Need some Zaino Advice.

K

Kewjoe

New member
Hello,



Car: 2004 Nissan Sentra SER

Paint: Aztec Red. Nissan paint sucks, Its got some problem areas which I'd like to fix. Also has swirls



Ok, first the damage:



http://www.kewjoe.com/images/ser/scratches.jpg



Removed an emblem and didn't do a great job. None of the scratches have gone past the clear coat.



Another issue, some kind of paint defect. its on my front hood, it looks like tape residue, but so far nothing has made it budge. (claying, previous zaino, but no z-pc)



http://www.kewjoe.com/images/ser/paintdefect.jpg



Supplies I own:



Zaino Z-PC - NEW, never used (100% left)

Zaino Z2 (non pro) (25% left)

Zaino Z5 (non pro) (25% left)

Zaino ZFX (25% left)

Zaino Z6 (50% left)

Zaino Z8 - NEW, never used (100% left)



I bought this: http://www.eshine.ca/proddetail.php?prod=181&cat=27



I got it with a yellow heavy cutting pad, orange mild cutting pad, white polishing pad, and black finishing pad. If im not mistaken, the pads are Lake Country



I've read a few people that use Menzerna Intensive Polish and/or Menzerna Finish Polish II before using Z-PC/Z5/Z2. Is that correct?



The Steps I was thinking of are as follows:



Friday:

1. Wash with Dawn

2. Clay (Wolfgang poly clay)

3. Wash with Z7

4. IP using the yellow heavy cutting pad

5. Z6 ?

6. FPII using orange mild cutting pad?

7. Z6?

6. Z-PC using white polishing pad?

7. Z6 ?

8. Z5+ZFX 3 coats with Z6 in between coats and 1 hr resting period between coats. Should i use the 100% cotten applicator? or the black polishing pad? z6 spritzed on



Saturday:

9. Z2+ZFX 3 coats with Z6 in between coats and 1 hr resting period between coats. Should i use the 100% cotten applicator? or the black polishing pad i bought? z6 spritzed on



Sunday:

10. Z8 topping



Would that combination help cure some of my problems? I realize having a PC would be ideal, but that's not in the plans until next spring. I realize i may nto get it as good as I would with a PC, but i want to make it better at least. Am I asking too much to get rid of those issues by hand?



Thanks
 
It would appear that the combination that you listed will work to get ready to apply the Zaino products. The applicator pad holder that you purchased will definitely be of help. I have to admit that the job at hand would be a little daunting if it were me doing the detail.



Hope that your arms and shoulders are in good shape to do all that is listed. Paint correction by hand is very labor intensive and time consuming.
 
So the IP + FPII + Z-PC is a good combination to fix the scratches I have? Or would i possibly need something stronger than IP?



arms and shoulders are in decent shape, ill treat it as punishment for scratching the car in the first place :P



Thanks for the reply.
 
To be honest I think you could skip the FPll if you are using ZPC. It would save a step. ZPC does the same thing as FPll.



If you went with anything stronger than IP I do not think that you could generate enough heat to break down the polish. As it is you will be hard pressed to get enough heat with what you have listed. IMHO
 
Any other products people recommend other than the Menzerna?



The Zaino stuff I already own, so im not planning on changing that. But i haven't bought any abrasive polish as of yet. I'm really starting to think about just geting the darn PC now and not put myself through the misery of spending 2 days on this and not like the result



I'm assuming the Optimum Polish is one of those products that are recommend to be used with a PC
 
wannafbody said:
get a cheap RO sander- it'll be more effective than by hand.
Click to expand...



I'd just buy a PC, which the more im thinking about it, the more im leaning towards getting one.. sigh.. :P
 
Kewjoe said:
I'd just buy a PC, which the more im thinking about it, the more im leaning towards getting one.. sigh.. :P
Click to expand...
You won't regret that purchase, especially since you want to do some paint correction.



On your second picture (tape residue?) are you sure that is on "top" of the paint and not something that has etched into the clear coat? It's hard to tell from your picture, but it looks somewhat similar to the "bird bomb" etching shown in the following thread (look at the pictures in the 2nd post):



http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1516



If it is something like residue on "top" of the paint something like "bug and tar" remover or WD-40 should take it off.



If it is something that has etched into your clear coat it looks like some spots might be pretty deep. Just something you should look at closer before you start buffing so you'll know what you're dealing with.
 
Eliot Ness said:
You won't regret that purchase, especially since you want to do some paint correction.



On your second picture (tape residue?) are you sure that is on "top" of the paint and not something that has etched into the clear coat? It's hard to tell from your picture, but it looks somewhat similar to the "bird bomb" etching shown in the following thread (look at the pictures in the 2nd post):



http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1516



If it is something like residue on "top" of the paint something like "bug and tar" remover or WD-40 should take it off.



If it is something that has etched into your clear coat it looks like some spots might be pretty deep. Just something you should look at closer before you start buffing so you'll know what you're dealing with.
Click to expand...



Thanks John,



I saw more pictures of Bird Dropping etching and looks like thats what it is.. im 100% sure it was like that when i bought it (didn't notice till a little while later) and the car was new. Probably sat on the lot for a while :(



Are you implying that seeing the two pics, potentially a PC + Menzerna's IP might not be able to get the job done?



or are you re-enforcing the need for a PC?
 
Kewjoe said:
........Are you implying that seeing the two pics, potentially a PC + Menzerna's IP might not be able to get the job done?



or are you re-enforcing the need for a PC?
Click to expand...
The PC will make any paint correction you do much easier. I personally don't use Menzerna products, but they tend to get good reviews.



The only thing that bothers me about the etching is how deep it goes into the clear coat. It's hard to tell from the picture, but some of that looks like it might be fairly deep. You might not be able to get rid of all of the etching w/o removing too much clear coat, but you should be able to make it look a lot better. If you look at it with a magnifying glass you can get a better idea of how deep it goes. Hopefully the picture/lighting/reflections make it look worse than it really is.



Here are two threads on using the Menzerna products (IP and FP) that you might find helpful:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47421



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47155
 
Thanks again John.



Out of price consideration, I think im gonna skip on menzerna at the moment and get either Optimum Compound+Optimum Hyper Compund or the Poorboy SSR3+SSR2.5



The place im getting the PC would be free shipping so i can just add one of those two combos (they don't carry menzerna). The one place that does would be $10+ for shipping (I'm in Canada btw).



People seem to like OC and OHC as well as the PB SSR3/SSR2.5 so i should be ok either way i think.



So let me revamp my steps:



Friday:

1. Wash with Z7

2. Clay (Wolfgang poly clay+Wolfgang clay lube)

3. Wash with Z7 (if needed)

4. OHC on bad areas / OC on rest of car w/ PC on medium (LC Orange) /heavy cutting (LC Yellow) pad <-- is it bad to use two different polishes on the paint? should i do the whole care on OHC then OC ? Comments?

5. Z6

6. Z-PC w/ PC on medium (orange), or white (polishing)

7. Z6

8. Z5+ZFX 3 coats with Z6 in between coats and 1 hr resting period between coats. by hand using black polishing pad, z6 spritzed on



Saturday:

9. Z2+ZFX 3 coats with Z6 in between coats and 1 hr resting period between coats. by hand using black polishing pad, z6 spritzed on



Sunday:

10. Z8 topping



Sound about right?
 
That looks about right, but I'd skip #5 (Z-6 before Z-PC) and possibly use Z-PC instead of OC because I'm not sure you'll need both OC and Z-PC. I start off at slow/medium speed on the PC (to spread the polish in about a 2' area) and then crank it up to 5 or 6 to work the polish.



Since this is your first time with the PC and paint correction it might take longer than you expect, so if you can skip a step like the Z-PC (or use Z-PC instead of OC) you'll be saving some time. It all depends on how severe your defects are and how your paint responds to the polishes.



No problem using OHC on the bad areas and OC (and/or Z-PC) on what isn't as bad. I find I can do most corrections with the orange pad, so I'd start with that and only go to the yellow pad if needed.



Once you finish the "bad" spots with OHC (and wipe it off), you might want to do those areas with OC (or Z-PC) and a polish pad if you notice any hazing. Same with the areas of the car that are in decent shape... you might be able to just use OC (or Z-PC) and a polish pad. The Optimum polish has a long working time and is pretty user friendly. I would do a Z-7 wash after OHC/OC to remove the oils left behind.



If you do a search you'll find a lot of threads on OHC, OC, and Z-PC and they will give you a feel on what to expect when you use them (same with the SSR's if you go with Poorboy's).



This is an area where you'll just have to experiment with the polishes and find what works best for you and the car you're working on..... I haven't used Z-PC yet so I'm not sure how aggressive it is in comparison to OC.



Hope I helped more than confuse :o
 
No confusion, makes perfect sense.



One thing of note. From my research it appears to look like the following:



Heavy Cut: OHC, SSR3 (menzerna doesn't seem to have a heavy cut)

Medium Cut: OC, SSR2.5/2, IP

Fine Cut: OCP, SSR1, FPII, Z-PC



Which is why i was thinking of doing OHC > OC > Z-PC on the bad parts, and OC > Z-PC on the rest of the car (i have moderate amount of swirls).



I own the Z-PC, so if further research determines that OC is similar to Z-PC then Ill skip the OC, i just thought i read its more of a medium cut, where Z-PC is a finer cut (not very abrasive at all)



and thanks for the tip of not using Z6 before the Z-PC :)
 
Kewjoe said:
.....I own the Z-PC, so if further research determines that OC is similar to Z-PC then Ill skip the OC, i just thought i read its more of a medium cut, where Z-PC is a finer cut (not very abrasive at all)..........
Click to expand...
You'll have enough polishes to play around with and find what works best for you and the paint you're working on.



If you have any doubts about oils left from the OHC/OC I would just do a quick Z-7 wash to make sure your Z will bond properly to your paint.



You've done your research well so you shouldn't have many problems, just be patient since this is your first time with a PC and paint correction. And make sure you post some pictures when you're finished.



The kit you bought with the 4" pads will still be handy when you want to do things by hand. You can also buy a 3" backing plate for the PC and those small pads will do faster paint corrections since the PC won't bog down as much.



Good luck and have fun!
 
Eliot Ness said:
You'll have enough polishes to play around with and find what works best for you and the paint you're working on.



If you have any doubts about oils left from the OHC/OC I would just do a quick Z-7 wash to make sure your Z will bond properly to your paint.



You've done your research well so you shouldn't have many problems, just be patient since this is your first time with a PC and paint correction. And make sure you post some pictures when you're finished.



The kit you bought with the 4" pads will still be handy when you want to do things by hand. You can also buy a 3" backing plate for the PC and those small pads will do faster paint corrections since the PC won't bog down as much.



Good luck and have fun!
Click to expand...



Ya, im still happy with my hand jobber (what a terrible name :chuckle: ) kit. I'll be buying the 3.5" backplate, and a PC with a 5" backplate + 3 x 6'5" pads and i should be good.



Thanks for the help John :) much appreciated!
 
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