Your honor, he called me a "crybaby" in the Edmunds forum
Objection! your honor - he was only responding to being called a "shill" on the SBW board.
Overruled. Proceed with your testimony
Well, your honor, I wanted a shiny car, but I wasn't about to take somebodys' word that "it shines better than anything else I've used". I want specifics. Now, nevermind that I never posted anything to the offending board, asking for real life comparisons...I KNOW that they have some sort of financial stake in the company. No, your honor, I'd rather deal with a company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, if it's sold in stores then I can believe statements like "Meguires Medallion rules!".
Objection your honor...we don't know that the "rules" poster isn't a majority stockholder in Meguires.
Objection sustained - the jury is instructed to disregard the witnesses last statement.
The prosecution rests. The defendant takes the stand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Did you in fact call the plaintiff a "Luddite"?
Yes, your honor, I did. I'd like to change my plea and go ahead and plead guilty as charged. You should throw the book and me, and all the other "jerks". I'd rather be a jerk than a Luddite.
This court accepts your plea of guilty. Say, nice shine on your car, do you use a product sold by a publicly traded company?
No, your honor, it's Zaino...only jerks know about it.
Well, call me a jerk. I sentance you to 3 hours of community service, which you can spend doing a Z1 and Z2 treatment to my car.
Some people are so threatened by changes in their lifestyle that they come over here to harass us! How insecure and immature can you get? Self control? Maturity? Obviously bretfraz doesn't have any. How is it possible to have any respect for someone that acts this way? He's probably still looking up Luddite, poor guy!
AND - PAT455 Yes, it is due to your suggestion next door that I suggested here that we have name change. Thanks for the idea! I REALLY don't mean to start anything, but I was so grateful to find out about Zaino, it has made my life so much easier, that it is unjsut if others cannot find it easily here.
I agree to disagree in a civil manner should I take issue with the statements of another Town Hall participant or any Edmunds.com, Inc. Editor or content contributor. I understand that civility and respect underlie the success of an on-line community such as Town Hall.
Just as I asked the other group to do, please get back on topic. Give Bruce and me the time we need to figure out what we are going to do.
Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
pjyoung- that was probably me WAY back talking about the multiple coats. It's so easy that it can be accomplished in 45 minutes or so. I never clayed my car and I think it looks great! Imagine what it would look like if I did clay it. ;-))
automophile- I THINK IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER TRIP WITH NO COMPUTER ACCESS! :-))))))))))) I like the topic- "Why I stopped waxing my car and switched to Zaino polish." because Zaino is a polish and NOT a wax. Putting wax in the topic will confuse people and make them think that it's like everything else. We ALL know that's not the case!
This Free Internet thing is great. I'm in New Hampshire surfing for FREE! Dialed a local number and that's it! The only downside so far is the annoying little rectangular ad banner on the screen. There must be someway to get rid of it. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out on the PowerBook.
Pat, I know you guys will figure out a way to get it done -- my suggestion for the Zaino board would be something like "Zaino, a wax alternative". Not "in your face" to the SBW people, factual, gets hit on a "wax" search.
The weather was only moderately miserable this morning, so I bit the bullet, pulled the car out into the driveway, and began the ceremony.
One of the more useful outcomes of the day was the establishment (this is a new car) of the "standard work" of going over this particular vehicle--since the Zaino stuff doesn't haze nearly as noticeably as wax (especially the Z1), it's worthwhile to have a specific order for going over the car. Anyway, after the seven trips around the car (Dawn, clay, Z7, dry, Z1, Z2, buff), I've got the routine down pretty well.
As for the time involved. When I was still undecided about going through all this, one of the folks on this board pointed out that after the initial application was made, one of the major benefits was how little time needed to be spent in the future. I bought the concept, and it's quite apparent that the Z1 & Z2 trips around the car go way faster than the washing, and way, way faster than the claying. In any event, what I'm looking forward to now (hopefully a few weeks in the future, when the car's dirty again) is a fairly quick wash w/ Z7, rinse, dry, and maybe a shot of Z6. Based on what I saw today, that isn't going to take very long. The whole job probably took about 3.5 or 4 hours (not counting drying time). I'm sure I could have been more careful in some areas, and it's not an especially large car (Lincoln LS), but overall I was pretty satisfied. Things were looking better enough as I went that it wasn't tedious.
Claying -- now this was interesting. I didn't really get much off the car, so I have to assume it was fairly well protected during shipment, and the desert climate here may not have the number of impurities in the air that there are elsewhere. I was able to pull off some crud on the areas behind the wheels, and a few other places, but all-in-all, I'm not sure it was worth the effort. The product, however, is great. After I got the hang of using it, I went over to the minivan, which has had tar on it for months (which has resisted everything else), and the clay pulled it right off -- fair amount of elbow grease required, but good progress and a clean result at the end. Also was able to do about a 6" square on the hood that had "mystery spots" all over, once again that had responded to nothing else. The clay made them go away, once again with a fair amount of rubbing. The stuff's good, but I'm (as I said before) not entirely convinced it's worthwhile on a brand new car. Of course, you'll never know till you do it -- the stuff it pulls off is right there to see (or not). Probably the most frustrating event of the day was trying to get the cellophane (or whatever) off the clay so I could use it. The clay wanted to hang on to that plastic just as hard as it later hung onto the crud. Anyone else had that problem, or figure out how to deal with it?
Now, how does it look? Good. Really good. Better than a standard wax job? Not that I can tell, but then again, I've only got one coat of Z2 on. I'll put another one on tomorrow, and that'll probably be it for now. If my Miata that came with Polyglycoat is any example, the big feature is going to be ease of maintenance. Was it worth it? Would I do it again? Yup.
Congratulations! The hard part is done. The rest is a piece of cake. Not sure what color your car is, but you will see a difference with more coats of Z-2/Z-6. I never clayed mine because I didn't know about clay then. My car looks great.
You won't believe what it looks like after a rainstorm. It'll look like you just washed it.
retiredjeff - That is a very thoughtful title. I hope we can come up with more, and one can be adopted.
I hope you all know I'mm not trying to start a battle, but just can't understand why someone would be so closed-minded to something new to freak out at even the mention. ??? I have had a couple of nice emails with brefraz to try to understand each other.
cdnpinhead - The plastic IS a problem, isn't it! I also was not too impressed after the first coat. But after the second - WOWEE!
fastdriver - Off on another Holiday trip? Trying to get the max mileage out of Christine before she goes back? LOL! Enjoy, and send some nice digiphotos of beautiful NH.
Once you get a couple of Z-2 coats on, use that Z-6 after your washes. Don't know how it does it, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how the car looks after driving through a rainstorm -- after a night in the garage to air dry, my car (silver color) has no rainspots, dirt or dirtspots or anything on it. Almost like it just got washed, and I don't recall getting the same results with my dark grey BMW that got wax (always looked pretty bad, especially along the sides where tires threw stuff in a rainstorm, and needed a wash). Wonder if any dark color car owners have the same experience as I get with my silver car?
#484 Another thing that is hard to quantify is that Zaino products z-2,z-5.z-6 and z-7, tend to conspire to repeal dust and to a lesser extent dirt, than say the other products which are definite magnets of the same.
Well guys what can I say except it is done, and my first impressions wow, wow, did I say wow yet. Let me see if I can give you the long and short of it, first since I have an extra car I planned to take my time and keep my car [2-month old ’01 Acura CL Silver] in the garage until the job was completed. My main reason being that I did not want to get too tired, and start getting sloppy, ok call me a bit picky, anal, etc. etc.
Started Thu. evening, did the dawn strip and claying. Next morning very early, did the second dawn wash and then got the Z-1 and the Z-2 on by 9am. I then let that set all day until about 7:30. I personally was uncertain if I had applied the rights of Z-1 & Z-2, and let it dry/haze properly. Buffed off the Z-2 and apply Z-6, l(o)(o)king real good now!! Not that I needed to but, I went ahead and did a Z-9 & Z-10 leather treatment, boy that’s great smelling stuff.
I let that set for 24 hours, and then did a Z-6 followed by put on another coat of Z-2 and let that set for 2 hours. Buffed that off and Z-6 again. Seems like with each step it keeps gets easier and easier. My car is so slick now that on my slight incline driveway, a towel will slide right off the trunk, that’s good right? And my car looks so dang good right now, I don’t know whether drive-it or just keep-it in the garage out of harms way and stare at it all day. ;o) Hope I did-it and got-it right?
Going into this project, I knew full well that light colored cars don’t have quite the same visual impact as the darker blues, reds and blacks. But it appears to be TONS better than before, but the real test for me is going to be how it holds up over the long haul [i.e. dust, washes, beading etc, etc.] I plan to get a least one maybe two more coats of Z-2 on before the winter.
Speaking of winter what do you guys do during the winter months when it too cold to do the proper Z-7 cleaning? In the past I will use the hand-spray wash bays and towel dry. Granted this may not the best option, but it is better than letting the gunk stay on your car right? Open for any good suggestions.
My Final Thoughts:: (1) That Dawn dishwashing soap is some mean stuff, I hope your average Joe is aware of the damage it can cause to your vehicles , I wasn’t. (2) Was not sure about claying before hand but I am glad I did it, at least for my own peace-of-mind, and it was not as hard as I thought it would be. (3) The initial ”Z” applications is a little bit of up-front work, but the pay-off seems to come in the long-run i.e. regular washing and Z-2 / Z-6 become a chinch. (4) Well I guess I’m a “Z-” convert, I think I just paid my dues. )))
[[sorry for the long post, hope you didn’t mind]].
Well, anything over 32 degrees is a hand wash with Z7 opportunity. It's not fun, but it can be done! Seriously, My white car went for a few weeks during the winter when it was too cold to wash it. Snow, slush, road salt, etc. was in abundance, although the really odd part was that my hood, roof and trunk seemed to stay remarkably clean (the sides on the other hand were, um, nasty). Still, when the weather "warmed" to the balmy low 40's one weekend, I went ahead and did the Z7 thing. I tried my first "endurance" test during the first 3 months of the year. During the third month, I finally Z'd it again, but it was still beading and shining. I think you're going to be very pleased. To paraphrase a person who makes cars shiney for a living "Zaino Rules!!!".
Had planned to Z1/Z2 my new car this weekend but can not find the time to do it right, so this week for sure. What I did do was wash my car w/Z-7 and used Z-16 on the tires. I had (unfortunately had to use Z-9 and 10 on so spots on the interior leather. I can tell you that I am pleased w/all the products that I have used. My car is white and I can tell that it needs the Z-1/2 treatment, but even w/ the Z-7 today, there were no water spots and the paint had a definite shine. Here are my questions - what do you use to clean the front grill and the interior woodgrain? Secondly, post #486 igriff mentioned that Dawn was "some mean stuff" and hoped that the average Joe was aware of the damage that could be caused to your vehicle. Well, I am the average Jane and am now concerned about using Dawn before I Z1/Z2. Any help/comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
I cannot imagine what jgriff means by " ...damage that could be caused to your vehicle ..." by blue Dawn. I've had folks comment that the Dawn tore up their hands, but not their vehicle's paint. If he believed there was some risk, I would have appreciated hearing what he did to minimize/avoid that risk.
To me there are two imperatives to car paint care; use the right towels and watch out for abrasives, either in the products you use or that are on or somehow introduced onto the paint. You CAN use Zaino like any other wax or polish; your results will almost certainly be better. All the hints that folks pass on is to get the best results possible. Regardless of brand protectant you use, the recommend towels, claying, drying, front-to-back strokes on horizontal surfaces and vertical strokes on vertical surfaces are really brand-name independent. The only brand-specific hint about using Zaino is: use it VERY SPARINGLY.
It's funny you mention getting only a Z7 wash done. If money and/or a supply of other products were a problem to a person, that's the one product I would recommend they get: it cleans well and will introduce UV protectant onto their vehicle's surface. Where else would they get UV protection designed into a product?
If time is a problem; do a section at a time, as you seemed to have reasoned for yourself. You won't suffer a personal case of "wax on, wax off" fatigue, like the Karate Kid.
I'll bet that when you see the result, you will kick yourself for any time you lost hesitating.
This will be a good week to get it all done. My white car looks great, and like jgriff above - a towel will slide right off!
The Dawn strips off all your old wax, and some say it strips "oils" out of the paint. However, once in a while before waxing is no problem. I'm sure what was meant above was directed at people that use it all the time to wash their cars. BIG No-No!
You should be able to clean your grill with the Z-7 easily. Be sure to Z-1 Z-2 it and nothing will stick.
For nearly everything inside your car - plastic, vinyl, wood, chrome and leather - use Lemon Pledge - really! It has a nice look, won't build up, cleans as it shines, and smells good. Spray a little on a clean cloth and buff. Note - It does not replace 1 -2x a year with a good leather treatment.
In addition to the above mentioned towel sliding off the car, I have slipped and fallen while having a towel in my hand and being in an awkward position while leaning on the car and slid right off! LOL......... Definitely a sight to see ala America's Funniest Home Video!!
As for using Zaino Z-1/Z-2/Z-5 on any outside plastic trim, do not use it on any textured plastic areas. If they are smooth, no problem, but a no-no for textured areas. However, Z-6 is fine for those areas.
Yes, as automophile pointed out, on a regular basis using Dawn or some other dishwashing soaps on a with the same type of grease cutting properties can be very damaging to ones car. It would be like using Head&Shoulder dandruff shampoo on a baby, waaaaay too harsh.
I find the Pledge can be used by itself as a cleaner and protectant, but occasionly use a separate protectant such as Lexol for the leather - 1 or 2X per year. For the rest the Pledge is amazing. I have been using it for more than 20 years with no negative results.
I got the Ziano product for almost a month. I was dragging my feet in getting the polish on the big truck. Mainly because of the size of the truck and the multiple steps. Finally, I get it done on my truck on this long weekend. I did it on a vacation. (Well, it is only a visit to my in-law 200 miles away). I am glad I get it done. The result is awesome. It took me about eight hours. I have to use a ladder or standing tiptoe on the wheel in order to get to the top of the truck.
I started at noon on Sunday. I Dawn, dry, clay, z7, dry, z1, z2,...3hrs... buff and finally z6. Claying the vehicle is much easier than I thought. The vehicle is silky smooth after claying. It removes the impurities that are not removal by Dawn wash. I highly recommend doing the clay.
The most difficult part of the whole process is DRYING the vehicle, especially the top of my suburban. Applying and removing the polish (z1, z2) are MUCH MUCH easier than doing wax.
When I got home yesterday afternoon, I simply hose all the bugs off the front. I drove around the neighborhood and most of the water went away. It is much easier to dry the big monster with Zanio on.
Thanks for all the info here. I am going to do my Maxima after work today. It should be much easier.
#500 I can feel your pain of having to do a truck with a lot of surface area!! I have to mentally psyche myself up to do any one of 4-5 TLC's!
One of the things you alluded to is of neat benefit; I have gone from a "MUST" wash of every two weeks to one month. I know this is not scientific, but is based on how the trucks looks at two weeks and one month.
I have also gone from a 1.5 mo waxing (full Meguairs treatment, to 6 mo "Z" cycle.) All conditions are the same, except for switching to the "Z" treatment.
I enjoy NOT having to wash, dry, wax/zaino as much as before when I didn't use ZAINO. To quantify it: 2 to 4 times LESS effort. (X 4)
I have to confess however, that "adventures in advance janitorial services" does not get my adrenaline going, but I do like the look of a freshly Zaino'ed vehicle in the morning!
I Z-ed my 2000 Sub at the beginning of summer and have been extremely satisfied. Yes--I'm the nutcase who Zaino-ed the wheel wells also. Z-5 made the somewhat stealthy Pewter come alive--hope to have time soon to redo the Z-5 and add Z-2.Also did a BMW 5-series in July which got a lot of comments from buyers when put up for sale. No doubt helped get top $$$. For the Sub poster--try The Absorber for drying. It is much more efficient than towels and is very portable. Also get a squeege, maybe 6", for drying the windows. Wipe down then use Absorber. Just bought new BMW 540i in black. Any tips or concerns with German paint or black paint? Lastly, a confession. While devoted Zaino-head, I do not buy into the clay. Used it several times over the years when I was a Meguiars regular.I don't like the posibility of a significant piece of foreign (read:abrasive) matter getting into it unaware. Too abrasive and gritty for me. I use 3M Imperial Glaze or Meguiars 7 to get to the perfect surface preparation---Then it's Z time!!
Don't worry about using Zaino on German paint. There was a rumor about it several months ago, but it died. I've used Zaino on my new '00 MB E320 (silver) since May (about 6 coats of Z-2 and regular Z-6s), and it's gorgeous and actually has the "wet" look.
desmchan - I used to drive around to help dry my car after a wash, but thanks to a tip in this forum I now remove the nozzle from the hose for the final rinse and allow the water to flow gently onto the surface. The water just sheets off! Then a chamois or "Absorber" will do the rest.
Try claying the surface to remove the stains. I have used clay with great success after washing my wife's white Honda Odyssey to remove the bug leftovers.
Does anyone know if it is ok to keep the Z products in your trunk all year round? I live in NJ and it can get both pretty hot & humid in the summer and pretty cold in the winter. Do they need to be stored at a certain temperature?
Wow! I've been away for a few days, and the number of new posts was amazing! Up in the Bershires, it was very wet, humid, and wet again. As a result, I didn't get to Z-2 my car. But I had my bottle of Z-7 & water (thanks to graphicguy's recommendation). Between downpours, I sprayed the car, and the rain did the rest. The existing Z-5/Z-2 layers still look great. While my wife was cleaning out the local Price Chopper, I did have a chance (on Tuesday) to Z-6 the car. And that brings up several points:
Theresa11: If you have a Z-2 layer on the car and have applied some Z-6 Gloss Enhancer, the bug residue should simply wash off. That's why I now carry the (Graphicguy recommended) bottle of water with some Z-6 [car wash liquid] in it. Now all I have to do is spray the dead bugs (a "bug funeral") and wipe off. If you haven't yet applied your Zaino, then do as Automophile recommended and clay the affected area. On windows, I use plain olde Windex. Every six months or so, I also use the Zaino Glass Polish on my inside windshield to remove the aging plastic residue film. But it does depend on what type of tinting you have had applied.
lmc18: I now keep three spray bottles in my trunk: Windex, Z-6, and Water/Z-7. Plus a bag of clean towels. I'm not sure if the other Zaino products (Z-5, Z-2, etc.) will age too quickly in cold temperatures. Maybe we should check with Sal on that question.
Pat & all: So what's all this continuing nonsense about the 'rival' topics? I thought that was settled a long time ago. As in Chris Parrish's time. For my 2 cents, I'd recommend a single introduction topic ("Car Detailing, Waxing, and Misc. Care Products") with a single post defining the subordinate topics: Zaino Car Care Products, Store Bought Waxes and Misc Products, Premium Wax Based Products, and the ever popular "Polymer vs Wax Bashing Booth" for those so inclined. References to Zaino in the other topics would be allowed provided they are simple references only. And failure to follow the rules of civil behavior will result in restriction to the use of only recycled water, Turtle Wax, and the additional loss of Frequent Flyer Mileage. Failure to use Zaino, however, will only result in a losy finish. What say?
I have finally washed my Grand Prix GTP and 300M after a long time of neglect (been to busy with kids and moving from NY to FL). As far as I can remember, I did not even wash them after the salty NYC winter. And I definitely did not Zaino them after the winter, up until now.
Even though they were not beading water anymore, the great shine was still there.
Once I washed them, I Zaino-ed them again. It is quite humid here in SE Florida, so Zaino does not dry as quickly as I am used to.
Some observations: Meguires Clay Bar - POS. Sticks and leaves residue even when surface is well lubricated. ClayMagic and Mother Clay are way better.
Claying can be done under a stream of water from hose - I think it takes less time this way. I also tried to clay after soaping up the area with a wash rag (cotton towel with Z7 on it) - not bad.
Thanks for your comments. I still have not "Z" d my car. It continues to rain and be very humid. Gave it a Z-7 wash and used Z-16 on the tires-car and tires looked very good. Then it poured. Was going to Dawn and Z1/2 today but more rain. Tomorrow for sure! Will let you know how it looks after I give it a couple of coats of Z-2. I can already tell that I am going to have trouble seeing where the polish is applied on my white car. I knew I should have bought a dark one! :-)
PBLevine....E-mailed Sal, and he said the products should be kept in a cool dry place. Temperature changes from one extreme to another may affect the gloss enhancing properties in them. Therefore, you should not keep them in your trunk. I've had mine in there for a few weeks now and temperatures have varied from the 80's during the day (much hotter in the trunk) to 50's at night - Oops!
Thanks for the info from Sal. Did he say that the temp change is the problem or the heat? I live in a hot climate w/not too much variation. Do I need to find space in the house for all my "Z" goodies-that'll go over well w/the family :-). Thanks for the info.
I don't have his e-mail response anymore but I believe he said it was from temperature changes. He said to keep them in a cool, dry place. You may want to check with him again. I'm in the same boat you are...no place to keep the stuff in my apartment - closets are jammed! Plus I would rather have it handy in my car when I feel the need for a quick touch-up.
A word of caution - I used to keep a bottle of Windex in my Gran Torino Sport (years ago, and yes, I'm dating myself). I stopped after finding the summertime heat made the liquid expand and forced it out the sprayer. It only happened once - I learned my lesson. This was in Norfolk VA.
Ruski - my stepdaughter used to have a POS car - your reference brought back some memorable moments.
Today I have just recieved my shipment of Zaino and the timing couldn't have been better. I washed my car then clayed it following it with a coating of Z1 then Z5. After about 3 hrs my black MB ML320 is now sitting in the garage drying. After I remove the coats of Z1 and Z5 do I spray on Z6 right after or do I have to wait til tomorrow for it to cure? Tomorrow morning I'll be going out so there will be some accumulating dust on the car. Will I be unable to add more coats of Z2 or Z5, or can I simply use the Z6 to wipe it off? Or should I simply wait for the next time I wash my car to add more coatings?
While it is recommended to let dry between coats for 12-24 hrs, all is not lost. Put a cotton sheet over the vehicle in the garage and tommorrow resume with z-5 or z-2.
I too today received my shipment of Zaino, after reading everyone's great posts.
Any help would be appreciated with the following: I want to clay my car, but didn't order the Z7 to use as a lubricant. Do you know if I can use another mixture of car wash and water, and spray it on before claying? If so, what should the soap/water mixture be, approx.
Also, after dawn, clay, dawn and Z1, should I Z2 or Z5 on top of the Z1? I seem to remember reading some folks doing z2 on z1, and others doing z5 on z1 (I will be working on a new black Maxima.) Help - a little confused.
Anyway, thanks in advance and I hope to be of help in the future.
The Z5 is to eliminate any little scratches that your paint has collected. Use it until they are all gone (Only took one for me) and then use the Z2 (Z6 in between). Your black car will be stunning after the Z2.
Chris 168 - Unless you're garage is actually a Silicon Valley clean room, there will always be some minuscule amount of dust which can possibly accumulate on the MB. Don't fret over it. Just go ahead with buffing the Z5. By using the garage, you've eliminated as much dust as you possibly can. Remove the Z product, and continue with the Z6 gloss enhanser and enjoy! You won't be going astray. You'll also find that the Z product line actually helps the car to repel dust!
rizzo7 - if you have any "swirl" marks in the clearcoat, use the Z5 first. It's purpose is to reduce them as much as possible. Regardless of whether you have them or not, you've purchased the product and might as well go ahead and give it a go. I personally don't think you can go wrong using the Z5 first. After any swirl marks are made invisible to your satisfaction, start using the Z2. That's the product which is supposed to have the most "optically clear" gloss. Always after removing the Z2 or Z5, use the Z6 gloss enhanser (sp). Enjoy!
I wonder if Sal ever reads the posts in this forum, and if so what laughs he must get sometimes!
Jim M.
PS - Gene & Anita - if you're reading this forum, how about sending my products back to me. I want to add another coat.
I reread your post. My prior post was believing you did not buff the Z5 before leaving the car to sit. You can use the Z6 immediately after removing the Z2/Z5 product. The wait time (minimum 8 hours) is only between coats of either Z2 or Z5.
Comments
Oh well. :-)
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
Objection! your honor - he was only responding to being called a "shill" on the SBW board.
Overruled. Proceed with your testimony
Well, your honor, I wanted a shiny car, but I wasn't about to take somebodys' word that "it shines better than anything else I've used". I want specifics. Now, nevermind that I never posted anything to the offending board, asking for real life comparisons...I KNOW that they have some sort of financial stake in the company. No, your honor, I'd rather deal with a company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, if it's sold in stores then I can believe statements like "Meguires Medallion rules!".
Objection your honor...we don't know that the "rules" poster isn't a majority stockholder in Meguires.
Objection sustained - the jury is instructed to disregard the witnesses last statement.
The prosecution rests. The defendant takes the stand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Did you in fact call the plaintiff a "Luddite"?
Yes, your honor, I did. I'd like to change my plea and go ahead and plead guilty as charged. You should throw the book and me, and all the other "jerks". I'd rather be a jerk than a Luddite.
This court accepts your plea of guilty. Say, nice shine on your car, do you use a product sold by a publicly traded company?
No, your honor, it's Zaino...only jerks know about it.
Well, call me a jerk. I sentance you to 3 hours of community service, which you can spend doing a Z1 and Z2 treatment to my car.
AND - PAT455
Yes, it is due to your suggestion next door that I suggested here that we have name change. Thanks for the idea! I REALLY don't mean to start anything, but I was so grateful to find out about Zaino, it has made my life so much easier, that it is unjsut if others cannot find it easily here.
Just as I asked the other group to do, please get back on topic. Give Bruce and me the time we need to figure out what we are going to do.I agree to disagree in a civil manner should I take issue with the statements of another Town Hall participant or any Edmunds.com, Inc. Editor or content contributor. I understand that civility and respect underlie the success of an on-line community such as Town Hall.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
pjyoung- that was probably me WAY back talking about the multiple coats. It's so easy that it can be accomplished in 45 minutes or so. I never clayed my car and I think it looks great! Imagine what it would look like if I did clay it. ;-))
automophile- I THINK IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER TRIP WITH NO COMPUTER ACCESS! :-))))))))))) I like the topic- "Why I stopped waxing my car and switched to
Zaino polish." because Zaino is a polish and NOT a wax. Putting wax in the topic will confuse people and make them think that it's like everything else. We ALL know that's not the case!
This Free Internet thing is great. I'm in New Hampshire surfing for FREE! Dialed a local number and that's it! The only downside so far is the annoying little rectangular ad banner on the screen. There must be someway to get rid of it. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out on the PowerBook.
fastdriver
fastdriver
Jeff
One of the more useful outcomes of the day was the establishment (this is a new car) of the "standard work" of going over this particular vehicle--since the Zaino stuff doesn't haze nearly as noticeably as wax (especially the Z1), it's worthwhile to have a specific order for going over the car. Anyway, after the seven trips around the car (Dawn, clay, Z7, dry, Z1, Z2, buff), I've got the routine down pretty well.
As for the time involved. When I was still undecided about going through all this, one of the folks on this board pointed out that after the initial application was made, one of the major benefits was how little time needed to be spent in the future. I bought the concept, and it's quite apparent that the Z1 & Z2 trips around the car go way faster than the washing, and way, way faster than the claying. In any event, what I'm looking forward to now (hopefully a few weeks in the future, when the car's dirty again) is a fairly quick wash w/ Z7, rinse, dry, and maybe a shot of Z6. Based on what I saw today, that isn't going to take very long. The whole job probably took about 3.5 or 4 hours (not counting drying time). I'm sure I could have been more careful in some areas, and it's not an especially large car (Lincoln LS), but overall I was pretty satisfied. Things were looking better enough as I went that it wasn't tedious.
Claying -- now this was interesting. I didn't really get much off the car, so I have to assume it was fairly well protected during shipment, and the desert climate here may not have the number of impurities in the air that there are elsewhere. I was able to pull off some crud on the areas behind the wheels, and a few other places, but all-in-all, I'm not sure it was worth the effort. The product, however, is great. After I got the hang of using it, I went over to the minivan, which has had tar on it for months (which has resisted everything else), and the clay pulled it right off -- fair amount of elbow grease required, but good progress and a clean result at the end. Also was able to do about a 6" square on the hood that had "mystery spots" all over, once again that had responded to nothing else. The clay made them go away, once again with a fair amount of rubbing. The stuff's good, but I'm (as I said before) not entirely convinced it's worthwhile on a brand new car. Of course, you'll never know till you do it -- the stuff it pulls off is right there to see (or not). Probably the most frustrating event of the day was trying to get the cellophane (or whatever) off the clay so I could use it. The clay wanted to hang on to that plastic just as hard as it later hung onto the crud. Anyone else had that problem, or figure out how to deal with it?
Now, how does it look? Good. Really good. Better than a standard wax job? Not that I can tell, but then again, I've only got one coat of Z2 on. I'll put another one on tomorrow, and that'll probably be it for now. If my Miata that came with Polyglycoat is any example, the big feature is going to be ease of maintenance. Was it worth it? Would I do it again? Yup.
Congratulations! The hard part is done. The rest is a piece of cake. Not sure what color your car is, but you will see a difference with more coats of Z-2/Z-6. I never clayed mine because I didn't know about clay then. My car looks great.
You won't believe what it looks like after a rainstorm. It'll look like you just washed it.
fastdriver
That is a very thoughtful title. I hope we can come up with more, and one can be adopted.
I hope you all know I'mm not trying to start a battle, but just can't understand why someone would be so closed-minded to something new to freak out at even the mention. ??? I have had a couple of nice emails with brefraz to try to understand each other.
cdnpinhead - The plastic IS a problem, isn't it! I also was not too impressed after the first coat. But after the second - WOWEE!
fastdriver - Off on another Holiday trip? Trying to get the max mileage out of Christine before she goes back? LOL! Enjoy, and send some nice digiphotos of beautiful NH.
Jeff
Another thing that is hard to quantify is that Zaino products z-2,z-5.z-6 and z-7, tend to conspire to repeal dust and to a lesser extent dirt, than say the other products which are definite magnets of the same.
Well guys what can I say except it is done, and my first impressions wow, wow, did I say wow yet. Let me see if I can give you the long and short of it, first since I have an extra car I planned to take my time and keep my car [2-month old ’01 Acura CL Silver] in the garage until the job was completed. My main reason being that I did not want to get too tired, and start getting sloppy, ok call me a bit picky, anal, etc. etc.
Started Thu. evening, did the dawn strip and claying. Next morning very early, did the second dawn wash and then got the Z-1 and the Z-2 on by 9am. I then let that set all day until about 7:30. I personally was uncertain if I had applied the rights of Z-1 & Z-2, and let it dry/haze properly. Buffed off the Z-2 and apply Z-6, l(o)(o)king real good now!! Not that I needed to but, I went ahead and did a Z-9 & Z-10 leather treatment, boy that’s great smelling stuff.
I let that set for 24 hours, and then did a Z-6 followed by put on another coat of Z-2 and let that set for 2 hours. Buffed that off and Z-6 again. Seems like with each step it keeps gets easier and easier. My car is so slick now that on my slight incline driveway, a towel will slide right off the trunk, that’s good right? And my car looks so dang good right now, I don’t know whether drive-it or just keep-it in the garage out of harms way and stare at it all day. ;o) Hope I did-it and got-it right?
Going into this project, I knew full well that light colored cars don’t have quite the same visual impact as the darker blues, reds and blacks. But it appears to be TONS better than before, but the real test for me is going to be how it holds up over the long haul [i.e. dust, washes, beading etc, etc.] I plan to get a least one maybe two more coats of Z-2 on before the winter.
Speaking of winter what do you guys do during the winter months when it too cold to do the proper Z-7 cleaning? In the past I will use the hand-spray wash bays and towel dry. Granted this may not the best option, but it is better than letting the gunk stay on your car right? Open for any good suggestions.
My Final Thoughts::
(1) That Dawn dishwashing soap is some mean stuff, I hope your average Joe is aware of the damage it can cause to your vehicles , I wasn’t.
(2) Was not sure about claying before hand but I am glad I did it, at least for my own peace-of-mind, and it was not as hard as I thought it would be.
(3) The initial ”Z” applications is a little bit of up-front work, but the pay-off seems to come in the long-run i.e. regular washing and Z-2 / Z-6 become a chinch.
(4) Well I guess I’m a “Z-” convert, I think I just paid my dues.
[[sorry for the long post, hope you didn’t mind]].
To me there are two imperatives to car paint care; use the right towels and watch out for abrasives, either in the products you use or that are on or somehow introduced onto the paint. You CAN use Zaino like any other wax or polish; your results will almost certainly be better. All the hints that folks pass on is to get the best results possible. Regardless of brand protectant you use, the recommend towels, claying, drying, front-to-back strokes on horizontal surfaces and vertical strokes on vertical surfaces are really brand-name independent. The only brand-specific hint about using Zaino is: use it VERY SPARINGLY.
It's funny you mention getting only a Z7 wash done. If money and/or a supply of other products were a problem to a person, that's the one product I would recommend they get: it cleans well and will introduce UV protectant onto their vehicle's surface. Where else would they get UV protection designed into a product?
If time is a problem; do a section at a time, as you seemed to have reasoned for yourself. You won't suffer a personal case of "wax on, wax off" fatigue, like the Karate Kid.
I'll bet that when you see the result, you will kick yourself for any time you lost hesitating.
The Dawn strips off all your old wax, and some say it strips "oils" out of the paint. However, once in a while before waxing is no problem. I'm sure what was meant above was directed at people that use it all the time to wash their cars. BIG No-No!
You should be able to clean your grill with the Z-7 easily. Be sure to Z-1 Z-2 it and nothing will stick.
For nearly everything inside your car - plastic, vinyl, wood, chrome and leather - use Lemon Pledge - really! It has a nice look, won't build up, cleans as it shines, and smells good. Spray a little on a clean cloth and buff. Note - It does not replace 1 -2x a year with a good leather treatment.
Vern
In addition to the above mentioned towel sliding off the car, I have slipped and fallen while having a towel in my hand and being in an awkward position while leaning on the car and slid right off! LOL......... Definitely a sight to see ala America's Funniest Home Video!!
As for using Zaino Z-1/Z-2/Z-5 on any outside plastic trim, do not use it on any textured plastic areas. If they are smooth, no problem, but a no-no for textured areas. However, Z-6 is fine for those areas.
fastdriver
STEVE
Rich
I started at noon on Sunday. I Dawn, dry, clay, z7, dry, z1, z2,...3hrs... buff and finally z6. Claying the vehicle is much easier than I thought. The vehicle is silky smooth after claying. It removes the impurities that are not removal by Dawn wash. I highly recommend doing the clay.
The most difficult part of the whole process is DRYING the vehicle, especially the top of my suburban. Applying and removing the polish (z1, z2) are MUCH MUCH easier than doing wax.
When I got home yesterday afternoon, I simply hose all the bugs off the front. I drove around the neighborhood and most of the water went away. It is much easier to dry the big monster with Zanio on.
Thanks for all the info here. I am going to do my Maxima after work today. It should be much easier.
I can feel your pain of having to do a truck with a lot of surface area!! I have to mentally psyche myself up to do any one of 4-5 TLC's!
One of the things you alluded to is of neat benefit; I have gone from a "MUST" wash of every two weeks to one month. I know this is not scientific, but is based on how the trucks looks at two weeks and one month.
I have also gone from a 1.5 mo waxing (full Meguairs treatment, to 6 mo "Z" cycle.) All conditions are the same, except for switching to the "Z" treatment.
I enjoy NOT having to wash, dry, wax/zaino as much as before when I didn't use ZAINO. To quantify it: 2 to 4 times LESS effort. (X 4)
I have to confess however, that "adventures in advance janitorial services" does not get my adrenaline going, but I do like the look of a freshly Zaino'ed vehicle in the morning!
For the Sub poster--try The Absorber for drying. It is much more efficient than towels and is very portable. Also get a squeege, maybe 6", for drying the windows. Wipe down then use Absorber.
Just bought new BMW 540i in black. Any tips or concerns with German paint or black paint?
Lastly, a confession. While devoted Zaino-head, I do not buy into the clay. Used it several times over the years when I was a Meguiars regular.I don't like the posibility of a significant piece of foreign (read:abrasive) matter getting into it unaware. Too abrasive and gritty for me. I use 3M Imperial Glaze or Meguiars 7 to get to the perfect surface preparation---Then it's Z time!!
desmchan - I used to drive around to help dry my car after a wash, but thanks to a tip in this forum I now remove the nozzle from the hose for the final rinse and allow the water to flow gently onto the surface. The water just sheets off! Then a chamois or "Absorber" will do the rest.
If in doubt, check these pics out-
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/7501/bmw2.html
fastdriver
Good luck,
Terry
Any brand name window cleaner that is labled safe for tinted windows will work.
Does anyone know Sal's e-mail address off hand?
Thx
Theresa11: If you have a Z-2 layer on the car and have applied some Z-6 Gloss Enhancer, the bug residue should simply wash off. That's why I now carry the (Graphicguy recommended) bottle of water with some Z-6 [car wash liquid] in it. Now all I have to do is spray the dead bugs (a "bug funeral") and wipe off. If you haven't yet applied your Zaino, then do as Automophile recommended and clay the affected area. On windows, I use plain olde Windex. Every six months or so, I also use the Zaino Glass Polish on my inside windshield to remove the aging plastic residue film. But it does depend on what type of tinting you have had applied.
lmc18: I now keep three spray bottles in my trunk: Windex, Z-6, and Water/Z-7. Plus a bag of clean towels. I'm not sure if the other Zaino products (Z-5, Z-2, etc.) will age too quickly in cold temperatures. Maybe we should check with Sal on that question.
Pat & all: So what's all this continuing nonsense about the 'rival' topics? I thought that was settled a long time ago. As in Chris Parrish's time. For my 2 cents, I'd recommend a single introduction topic ("Car Detailing, Waxing, and Misc. Care Products") with a single post defining the subordinate topics: Zaino Car Care Products, Store Bought Waxes and Misc Products, Premium Wax Based Products, and the ever popular "Polymer vs Wax Bashing Booth" for those so inclined. References to Zaino in the other topics would be allowed provided they are simple references only. And failure to follow the rules of civil behavior will result in restriction to the use of only recycled water, Turtle Wax, and the additional loss of Frequent Flyer Mileage. Failure to use Zaino, however, will only result in a losy finish.
What say?
Even though they were not beading water anymore, the great shine was still there.
Once I washed them, I Zaino-ed them again. It is quite humid here in SE Florida, so Zaino does not dry as quickly as I am used to.
Some observations:
Meguires Clay Bar - POS. Sticks and leaves residue even when surface is well lubricated.
ClayMagic and Mother Clay are way better.
Claying can be done under a stream of water from hose - I think it takes less time this way.
I also tried to clay after soaping up the area with a wash rag (cotton towel with Z7 on it) - not bad.
Ruski - my stepdaughter used to have a POS car - your reference brought back some memorable moments.
TIA
-Chris
While it is recommended to let dry between coats for 12-24 hrs, all is not lost. Put a cotton sheet over the vehicle in the garage and tommorrow resume with z-5 or z-2.
Any help would be appreciated with the following: I want to clay my car, but didn't order the Z7 to use as a lubricant. Do you know if I can use another mixture of car wash and water, and spray it on before claying? If so, what should the soap/water mixture be, approx.
Also, after dawn, clay, dawn and Z1, should I Z2 or Z5 on top of the Z1? I seem to remember reading some folks doing z2 on z1, and others doing z5 on z1 (I will be working on a new black Maxima.) Help - a little confused.
Anyway, thanks in advance and I hope to be of help in the future.
rizzo7 - if you have any "swirl" marks in the clearcoat, use the Z5 first. It's purpose is to reduce them as much as possible. Regardless of whether you have them or not, you've purchased the product and might as well go ahead and give it a go. I personally don't think you can go wrong using the Z5 first. After any swirl marks are made invisible to your satisfaction, start using the Z2. That's the product which is supposed to have the most "optically clear" gloss. Always after removing the Z2 or Z5, use the Z6 gloss enhanser (sp). Enjoy!
I wonder if Sal ever reads the posts in this forum, and if so what laughs he must get sometimes!
Jim M.
PS - Gene & Anita - if you're reading this forum, how about sending my products back to me. I want to add another coat.
Jim M.