C5VetteJoe

I was hesitant to post these basic questions, but my new Vette is really the only car I am going to try and keep well maintain. This means I have never done much car wax / polishing before! I have very limited time to spend with my Vette (about 1 days a month) I have read a lot about Zano and will look into it in 2 - 3 months when my situation changes.

Can someone please take the time post the specific steps, product names and numbers and how long it would take. I am planning on just elbow grease with no buffers.
What a mess I am, I have a 50k car in my early 40's and I am trying to figure out how to keep it clean!

I have read the archives, but I need "special ed".

1. I am looking for some alternative products like Meguiar's, etc to use.
2. My car is a 2002, bought in Oct and is stored in a garage. Do I need to use a clay bar?
3. I know I wash w/ Liquid Dawn, dry with Field Crest towels, but when do I Polish and wax?
4. I don't understand all the different products for Meguiars, ie #6, 7, etc. What specifically do I use and when
THANKS ALL….

GaryZ06

All I can say is there are no time issues with Zaino when it is mixed with ZFX.Wax on wax off....I mean Polish on polish off.... :cool:

gmblack3

Here is the Deal my Friend:

1. If you are going to Dawn, clay and then wash the next step is either Zaino or others. One you get the dawn/clay/wash out of the way you are home free. Zaino will be easier to use at that point. It goes on/off so much easier than any carnuba. You will spend 1 day getting the initital application done. Then after that its very easy. Just wash once a week or so and use the Gloss Enhancer. Zaino will outlast any carnuba. If you become addicited like me you will be putting on extra coats here and there. The 3 coats will be fine for at least 6-9 months no problem. So you get all the work done in one day and you are set for a while.

2. You don't need Z5 if you don't have any swirls.

So you can order Z2 (polish),Z6(Gloss Enhancer), Z7(wash
) Z18 (clay) and ZFX. If you need some leather cleaner and protectant order the Z9 and Z10.

Here is what I do:

1.Wash with dawn (blue)

2.Clay Yes even if new car. use capful of Z7 with 12 oz of water as lube for clay

2.Wash w/ Z7, dry car.

3.Mix 1 oz (Half of the mixing bottle) of Z2 or Z5 with ZFX.

4.Spray cotton applicator with a little Z6. Put small amount of Z2 on CA (cotton applicator) size of a dime and rub it into the CA.

5.Start applying it to surface. Put it on very thin! by the time you get done putting it on the entire car, the starting point will be dry.

6.Remove with 100% cotton (made in USA) towels. It comes off easy doesn't it.

7.Apply Z6 to car one section at a time and remove with another 100% cotton towel. Use very little of the Z6, it goes a long way.

Do steps 4,5,6 and 7 two more times.

3 coats of Z2 and or Z5 is the max per 24 hour period.

99 Torch Coupe

Joe,
Give me a call @ 713-826-2501 I'm the local Zaino Distributor and I'll be happy to show/tell you how to do Zaino just as quick as any other product so you can get that great Zaino shine.

donald

Intermezzo

For the ultimate in ease and quickness you can just apply a coat of Zaino every six months. It's as simple as that.

If you want to go with Meguiar's but you do not have a lot of time, I would suggest using Medallion, as that product will outlast all of their waxes (but doesn't last as long as Zaino).




[Modified by Intermezzo, 6:19 PM 4/17/2002]

69er

Before switching to Zaino my favorite wax was One Grand's Blitz Wax.
Also used Pinnacle's Paint Cleanse if a pre cleaner was necessary.

Kale

ya, but you can zaino your car and it's good for 6 months, you wax it, and it may need wax again the next time you see it. :confused:

heck, if you just drive it once a month, stick to an instant detailer.



[Modified by Kale, 12:45 PM 4/17/2002]

Spectre

Try formula 113 :lol: :jester If you don't try zaino it's your loss . :cheers:

Silver2002

If you have a local distributor that will meet you somewhere then why not pickup the Zaino? You'll probably at least learn something from him/her.

C5VetteJoe

All, thanks for the info. I guess it really is a labor up front with the wash/clay/wash. With the Zano ZFX I will have to look into this more closely.

Thanks everyone. :eek:

carguru

I use 3M Professional Hand Glaze and 3M Professional Liquid Wax on all of my vehicles. I have used these for years with great results. IMHO 3M makes a great product and is available at autoparts stores. This is the same stuff that many bodyshop use. The Hand Glaze brings out a lot of brilliance in dark colors (ie. black, red, dark blues, etc.) I have tried the Z word, but I did not get better results. This is why I stick with 3M. Other alternatives: Eagle 1 Wet--gives good deep shine, especially on dark colors. Liquid Glass--good shine and protection, but streaky on dark colors. Griot's Garage Carnuba--good, pricey, a little harder to work with. Meguier's Gold Class--see Griot's.

Unless you park under trees and stuff a lot, you won't have to clay yet. Feel the upper surfaces lightly after you wash. If it feels smooth, no bumps, then you don't have to clay. If you do feel bumps, by all means clay.

I would not recommend washing with dish liquid. Dish liquid tends to strip all of the waxes off the paint and leave streaks. I would use a reputable car wash liquid (Eagle 1, Meguier's, 3M, etc). This would not be as harmful to the finish.

You can do a quickie wash and wax in 2-3 hours. I would recommend washing in the shade so as to not waterspot the paint before you get a chance to dry it off. I usually use 100% cotton terry cloth to wash and a synthetic chamois (Absorber) to dry it off. I polish with a polish sponge and remove with a microfiber towel. Buff with a cotton terry cloth.

Spectre

Maybe you missed something , but thats the point . How can your car look any better if you still have your old crappy waxy build up underneath . That honestly must be the dumbest thing I've ever heard . Coming from someone with a post count of 3 . No offense or anything . You probably are kinda new to the whole detailing thing . you wann be enlightend on detailing . This guy has been detailing since you were just a thought http://www.zainobros.com

JWD01

Hey Vic, Cut the guy some slack. I've been owning and detailing Corvettes long before YOU were just a thought. I find it funny that the object of the original post was for alternatives to Zaino yet most of the replies were from Zaino users trying to convince him to use Zaino. I bought into the Zaino hype and bought all the products. Is it good stuff? Yes. Is it the best and only product to use. NO! There are several products as good or possibly better ( I prefer Liquid Glass on my drivers,it is much easier to use). Whatever someone chooses to use on their car is up to them. As long as they are happy with the results, that's all that counts. :cheers:

Spectre

Actually i was refering to sal zaino thats why i linked to his site right after . I was saying what i said " tongue in cheek" . You just can't let misinformation proliferate . I've had 3 vettes and i have used many different products and you gotta dawn if you want a DEEP shine no matter what you use . Also out of everything , Pinnacle , zymol , p21s ,all the other off the shelf stuff ... etc . Zaino works the best and the longest . The dust also accumulates so fast on the other stuff . Also maybe i'm a perfectionist but i say clay . Clay adds even more to your finish by taking off any kind of fallout and stuff .




[Modified by vic451, 10:18 AM 4/18/2002]

Spectre

Also , Does that stuff really work . I see some guy at every flea market pawning off the wonders of liquid glass . Also on http://www.thewaxtest.com they found p21s to offer the most initial shine with zaino in second and then after a week zaino won and was found to have the most durability and shine . They didn't even use all the steps . FYI zaino was still shining just as good after the ends of the test 4 weeks later :eek:

Intermezzo

Some people in the industry believe that frequent use of an alkaline wash like dish soap will neutralize plasticizers (shine agents) in your paint which are slightly acidic. However, Zaino Bros does not advocate using dish soap as your normal car wash. It's only done once as part of your paint prepping for Zaino. Yes, it does remove waxes, but that's precisely WHY it is used. When you have a wax (which is primarily oils and silicone) covering your car, ZSCP will not properly bond. If there is something in between your Zaino coat and your car, Zaino will not properly crosslink into a polymeric chain with your car's surface and the durability of the Zaino coat that was just applied (normally up to 6 months) will be severely compromised. Obviously this isn't a problem when going the traditional wax route where you'd polish and shine the car with a product containing oils and fillers (like 3M SMR or IHG) and follow that up with a wax to protect the oils and fillers you just applied to the car.

JWD01

I think it works great. I have used it for 16 yrs. on my 1960 and have a room full of 1st place and peoples choice trophy's. People think it is just as shiny as my C5 (on which I use Zaino).I also use it on my black truck and I always get comments on it too. I wish I could find it at a flea market because the only place I can find it is either mail order from Corvette places or go to the detail supply houses around here but they are always sold out. Like I said, if you are happy with something -use it. :cheers:

Intermezzo

I disagree. The main causes of embedded paint contaminants in a brand new car are 1) being transported by train (rail dust) & 2) sitting in the dealer lot for more than a few months (industrial pollution).

After the car has been initially clayed (which should definitely be done on a new car regardless of whether or not you go with Zaino) the main sources of paint contamination is brake dust and once again industrial pollution.

Parking under trees often will cause you to get tree sap on your car once in a while. Very often those tree sap clumps are pretty large and using clay to get rid of it is almost impossible and pointless. Even on a car with many little specks of tree sap, I find that using clay isn't very effective. The best way is to use a diluted solution of IPA.

For very large tree sap clumps, take a piece of ice and hold it on the sap for as long as you can. That will make the sap become very cold (obviously) and very hard....almost brittle. Once it is cold you can often just pop it off with a fingernail. This might leave some residue which you can just polish off with a cleaner or alcohol.

carguru

Vic, I detail professionally partime now, owned a restoration shop, and worked at a Ferrari dealership as a detailer several years ago. No offense, but I have been detailing cars since you were in diapers. LOL. I guess I am still new to this detailing thing. Just because I have 3 posts.... I still stick by my original post. Dawn is recommended by Zaino to remove the wax the first time. I have no problems with that. Occasionally I use a wax remover over my vehicles and clay to prevent wax buildup. I don't like using Dawn because it will also strip wax and protectants from seals in lights and the rubber parts you can't get to also. As Zaino website and Intermezzo just said, it is not recommended for every wash. I made this comment for this reason. If C5VetteJoe or any other readers uses Dawn each time he washes it and do not wax (excuse me, Zaino) each time he washes, he will strip the all of the protection away. Dawn will even take off Zaino (maybe that is why Zaino recommends using Z-7 wash???). But I may be wrong, last time I checked, continual unprotected finish=eventual finish damage. Who is misinforming whom??? I am not knocking the Zaino line. It is a good product. I just am not a follower.

BTW, I don't post often. I have been lurking for quite a while. I felt kinda bad for C5VetteJoe when he asked for advice other than Zaino and all he got was Zaino replies. Thanks JWD for sticking up. With warm welcomes like this, wonder why I haven't posted much. Oh, yeah, I have seen Liquid Glass at places like Pep Boys, Advanced and Autozone. I used to use it on my truck several years ago.

Spectre

Wow you worked at a ferrari dealership . You outa post a pic of some ferraris you were working on there . Also i don't dawn my car every time i wash , but dawn WILL NOT remove zaino .fyi i said to check out sal he's been doin this since you were a thought http://www.zainobros.com . Sal used to be a custom painter he's done countless shows and is a walking encyclopedia of car knowledge . He knows his car paint . But again why don't you post some of those ferrari pics . :cheers: Oh yeah , How do you like cary . I used to live right outside of Maggie Valley .


[Modified by vic451, 9:12 PM 4/18/2002]