how much I #$%&*#$% hate applying Zaino.

Such a PITA. I even had a buddy over to help me with the whole process. Having hard water doesn't help either :mad:

We spent about 3.5 hours (half I did by myself), got the car washed (top to bottom with Z-7), clayed, added a Z-1 coat, and Z5 coat (which is drying overnight). Tomorrow I will remove the Z-5 and add a coat of Z-2 and then remove it. So I have an easy 1.5 hrs of work tomorrow on the V. :rant2: I don't know how some of you (especially Stealth V) do this.

For those of you wondering, I have an older Zaino kit I got a like 3-4 years ago. The Z-1 came out all clumpy and didn't go on very well, and had a lot of water content to it (the applicator was soaked in water from the Z-1). Hopefully it all works out.

Such a PITA. .

Dunno - I use Zaino just like any other wax. I don't get too warped by all the drying times, towels with the edges cut off, etc.

I find Zaino drys within 10-15 minutes. I lay a coat of Z2 on after almost every wash. Then some of the new Grand Finale detail spray.

The new Fusion is very good compared to the old "glaze" product. Really takes the swirls out and removes trash from the paint surface.

BTW - I think the Zaino clay is junk. Clay Magic is much more effective.

Meguiar's NXT TechWax...since the first application I've sworn off everything else. Very easy, looks good, lasts a long time. I'll never use a buffer again to wax, only to buff out swirls.

NXT TechWax...
-ace

verbs: I think I read on the zaino site that his stuff is only good for 1-2 years... you might have some bad zaino.

NXT user here too. Love the stuff. Might wanna give Tropi-Care a try. www.tropi-care.com

Ben

verbs: I think I read on the zaino site that his stuff is only good for 1-2 years... you might have some bad zaino.

some of it is 2 years, the stuff I have says 3. It's probably a little longer than that. I also bet it's been out in the heat enough to change the properties a bit.

If you're not a die hard zaino nut, you might check out www.perfectautofinish.com. He's a supporting vendor here. I bought his leather cleaner and conditioner. Good stuff. I'll be picking up his paint cleaner, sealant, and ultimate dressing. He has some kits that you can get a discount on.

Verbs, I could not agree more. One of the reasons so many people have stepped up to my professional line of products is the ease of application. Once they discovered they could get as good (if not better) of a shine, save money, and save time applying, its a no brainer. Detailing should not be that complicated. (z-1 z-2 z-3 z-4 z-5 z-6 z-7 z-8 z-9 z-10 z-11????? where does this end. all you need to do in clay twice a year, during that time deep clean/polish and seal. inbetween use poly seal and you are good to go. www.perfectautofinish.com (http://www.perfectautofinish.com)

I switched from Zaino to Poorboys and Wolfgang. Zaino doesn't do enough for swirls on black cars, IMO. It's amazing on other colors and lasts a very long time.

For those of you wondering, I have an older Zaino kit I got a like 3-4 years ago. The Z-1 came out all clumpy and didn't go on very well, and had a lot of water content to it (the applicator was soaked in water from the Z-1). Hopefully it all works out.
I believe that your Zaino reached its shelf life and might not have been good to use.

NXT user here too. Love the stuff. Might wanna give Tropi-Care a try. www.tropi-care.com (http://www.tropi-care.com)

Ben

I third that. I started using that last year. Only wax that I use. Works great on black cars!

Matthew

Verbs, I could not agree more. One of the reasons so many people have stepped up to my professional line of products is the ease of application. Once they discovered they could get as good (if not better) of a shine, save money, and save time applying, its a no brainer. Detailing should not be that complicated. (z-1 z-2 z-3 z-4 z-5 z-6 z-7 z-8 z-9 z-10 z-11????? where does this end. all you need to do in clay twice a year, during that time deep clean/polish and seal. inbetween use poly seal and you are good to go. www.perfectautofinish.com (http://www.perfectautofinish.com)
got anything for light swirls on a black car?

Urbs (and all the rest of you): check out this thread from the detailing area. He doesn't specifically mention swirls, but this guy seemed to like Gary's products.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-detailing-appearance-modification/70592-well-ive-used-turbomgts-products-theyre.html

I have my order pending and I'll be picking it up this week if all goes well.

I also took quite a bit of time on Sunday to wash, clay, wash, and apply two coats of ZX2. It was a huge pain in the ass, but I have never seen my car look so good. The thing absolutely shone with a mirror finish.

Of course, the universe hates me so it rained today. However, it was amazing how clean the car is even after the rain and time on the freeway. It shed water amazingly well. The tail-end is still dirty but the rest of the car is far, far cleaner than it even has been after a rain.

I'm still staying a fan... even after all the work.

I too claybarred and zaino'ed on saturday... I knew it was going to rain, but I am going out of town next week... I borrowed a car to drive so the V is still dry... hee hee.

I love having a clean car (and after the clay bar, the paint feels SOOO nice...)

Reed

how much I #$%&*#$% hate applying Zaino.

For those of you wondering, I have an older Zaino kit I got a like 3-4 years ago. The Z-1 came out all clumpy and didn't go on very well, and had a lot of water content to it (the applicator was soaked in water from the Z-1). Hopefully it all works out.

YOUR WAX HAS SEPARATED AND GONE BAD. THROW OUT. No matter what you do to this wax, it will never work again. The oil's have separated, the wax will never appply properly, and will not protect the paint at all.

Zaino is super easy to apply and remove.

As far as swirls are concerned, you will have limited success working by hand no matter which product you use. Based on my experience to date, (and I have used hundreds of products) my Ultimate cleaner polish if used correctly will remove minor swirls from your finish. Your clear coat is appx 4 mils thick, or the thickness of a piece of paper. Depending how the swirls were introduced, that will determine the best method for removing. Some products will "hide" the swirls so when you wash your car they will show up again. Swirls created by a hacker detailer using a high speed buffer can never be removed by hand, they are too deep. I you caused light swirls by drying with the wrong towels, or using the wrong wash mitts, chances are good that you can remove them with my cleaner/polish. For more info , pm me, of visit my web site. Gary

WRX Drivers wax their hairy palms with Zaino. :want:

got anything for light swirls on a black car?

Yeah dude, having the car repainted usually does a pretty fair job of getting rid of them. :D

Gary.....No offense man but WHAT is up with having to download/print/mail an order form? I researched your products - liked'em and went to order and.....
Dude......we're Americans - we complain that microwave ovens take too long, we have our pizza delivered - your business would expand greatly if you added convienence.

Gary.....No offense man but WHAT is up with having to download/print/mail an order form? I researched your products - liked'em and went to order and.....
Dude......we're Americans - we complain that microwave ovens take too long, we have our pizza delivered - your business would expand greatly if you added convienence.

I thought the same thing Zip, but I just e-mailed him my order and went to pick it up from his house. Obviously you probably don't have that luxury, but I think the slight extra work may be worth it. I got his leather cleaner/conditioner last week, applied over the weekend... wow. The other stuff I had used wouldn't get the heel marks off the front of my leather seats and the other conditioner I had used only felt like it worked for about 2 days before the seats went back to what they normally felt like. It's been 4 days so far and they still feel EXACTLY the same as the day I applied it. I know it's only been 4 days, but it feels so much nicer than the other junk I had been using. I'm doing the deep clean, polish, and sealant this weekend. I'll report back on sunday or monday. If that stuff is as good as the other I've used, I think I'll be very content.

I thought the same thing Zip, but I just e-mailed him my order and went to pick it up from his house. Obviously you probably don't have that luxury, but I think the slight extra work may be worth it. I got his leather cleaner/conditioner last week, applied over the weekend... wow. The other stuff I had used wouldn't get the heel marks off the front of my leather seats and the other conditioner I had used only felt like it worked for about 2 days before the seats went back to what they normally felt like. It's been 4 days so far and they still feel EXACTLY the same as the day I applied it. I know it's only been 4 days, but it feels so much nicer than the other junk I had been using. I'm doing the deep clean, polish, and sealant this weekend. I'll report back on sunday or monday. If that stuff is as good as the other I've used, I think I'll be very content.

I'm happy with the Zaino on the seats - restores the leather smell too....But, Zaino on the paint IS a pain in the butt even with just 30 min drying times - though it does look good. With black - I'm polishing like twice a week trying to control swrills (although one good thing about black is no heel marks on the seats) Have you tried anything else from Gary? On the paint that is....I'm tired of so many Zaino steps.....

Have you tried anything else from Gary? On the paint that is....I'm tired of so many Zaino steps.....

Give me til monday and I'll let you know how I like it. I have everything sitting on my living room floor just waiting for the weather to clear. I got the clay, cleaner, sealant, dressing, and poly seal. Steps are: wash (dawn), clay using car wash as lubricant, deep cleaner (apply with wax applicator pad and buff out), sealant (same application as cleaner, just let dry for atleast 20 minutes or more). The poly seal is a spray wax that has the synthetic wax found in the sealant in it. That's used as a touch up after you wash (once a month or so). The dressing is a water based protectant for tires and interior plastics.

I'll snap a few pictures post-cleaning and do a review. Sounds about 6 steps easier than Zaino :) and I put together an interior/exterior package that costs similar to the exterior kit from zaino.

Give me til monday and I'll let you know how I like it.

Ok, I did it on saturday afternoon. Took a few hours because my car was pretty dirty... The initial cleaning steps, wash and clay, was the biggest time consumption. The polish/cleaning step did not take long. Just apply with a foam applicator in small sections, then buff off. It doesn't have to sit on for very long, it's a polish with mild abrasives and can be applied with a random orbital buffer. The final sealant/synthetic wax step was very easy. Just apply with a foam applicator, wait 20 minutes to 2 hours and buff off. I waited about 45 minutes... ate dinner :). Came back out to the car and wiped it off. Required VERY LITTLE elbow grease to get it to come off. I think I rubbed harder when I dried it...

Maybe Zaino is the #1 show car polish, but this should be called the #1 wax for ease of use and brilliance of shine. Throw away all of your old carnuba wax... quit working so hard, this stuff is easy.

I'll know for sure in a few months how good it looks to live up to the 6 month claim, but I think it will do pretty good. On my drive back home from my parents house I had about 300 bugs on my front bumper and grill. Just squirted some water on and it came right off. Stupid bugs.

I'll get some pictures up here in a bit... I forgot the camera in the car (realized that about half way through the post...)

I'll get some pictures up here in a bit...

Here you go...

http://www.clubcts.com/upload/deposit/ChicagoCTS32-detailed_001.jpg
http://www.clubcts.com/upload/deposit/ChicagoCTS32-detailed_002.jpg
http://www.clubcts.com/upload/deposit/ChicagoCTS32-detailed_003.jpg
http://www.clubcts.com/upload/deposit/ChicagoCTS32-detailed_004.jpg
http://www.clubcts.com/upload/deposit/ChicagoCTS32-detailed_005.jpg

I know you don't get the cool relection on a white car like you get on a black one, but you can still see the reflection of my girlfriend in 002 off of the door and me in 003 off of the hood.

Welp, did the whole nine yards using Zaino this weekend...I THOUGHT I was impressed as I finished it up after 5 hours in my garage. That is until I brought it outside to head to the track. When the sunlight hit, I was like holy crap, there's spots I didn't buff out completely!

On top of that, there were still some minor swirl marks that need to be covered up.

This was three coats Z-5 and one coat Z-2. ...used ZFX to help with drying time.

Vendetta - I've found that with Zaino too - looks great in the shade but in the sun there's like a haze pattern. I find California Gold show car polish works better than Z-6.

Anyway, ChicagoCTS32 - though I'm a fan of black, your paint looks awsome IMO. White is the easiest to keep clean and no damn swrils....Obviously you do great work too - judging by the cleanliness of your inner wheel wheel wells.

I have used the Zaino Total Protection Show car kit on my Z06 and it worked great. I followed the directions, had no problems and it is the best stuff I have ever used.

Once my wife's CTS-V get done at DTE the first thing I am doing is putting the Zaino on her car.

Take your time, have a Crown Royal & 7 to let it dry and then buff it out!

Anyway, ChicagoCTS32 - though I'm a fan of black, your paint looks awsome IMO. White is the easiest to keep clean and no damn swrils....Obviously you do great work too - judging by the cleanliness of your inner wheel wheel wells.

Thanks Zip, I try to keep it clean. I used a power washer to get the gunk out from under the wheel wells. I have some pitting in the wheels in the corners, but better than some of the others that have the 17" high polish aluminum wheels. I actually had my girlfriend working on my wheels while I was polishing the paint... I owe her big time for that :) .

I love black too, but I don't think I could ever own one. She wants to get a IS250 awd in black and I'm begging her to go for silver or grey. She wouldn't care if it had swirls and haze, but it would drive me NUTS!

Bottom line, if you're considering trying something new, I think Gary's stuff is worth a shot. I like it. Good luck!

maguires it's the best. i've been using it for years and it has only gotten better and better for black cars.

I have NEVER had a hazing issue with zaino (like you are talking about)... You need to make sure it drys completely before you remove it and ALSO, you need to rotate the rag alot when wiping it off...

thats just my experience...

Wax is like woman, everyone like a different type (and some like more than one type)

Reed

cash, is it a black Z06? I've got MacGuire's NXT and will give it a shot if a couple more layers of Z2 doesn't go the job this time around.

vendetta-v-, I have a blue Z06. Once getting the kit I printed all the instructions off the Zaino site and followed them, starting with washing my car with Dawn before using Zaino for the first time. I think it says best to use above 50 deg. and let it haze over for at least 1/2 hour. You MUST use Made in the USA towels, they are 100% cotton. My wife picked some up at K-Mart, they were the martha stewart ones. Evidently ones made overseas may say 100% cotton but they are not.

vendetta-v-, I have a blue Z06. Once getting the kit I printed all the instructions off the Zaino site and followed them, starting with washing my car with Dawn before using Zaino for the first time. I think it says best to use above 50 deg. and let it haze over for at least 1/2 hour. You MUST use Made in the USA towels, they are 100% cotton. My wife picked some up at K-Mart, they were the martha stewart ones. Evidently ones made overseas may say 100% cotton but they are not.

I followed your above directions to the "T." My IS is blue and is much harder to see blemishes. I found a couple more spots that didn't wipe off completely just today...lol. Funny thing is, is that it really depends on what kind of light is hitting the damned thing.

Zaino is good stuuf, like stuff from Adam also