Hi, new to Autopia... Dilema

A

albertoiffrlw

New member
Ive been browsing here for quite awhile. Originally when i had registered, i never received a confirmation email. At any rate, i re-registered and here i am with posting abilities...



Ive been using Zaino for a few years. I recently purchased a 2002 Black Lightning. Ive done everything in my power to limit swirls. I only dry with mf towels, use a sea sponge to wash and rinse the truck down prior to washing with a power washer.



I had gone to a car show back in sept. Lots of dust. I had used a wet mf soaked in distilled water to remove the dust build up. I now managed to put light swirls into my finish and im not happy.



I ordered a PC last week and it should be here any day now. At any rate, i need to fix this problem. I read up on the new Black Fire2 and was wondering if its available now. I love poly type protection.



Am i best off stripping with dawn, clay barring the truck down, using some sort of swirl mark remover and then a glaze? Finish off with the new BF2 stuff? Need some opinions. Thank You
 
Yes, any order you place for blackfire will be the blackfire "2".



Sounds like you have a pretty good technique down as it is, so I have a few questions as to your existing setup:



1) which Zaino have you been applying? (Z2, or Z5? and with/without ZFX?) how many coats does the truck have on it as of now?



2) by "wet mf", you mean soaking wet or one you wrung out first to make it more "damp" than "wet"??



3) what type of surface prep did you do prior to zaino? its possible that the swirls were there previously and you just didnt notice them.



Personally, I woud suggest that you try a setup of doing the clay prep, then using SMR with the PC when it gets to you in order to remove the swirls. Then do a QD with some rubbing alcohol to get rid of the fillers and etc. that SMR will leave on the surface. Next start by applying a coat of Z1 (if you have it), and DO buff it off, unlike what Sal recommends. Next, apply 3 coats of Z5 with ZFX, with a Z6ing inbetween (you can apply these by hand like normal). Repeat from the Z5/ZFX again the next day, and see how it looks.



The one advantage to Zaino that you have is the layering properties, which blackfire does not offer. For dust buildup, I would suggest trying a california car duster out... they seem to do a better job than the damp MF in my opinion. Just remember to wrap it in newspaper for about a week to extract the excess wax before using it. After swiping the car with the cali duster, go over it with a light use of Z6 and you should be fine with no swirls/etc.



Hope all this helps, I know black can be a real pain to deal with, especially when you're dealing with large, flat pannels like your truck has. Good luck, and welcome to autopia! :wavey
 
I appreciate your prompt reply and thank you for the warm welcome. Now to answer your questions...



1) which Zaino have you been applying? (Z2, or Z5? and with/without ZFX?) how many coats does the truck have on it as of now?
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Well, i started with Z1, then with Z5.. Layered Z5/Z2 3 times. Then i tried ZFX, which btw, i wasnt impressed with at all. I think the old Zaino way looks better. Total of 7 coats, last being Z5



2) by "wet mf", you mean soaking wet or one you wrung out first to make it more "damp" than "wet"??
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What i did was i had purchased a 2 gallon jug of the distilled water, the kind with a spicket. I would literally soak the MF down ( a large one ) in order to clean the dirt build out of the mf. I would then allow it to air dry until damp. It was fairly warm out. So when i used it on the truck, it was just damp, not soaking wet.



3) what type of surface prep did you do prior to zaino? its possible that the swirls were there previously and you just didnt notice them.
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Ill be honest with you. When i brought him home, i never surface prepped him. This is my first ever black vehicle and i didnt have much product available to me to begin surface prep. Im sure the paint had some swirls and stuff in them, but i do feel bad for just slapping on Z1 after the first good inital wash and some Z5.



Personally, I woud suggest that you try a setup of doing the clay prep, then using SMR with the PC when it gets to you in order to remove the swirls. Then do a QD with some rubbing alcohol to get rid of the fillers and etc. that SMR will leave on the surface. Next start by applying a coat of Z1 (if you have it), and DO buff it off, unlike what Sal recommends. Next, apply 3 coats of Z5 with ZFX, with a Z6ing inbetween (you can apply these by hand like normal). Repeat from the Z5/ZFX again the next day, and see how it looks.
Click to expand...



I picked up a mothers claybar yesterday, so that is covered.



I will have to order some product. So where is the best place to pick up some SMR?



QD with alcohol? Do i mix it 50/50 with water or straight?



I still have some Z-1 but i noticed its kind of globby. I was thinking about getting a new bottle since i just started on my last bottle of Z6 and im almost out of Z7.



I still have ZFX. I dont know why its so expensive though. It comes in that little blue bottle. I add what, like 10 drops to a 2oz bottle? How many 2oz bottles are you able to squeeze out of the ZFX anyhow? Also i want to ask you about your application. I usually get my applicator damp with water, then spray a little Z6 on it. How much product are you squeezing onto the applicator? A quarter size circle, nickle or dime? How thin are you putting it on. I always think im putting it on to thin or too thick.



Ive got a nrew CA duster to, but it still leaves streaks marks. Ive been airing it out for months!!



Thanks again for your help!
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
The one advantage to Zaino that you have is the layering properties, which blackfire does not offer.
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Interesting, especially since the CMA web-site says Blackfire can be layered. :confused:



Charles
 
Oh a few more things. Im about to go online and get some product.





Im going to hit CMA and get their foam bad kit for the PC while im there. Ill pick up the SMR there as well. But since im going all out on the truck, i have some other questions. I went outside and took a look at the bumper. There seems to be 15 water spots on it from when the birds decided to take a bath in the gutter water. Since then, i no longer park on the street. Whats the best way to remove these and with what product?



Im assuming i cannot use any sort of glazes before applying Zaino, is this correct? What if i run across some scratches that need to be worked, what product should i have at my deposal. I want product on hand, just in case. Im prepared to spend up to $200 today. Thanks.
 
:nono Glazes just hide scratches. No, you really don't want to use anything that leaves a coating before applying Zaino. You want a clean surface.



My favorite arsenal of swirl removers (in order of abrasivness) are 3M Finesse It, 3M Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Colors (for you) and Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion. :up



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You can use glazes, traditional SMR's, etc before Zaino, you just have to wash the vehicle with Z7 before applying the initial coat of Zaino.



I've been doing this for over a year now, with no problems (on multiple vehicles). We did this with bretfraz's car a few weeks ago, and it turned out perfect.



Typically, if a vehicle is heavily swirled/spotted, I'll do:



Wash

Clay

Wash

DACP w/yellow pad (or 3M Finesse It-II)

SMR w/yellow or white pad (or Meg #9 SMR v2.0)

P21S PCL w/white pad

Zaino Z7 wash

Zaino Z6 wipe-down

Zaino Z5/ZFX

Z5/ZFX

Z6

Z5/ZFX

Z6



...your experiences may vary...but this has worked for me :)
 
Ok, i added that stuff to my cart. Im just seeing if there is any other suggestion on what else i should get before i check out.



I have..



3M Perfect It for Dark Cars

Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion

3N Finesse It II Machine Polish
 
That's the basics for paint prep.



What other suggestions are you wanting? We can spend your money in a lot of different ways! ;)



Some CMA-specific products that are my favorites include Eimenn Fabrik All Purpose Cleaner. It's a non-acidic cleaner that is my all time favorite wheel cleaner. I buy it by the gallon from CMA.
 
Brad B. said:
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OMG!! Was it you a lot earlier that said you only used exactly two products (SMR and FCRC?) and that covered the entire range of swirl removal for you? I spent a ridiculous amount of time one day searching for a very simlar picture to that (but with only 2 products) in the Archives and it drove me mad that I couldn't find it! :o





Just a couple other points to make:



-someone had earlier claimed to have success using glaze under Zaino, but the conventional view still is not to use glazes under sealants.



-while DavidB uses a similar QD technique in the book using wet/damp MF towels, I personally don't agree with this approach because water doesn't lubricate the way QD spray does. QD, like soap, provides lubrication to the process. Detailing spray is designed for dust removal, and it makes sense, so I'd only do it that way. Spray QD on the car (or towel if near windows) and wipe the dust off that way. I also strongly recommend a California Car Duster (CCD) - it has been proven to be safe and hugely reduces the amount of dust you have to remove with QD/MF. The combo of CCD and QD/MF works great! :up



EDIT: I just re-read and saw you already own a CCD - instead of airing it out, you should spread it out over several sheets of newspaper, sandwich more paper on top, and then wrap it up with tape. Leave it for a week or longer and start using it. The more you use it (the dirtier it is) the fewer streaks it will leave, and don't ever use it on a "pretty warm" surface because that will 100% guarantee streaks from the melting wax.
 
4DSC said:
OMG!! Was it you a lot earlier that said you only used exactly two products (SMR and FCRC?) and that covered the entire range of swirl removal for you? I spent a ridiculous amount of time one day searching for a very simlar picture to that (but with only 2 products) in the Archives and it drove me mad that I couldn't find it! :o
Click to expand...



I own many more abrasive products than these. But 90% of swirls and scratches can be removed with the 3M Finesse It and 3M SMR combo. If I had to reduce my cabinet to two bottles it would be these two.:xyxthumbs
 
This is a great first post! I am verry happy that you did your homework to the extent you did, A lot of newbs could use this as a Mold for there firsts posts:xyxthumbs Also Post some pics of that sweet truck! :bow
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
I don't not see no swirls!! :shocked Nice truck!!
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LMFAO.. Well brother, there on there!! I can see them and it just kills me. I was about to get a flame job on the paint for $4000 and it included 9 coats of clear. But, i dont want yet another Lightning with flames, so im just going to paint the center of my custom shaker hood and outside grill ring in candy red.



As always, i appreciate your input as well as everyone else's. I figure, with all the crap i ordered including the cost of the PC ( $435 ) i should really make it an eye dropper. BTW. The last series of pics on the grass were taken 2 weeks ago at santa anita raceway and the truck was dirty! LOL . It wasnt a show, just a GTG.



Ill post pics of the end results. Should be quite rewarding. Im looking at 2 days to get it done right.



Anyhow. Heres the breakdown of what i purchased.



Porter Cable



25 MF towels. 10 are just for the glass. Got em from Microfiber Tech



CMA Porter Cable Deluxe Pad kit and stuff



The 3M products



The Pinnacle Lotion



A deburring took for my PC pads



A cord monkey thing. I just know ill drag that cord on my paint.



More pads from a previous order at another website



More MF's i had ordered



MF buffing pads for the PC



MF appicator pads for my Zaino



Zaino



Glass cleaner



And an apron. Im a sloppy pig with paste :p



Theres some other stuff but i think ive got everything covered. Im sure if any of you are local, stop on by and we can do your ride too. LOL.
 
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