Zaino Car Care Experiences

pjyoung · February 2001

MD2 - go to www.zainobros.com and print off the order form. No online ordering yet, and no credit cards accepted, but Sal turns around an order quickly..even if you pay with a personal check

LSPANGLER - Dawn doesn't remove Zaino. the info provided by jjccrv is right on the money.

pjyoung · February 2001

It wasn't my intention to start another war (really). But you make several good points. That's why I don't think another forum would work. It's only car wax, but it always seems to turn out like someone slandered your family name for not liking a product.

I wish it were possible for folks to share information about waxes, but comparo's don't seem to work. Look at any car topic about ABC vs XYZ. For grins, the 300M vs Maxima. It starts out with valid comparisons of the plusses and minuses of each one. Then someone throws in the "it's ugly" comment. And it comes back about how the other is just an American POS. And it escalates into the "you moron" phase.

Too bad we can't settle this like the Ford and Chevy truck owners and just get a cartoon Calvin urinating on a Zaino/Meguires/Nufinish bottle.

dbs2001 · February 2001

I'm a "casual" Z-user. I read both forums & was convinced by this one to give Z a try. It works well for me--easy to use & durable. Those who are interested can read both forums & basically forgo the flame wars that inevitably develop. When I was doing my research, I wanted to learn about the products to determine what was right for me! And what is right for me may not be right for someone else as we all have our different priorities.

bluebeast · February 2001

bretfraz , time for you to take your prozac

Sal, Hello !! Year 2001 and Zaino DOES NOT accept credit cards? How stupid !

Zaino users, do you have empty and/or full bottles/jars of Zaino built into shrines that you say prayers to everyday before you start your car/truck? How many will fess up that they Zaino their shower stall?

bretfraz · February 2001

I would LOVE to be your Valentine. Gimme an address to send a box of Godiva chocolates to.

Perfectly sealed and untouched by me or any member of the Meguiars family.

ruking1 · February 2001

#1266
No, but I do Zaino the computer and home theater screens!! Keeps it from being such a dust magnet! Optically it is 99% plus clear. If you dont mind the hassle, and possible damage, you should use any of the other products on your screens! Then you will REALLY see!

joebob6 · February 2001

If Zaino users really felt superior because they use superior products why would they go out of their way to help others to make their cars look great too?

If I felt superior I would want to hide the fact about which product to use. Whenever my bottles of Zaino approach 1/4 left I give them away to family and friends to try out...not because I feel superior but because these products are superior to what they are using. Most of them became Zaino regular users; a few feel it is too expensive, but none said anything negative about the results on their cars.

Bretfraz wrote:"But, I will never EVER accept insults, intimidation, public ridicule, or any other verbal method meant to force me into submittion or to classify me as a inferior human being simply because there exist people who, for whatever personal reason, want to keep me down."
Feelings of inferiority, paranoia, and persecution. Prozac just might be the right answer.
Bretfraz sounds like he may be a closet Zaino user now. Its not about the products, its about the personalities involved?? What kind of nonsense are you talking now? Are you saying every Zaino user has a certain type of personality and every Non-Zaino user has a different type of personality? I have seen several boisterous Meguiar's users over the years that felt as strongly as I do about Zaino.

If you want to order by Credit card there are some distributors that accept them or you can order from Ecklers.

I haven't Zainoed my shower stall(yet) but I have Zainoed the sink. I also use Z6 on my TV, computer screens and my eyeglasses.

mbdriver · February 2001

I sure hope the rabble-rousing and insults don't continue. For a while, I thought everything had calmed down and we could exchange ideas and opinions without juvenile malice or baiting. But it seems that someone saw my Post # 1257 and assumed that he (she?) was the target, took offense and decided to respond in a manner that isn't either civil or respectful (the keys to Town Hall success, according to the terms of usage).

Suggestion: Let's talk car care and ignore the posts that ignore the forum topic and the Town Hall terms.

automophile · February 2001

If you keep responding to brettfraz he will never go away. He just likes yanking your chains to get off on your responses. You are all just wasting your time to respond to his attempts to incite you.

There is no other reason someone would go on a forum and deliberately try to pick arguments.

Just Ignore

mike_542 · February 2001

Just ignore any immature trouble maker that seems to cause lots of trouble or they will never stop spamming this forum.

Anyways, I finished another Zaino vs. Brand X comparo. This time Brand X was Klasse All-In-One and Klasse High Gloss Sealant on a few clayed body panels and some scratches and swirls I achieved by using dirty towels and a rubbing compound.

The results after six months? (Klasse/Zaino)
-shine advantage on light paint: Equal
-shine advantage on dark paint: Equal
-wet look advantage on dark paint: Zaino
-wet look advantage on light paint: Zaino
-depth advantage on dark paint: Zaino
-depth advantage on light paint: Zaino
-durability (1 month on the roof): Equal
-durability (3 months on the roof): Equal
-durability (6 months on the roof): Zaino
-ease of use: Klasse
-price to content ratio advantage: Zaino
-OVERALL WINNER: Zaino

In conclusion, Zaino was far superior to Klasse because of its excellent wet-look, depth, gloss, and durability. Zaino removed more swirls and scratches than Klasse, which seemed to not even touch the imperfections. Zaino was also a great value compared to Klasse, which cost over $40. The two Klasse products were also great, and did not have strange application tips whereas Zaino did. Although Klasse did not reflect as much as Zaino, the reflections of it were crispier which gave it great shine. Still, I find nothing out-performs Zaino.

joe166 · February 2001

I warn you again that there are some people who thrive on just stirring it up. After a while the forum guys will come on and you will ALL get yelled at. Look back and you will see that even the fairly innocuous posts are deleted and people who started it are treated just like the people who responded. Ignore it and MAYBE it will go away. I expect that if it continues I will get a nasty email and this post will be deleted too. Oh, well. Never get into a spitting contest with a skunk. You will both end up smelling and the skunk will be quite happy.

pjyoung · February 2001

A mention was made to consider trying to create a forum that anything could be talked about. Read up on the past 10 posts to see why it won't work. Back to the topic now, please - I am sorry that I broached the topic. Protogextwo - it looks like it's a no-go on the topic.

koury · February 2001

he exists for one purpose - to shut this thing down. I've seen it happen about a year ago - a "bretfraz clone" stirred the pot so badly in another forum the hosts took the topic down permanently.

Ignore him - he may not go away, but at least we won't have to suffer from a topic being discontinued.

lspangler · February 2001

I guess I should apologize for stating an observation in my above post. I guess others don't see it that way. I have tried many, many waxes, polishes, etc. over the years and my recent intro to Zaino has left me amazed so maybe I mis-spoke. I understand having a passion for different things, but why is it that one wax was singled out as not allowed in the other forum?

It's just wax, and I would say that the Zaino results I have gotten so far, make it worth much more than I had to pay!

Again, thanks for all the help guys. I cleaned off 2 shelves worth of other stuff into the trash last night.

Does anybody know what the requirements are to become a dealer? How much cheaper is it?

abtx · February 2001

I am thinking of using the Zaino products for the following: '93 Honda Civic, white-always garaged; '96 Geo Prizm, beige metallic-always garaged; 1986 VW Golf, white-never garaged and rather dull paint job. Should I bother with them and especially the Golf, or am I wasting my time and money on them? I usually wax the Golf once a year and it looks good for about 2 months, but after that time frame the paint goes back to dull? Thanx in advance for any suggestions.

joebob6 · February 2001

I wouldn't expect Finish First to fill in spider webbing or light scratches. However, if you rub hard on the areas with the spiderwebbing the Finish First should be able to remove or reduce them with the abrasives it contains.

mbdriver · February 2001

By all means, do the Zaino number on the Honda and Geo Prizm. Once the initial work is done, all you'll need to do is wash with Z-7 occasionally and maybe every several months use Z-2. The real advantage (besides the super shine and protection) is the ease of care. Just wipe on the Z-2, let dry, and wipe off. No buffing, rubbing or hard work.

The Golf may be more difficult. Zaino won't restore a finish that's really weathered, and you may want to try something with a mild abrasive. (Maybe Bret can recommend something.) Then, with the paint in fairly good shape, you can try the blue Dawn wash, Z-1 and Z-2. Claying and Z-5 are also options, but it may not be worth the trouble.
Suggest you visit www.zainobros.com and see for yourself how much time, effort and money you want to spend. Let us know how things work out.

automophile · February 2001

It sounds like you need a real "polish" - that is an abrasive compound that will remove the weathered paint, and get down to some good paint, and will also smooth the surface. There are some good polishes from 3M "Hand Glaze" and from Mequiar's. Please do not confuse a polish with a wax. A polish first fixes the surface, and then you must apply wax or Zaino (a polymer finish) to protect it.

Regardless of how well your paint polishes, the Zaino polymer will offer the best protection for the long term future, and help to make your paint last as long as possible.

dovey1 · February 2001

but it is supposed to rain all weekend through next Tuesday. I can hardly believe it. I might have a few hours tomorrow before it starts so at least I'll do the dawn clay dawn thing. What will happen if I do the Z-1 and Z-5 and then it rains? Will it ever dry in the garage-no heat in there? Thanks in advance

protegextwo · February 2001

Naaa, It will never dry unless you purchased some Z-32. The Z-32 is a fast drying agent that will bond the Z-1/Z-5 like "white on rice"! HEHE,.... just kidding. Wait to start the Zanio regime until the weatherman can insure at least a month of very warm dry days. That way you can layer on 6 or 7 coats of Z-5, to obtain that "pimping show car wet-look". OK, OK, I'm really sorry dude, I am just enjoying life and having a little fun tonight.

Good luck;
Protegextwo

abtx · February 2001

Thanx a lot for your input "mbdriver" and "automophile". I have already read everything on the zaino.com web site and I am ready to place my order. Automophile, I know about the difference between polish and wax, but I was hoping that I could skip the polishing step of the process because it takes me approx.8 hours of very hard labor to get some nice shine on that VW Golf... Oh well, I guess I'll have to do it again this year too :-( I usually use Meguire's Three Step Formula: 1)Paint Cleaner; 2)Polish; 3)Wax.
The first two are very easy to apply, but an absolute nightmare to remove... That's the main reason I dread the thought of doing it...
Cheers, abtx.

mbdriver · February 2001

Suggestion: Before you go to all the trouble and work of using the Mequires first two steps, call Sal Zaino on the phone and ask him what he'd recommend to prepare the Golf for the Zaino process. He should be able to provide a good recommendation that doesn't require 8 hours of intensive labor. And once you get the paint in good shape and a few coats of Zaino on it, you won't have to dread the yearly agony again. LOL.

automophile · February 2001

Maybe you can borrow an orbital buffer to use this one last time? 8 hours is a long time to spend scrubbing your paint. It will be worth it to polish the paint before you Z it.

Good Luck!

tomkun · February 2001

My new 2001 blue LS430 got some bird drops on the hood, i washed it off, but still can see little stains under the sun, which Zaino and what steps i should use to get rid off bird drop stains?

thanks!

automophile · February 2001

FIRST -
Be VERY CAREFUL when removing bird droppings! Birds eat gravel to digest, and the poop is full if hard grit. If you rub it, you are GUARANTEED to scratch your paint!!!! Soak with water until soft, and GENTLY rub with your finger to disloge it. It is best if you can get it off just with the water and no rubbing, if possible.

Also -the bird poop is very acidic, and that is why it can cause a spot, even on the most religiously Zaino'd finish. For Zaino - I say email Sal and ask him.

automophile · February 2001

Wow Mike! Thanks for the discourse on Bird Poop! Really! I am not sure that there is anything that can offer 100% protection against the acid attack.

You are correct - get it off ASAP. I have pulled into gas stations and used the water hose to flush it off before it could stain. I'd rather have the water spots than the permanent stain.

Good luck to all.

protegextwo · February 2001

Mike, are you &#8217 alright?

-Larry

pjyoung · February 2001

The @#$%(* problem is that you cannot use the $%^*$% apostrophe in a post. It replaces the apostrophe with the @#$%(*$% #8217. Perhaps it is Edmund's way of forcing us to avoid contractions. Ain't gonna happen though because some times it works and sometimes it doesn't.

mike_542 · February 2001

That IS peculiar...I think there is something wrong with the apostrophe sign, or it's only like that in my computer...hmmm...

pjyoung · February 2001

I think it's got something to do with the length of the post. I've posted longer responses and that blasted ’ this happened. It doesn't seem to happen on shorter posts. So, it's not your computer.

gary_berg · February 2001

The problem is that if you prepare your text in a word processor, such as Word, it comes through weirdly.

dovey1 · February 2001

I've had my Zaino for a couple of weeks and it just rains every day! I can hardly wait for it to stop. I have my new plush white towels sitting here all washed and my box of goodies from Zaino just calling my name. Here it is another weekend and it is raining this morning, predicted to rain Sat afternoon and into Sunday-can't get a break!! I guess I'll just have to keep waiting for my "showroom shine"-LOL!

pjyoung · February 2001

Here, if it's not raining, it's snowing, and if it's doing either one, it's nasty cold. My poor formerly white car is a gloomy shade of "dirt gray". My formerly gleeming chrome wheels are brown. I have decided that I now officially hate winter.

mike_542 · February 2001

Here in California, it was hailing but now it is nice and sunny; perfect for waxing my car. After buying a dark car, I find Zaino not so nice for it. I am not sure if it's because of Porsche's paint quality or the particular color.

Anyways, I find Zaino best for:
1.) Light-colored cars. No other wax out performs Zaino on white, parchment, or silver.
2.) Domestic paints (Dodge, Chevy, etc.)

wka · February 2001

I'm not sure if I'm going to go for the Zaino product line. The posts about bird poop are making me reconsider. On my previous car I had put Liquid Glass, infact multiple coats of it. I don't remember having a problem with bird poop or anything else. Dirt wouldn't stick to it, even after it rained it would almost look like it was recently washed.

Is Zaino giving me less protection than liquid glass?

pjyoung · February 2001

I had bird poop on the hood of my car, and in a rain shower, driving it removed the bird poop with no marks. After it rained it would also appear to be washed, but I would have to have washed it more than once every 3 weeks (that's how long it's been). Zaino ws the first stuff I had on my car that would "repel" bird droppings".

joe166 · February 2001

I fear that you have unreasonable expectations for the protection that any wax or polymer is going to give you. Unless your wax has someone who is going to sit outside by the car with a damp sponge, there is no less protection from Zaino than from any other protectant. If you let the bird doop sit on your car until the next time you wash it you will be shocked at how much damage it can do and it doesn't matter what you have on it. It is acidic and as such, it will eat through whatever you have on it and start on your paint unless that particular bird has been eating bicarbonate of soda or some other base.

wka · February 2001

So are you all telling me that Liquid Glass is not as good as Zaino or????

pjyoung · February 2001

How long do you let the bird sh*t sit on your car? A week or more? Or do you try to get it washed off within a day or so? If you drove around for a month with a bird poop "decal", and liquid glass protected it, by all means, stay with liquid glass. If you tended to not like the way the sh*t looked on your car and did something to clean it off within a day, then Zaino works as well as liquid glass.

graphicguy · February 2001

I haven't stopped in here for quite a while. Good to see pblevine and pjyoung still hanging around. Hi guys!

What happened to fastdriver? Is he still around?

Some new people that are helping along...mbdriver, mike 542.....

Just an update, with the harsh winter here in the midwest, I didn't have a chance to really do anything to my 300M. I had Dawned, clayed, Z1/z2 bakc in early Oct. The only way to wash the car during the bitter cold was to go through those "spray" places (water only, no soaps or brushes). The only thing that I used these places for was to get the salt off my car.

Well, yesterday it actually got to 60 degrees and had to clean up the car.

Did the ususal...Z7 wash, Z1/Z5.

Observations:

After about 5 months, the original Z1/Z2 application was still beading nicely.

After the Z7 wash, I was half tempted not to put anymore Z2 or Z5 on the car becasue it looked so good. Of course, I did it anyway. Results...car looks better than new again.

I know that Zaino had nothing to do with this, but I was really quite surprised that I didn't have any stone chips on my car after one of the harshest winters in recent memory. There was a lot of sand and gravel, in addition to salt, that were applied to our roads to no ill affect to my car.

Still Zainoing...still extremely happy!

dc_sports_rule · February 2001

I have used Finish First products for over two years and have found the results to be amazing. After reading various topics in this forum, I keep hearing testimonials about Zaino. My questions are as follows:1. Which is the easiest to apply and to remove?2. Which gives the better protection?3. Please list all the experiences with both products as a comparison.Thank you for answering my questions.

joebob6 · February 2001

If you are happy with the results of FF then you should continue to you use it. As far as application and removal they are both easy. FF will leave a little more residue to wipe off than Z but still easy to remove. As far as protection it would be difficult to say because I polish my vehicles a minimum of every 3 months and both products give adequate protection under those circumstances. Product price is not an issue for me, my only concern is abrasives ; Z has none and FF has them.

Everyone has products that they like best. You should use what works best for you and not care what anyone else uses.

mike_542 · February 2001

Finish First has adds more depth while Zaino adds a wetter look.

mike_542 · February 2001

I love Zaino because of it's wet look and durability. I don't like Zaino because of the lack of depth and reflection and it highlights the blemishes in the finish. So to have a wet look, deep, reflective, and durable finish, I complete this proccess every three months:

1.) Dawn
2.) Clay
3.) Dawn
4.) Eagle One Scratch Remover
5.) 3M Imperial Hand Glaze
6.) Z-1
7.) Z-5
8.) Z-6
9.) Repeat steps 6-8 until I think is "wet" enough
10.) Pinnacle Soverian Wax

I was just wondering what are your best wax application tips with Zaino?

joebob6 · February 2001

http://www.iwv2000.com/auto_polish.htm

You have to buy the whole lot but it is half price plus $20 shipping

I disagree that FF adds more depth than Zaino. Just go to the Zaino brothers website and look at the picture section. Why doesn't FF have a picture section on their website? Also, all of the testimonials don't have email addresses and any links on the testimonial page are invalid too.

joebob6 · February 2001

You might as well stop using the Zaino. It is way too much work the way you are using it.

If you are claying, using imperial hand glaze, and eagle one scratch remover every 3 months it won't be long until your Clear coat is gone. The whole purpose of Z5 is to hide light scratches and swirl marks without the use of abrasives.

And you should Dawn after using other brand products. The Z1 polish lock will not bond correctly to the paint over any residue from the scratch remover and Imperial Hand Glaze. You should only repeat steps 7 and 8 waiting 24 hrs between coats to allow curing. Z1 is to be used every 6 months/or 10 coats of polish for daily drivers.

And why are you applying Wax over the Zaino? You will need to remove it before putting on another coat of Zaino.

I would suggest following the website directions exactly.

mike_542 · February 2001

I only use the abrasives whenever their I see swirls and scratches and re-Dawn after it. I use Pinnacle Soverian on top of Zaino because it adds depth most polymers cannot.

mike_542 · February 2001

I forgot to add that I use Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion after clay which makes the surface clean so I can see where are all the blemishes to fix with an abrasive. Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion is similar to Zymol HD-Cleanse which is a natural cleaner made from the rind of oranges, lemon oil, natural clays, sea kelp, montan oil, apricot kernel oil, lemon seed oil, and, coconut oil.

mike_542 · February 2001

Although the pictures in Zaino's site look better than the one in Finish First, I have used both, and compared it side by side. Using my eyes near perfect vision, Zaino lasts three times as long and has a far wetter look, and Finish First has better depth and clarity.

daverose · February 2001

As soon as you use anything with oil in it, you are contaminating the clean paint you achieved with Dawn and claying. That decreases the bonding of Z1 to the paint and everything thereafter, defeating the characteristics of the Zaino product line. Did you ever follow the directions exactly and completely, including using the recommended towels and allowing 24 hours for the Zaino to cure and observe the results before putting anything else on it? Your mentioning apparent recurrence of swirls seems to testify to using the wrong towels and/or swirl/scratch hiding product. Have you tried the Z2 (or Z3) after Z5 to see if you get the better results that the Zaino website and other users say they provide? Sal Zaino told me he was a car painter who developed his products over a 10 year period. It appears to me, and from the other posts, to others, that you need to give his experience, effort, and the money you spent on the products a chance to work before you try mixing in your own efforts and confusing other readers about how well or poorly the products work.

Zaino Car Care Experiences

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy