I know what you mean about all the different "Z this and Z that" supplies.
If you want/don't mind, I'll post a little thing I made up for a friend. He basically purchased a $117 Zaino car
care (no corrective polishes included) kit, and told me to throw together a little regimen for him...
Here's what I came with. It might give you a rough idea of the Z-steps
as I understood it.
When it came down to it, I didn't strictly adhere to the steps that I proposed, but I did cover most of the bases. Also keep in mind that some of the silly notes are there simply to inform the guy (who purchased the Zaino kit) what certain supplies were for, et cetera.
1) Place 2oz of Z5 into 2oz mixing bottle. Add 8 drops ZFX, shake 90 secs. Set aside for later.
2) Place 2oz of Z2 into another 2oz mixing bottle. Add 8 drops ZFX, shake 90 secs, set aside for later.
3) Soak car h20, presoak w/ Z7 using handheld gallon pump sprayer, let sit 4mins, rinse off.
4) Wash car w/ Z7. (Add 4 capfuls Z7 to each bucket.) Rinse clean.
5) Wheels, tires, wheel wells, exhaust pipes, M40 trim scrub.
6) Engine Bay. (Demonstrate & Do). Handful plastic grocery bags needed; cover alternator, ECU, intake, batt terminals. Clean w/ APC, mist h20, apply Hyper Dressing.
7) Wash car w/ Dawn (quick job), rinse off.
8) Z18 Claybar: Mix spray bottle w/ 2 capfuls of Z7 & full h20. Demonstrate, clay car.
9) Meguiars DA Polisher w/ Meg’s polishes: “Dial in” effective pad/polish combinations. Likely will be a 2 or 3-stage polishing regimen:
10) “Main Defect Removal Polish”/ “Finishing Polish”/ Then if enough hours of day remain, “Jeweling Polish” to maximize metallic paint flake.
11) Z5 “the defect hider/masker”: Apply w/ handheld app pad in side-side motion on hood, roof, trunk. Apply using up-down motion on the side (vertical) panels. Let 15 mins to cure. Buff clean.
12) Z6 Gloss Spray: 1-2 spritz per panel, instantly wipe clean w/ MF cloth; fold to dryer section for final wipe. After completing this step, let car sit 5mins.
13) Optional: 2nd application of Z5 (“the defect hider”) if any remaining paint imperfections are still bothering you.
14) Z2 “The gloss enhancer” application. Apply w/ handheld app pad (same method). Let cure for 15mins, buff clean.
15) Z6 gloss spray. Wipe clean, let sit 5 mins.
16) Z2, 2nd application, for long-lasting protection. Cure 15 mins, buff clean. Return to car 90 mins later for final paint touch-up using clean, dry MF cloth.
Interior:
17) Remove miscl junk, vacuum loose debris. Remove floor mats, set aside for APC /H20 wash& scrubbing.
18) Z9: spray Z9 onto applicator pad (not the car surface!) Scrub all vinyl, plastic, & leather surfaces. When done, wipe down said surfaces w/ damp MF cloth. Using yellow fuzz bristle brush, clean vents, nooks, crannies.
19) Z10: spray Z10 onto foam app pad. Circular motion, work it into all said leather, vinyl, plastic surfaces. Finally wipe down w/ dry MF to remove excess shine, greasy-look etc.
20) Z16 tire dressing: Apply w/ foam tire applicator tool. Take your time; apply sparingly to reduce excess, for a healthy, non-greasy “shine”. (If not, your tires will sling the excess onto your paint).
21) Wax chrome wheels, cure 15mins, buff clean.
22) Clean interior glass.
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In the end, I learned that there are things I do and don't like about Zaino's kit.
Their yellow shag MFs make excellent wax removers. Their white square MF app pads feel wonderful, but I don't like the shape.
The Zaino LSPs, swirl hiders, and "polishes" aka nutrient oils (not real polishes IMO) to me are "meh". I also think their ZFX activator stuff is more/less a gimmic. It's like (I think I heard this on Top Gear?) BMW who creates 6 steps just to turn your radio volume up, as opposed to a Chevy, where you just grab a knob and turn it.
I would rather just do the polishing steps, then finish with 2 coats of sealant. In my case, BFWD-- instead of doing the many extra hours of the Zaino LSP lineup. Big waste of time when you can get the same results in a one-step LSP, lol.
I love Z9 and Z10. Works and smells great. Also, the tire dressing is wonderful. Seems to last a while, and provides a healthy, almost-matte look.
Their gloss enhancing spray is awesome, but just like their LSPs, I think the durability is next to nothing. I don't recall any water beading after I came back to ONR the car 3 days later
.
Ah, their claybar. I love the texture and feel. It works amazingly with 1:1 Last Touch. (You might notice that I substituted some supplies along the way).
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Take all that info for what it's worth to you. I figure some of it might guide you into
how one might use stuff from their car care lineup. Btw, this kit included all the Pro-line LSPs etc.
