Complete Newbie

6

6speedZ

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Hi I am a complete newbie to detailing and after searching this forum for a while a I have a few questions. I just purchased a Porter 7424 and Sonus Das pad kit and I am now realizing I will need more than just the pads I ordered, but I am unsure of which ones. First off I have 1999 Black E430 that is in deperate need of some attention. The car has been kept in the garage, but it is has some very obvious swirl marks and scratches (from outside cats). My plan is as follows:

Z7

Z18

Z7

AIO

Z5 or SSR (Would prefer to use Z5 because I already have it)

Z2



Now my questions:



Is my plan right and if so when do I use the Z6?



I plan to apply the Z2 by hand, but what pads do I use for each of the steps above and which pads will I need to add?



When Do I use the polish lock if at all and do I NEED to buy the ZFX?



Will I need a finishng pad, because I don't think there was one provided in the Sonus Das Kit?



Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
Welcome to Autopia! First, if your car has swirls and needs attention you'll need to polish them out before you use the AIO and Z. I know that Z is called a polish and Z5 is supposed to take care of swirls, but it really doesn't hide much, and the Z system itself is more of a sealer than what *we* call a polish.



For the swirls get some Poorboy's SSR2.5 and SSR1. Here is a rough plan of attack:

1. Wash and clay



2. Polish with SSR2.5 on the green pad. Do a small area (~2' x2') and spread the polish at about speed 3 and go to 5 or 6 and move the PC slowly over the area with overlapping passes. Work the polish well until it breaks down and then buff off with a MF. You may need to do 3 or 4 passes depending on how severe the defects are.



3. If the green pad and 2.5 aren't removing your defects go to the orange pad, then follow-up with the green pad and 2.5 again if there is a lot of hazing (like very fine scratches).



4. Inspect the finish in bright light and if any minor hazing remains go to SSR1 and the green or blue pad.



5. If you use SSR1 you don't really need AIO, but you can still use it if you'd like, apply it with the blue pad.



6. Now you're ready to apply Z5 and/or Z2. I don't use Z so I'm not going to give you advice on that area except that if you use ZFX you don't need to use Z1, and you can apply 3 coats of Z in one day (with ZFX). You would use Z6 between coats of your Z2/5



The Sonus Das kit doesn't have a finish pad because the blue can be used for that purpose. You'll most likely want to apply Z by hand hand anyway.



There are a lot of threads on polishing and Zaino if you look around or do a search. HTH
 
Thanks John! I think I will go with the SSR2.5 and SS1 instead of the AIO. Will the 4 pads The Sonus Kit came with be enough or should I pick up another green and blue pad? I think I will stick with Z1 because I have two full bottles sitting in the garage I have never used. What pad do I use to apply the Z1 or do I apply by hand like with the Z2. Lastly will I need to add Z5 if I use the SSR2.5 and the SSR1? Thanks!
 
6speedZ said:
Thanks John! I think I will go with the SSR2.5 and SS1 instead of the AIO. Will the 4 pads The Sonus Kit came with be enough or should I pick up another green and blue pad? I think I will stick with Z1 because I have two full bottles sitting in the garage I have never used. What pad do I use to apply the Z1 or do I apply by hand like with the Z2. Lastly will I need to add Z5 if I use the SSR2.5 and the SSR1? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would want to have at least 2 or 3 green pads and maybe 2 blue pads on hand. That way you can switch products and not have to worry about cleaning a pad during your detail.



Most members apply Z by hand since it is very easy to apply and a PC pad would soak up a lot of product. I've read where some lay down a base of Z5 before Z2, but that's a question I'll leave to the Z experts here. I think you'll be fine going from SSR1 to Z2/5 w/o a Z7 wash, but once again, I'll leave that one to the Z guys/gals to answer. If you don't get any replies on your Z questions here start another thread with "Zaino Question" as the title and you'll get a ton of replies.
 
:welcome to Autopia 6speedZ



This will get you started with Zaino (not as I've been informed Zanio :cool: )



Surface Preparation-

Clean paint film surface with a chemical cleaner / polish (Klasse All-In-One)

Lightly wash paint surface with a diluted car wash concentrate (Zaino Z-7) 1.0oz per gallon

Dry thoroughly and start the application of Zaino Z-2 / Z2PROâ„¢ /Z-3 / Z-5 / + ZFX solution



Zanio application methodology-

Once paint surface has been prepared (see optically perfect shine)

Apply Z-6 to entire vehicle surface using water-dampened applicator.

Apply Z-solution very thinly using absolute minimum pressure on the applicator.

Spray the vehicle surface very lightly with Z6 between each â€Ëœlayerâ€â„¢.

I cannot emphasise â€Ëœapply products very sparinglyâ€â„¢ enough

0.5 â€â€œ 1.0 oz should be sufficient for most vehicles

Use two coats of Z-5 + ZFX for dark colours or Z2Proâ„¢ + ZFX for light colours, spray the applicator with Z-8.

Allow a cure period of 48 hours before wiping down the vehicle with Z-6 or Z-8

Apply one coat of Z2PROâ„¢ to entire vehicle before the application of a last step product (LSP)

JonM
 
Thanks Guys! I already planned on ordering the SSR2.5 and SSR1 so I think that is the route I will go. One last question is the pads that are on autogeek http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html which one is equal to the green and blue Sonus pad or should I just spend the extra five dollars in shipping on the Sonus Pads form Autopia. The Sonus Pads I bought yesterday before I joined the forum so I dont think I have the 10% discount (Never was able to use it for my FIRST purchase) anymore from Autopia and they don't carry SSR products. Hope that makes sense. Thanks Again!
 
It would be beneficial to all to support this forum by making purchases from Autopia first and any of their sponsors (autogeek) second. Both these vendors provide excellent customer service

JonM
 
6speedZ said:
.......One last question is the pads that are on autogeek http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html which one is equal to the green and blue Sonus pad or should I just spend the extra five dollars in shipping on the Sonus Pads form Autopia.......
Click to expand...

The white pad is a polish pad, about equal to the green. The blue pad falls somewhere between the white and grey (finish) pad.



You might want to e-mail Patrick at Excel Detail and see if his pads are back in stock yet, they are very, very, similar to the DAS pads. He also carries the SSR line now too:



http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29307
 
TOGWT said:
It would be beneficial to all to support this forum by making purchases from Autopia first and any of their sponsors (autogeek) second. Both these vendors provide excellent customer service

JonM
Click to expand...



Purchased my DAS Pads from Autopia yesterday as well as some bonnets. I really did not want to spend 5 or 6 dollars more on shipping if I did not have to. I still need some SSR so I figured I could have everything shipped together. Autopia was my first choice, except they did not have SSR.
 
Eliot Ness said:
The white pad is a polish pad, about equal to the green. The blue pad falls somewhere between the white and grey (finish) pad.



You might want to e-mail Patrick at Excel Detail and see if his pads are back in stock yet, they are very, very, similar to the DAS pads. He also carries the SSR line now too:



http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29307
Click to expand...



I sent an email to Excel, hopefully I will hear back soon that they have some pads in stock. Thanks!
 
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