Zaino, gone in two months...

SK2003TypeS

New member
I Zaino'd my car two months ago. Dawn wash, clayed, dawn washed, dried, Z5/ZFX, Z6, Z2/ZFX, Z5/ZFX, Z6, Z2/ZFX, Z6.



It hasn't been garaged, there's been a lot of pollen as of late and there was a span of like 3 to 4 weeks where I didn't get to wash it (not to mention it's been raining on and off here in NY). It got ugly, to the point where my blue car had a shade of green.



I washed (Z7) it 2 days ago and it looked great. It rained last night into today I'm not seeing the beads. Most of the car was parked under the tree except the rear. When I say gone, I mean it's simply not beading anymore, except on the trunk lid and the rear panels. Is it the pollen that's all causing this ? :nixweiss



I was hoping for 3 or 4 months of beading. Are my expectations too high given the situation above ?

I'm planning on washing again (without dawn), using some paint cleaner (P21S) and putting another couple of coats on.



Any comments ? Thanx
 
Even though the water is "sheeting" now rather than "beading", I don't think the Zaino is gone. It's still there protecting the paint.



I had the same thing happen after a torrential rain. I washed the car the next day and it was sheeting. (still shiney though).



I just added a quick coat of Z2 and I was back in action! When I say quick......I mean 15 minutes tops, including buffing off. Not much time to invest to bring back those nice beads.



The nice thing about Z is the ease of application and removal.



Not like the olden days of car waxing, where it took the better part of a day! And HARD WORK!
 
What was the prep like before the Zaino layer i.e. did you use any glazes underneath the Zaino which could have effected the bonding.



I agree with Luster. Beading is really just the fallout of a highly slick surface and not entirely an indication of protection. The pollen you described as well as the fact it's not a garage queen means constant sun exposure which probably caused the surface layer to slightly "oxidize" or lose slickness hence the loss of beading.



I'd wash it, quick detail and see how that work's out. Otherwise, just top off with another layer and you should have the beading return nicely.



Paco
 
Two months isnt all that bad. Dont believe for a minute that you'll get 4-6 months on ANY product, especially on a car thats not garaged. I see about 6-8 weeks monts on my garaged daily driver
 
SK2003TypeS, listen to your uncle Luster. I found my Zaino held up all winter long without a reapplication. Beading turned to sheeting, but when I washed it, I could tell (by how easily the winter gunk washed off) that the underlying Z protection was still there. As soon as I Z'd it again this spring, the beads were back in full force.
 
What probably is causing the lack of beading is a layer of dirt and grime on top of the paint which is where the rain is settling. When you wash your car, the beading should return.
 
8 months protection for me on about 5 coats of Z-5. Could have been longer, but was itching to try out a new product.



Another thing to check out might be how well the water sheets off when you do the "rinse-without-the-nozzle" step.
 
Upstate NY - Catskill Mountains snow belt. 5 layers of Zaino last November, and the Zaino was still there and shining when we got out from under the snow on April 1st. Daily driver, but garaged at night.
 
Thanx for all of the feedback gang !

What was the prep like before the Zaino layer i.e. did you use any glazes underneath the Zaino which could have effected the bonding.

All I did was dawn wash it, clay, dawn again and dried. Then started with Z5/ZFX. I'm thinking about using some paint cleaner (probably P21S) before the Z next time around.



I checked it out again after work when I got home. There is beading on the areas where the tree does not hang over the car. So I'm guessing that it's the pollen/dirt that came down with the rain from the tree. The trunk area is beading almost as it did when I first applied.



Ok, if beading isn't an absolute sign of protection, how would you know if the Zanio is still there and the paint is being protected ?



I did wash it 2 days ago and the layer of pollen came off pretty easily. I use a sheepskin mitt and just the weight of it with the water as pressure.



The water didn't sheet off as easily as it has before.



Thanks again all !!
 
This is interesting. I've had the regular Zaino beading on the Accord for 4 months. I guess location and other factors can contribute to Zaino's durability.



Anyway, here's an "after the rain" picture of the beads on the Corolla after 2 months from it's last Zaino application.



2579p5070014-med.jpg
 
SK2003TypeS said:
I Zaino'd my car two months ago. Dawn wash, clayed, dawn washed, dried, Z5/ZFX, . . . .

Any comments ? Thanx



It seems you have an extra Dawn wash than what Zaino recommends. From the Zaino website:



"Z-18 ClayBar is great for removing any paint surface contaminants. Re-wash the entire vehicle with Z-7 Car Wash immediately after the ClayBar Cleaning Process."



Sounds like:



Dawn Wash

Claying (with Zaino Z7 as lubricant)

Zaino Z7 wash (not Dawn)

dried

Z5/ . . . .



Did this cause the short life? Who knows???
 
quote:"Dawn Wash

Claying (with Zaino Z7 as lubricant)

Zaino Z7 wash (not Dawn)

dried

Z5/ . . . . "



my usual steps are :

dawn wash

clay

Z7

dry

Z6

Z5

Z6

...
 
Love your pic tkr128! ;)



You would also be surprised how quickly paint contamination sneaks back in. I am so proud of how smooth my Audi's paint is all the time (pat on back) yet just last week I was testing a new clay bar and when I compared a non-clayed section---I was shocked---my supposidly "smooth' baby was markedly improved by a very light claying and another coat of Z2.



BTW, light claying doesn't necessarily remove all previous coats of wax or sealant. It depends how bad the contamination is and how hard you clay.



This touch up really improved the beading when I washed it the next day. Even my wife made a comment! :xyxthumbs
 
prowler said:
It seems you have an extra Dawn wash than what Zaino recommends. From the Zaino website:



"Z-18 ClayBar is great for removing any paint surface contaminants. Re-wash the entire vehicle with Z-7 Car Wash immediately after the ClayBar Cleaning Process."



Did this cause the short life? Who knows???



Yeah, this was a step that I hesitated a little on. I read somewhere that people were using dawn twice for the "just in case" factor. I'm guessing that (from a marketing view) the Z7 is suppose to help the "bonding" of the rest of the Z.



I understand everyone's "just add another coat" thinking,...I'm planning to. Was just hoping for a longer stretch of beading. I'll probably clay a "little" next time too. I'll start with the "I'll just clay the hood", which will lead to, "ok, maybe the roof too".....then the entire car...hehe
 
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