tell us more.

Rubenv: First lub an area to be clayed with a Z-7 & water mixture, and then rub the flat area of the clay across that area. I hold the clay in my fingers so that I can apply just a light pressure. You can 'clay' just those sections which you feel require it. But I've found that its just as easy to do the entire car. And I've been surprised by the amount of junk the clay picked up from the 'clean & smooth' sections.

No, you don't HAVE to wet the Z-1 applicator, but You'll just waste some Z-1 (or Z-2 too). I give my applicator pad just a quick spray with Z-6 and work it into the pad before putting Z-1 (& Z-2, Z-5, etc.) on it. This helps two ways, less Z-1 is used, and it makes it easier to apply a light coat.

beauport

For those who "can't wait" for the mail order directly to Sal at Zaino, here is a link to a distributor of Zaino products. I had the complete order in hand two days after calling and they accept cards. Very helpful and friendly.
http://home.bluemarble.net/~dlharden/prodinfo.htm

gnipper

I don't know much about car paint, but orange peel is just part of the effect on some cars and paints. I had a '90 Cougar - had a light Orange peel effect over the whole car.

This may have already been present on your car and you never noticed. After applying the Zaino you paint is much more reflective and you are now noticing something you didn't notice before.

May or may not be true, I don't know, but it could be possible.

Greg

mbdriver

pblevine -

Thanks much for the details of using Z-6. Seems like a worthwhile step to lightly dust with a 100% cotton towel prior to Z-6. I'll do it from now on!

karenb3 and gnipper -

I agree that the Zaino probably made the paint more reflective and showed the orange peel effect that previously wasn't apparent. I had a similar experience on my wife's '77 Mercedes 300D with light ivory paint. The car is garaged, has only 95,000 miles and looks great -- before and after Zaino. But the small touch-up paint spots I had applied over the years to cover door dings blended in pretty well before I used Zaino. But after using Dawn and Z-1, followed by about 5 coats of Z-5 and then 2 or 3 of Z-3, the door dings with touch-up paint are now darker spots on a very brilliant light ivory background. It irritated my wife no end, but the rest of the car looks fantastic.

graphicguy

You'll find "orange peel" on just about every car due to the way the paint is applied at the factory. It is robotically sprayed on in very precise amounts. I've actually seen this done.

Pretty impressive to see a bunch of robotic arms waving all over the surface of a car spraying paint. Even though the painting procedure is very precise, as it dries, you will find minute areas that have microscopically more paint applied than an adjacent area. This is what gives the "orange peel" look. Over the years, the painting procedures have gotten more and more precise, but not the the point that they've been able to totally eliminate orange peel.

Unless you do a custom paint job, with many sanding, buffing, painting steps (very expensive), it would be impossible to get rid of orange peel in a mass production environment.

padua

Can anyone give me feedback on either of these drying products. I appreciate any reviews or reccomendations.

croy2

I have used an Absorber to dry my cars for the past 10 years. They work great, and you can throw them into the washer if they get dirty. I used to use a natural chamois, but they seem to cause a lot of friction and removal of wax. I have an older absorber that I used only for dusting the dashboard and interior. As long as you store them in their plastic tube, they will remain pliable and soft.

I bought a California Water Blade Squeegee at Costo recently for $12, and I have found it very useful. I have a Nissan Crew cab truck with a fiberglass tonneau cover, and the water blade makes quick work of removing the water from all of the flat surfaces and windows. The silcone blade is very soft, and it will not scratch a clean car. I do not think that this device can be used to dry the entire car as the ads indicate, but it gets 75% of the heavily beaded (zaino) rinse water of the car in only a few minutes. I then go back with the absorber for a final drying.

joe166

I have found the squeegee to be extremely useful. One caveat, which might be entirely off base. When I use it, if I do not do a quick z-7 (or whatever that number is for the waterless touch up) I find that the beading of water is very much diminished. I posited the question a couple of months ago as to whether anyone had the experience of losing the beading more quickly when going through a storm or when parked under trees with some pollen falling. I then realized that with either of these circumstances, I had hosed the car down to remove either the effect of road water or the pollen and then had dried the car with a combination of the california water blade and towels. The beading came back as soon as I did a z-7 rub down. Maybe that is the answer to my problem since so many people went through a couple of months during the winter, hosed their car down and still had great water beading.

Anyway, I have used the Squeegee for a few months now, and then use either a towel or the "absorber" synthetic chamois. I find the chamois to be "nicer", but since it is smaller, it is slightly more work. I just like the feel of it and it seems to be more scratch free than even a cotton towel. You pay your money and you take your choice. Both are good products and you are not talking about the national debt. Buy them both and try them out. You may end up using both as I do. Once the water blade gets it down to isolated drops, the absorber gets them all off in a jiffy.

ware

Next time you wash your car, do the final rinse with the nozzle removed from the hose. Sweep the hose slowly side-to-side a few inches above and horizontal to the car's surface. With Z on the car, the water sheets off very nicely. The end result is only about half the amount of water is left on the surface to dry (which greatly cuts down drying time) versus using the nozzle which splatters the water all over and leaves a lot more water to mop up.

nojalopy

I've used the Absorber on my new Yukon, based on recommendations from these message boards. I'm very satisfied with the results. Haven't washed them yet. I just hang them to dry, and moisten them with the hose prior to next use.

Of course, I also have my 100%, made in USA, Fieldcrest bath towels!!

Gischpel

No, my father is planning to live with his mistake. It is more of a crease in the metal than a dent, so he is reluctant to try anything in fear of making it worse. I suggested we look into something like you suggested as I have heard good things, but it is his call...

Terry

graphicguy

For those that are new here, I had someone back into my car. No dents, but there was plenty of "the other car's" paint ground into my finish.

Clayed and clayed and clayed, but couldn't get the "offending" paint off my finish. Finally, used a product that I bought at a car show a few years ago. It comes in a container and is a powder. If I remeber correctly, it was used to remove light scratches from the finish. I remember the demonstration looked good, but I had never tried it. Well, you are supposed to mix a small amount of the "powder" with a little water to make a paste. You then run it on your finish to remove contaminants from your finish. It took some time and patience (using very little pressure to remove the offending paint, but it worked. Doesn't look like "the paste" scratched the clearcoat. The container said the powder contained some carnuba and other "safe" cleaning agents.

Anyway, got the "offender's" paint off my finish. I did find that when the other person hit me, they took some of my clearcoat off (it looks like a couple of good size chips and scratches). My question, how to use touch up paint to fill in the sizeable chips and 2" long scratches? I've heard of Langka, but have heard middling results in using the product, also. Any other experiences in using touch up paint? How to apply to get the best results? I don't want to see the big glops of paint that touch up paint typically leaves behind. Even though my car is only 10 months old, I'm wondering if the touch up paint will match?

BTW-I have a 2000 redfire metalic (burgandy). Grand Prix.

rizzo5

Hello all. I'm getting ready to take delivery of my black 2000 Maxima SE this week and was wondering if someone could help me out. I've owned black cars in the past and have just gotten used to all the "spider-webs" and "swirls" in the paint. Basically, I've used store products like Mother's and Meguilar's but have never really been totally satisfied.

This is the first time I've heard anything about the Zaino product line. If I decide to go ahead and order the products, is there any specific period of time after I take delivery that I should use the Zaino system? Thanks for your help. In the meantime, I'm going to try to learn more by going through earlier posts and Zaino's website. Any other words of advice would be helpful with respect to Zaino.

pjyoung

apply it immediately, but tell your dealer to SKIP THE WASH and do it yourself. Dealers are usually the first to scratch the black cars. Z5 should take care of swirl marks...Z2 will make that sonuvagun shine like crazy.

ssn66

I've had a black 2000 Maxima for about seven months now. I read a lot about Zaino, mostly through this messageboard, and have been very impressed with it. While I can see slight spidering when I look at the paint in bright sunlight, it's greatly reduced compared to other black cars I've seen on the road or in parking lots.

I put Zaino on my car about a month after I bought it. There's no way to totally avoid little scratches and spidering but the Z5 helps. Be sure to get the Z6 Gloss Enhancer Spray - that stuff is fabulous! I try to use it after every wash and it really makes the black paint on my Max shine. It also gives the paint surface that smooth, slick feeling. I would also highly recommend using clay on your paint.

SSN

pblevine

Touch Up painting is a 'touchy' subject. I've tried with only VERY limited success. Maybe cantacting Chris Parrish is in order.

mbdriver

I haven't had a black car in decades. I find that it's too frustrating to keep one spotless -- every speck of dust or dirt seems to show. But I'll also admit that a clean, sparkling black finish is gorgeous!

About a week after I took delivery of a brilliant silver Mercedes E320 last April, I did the Dawn wash, Z-1, Z-2 and Z-6. The dealer had detailed the car, but there weren't any scratches or swirl marks on it. Sal Zaino strongly recommended the clay first, even though the car was new. But I elected not to clay and haven't been sorry. I now have about five coats of Z-6 and Z-2 on it, and it looks better than when new. The paint actually has the "wet look."

However, for a new black car, you may want to invest the time and effort and use the Dawn, then clay. I think I'd go that route, knowing you'll probably have to do the tedious job only once. Then, the secret is to keep up with the washes and Z-6, with an occasional coat of Z-2 and/or Z-5. It's almost effortless -- no rubbing or buffing -- just wipe on and wipe off. I'll never use any other product except Zaino again!

daverose

You and ssn66 (Post 255) seemed to skip right over that part of the "ritual" contained in all the Wax and Polish, Store bought waxes, Zaino, and Paint care topics in edmunds.com Town Hall; what you use to apply whatever you're applying is probably the single most important but overlooked factor in the equation: appropriate towels. If you're not using high-quality, name brand, white, 100% cotton (loops and backing, check the label), made in the USA towels, you risk scratching your paint. Even if they say 100% cotton loops and 100% cotton backing, there's still the border stitching and pattern areas that could have the nylon, the polyester, or the blends that can scratch. That's why some choose to cut those borders off. (I'm not one of them, I just keep those areas folded inside the "pad.") Cotton will not scratch; the loops tend to pull any abrasive grit away from the paint, which is why you shouldn't use T-shirts and why I don't use the cloth diapers that I know some do. However, you have to keep your eye out for that grit or sand and remove it with your fingers or insure that you keep rinsing (I wash my car with the recommended towel fabric [hand-sized] wrapped around a sponge.) or turning the towel to minimize the possibility of that grit getting to the paint.

You should wash new towels with liquid laundry soap, NO fabric softener, and rinse twice before you use them; this should minimize lint.

If you do that AND use Z5, ssn66, the spidering and scratches I understand you to be describing should disappear and not return.

graphicguy

I, too have had limited success (I should say failure) with touch up paint.

Either the paint doesn't match or I end up with paint "blobs" on the finish (that look worse than the chips/scratches themselves). Usually it's both.

I've already had my dealer's body shop quote $500 to repaint my bumper. I don't really want to shell out that kind of money. While the chips/scratches are noticeable, they are on the plastic part of the bumper (no risk of rust), you wouldn't see it in passing. If you know where to look, they are quite noticeable, though.

I've heard of some companies that have systems that actually do a good job on small, undented areas of your car. I just can't seem to find them around me.

I don't know where to find Chris P. anymore. Last I heard, he dropped out of the LS1 discussions (but that was months ago).

You know how to reach him?

graphicguy

I agree with daverose.

After owning half dozen black cars over the years, the biggest offenders of spiderwebbing is directly related to the type of towels you use (as well as taking them through automated car washes). Even those hand wash places don't use good quality, 100% cotton towels when washing/drying your car.

Black is the most noticeable color when it comes to swirls/spiderwebs. Although, you really can't eliminate all of them, you can greatly reduce their appearance by using 100% cotton towels and using Z5 on a regular basis.

rizzo5

Thanks to all who responded my post regarding my new black Max SE. After reading through all the posts, I am definitely going to order Zaino. I've always been very particular about my cars (my last car was an absolutely beautiful black Accord), and have always used high quality towels as daverose suggests, but have always had those swirls (probably b/c I haven't been using Zaino ;-)

Just one thing...I know this probably sounds like a really inane question, but I keep reading about washing with "blue Dawn". Have I been living under a rock and not heard about this car wash liquid, or is it simply just the blue dish detergent. (please don't laugh!)

Once again, thanks for your help and advice...I can't wait to use these products!!!

joe166

It is the dishwashing detergent. There are various types, some are "milder" than others but the blue seems to have the most ability to cut grease and that seems to be similar to what is needed to clean off old wax deposits. You don't want to use it to wash your car after you have waxed it unless you want to start over fresh. As I understand it, it will not clean off polymers such as Zaino. That is why it is suggested for use as a first step before the process--to insure a clean base for the Z products.

pblevine

I guess Chris is hard to find. Try calling Sal Z. He might know how to contact Chris, and he might also have some good suggestions.

The method, as I understand it, involves first cleaning the area to be painted, and then building up a few layers of the touch up paint. Cleaning involves getting down to the paint (or if necessary the base metal) level. After cleaning, Chris recommended using a tooth pick to slowly 'paint' a very thin layer using the touch up paint. After drying, continue to build up layers until they're even with the surrounding (original) paint level.

lynne29

When I use touch up paint, I cover the area lightly, then wipe off. Paint comes off the area not needing it and stays on the area to be done. Do this lightly SEVERAL times, let cure, then Zaino to your hearts content!!