Diehard zaino guy...thinking about switching to pinnacle...advice?

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slammin86

New member
I have a phantom black metallic 04 GTO that I am pretty anal about keeping in good shape and swirl free. I bought this new in 04 and it has never seen snow/ salt, is garage kept, hibernates in the winter, and is far from a daily driver.



I have always used zaino on it and have had great luck. Even though I have hundreds of dollars wrapped up in zaino supplies in my garage, I am thinking about switching to the pinnacle line for the exterior of the GTO.



I know that pinnacle does not have the durability that zaino does which is fine because the car does not get drove much.



Has anyone made the switch from zaino to pinnacle, or does anyone have any advice for me?



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U r going to get many different opinions. Personally, i dont like the look of a sealant- only use Fp1000 or Duragloss for the winter. But for a garage queen and especially black, u cant beat the look of Pinnacle. U might have to reapply it every 1 or 2 months.



Make sure u use a good detail spray bc Pinnacle will definitely dust on black. But the look is amazing if u can deal with the work.



For an unbeatable Caranuba shine, I would use Menzerna FPII, followed by

Menzerna PO85RD, DWG or RMG and finally Pinnacle.
 
The only Pinnacle product that I use (or used to use) is Souverän. On dark paints, I get a warmer and wetter finish with it when compared to either Z-2 or Z-5. It truly is one of the best looking carnaubas that I've used. However, like you've mentioned, the durability is bunk! In Boston, I get about 4 weeks out of it in summer weather. This is the reason why I don't use it much anymore, if at all. I just don't want to wax my car every month (my Z is my daily driver and it isn't garaged). So, durability is an important factor for me...something that lasts 10-12 weeks is ideal.



I rate Zaino pretty highly, it's bright and durable, but I think there are better options for dark paints like yours. The question is do you want a warmer carnauba look or stick to the generally brighter sealant look? I've had great results with Zymöl Glasur in both looks and durability if you're interested in a carnauba. Blackfire is getting rave reviews with its finish on darks lately. I have yet to use my new bottle, but I really liked the performance of the original formula when I used it years ago.



I'm sure others will chime in...there are loads of options out there.
 
Buy the Pinnacle. Run a strip of tape down the cneter of your hood and apply Zaino on one side and Pinnacle on the other. Over the course of several months monitor it and see which you prefer the look of.
 
The only advantage I see to using a nuba product over Zaino is you do not have to remove the polishing oils before applying a nuba or Souveran.



That said if you are not polishing you car with a product like Menzerna a lot just stick with Zaino. I did not see any improvement in looks between the PS and Zaino on a "properly" prepped finish.



Of course Zaino has the advantage of great durability and awesome looks.
 
I used to use Zaino on my black CLK320. I now use the Wolgfang Deep Gloos Paint sealant . which on its own has a nuba like glow . I top it with the Pinnacle Souveran and Love the depth and wettness of this combo
 
Amused said:
The only Pinnacle product that I use (or used to use) is Souverän. On dark paints, I get a warmer and wetter finish with it when compared to either Z-2 or Z-5. It truly is one of the best looking carnaubas that I've used. However, like you've mentioned, the durability is bunk! In Boston, I get about 4 weeks out of it in summer weather. This is the reason why I don't use it much anymore, if at all. I just don't want to wax my car every month (my Z is my daily driver and it isn't garaged). So, durability is an important factor for me...something that lasts 10-12 weeks is ideal.



I rate Zaino pretty highly, it's bright and durable, but I think there are better options for dark paints like yours. The question is do you want a warmer carnauba look or stick to the generally brighter sealant look? I've had great results with Zymöl Glasur in both looks and durability if you're interested in a carnauba. Blackfire is getting rave reviews with its finish on darks lately. I have yet to use my new bottle, but I really liked the performance of the original formula when I used it years ago.



I'm sure others will chime in...there are loads of options out there.
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:werd:



If your car is a garage queen then durability is of little importance. IMO durability is the only thing Zaino really has over and above most other LSPs. That being said IME Pinnacle has probably the lowest durability of any LSP I've ever used. For a great warm carnauba look with durability that will at least get you a couple of months then I would go with Zymol or Swissvax instead of Pinnacle.



Personally, I strongly prefer the warm carnauba look to the brightness of a sealant.
 
It all depends on what look you are after. I love sealants but have yet to find one that looks great on darker colors. IMO there is nothing close to a carnauba wax on dark blue or dark black.



What I really did not like about Zaino on black, especially Z-2 is it left a crisp line where the paint begins. What I love about PS (and even more CG-50/50) is you can't tell where the paint begins, even my camera has a hard time focusing on it, I have to focus on a body line then re-compose the shot.



That said, PS is a dust magnet.
 
Personally I don't like the looks or hassle of Zaino. I would go will Pinnacle, Swissvax, Zymol or just about anything except Zaino. We all have our own opinions and looks are very subjective. If you think you like the looks of Pinnacle Souveran Paste try it. If you don't like it you can always try something else or go back to Zaino.
 
I've seen Zaino products. While they look very glossy on silver if applied with certain techniques, it also appears very artificial.



I prefer pure waxes like that of Wolfgang Fuzion and Swissvax.
 
yakky said:
It all depends on what look you are after. I love sealants but have yet to find one that looks great on darker colors. IMO there is nothing close to a carnauba wax on dark blue or dark black.
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Definitely agree with this. This is a good enough reason alone to make the switch from Zaino.



What I really did not like about Zaino on black, especially Z-2 is it left a crisp line where the paint begins. What I love about PS (and even more CG-50/50) is you can't tell where the paint begins, even my camera has a hard time focusing on it, I have to focus on a body line then re-compose the shot.



That said, PS is a dust magnet.
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Really? I've never tried Souveran, but if this is true, it is reason enough NOT to use it since we are talking about a black car. As someone who has owned 4 black cars, keeping dust off of it is enough of a challenge as it is. Applying a dust magnet to it would largely negate any improvement that the Souveran would otherwise give to the look of the paint in my opinion (again, without having actually tried Souveran).



LSP's that are dust magnets and black paint just do not make a good mix.
 
I have been having great luck with Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant with Polycharger lately. Looks incredible on all colors, easy on, easy off & great durability.



If your looking for a carnauba, my favorite is Collinite 915...
 
Rob Tomlin said:
Definitely agree with this. This is a good enough reason alone to make the switch from Zaino.







Really? I've never tried Souveran, but if this is true, it is reason enough NOT to use it since we are talking about a black car. As someone who has owned 4 black cars, keeping dust off of it is enough of a challenge as it is. Applying a dust magnet to it would largely negate any improvement that the Souveran would otherwise give to the look of the paint in my opinion (again, without having actually tried Souveran).



LSP's that are dust magnets and black paint just do not make a good mix.
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PS has a high oil content, but the look is very unique, its a must try product. Some people love it, other hate it. You basically sacrifice longevity and dirt shedding for its special looks. Its one of a handful of products I could spot on my car and say without doubt, hey, that's Souveran.
 
thats good to hear^^ i just bought and used blackfire wet diamond with polycharger the other day.. the slickest thing I've ever felt on my paint. darkens paint a lot more than i would have expected. i wish i had this stuff for my durability test i did earlier this year. im curious about its durability. anyone have any idea of what other products its durability compares to?
 
jDizzle said:
thats good to hear^^ i just bought and used blackfire wet diamond with polycharger the other day.. the slickest thing I've ever felt on my paint. darkens paint a lot more than i would have expected. i wish i had this stuff for my durability test i did earlier this year. im curious about its durability. anyone have any idea of what other products its durability compares to?
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I'm doing my own durability test right now between AJ and BFWD (single layer). They've both been going just fine for about two months. Hard to tell them apart right now.
 
yakky said:
PS has a high oil content, but the look is very unique, its a must try product. Some people love it, other hate it. You basically sacrifice longevity and dirt shedding for its special looks. Its one of a handful of products I could spot on my car and say without doubt, hey, that's Souveran.
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Yeah, but you forgot to add that you also sacrifice having an increased amount of dust on your car. On a black car, that is a pretty big sacrifice imo.
 
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