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Comments
My toolbox is one of those orange, plastic ones, so Zaino won't help it, but you just gave me an idea- my central AC unit outside might benefit from Zaino. After I put the Z-6 on, my neighbors will have to close their blinds from the glare! LOL....
fastdriver
Not trying to be a smart a** or anything. I just know that from the posts here the greatest feeling is doing it yourself, the sense of pride in you SWEET LOOKING RIDE that you detailed. But sometimes time just doesn't work on ourside.
I would just find a detailer you like make arrangements to supply the materials and they supply the manpower to get the job done.
1. It takes several days to put on all the layers, let them cure, put more on. Not much time, but several days or visits. You will not like paying their minimum charge several times, and the dealer will not do it several times for the same fee.
2. Any detailer with business sense will do their BEST to talk you out of Zaino. Why? Because you won't be back for a LONG time! They want you to keep coming back over and over every 2-3 months for more short-lasting wax!
It is SO EASY TO DO - You really should start taking care of your beautiful new car yourself. You will appreciate it more, and take better care of it in the long run. It will be worth a LOT more when you are ready to sell or trade. Perhaps you can find a car-crazy kid in your neighborhood that can help you? That's how I got started being a car fanatic (I was one of those kids).
Enjoy!
I also applied Zaino to my 12 yr old Buick and it really brought out the darkness in the blue paint.
On the Buick though, I have many waterspots on the windows that I can't get rid of.
How do I get rid of those waterspots?
and the polymers in general.
Their reasoning is that, in the long run, the paint on your car may be more susceptible to cracking as the long term effects of the polymer on the paint is questionable. They go on to say that it is not really an issue for Corvettes (due to the fiberglass body) but it is a concern over metal.
Feedback please.......
http://www.waxdepot.com/
Check out the Wax Talk section and you'll see a few posts that talk about the above.
Thanks again for any feedback you can provide.
1. Bon Ami
2. Rubbing alcohol or white vinegar & water mix
3. Lime Away (yes the bathroom cleaner)
4. Glass polish
keys88: 'Just had to go to that site's FAQ. Their explaination is more than half wrong. They lump acrylics and polymers together as 'plastics'. Plastic is too generic of a term. Acrylics are rather rigid plastics which could exhibit the paint cracking behaivor mentioned in that site's FAQ. And their are several types of polymers too. But the type of polymer used by Zaino is NOT rigid plastic. It is softer than the waxes and it contracts and expands along with the car's paint.
Zaino will not cause your paint to crack or form 'spider legs'. But I find it funny that the FAQ section there claims that wax will expand along with the paint. Actually, it will but it won't contract later on. And the gaps left behind will be subject to dirt and water. And these gaps will also form the little pits which lessen the life span of a coat of wax. Zaino will last much longer and will not damage your paint. 'Nuff said.
Folks, check out Keys88 posted site, you'll be back in a hurry.
Has anyone ever used the California Water Blade? Experiences?
On a totally flat surface, it works fine. When you get into the curves, however, it doesn't work so well. It really doesn't cut down on the amount of time it takes me to dry my car. I regularly use "the absorber" synthetic chamois with great results. The Absorber, IMHO, is the better investment of the two.
waxdepot site - first - please note it is WAX depot, where do you think their bias is? And please note that the operative word in their statement about Zaino is "MAY". 'nuff said.
water blade -
If you use Zaino, and if you use a "fan spray" nozzle to rinse your car, you can wet the whole panel, and then "push" a wave of water off the car with the fan spray. It will all flow off together, and there will be VERY little left to dry. This may be better than dragging a blade across your perfect paint, however soft it may be.
What I actually ended up doing was just to use two large towels to dry with, the first a quick wipe to absorb most of the water, then a second drier towel to finish up with. Worked well for me.
Greg
2). I have and use a Ca. Waterblade on my 2 Zainoed cars. Gets most of the water, still use cotton toweling to get the rest. The one warning with the blade is if you get a piece of dirt trapped on the blade you WILL scratch your car. The blade itself does not scratch. Make sure you wipe the blade before each pass.
I use a tire/rubber treatment on matte black plastic and rubber - such as Turtle Wax 2001 Gel. It dries hard, not sticky and has a good gloss.
I would say that all car waxes and polishes can be used on the wheels. Most have a clear coat on them anyway. Since Zaino is non-abrasive, it is a good candidate for this use, and will help keep them cleaner.
My favorite dogma is the word from the mount that Dawn dishwashing liquid will remove ALL other waxes, polishes and similar products but will not touch Zaino. So although it would be "all right" to wash with Dawn, after starting to use Zaino products it is not a good idea because it is too alkaline. One explanation is that Zaino is a polymer. Well, so are lots of other products on the market. If it can remove them, why can't it remove Zaino? I haven't heard that explanation. This is a good line of products that are easy to use and give good results, I don't understand why it has to be dealt with like a religion and anyone that asks too many questions, or says they are not satisfied for some reason (or no reason at all), or doesn't accept the WORD is a heretic who is to be shunned.
Observations:
Z5 does reduce the look of the 'spider webs' but doesn't remove them, at least not for me (2 coats) so far.
Z6 seems to be a dust COLLECTOR. My wifes mini-van (un-zainoed) had much less dust on it after washing both of them the same day then my car. After I zainoed the van... more dust then before. I'm pretty sure I wiped it all off so I don't know what the deal is here.
Anybody else have the dust problem?
Any advice appreciated.
Also, one would think that someone astute enough to try something new like a polymer will also know about getting it off!
I am not sure if Nu Finish is a polymer or not, The only other one I am familiar with is called "Finish First".
By the way, it seems that it is OK to use Zaino over wax, but you won't get the best shine since the waxes are not optically clear like the Z products. When in doubt, contact Sal at Zaino - he can answer your questions.
I am putting my order in the mail tommorow for my list. We should have our new '00 Solara SE V6 - Fairway Green - Gonna look real nice in ZAINO
(my fiance's car) and my new '00 4RUNNER Millenium Silver Metalic.
I know my Mill. Silver won't be as noticeable BUT I want the other benefits that come from it. Besides it won't show the dirt as much
Later,
Michael
Nu-finish
Meguiar's Medallion
Meguiars #20
Astroshield
Prolong
Klasse
Finish First
Duragloss
Slick Shine by Auto Tech
Liquid Glass
There are many others. Most of these contain no wax or silicone at all-same as Zaino.
In addition, many products are blends of different waxes and polymers, such as Meguiar's #26 High Tech Yellow Wax, which is mostly polymers and silicone, as I understand it.
In fact many car owners are using "waxes" that are high in polymer content, and have been for many years. So I'm not sure why Zaino advises using "Dawn" liquid to remove prior protectants.
As I understand it, to apply Zaino, you first apply a bonding agent, which I assume is a catalyst to get the protectant to bond with the paint-maybe that is why--although most of the polymer protectants claim to "bond" with the paint
Waxes that are high in carnauba content (25%+) are generally "high end" products, and there really aren't that many available: Blitz, P21s, Zymol, Pinnacle and a few others. Most "department store waxes contain parrafin wax-derived from petroleum-which is also the base for many polymer based products
Not sure why Automophile refers to carnauba based products as "grease". In fact carnauba, in its natural state is a very hard substance, with the consistency of hardened concrete. However various oils and other substances (including polymers) do have to be added to make carnauba soft enough to apply, maybe that is why.
What you want to use is a product specifically made for plastic. Meguiars makes a plastic polish. It comes in a small blue bottle, and is available at many auto parts and body shop supply stores. I believe that Eagle One also sells a similar product. There is also a product called Plexus that I have used, but I've never seen it in stores, plus I think Meguiar's is better, anyway.
Be careful what you use to clean plastic instrument panel covers. Use a soft cotton cloth when you clean it. I know from experience how easy that type of plastic gets scratches. Good luck.
Perhaps the high-alkali content of the Blue Dawn removes enough that Z1 can stick properly. Maybe we should ask Sal about this?
After reading the posts about Dawn not removing Z reminded me of when, a few years ago, I purchased a product at a home show called Telflon Polymer Sealant T.P.S. I was going to use it on a clear coat Volvo until I read the "fine print". The following statement is written on the plastic bottle "T.P.S. is bonded to the surface, but may be removed with DuPont's rubbing compound." It has a money back guarantee, but the thought of using rubbing compound to remove a product which might not work scared me from using the polymer sealant.
So, is the Z range of products the same as T.P.S, or is this a different product? Will it provide the highest level of protection for my new RX300?
Then just this past weekend, I just did a simple wash and noticed that the water doesn;t bead on the lower panels of the car, yet beads fine on the roof, hood and upper panels....
Any reason for that?
anyone experiencing the same thing?
I suspect that there is more road dust, etcc.. gathering on the lower panels..more harsh on the lower panels from driving...
Waterspots: I began noticing waterspots recently. Bear with me..this is a bit confusing. Waterspots are not noticeable when car is dry. Rather when wiping the surface dry, and a damp towel or shamois passes over the surface, you can actually see the waterspots because they seem to attract the moisture and so are essentially "wet" when the surounding surface is dry. When the surface is dry however, they are not noticeable, at least not that I could tell. As my water comes from a large municipal source, it has little mineral deposits and is not hard. Any ideas why is this happening.....I don't recall this happening with previous products.
California Car Duster: Many, many posts ago, I mentioned that my paint had developed fine scratches. I thought it may have been my new duster. Well, as mentioned above, used z5 to get rid of the scratches. I tested the duster this weekend, and no scratches, so obviously, it was not the culprit, and quite frankly, I'm still puzzled as to the cause of the scratches. So my duster is being pulled back into service, and I can save time by dusting instead of washing.
Zaino topic, and it's time to start anew and give
the server a break.
Here's the links to previous Wax & Polish topics:
Waxes and Polishes
Waxes and Polishes, Part II
Waxes and Polishes, Part III
Zaino Car Care Experiences
Your host, Bruce
Zaino Car Care Experiences - Part 2
See you over there.
Your host, Bruce
Fastdriver, unfortunately I was unable to take advantage of the group purchase of Zaino. But that is okay, and I am ready to order my Zaino this week. We have (2) new cars entering the stable and they will need much care since they live outside.
Solara SE V6 - Fairway Green and 4RUNNER SR5 Highlander - Millenium Silver Metalic.
Not to ask for a complete refresher, but what shoud one get as a starter to this all?
Thanks and I look forward to hours of fun detailin the new cars.
Next week I will touch it up with a quick Z5/Z2 to keep it looking fabuluous through the summer
Just curious, with a new vehicle you had scratches/swirl marks that you needed Z5 so soon? If not, I would save it and just use the Z2.
I am interested in other folks opinions. Are there any advantages of Z2 over Z5? If not, I may just use the Z5 all the time and forget the Z2.
STEVE
Chris