Experiencing poor Zaino durability on daily driver

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peterp

New member
There isn't a bigger Zaino fan than me and it lasts forever on my "almost" garage queen. I also used Zaino on my wife's daily driver (ZAIO, Z5, Z3, CS) and it seems to have very poor durability. I cleaned it and applied a coat of Z5 followed by CS about 2 months ago and when I wash it now there is absolutely no water repelling like nothing is on it. Zaino is known for durability, and I'm seeing it on my other car but not sure why it performs so poorly on my wife's car. Has anybody else experienced this? Could it be that Z5 is not durable unless followed by Z2 or 3?
 
In my experience, I've had good durability with Z-AIO, Z-5, and Z-CSZ-5 on a DD, especially with the regimen you used on hers. Your location could affect the duration of any product. In the past, there have been posts from Florida noting poor durability with Zaino. You might ask Sal if you don't find any answers here.



What is your wife's DD that would require Z-3 (for regular paint instead of clear coat)??? That could be the problem.
 
How well did you prep the surface??



Did you claybar it? or polishing it at all?



Could also be that when you're washing it, the dirt on the surface is not allowing it to bead. After you wash the car clean and re-rinse it does it bead at all then??



Josh
 
HRP said:
What is your wife's DD that would require Z-3 (for regular paint instead of clear coat)??? That could be the problem.
Click to expand...



Sorry, my car is regular paint, hers has CC, I can never remember which is which but used Z2 on hers.
 
JoshVette said:
How well did you prep the surface??



Did you claybar it? or polishing it at all?



Could also be that when you're washing it, the dirt on the surface is not allowing it to bead. After you wash the car clean and re-rinse it does it bead at all then?
Click to expand...



I did full prep -- Mothers clay and Menzerna 106FF, then ZAIO, etc. The full prep was about a year and a half ago, I've just kept it topped with Z2/Z5/CS every few months since the full prep.



I think you are on to something with it not beading while dirty, I just tried putting some water on it now and it does bead some, so part of it is operator error with regard to my observations. Still, I don't find the paint very slick, and it's difficult to remove dirt so it doesn't seem like it protects as much as I like or would expect.



Thanks Josh and HRP for the feedback, this helps a lot.
 
Did you use ZFX? I know it's not necessary with ZAIO, but i use it with each application, i live in New orleans, brutal summers. Z2 with ZFX works for me, i also apply Z8 after each wash. I believe ZFX really hardens/bonds the polish. It better for $20 bucks.
 
peterp said:
There isn't a bigger Zaino fan than me and it lasts forever on my "almost" garage queen. I also used Zaino on my wife's daily driver (ZAIO, Z5, Z3, CS) and it seems to have very poor durability. I cleaned it and applied a coat of Z5 followed by CS about 2 months ago and when I wash it now there is absolutely no water repelling like nothing is on it. Zaino is known for durability, and I'm seeing it on my other car but not sure why it performs so poorly on my wife's car. Has anybody else experienced this? Could it be that Z5 is not durable unless followed by Z2 or 3?
Click to expand...



You're not alone, I find Zaino to be about average in durability compared to other sealants. If you want to try something that lasts longer give Jeff Werkstatt Acrylic Jett a try, it easily lasts 6 months on my daily driver and still beads months after that.
 
I suggest trying ZAIO followed by a coat or two of Z2 or Z5, pick one. ZCS may be the problem.



I am not a fan of ZCS or WOWA sealants for that matter.
 
^ +1



Or do ZAIO -> Z5 w/ ZFX -> Z6 -> Z2 -> Z6



If you don't have ZFX, just wait 12 hours and apply the Z2.



I didn't see you use Z6 in your process, which is recommended by Sal.
 
What kind of car is it?



Did you IPA after 106FF? If not that is one of your problems.



Keep the CS off of it this time and see what happens. Sometimes CS does not like certain paints.
 
Having used the full Zaino range (minus ZCS) for over 12 months across 4 different vehicles with different garaging and driving regimes, my conclusion is that vehicles left in the open day and night are the main issue. My DD is left outside all the time and in the Brisbane sub-tropical sunlight I don’t think Zaino lasts long - probably 3-4 months. Wives vehicle in undercover generally but spends a lot of time on the road during the day with school runs etc – seems to last around 6-8 months. My BMW Garage Queen is virtually never in the sun unless being driven early morning or late afternoon – lasts 12+ months. Same with mother’s DD which is generally in the garage – also lasted 12+ months. My A$0.02 worth.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. The car is in NJ, so weather is mild now and it's a daily driver but it typically not in the sun all day. I always use Z6 between any coats, and sometimes Z8 when there is enough time. I did not use IPA after 106ff, but used ZAIO after. I have ZFX, but have not used it on this car because always have had enough time between layers.



Thanks for the feedback, it really helps a lot. Next time I will try a couple coats of Z2 using ZFX and no CS and see how that works.
 
I hav found that using ZFX every time works better for me. Just seems like a harder, glossier, slicker, longer lasting application.
 
Environmental fallout plays a huge role in how long a product lasts. Many brag of 6 to 8 months with Zaino but in my harsh environment I get 4-5 months out of it. Still, in comparison most other products last roughly 1 month in my conditions.
 
I quit using Zaino because of durability issues. The same reason I quit using Menzerna FMJ. Neither of these products lasted longer than a month on my car that lives outside... on my garage cars, Zaino works quite well, FMJ, still only 3 to 5 weeks.
 
What wash do you use to maintain it? Also, many might disagree but I personally found using z6 in between coats hurts durability, especially if your not using zfx. Put the z6 and z8 down, and just try Z2Pro over ZAIO and see what you get. Also, use the ZFX, it really adds to the durability. After your all cured up, then you can break out the detailing sprays after future washes.
 
Back when I had my beater (91 acura legend in white) I could get 3 months out of ZAIO alone. Car was parked at the Atlanta airport for 40-50 hours a week. Using a few coats of Z2pro w/ ZFX would get me over 6 months.
 
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