Z5- As good as 3M SMR?

T

thevolvoguy

New member
I finished my Zaino order form Saturday night. I was reviewing it and noticed that under the Z5 polish, it said "swirl and light scratch remover and polish." How does Z5 compare to 3Ms PI-3? More or less aggressive? I assume it works well with a PC? Im pretty new to Z, so excuse my cluelesness. :wavey
 
Heh, I hate to be "that guy," but do a search. ;) There's a ton of info on this in the archives. Basically, no, Z5 is not as good at dealing with swirls as SMR or PI-III. Its real strength seems to lie in dealing with marring and swirls in the Zaino layers themselves, rather than in the paint.



Mike
 
Additionally, I don't think that Z5 is a "polish" in the normal sense. It "removes" swirls and mars by filling them in, not abrasively removing them like the 3M products.



From my one-time recent Z5 experience, I don't think it's a good idea to apply it with a PC. You really have to put it on thin. Some people have used a PC to apply Z2 or Z5, though, but I don't remember which. I just don't think that I would personally try it.



Be sure to put a little Z6 QD on your Z5 applicator. I forgot to do this, and it's probably the reason I thought the Z5 went on as hard as it did.



Good luck.
 
theveed said:
so is it safe to say that Z5 is more of a IHG counterpart?
Click to expand...





Its comparing the sun and the moon,

they're both in the sky, but that's all.

Z5 is a polymer that fills in minor swirls,adds shine and protection to the finish

IHG ONLY fills swirls , its one of the steps to a shine and protection



Hope this helps



Christiaan
 
I think PI-3 is much coarser than Z5. When I emailed the guys from 3M about what products to use, they told me PI-3 is very coarse, and for my application (swirls, light scratches) shouldn't be used.
 
I recently emailed Sal Zaino to get his opinions on what I should do about some scratches caused by my dogs jumping on the side of my truck (I mentioned that people here had recommended SMR). I sent back a pretty lengthy reply (he probably had the reply from someone else asking) and he recommended Z5 for very light scratches and for light swirls, but then recommended 3M SMR for anything beyond that. He included instructions on how he would recommend using SMR.
 
Is this what he's still emailing to people? ;)



3M Foam Polishing Pad Glaze use By hand:

Simply apply a small amount (about the size of a quarter) to a cotton

diaper or piece of cotton towel and rub back and forth into about a 1' X

1' section using light to medium pressure until it starts to dry out.

Then take a second towel and lightly rub back and forth until the polish

residue disappears and the gloss comes up. If there are still some

swirls visible you can repeat this step until they are minimal. I prefer

using a less aggressive product a couple times instead of using a more

aggressive product once. After you have done the entire car you can Dawn

wash and reapply Z1 and Z5/Z2.



3M FoamPolishing Pad Glaze use By orbital:



Use a 100% cotton bonnett or a foam bonnett and apply the polish in a

thin lined growing circle starting from the center and spacing the

growing line about an inch from the last round all the way to the edge.

Place the bonnett flat on a panel and activate the polisher and begin

working the entire panel using light to meduim pressure. When you have

worked the panel thoroughly then take a clean towel and wipe the residue

off in a back and forth motion using light pressure. Then simply move to

the next section. When the entire car is done do a Dawn wash and Zaino.

 
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