Eliot Ness
Active member
Today was my first date with Zaino. I finally took the plunge a couple of months back because I wanted to be able to apply more than one coat of sealant at a time on a couple of our daily drivers.
I decided to do the wife-mobile, a dark blue Caravan, and get it ready for winter. I got a late start because I had to cut the grass and suck up some leaves first, so I ran out of daylight by the time I was finished.
The paint is in pretty good condition so I didn't bother with a polish, especially since winter is right around the corner. I started with a Dawn Pre-soak with my foam gun and followed up with a Z-7 wash and some spot claying with some Wolfgang grey that I have in my stash. I then did a quick Z-6 on the van after cleaning the wheels and tires with EO tire and wheel cleaner. I also used some vinegar on the side windows to clear off some water spots and followed that up with some Invisible Glass. The vinegar did a stellar job at removing the spots, since they weren’t really etched into the glass.
Now came the time to mix up some Z-5 Pro and ZFX. Not knowing for sure how much I was going to use I started out with one ounce. I prepped the pad that came with the Zaino with some Z-6 and got started. Part way through this process I realized that since I was doing three applications on a mini van, that I should have used the PC. The Z-5 went on and off w/o any major issues, but I decided to break out the PC for the other two coats.
I mixed up a little more Z-5/ZFX and used a grey 4� finishing pad prepped with a little bit of Z-6. This was much easier than doing it by hand, and I think I actually used a little less product with the PC. If I was doing a smaller car I might consider doing it by hand, but after doing all of that yard work my arms were getting tired doing that whole van. I hit everything with the Z-5: glass, trim, and wheels. The first application looked OK, but the second application looked even better with a lot of the flake starting to pop out in the (setting) sun. By the third application it was getting dark when I buffed it off, so to help make sure I removed it all I threw a MF bonnet on a 6� orange pad and quickly went over the car. I also threw a couple of coats of Z-16 on the tires. Since it was now dark I can only say it looked pretty good under the parking lot lights when we went out to dinner.
Some final thoughts: I didn’t find mixing the ZFX and Z-5 to be that much of a hassle, and the only problem I see is that you might waste a little if you mix too much. I wound up using about 2 ounces for three coats on the mini-van, but I was trying to ensure complete coverage. I also liked using the PC much better than doing it by hand. I wasted a little product by using the hand applicator first, because I also had to prime the PC pad when I gave up doing it by hand. Also, since I knew I was running out of time I did not do a Z-6 after each coat of Z-5.
I was using speed 3 on the PC and I could see the Z-5 initially going on but it almost seemed to disappear (or flash off) as I was applying it….. it left very little in the way of a haze to buff off. Part of that might have been the loss of daylight I was dealing with. When I applied the Z to the wheels I let it sit on there while I did the final two applications on the paint. When I buffed them off I didn’t have any problems and they felt very slick, hopefully that will help with brake dust.
I threw the 4� pad, the hand applicator, and the bottle of Z/ZFX in my wash bucket of Z-7 to soak, but wound up having to wash them all with Dawn to get them clean.
If the Z is a durable as everyone says it is, then I like the idea of being able to do multiple coats on the same day. After the second coat I thought the van was looking pretty good, but I’m anxious to see it in the daylight tomorrow, and then after I throw some Z-8 on it sometime later.
I’m not sure if I’ll try the Z on my street rod or not; I really like the way my 4 step ClearKote process turns that red paint so deep and wet, but I am tempted to give it a try. I guess I could top it with some Souveran or CMW if needed.
Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, but it’s just a typical mini van that now has 3 coats of Z-5 Pro on it.
Thanks to G35stilez, blkZ28Conv, ronmart, and several other members who have posted several helpful Z tips.
I decided to do the wife-mobile, a dark blue Caravan, and get it ready for winter. I got a late start because I had to cut the grass and suck up some leaves first, so I ran out of daylight by the time I was finished.
The paint is in pretty good condition so I didn't bother with a polish, especially since winter is right around the corner. I started with a Dawn Pre-soak with my foam gun and followed up with a Z-7 wash and some spot claying with some Wolfgang grey that I have in my stash. I then did a quick Z-6 on the van after cleaning the wheels and tires with EO tire and wheel cleaner. I also used some vinegar on the side windows to clear off some water spots and followed that up with some Invisible Glass. The vinegar did a stellar job at removing the spots, since they weren’t really etched into the glass.
Now came the time to mix up some Z-5 Pro and ZFX. Not knowing for sure how much I was going to use I started out with one ounce. I prepped the pad that came with the Zaino with some Z-6 and got started. Part way through this process I realized that since I was doing three applications on a mini van, that I should have used the PC. The Z-5 went on and off w/o any major issues, but I decided to break out the PC for the other two coats.
I mixed up a little more Z-5/ZFX and used a grey 4� finishing pad prepped with a little bit of Z-6. This was much easier than doing it by hand, and I think I actually used a little less product with the PC. If I was doing a smaller car I might consider doing it by hand, but after doing all of that yard work my arms were getting tired doing that whole van. I hit everything with the Z-5: glass, trim, and wheels. The first application looked OK, but the second application looked even better with a lot of the flake starting to pop out in the (setting) sun. By the third application it was getting dark when I buffed it off, so to help make sure I removed it all I threw a MF bonnet on a 6� orange pad and quickly went over the car. I also threw a couple of coats of Z-16 on the tires. Since it was now dark I can only say it looked pretty good under the parking lot lights when we went out to dinner.
Some final thoughts: I didn’t find mixing the ZFX and Z-5 to be that much of a hassle, and the only problem I see is that you might waste a little if you mix too much. I wound up using about 2 ounces for three coats on the mini-van, but I was trying to ensure complete coverage. I also liked using the PC much better than doing it by hand. I wasted a little product by using the hand applicator first, because I also had to prime the PC pad when I gave up doing it by hand. Also, since I knew I was running out of time I did not do a Z-6 after each coat of Z-5.
I was using speed 3 on the PC and I could see the Z-5 initially going on but it almost seemed to disappear (or flash off) as I was applying it….. it left very little in the way of a haze to buff off. Part of that might have been the loss of daylight I was dealing with. When I applied the Z to the wheels I let it sit on there while I did the final two applications on the paint. When I buffed them off I didn’t have any problems and they felt very slick, hopefully that will help with brake dust.
I threw the 4� pad, the hand applicator, and the bottle of Z/ZFX in my wash bucket of Z-7 to soak, but wound up having to wash them all with Dawn to get them clean.
If the Z is a durable as everyone says it is, then I like the idea of being able to do multiple coats on the same day. After the second coat I thought the van was looking pretty good, but I’m anxious to see it in the daylight tomorrow, and then after I throw some Z-8 on it sometime later.
I’m not sure if I’ll try the Z on my street rod or not; I really like the way my 4 step ClearKote process turns that red paint so deep and wet, but I am tempted to give it a try. I guess I could top it with some Souveran or CMW if needed.
Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, but it’s just a typical mini van that now has 3 coats of Z-5 Pro on it.
Thanks to G35stilez, blkZ28Conv, ronmart, and several other members who have posted several helpful Z tips.
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