Iron Chef

So I used Zaino on my wife's dark blue Honda Pilot today. It had been a LONG time since I did anything to her car. Here are my observations:

The Z1 I used is old...maybe 2 years. Came out very thick, but still easy to apply. The Z2 went on and off easy as well. I'll be buying some new Z1 soon.

My wife's SUV has a lot of scratches. She moves kids around more so it stands to reason. Zaino did a nice job of covering up these scratches. The color is a dark blue. Zaino has always done a good job on dark cars. I washed it, clayed it, washed it again with Dawn, applied the Z1 and Z2 as directed.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the way it came out. Nice and dark and I know it'll last along time. The nice part is, it didn't take me all day. I was done with this in about 3 hours, as opposed to the 8+ hours I spent on my MY Vette last weekend. What I didn't like is that I know those scratches are still under there, and it would have taken me a day minimum to buff them out properly with some Speed Glaze and the D/A Polisher. Is it important to me to get them out? Not on this car.

Would I use it on my Vette? Probably not. I am still sold on the results that I got with Meguiar's last weekend, and I'm not even done with it totally. Still, Zaino is a fine product. I got great results in a short period of time and I didn't have to drag out my whole arsenal of detailing gear. I'll likely continue to use it on our other cars.

ZaneO

Cool.

Have you used ZFX, Z2 Pro, and Z8? Those really are revolutionary products in the Zaino line...better appearance, better durability, easier, etc.

Iron Chef

No I haven't. For a variety of reasons, I haven't had a lot of time to devote to my vehicles until now, and I'm just getting back into a decent car care regimen. Because of this, my Zaino supply is rather old...a few years. I'm going to order new Z1 as I'm out of it now. I also have a bottle of Z5, which I'm not really sure how to use (whether or not it can be layered over Z2 or not) or what it does as opposed to Z2. I also used some Z6 at the end of the whole process.

I'd like to use up what I have left of the Z2 and Z6 before I order more product. ZFX seems like too much alchemy to me (j/k, but you get the idea). Putting on the Z1 and then the Z2 over it seems to work fine.

okies93

Turtle wax in the green bottle will do the same thing j/k

What the dr have to say? Everything OK?

Iron Chef

Wiseazz....

Had to move the appt up to the 3rd week in March. Most likely an infection of some sort. Anything serious and it wouldn't hurt at all.

Thanks for asking

I'll keep you posted.

Sleper

Thanks for the honest post. Its nice to see unbiast opinions.

agentf1

Zaino has been GREATLY improved over the years. You really need to try the latest products if you want to give it a fair review. You also need to make sure your paint is properly prepped before using it, but you should be doing that no matter what you use.

bugman

thanks for the post.
I agree you can get very good results using the Meguiar's products. Stay with what works for ya. But definitely check out the Z2Pro/Zfx and Z8 - it will make your eyes pop out. Things I like best about Z2P and Z8:

• durability - no fade after few weeks, like I would get with standard wax
• won't stain your trim
• doesn't create any "carnauba dust"
• wipes on and off SO much easier than a wax

Be sure to put the new Z2Pro, Zfx, and z8 on your list to try in the future - you'll love them.

69er

ZFX saves time on both on application and drying.
Z-1 is a dinosaur.
Adding 4 ZFX drops to one of the enclosed bottles half filled with Z-2 will give you at least two coats..
Z-5 then Z-2 for a slightly better shine but either way it's ok.

Iron Chef

That's my intention. I'm going to start applying more of the Z2 that I have on hand to use it up, then I'll get a bottle of Z2Pro.

Zaino is a lot easier to use than Meguiar's. With the exception of NXT, I only use their professional line and it not only requires elbow grease, but you have to know what you're doing or it'll come out like crap. NXT doesn't hold up as long as it should, but I like the shine. That said, when I'm done with my Vette, there isn't a swirl mark or spider web to be found.

And I can honestly say I enjoy getting out there and just working over my paint...trying to make it look it's best. Sort of a catharsis for me if you will.

bugman

yep -- for me too. It's actually very relaxing. And a great feeling when you see the results. I'm finally getting a lawn-cutting service this summer, so I can spend what little time I have enjoying the kids and carcare too -- without having to blow 3 hours on the grass

Iron Chef

I'm planning on putting another coat of Z2 on this weekend (remember I said I wanted to use it up). I will follow that up with another post and pics.

Question: When I apply Z2, just wash the car, dry and apply, correct?

I use Armor All Car Wash. It doesn't strip the wax and it stands up to the hard water here (FYI...Meguiar's Gold Class Wash was crap).

69er

Correct!

Kevin V

I'll usually go over the surface real quick with the 50/50 Z-6/distilled water combo to make sure there are no water spots or anything left on the surface. It also makes the surface slippier allowing more even, thin coats to be applied.