okay so turns out my EDD is the 12th. I really need some advice so that I can order everything and get my car ready for the harsh Chicago winter.

So, what I need is drying towel, detaling towel, and applicator pads.

I was looking at properautocare.com, but they have a bunch of different towels and i'm not sure which to get.

The package they got for 40$ which includes quite a good amount of stuff, I'm only hesitant towards this since it only comes with one detailing towel and that doesn't seem nowhere near enough for the amount of layers I want to do. I was thinking i'll add another pack of the detailing towels and that should be good.

I see that people think the big blue is good, bout how about the detailing towels and the applicator pads?

 

I would clay the car even when new. You would be AMAZED what a difference it makes in the slickness of the finish. I guarantee the dealer did not do this important step.

Zaino's label is misleading. It says "polish" but is has no abrasives and it offers pure protection. You can layer upon layer with it.

You should only layer 3 coats of ZFX "in a 24 hour period". They need to bond together when you layer that many all at once. You can apply more after that if you want to.

Be sure to get Z2, ZFX and Z6. I also love Z7, the shampoo.

For applicator pads, Zaino will send some with the sealant free.

Get a waffleweave drying towel. The blue towels are fine. The Sonus towel are just as good. I have both. I would consider getting a Sonus towel and one cheaper, but nice purple towel set which comes with a smaller towel you can use for door jams, etc. These are a great deal.

Make sure you have the microfiber polishing towels for using the quick detailer with and getting the wax off with, too. These are a decent deal.

 

I love the Zaino. When I first started with it I ordered a package that included Z2,ZFX, Z5, Z6, Z7, 2 clay bars, 2 applicator pads. Can't remember the price but, well worth it Have I ever lied to you before

 

Forgot to add, I clay barred the first time even though my mini was almost new (2 mo. old). First day I washed with Dawn, clay bar, wash again, 2 coats of Z5 with ZFX, 1 coat of Z2 with ZFX. Second day, 2 coats of Z2 with ZFX.
Man... your just not going to believe it

 

If you have leather, splurge for the Zaino upgrade on the kit and get the leather cleaner and conditioner. The conditionier makes your car smell like you just walked into a Coach store - YUM!

When I clean my wife's car, she doesn't care about the shine outside... just the smell that she gets when climbing into her leather seats.

 

should I be okay in general waiting until it gets warm again before doing all this. It is getting cold and i'm worried about the wax drying and such.

 

I do the same thing and I love the Z6. I feel like I need to start buying it in cases. I have a question about mini care in winter, since my mini will be facing its first in the Midwest. We had some rainy, drizzly days and there was more surface crud than the usual dust I was Z6-ing with no problem. As it gets colder and snow/slush/salt comes into the picture, I'm worried about how I am going to take care of that finish. I have emailed Zaino to ask this question, but maybe someone here has found some good solutions to winter care. I was wondering if I could keep a sprayer bottle of a mild solution of the Zaino car wash shampoo around and spritz first with that to clean off grime, wipe dry and use the Z6? How do any of you in the snow areas of the country (short of not driving the mini in the winter) deal with finish care in the winter?

 

I use Griot's products. And find that they are wonderful.

 

Good question...and one that will come up a lot this time of year. I think I will start a new thread starting with kirk's question.

 

Is that a Porsche 356 B I see in your detailing garage, BradB?! holy hell, those things are hard to find! you must be a pretty skilled (and very lucky) person to be allowed anywhere near a classic like that. any other classics/ exotics that you've worked on?

-Paul-if you didn't know, I'm a hell of a passionate and diehard Porsche fan and starting on minis now!

 

Great taste!

I've had a stable of iron in the past. Austin Healey, MG, Triumph TR 6's, Jaguar S-Type, Jaguar XK-150, BMW 2002tii, etc, Porsche Boxster, Carrera's, etc. And MINI's are just as fun!

 

Gotta admit I'm another REJEX fan. Tried a good carnuba and Zymol. REJEX is the best of the pick so far! One of my Audi A4 buddies turned me on to it.

http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Fairly easy to apply on the body AND glass . Took about an hour to do my '04 MCS including the wheels. Only down side is the vehicle has to be stored out of the elements and un-MINIable for 12-hours . Thankfully my office has a nice enclosed parking structure!

As the advertisment states this is some SLICK stuff! Been over two months now and the sealant is still viable even with washing the COOP every other day or so.

Here in Honolulu REJEX retails for $19.99 and is sold at a bicycle store of all places!

Aloha!

JCW04

 

A bird caught my Mini with it's pants ..errr cover off. I have no idea what this rat with wings had for lunch but it whatever it was it created a lethal dump. After washing the ugly mess off it has left a blemish/discoloration on the paint. I tried a bit of elbow grease but it is not budging. It is not something I can feel (finish is smooth) just see. So before I started trying any type of bug and tar cleaners I thought I would ask on here first. Personally I have never seen anything like this.

 

I'd start with some paint polish or a cleaner wax. Both of these have solvents and a bit of very light abrasives in them to help with this type of thing. If that doesn't take care of it, I'd go to a clay bar and maybe Meguiars Scratch-X. The next steps would be swirl removers or light rubbing compounds, but I'd definately start at the beginning of the list.

You never want to use a more abrasive product than is absolutely necessary.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I do have a clay bar and the Scratch X. Any recommendations on a polish cleaner?

 

Just to clarify:

Where to purchase Zaino products online?

Microfiber waffle cloths?

I've been using cotton bonnets on a 10" randon orbital. No?

I kind feel stoopid since I have three rubbermaid bins full of Meguirs, Mother's and 3M products, plus others.

 

There are lots of sources for products. Personally, I get most of my products at Autopia. They are a great source of information, have a wonderful website and tech information, forums, etc. I appreciate that and support them. Yea, I am a little jaded since I am a detailing moderator there! (blush)

They have a variety of microfiber products. To get started get some waffleweaves for drying and some value-priced plush microfibers for polishing. They even have some sale microfibers you should check out! This microfiber waffleweave set has a small towel in the kit that I just love for drying the door jams and trunk edges. I just bought a couple sets. What a deal!

Zaino products must be gotten from the man himself! I LOVE Zaino!

Don't feel stupid, man! That is how you learn what you like. Nothing out there is really "bad". It's all a matter of degree. And we car snobs get really picky and discriminating. And pretty soon you realize the stuff the average Joe buys in K-Mart just doesn't cut it any more.

I have three other cabinets like this and several shelves of stuff I have accumulated. And I don't feel stupid at all. Of course, that's not what my wife says.

 

Lagunacat:

I've been using the Sonus paintwork cleanser that I received free from Autopia when I ordered my Porter Cable Dual-Action polisher. This thing is AMAZING! I am slowly renovating my own finish and can apply a coat of wax to my wife's SUV in 15 minutes!

I had planned on purchasing the Menzerna paint care products (check autopia here: http://www.autopia-carcare.com) or P21S (I've never seen a bad product from them).

Maybe Brad will share his paint cleanser / polish preference with us... As you can tell from the pics above, he is kinda into this...

 

Paint cleansers? I don't have any. (Yea, RIGHT!)

I agree with Agranger, the Sonus Paint Cleanser seems to be very nice. I must admit that I have very little experience with it though. I just got a bottle a couple weeks ago and played with it on a friends car. (always best to experient on a friends car. ) It looks very promising. I trust Agranger's expertise here.

I have used P21S a LOT and it is one of my favorites. I consider this one of my go-to final step products for dark colored paints.

I used to use Pinnacle and have tried several others like Poor Boys, Menzerma, Meguiars, Blackfire, etc. Pinnacle, Blackfire (same stuff) and Poors Boys seperate badly and are inconsistant. They don't have a good shelf life either. Menzerma is pretty good. Meguiars is so-so.

 

I think I might have had a mis-placed modifier above

Sonus Paint Cleanser: I got it free and I was feeling a bit guilty about dropping the $ on the dual-action polisher, so I saved the money and didn't order a different polish. It seems to do the job well, but my big use for it right now is to follow a long series of clay, rubbing compound, swirl-removing compound and then paint cleanser to renovate a 7 year old factory finish on my boring daily driver (panel by panel... ugh! I'm about half way through).

Porter Cable Dual-Action polisher: I bought it from Autopia (link is in a post of mine, above) with several foam pads from Sonus. This is the 'very cool' product I was raving about. It really cuts polishing time down... I wouldn't have ever attempted the renovation of my daily driver if it wasn't for this gem of a tool.

 

Hey Brad, so you have 2 more of those cabinets full of cleaning and polishing products? Have you considered therapy?

JOKE!!

Seriously I love your advice!

So much so that I am going to ask for it once again. I am going to switch gears and move to my other Blue Brit. I have put my 61 BSA in the basement for the winter (yes I am in California) for some badly needed tuning. I was wondering if you had a favorite metal polish for the engine cases, aluminum parts etc? I have been using Wenol for the last few years and felt it has done a good enough job, but I am not opposed to change if it is going to make my bike prettier. I am also considering getting a rotary tool with and extension to get into those hard to reach areas. Any suggestions there?

As always any advice is much appreciated!

 

'61 BSA! I am jealous! I always wanted an old Triumph or BSA!

I have always used Wenol and Blue Magic. They both work well. I think you are using the best.

Short of a Polish wheel and "red rouge". It's the way to go

That's what I used to polish all the aluminum on the Jag.

 

What's the perfect wax for wheels? I tried Wheelwax and it's not bad. I actually prefer Klasse AIO and figure it's more durable.

What's the best protectant for the rain gutters? I've been using 303 for all my black trim and have been very pleased with it, except for the rain gutters which fry in the sun.

Brad, is S100 equal to P21S?

 

Dang dude, Now that's a collection. David must have your address memorized.
I'm really jealous.

 

Brad, the engine looks awesome! Posting a pic of my BSA.