First time Zaino use

0

04JBPWRX

New member
Hey Everyone,



This past weekend I did my first Zaino application and just had a few questions. I have a 2004 Java Black Pearl (black with gold specks) WRX and my friend has a 2003 Titanium Grey MazdaSpeed Protege. This is the process that I followed: Dawn dish soap 2x, Zaino Claybar, Dawn again, Z2 (w/ZFX), Z6, Z5, Z6, Z2 (w/ZFX), Z6. That took about 8 hours with breaks and whatnot. My friend did: Dawn 1x, Meguires Claybar, Z2 (w/ZFX), Meguires spray, Z2, Z6, Z2 (w/ZFX), Z6.

We're both quite happy with the results, but I was expecting more. I can see quite a bit of 'orange peel', although it still looks good. We were wondering if we keep layering on the Zaino if the results would become incrementally better? Did we do everything right? Any comments would be appreciated! No buffer was, only manual application and removal, btw.



Thanks!
 
It's the polishing that really puts the "oompf" in the final appearance. The polishing stage is after your claying session and before you get to Zaino. The two of you are probably happy with what you have because they are both relatively new cars, so the paint is probably in pretty good condition (of course I've seen brand new cars in horrible condition).

Besides the orange peel, do you see swirls and scratches in the paint ? Does there seem to be a haze anywhere ? Waterspots ?, etc.

Adding more Zaino will probably not add too much to the final appearance right now. 2 or 3 coats is sufficient.

For a "standard" Zaino application, you did what most will do on their first attempt with Zaino. Believe me, my second attempt blew away my first application after I learned about polishing and reading some great info here.



Here's a good starting write up on polishing. Check out the other "how tos" as well.



Welcome to Autopia :wavey
 
SK2003TypeS said:
It's the polishing that really puts the "oompf" in the final appearance. The polishing stage is after your claying session and before you get to Zaino. The two of you are probably happy with what you have because they are both relatively new cars, so the paint is probably in pretty good condition (of course I've seen brand new cars in horrible condition).

Besides the orange peel, do you see swirls and scratches in the paint ? Does there seem to be a haze anywhere ? Waterspots ?, etc.

Adding more Zaino will probably not add too much to the final appearance right now. 2 or 3 coats is sufficient.

For a "standard" Zaino application, you did what most will do on their first attempt with Zaino. Believe me, my second attempt blew away my first application after I learned about polishing and reading some great info here.



Here's a good starting write up on polishing. Check out the other "how tos" as well.



Welcome to Autopia :wavey
Click to expand...



Since my car is black, I see just a bit of swirl marks deep in the paint. I don't see any haze or waterspots. And on my friend's, I find it looks better cause the color really hides blemishes well. Some of the pics I've seen around the forums look so much better than mine, that's why I'm a bit disappointed. They all seem to have a very deep, 3D finish, but mine just looks shiny!

Thanks for the link, I'll definetly study that one! I find though, that with the Zaino, after 4-5 hours, I was just so tired of it that I think I sacrificed a job well done just to get the job done! And now I'm thinking that a standard wax application might be more beneficial just for the time savings since the final result is about the same quality. But then again, maybe I just need to improve my technique. Is the durability of the Zaino a lot better than a standard wax, say NXT? Another thing I noticed is that when using Zaino I needed a lot of cotton towels, and halfway through I didn't have any left!

Maybe next time I wash, I'll add another coat or 2 on the car just to see if it makes a big difference.



Thanks!
 
Black cars are the hardest cars to upkeep as far as swirls marks, scratches, etc. They just reveal everything. However, when they are polished and prepped correctly, black is one of the nicest colors to have. Does your car have a plastic look ? Maybe the paint lookes "muted". The first picture below was a "standard" Zaino application. No polishing, just dawn washing, clay and Zaino. The picture shows a little bit of shine, but in person it really had a muted look. It was kind of flat looking. In the second picture, the car is also wrapped in Zaino, but I had polished it with a mild paint cleaner. This brought the color out a little more. These aren't very good pictures in that they are taken with different lighting with my wimpy 2.1 megapixel camera......and I'm not a good photographer to boot. (btw: I'm not sure if these pics will show up in this post )

Also, with my experiences, lighter colors tend to look better with Zaino when you're not polishing. I would guess the Titanium gray would look better since both of you didn't polish/prep the paint.



I use a lot of towels when removing Zaino also. I MF towels instead of the cotton towels though. As far as durability, my experiences are that Zaino will easily outlast NXT (your Zaino comparison to NXT may stir something here).



It won't hurt to try some more Z after your next wash. Also, give it a few days, it may look different after the Zaino has had time to cure.

As far as time, there are some here who will take longer than you did. I will easily spend 15-20 hours to do a full overhaul (that happens like twice a year).

Stick around here, pick up what you can and keep asking questions. Your next Zaino experience will be better. ;)



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4825driveside-med.jpg
 
Ya mine looks more like the first pic rather the second. The polish you speak of, is that my Z6 Gloss Enhancer spray? Cause we used that in between each Z2 application...



That 2nd pic looks amazing!
 
The Z6 spray is not a polish. It's more of a quick detailer which does help add to the overall finish. So you did the right thing by using it between the Zaino applications. Next time you wash and dry your car. Go over it again with the Z6 prior to another application of Z2. It's also a nice product to use after a regular wash.

The paint cleaner I used was Pinnacle's Paint Cleaning Lotion. It's on the pricey side. There are a number of great paint cleaners out there. P21S is also a great one off the top of my head. :buffing:

Zaino Z-PC was recently announced. :cool: I haven't gotten to it yet.
 
Zaino is a great product but you wotn see it's full ability with out proper prep. Your paint must be free of all or most defects. The Z products are an awesome line of products but prep is the key!
 
Just another couple of things about your Z process ...



-- Typically Z5 would be used prior to any coats of Z2. Z5 is designed to fill/mask very minor swirls.



-- Your coat of Z5 doesn't note any ZFX. Theoretically, you should then wait 24 hours for it to cure before putting a coat on top of it. Since the previous and subsequent Z2 coats had ZFX, this may not have been a problem -- but I always say, if I don't follow the directions, I can't complain about the results.



-- Your friend's use of Meguiar's spray between Z coats is a no-no. Zaino is designed to bond to itself; adding another product in between may give unpredictable results.



NXT is a great product, but [apparent] durability is nowhere near Zaino. Think three weeks vs. three months (in my experience).



Now that you have done your inital dawn/clay, maintaining the Z will be very simple. Just slap on a coat or two every other month or every three months. Heck, some people go six months. Z6 after each wash for maximum gloss.
 
I like what JammesLA had to say.

I like Z-6 for periodic dust cleaning and the New Z8 after washes. And remember to wash with Z7. Its deffinetly my favorite car wash.
 
Cool, thanks for all the advice! I plan to wash (Z-7) and Z-2, Z-6 again on Friday, so hopefully it will add a bit more shine...
 
The paint prep will give most of the shine. Zaino is a great range but without the prep you are only seeing half of what it could look like.
 
Lowejackson said:
The paint prep will give most of the shine. Zaino is a great range but without the prep you are only seeing half of what it could look like.
Click to expand...



What kind of prep (products, routine, techniques) do you recommend to get the most out of the Zaino line?
 
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