I am not trying to start anything with this but am just trying to share my Zaino experience. I am an Italian car fanatic and have recently become more interested in the paint preservation on my cars. Being relatively new to this, I have not tried many products but look forward to trying some offerings from Poor Boys, Wolfgang, and Detailers Pride later in the week (since Autogeek ships SOOOO fast!). As I have seen on this forum before, liking one product does not mean you have to stop liking another and for that reason, I am not knocking anything.
Onto my take...
I tried the Zaino on two vehicles. The first was applied by our in-house detailing guy on the 1999 Diablo. The second was applied by me on the 1999 Mallett 435 C5. I will speak of the Vette for obvious reasons. The car's paint has always been in top notch shape. The car is garage kept, is a fair weather car, and never sees rain. It's standard regiment was the Meguairs line with NXT being the latest.
I stripped the wax with dishwashing detergent and then clayed the car. I washed it again with the Zaino Z-7 wash. That stuff is super-sudsy and smells great. I love their car wash. It may become my favorite. I then began the Zaino Z-2 Pro with ZFX with a microfiber applicator that had been primed with a bit of Z-6. I found it odd the way the stuff went on. It looked more like a hazy residue than a sealant/wax. I also had to get used to the back and forth and up and down application methods. I did the entire car, minus nose and tail, and then removed the stuff. It came off well although took a bit more effort in areas where I had put it on thick. There were also some streaky areas where I may have not removed it correctly. I applied a second Z-2 with ZFX coat the next day. It went on and came off MUCH easier than the first.
Following two coats, the car looked good. I used the Z-6 on it and loved the stuff. It smelled good, went on easily, and came off easily. It also REALLY increased the shine. This is no standard QD, this is really a shine enhancer.
The Zaino stuff is good. Does the shine look world's better than the Meguairs? No. The car was already in great shape so there was not a huge difference. It was not difficult to apply or remove as I had heard a while back. I hear that the stuff lasts a long time so I am tempted to try it on my SUV to check durability. All in all, I think I will stick with Zaino on the Vette and maybe the SUV, and still try other products on the other vehicles.
What colors were the cars you tried it on? You REALLY need to top it with the Z8 now to realize its full potential. Z8 will give it that deep wet look and make it even slicker, it is like Z6 on steroids and one of my favorite Zaino products. You are right about it being 80% prep work as far as how the finish looks but compared to NXT you will be amazed at the difference in durability and you no longer need to worry about getting it on your trim as the Zaino will not stain trim like NXT does. I look forward to hearing your reviews on some of the other polishes you have mentioned.
The Zaino stuff is good. Does the shine look world's better than the Meguairs? No. The car was already in great shape so there was not a huge difference. It was not difficult to apply or remove as I had heard a while back. I hear that the stuff lasts a long time so I am tempted to try it on my SUV to check durability. All in all, I think I will stick with Zaino on the Vette and maybe the SUV, and still try other products on the other vehicles.
I give this stuff a solid A.
-GT
I agree with your findings except I think initially NXT looks better than Zanio but the NXT doesn’t have near the durability of Zanio – so you give up a little on the looks side and gain a lot in durability. What I do like about NXT as it has some fillers so as time goes on they will fill those small swirl makes were Zanio enhances them – Z5 just doesn’t seem to work for me. I know, why not just use some abrasive polish and maintain the perfect surface instead of hiding them – Well the clear coat is only so thick and you can only do so much abrasive polishing and filler extend the time between abrasive polishing by hiding the small swirls marks.
I know, why not just use some abrasive polish and maintain the perfect surface instead of hiding them – Well the clear coat is only so thick and you can only do so much abrasive polishing and filler extend the time between abrasive polishing by hiding the small swirls marks.
I am not sure if something is going on with your paint job I do not know about but there should not be any concern at all about removing to much clear especially if you are only using a PC. The fact that you have a quality show paint job I would think you have even more clear than most factory jobs and even if you completely removed every swirl every 3 months you could do this for years and years before you ever have to start thinking about your clear coat wearing through. Prep that car right and use whatever sealant or wax you want, you don't need to be slathering it with oils to hide scratches and swirls.
Overall I really agree with the sentiment of the above posts:
NXT does give excellent results.
My wife cannot tell the difference between NXT and the Zaino process on my brand new, healthy paint.
However, some subtle things for me tip the balance in favor of Zaino:
Zaino can be used ON trim - you don't have to be careful to avoid trim - it won't cause staining like NXT
Zaino on my C6 does NOT get dusty -- with NXT, the car had to be dusted every day.
Both good products - as you said, no need to knock one just to try another.
Corvette Store
My Zaino Review
