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Waxes and Polishes, Part III
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and went to town on our two new vehicles
hours after the delivery was made.
The tips refer to applying Zaino within
a temperature range I won't be seeing for
a few months, here in NH. I do have a
garage and also have been able to take
advantage of warmer than usual December and
January weather.
While I'm thrilled with the results, I'm
wondering if applying Zaino during colder
temperatures is producing a less than
optimal product? Should I start from the
top again come April?
Thx,
John
jfox123 - I believe that the only difference is that your coat of Z2/Z5/whatever will take a LOT longer to dry, but you could always email Sal to find out for sure.
Perhaps some other folks around here can answer more specifically.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
I've never used Liquid Glass, so I can't tell you anything about that product.
Let me know if I can help any further.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
Thanks,
I wouldn't recommend it in the hot summer, but in the winter, depending on where you are, I would say it's fine. I've Z'd my car in 40 degree weather in the sun. WHY do you want it to sit for hours? By the time you are done applying it, the part where you started should be ready to wipe off. Just do the finger test. Rub you finger on the ZAINO. If it doesn't smear, then it's dry and ready to wipe off. Some people make a project out of applying ZAINO. I don't get it! I have never let the ZAINO sit on the car for HOURS! Then again, I don't put it on when the humidity is 90%.
Good luck. You'll love the results!
fastdriver
In the recent years, an increase in paint contamination has been a huge problem for automobile manufacturers and those that care for the quality of paint finishes. Rail dust, brake dust, and increased industrial fallout is seriously infecting the quality of the paint finish. Rail dust is actually tiny sharp particles of bare metal. Rail dust is produced from the friction of the rail wheels on the railroad track. Since over 70% of new vehicles are shipped via railroad from the factory, most new vehicles are subjected to rail dust contamination. If you have seen the “plastic covering” on new vehicles, this is one of the methods used to deter rail dust contamination, however: at most only 60% of the vehicle is protected with the plastic, leaving 40% infected with rail dust contamination. In addition, any time a vehicle is traveling and/or parked near a railroad, it can be subjected to rail dust contamination.
Brake dust is a problem that is having a major impact on the quality of paint finishes. In previous years, brake pads were made of asbestos materials. Because of the obvious health risks related to asbestos, a new method for making brake pads was developed. Today, all brake pads are “Metallic and/or Semi-Metallic” brake pads. This means that all brake pads today are made from metal particles. Basically, during braking metal on metal friction is occurring and producing metal shavings (brake dust) that adhere and imbed into the paint finish of all vehicles, it's just that they are easily noticed on white or light colored vehicles.
Rail dust, and brake dust contamination is one of the most serious paint contamination problems today. This contamination is actually tiny, sharp particles of bare metal, and like all bare metal, it rusts and/or corrodes with the slightest bit of moisture. As the rail dust, and brake dust is rusting, it is deteriorating the paint finish and causing serious damage. The longer that it is left untreated, the harder it is to remove, and the more damage it creates. “Clay” is currently the best method of removing and maintaining this contamination problem.
You see, this contamination is re-occuring and needs continuous treatment. Implementing a good quality clay product into your normal cleaning process will help to maintain and properly treat this problem.
I see that you have purchased the "Mothers" brand and were able to take care of your problem this time. The only downside to Mothers Gold Clay is that it is too soft, sticks to the paint finish and it deteriorates with the use of soap and water. It is a brand that is not used by professionals and is more of a cheap brand for the consumer.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time, also feel free to visit our website located at www.erazer.com for more inforamtion on a high quality "clay-like" cleaning material.
Thanks,
John
Thanks for the (long) post. And one of the reasons I use Zaino is just because most waxes are too hard. Not soft, hard. By soft, I assume you mean that they are too easily washed away. But when most waxes dry, they are too hard as in brittle. They cannot expand and contract easily. Yet the sheet metal and paint layers are always expanding and contracting due to the endless cycles of sunlight and engine heat. These 'hard' waxes become brittle and develope heat stress microscopic cracks which allow the oils in the wax to leach out. Polymer based products such as Zaino deposit very long flexible molecules which can easily expand and contract. Thus, Zaino will last a lot longer than any wax.
crcheng,
I too initially had the same sort of problem. I applied Zaino (Z1 and Z2) on a cold wet day. It didn't dry quickly. I had to move the car indoors (a garage - not a living room, thank you!) and leave it overnight. You should check with Sal, but I believe that the twin factors of heat and humidity are very important. I've also (at a later date) applied Z2 in direct Sunlight with NO problems. In fact, I think (again, check with Sal) direct sunlight is good for the drying process. Just a few weeks ago, I applied another layer of Z2 in direct sunlight on a cold day (about 45 degrees F). It dried quickly and looks great. I'm not sure, however, I'd want to do it if the temperature was below 32.
I have, however, applied Z6 in direct sun if the surface wasn't too hot, with no bad results. My car is light colored.
Hope this helps.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
I have tried baby clothes, cotton diapers, chamois and thick bath towels. All to no luck.
Someone (graphicguy) in another topic was asking about keeping our cars clean during the winter months. A very good question. All I could say was that I'd use a garden hose to spray off the road salts and dirt. That's the end of my knowledge when the temperature goes below 32. Does anyone else have some good winter ideas?
The car came out looking much better - it wasn't totally clean, but on Alpine Silver, you wouldn't notice the residual dirt film. On the downside - I noticed on the way home that most the water froze on the car before it dryed! Guess it would be better to wait for 32 degrees to rinse off the car next time.
When I handwash in the winter, I use some heavy duty, industrial rubber gloves that have a flannel lining that I got from Home Depot. Above freezing temperatures, it's no problem to wash the car using these gloves.
FYI - if you want great cotton towels for drying or polishing your car, try the ones at http://www.aadvarktowels.com. They are very dense and sized right to do the job. They leave the car spotless. Unless you can find similar quality towels and cut/restitch the edges yourself, they are worth the price. I have bought several.
The car came out looking much better - it wasn't totally clean, but on Alpine Silver, you wouldn't notice the residual dirt film. On the downside - I noticed on the way home that most the water froze on the car before it dryed! Guess it would be better to wait for 32 degrees to rinse off the car next time.
When I handwash in the winter, I use some heavy duty, industrial rubber gloves that have a flannel lining that I got from Home Depot. Above freezing temperatures, it's no problem to wash the car using these gloves.
FYI - if you want great cotton towels for drying or polishing your car, try the ones at http://www.aadvarktowels.com. They are very dense and sized right to do the job. They leave the car spotless. Unless you can find similar quality towels and cut/restitch the edges yourself, they are worth the price. I have bought several.
I put on my second coat of Z2 yesterday (first was New Years Eve) to see if I would really get a better shine. I DID!!!!. The car even shines under streetlights at night!. And it really does have a "wet look", which I thought was next to impossible to get on a white car.
I can't truly express how impressed I am with the Zaino products. They shine like crazy and they are VERY easy to apply.
Any ways, I tried Meguiar's Medallion Premium wax and I am just as impressed. Great shine. Easy to apply and take off. I need to see how it holds up to Dawn. Since it costs more than Gold Class, I am assuming it is better.
I too would recommend washing with Dawn (once only - more about that) and claying the car. Take the advice above and access the Zaino site. As for claying a new car, do it! Even new cars have that 'rail' (brake) dust on them. Just being transported to you dealer will expose them to those tiny bits of metal. These 'clay' compounds are not magic, but they will pick up a lot of that dust, even after a good washing.
Jbadams,
I don't think the extra Dawn washings did anything good for your car. Too much of that dish washing liguid could hurt your clear coat. One mild Dawn washing is ALL you should ever do. I think what happend is that the Dawn removed the surface wax and left you with a very clean clear coat. As these 'clear coats' also have microscopic pits and ridges, the hard Meguiars wax still adhered to the low points. The result may have been a very even surface which still looked better than the original clear coat.
By the way, after Dawning and claying, a first layer of Zaino's Z1 will then take care of that residual wax.
I thought about getting some Zaino but I am a skeptic I guess. I don't mean any disrespect to Sal, but if Zaino is so good, why does Sal not market his product via auto parts stores, Wal-marts, etc. Even having a more e-commerce friendly web site would be a plus.
Several of the Zaino users have posted pictures of their cars on the web. They do look good, but not better than a car using Meguiars or Mothers. I'm just not sold I guess.
I do agree that I wish Sal would take orders from his web site, or consider selling it to local auto parts stores, but, hey, it's his company and his product is superb, so I'll put up with those inconveniences.
Just a clear water rinse in 8 degree weather (it froze almost as fast as I sprayed) and my truck looked good as new. I can only imagine how fantastic it might look, if I stayed after it as well as some others here.
Zaino remains the right choice for me.
Terry
However, I suspect that he senses how much more complicated HIS life would be if he expanded the business to Credit Cards, then to hiring a Sales Manager and sales reps, Marketing and Advertising departments, Credit Manager, expanding his Warehousing, Shipping and Export departments, planning infomercials, etc. etc.
Sure, he could increase sales by 10-20x or more, but some of us are just artists and not entrepeneurs.
Do I use Z1 & Z2? Mother's Back-to-Black? Other non-Zaino products? Nothing? (It's a new car.)
If the black plastic is not porous or textured (i.e. smooth), then Z1-Z2 will be fine to use. If these parts are textured in any way, you can use Sal's dash vinyl/plastic treatment. I've never used it, but plan on ordering some in the Spring when I give my car a total detailing.
I do like using Lexol treatment on the plastic/vinyl testured parts of my car. It seems to last a long time and "dresses" up those parts well. I've even used Lexol on the plastic shroud over my engine. It keeps the shroud clean and looks good even on an engine with extreme high temps. For my dash, I don't use anything except a damp rag as I like interior parts to have that "matte" finish. Easier to take care of, too...no reflections from the sun.
Please be as skeptical about Zaino. Keep an open mind but try it with a critical eye. I think you'll be more than satisfied, but you be the judge. As for Sal's marketing methods, why not ask him?
cyclerklm: Graphicguy has some very good suggestions. Another good resourse is the Zaino site at www.zainobros.com.
If you want alternatives to even that, you should check out AutoFanatics http://www.autofanatics.com. In addition to Collinite, they have products that you can't find anywhere else; like polishing cloths. Their service has been noted and recommended throughout Edmund's many times. Worth a look.
That said, although it shines well, it doesn't come close to a Zaino shine.
As a matter of fact, I still have some sitting in my garage. I haven't used it since I got my first shipment of Zaino, though.
The Collinite shine begins to break down after a couple of months. With Zaino, one quick Z7 wash and the original blazing shine is back. A brief Z6 wipedown after the wash and my car looks newly waxed.
So far, I've seen just one Z1/Z2 treatment to my wife's car last 6 months (and counting). My guess is that there is another 2-3 months left on the protection and shine before I have to do it again.
Dawn comments - the concentration of Dawn in the bucket will make a difference on how much wax gets removed. Obviously, a very weak solution won't do anything. How strong the concentration has to be to get the job done probably depends on the type of wax and the number of layers. I recall Sal stated once that Dawn would definitely NOT harm clear coat paint. If I had a car that had been waxed many times over the years, I would probably give it a once over with a car wax remover to be sure I was stripping all the wax or I would go heavy with the Dawn a few times until I was sure it cut through all the old wax.
Thoughts on Zaino - I tried it for the first time last year on my new car because of the posts here. All I can say is I couldn't be happier with it!! It's puts a smile on my face every time I walk up to my car and see how it outshines everything else on the lot at work even after several months. Maybe there are other equally long lasting, easy to use, high shining waxes on the market, if so, I hope that you are using one of them if you're not using Zaino. Zaino really repels dirt and water.
Why,..That would be as rare as:
* A Geo Metro at a drag race,
* A virgin in the White House,
* The Red Sox winning back to back World Series
* Your doctor's Free House Calls,
* A recall notice for a 1949 Ford,
* The Oprah Winfrey / John Rocker Wedding,
* Woody Allen with an older woman,
* Switching from Zaino to Turtle Wax,
* Unused Dallas Cowboy 'Get Out Of Jail' cards,
* Or a nude beach in Iran.
My Zaino experiences have been like Graphicguys. And I'm going to see if 2 coats of Z2 make it through the winter here in the North East.
I have just about decided to order the zaino. I still have the meguiars stuff in the garage. I'll use that on my more beat up car, and try the zaino on the new, shiny one. If it performs as the posts here would indicate, I suppose I'll use that from now on.
dave
(I still plan to use Zaino on my cars, however)
I already ordered the zaino. I'm going to do a comparison, one car with meguiars full line-up and one with the zaino full-line up within a few days of each other. Then I can park them side-by-side and really look them over. This should let me decide for myself if it's really worth the extra $$.
I must say, though, that after talking to the guys on the phone, I'm very impressed; they gave me detailing reccomendations that did not include their products ( such as removing wax from black trim with peanut butter ).
dave
What a great list!
marcus216: I don't know how to do that. The best thing to do is ask Sal Zaino via email or phone. He's very helpful and his site is: www.zainobros.com.
I've talked to Sal several times with questions of my own with regards to caring for my vehicle's finish. He's always helpful. First (and only) time I've gotten personal attention from the owner of any company for any product I've ever used.
In general, you want to leave your paint finish as free as possible of any wax or contaminants as possible. Reason being, Zaino is optically pure. Anything that's on or in the paint when you begin the Zaino treatment will not be covered up by Zaino and will detract from the results you can achieve. Some folks just use Zaino without claying or "Dawn" washing and I've yet to hear any complaints. That said, I figure If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right from the "get-go", so you may as well follow the steps. Your results will be great!
Before beginning your Z1/Z2 or Z5 treatment Dawn wash your car. Dawn cuts through the old wax that's on your car. Then clay (follow the clay recommendations on the box it came in). The clay will remove any paint contaminants as well as any wax that the first wash missed. Dawn wash again to get rid of any clay residue and further remove old wax. You should now have a squeaky clean, smooth, wax free, contaminant free surface to begin using Zaino. This procedure will insure that the paint color will come "shining" through (pun intended)when you Zaino.
Let us know how it turns out.
After claying my new Odyssey, and seeing nothing in the clay, I thought I would try it on my old black '90 Integra after going over it with Meguiar's paint cleaner. I got massive amounts of gunk out of the paint. After waxing it with Meguiar's carnuba (I'll order some Z5 and Zaino it in the spring), I'ts still several shades darker than it was before claying almost four months later.
'92 Camry V6LE and I wash it with diluted Castrol Super Clean ( purple color) to get all the grease out, then rinse, rinse, rinse...wipe it dry. Then follow up with denatured alcohol which really cut all wax, oil, grease out. I haven't used this in-Zaino thing (!!!) but I used Zymol auto polish for 6 years now. I also use it on my black '98 Sienna LE. I just love that carnauba smell...I normally do this every 3-4 months and I've have a lot of "that's a '92?!!!!" from friends and strangers.
I used water and kerosene mixture to wash cars. This also acted as a grease/grime cutter. Now most of the cars I was detailing had thicker coats of paint and no clear coat as the finishes do today. It sounds like the same principle you are adhering to. Don't know if I'd do that on today's finishes for more reasons than I'll get into here. I think that there's been loads of advanements over the past 3-5 years in paint composition and application techniques that would keep me from trying anything as harsh as alcohol, Castrol or kerosene on my cars. I just don't see the need and I live in harsh midwest winters and summers.
Zaino is, by far, has the best products for paint and inside the car finishes. Best customer support, too. I've used a lot of the "boutique" and expensive waxes/polishes. Zaino shines better with better depth of gloss/shine and lasts longer than anything I've ever used. You won't need any harsh liquids to keep your finish looking great either. Dust, dirt, tree sap, tar, etc. practically rinse right off after a Zaino treatment.
I don't sell Zaino and am not affiliated in any way with Zaino products (except as an extremely happy user).
Give a look to the Zaino Web site (or call Sal Zaino directly) to see pictures and find details about the products.
www.zainobros.com
zaino polish on them?
zaino polish on them?