turnipgreen
New member
Based on much reading, I decided to replace my old fashioned chamois with a Big Blue drying towel, and give the Zaino system a try. Here are my first impressions ane experiences along with a few questions.
First, I don't have show cars. I have a 94 Toyota pickup that is charcoal gray with a silver strip along the bottom. I also have a 2002 Honday Odyssey, dark red. I decided to start with the Toyota in case I screwed anything up.
I got all my stuff last week. I was itching to try it, so I did on Saturday. Some of my experiences may be a tad off due to the weather, I finished the dawn wash in the rain, and it was damp all day.
First, I did the dawn wash to remove any existing wax.
Then I tried the new BBT. It was much softer than my chamois of course, and was picking up water like crazy. I was muchly impressed. However, it didn't do the entire truck as was advertised somewhere, and I had a lot of trouble trying to wring it out to get it to pick up more water. Once it got soaked, no matter how much wringing I did it left water. Any thoughts? Maybe I should have bought 2?
I then did the Zaino clay, using a mixture of Z7 and water for a lubricant. I didn't realize how much gunk was still on my paint when I thought it was clean. The hood and top were the worst, except for the place where the two paints come together. Turns out this was a collecting place for old wax and dirt. I basically had to throw one clay bar away after my truck was done.
I rinsed, and dried again.
I then went to the Z5/ZFX. I had read about using the oral syringe for mixing and applying, but couldn't figure out how to mix enough to be useful in one. So I mixed up about an ounce in one of the Zaino bottles. I was using one of the Zaino applicators as well. The first coat of Z5 seemed to be taking a lot more than I was expecting after reading this forum. But I admit I forgot to wet the applicator first, and to spray it with Z6. Once it got pretty saturated with Z5 it didn't take as much though. I got the first coat on, and off.
I then used the Z6. It seemed to go on easy, and come off real slick. I think I learned by this point that I should have cut my Charisma towels at least in half to make them more manageable. Having a big towel flopping around seemed awkward. I think I'll probably try that before I do it again. I also had trouble spraying the Z6 directly on the paint, as some of the areas weren't big enough to spray, and spraying others ended up with overspray on areas I had already done. I saw where some sprayed the towel then applied.
I then put on the second coat of Z5. I was using the same applicator from above (I had put it in a ziploc baggie to keep it from drying). I decided to pour as much of the Z5 from the bottle into the syringe thingy to see how it worked. I ended up with about 1.5 teaspons in the syringe, which I think is about 1/4 of an ounce. Given that the applicator was already saturated, that amount did the whole truck the 2nd time.
My overall impressions:
- need to figure out the BBT, see if I need another one to dry a car properly
- Clay was a good experience, glad I did it
- I need at least one more Z5 on my truck, to hide a few more scratches
- I might try a different applicator to see if I can waste less Z
I'll be looking forward to doing the newer van. I still plan on claying, but maybe only one coat of Z5, then Z2.
I'm also looking to get a citrus based engine cleaner, probably will try the EF stuff from CMA. I'm also considering giving the 303 stuff a try in the tires, I don't want a shiny look, so help me out here.
Any other pointers?
First, I don't have show cars. I have a 94 Toyota pickup that is charcoal gray with a silver strip along the bottom. I also have a 2002 Honday Odyssey, dark red. I decided to start with the Toyota in case I screwed anything up.
I got all my stuff last week. I was itching to try it, so I did on Saturday. Some of my experiences may be a tad off due to the weather, I finished the dawn wash in the rain, and it was damp all day.
First, I did the dawn wash to remove any existing wax.
Then I tried the new BBT. It was much softer than my chamois of course, and was picking up water like crazy. I was muchly impressed. However, it didn't do the entire truck as was advertised somewhere, and I had a lot of trouble trying to wring it out to get it to pick up more water. Once it got soaked, no matter how much wringing I did it left water. Any thoughts? Maybe I should have bought 2?
I then did the Zaino clay, using a mixture of Z7 and water for a lubricant. I didn't realize how much gunk was still on my paint when I thought it was clean. The hood and top were the worst, except for the place where the two paints come together. Turns out this was a collecting place for old wax and dirt. I basically had to throw one clay bar away after my truck was done.
I rinsed, and dried again.
I then went to the Z5/ZFX. I had read about using the oral syringe for mixing and applying, but couldn't figure out how to mix enough to be useful in one. So I mixed up about an ounce in one of the Zaino bottles. I was using one of the Zaino applicators as well. The first coat of Z5 seemed to be taking a lot more than I was expecting after reading this forum. But I admit I forgot to wet the applicator first, and to spray it with Z6. Once it got pretty saturated with Z5 it didn't take as much though. I got the first coat on, and off.
I then used the Z6. It seemed to go on easy, and come off real slick. I think I learned by this point that I should have cut my Charisma towels at least in half to make them more manageable. Having a big towel flopping around seemed awkward. I think I'll probably try that before I do it again. I also had trouble spraying the Z6 directly on the paint, as some of the areas weren't big enough to spray, and spraying others ended up with overspray on areas I had already done. I saw where some sprayed the towel then applied.
I then put on the second coat of Z5. I was using the same applicator from above (I had put it in a ziploc baggie to keep it from drying). I decided to pour as much of the Z5 from the bottle into the syringe thingy to see how it worked. I ended up with about 1.5 teaspons in the syringe, which I think is about 1/4 of an ounce. Given that the applicator was already saturated, that amount did the whole truck the 2nd time.
My overall impressions:
- need to figure out the BBT, see if I need another one to dry a car properly
- Clay was a good experience, glad I did it
- I need at least one more Z5 on my truck, to hide a few more scratches
- I might try a different applicator to see if I can waste less Z
I'll be looking forward to doing the newer van. I still plan on claying, but maybe only one coat of Z5, then Z2.
I'm also looking to get a citrus based engine cleaner, probably will try the EF stuff from CMA. I'm also considering giving the 303 stuff a try in the tires, I don't want a shiny look, so help me out here.
Any other pointers?
