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Wheel cleaners are also advised if your wheels are really dirty and greasy, but don't use them too much. Most are caustic to remove the grease and brake dust (and any wax or polish) and can eventually harm your wheel's finish.The will also take off the tire treatment, so plan to clean the wheels and tires at the same time.
Clean the wheels good ONCE, then Zaino them with Z2 or Z5 for protection. Then, you only need to wash them with Z-7 to keep them clean. A separate sponge or mit should be used so the grit never finds it's way to your paint, and a soft brush is good for getting between the spokes and in the recesses.
He motions me to his F150 Pick-up (also very shiny) to show me some wax he had in the bed of the truck.
It was called "Der Shiny Stuff" (stupid name). He had cases of it and other products all starting with "der". He had clay, car wash, seat treatment...all the normal finish care products under the same brand name.
He was selling it out of the back of his pick-up. While I don't buy things from the back of pick-ups in parking lots, and I don't want to pollute the shine I've got, I do have to admit his truck looked good.
That got my curious side up. Looked up "der shiny stuff" on the net an found their WEB site. Sounds an awful lot like Zaino. Anyone heard of this "stuff" or used it?
DUH??? Never heard of DER??? LOL...... HOW could it possibly be better than ZAINO?? Should have bought some to use on the Saturn! ;-))
fastdriver
robr2...it's funny you mention setting it on fire. Their WEB site shows that. Still a really stupid name for a product.
If curious, here's their WEB site:
http://www.der-realstuff.com/index.html
Maybe it does work - who knows. I've finally found something I'm happy with. I have not put on a coat of Z on either car in 4 weeks and have only washed once due to water ban. Vehicles still glisten and the beading with the recent rain is great - I love how all the water splashes onto the windshield of the Ody when I step on the brakes!!
But I think I'll just stay with Zaino.
BTW, Bret had an interesting comment over on the "Store Bought Waxes - No Zaino Posts." He said he'd found water spots on his car's finish, had trouble removing them, and "so much for Zaino." I'm not sure what he expected, but given Bret's expertise and experience with car detailing I was a bit surprised that HE was surprised by the water spots. I haven't had any on my own Zainoed finishes, but the cars are almost always garaged, and they're washed regularly. I suggested that he should have tried either Z-6 or Z-7 to remove the spots. Maybe I should have added clay.
The one time that I had noticed some spots(I am not even sure what these spots were - they did not look like typical water spots) after washing and QDing: I was able to remove them using Z1.
That is why I have stated that Z1 is not obsolete. Its cleaning ability came in useful...at least for the spots I had.
A couple of years ago, this debate was raging and quite heated, which prompted the split into "two topics". I know that fastdriver was here then and so was pblevine, I think. One of the best detailers I've ever talked to, Chris Parrish, got so "brow beaten" he left and never came back. Hopefully, daverose still lurks. Not ideal in my estimation since all of us have so much in common we could share, but so be it.
But I think the other board does offer some good ideas and is worth reading.
I posted pictures a while back of what my car looked like with NO Zaino applied since LAST March! It looked good. A few weeks ago, I gave it a coat of Z-5. Looks fantastic again.
I was very lazy this summer because of the heat and the fact that I had Vertigo all summer up until a few weeks ago. I wasn't too wild about stooping and bending. The CL looked good enough to me. Besides, I lease this car. I keep it clean for ME, not the next person. Even though I'm not out there 24/7, the next person will be VERY happy with this troublefree, shiny Acura.
I have the other group bookmarked too, but I have not read the last 200 messages. I have NO clue why I even keep it.
Chris Parrish is alive and well and still around- just not HERE!! I believe it was 'shoman"- don't hold me to it- who started all the flame wars here. Man, it was hotter than HE//!!
Oh well- to each his own. There's plenty of waxes/polishes out there for everyone. I just found the one that works for ME!
fastdriver
Why are you bringing this up? I don't think anyone was taking a "shot" at Zaino users on the other board.
I think Bret got some water spots, is not happy with the way Zaino protected and posted his opinion. I see nothing wrong with that.
Also - Don't be so surprised by bretfraz's posts on the "other" forum. Regardless of his "sheep's clothing" here, he never passes up a chance to deprecate Zaino products to others and will even bend the truth to make his point, e.g. in the above mentioned post and in an earlier one, commenting that Zaino did not remove scratches very well (DUH - of course not - it's not abrasive, and he KNOWS that!). Be aware.
LOL... NO DER here, just "der" ZAINO!! ;-))) I really don't know if there could be anything easier to use or apply as Zaino. When did a car look so good after 5 months of NOTHING applied to it except soap and water?
fastdriver
fastdriver...Chris got me through my "first" Zaino application. Plus, he was very helpful with other tips/tricks not even related to using Zaino. Just a great guy and very helpful. Where is he these days? I'm getting ready to put in another order for ZFX/Z2/Z6/Z7. If anyone else is planning on a purchase, maybe we can get a "group purchase" together. The weather here is cooling off. Perfect time to put a couple of coats on before winter.
Automophile...the "DER" guy I ran into was using the same words to describe the stuff he was selling..."it's optically pure...it's easy to put on/take off...etc". Almost sounded like Zaino. That's what got my curiousity up. Very satisfied with Zaino. NO reason to use anything else. However, it looks like some may want to continue the "debate". I don't want to go there, though. After all, I have over 4,000 posts here that will help if I need it. Plus, there's always the call to Sal, the owner of the company, to give advice if I need it.
Funny story...a couple of weeks ago I attended a "cruise-in". There was a guy there that had a booth set up, selling some sort of "pure carnuba" wax and glaze, towels that were supposedly used in Germany for high buck cars, etc. About every 30 minutes, he would start the same speech/demo all over again. He had the hood of a cadilac that he kept waxing over and over with the wax/glaze and towels. The hood he was using was filled with swirls when you got close enough to look at it, which I pointed out to him. He asked me what my car looked like? As luck would have it, my cruiser was parked two spaces down from him. Of course, I had just zaino'd it the previous day with a fresh Z6 touch-up that morning. It looked great with the sun reflecting off the chrome and paint. By comparison, his wax job (with at least 10 coats he applied that day) looked dull. He accused me of having a custom paint job (no such thing...just factory paint with 2 coats of Z2). That was the best compliment I had ever received.
@! of of him, he was praying the cops would come rescue him! HA ha!
But JOEBOB is correct - I wasn't taking a shot at anyone in particular but instead at the long held view that Zaino is so slick and protective that virtually nothing sticks to it and that driving a wet car will blow off the water and reduce or even prevent spotting. Ain't true and my 6 coats of Z is proof.
Two Z7 washes didn't dent it. P21S wash did nothing. Took a wash from Blackfire shampoo to make a diff. But my car will definitely need some work with my PC and DACP to get the paint looking good. Swirl marks are raising their ugly heads again so a shot of SMR or PPCL will be in order too. And please don't mention Z5 as an SMR - after three vehicles I've found it sucks big time for that purpose.
Anyway, nice to be the center of y'alls attention again. Good to know I'm still #1 on the Most Hated list.
Have a nice day!
No memory lose here. Maybe "most hated" isn't quite the word some of us would use. You hated Zaino from the first time you even HEARD about it, never mind using it. Anything negative you say about it doesn't surprise me in the least.
Glad you finally found something that you like. No- THANK GOD you found something that you like! We ZAINOHOLICS are "safe" again! ;-))
fastdriver
If you'd bother to look back in time in this thread and the other one you will read that I've stated several times that I don't "hate Zaino" as until recently I had never tried it. It took a free sample kit from a friend to convince me to compare it to my current (and extensive) inventory of products.
What I have said over and over is that I don't care for a number of the PEOPLE who use Zaino, many of whom are or were regular posters in TH. Dig back into the TH archives and you will find what I am talking about.
here is a link I found from google: http://www.seenontvmall.com/automotive/gs27.htm
bret...
"I especially love to hear from all the old guys who were front line soldires..."
Are you saying we're all old "geezers"? Just a feeble attempt at humor...now let me go sit back down in my wheel chair and rest a bit before I put on another coat of Z2.
You have to sit in your wheelchair too before applying Zaino? Man, I thought I was the only one who had to rest before that arduous chore. You must have to rest a lot because you have the 300M and the PT Cruiser to Z. Be careful. Don't exert yourself. Maybe you should go over to that OTHER topic and find something easier to use even if you have to do it every month!
fastdriver
Off topic, but I just noticed in the local paper this a.m. that they are offering loaded G35s around here for $27.5K. I miss driving my 300M since the wife took it over.
The PT is a fun drive, though. And, it hauled my mower and mulch last weekend. That's something I couldn't do in the 300M or the G35.
I do think that sometime in the next couple of years, when the 300M hits the 100K mark, I'll turn the PT over to my wife (since she's the one who wanted the PT in the first place) and jump on the G35. I really do like that car. Then again, the 300N could be out by then....so many choices, so little money.
In the last 6 weeks we've gone from 5 vehicles down to two. Gone are the Avalon, Chevy Blazer and a Saturn. My son has an older LeSabre but that's totally his responsibility. Insurance bill went from $3,500 year for all vehicles to $1,800. I can now pull into my garage without having to tell someone to move one or the other car out of the driveway. Life is good.
My response? "Too bad...so sad!" If I'm blocked from pulling my car out of the garage, I'm taking the first car in my way.
That's when my son started parking his car on the street. One of my "pet peeves" was when my wife pulls her car in the driveway, blocking mine in the garage. I never could figure out why she just didn't pull it into the garage so no one would be blocked in. Of course, I never said "too bad...so sad" to her. I surely don't want to be on her "bad side".
It's weird having only 2 car keys on my key chain instead of 5. Now, I don't have this huge bulge in my pocket and I don't fumble for the right key. I like it!
Bretfraz: Hey man, chill out. You're welcome here and have made a positive contribution. No need to go back to our past problems.
graphicguy: I do miss Chris Parrish and hope he is doing well. We all learned a lot from him. Also, that funny story was great! Almost choked on my coffee as I read it. There's a fellow here who uses Mothers on his pickup. Lots and lots of wax with very little cleaning/washing between applications. His swirls have swirls. He took one look at my car and "determined" I was cheating!
fastdriver: 'Hope you are feeling better. My dad hasn't had a Vertigo attack in over 4 months now. Progress. And I too haven't had much of a chance to work on my car over the last few weeks.
'Back to work --- Have a good weekend all.
LOL.... OK.. now, the $1,700 that you are saving on the insurance goes into a separate account for either the 300N- if they EVER decide to make it the way they should have originally- or the G35. I like the G35 too. Can't wait to see the 2-door version coming out soon. I already know that they have a shade of red that I like! ;-)))
pblevine-
Thanks. The Vertigo just disappeared about 4 weeks ago the same way it appeared- SUDDENLY!! I was taking the anti-vert 3 times a day even though it didn't make the Vertigo disappear. I hope I never get it again. It pretty much slowed me down for the whole summer which wasn't too bad because I did do a lot of stuff around the house. I never did Z the CL though until 8/23. Before that, it hadn't been Z'd since last March. It still looked good though, but not as good as I knew it would look with a fresh coat of Z. To the "ordinary" person though it looked great!
I still need to put on a few more coats before the snow starts flying, but by the time I get home from work, I'm pretty much wiped out! It's nice enough outside right now to wash it and Z it, but I don't feel like it. Maybe tomorrow! ;-))
Don't work too hard unless YOU'RE the boss. No one really cares in the long run! Life is too short.
fastdriver
Pic of my car at 3736
how long after new paint do you need the wait before applying zaino? this isn't the factory stuff - the car was hit and the hood and front panels were replaced. any suggestions? i've heard a lot of different things...
Observations:
1. The Z shine was slightly better at the start, but WAY better after 2-3 weeks. After about 4-5 weeks, the Mother's CW shine was about gone & I had to wax again. The Z is still shining strong after 3+ mo.
2. The Z is a slicker finish. Dirt & bugs are MUCH easier to wipe off the Z-treated car than the waxed van. The Z looks much cleaner after driving in the rain- the wax finish seems to hold on to alot more road grime.
3. Z5 provides a gloss slightly less than the glass-like shine of Z2. Some even prefer the look of Z5 to Z2. Z5 can cover finer swirls, but even several coats are no substitute for true swirl removers (which are abrasive). I choose to live with a few swirls a this point rather than apply an abrasive SMR. (I can always do that later if things get worse!)
Bottom line- I am very happy with Zaino (original Z1 process- I have not tried ZFX) as a cost-effective, beautiful, and durable shine. I'll put another coat of Z2 on before winter and see how it holds up to Midwest salt spray. Long ago I gave up on regular waxes lasting 3-4 mo. in winter.
To be fair to Mother's, I think their CW performed similarly to my past experience with Meguiar's CW. Both are inexpensive "mass-marketed" products, but I happened to have some Mother's on hand. I have not tried either company's newer polymer-based polishes.
Jon
Next comparo: Performance figures and subjective styling analysis between a Pontiac Aztek and a Ferrari 360 Modena.
Just ignore those who, for whatever reason, feel it neccesary to slam your post.
bret...not in the mood to take the bait from your attempt at "fanning the flames".
(Bret -- I don't think I took the bait either, but it sure is fun, ain't it? I was hoping for a comparo of performance figures and subjective styling analysis between a used Yugo and a new Mercedes-Benz S500.)
I don't know what he is trying to prove. Jona57, if you had come to the Autopia forums and posted that exactly as written I would bet he would never make a reply like that. He would have ignored the post and moved on. http://autopia.ws/forums/
In fact, he never even mentioned on Autopia about his water spots problem that he mentioned in the other forum, i.e. "So much for Zaino's resistance to water spotting."
Zaino is not for everyone. Could you imagine if it was? BTW, I've used it for over two years on my black Silverado and use whatever's lying around for the lighter colored Denali which I lease.
LOL.........................
Just washed the CL-S today after weeks of not washing it. Looks and feels GREAT since my one application of Z on August 23rd. Previous to that- last application of Z was last March.
fastdriver
How typical. Of course the mods will never assess any punishment to those who clearly and blatantly violate the terms of agreement.
I feel sorry for all the honest and decent lurkers who are just looking for unbiased information about car care products. Hint: Don't look in this thread!
fastdriver
It's not like there is any value to such posts. I guess some people just have WAY too much time on their hands and low self-esteem.
Unless of course it was clear to everyone that said posts were based in truth and fact, supported by the past writings of those who responded with multiple personal attack.
Lies that attempt to cover past lies do not create truth. Personal attacks upon veiled antagontic commentary does not create a moral and ethical high road.
Why bother to question it at all? I don't think the author of the original post was looking for any opinions on his findings. The people on this forum don't care whether you agree with his findings or not. And referring to the members of this board as the "choir" is insulting.
Sal-ellujah!
Don't get me wrong - I use Zaino exclusively because it does a great job for me and even if something better exists "out there", I am unwilling to experiment.
But let's leave the board open to dissenters, OK?
PS - I have noted from some of bret's comments that he does use Zaino, albeit not at all exclusively, a point which many of you seem to have missed. So, for goodness sakes, fellow Z lovers, let's not give folks rightful cause to accuse Zaino users of being the most narrow minded folks around!