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Comments
WOW! Tornado sirens! Don't think I could deal with that. Hope all is well. Saw the results on the TV today. At least you got the Z on. It was not as nice as they said it was going to be here. It was "warm", but it was damp. I couldn't find what little ZFX I had, so I didn't Z. I'm sure the Z5 would not have dried.
We'll still have some nice days if this rain ever stops!
fastdriver
Sigh.........now, I am hoping I can go until Spring with only Z7.
Jon
And by the way, Z1 also makes a great paper weight. I now keep it in the far corner of a closet along with my original AT.
This will help REDUCE the swirls. To eliminate swirls requires an orbital polisher (or rotary).
In my experience, I find that the following procedures seem to be working. Use two buckets and two washmits, as Harry31 mentions above. Be sure the washmits are all cotton (try the Viking ones). I have marked the washmits on the cuff with a waterproof marker so that I always use the same one on the upper surfaces and the other on the lower part, even after washing. Grit is your enemy.
Wash only with Z7. After rinsing, rinse again with the sprayer off of the hose, allowing the water to just flow onto the car. For some reason, this pulls about 75% of the water off, which makes drying easier.
I next use the California Water Blade, which removes about 75% of the remaining water (more if your car is flat and square; mine (SC430) has a lot of curved surfaces). Then use the same white cotton towels you use for Zaino to dry the car. These will not scratch because they have no polyester fibres in them.
I think that marks from washing come from using sponges and cheap towels or rags. Many people here use better and more expensive towels on their car than they have in their bathrooms, but then your butt doesn't scratch as easy or shine as much, I hope.
Keep the edging of the towels folded under. The threads used to edge the towels may not be cotton. They can cause swirls, too.
Aren't you glad you bought a black car? =:-)
I am very careful with my black car, and have even cut the labels off of the towels, but have used a CWB for almost two years and have never had a problem with it.
First, nobody should be dragging in across a dry surface. Not that the soft material would hurt the car, but that would be a waste of time. I have found, however, after washing and rinsing, there isn't any grit left on the car surface. What you don't want to do is drag it (or a towell or a rag) across a dirty surface.
Only if the drying medium picks up grit will a scratch result. The towel or the blade by itself will not scratch.
Also, I think that the blade, being a preliminary drying tool and not designed to dry a car completely, is used mostly on the upper 75% of the car, which should be completely free from any gritty particles, if you have washed and rinsed well.
So, yeah, be careful, (e.g.: don't use it to wipe rain off the car right after driving, and don't use it on a dry, dirty car) but there are a lot of posts from people here and on other auto care boards who use the blade all the time with excellent results. I have never had a problem and find it makes drying the car both easier and faster.
And I'm all for that.
Many here swear by dring with 100% cotton towels...others use the CWB.
For me, I only use the CWB on my windows. Other than that, "the Absorber", which is a synthetic chamois, is as easy to use (or easier) and just as quick. You can buy it almost anywhere, including Costco and Sam's (sporadially). I use two of them to dry my car. I'm anal, but I use one to dry the upper part of the car, and another for the bottom part. I also use two buckets and two wool wash mits, in the same manner.
Have not had much of a problem with swirls since using this method.
Hope it helps.
So much to do, so lttle time! ;-))
fastdriver
They're talking snow here in the OH Valley today. Temps don't look to be getting up much over freezing for the foreseeable future. With that comes the slush, salt and, in general, an ugly car for Thanksgiving!
That means my recent "quick" Z session looked good for all of two weeks.
www.permafinish.com is the hyperlink. they say that you won't have to wax your car for 6 years!!! I have seen the display in their Atlanta office, and it is quite impressive. 'course, it may end up being the Slick 50 of car care. Please, let me know if this stuff is "for real"
Naturally, I HAD to take a look! I know NOTHING about this product, but all I can tell you is that if I was selling/promoting a "finish" like this, I would have some REAL GOOD pics to show off the shine!
I have better pictures of MY car's shine than they do! That's my personal opinion. Click on my name above and you'll see what I mean.
fastdriver
What you have there is a site for a car finish place which does not really describe what they are doing to you car, does not have pictures of the "shine," and does not even tell you what it will cost.
The "testimonials" from customers are done in a way that you can't get in touch with the "writer" yourself.
Clearly they want you to bring your car in for an "estimate" and they will twist your arm and maybe sell you a condo in Florida while they are at it.
If there was a method out there for putting a clean finish on a car that would last for 6-10 years without maintenance, don't you think even one car manufacturer would hop aboard?
This does not pass the smell test.
LOL... HEY! Wait a minute...... a condo in FL!!! Mmmmmm.......THEN, I MIGHT check it out! ;-))))
fastdriver
Also I'm in NY, and its freezing out today. I don't have a garage for the car, so when can I get this stuff on my beautiful spotless car. The dealer put something on the car, saw the wax on the lower door. What should I do until it gets warm.
Thanks for your help
You need to know that the initial application will take some time because you have to get everything off the finish first, and you might as well clay it while you are at it. So you wash with Dawn at least once, clay, using lots of Z7 for lube, then wash all that off. Then you apply either z1, then Z2, or you get ZFX, mix it with Z2, and apply three coats of that.
As with most things, the first time takes a little longer.
And it's cold outside, and there is a lot of water involved.
If the car has some wax on it now, the finish probably will not be harmed too much if you wait, depending on road conditions, salt, etc.
I would suggest getting everything you need from Zaino, including towels, read the old posts here to learn what you need to do, and just wait until a warm day. It does not seem like it now, but you can get a reasonably warm day in December or January, sometimes. Maybe that will happen on a weekend. Maybe it will not happen until March or April. At that point, go to it.
In the meantime, read up on washing, so that if you do not get a chance to apply Zaino, you do not apply swirl marks by improper washing/drying techniques when you wash the car between now and then.
Or you could borrow a buddy's garage???
Bad timing. Good luck.
Next time, buy your car in May.
Again, thanks for the response....
As I was using a broom to sweep the snow off the roof and hood, I was thinking, I bet this is putting marks in the finish.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I am thinking maybe I should take one of my Zainoing all cotton bath towels and wrap it around the end of the broom. Has anyone tried that or are there some specialized car tools out there that will sweep the snow off without scratching the finish.
Fortunately, (1): there is a lot of plastic cladding and glass on the car, and you can't see the top anyway since it's so high, and (2): it doesn't snow all that much here.
Still, using a broom on it can't be all that good for the painted areas.
Thanks.
The real problem is all that road salt and sand which is put on the roads during times like this. That stuff will scratch. Don't try to remove that stuff without a Z7 wash to disolve the salt. Z6 is not any good under these conditions. All you can do is wait.
What I find interesting is that with a Z finish sometimes the snow will slide off if I can brake just hard enough.
I need better tires.
You COULD take a trip to FL to Z your car! ;-)))))
SNOW! My poor CL still hasn't been washed since September. Still looks good thanks to the last Z application in August!! Yikes- I am getting lazy! NEVER went this long before washing or Z'ing. Of course, we are buried in snow this morning too in So. CT.
Oh well, time for work I guess.
fastdriver
PS Hope those 60 degree days from last Dec. come back this year!
I'll have to take her through a touch-free wash tonight to get the top layer of grime removed (I know, the purists will be cringing, but I have no other alternative). Fortunately I park her in the garage overnight so the doors won't freeze!
I hate winter.
Brad
Life's rough in paradise.
Aloha from Hawaii
It's going to be a blistering 40 today. I've got to wash the van so the insurance adjuster can look at it - Oh joy.
I last Z'd the car in early October (two coats of Z5 / ZFX plus Z6). Despite the unwashed appearance, the Z is holding up quite well.
http://www.snorake.com/
CUSAFR
You only need to clay bar if you need it. Bretfraz, whose opinion I respect highly, recommends that you wrap your hand in a plastic bag and run it over your car to tell whether you need to clay bar. If your surface, after a wash and Z application, is not smooth as glass, i,e, if there are rough and kind of gritty areas, you need to clay. Most of us probably need to clay once per year at least.
Once you decide to Clay, you follow the following process: wash car with Z7, rinse, dry, clay with Z7/water lubricant, wash again with Z7, rinse, dry and then do your regular Z2/Z5/Z6 thing. After you clay, you will probably want to apply multiple coats of Z2/Z5 as I believe the clay removes some of the Z protectant.
IMPORTANT: Don't forget to use the 50/50 water/Z7 mix as a lubricant when you clay your surface.
Thanks again,
CUSAFR
Sal usually answers very quickly. I guess bretfraz must be on vacation, since he has not piped up with his usual great information.