Well I've been a big fan of Zaino for it's ease of application and good results.
Unfortunately my car has some swirl marks and such that Zaino just won't touch.
At the advice of the forum I decided to try something more aggressive and see what it would do. A cleaner wax is supposed to be a little more aggressive than just a polish, yet still mild enough for use on a clear coat finish. I was able to find Meguiars cleaner wax, so I bought some. Unlike Zaino this is not a liquid, it is a traditional paste.
First thoughts. It's got a fairly decent scent so it scores some points right off the bat. Secondly this stuff seems to go forever. I can just touch the applicator to the stuff and then apply it to a very large section of the car. I did the whole upper half of my car last night and there is no real visible sign that I've used any of it.
My friend Brian came over about the time I started wiping it off. I was a little disappointed at the swirl marks as it really didn't seem to do much of anything for them. It did seem to bring out a new richness to the color though, and the shine is pretty awesome.
I'm going to take the time today to go over the car at least one more time and see if it helps with the swirls any on the second time around.
So far I guess you could say I'm about 85% pleased with the product. I was hoping it would do more for the swirl marks but they might just be beyond help.
I'll try to get another coat or two on it today and then get it out in the sun to take some pictures. :cheers:
Nathan, do you have any idea how you got the swirl marks in the first place? If it's something I can avoid doing to my own car by better technique when washing or waxing, I'd love to know. Thanks...
Maguire's makes a swirl mark remover that contains a very mild cutting compound.
You might be able to remove the swirls with a buffer and mild cut compound but you run the risk of taking off too much clear coat.
I think swirl marks may come from either machine polishing, car washes or using a circular motion in hand polishing. I've read that using a polishing motion that follows the lines of the car is best as any resultant "swirl" marks will follow the lines and so be much less noticible.
Alright here she is for now. I don't think my fingers could stand to wax my MODEL C4 right now, but I think it was worth it. I've looked over a few of the threads in this area and I seem to see a recurring theme. Everybody seems to have a favorite product and then gets tired of it, and swaps to something different with good results. It doesn't matter which two products either.
I'm developing a theory that it doesn't really matter what you use, but eventually it just won't give you the results that it once did. At this point you need to switch products for a little while! Every wax is going to leave it's own residue that some other brand might remove. Much like gasoline additives the best thing you can do is to swap it up every once in a while to remove a different set of deposits.
A cleaner wax is supposed to be a little more aggressive than just a polish, yet still mild enough for use on a clear coat finish.
:nono: A cleaner wax is formulated to remove oxidation and "maybe" some very light swirling. Most of the time it is a chemical solution that is used, not abrasive.
A polish will actually have some abrasive in it, maybe 2500-3000 grit or smaller. This will actually buff off the edges of the scratches, or even buff out the scratches completely. Some use oils and fill the scratches.
A glaze will fill in the scratches with oils to make them less visible.
If you're looking for a really spectacular polish for that polo green, I recommend einzett metallic polish. I've used it on my black sapphire to great success. It's very mild and does a very good job with hand application. you can even request a sample that will include enough to do the whole car and convince you of it's worth. While you're at it, request a sample of the glanz wax, and I doubt you'll ever use zaino again. The einzett wax/polish combo just makes the metallic in my paint totally POP out at you, it's increadible. http://www.1z-usa.com/sys-tmpl/contact/ Michael is a great guy and eager to please. info@1z-usa.com
Just request a sample with a description of your paint and the problems you would like to remedy, and he'll have it to you in less than 10 days. I haven't looked back since I started using einzett :cheers:
I've got the same kinds of swirls on my car. The admiral blue, surprisingly, is just as bad at showing swirls and scratches as your black, polo green, and dark red cars. I've tried a lot of different stuff (haven't tried Zaino or Pinnacle yet) and I've come to a couple of conclusions.
First, all but the LIGHTEST swirls and scratches will have to be removed with a buffer. I bought the 3M 39009 swirl mark remover and buffed one section by hand like 15 times, and it barely made a dent in the swirls. Now, this was a 2'x2' section; there is no way I'm going to do that same process on the entire car. I'm going to borrow a friend's Porter Cable buffer and give that a try on an inconspicuous place. If the 3M SMR doesn't do it, I may have to go to something more agressive.
Second, polish/glaze and a good carnauba wax will go a long way to HIDING swirls. My car looks 10 times better after one round of Meguiar's Deep Crystal polish and carnauba wax. The swirls and scratches come back in a few months, but that's normal since I didn't actually remove them. Along this line, if you are going to use a wax to conceal the swirls or scratches, pick one that you can layer. Basically, you want to fill in all the scratches and build up a nice smooth layer that reflects like a mirror. I've heard that the paste carnauba waxes are the best for layering.
Third, I like the Meguiar's cleaner wax. It's easy to use, helps get rid of some of the junk imbedded in my paint (takes off tar, tree sap, and bugs), and gives a really good shine. But like you said, it doesn't do much for swirls. Also, because of the cleaning agent, you cannot layer it. But for a cheap, one-step solution, I like it. The one major downside, which you will find out about in a month or so, is that it doesn't last very long. About a month, maybe two. This isn't so bad because it's so easy to apply and remove, but if you want longevity you might want to apply a pure carnauba paste over it.
I've used the liquid Meguiar's cleaner wax, and you said you used the paste, so the actual longevity may differ slightly. Pastes tend to last longer than liquids.
Ultimately if you like Zaino and the only complaint is the swirls, you should try to completely remove the swirls before applying the Zaino. To do that though, you are going to need a buffer.
The key to a nice finish is the prep work. A Cleaner wax will only offer a temporary quick fix. You should really consider getting a PC with a foam pad and a mild cleaner like Meguire's Dual Action Cleaner/Polish, then a swirl remover (less abrasive), then add synthetic or carnauba topcoat. I think you'll find one-step cleaner/waxes to be pretty poor in durability. Give it a shot, your vette deserves it.
Corvette Store
Tried a new wax
