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Comments
Brad
Search for "Ultimate Snowbrush" on the net. The handle feels much better than standard brushes.
I'd post a link, but our Edmund's hosts have been deleting/censoring any msgs I put up w/ URLs in the C-class, M-class forums.
Now, i just dont brush the snow off close enough to the paint to worry about it.
And as far as zaino lasting through our winters - 2 properly applied coats (which inclues one of Z1, plus two top coats) will do just fine. You will be impressed. Oh, and do avoid the temptation to go to one of those do it ureslef washes and use the brush there to get all the salt and crap off the car.... soo many bad memories before i discoverd online car care forums . . .
I have found the Sunoco drive thru touchless to be the ultimate. They have excellent multi purpose (and colour) foams - and the car comes out very clean (for touchless) . They are pricey - but worth it. $9 without gas for the ultimate , but I will drive 30 minutes to get to one in Markham Ont when the need and weather dictates.
I have been using Z products for almost 1.5 years on my 00 Outback and love it. I've always had problems with water spots though, so for the past while, I always put a coat of Z1 before my Z2. I find this gets rid of any waterspots etc. before my z2 goes on, leaving a clean finish. So the process (every 5 or 6 months) Wash, Z1, Z2or z5, wait, z6, then z2 or z5. Clay each spring. Will using z1 before each z2 or z5 application create a problem?
Would it be ok to do the Dawn wash today, or should I wait and do it immediatly prior to the Zaino treatment? I am going to use the clay bar if that makes any difference.
BTW, I just read a new Zaino comparison. Here is the link. http://pages.sbcglobal.net/gheumann/zaino_test/
Based on all the Zanio information I've read, shouldn't he have kept using the Z5 until he was satified the swirl marks were gone?
After reading that test I still believe that everyone is going to have a different opinion and even though we may or may not try something different based on what others write, we are still going to like what WE like. If a person tries a product and doesn't like it, no amount of arguement is going to change his/her opinion.
Now, if I don't like the Zaino, I'll let you know!
Julie
It's too bad there's no other Zaino forum out there. Sal should put one up on his site.
Mmmmm...........SO, you like Zaino? LOL....... You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome! ;-)
pblevine-
I'm no "expert" when it comes to Zaino. All I did was read the directions BEFORE I applied Zaino. My car is a daily commuter too. I already have 10,000+ miles since 3/28/01! I NEVER drive this much so soon, but I love this car and I love this shine. MAYBE it doesn't turn as many heads as Christine did, but it does turn heads!
fastdriver
You can wash your car (Dawn) today if you plan on keeping it in a clean area (garage) and not driving it after the wash.
Then, you can clay the car using Z7/water (1:5 ratio) mixed in a plant sprayer bottle as the lube. After you clay, wash again with Z7, dry (100% cotton towels), apply 1 (very thin) coat of Z1. Do not remove the Z1 (no need to let it dry either)...on top of the Z1 coat, apply either Z2 or Z5 (again, thinly) as is your preference. Let both coats dry (couple of hours). Remove both coats with a clean cotton towel. Enjoy the shine.
Couple of hints:
--moisten the included wax applicator with Zaino Shine Enhancer before applying any polish lok or wax.
--Only put a small amount of Z1 or Z2 or Z5 on the applicator...a very thin "X" should do the trick for each body panel (maybe a couple of "X"s for the larger panels like the top, hood or trunk).
--if after you wait for the Zaino to dry, and it starts to smear, it is either not dry or you applied too much.
Good Luck...let us know how it turns out.
Oh wait until you see that shine and experience those Zaino smells and get those jealous looks from the regular wax people!! ;-))
To all-
Click here to see squidd99's Zainoed Lexus
More Lexus pics to come soon.
fastdriver
This good a product with that kind of support can't be beat.
Brad
graphicguy; Thanks for the tips. I wrote them down so I'll remember! I'll have to wash it later because I will have to use it.
I found a couple of paint chips on the hood (really small). I want to Zaino the car, repair the chips, then touch up the spots with Zaino after they have dried for a week or so. Will that work?
Julie
LOL....it's the ZAINO shine that attracts the looks first- not the kind of car! If you have a darker color car, you'll see what we mean after you apply several coats of Z5/Z2/Z6.
Good luck. REMEMBER- VERY LIGHT COATS. This is not like wax products you may have used in the past. Looking forward to seeing your pics too!
fastdriver
PS squidd99 said he'll take more pics next week. Stay tuned!
If the paint chips are pretty small, you may not want to do anything to them. Anytime you get into touch-up paint, you always run the risk of having the touch-up look worse than the "chips" themselves.
It is certainly taking the crisis out of my mid-life.
What do ya mean yer not da expert. I'm the guy who read the directions before using. You did the same? What a concept!
Thanks for all the advice!
Julie
Some of us use the stuff because it's easy and protects the car.
I guess the point is that this is a product that works for those who preen as well as for those who don't.
http://www.monumental.com/armtdm/images/3000gt.jpg
That's the point I'd been trying to make for folks who think that Zaino is just too much work. It can be as much, i.e. claying and multiple coats, or as little work as you want. I think it can't be beat for ease of application, shine and endurance.
"I'm the guy who read the directions before using.
You did the same? What a concept!"
LOL... You'd be SURPRISED how many people THINK they know how to apply it and skip ALL the directions. Then, when they don't get the results that we do, they say it's crappy stuff! Knowledge is power! ;-)
cdnpinhead-
"Some of us use the stuff because it's easy and protects the car."
That's what I use it for also, as well as the "wet look shine"!! People at work who could care less about cars and waxes and shine, comment about the looks of my car.
armtdm-
Oh yea! Looking good. Thanks for posting the pic.
fastdriver
PS- 17 more days before the ZFX comes out??
So! Do you want my honest opinion, or the 'party line'?
julie
Julie: 'Just the facts, mam.
fastdriver: Thought you'd like that.
'Just 17 days? Think I can pre-order some ZFX?
Just the facts-M'am. It's okay if you don't like it No one will fault you. However, wait until you use the Z2/Z6 and have a few coats of that combo on. When I did the first applications, it looked as good as when I used Meguiars. After I had several coats on, I started to see that wet-look shine. Not everyone likes that look. I do. First impressions in this case may not be the same when several more coats are put on. The "hard" part is over. Now the fun begins! ;-)))
GO YANKS!!!!
fastdriver
Yea, what pjyoung said! DON'T praise it too much, if that's the case, or you might be labeled a "shill" or "stockholder"!! LOL......
fastdriver
Ok, for real!
Here is the good
Bad- I'm really awful at the claying. Has anyone ever used up BOTH packages of clay bar on the first vehicle? And I still see places I missed!
Good- I was amazed at how good it looked after I finished claying! (using the z7 as a lube was great)
Bad- A Suburban is a BUS! Are you sure I gotta wash and dry this again before I can put the Z1/Z5 on? (Ok, I did it.)
Good- Man that Z stuff smells great!
Bad- Did you guys say THIN? Exactly how thin is thin? Ok, a few spots were a little thicker than thin.
Good- It was REALLY, REALLY easy to put on and buff off!
Bad- I have a load of towels to wash and it was too dark to really see the effect of all my hard work. (And I'm sore.) Did I say I own a bus?
Good- Ok, there was a little light in the garage. Man! It looks better than good and I've just put one coat on.
The Worst- It was RAINING when I left this morning and I had to drive around all day in the drizzily, yucky, sloppy weather!
If there is a good to that it's that the rain DID bead up really well!
I am truly impressed. I know that I haven't had a chance to see the overall effect, but as far as the EASE of applying, and the initial shine and beading, I think it is great. I was really concerned about the claying, I thought it would be hard to do, but with the tip about lots of lubrication, it was great. Even though my car is only 8 months old- once I started, I could tell it really did need the clay bar step. (Now I just need to learn how to hold on to the clay!)
Can't wait for the rain to stop! Do I have to wash again, then put another coat of Z5 or Z2 on? Can I put the Z6 on after I wash or after the Z2?
I didn't expect the curve ball with the nasty rain!
Julie
Zaino Fan
There have been several days where I thought I was going to have to call in sick because it was raining and I had just detailed my car. It really sucks to take a pristene vehicle into the sloppy stuff. I get supremely po'd when it drizzles just enough to completely mess up my car and then the sun comes out again.
As far as what to do next, yes you have to wash again first (I think you know that part). The verdict is out on whether or not to Z6 before you do another Z2/Z5. Personally, I do (somewhere on Sal's web site he suggests that you do so). It takes such a TINY amount of Z6 I figure it's worth doing. Then you can choose whether to use Z5 or Z2. You'll know while you're washing which one you need based on any swirls that you can see. Once you buff off the Z2/Z5, then use Z6 again. All these steps go MUCH faster than your first full treatment. It just keeps getting easier from here (and the benefits keep increasing for the next couple of coats).
Then stand back and enjoy your handywork.
LOL...........SUBURBAN!!! I didn't know! Just WASHING it would make you sore from all the bending and stooping. If I had a "bus", I don't think I would be as enthusiastic about polishing it either. That must be an all day project.
"Bad- I'm really awful at the claying. Has anyone ever used up BOTH packages of clay bar on the first vehicle? And I still see places I missed!"
I never used both packages of clay, BUT then again, I didn't clay a "bus" that was 8 months old, but a car that was a week old. Maybe, with all that territory to cover it's not unusual to use all the clay. The clay does get slippery. I put an old army blanket on the ground where I'm working because it is easy to drop.
"Bad- I have a load of towels to wash and it was too dark to really see the effect of all my hard work. (And I'm sore.) Did I say I own a bus?"
LOL.....Yep, bus you did say! Hear you about the towels. I think I have more white towels for the car than I have IN the house!
"Can I put the Z6 on after I wash or after the Z2?"
Some people do both. I only put it on AFTER I use the Z5 or the Z2. I also use it from time to time when I just don't feel like using Z5/Z2. What color is the "bus"? The darker, the better the results.
Glad your initial results were good. Just wait and see how much better it looks after a few coats of Z2/Z6.
hud116222-
Shhhhhhhhhh........LOL.............Another happy "shill/stockholder"!! Don't you love all the money we're making off this Z stuff? :-)))))))))))))
fastdriver
Mike
The weather is still too bad to get my second coat on...uuugh!
Why does this stuff completely change your mind set and make you think of nothing else but getting another coat on? I was completely normal until the UPS driver came to my door Thursday! LOL
(I don't think it's a condition limited to Zaino users-all polish users have the problem, I hope!)
I watched two amazing games last night Game 6 of the WS (poor Yanks, ouch!) and the Arkansas at Mississippi game that went through 7 overtime periods! At the end of regulation it was tied @ 17. Arkansas finally won 58 to 56. Go Hogs!
Julie
I can Z the cars easily now that the "base coats" are established and I find I do it more ofent than I ever did using traditional waxes.
Thanks to everyone here as I relied on this board before I took that first plunge in.
JR
"Why does this stuff completely change your mind set and make you think of nothing else but getting another coat on? I was completely normal until the UPS driver came to my door Thursday!"
OH NO!!! ANOTHER Zainoholic!!! Time for a ZA (Zaino Anonymous) meeting before you get too hooked! LOL............
I knew this would happen! ;-))
fastdriver
1)Do you find yourself thinking of Z-ing your car at inappropriate times, such as while at work?
2)Do you Z your car when you should really be doing something else, like cutting the grass?
3)Do you smugly compare the shine on every other car you see to your own?
4)At a red light, in the rain, do you glance over at the guy next to you to see if he's noticing the cool way the water is boiling off your Z-ed hood?
5) Have you ever Z-ed your car after dark?
6) Do you smirk as you walk past the displays of lesser polishes and mere mortal waxes in the auto parts store?
OK, I'm fairly new here. Bet lots of people can do better than this.
I answered too many of scottc8's questions yes, and I just started! LOL
Julie
I answered yes to many of scottc8's questions too! Do you think we could drop some on bin Laden's cave and distract him long enough to GET him?
pblevine-
You only have THREE sets of white towels? Oh boy, I REALLY need help! ;-))
fastdriver