I need a zaino expert

[BoxCleaner]

Opti-Seal looks a lot better than Clear Seal, based on side by side use. Just as easy to use though.

This is pretty tough to beat and it is 4 coats of Clear Seal and 4 coats of Grand Finale on my daily driver that has 100K miles on it. This was done about 12 months ago, and the picture was taken about 6 months later when I thought I might sell it. Today it still looks the same and I have not touched it in a year.

You are looking at about 60 minutes worth of work, including a claying.

If I were to apply a coat of Z-2/Z-5, it would come up even more.



As far as marketing the Clear Seal Service I have a fender off of my 05 Vette and have the various services outlined on it.

It gives customers a side by side comparison of the various services available.

The Clear Seal Service is a wash, a claying, two coats of Clear Seal and two coats of Z-8 Grand Finale for $100, takes me just about 30 minutes tops to complete a job when the paint is in good condition, including a quick vacuum and wipe down of the interior. Most cars are less time, as the claying is a majority of the time. If a customer wants to skip claying, or the paint doesn't really need it, then I charge $75, for about 15 minutes worth of work.

Large SUV's and Pickups, are $150, and take me about 45 minutes.

If the paint is in really poor shape, I upsell restoration services.



If Clear Seal did not give the above results, I suspect as with most Zaino products, it was applied too thick. Guilty as charged... My first Clear Seal experience was not impressive at all and I really thought I was doing it correctly. Once I learned, which was the next application I did, the results were outstanding, not as good as using Z-2, or Z-5, but for the effort it was difficult to beat.

 

[craigdt]

I have, and really enjoy Zaino Z2, but never really quite understand the obsession with "layering" and "steps". In my humble opinion, its to make guys who dont really "detail" cars feel good because they spent hours putting on a LSP. Most of it just seems like busywork.



However, I layer on Z2 w/ ZFX, so call me a hypocrite if you will.



Any quality sealant will give Zaino a run for its money, any day of the week.

 

[gmblack3]

Bret and I where detailing a Camry back in the day. He applied opti-seal to the car while I had to tend to some business in the house. When I came out, my first question was, When are you going to apply opti-seal to the car? I honestly thought the car looked the same after a 1-step polish.



As for those who get requests to apply zaino to a clients car, just charge them more as it is a premium product. When given a choice 80% of my clients will pay more for zaino.

 

[mborner]

ZPC and ZAIO fall roughly into the same classification, both are mildly abrasive.

The difference being ZAIO also contains polish, where the ZPC does not.

Was that a "oops"?



Both contain mild abrasive, ZPC, more so than ZAIO. Abrasive, meaning, polish.

Personally, even though ZAIO contains a mild abrasive, it's doubtful many detailers would consider it a polish. ZPC is definitely a polish.

 

[NSXTASY]

Was that a "oops"?



Both contain mild abrasive, ZPC, more so than ZAIO. Abrasive, meaning, polish.

Personally, even though ZAIO contains a mild abrasive, it's doubtful many detailers would consider it a polish. ZPC is definitely a polish.

The discrepancy lies in that it seems polish=sealant in this instance(Zaino and Duragloss have yet to modernize their marketing lingo). ZAIO has a sealant whereas ZPC has none.

 

[BoxCleaner]

Was that a "oops"?



Both contain mild abrasive, ZPC, more so than ZAIO. Abrasive, meaning, polish.

Personally, even though ZAIO contains a mild abrasive, it's doubtful many detailers would consider it a polish. ZPC is definitely a polish.

No oops - So what????A simple a matter of semantics. Within the Zaino line the "sealant/wax" is considered a polish, since there is no "wax." as defined by your off the shelf manufacturers. Z-PC is a paint surface cleaner, call it what you want, I care about what the product delivers in performance versus definition.



As far as "modernizing" the product line definitions, I have spent a few hours on the phone with Sal and it is not a matter of modernizing the product definitions as it is placing them correctly in the end users definition of what they need.

Plus my son, who happens to work in one of the most competitive industries in the world, gave Zaino a :xyxthumbs for directing brand/product id to end user.

 

[David Fermani]

The Clear Seal Service is a wash, a claying, two coats of Clear Seal and two coats of Z-8 Grand Finale for $100, takes me just about 30 minutes tops to complete a job when the paint is in good condition, including a quick vacuum and wipe down of the interior. Most cars are less time, as the claying is a majority of the time. If a customer wants to skip claying, or the paint doesn't really need it, then I charge $75, for about 15 minutes worth of work.

You're an animal. I'd have a hard time cleaning the wheel on that car in 30 minutes, better yet all this stuff. I'd love to see this being done.....

 

[SoCalB6]

That is ultra-mega fast!



I've only had experience with Z2pro, ZFX and Z6, looks good but for the time I'd rather use M21 2.0 topped w/ M26, or M21 x2.

 

[mikenap]

You're an animal. I'd have a hard time cleaning the wheel on that car in 30 minutes, better yet all this stuff. I'd love to see this being done.....

I know, right? :funnypost



I can't even ONR wash and dry my car in 30 minutes, much less wheels, a vac and WOWA LSP. Somebody needs to make a youtube video. I swear I would watch all 30 minutes if he does it.



FWIW, I understand the end result is what matters most, but it couldn't hurt to make the product names and abbreviations a bit easier to understand. Every Zaino post has me running back to their website so I can figure out what the heck Z-15.8 or Z-3.1415927 is.

 

[Dan]

You're an animal. I'd have a hard time cleaning the wheel on that car in 30 minutes, better yet all this stuff. I'd love to see this being done.....

Yeah, it takes me over an hour to clay a pretty clean car. I'd love to see video of that!

 

[Scottwax]

Yeah, it takes me over an hour to clay a pretty clean car. I'd love to see video of that!

Me too. I can wash a car pretty fast with ONR, but not 15 minutes and also put 2 coats of OS on it and vacuum and wipe down the interior. Be nice if I could do that at $75 a pop.

 

[JimmyCutlass]

You're an animal. I'd have a hard time cleaning the wheels on that car in 30 minutes, better yet all this stuff. I'd love to see this being done.....

Yeah. No offense, but there is absolutely no way that those times are accurate.

 

[craigdt]

Within the Zaino line the "sealant/wax" is considered a polish, since there is no "wax." as defined by your off the shelf manufacturers.

This sentence stuck out at me as the attitude that many Zaino users have. "My stuff is better than your stuff since you cant get my stuff in stores". Just because you use Zaino, doesnt automatically make it better than everything else. Probably 90% of the stuff the majority of us use routinely is not available in stores so get over it.



Id pay to SEE your 30 min Clear Seal service, but wouldnt want it done to my vehicle.

 

[SoCalB6]

This sentence stuck out at me as the attitude that many Zaino users have. "My stuff is better than your stuff since you cant get my stuff in stores". Just because you use Zaino, doesnt automatically make it better than everything else. Probably 90% of the stuff the majority of use use routinely is not available in stores so get over it.



Id pay to SEE your 30 min Clear Seal service, but wouldnt want it done to my vehicle.

LOL +1. Quality WILL/MUST suffer with those times.

 

[Superior Shine]

Next week sometime I have a Zaino job coming up. It is a regular client that has a buddy that swears by it. He wants to give it a go.



He will purchase all the products and I am charging min $500.



I'll post pics and write up when I complete the detail.

 

[gmblack3]

Next week sometime I have a Zaino job coming up. It is a regular client that has a buddy that swears by it. He wants to give it a go.



He will purchase all the products and I am charging min $500.



I'll post pics and write up when I complete the detail.

Thin to win Joe, thin coats are the way.



I did 3x of Z5pro on my wife's 99 740il yesterday and used 1/2 oz.



A spritz of Z6 on the app every 3rd panel helps too.

 

[S4 Dan]

Can you apply Z2 & Z5 with a PC or is it recommended to do it by hand?

 

[gmblack3]

Can you apply Z2 & Z5 with a PC or is it recommended to do it by hand?

I still apply it by hand.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Can you apply Z2 & Z5 with a PC or is it recommended to do it by hand?

The pc works wonderfully. Very even and very thin layers. Give it a try.

 

[BoxCleaner]

This sentence stuck out at me as the attitude that many Zaino users have. "My stuff is better than your stuff since you cant get my stuff in stores". Just because you use Zaino, doesnt automatically make it better than everything else. Probably 90% of the stuff the majority of us use routinely is not available in stores so get over it.



Id pay to SEE your 30 min Clear Seal service, but wouldnt want it done to my vehicle.

Your are completely wrong with your attitude comment. What I am saying is it is a matter of semantics and definition. You cannot think of Zaino in the traditional terms of other companies product lines. If you think about the context of the product and it's function, it should be pretty clear. In no way shape or form have I stated my product is better than yours.

Personally I don't really care what product you use, if you and your customers are happy with it, then it works and I am fully aware of all the other "Non-retail products out there, I have been banging around this business for a few years now.



My times are accurate. I track the time spent on every car that comes in the door and each stage, wash, clay, and the final service. My customers are incredibly happy with the end result.



I have developed a way to speed up the process, increase my production and maintain and incredibly high quality finished product. It is a shame more people don't think a little more out of the box, and take advantage of the tools staring them in the face.



I had a customer watch me wash his car, and he commented that he had never seen anyone wash a car like I do AND have it come out better than usual.

My technique also cuts down on the claying process as I am able to remove a number of surface contaminants without creating more swirls/spiderwebs, or compromising the paint. I still clay but don't have to spend hours on it to get the paint pristeen.



I had the initiative, and motivation to figure out a better way to do something, experimented, developed a technique that is safe, cuts my time spent on each car, deliver a quality detail, and get comments to the effect of "there is no way anyone can do that." Hmmm, with that attitude we would all still be watching 6" B&W TV's with rabbit ears, or still putting wood in the stove for cooking, instead of pushing a couple of buttons on the microwave.



What I also see in this thread, is one of "no way can someone be better than me, so he must be lying." Well, my turn to say get over yourselves.



I do have an attitude over my technique, so don't ask.

I am out of here, I stumbled across this post by accident, and thought I would help someone that could use my Zaino experience. But it has turned into a pissing contest, so there is no reason to continue.