I use Z16 for everything that's textured and plastic in addition to my tires. I think it's safe to say in the Impala that the dash, body moldings, tire, etc are safe to use with Z16. Z14 is actually a polish/cleaner for plastics as opposed to a "dressing" like Z16. As an example, if your headlight covers are plastic (most are these days) and they are scratched, you may want to use Z14. Same deal with the plastic covering for your instrumentation. If none of these parts are badly scratched, skip the Z14.
Think of Z16 as a much better, more durable type of "Son of a Gun" type product.
The polish in Z14 will not be good for vinyl seats where it could seep into the seams of the seat, or if the vinyl seats have perforations in them. You don't really want to "polish" your vinyl seats anyway.
First of all, my compliments to all of those who picked up the ZFX plus kerosene ball and ran with it all the way to the end zone. That is some very funny and clever stuff, which keeps me coming back to this board, where the readers are so well grounded.
How long does it takes you, Squidd99, to do 3 coats, I heard someone ask. I submit for your consideration the following. One: don't compare this process to that of the initial dawn wash, clay, etc. That is a one time deal, takes more time than any other process, and is a pain because you aren't sure what you are doing -- BUT you won't have to do it again for a long time if ever.
After you have applied a few coats of zaino, you will get the hang of applying THIN coats, and your experience will allow you to work faster. (I find, after a year or two, that Viking foam applicators are much better than Zaino's own cotton covered applicators for applying thin coats. And they are cheap enough to throw away after a few uses, if cleaning them is a problem; highly recommended.)
As for my cars, first be warned that they are not very big. One is a swell new Lexus SC430, (the hardtop convertible) which is about the size of a Porsche. My other car is a 1996, 2 door (rare) RAV4. This car is very short and has lots of plastic cladding on the bottom half of the sides and back, so there is relatively little painted area to do with Zaino. (These cars are black and dark green, so the Zaino shine is really deep and highly reflective.) The two cars are about equal in painted surface area. If you have a Ford Taurus, take the following times and multiply by about 2; if you have a Ford Expedition, mutiply by about 4 or 5.
Using 2 buckets, one with water and one with Z7 soap, and using two mits (one for upper areas and one for rocker panels and wheels), it takes me about 20 minutes to wash and dry (Calif water blade and one towel) the whole car.
It takes about 10-15 minutes to apply Z2 (with or without ZFX). I then take a break for 10-15 minutes to allow it to dry. I don't know if you want to count this time or not. (Use this time to wash the windows, or just take a pee and make a phone call, then get back to "work.") Using a towel to wipe off the Z2 takes 5-10 minutes.
Applying Z6 takes about 5 minutes at the most.
Therefore: the wash plus one coat takes about one hour. Using ZFX, a second coat and third coat can be applied and removed, plus Z6, in about 40 minutes each.
In actual practice, the whole process takes less than 2 hours if I rush, about 2.5 hours if I am really careful and do the windows well and vacuum the interior, etc. (I'm getting too old for all that bending over on a car so low to the ground, so I got myself one of those garage seats on wheels; once I do the hood, trunk top and roof, I do the sides sitting down; highly recommended.)
It takes at least that long to wax a car, which is a lot more work and which has to be done a lot more frequently. (But not EVERY WEEK. Your friend who waxes his car every week is (a) crazy and (b) has far too much time on his hands.)
The beauty of Zaino is that you can maintain a great and long-lasting shine by doing these 3 coats once every six months. Since we are only talking about 2 hours, if you do this every three months, which is about what I do, (maybe every 2 months on the Lexus, when the weather is nice, but only every 4 months or so in the winter, because the car is not on the road as much) you are way ahead of the game. If your buddy is spending even one hour a week waxing his car, that is 24 hours every six months, or 22 hours more than you.
Take that time to enjoy something you really like, and reflect that your car looks at least as good as his and maybe better, and you have 22 hours to shoot.
Really though, he doesn't really wax his car every week, does he? You were just kidding about that.
I helped a friend of mine wash and wax his Mustang the other day. I normally use Zaino on my vehicle, but he brought his meguiar's wax to use on his car. Waxing is such a pain in the [non-permissible content removed], there is so much friction between the wax and the paint. Plus it seems like you have to use soo much wax to get a good coat of protection. Then you still have to buff it off.
I'm sold on Zaino for life. After initial prep, goes on easy, comes off easy.
I would of introduced him to zaino, but he was selling his mustang, so I didn't offer to waste my zaino on him this time.
That's been his habit for his entire adult life. He not only does his 4Runner but his wife's car, too.
It takes me at least an hour just to wash, dry, and z6. (I guess I'm not too fast.)
I guess why I had doubts in my "faith" was because I went to my friend's house and she (the wife) looked at my car and felt my car. She said it wasn't as smooth as her husband's car. I didn't think it was too smooth either. She also said her husband could get some of the scratches out that I had on my car. (I have not been able to do that without taking the clearcoat off, so I quit.)
So I dashed home and I did the whole Dawn, clay, wash, z1, z5, wipe off, z5, wipe off, z6 procedure. (4 hours) I have to admit it feels great now; nice and smooth. Still got the scratches though. (If I didn't have to wipe the z5 off between coats-like the z1/z2 step, that would be great!)
I wash my car once a week so it takes me at least an hour to do so anyway, just like my friend who does the wax. That's the reason I asked.
So I guess every week I just need to do the wash and z6 and every 6 MONTHS do the two to three coats of z5?
I've been trying to "convert" my wax friend to Zaino but once his wife said my car wasn't as smooth and had scratches, I've been wavering in my faith!
We can't help your friend, he's too far gone. (But yeah, any car with 50 coats of wax annually is going to feel "smooth." I think, however, that overwaxing is no help whatsoever, and that he is wasting his time, but he has it to waste, so let's move on.)
Depending on the size of your vehicle and the amount of detail you do, it's not beyond common experience to spend an hour washing it. You are probably doing a good job, and if you have to do it every week, it probably needs it.
Zaino is not going to take out scratches or serious swirl marks from the past. The only way to really avoid that is to Zaino (or wax or something) from day one, before the dealer's idiot son does a free wax job with a motorized buffer prior to delivery. Removing scratches is a whole other ball game.
Anyway, several coats of Z5 or z2 every 6 months should do the trick. Really. If the car is not garaged, you might want to try to hit it in 4 or 5 month intervals.
I don't know how long my garaged car will go between a need for coats, because I don't wait that long. Sal says up to 12 months. My other car that lives outside starts to stop beading water at about 5 months (even though Sal says 6), so I try to hit that one at 4 month intervals, because it just does not take that much time, and it feels so good.
graphicguy's link worked for me. Only the picture was so bright that it blew my monitor here at work! As always, a great picture.
I just got my shipment of "Sprayway". I intended it for interior usage. But I would also like to try it on the exterior of my windshield which has two coats of Z2. The contents label includes ethyl and methyl alcohol. Does anyone know if this will strip the Zaino from the windshield?
--Sprayway (from Costco) --Plain ole Windex --Stoners "invisible glass" --vinegar and water --20/20 windshield cleaner
The winner was Sprayway. It cleaned the windshield the best and was the cheapest of all the other cleaners (except vinegar and water). Vinegar and water were best to get heavy residue off the windshield, but is difficult to control when applying and drying.
Most disappointing was the Stoners. Much is made from their marketing in the trade rags. Directions say that it must be used 2-3 more times before the results are optimized. We'll see. It's also the most expensive.
How come your car is so much shinier than mine!? I have a dark green Camry! It should shine like your red cars! That is amazing. Now wonder you love Zaino so much.
just will take more coats of the Z. His new PT, as I recall, has three, but the 300M has many, many more. Zaino is more impressive with dark colors. When it come to coats, more is better, plus it's so easy to apply and remove. That's the addictive part of Zaino. You'll get there.
Thanks. The 2nd link worked. Maybe I didn't do the first one right.
As always, the pics are great. I NEVER get tired of looking at that red 300M! That shine, those looks, those wheels! Glad yours is 1,000 times better than mine was!
fickle....Thanks! If you start "layering" coats of Z on your car, it will begin to look "glasslike". Dark green should work well showing off Zaino. You might want to drop a line to pblevine. I think his Accord is dark green, if memory serves me correctly.
tmart...surprisingly, I only have one coat of Z2 on the PT Cruiser. I'm going to attempt to put another coat on today barring the rain we're supposed to get. The 300M indeed has about 10-12 coats of Z2 on it. I can't remember them all. The car is almost 3 years old and now the "property" of my wife.
Fastdriver...yes, I was originally scared of the 300M when I first "inherited" it. Mainly, I was worried given the problems you had with yours. (knock on wood) The 300M has been the most trouble free car I've ever owned. Not once back to the dealer for anything. I take it to my trusted local mechanic for all routine maintenance and I haven't done anything more than follow the owners manual. I do believe that my local mechanic is "heads and shoulders" better than any of the dealership service depts I've had to deal with.
I did go to the PT Cruiser meet. It was interesting. There were about 30 "Cruisers" there in different stages of being "customized". Mine was the only one there that wasn't customized. That said, mine was the only GT Turbo there, too. So, that fact together with the Zaino shine, it gathered quite an audience. Most coudln't believe the shine. The only better looking cars from a shine perspective were the ones with custom paint jobs.
I don't know if I will go to another "Cruise-in". These Cruiser people are fanatics. All nice people, but really over the top when it comes to these cars. For all intents and purposes, they are uniquely styled station wagons, mini-SUVs or whatever you want to call them. For some people, these cars are a religion. There was one guy that admonished me for not detailing the engine bay like I did the rest of the car. I laughed at him until I realized he was serious. Some of the folks had more money invested in the customization jobs than the cars probably cost new.
I brought my digital camera to take pictures, but of course I forgot to charge the batteries.
I think that the quality of the Z2 may vary somewhat from bottle to bottle. Some on this board have noticed different coloration in their Z5, and I compared an older bottle of Z2 with a newer one, and the newer one has slighty thinner consistency and is a slightly different color. It seems that Z5 and Z2 both range in color from various depths of pink to peach/orange.
Anyone else notice differences in Z polish from bottle to bottle?
Just now finishing my new 2003 Corolla. First time using Zaino. I washed with Dawn. Used their clay bar with the Z7 as a lubricant. (I was getting off some strange looking red stuff from my green car.) Washed with a weak solution of Dawn again. Then I did the Z5 plus ZFX one coat, and 2 coats of Z2 plus ZFX, doing the Z6 in between and at the end.
All I can say is that this stuff is fantastic. Makes the paint look better than new.
It is hard to get used to not putting a lot on, but I caught on after a while. I was impressed with how easy it is to apply the Z5 and Z2 on and off. I forgot to do the Z6 in between one of the coats on my front bumper, and could really tell the difference in how much easier the Z5/Z2 is to apply when you use the Z6 first. No other wax or polish will touch my car.
LOL..... fanatics huh? MORE than the 300M group here? Some of them definitely have more mod expenses then the car is worth. Guess they plan to keep it until it falls apart. FWIW, there are a ton of mods for the PT Cruiser and have been since day one. So, when you get the urge to "tinker" at least you know there are a ton of things you can do that do NOT include "detailing" the engine bay!! And they think that I'm bad with my car! ;-)))
First, I tried Sprayway and can say that it is very very good. Don't even compare it to Windex. It removes the interior film (plastic residue, smoke, airborne dirt, etc.) better than the Zaino Glass Polish. And it also does a beautiful job on the exterior of windshields. Thanks for the recommendation.
Does Z5 and Z2 change colors between batches? Not really. Sal has been steadily improving both formulas and the resulting products do have a slightly different color and concentration. Continual improvements is a good thing.
Fanatics? Ha, 'ever lookup the Honda after market groups? All big sellers have created demand for specialty aftermarket products. Well, maybe not the Opel, but GM no longer imports Opels to the USA. And of course I detail the inside of the engine bay. Um, I may actually consider doing that. 'Just thing, another way to use up my surplus Z1!
I have used Zaion several times on my new CRV. It is great! Now I also want to put it on my 94 protege. the problem is that car has two parking permit decal on it's trunk lid. After remove the decal there are some sticky maker left. Anyone know how to get them off before put Zaino on? Thanks!
Acetone (lacquer thinner, nail polish remover) is very strong and will definately remove any wax or polymer sealant from the surface and might dull the surface of the paint. In the future you might consider paint thinner or mineral spirits if all else fails. Something like WD-40 or Goo Gone are milder still.
I bought a new Toyota Spyder. Did the standard Zaino thing (dawn, Clay bar, polish lock polish and enhancer) I let the polish dry for 6 hours the first time and when I took it off is was still smearing. I live in Sacramento and the temp was 90 with low humididity. Went and started over again witha dawn wash and the second time I left it on overnight (24 hours) it was still smearing. I put the polish on tin, I have used it before on my Echo and it worked great. Do some new cars come with some special type of finish that Zaino will not work on?? I need help the car is emerald green and the deep shine will look great on this car>>>>>
However, I understand the reports to indicate that smearing (especially after a good, long drying time) is just Zaino's way of telling you that the coat you applied was too thick.
Sure, you thought it was thin, but you don't know what thin is unless you work at the molecular level like Zaino.
The solution is to wash with Z7 (no need to re-Dawn) to take off the extra Zaino, and proceed as if nothing happened.
After using Zaino for over a year (which makes me still a beginner), I picked up a tip regarding thin coats. I no longer use the cotton covered sponge supplied by Zaino. Upon the recommendation of some detailers who use Zaino, I purchased some Viking foam wax applicators.
These are dark grey and come in packs of 2 or maybe 3, I forget, and cost about a dollar. If you can't wash out the Zaino when you are done (sometimes a problem with ZFX) just throw the guys out.
But the important thing is that, for molecular reasons that I don't understand, these applicators put the Zaino on in real thin coats. It's almost hard to see it go on, which is what you want. I used to splash on about 2 oz per coat (and my car is not very big); now I use about 1.5 oz (three-fourth of a ZFX mixing bottle) to apply TWO coats to the car. It goes on thinner, drys sooner, comes off easier, and makes your consumer dollar go further (or farther, depending on where you went to school, if any).
Finally (at last), I don't know what you mean by saying you used the "polish lock polish and enhancer." Sal calls the Z1 a "polish lok [sic] and gloss conditioner," and as we all know, Z6 is the "Gloss enhancer spray." I presume you put on the Z1 and had the smearing problems removing it, and I presume you did not use any Z6 in this process. If you did spray with Z6, that might explain the smearing, but if you have used Z before, I doubt you did that.
I don't think any new cars come with any finish that would cause this problem, although there is no telling what kind of stuff a dealer might have applied. When buying new, it is best to tell the dealer to do nothing to the car by way of wash or wax, but we all learned this lesson too late.
My suggestion is to wash with Z7 and either apply Z2 or maybe switch to ZFX, which I find very helpful in building up glossy coats in less time. Get some of those foam applicators; they work great in my opinion.
And never give up, never give up, never give up . . . . .
I'm guessing that the solution to petro33's problem is first, to go over the vehicle with Z-6, and, if that didn't work, second, to then wash the vehicle with Z-7. I'm going to guess that the problem was caused by putting the polish on too thickly and, possibly the Z-1, also. If the process was the same for the earlier vehicle and this result is different, then, perhaps, weather conditions were different for the second vehicle, causing the lok and polish both to dry so quickly that they were not spread evenly. Also, the products may not have been properly stored (between 40 and 70 degrees) in the interval between applications and they deteriorated.
squid99: I believe petro33 just left out commas in his description; I interpreted the post as meaning, "used polish lok, polish, and the gloss enhancer." Did you mean to say put on Z-1 and had the smearing problem removing it? Removing Z-1 is what is "Unusual" to me, as removing Z-1 is not only not recommended in the proper use of the products, but it is specifically stated not to. However, I agree that, given what petro33 says was done, it is an unusual result.
Dealers sometimes put that "Hand Glaze" junck on new cars. Its a combination of wax and mineral oil. The Dawn washing should have removed it. Secondly, are you sure you used Z1 and not Z6 prior to applying Z2. And, of course, using too thick of a coat of Z2 will create the same problem.
OK, if he left out commas, then the phrase makes more sense. That means that the smearing was happening with the "polish" which would be the Z2 or the Z5.
That's a real common problem, due to a thick coat of z2 or z5.
Don't wash with dawn again at that point (and I don't think it would do any good anyway). Wash with Z7 to get rid of the excess polish (2 or 5), and spritz with Z6.
This should be no problem.
Wax and mineral oil? Sounds like a laxative! Is this so it "shines real good" (for about 12 hours)??? Why not just use some lard?
Sorry about the comas missing. I was late for a staff meeting and wanted to get this out for other people to look at. The final product I used was the spray bottle, the one that you wipe off before it drys. This is great advice. I guess I was putting it on too thick. I used about a drop the size of a pea for about 2-3 square feet of car. this worked good on my echo but maby it was hotter that day and it dried faster. Anyway I still have trouble believing that it would not dry overnight in hot/dry Sacramento. However there was some moisture on the car in the morning so Maby that "softened" up the polish. Any suggestions on where to get the Viking wax applicators? Thanks for all your advice!!
I've received about a half dozen e-mail requests regarding what miltiple coats of Zaino does. Here's where to see the results. I put the 2nd coat of Z2 on this weekend.
The viking foam applicators are pretty standard stuff, and should be available whereever fine automotive accessories are sold, and elsewhere. Any Autozone, Pep Boys, WalMart, etc should have them; look near the wax.
I have about 10 coats of Z2 on my black Lexus SC430 and now have some good digital photos that demonstrate the highly reflective finish. Can someone tell me how to post them here, or otherwise advise how these could be posted somewhere for viewing?
Looks GREAT!! Red is a great color- I think. Both the 300 and the PT look awesome compared to the "blah" looking white Avalon! ;-))))
squidd99-
Man, it's about time that you're ready to post some more pics of that black beauty!! I've been waiting since LAST year!! ;-)))
Go to http://www.ofoto.com and sign up there. It's a division of KODAK and is FREE. Most likely, like 99% of the world, you have a PC, so you can download a free uploader thingy!! That's where I have most of my pics.
Last Friday I FINALLY put on another coat of Zaino on my CL. This makes 17 coats altogether since March 2001, but the first coat since March 9, 2002! I'll go take some pics and post them in a few minutes.
Believe it or not, I did put Zaino on the wife's old Avalon. White colors do look good with Zaino. Zaino just looks better on darker colors, particularly black and red.
I can see I have some catching up to do to both of you regarding layering more coats on the Cruiser. I already have about a dozen coats on the 300M.
Squidd...I think Zaino really sets off black cars. Yours is absolutely stunning.
OF course, I don't believe I can catch up to fastdriver. As you can see, I'm partial to red cars, too. That CL-S has to get stares from the bright red glare is gives off...lol!
Looks like I'll have to do another Z2 again this weekend just to stay in the "ballpark" with both of you.
I'm out of the ballpark too. But this weekend will see some more Z on my dark emerald green Accord Coupe. Its true that Zaino looks better on darker cars. That's not to say that your 300M doesn't look great. The CL-S also looks great.
I'm not sure why a white car doesn't show the same results. I think its just that the white reflects light in such a manner that the Zaino shine get hidden. Still, the Zaino will protect the finish better than anything else around.
AWESOME!!!!! I LOVE that car! Wish more makers would offer white interiors!! I see that you got that "shade" thing right to show off that shine! I KNOW I wouldn't miss that car if I saw it in CT. There are a few of those around here that I see from time to time.
E-mail me ASAP. I have to talk to you!!
graphicguy-
Never mind! That 300M and that PT Cruiser look AWESOME too!! Great color and great looking cars! I only know how many coats of Z I have because I write it down on the calendar because people are always asking me how many coats I have. With Christine I lost count, so I'm doing a better job now keeping count! ;-))
pblevine-
I'm SURE that dark green Accord looks AWESOME too!
We owe our thanks to SAL!! If it wasn't for him, NONE of our cars would look this good unless we WAXED them every 2 weeks!! LOL.....
I had some awful dirty water spots on my hood and they won't come off with regular washing. I was wondering if claying the hood after washing with the shampoo would remove the existing layers of Zaino? Thanks.
LOL...BEER?? You wish!! One for you and one for the Lexus?? ;-))) I think it's alcohol too, but WHO, in their RIGHT mind, would want to REMOVE Zaino??? I wish that Sal would make a combination of his products so that the wash job and the Z process would be ONE step!! LOL...
Thanks for the tip re ofoto. The link below should take you there. If not, let me know and I'll try to fix it (again).
This Lexus SC430 was washed once by a pretty good dealer before delivery in late April, 16 months ago. Since then, nothing but Zaino and hand washes. Too many coats to count, but no marks and no dings to date, even after a few trips from Ohio to the east coast.
It has never been washed by machine, nor has it been washed in beer, although I have.
That Zaino Do Shine -- See especially photos 6 and 7.
The red that they put on this car is fabulous. It's called "Absolutely Red" and it has no orange or yellow in it at all. It is a beautiful color and looks very good on this car. (I don't like the light colors as much as the dark ones.) It yells "arrest me," but the babes love it.
If you have the balls to drive this car in red, you have to get the white interior. The "saddle" interior is too orange, and is not too popular, and the other choice is black. I may be partial, but the white interior makes a bold fashion statement.
I've had good reactions to it.
I sent photo #7 to Sal; maybe he will post it in his gallary of highly reflective cars.
I use the Z7, the same as for the car, I just use a different wash mit so as not to get my car whashing mit contaminated with the kind of grit that you find on wheels and rocker panels.
Generally, I would think that you would want to have separate rags and towels for the wheels because of the dust and grit.
I find that drying the wheels last with the same drying towel used on the car is no problem, because even if it gets quite dirty, it all comes out in the wash.
I don't to anything to the tires except hose them off, but my car has very low profile tires without much of a sidewall, so there's not much to work with anyway. If I did, I would use separate rags, sponges, etc.
Well, I use Z7 to wash both my tires and wheels. I also use a stiff brush on the tires (not the wheels, though). I let the tires air dry and the wheels are dried with a seperate "cotton rag".
I also use Z2 on the chrome wheels. On the tires I use Z16 as a tire dressing. But, depending on the car, I've also used High Endurance, which is more of a "gel" if I want a higher gloss on the tires. Z16 leaves more of a satiny look on the tires. Really depends on my mood.
To clean tires: Eagle One Tire Cleaner. Fantastic stuff; removes all old dressing and any accumualted road grime, dirt, grease, brake dust, etc. Will not damage rubber. Contains no bleach so it won't "gray" sidewalls. Scrub sidewalls with a stiff nylon brush.
To clean wheels: Several excellent wheel cleaners on the market: Eagle One A2Z, Sonus Wheel Gel, EFHI, P21S, Meguiar's #36. Follow directions to the letter, agitate with a soft brush if needed.
Comments
Think of Z16 as a much better, more durable type of "Son of a Gun" type product.
The polish in Z14 will not be good for vinyl seats where it could seep into the seams of the seat, or if the vinyl seats have perforations in them. You don't really want to "polish" your vinyl seats anyway.
How long does it takes you, Squidd99, to do 3 coats, I heard someone ask. I submit for your consideration the following. One: don't compare this process to that of the initial dawn wash, clay, etc. That is a one time deal, takes more time than any other process, and is a pain because you aren't sure what you are doing -- BUT you won't have to do it again for a long time if ever.
After you have applied a few coats of zaino, you will get the hang of applying THIN coats, and your experience will allow you to work faster. (I find, after a year or two, that Viking foam applicators are much better than Zaino's own cotton covered applicators for applying thin coats. And they are cheap enough to throw away after a few uses, if cleaning them is a problem; highly recommended.)
As for my cars, first be warned that they are not very big. One is a swell new Lexus SC430, (the hardtop convertible) which is about the size of a Porsche. My other car is a 1996, 2 door (rare) RAV4. This car is very short and has lots of plastic cladding on the bottom half of the sides and back, so there is relatively little painted area to do with Zaino. (These cars are black and dark green, so the Zaino shine is really deep and highly reflective.) The two cars are about equal in painted surface area. If you have a Ford Taurus, take the following times and multiply by about 2; if you have a Ford Expedition, mutiply by about 4 or 5.
Using 2 buckets, one with water and one with Z7 soap, and using two mits (one for upper areas and one for rocker panels and wheels), it takes me about 20 minutes to wash and dry (Calif water blade and one towel) the whole car.
It takes about 10-15 minutes to apply Z2 (with or without ZFX). I then take a break for 10-15 minutes to allow it to dry. I don't know if you want to count this time or not. (Use this time to wash the windows, or just take a pee and make a phone call, then get back to "work.") Using a towel to wipe off the Z2 takes 5-10 minutes.
Applying Z6 takes about 5 minutes at the most.
Therefore: the wash plus one coat takes about one hour. Using ZFX, a second coat and third coat can be applied and removed, plus Z6, in about 40 minutes each.
In actual practice, the whole process takes less than 2 hours if I rush, about 2.5 hours if I am really careful and do the windows well and vacuum the interior, etc. (I'm getting too old for all that bending over on a car so low to the ground, so I got myself one of those garage seats on wheels; once I do the hood, trunk top and roof, I do the sides sitting down; highly recommended.)
It takes at least that long to wax a car, which is a lot more work and which has to be done a lot more frequently. (But not EVERY WEEK. Your friend who waxes his car every week is (a) crazy and (b) has far too much time on his hands.)
The beauty of Zaino is that you can maintain a great and long-lasting shine by doing these 3 coats once every six months. Since we are only talking about 2 hours, if you do this every three months, which is about what I do, (maybe every 2 months on the Lexus, when the weather is nice, but only every 4 months or so in the winter, because the car is not on the road as much) you are way ahead of the game. If your buddy is spending even one hour a week waxing his car, that is 24 hours every six months, or 22 hours more than you.
Take that time to enjoy something you really like, and reflect that your car looks at least as good as his and maybe better, and you have 22 hours to shoot.
Really though, he doesn't really wax his car every week, does he? You were just kidding about that.
I'm sold on Zaino for life. After initial prep, goes on easy, comes off easy.
I would of introduced him to zaino, but he was selling his mustang, so I didn't offer to waste my zaino on him this time.
It takes me at least an hour just to wash, dry, and z6. (I guess I'm not too fast.)
I guess why I had doubts in my "faith" was because I went to my friend's house and she (the wife) looked at my car and felt my car. She said it wasn't as smooth as her husband's car. I didn't think it was too smooth either. She also said her husband could get some of the scratches out that I had on my car. (I have not been able to do that without taking the clearcoat off, so I quit.)
So I dashed home and I did the whole Dawn, clay, wash, z1, z5, wipe off, z5, wipe off, z6 procedure. (4 hours) I have to admit it feels great now; nice and smooth. Still got the scratches though. (If I didn't have to wipe the z5 off between coats-like the z1/z2 step, that would be great!)
I wash my car once a week so it takes me at least an hour to do so anyway, just like my friend who does the wax. That's the reason I asked.
So I guess every week I just need to do the wash and z6 and every 6 MONTHS do the two to three coats of z5?
I've been trying to "convert" my wax friend to Zaino but once his wife said my car wasn't as smooth and had scratches, I've been wavering in my faith!
Depending on the size of your vehicle and the amount of detail you do, it's not beyond common experience to spend an hour washing it. You are probably doing a good job, and if you have to do it every week, it probably needs it.
Zaino is not going to take out scratches or serious swirl marks from the past. The only way to really avoid that is to Zaino (or wax or something) from day one, before the dealer's idiot son does a free wax job with a motorized buffer prior to delivery. Removing scratches is a whole other ball game.
Anyway, several coats of Z5 or z2 every 6 months should do the trick. Really. If the car is not garaged, you might want to try to hit it in 4 or 5 month intervals.
I don't know how long my garaged car will go between a need for coats, because I don't wait that long. Sal says up to 12 months. My other car that lives outside starts to stop beading water at about 5 months (even though Sal says 6), so I try to hit that one at 4 month intervals, because it just does not take that much time, and it feels so good.
Smells good, too.
That link in your profile doesn't work. Do we have to put in your username?
fastdriver
It works for me, but that's probably because I was logged in.
Try to get to the Zaino pics here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?graphicguy
I just got my shipment of "Sprayway". I intended it for interior usage. But I would also like to try it on the exterior of my windshield which has two coats of Z2. The contents label includes ethyl and methyl alcohol. Does anyone know if this will strip the Zaino from the windshield?
I did an informal study of windshield cleaners.
The competitors:
--Sprayway (from Costco)
--Plain ole Windex
--Stoners "invisible glass"
--vinegar and water
--20/20 windshield cleaner
The winner was Sprayway. It cleaned the windshield the best and was the cheapest of all the other cleaners (except vinegar and water). Vinegar and water were best to get heavy residue off the windshield, but is difficult to control when applying and drying.
Most disappointing was the Stoners. Much is made from their marketing in the trade rags. Directions say that it must be used 2-3 more times before the results are optimized. We'll see. It's also the most expensive.
Thanks. The 2nd link worked. Maybe I didn't do the first one right.
As always, the pics are great. I NEVER get tired of looking at that red 300M! That shine, those looks, those wheels! Glad yours is 1,000 times better than mine was!
Did you go to that PT Cruiser meet?
fastdriver
tmart...surprisingly, I only have one coat of Z2 on the PT Cruiser. I'm going to attempt to put another coat on today barring the rain we're supposed to get. The 300M indeed has about 10-12 coats of Z2 on it. I can't remember them all. The car is almost 3 years old and now the "property" of my wife.
Fastdriver...yes, I was originally scared of the 300M when I first "inherited" it. Mainly, I was worried given the problems you had with yours. (knock on wood) The 300M has been the most trouble free car I've ever owned. Not once back to the dealer for anything. I take it to my trusted local mechanic for all routine maintenance and I haven't done anything more than follow the owners manual. I do believe that my local mechanic is "heads and shoulders" better than any of the dealership service depts I've had to deal with.
I did go to the PT Cruiser meet. It was interesting. There were about 30 "Cruisers" there in different stages of being "customized". Mine was the only one there that wasn't customized. That said, mine was the only GT Turbo there, too. So, that fact together with the Zaino shine, it gathered quite an audience. Most coudln't believe the shine. The only better looking cars from a shine perspective were the ones with custom paint jobs.
I don't know if I will go to another "Cruise-in". These Cruiser people are fanatics. All nice people, but really over the top when it comes to these cars. For all intents and purposes, they are uniquely styled station wagons, mini-SUVs or whatever you want to call them. For some people, these cars are a religion. There was one guy that admonished me for not detailing the engine bay like I did the rest of the car. I laughed at him until I realized he was serious. Some of the folks had more money invested in the customization jobs than the cars probably cost new.
I brought my digital camera to take pictures, but of course I forgot to charge the batteries.
Anyone else notice differences in Z polish from bottle to bottle?
It may impact the shine one gets.
All I can say is that this stuff is fantastic. Makes the paint look better than new.
It is hard to get used to not putting a lot on, but I caught on after a while. I was impressed with how easy it is to apply the Z5 and Z2 on and off. I forgot to do the Z6 in between one of the coats on my front bumper, and could really tell the difference in how much easier the Z5/Z2 is to apply when you use the Z6 first. No other wax or polish will touch my car.
Wonder what they have for my dashboard?
LOL..... fanatics huh? MORE than the 300M group here? Some of them definitely have more mod expenses then the car is worth. Guess they plan to keep it until it falls apart. FWIW, there are a ton of mods for the PT Cruiser and have been since day one. So, when you get the urge to "tinker" at least you know there are a ton of things you can do that do NOT include "detailing" the engine bay!! And they think that I'm bad with my car! ;-)))
fastdriver
Does Z5 and Z2 change colors between batches? Not really. Sal has been steadily improving both formulas and the resulting products do have a slightly different color and concentration. Continual improvements is a good thing.
Fanatics? Ha, 'ever lookup the Honda after market groups? All big sellers have created demand for specialty aftermarket products. Well, maybe not the Opel, but GM no longer imports Opels to the USA. And of course I detail the inside of the engine bay. Um, I may actually consider doing that. 'Just thing, another way to use up my surplus Z1!
Try some WD-40. This should do the trick or Goo Gone.
fastdriver
My friend just bring me some acetone and it works great. Very easy to get rid of all maker left with a little bit acetone.
YIKES!! Acetone is kind of strong for a car finish- I think. Hope it didn't do any damage.
fastdriver
However, I understand the reports to indicate that smearing (especially after a good, long drying time) is just Zaino's way of telling you that the coat you applied was too thick.
Sure, you thought it was thin, but you don't know what thin is unless you work at the molecular level like Zaino.
The solution is to wash with Z7 (no need to re-Dawn) to take off the extra Zaino, and proceed as if nothing happened.
After using Zaino for over a year (which makes me still a beginner), I picked up a tip regarding thin coats. I no longer use the cotton covered sponge supplied by Zaino. Upon the recommendation of some detailers who use Zaino, I purchased some Viking foam wax applicators.
These are dark grey and come in packs of 2 or maybe 3, I forget, and cost about a dollar. If you can't wash out the Zaino when you are done (sometimes a problem with ZFX) just throw the guys out.
But the important thing is that, for molecular reasons that I don't understand, these applicators put the Zaino on in real thin coats. It's almost hard to see it go on, which is what you want. I used to splash on about 2 oz per coat (and my car is not very big); now I use about 1.5 oz (three-fourth of a ZFX mixing bottle) to apply TWO coats to the car. It goes on thinner, drys sooner, comes off easier, and makes your consumer dollar go further (or farther, depending on where you went to school, if any).
Finally (at last), I don't know what you mean by saying you used the "polish lock polish and enhancer." Sal calls the Z1 a "polish lok [sic] and gloss conditioner," and as we all know, Z6 is the "Gloss enhancer spray." I presume you put on the Z1 and had the smearing problems removing it, and I presume you did not use any Z6 in this process. If you did spray with Z6, that might explain the smearing, but if you have used Z before, I doubt you did that.
I don't think any new cars come with any finish that would cause this problem, although there is no telling what kind of stuff a dealer might have applied. When buying new, it is best to tell the dealer to do nothing to the car by way of wash or wax, but we all learned this lesson too late.
My suggestion is to wash with Z7 and either apply Z2 or maybe switch to ZFX, which I find very helpful in building up glossy coats in less time. Get some of those foam applicators; they work great in my opinion.
And never give up, never give up, never give up . . . . .
squid99: I believe petro33 just left out commas in his description; I interpreted the post as meaning, "used polish lok, polish, and the gloss enhancer." Did you mean to say put on Z-1 and had the smearing problem removing it? Removing Z-1 is what is "Unusual" to me, as removing Z-1 is not only not recommended in the proper use of the products, but it is specifically stated not to. However, I agree that, given what petro33 says was done, it is an unusual result.
That's a real common problem, due to a thick coat of z2 or z5.
Don't wash with dawn again at that point (and I don't think it would do any good anyway). Wash with Z7 to get rid of the excess polish (2 or 5), and spritz with Z6.
This should be no problem.
Wax and mineral oil? Sounds like a laxative! Is this so it "shines real good" (for about 12 hours)??? Why not just use some lard?
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?YOUR%20USERNAME
I have about 10 coats of Z2 on my black Lexus SC430 and now have some good digital photos that demonstrate the highly reflective finish. Can someone tell me how to post them here, or otherwise advise how these could be posted somewhere for viewing?
Thanks.
Just follow their directions to set up an account and download pictures. Then just add the link to where they can be found.
Good luck.
Looks GREAT!! Red is a great color- I think. Both the 300 and the PT look awesome compared to the "blah" looking white Avalon! ;-))))
squidd99-
Man, it's about time that you're ready to post some more pics of that black beauty!! I've been waiting since LAST year!! ;-)))
Go to http://www.ofoto.com and sign up there. It's a division of KODAK and is FREE. Most likely, like 99% of the world, you have a PC, so you can download a free uploader thingy!! That's where I have most of my pics.
Last Friday I FINALLY put on another coat of Zaino on my CL. This makes 17 coats altogether since March 2001, but the first coat since March 9, 2002! I'll go take some pics and post them in a few minutes.
fastdriver
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=13960617103.43997565503&n=1355493481
You have to sign in, but since it's a subsidiary of KODAK, I figure it's okay. I would put them in YAHOO, but sometimes that doesn't work right.
fastdriver
The next time I mix up some ZFX, if I have .005 oz left, I will give it a coat or two.
Then one spritz with Z6 and I'm done.
Thanks for the good idea.
I can see I have some catching up to do to both of you regarding layering more coats on the Cruiser. I already have about a dozen coats on the 300M.
Squidd...I think Zaino really sets off black cars. Yours is absolutely stunning.
OF course, I don't believe I can catch up to fastdriver. As you can see, I'm partial to red cars, too. That CL-S has to get stares from the bright red glare is gives off...lol!
Looks like I'll have to do another Z2 again this weekend just to stay in the "ballpark" with both of you.
I'm not sure why a white car doesn't show the same results. I think its just that the white reflects light in such a manner that the Zaino shine get hidden. Still, the Zaino will protect the finish better than anything else around.
AWESOME!!!!! I LOVE that car! Wish more makers would offer white interiors!! I see that you got that "shade" thing right to show off that shine! I KNOW I wouldn't miss that car if I saw it in CT. There are a few of those around here that I see from time to time.
E-mail me ASAP. I have to talk to you!!
graphicguy-
Never mind! That 300M and that PT Cruiser look AWESOME too!! Great color and great looking cars! I only know how many coats of Z I have because I write it down on the calendar because people are always asking me how many coats I have. With Christine I lost count, so I'm doing a better job now keeping count! ;-))
pblevine-
I'm SURE that dark green Accord looks AWESOME too!
We owe our thanks to SAL!! If it wasn't for him, NONE of our cars would look this good unless we WAXED them every 2 weeks!! LOL.....
fastdriver
It only picks up particulates embedded in the paint layer, little things you can actually feel if you try hard.
I forget what it is that removes Zaino, but it's not clay.
I think it's maybe alcohol, (or was it beer)? Somebody out there knows and will tell us.
I have never had a reason yet to remove it.
LOL...BEER?? You wish!! One for you and one for the Lexus?? ;-))) I think it's alcohol too, but WHO, in their RIGHT mind, would want to REMOVE Zaino??? I wish that Sal would make a combination of his products so that the wash job and the Z process would be ONE step!! LOL...
Check your mail!
fastdriver
This Lexus SC430 was washed once by a pretty good dealer before delivery in late April, 16 months ago. Since then, nothing but Zaino and hand washes. Too many coats to count, but no marks and no dings to date, even after a few trips from Ohio to the east coast.
It has never been washed by machine, nor has it been washed in beer, although I have.
That Zaino Do Shine -- See especially photos 6 and 7.
See photos here:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=99976965503.21587806503&n=1260339587
It works! ;-)) I HAD to look at them AGAIN! I keep picturing it in RED with the white leather!! Mmmm.....
fastdriver
If you have the balls to drive this car in red, you have to get the white interior. The "saddle" interior is too orange, and is not too popular, and the other choice is black. I may be partial, but the white interior makes a bold fashion statement.
I've had good reactions to it.
I sent photo #7 to Sal; maybe he will post it in his gallary of highly reflective cars.
I was wondering how and what you use to wash your tires and wheels. Any tips/tricks you would like to share? Thanks
Generally, I would think that you would want to have separate rags and towels for the wheels because of the dust and grit.
I find that drying the wheels last with the same drying towel used on the car is no problem, because even if it gets quite dirty, it all comes out in the wash.
I don't to anything to the tires except hose them off, but my car has very low profile tires without much of a sidewall, so there's not much to work with anyway. If I did, I would use separate rags, sponges, etc.
I also use Z2 on the chrome wheels. On the tires I use Z16 as a tire dressing. But, depending on the car, I've also used High Endurance, which is more of a "gel" if I want a higher gloss on the tires. Z16 leaves more of a satiny look on the tires. Really depends on my mood.
To clean wheels: Several excellent wheel cleaners on the market: Eagle One A2Z, Sonus Wheel Gel, EFHI, P21S, Meguiar's #36. Follow directions to the letter, agitate with a soft brush if needed.