Zaino & Aquapel on silver Ford Escape

[Lenny]

Goodbye Meguiars No. 20....Hello Zaino!! Already took care of my 1996 Taurus with Zaino, but finally got the wife's 2002 silver Ford Escape XLT today.



Start with a Dawn wash of the entire car, then scrubbed all the windows (and the windshield) with some Rain-X Glass polish that was laying around here (I buy way too much car care stuff!!! ), and then Dawn washed the truck again.



Took care of the glass first with some Aquapel - went on very easy.



Then I took out my PC, and went over the whole truck, plastic body cladding and all, with Z-5 (with ZFX), and then after buffing off the residue, went over the whole truck with Z-2, including the wheels. Tires were retreated with Meguiar's No. 40. All-in-all, Zaino is a blast to work with!! Wife loves the shine.



Pictures here:

Drivers side from the front:

Drivers side from the rear:

In the garage:

 

[BradE]

Nice job Len!



I really like Z on silver, looks great. I think you will like Aquapel, it performs better than Rain-X in every way I can think of.



:xyxthumbs

 

[rstype]

The paint looks simply beautiful! I'm just curious about a few things...



1.) Do you think 2 Dawn washes are enough to get rid of the #20 Polymer Sealant? I know that it is pretty durable stuff... and Zaino bonds best to a completely "naked" paint finish.



2.) How well did Z5 + ZFX work on the black trim with the PC? The last time I used the PC on trim (with another product), my PC pads turned black. Prehaps Zaino is really mild in solvents... which also may explain the waterspots in the third picture. I'd really appreciate it if you can keep us updated on how well the durability is... and whether if the trim has the same colossal beading effect as the paint.



Thanks! Great job!



:xyxthumbs

 

[Redcar GUY]

looks great!

 

[Lenny]

The paint looks simply beautiful! I'm just curious about a few things...



1.) Do you think 2 Dawn washes are enough to get rid of the #20 Polymer Sealant? I know that it is pretty durable stuff... and Zaino bonds best to a completely "naked" paint finish.



2.) How well did Z5 + ZFX work on the black trim with the PC? The last time I used the PC on trim (with another product), my PC pads turned black. Prehaps Zaino is really mild in solvents... which also may explain the waterspots in the third picture. I'd really appreciate it if you can keep us updated on how well the durability is... and whether if the trim has the same colossal beading effect as the paint.



Thanks! Great job!



:xyxthumbs

Actually, no the Dawn wasn't enough. I had forgot that when I did my Taurus, I also had to add about two ounces of Meguiars Extra to the bucket of water & Dawn to really cut through the No. 20.



Also, those aren't waterspots in the third picture - they're shallow gouges in the plastic. My wife parks in a parking garage where the parking is on an angle, and the first week she had the truck - she nudged the wall a couple of times. :nixweiss Oh well, her depth perception isn't what it should be......



I am definitely eager to see if the Zaino ends up with the same beading as the paint. That's the whole idea of using it. I got tired of using Meguiar's Trim Detailer every two or three weeks. The whole reason for trying both Zaino and Aquapel, for me, is the durability issue. I want stuff that lasts long, and the coming winter driving season would be a great test of both!!! So far, the Z5 and the Z2, with the PC, and some by hand, worked great on the trim and the luggage rack.

 

[brenesx]

See if you get any "build up" on the trim if you start turning into a Zainoholic (that desire to keep adding 3-coats a day until they carry you away in the white truck…)





I've noticed that some of the trim loves the stuff and some of the stuff seems to get a bit of "build-up"...



Nice job! :xyxthumbs

 

[Lenny]

See if you get any "build up" on the trim if you start turning into a Zainoholic (that desire to keep adding 3-coats a day until they carry you away in the white truck…)





I've noticed that some of the trim loves the stuff and some of the stuff seems to get a bit of "build-up"...



Nice job! :xyxthumbs

Thanks for the comments, everyone!



SilverCLS : Yea, I'll definitely keep an eye on it. Already has two coats now, and all the Escapes plastic trim is that pebble-grained stuff, everything from the door handles, to the bumpers & body cladding, to the luggage rack. Two coats so far - no sign of build up from that, but I did have to use Z-6 to clean the residue off the all the plastic.

 

[matt@wheelwax]

Looks good! Just a question though since you own an escape - Helped my mother detail her car (after I finished mine ) and we noticed that the grey trim had become "pitted" and slightly discolored just infront of the rear wheels. Have you exprienced this? Any ideas how to make it less noticeable?

 

[Lenny]

Looks good! Just a question though since you own an escape - Helped my mother detail her car (after I finished mine ) and we noticed that the grey trim had become "pitted" and slightly discolored just infront of the rear wheels. Have you exprienced this? Any ideas how to make it less noticeable?

I haven't noticed that, but that doesn't mean anything. Could be your mom drove through some construction (What?!?!? Road construction in Michigan?!?!? Nawww......) and some road debris did it.



Try using Meguiar's Gold Class Trim Detailer or No. 40 protectant to see if it masks it at all.

 

[matt@wheelwax]

No no.... there is way too many microscopic "pits" and discoloration in that area.... I vaguely recall sifting through a TSB for this problem, guess I will have to look for it again.



To me it looks like chemical reaction between the plastic, and gasp... road salt. That is the only logical answer I can come up with right now

 

[SergC]

Great looking ride:xyxthumbs

 

[imported_Intermezzo]

Great job Len!



So when are your other cars going to get the Z treatment?



You are going to love aquapel. Like Zaino, it also has remarkably long durability.



Tony

 

[Lenny]

Great job Len!



So when are your other cars going to get the Z treatment?



You are going to love aquapel. Like Zaino, it also has remarkably long durability.



Tony

Thanks Tony!



Already done. I did my Taurus about a month ago, with Zaino. I'm waiting for more Aquapel to come in to do the Taurus's glass.



Zaino, so far, is awesome. Washed my Taurus yesterday, with Z-7 (gawd, what am I going to do with a gallon and a half of Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo now??LOL!!), and wiped it down with Z-6, and I can't believe how a six year old daily driver can feel as slick as it does. If Zaino proves to be a s durable as everyone says, then I'll be hooked for life!!