I have been using Zaino for about 5 years on my '04 Chili Red MC and the car looks great, and in spite of our 24/7 watering ban here in central Massachusetts for the past 5 months, the rain has been keeping it looking perfectly clean and shiny in spite of it not having been washed in weeks, months. I am very happy with Zaino and it lasts for months..........but, still, when I top it off with Hydro when I do wash it, the look of the paint is richer, redder, and a half shade darker than the very shiny reflective Zaino............so...

I decided to try switching to Prima Epic as that is the sealant that matches up with Hydro, and as I had a little of the Z5 left over, I figured I would do a test. I put one coat of Zaino Z5 on half the car and one of Epic on the other half and 2 coats of each on other parts. I waited 24 hours in between each coat. I intend to check in here monthly and report how the 2 products stand up to each other.

I applied them both after I washed and clayed in temp of about 47 degrees:

initial reaction after 24 hours:

--ease of application and wiping off: equal
--slickness: I waited 24 hours and I could detect no difference...both VERY slick
--water beading: ( it rained the next day)....no diff, both bead like crazy
--reflectance: both equal to my eyes...very reflective
--richness: slight edge, very slight, to Epic.......the half of the boot with the Zaino looked great, but the half of the boot with Epic did look like it was a darker richer red, but only in indirect sunlight....in bright but cloudy conditions they were pretty equal

note: the ease of application was equal between the 2 products for this test, but I only applied one coat on most of the car and 2 coats on just part of it....if I was sticking with the Zaino system, I would be doing 2 coats of Z5 and then 2 or 3 more coats of Z2 and then my shoulder would be hurting for days...........so if Epic holds up, even just almost as well as zaino after a few months, then Epic will have won and get my vote as having to do one or maybe 2 coats max seems pretty attractive to me.

another note: when I called Prima to order, Heather there was very helpful and did seem interested in hearing of my experience with the Zaino system....there was no bashing of her competitor product, she explained how they were similar and how they differed....very nice shopping experience!


Has anyone else out there experience with Zaino and then tried Epic for comparison? Talk to you again in one month.....

 

Glad you like Epic, I have been using it for a couple of years and like it with my BRG MCS.

However, two coats of Epic are of no benefit. It has been covered by Heather here before that putting a second coat of Epic is only for coverage and will not add to the depth or life of the wax (sealant).

 

I know, but I only put a second coat of each on just a small part of the car since Zaino seems to require more than one coat

 

I appreciate your efforts on these products.
My Zaino experience is also five years, and
my MINI is pure silver.
Over the holidays, I am stripping the MINI and
starting a new season with Zaino. Hope to hear
more of your thoughts. Al.

 

hmm. . . I apply the Z2 pro every 4 months or so, but never thought a second coat of it was necessary. Rather, in between, after every wash, I apply the Z6 Gloss Enhancer Spray to maintain the shine and protection.

 

IMHO the product that you use would definately be color dependant and what the end results suit your eye the best. As you stated in your writeup the different products make your paint color look different. My GP being two different colors I do not use the same products on each color. Thru experimentation I have found a combination which suits my eye. Different products may make your paint look shiney, deeper, darker, richer ect. I suggest everyone find what looks best for them.
Steve

 

Umberto,

Thanks for the write-up. I've been struggling with what sealant to go with. I've been using Autoglym Super Resin Polish, but it doesn't seem to last long enough. I think Epic will be next on my list.

 

one month update: it rained up here on New Years day: no difference between the 2 products in terms of water beading ( but I didn't think there would be..........curious which one holds up better 3 -4 months from now)

next day, nice and dry.......no difference in slickness

 

I think most of you that know my work, already know how Prima Epic can look on a properly prepped/polished car...but here are some recent examples. Epic is always my LSP because it's the best!

This 2001 Lexus ES300 has seen better days

Improvement on the rear which was just as bad as the front




After


2008 Honda S2000


Finished and delivered at night


Porsche Carrera


Unfortunately it was cloudy due to rain earlier


2011 Jaguar XJ

 

Ok...10 weeks since I waxed half the car with Zaino and half the car with Epic.........

beading....no difference between the two waxes, although both still bead pretty well but not as prominantly as when first applied

slickness... both feel equally slick with my finger-tip test and fingernail test...but again, not as slick as when first applied

appearance...........hey, its winter here in the northeast...the car's been dirty as heck and instead of shiny chili red it has been flat tan for a few weeks....this might be longest I've ever gone with this car without washing it, but finally was able to wash it 2 days ago and check the wax situation


I hope this is helpful ( though not too too exciting )

 

So, which product is safer on the plastic trims? I've read that Zaino leaves stains on them.

 

Epic does as well, if you let it dry.

 

So, were you going to throw in any other waxes into the mix? Like... Griots Best in Show? I know they are not the same type of wax, and do not hold up the same under the rain, but just curious.

 

OctaneGuy,

Your results look great, what prep did you do to fill the scratches or did the wax fill them in. How long does it look that nice? Eventually the scatches come back after a few washes right. Where does one purchase the Prima Epic.

Did you use a machine buff or was the done by hand?

Thanks,
Dave

 

Thanks. I machine buffed these examples. I removed the scratches, not filled them in. The paint will continue to look great for as long as the owner doesn't put them back in. If you polish paint correctly, and know how to maintain it, the scratches won't come back.

Prima Epic and all Prima products can be purchased from me.
http://showcarsupplies.com/shopexd.asp?id=67&bc=no

 

To remove scratches do you claybar or just buff them out? What product did you use for that? Great results! So the scratches were only in the clearcoat than?

I did check out your link. I have have a question concerning my PC, I tore the pad up, must have been using it too dry. The orange one you sell, does it have the backing like the original that came w/ the machine?

I'm enjoying your threads.

Thanks,
Dave

 

If you have scratches that can be removed with claybar, then they weren't scratches to begin with. Clay won't remove defects, but it will remove bonded contaminants and surface transfers.

The cars you see in my links were buffed out with a combination of a professional rotary buffer, and/or a Porter Cable Dual Action Random Orbital Polisher...7424 XP. I used Prima Swirl for the polish.

re: Clearcoat scratches
I'm confused by this. If there is clearcoat on your paint, then any scratch will have to be in the clearcoat, unless you're asking if they were deeper and penetrated the clearcoat..then that's beyond fixing through polishing.

I often tell people that I'm in the business of removing paint. I improve paint by removing small amounts of it. That's what paint polisher do. If the repair needs paint added to it, then that's the job for a painter or body shop. I deal with paint subtraction, not addition.

re: PC
I'm not surprised you tore your pad up. The one that comes with the PC is for polishing wood, not paint. Though it's similar in density to the LC White pad, the fact it's glued on is a problem.

So you would need this velcro backing plate

http://showcarsupplies.com/shopexd.asp?id=162&bc=no

and the right pads

http://showcarsupplies.com/shopdispl...Polishing+Pads

 

Thanks OctaneGuy,

I understand what you explained. On my red truck I was putting my cap on & the folks helping me on the other side were not as careful as I was. Yep some went into the color.

Thanks for showing me what I needed for my PC DA.

Much appreciated,
Dave

 

I started this test on Dec 1 waxing half the car with one coat of Zaino and half with one coat of Epic, with part of the car having 2 coats of each.

Yesteray, May 1, five months later, I washed, clayed and applied Epic. While washing though I was observing little or no difference in the beading between the Zaino side and the Epic side, and then when I dried the car ( before I clayed it) each side was equally slick and smooth and no diff between the one coat vs two coats areas......both the beading and the slickness were definitely less than 5 months ago, obviously, but still working pretty good IMHO.

But, I am switching to Epic as it seems to bring a richer look to my Chili Red, and also to support Heather's product as she's certainly been a presence on his forum. Also, maybe it wasn't necessary but I had been used to putting on multiple coats of Zaino and plan to only use a single coat when using Epic so it will be a lot easier on my poor arms and shoulders.. I did dress the black moulding with Octane Guy's Black Wow prior to Epic'ing yesterday to make it easier to remove any over-spreading of Epic but I was careful and none got on my moulding anyway.

I also Epic'd the windshield and the headlights which I hope is OK ...I used to do that with Zaino

Does anyone know if Epic blocks the UV, which would be good to use on the polycarb of the headlight bezels?

Well, my test ends....hope it was helpful........

 

I am thinking about buying a Porter Cable Dual Action Random Orbital Polisher. I would be using it on a Mini Cooper. Would you recommend that I use painters tape and tape off all of the black wheel arch trim before using this type of machine on a mini? This would be my first time using a machine like this?

 

Octane Guy,

I really enjoyed the postings, sad to see it be over, so your an Epic guy now huh?

Thanks, Dave

 

You will love the Porter Cable DA. You will wish that the Mini is a much bigger car because you won't want to be done using the PC. You will want to go start on another car. A must have for all Mini owners IMHO. Nothing sweeter than a deep shine!

It's a pretty easy polisher to control, you can start at the real slow speed setting till you get the hang of it. It couldn't hurt to use painters tape for at least the fist wheel opening. Getting the white off the black can be a pain especially if you're a perfectionist. It would take less time to place & take off the tape than trying to get the black back.

 

Sad to see it over? I'm still here...we'll just create a new thread! Epic is a great wax. More people need to realize it!
Ever since Pre-Wow, I don't tape my arches anymore when I use the PC. It used to be a must, but not anymore. Unless I'm using the rotary and have the potential to melt or damage the plastic trim...but for preventing polish/wax stains??? Taping isnt' necessary anymore if you've got PW.

 

I am not hip to Pre-Wow, what is it?

 

Octane Guy,

I just googled it & you came up with a post frome This Is Mini country. I want some of that. Nice product!

Sorry i didn't mean you were going away!

Dave