Zaino Car Care Experiences

joe166 · April 2001

Those things look like they would be awfully hard to put on and take off for freeway trips, don't they? I never thought of these as the type of bra they were talking about, but my objection to these is that it is an awful lot of money and that they do seem to alter the appearance of the car, although obviously not as much as the old black ones. Kind of like transparent covers on the sofa? No, I know better, those on anything you are supposed to sit on should be against the law. If I lived in an area where pebbles were a problem on the highway I would probably get a set, but for the off chance that I might get hit, I will just put aside the $500 bucks or so that it seems to cost for my car and practice my touch up techniques. I know some people think those black bras look really nice. I am not one of those people, but to each his own.

deuce56 · April 2001

Sorry for my poor post regarding an Extang tonneau cover. Extang is just the company name of a "better" tonneau cover. They are vinyl/naugahyde type material - looks like leather. I'll wait to see what Sal has to say, plus I'll read the directions that come from Zaino. I should get my order this week. Thanks for the replies.

lmc18 · April 2001

Here is another link yo a site that sells invisible bras...

http://www.stongard.com/sgcontent/default.asp

I don't believe these bras are removable like the black ones. Once they are on - they stay on. I was told they last about 3 years or so and you can wax right over them to protect the paint from fading and the shield from yellowing.

lmc18 · April 2001

One more site for you...

http://www.clearmask.com/

fastdriver · April 2001

Getting shinier and shinier! ;-))

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=912729&a=12767572&p=47620959&f=0

fastdriver

silversc430 · April 2001

This is the 1st time I used Zaino. I applied z2, & z5 to my new Lexus SC430- it looks great. I have a question- is it necessary to apply z2 between each coat of z5 I apply, or can I put on 1 coat of z2 and then several coats of z5?
Thanks.
Also, my car dealer uses a pressure nozzle w/ 120 psi to wash the cars. Doesn't this strip the wax off???

joe166 · April 2001

I do not think that you have to put intermediate coats of z2 on, but read the official site, it is clear and concise. If you don't have the cite, it is

http://www.zainobros.com/

From my reading it says to wait 24 hours and then apply another coat of Z2 OR Z5. That means either one to me, not both. When you are satisfied with the results as far as swirl removal is concerned, then switch to z2 for a "better" shine.

As to the pressure cleaning, I would be far more concerned with the detergent that is usually used in commercial washes than the pressure. I am sure that daily use of a high pressure hose might shorten the life of any coating, but I am unaware of any tests that determine precisely how much it shortens the life of the coating. On the other hand, a detergent strong enough to cut through dirt and loosen it without any wiping has to be pretty strong and might well cut any "wax" in the world. Most of the people on this board would not let their dealer wash their car if they promised to use the finest system in the world, because they don't usually care enough to do it right. They usually use old rags and leave more devastation than when they started if you are picky about swirl marks. If you aren't, why are you using z5?

automophile · April 2001

fastdriver
If your car gets any shinier, You're going to need to hand out sunglasses to your friends! Pics getting better!!

Pressure Washing
This is convenient, but not recommended. Where do you think the dirt and grime goes? It is blasted along your paint with 120 psi or more pressure. You might consider it a liquid driven sandblasting. My neighbors use a pressure washer on their cars and have already needed to re-paint both of them, but just don't seem to make the connection! They comment on our Zaino shines, but keep on using the pressure washer! Oh well. . . . .

In addition, as joe166 said, the detergents used in commercial car washes are guaranteed to be strong enough to clean almost anything the first pass - definitely not the best thing for any paint or finish. I'd rather be dirty than expose my car to a car wash!

segirl7 · May 2001

are finally here, I can't wait to use them, but my problem is every time I wash my car, by the time I get done drying it there's pollen on the roof,hood etc... can I just dust and apply? What if after applying, pollen get's in product? I really have no where to move my car to get away from this irratating crap, except maybe my front lawn, but them I have to worry about dirt. Any suggestion's? Thank's Eileen

silversc430 · May 2001

for all your responses. I agree about not letting the dealer wash my car. I am so glad to have found this town hall and see that I am not the only nut to put 5 coats of polish on a car that is only mine for 1 month. I have always kept my car immaculately- and this one is special.

I have been useing the Armour All liquid car wash solution. Do you guys think the Zaino wash is really better?

joe166 · May 2001

Better than Armor All? Probably not, but it IS different. It is designed to clean the car surface without removing any of the Zaino that you worked to put on. Could you continue to wash it with Armor all washing liquid? Sure. And you might not see the difference, but when there is a good product that is made by the same people, why take a chance that you are losing some of the protection you put on. I find it to be a really good car wash concentrate and I still have a large bottle of armor all car wash sitting in my garage. It's not like I am wasting a lot of money since it was cheap to start with. I used some of it the other day to wash my window screens and my daughters car when she left it at my house. She doesn't use Zaino so why not?

joe166 · May 2001

I have read comments previously about the dangers of pressure washing. Other than the dangers with the strength of the detergent, I just don't buy it. I read here that the stream of water pushed the dirt into the paint. That, although theoretically possible seems to me to be like trying to balance one round ball on top of another round ball, while the lower ball was on a knife edge. If pressure is coming from a stream of water and it hits dirt, it is almost certain that the dirt will be pushed to one side or the other and will come off the surface, just as it does when a regular hose is used. Now, it is obvious that if a commercial pressure washer which is designed to remove paint is used or should I say misused on a car, it might indeed do what it is designed to do with disastrous results, but unless there is some serious paint problem already there, I can't believe that using a car wash pressure washer RINSE CYCLE ONLY, would have any more negative effect on the surface than a regular hose. But then again that is just my opinion and I have no real idea if I am right or not.

automophile · May 2001

Joe, you are absolutely correct, except in your conclusion. As the dirt is blasted away from the surface by a pressure washer, it does not leap straight upward, it slides along the surface for a while, just as you said. While it is sliding, pressed against the paint by 120 psi or more, those sharp little dirt particles (Ever get one in your eye??) are grinding away a little bit of paint. Do it enough, and your car looks like my neighbor's, dull and lifeless, despite their attempts to get a shine with waxes. A garden hose does the same thing, but to a much lesser degree, as the pressure is 30-60 PSI and is not as concentrated. I use only a very low pressure fan spray to wet and rinse the car.

Further, many people feel that commercial pressure washers can damage seals around windshield and other windows, getting in behind the rubber. I don't know, but why chance it?

fastdriver · May 2001

automophile-

You're slipping! NO MESSAGE! Now you're getting like me when I send attachments and forget to attach them! LOL......

New pics-

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=912729&a=12767572&p=47620959&f=0

fastdriver

deuce56 · May 2001

and I just bought the 100% made in the USA cotton towels at Penneys today. I don't think I'll have time to start washing, et al, until Saturday :^(

Should I wash the towels before using them? I read a while back to not use powder detergents when washing the towels (and no softener). Does anyone have experience in not pre-washing, using powder, using softener, etc... that you can relay your stories.

kenyee · May 2001

When I use the self-service bays, I shoot the water over the car or at an angle and not directly at it. Whether or not that's better, I have no idea, but I figure it's better than leaving sap and salt on it for weeks at a time :-P

chytraeus · May 2001

Deuce, DEFINITELY wash your towels before you use them, but don't use any softener. Sal recommend Tide. He also recommends cutting off the seems and the bottoms of the towels to get rid of the stitching. He acknowledges they will fray, but he believes this is worth it in order to prevent scratches from the stitching which is done with polyester/nynlong thread, etc.

As for your first use of Zaino. Hope you don't do what I did . .. use too much! I thought I wasn't, but in fact I was and it took it ALL night to dry and even then was not completely dry the next day. I wiped it down last night again with the spray stuff, which is terrific. So, good luck!

chytraeus · May 2001

I had the same problem, and so washed my vehicle, then moved it quickly into my garage.

chytraeus · May 2001

I've noticed on my new vehicle that the glass gets water spots, etc. and when I clean it, they really don't go away. Can anyone recommend a good glass cleaner?? I've been using Windex, careful to spray it on a paper towel then apply it just to the glass. Any suggestions?

fastdriver · May 2001

chytraeus-

I HATE cleaning the windows! I use the Zaino window cleaner as well as other products. I THINK the secret is to use a towel and just keep rubbing and rubbing while turning the towel. Even then, looks great in the shade. Then, when the sun is glaring on the windows, you see all streaks. I think cleaning the windows is harder then polishing the whole car with Zaino!

fastdriver

pblevine · May 2001

GREAT pictures! And good job...4 coats wow!

re: Towels: Cutting the edges off of the towels is a "two edged" sword (pardon the pun). It will eliminate the harder edges, but will greatly shorten the life of the towel. I just carefully fold the towel in such a manner as to not expose the harder edges. Its easy.

re: Windows: Cleaning windows is about as much fun as installing Windows98. I've used the Zaino Glass Polish which is mildly abrasive. And it does work well. I then use Windex. The trouble is that I'm now a daily commuter and all the dust and dirt in the air seems to always find my windshield. I've also used Z6 on my windows and it does help - provided your windows are extremely clean to start with. The Z6 application seems to last through about one good rain storm. And now that its Spring, there will be lots of tree sap finding the way to my windshield. Well, at least Z6 will make it easier to remove the sap spots using Windex. Z6 is very handy for such purposes and I now use it on TV and computer screens. I've even used it on my eyeglasses. And I smell good too.

Great pictures - and a great car that CL-S (even if it looks like my EX V6 Accord Coupe).

robr2 · May 2001

I use Clear Vue glass cleaner. IIRC, it does not contain amonia which can be harmful to painted and plated finishes.

I also use black and white newsprint rather than cloth or paper towels. You can polish the glass and I rarely get streaks with this method. FYI, don't use newsprint on plastic - it scratches it.

fastdriver · May 2001

pblevine-

"GREAT pictures! And good job...4 coats wow!"

Thanks. Two coats also of Z5/Z6.

"re: Windows: Cleaning windows is about as much fun as installing Windows98." OR using Windows98

LOL... That's why I use a MAC!!

"Great pictures - and a great car that CL-S (even if it looks like my EX V6 Accord Coupe)."

No more so then all the LH cars!

fastdriver

protegextwo · May 2001

Lynn, Rob2 is correct. Turtle Wax makes an outstanding glass cleaner called, ClearVue Professional Auto Glass Cleaner. It truly is an inexpensive product that does an awesome job cleaning windshields and mirrors. It is a foam, ammonia free and is very very easy to use. I also purchased a cloth towel by NicSand to use with the ClearVue glass cleaner. This NicSand towel is dedicated for window cleaning only. I wash it every other time I use it to clean the glass on both my Protege's. The NicSand towel is much better than paper towels and easier to use than newspaper. You can purchase the ClearVue and the NicSand towel at any Pep Boys. Good Luck!

Respectfully,
Larry

morenike · May 2001

This board convinced me and I bought my Zaino supplies back in January but I am about to use them for the first time today (weather finally permits)

I hope all goes well on my black BMW.

Reni
NJ

chytraeus · May 2001

For the terrific advice here! I'll check out the Turtle Wax glass cleaner stuff.

automophile · May 2001

Try Chrome polish to remove spots, but not on tinting, it is abrasive.
After, try Stoner's "Invisible Glass" from your auto parts store. The best so far, with a CLEAN towel!

fastdriver · May 2001

morenike-

Take a look at these-

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/7501/febbmw.html

Hope your car comes just as nice. I think I have more somewhere. I have to learn to use ONE photo site! I have pics all over the net! LOL....

fastdriver

tksatksa · May 2001

if you are a Concorde; LHS or 300M owner is doing the inside of the windshield. Man, that is one loooong reach to get to the bottom of the windshield! My daughter's 2K VW Beetle might even be worse. Anybody care to share their secret contortions for getting the job done?

fastdriver · May 2001

tksatksa-

I think this is where I developed the aversion to cleaning the windows. When I had my 300M, I would dread cleaning the windshield and back window because you had to be a contortionist to do it. I often said that I would rather Zaino the whole car then clean the windows. LOL.....

fastdriver

sddlw · May 2001

I have a home model pressure washer that I used to use on my cars until I had problems. I peeled the paint right off a couple of plastic parts. This was not a high powered washer. It was an electric motor, home version with about 1200 psi. (The gas powered ones go upwards of 4500 psi). And the car was an older MB with what I would consider to have been a superb paint job. I still use the washer to wash my engine each year, and clean the underside. But I would highly recommend against using it on painted surfaces uless you are absolutely certain the paint is on metal and not plastic. I think the bond between the paint and plastic is not as good as on metal. Other potential problem ares are any decal paint striping, and cheaply chromed wheels.

maemark · May 2001

I used Zaino for the first time recently on a Navy Blue Maxima. Just the base coat and one coat of polish. The results were super. But, I just washed the car for the first time, using Zaino car wash. The surface now looks cloudy or streaky in many places, as if the car was not rinsed completely. I did rinse it thoroughly, so that is not the problem. Has anyone else experienced this? What might I have done wrong.

sddlw · May 2001

You probably did not get a good rinse, or have hard water (or both). If it's the water, you will probably need to rinse a long time to get all the residual soap off and dry the car immediately. Hard water does not rinse as well as low mineral content water. I like to blow-dry mine dry with a leaf-blower, then use a chamois to get every last drop off.

bretfraz · May 2001

Griot's Garage makes a little tool that will let you reach the deep, dark corners of your windows. It's a new toy so I can't recall the cost.

http://www.griotsgarage.com

pmvi · May 2001

OK, this topic is a bit overwhelming in the # of posts. My question is whether any "polish" is a appropriate on a brand new car. My new car arrives next week, and I want to put a protective coat of wax, but as I understand it--any polish is abrasive, and is not the thing to do for a new paint job.

What do you think?

automophile · May 2001

If your new car has a good paint job, you won't need to polish it. However, it is STRONGLY recommended that you clay the car before the wax or Zaino. Besides removing all kinds of pollutants and other junk that is even in new paint, it will leave your car so incredibly smooth, it will be even easier to apply your Zaino. Get the whole story about clay at www.erazer.com.

If you really care about your paint job, and the car has not yet been delivered, DO NOT let the dealer touch it. Most of the swirls and other paint problems start with a dealer's quickie wash and wax when a car arrives, and you spend the rest of the time you own the car getting rid of them.

bat1161 · May 2001

Now that it is nice and sunny again it is time to Z my car again. I have a question: I only managed to put one coat on before the winter; do I have to Z-1 again before doing the Z5, Z6 applications, or just go straight to the Z5 coat? Can't wait to get the car looking great again!

Mark

pblevine · May 2001

maemark: I haven't experienced that sort of streaking but I've seen it on other cars (not Zaino users). As sddlw said, it could be due to hard water, too much car wash, more rubbing on a certain area, or lack of quick drying. Was the Z2 application even (did it look even) before the wash job? I'd try washing it again. And if that doesn't work, try emailing or calling Sal Zaino. He knows a lot about such subjects.

bat1161: It depends. Zaino's site suggustions recommend using Z1 once per year or after 4 or 5 Z2 applications. Like you, I last applied Z2 before this last winter, and hardly washed my car until last week. And it was a very hard winter. My car looked like road salt with a mud glaze. After just a single washing, it looks good again. But I'll give it the full treatment in a few weeks. That's: Claying, Z1, Z5, Z6, Z2, Z6. Although my finish is still beading water, it's a daily commuter and I can see that the normal Zaino shine is much less than before this last winter. I'd recommend you do the same.

sddlw · May 2001

If you do decide to polish, there are products called glazes, some made specifically for new cars and for finish polishing for show cars. As a general rule, these are much finer grits than the polishes and compounds made for cleaning and restoring oxidized and damaged paint. They are, however, more abrasive than clay. Clay is mainly for removal of dirt and enviornmental contaminates, glazes are for polishing...grinding down a small portion of the finish in order to smooth it out or remove defects.

Some higher end paint shops might use these kinds of products to totally buff-out paint jobs on frame-off restoration kinds of work. You do not get this kind of attention to detail in the factory done, robotic paint processes on today's new cars. One of the consequenses of this lack of attention to detail, combined with today's new environmentaly friendly paints, is the "orange peel" effect you might see in the finish of your new car if you look across the finish under intense lighting.

A nice run down of these glazes, polishes, cuts, and compounds can be seen at meguiars.com under consumer and professional products. Stay with the products meant for hand and/or orbital buffer application though. Leave the rotory polishing to the experts.

bwiebe · May 2001

The weather has turned and I just rec'd my complete Zaino kit so I went looking for some Dawn to wash the car and remove the wax on the car. Guess what, I can't find Dawn in any local grocery stores. Lots of other dish detergents, but no dawn. Anyone have any ideas on a suitable replacement, ie. Joy, Sunlight, ??? Also should I be using the Dawn substitute first and then the Zaino products? I plan on claying and the full works

chytraeus · May 2001

New Zaino user here. Last weekend I did the whole clay, polish lock than wax thing. This weekend I'm giving it another coat of Z2 (the wax, right?). I e-mailed Sal Zaino with a slew of questions and he got back to me in a few hours with excellent and helpful answers, and some great tips. The best is using a leaf blower to dry the car. Wow, does that ever work great! Saved me a ton of time. I used only one cotton towel getting all the rest of the water off.

joe166 · May 2001

You can use any strong alkaline detergent. The reason that Dawn is mentioned is that it is a well known product that is known to be highly alkaline and can be bought without extra ingredients such as skin softeners or lanolin or other such things. Use any detergent that brags about heavy duty grease cutting and does not mention any other additives for protecting the hands.

As to the timing, the purpose of using it is to completely (or as much as possible) remove OTHER waxes and polishes so that the optical properties of Zaino aren't compromised. So, the logical time to use it is at any time before starting the Z1, Z2 or whatever routine. If you are going to clay with a product other than Zaino Clay (and I am not convinced there is any logical reason to pay the extra money for Zaino clay since you can buy Mothers or Meguiars at a discount store for less than $15), then it depends on what you use as a lubricant. If you use zaino car wash (diluted), as a lubricant, then you can wash with Dawn either before or after the claying. If you use anybody elses spray wax as the lubricant (my preference since it comes with the Clay), then you must wash with Dawn after the claying, so since you have to wash the car before claying, you might just do it twice with Dawn, but you must do it after the use of another spray wax.

deuce56 · May 2001

I Dawned, Clayed, Dawned, Z1, Z2, Z6'd my new Olds Silo. I let my Z2 on overnight and buffed the next a.m., then used the Z6. The instructions say that I have to wait 6 hours after taking the Z2 off. Is this correct or can I put the second layer on immediately since it was more that 12 hours since I put the Z2 on?

Question about claying - The instructions talk about pulling (kneading) and folding the clay to get a new surface. Should the clay be flattened out and used in a similar fashion as using a small wash cloth? I didn't see much difference after claying and want to know if I was using the correct technique.

Question about Z1 - does anyone have experience or a guesstimate on how much Z1 I should have needed to do Silhouette mini-van? I ended up using almost exactly 1/2 bottle, which included doing the roof.

I underestimated the number of towels that I would be using. I had bought 2 bath, 1 hand, and 2 wash cloths. I could have used another bath towel and another wash cloth (used as applicators).

Interesting that Sal got right back to Chytraeus - I e-mailed him a couple of weeks ago and haven't heard from him yet.

theworm · May 2001

Wait time betw coats is AFTER you've removed the haze/buffed (curing time).

U used WAY too much z1. Shoulda taken an ounce or so. You should barely see the z1 (or 2) going on -- not like wax. You're lucky to not have had a serious streaking problem, but rest assured all of us used way too much zaino the first time

I pretty much have been marking an 'X' on the applicator with each 'stroke' of the X about the width/size of a strand of spaghetti. That amount will cover the hood and a couple of quarter panels (maybe a bit more, depending on outside temp -- if it's warm it won't).

Sorry, I dunno about clay techniques.

I also underestimated the # of towels -- 3 or 4 big ones for a minivan and a couple of hand towels is about what I use on our SUV. FYI, here's a good place to get more @ discount:

http://www.fieldcrestcannonoutlet.com/royalvelvet.html

deuce56 · May 2001

I might have used too much Z1 but I wanted to err on the side of too much since it sounded like it was the key to a good bond with the Z2. I didn't have any trouble buffing. The first coat looks very nice. I guess I'll have to wait for the 2nd coat. (Maybe I'll start my wife's car.) :^(

Will I see any great difference using Zaino with a white car? My Silo is mocha and I'm sure I'll see that "deep shine" difference on it, but my wife's Lexus is the Pearl White and it will be interesting to see if I can tell a difference.

BTW, is the roof on a minivan that critical or could I be saving some Zaino by waxing the roof?

pjyoung · May 2001

Won't have as dramatic "wet look" that you get with a dark colored car, but it will definitly look nice. Since white's a pretty common color, I noticed in my office parking lot several white cars (mine included). It definitely stood out.

theworm · May 2001

Both my cars are black so can't comment on zaino's effect on white -- but as pjyoung mentioned the consensus I've seen/heard is that you get a good shine on white, just not the deep wet look.

I sure wouldn't blow multiple coats of zaino on the roof of a minivan that won't ever get seen. I put a z1/5/2 on our suv's roof for basic protection (not going for shine) and will re-do every several months. The VISIBLE parts of the car (hood, sides, etc) get multiple coats -- I'm up to 5 so far.

chytraeus · May 2001

I went 'towel' shopping intent on getting the best Canon or Fieldcrest I could find, and they are definitely available. Then,as I was standing there looking at white towels, on my lunch hour, the sales lady comes over and says, "I bet you are shopping for your car." I said, "How did you know?" She said, "There was another guy in here, in the middle of the day, looking for white towels and told me he wanted the thickest and softest white towels he could find for his car." I said, "Same here. Which one did he buy?" She said, "The Tommy Hilfiger."

Now, I generally an scornful of "designer" products, but . . . the Hilfiger towels are made of "Egyptian" cotton, and made in the USA. They are fantastically plush and soft. I bought three of them.

By the way, a couple years ago, I was shopping for some new underwear. The salesman said, "have you ever had Hilfiger?" I thought, "Are you nuts? " But instead I said, "I'm a Jockey brand kind of guy." He said, "me too, until I tried the Hilfiger. Best I've ever had."

He was right. Ok, enough . .. if you want some fantastic towels, check out the Hilfiger or however you spell Tommy's name!

: )

joebob6 · May 2001

Website says sale ends on May 5...yesterday. But online order form is coming up with sale prices today anyway. Free shipping on orders over $50.00 too.

http://www.fieldcrestcannonoutlet.com

showdere · May 2001

what kind of pressure do you apply when claying? as needed? even up to the pressure used to scrub a pan?
when i stretch and fold i get this "torn" clay surface, never the super smooth surface that i started with. is there some trick to get the clay more like new?
thanks.

Zaino Car Care Experiences

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy