so i think i'm sold on zaino for my 5 day old mini...but i don't know where to start.

i don't know what's on the car already (wax? clearcoat? regular paint?) as it came from the dealer, and don't know what products to buy or when to apply them--help!

i will comb the previous posts but they're so detailed & numerous it's kind of overwhelming...if anyone's got a basic

a) starter--new mini--process
and then
b) regular care for someone who's done no detailing and in fact no handwashing even before but wants to do better by my mini...

i'd be very grateful! thanks!

(if it makes a difference it's a cabrio. yeah, i'm gonna go get some Raggtop...)

cheers,
diana

 

Well as fas as ancillary product I refer you to agranger's sticky at the top. In regards to Zaino BrabB and others are far more experienced than myself but here are the basics.

Since you have a new car you should a have an easy time and not need to polish or claybar your car.
1.Dawn liquid wash the whole car
2.+/- clay bar. Run you hand over the wet finish inside a plastic grocery bag, if it feels smooth you are okay. if gritty you need to clay
3.Wash with Z7
4.Dry
5.Probably 1 coat of Z5 with suffice on a new car
6.2-3 coats of Z2

Remember to use Z6 inbetween the coats. Activate the Z5/Z2 with 3 drops/punce of ZFX. No more than 3 coats/24 hour period. I usually do 2 coats of Z5 and the 1 of Z2. Then wait and do 3 more of Z2 the next day.

 

I friggin love Zaino... both cars (my 05 MCS and my wife's 06 MCSc) and it is worth every penny and ounce of sweat!

I have convinced 4 of my employees to use it as well, you can't beat the product and i have had great service from the company as well.

Ooops, just noticed I posted under my wife's sig

 

THE PERFECT THREAD.

My wife and I will be taking delivery of our new MCS (Hyper blue) in late August. We LOVE Zaino! I was wondering if there was anything special the pros recommened.

Thanks for asking the question for us "luluzapcat"!

 

I think it is almost universally accepted here on this forum by the detailing gurus that even if the car is brand spanking new, it is a good idea to clay it anyway as just the trip over to the states on the boat and even the train ride to and from the boat dock will cause small particles to be embedded into the paint...the clay will lift them off and the end result will be glassy smooth....if you are going to go through all the Zaino steps, you might as well do that extra prep and clay it....plus it is fun, sort of

 

I'm a first time Zaino user and I think I used too much. I kept reading, less is better and I thought I used as little as possible. However, after reading some posts today I think I still used too much.

Dawn
Clay
Z7
Z5 (about an ounce)
Z6
Z2 (about an ounce)
Z6

I could hardly tell that any Z5 or Z2 was on the car. But I read today that an ounce should cover the car more than 2 times. How can that be?! I felt like I hardly had anything on the car with an ounce!

 

Why do you think you used to much? I've used Zaino Z5 and Z2 on our Miata (basically Hyper Blue), and most of the time I use about half of one of the little bottles for each application. I don't really know if that's too much or not. But the car looks great and the wax lasts and lasts. I guess that kind of says it all doesn't it?

 

Those little bottles are two ounces so it sounds like we both used about an ounce. However, look at this thread https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=46451 where NAM members said

and later this

So, is an ounce too much?

 

I can do the MINI with about 0.75 oz. If you are using the cotton applicator that Zaino sent you, 1oz sounds about right... that sucker absorbs a lot of polish. I use a closed-cell foam applicator that applies it much thinner and doesn't soak up the polish as much. Make sure that you applicator is slightly damp w/ Z6.

 

Thanks! Maybe it was the cotton applicator then. It wouldn't surprise me if 0.25 oz. was left in the applicator after I was done

I probably should switch to foam for the Z5 and Z2.

 

Doh! - my post edited for clarity - was in a hurry to get to work the first time. Zaino needs to just name their products - enough of the Z1, Z2, Z32799834 nonsense...

What I've found works great and saves time - is to use the ZFX accelerator mixed in with the Z2. Z1 is the "Polish Lok" product and is suggested to use between coats of Z2. The ZFX accelerator mixed with the Z2, eliminates the need to apply the Z1 - if applying multiple coats of Z2. Am I making sense here?

ZFX is quite expensive ($20 for a microscopic bottle about the size of penny Tootsie Roll) but you only need 4-5 drops per 2oz bottle, so it's enough to mix with about two full 8oz bottles of Z2. Often, I use 2 drops of ZFX and fill the small 2oz bottles that come with the ZFX, half way, if I don't have time to apply more than one coat. Once the Z2 and ZFX are mixed it must be used up within a few hours.

I find that using either a foam applicator or Zaino's applicator, I'll use about .75 ounces for the first Z2+AFX application. Then I spray with Z-6 or Z-8 (Grand Finale Seal Spray) and apply another coat of Z5+ZFX. Successive applications of the Z2+ZFX seem to go on much 'smoother' and I use less than .5 ounce for the successive applications. A 2 oz bottle will cover the entire MINI 3-4 times.

I only use the Z5 after clay bar-ing (how's that for grammar?) the paint -- if the paint has a lot of fine scratches, 'swirls' or is either hazy or lightly oxidized. If the paint is decent, or the car is pretty new, I don't think there's a need for the Z5.

 

Interesting....

I've never tried using a foam applicator. I've also never used a wet applicator so that might be why I have been using more wax than others.

I can't wait to try it on our new Mini when it finally arrives. I'm planning to clay bar it first just in case.

 

It was probably just a mistake due to Zaino's crazy Z-? naming convention, but Z-1 is the polish-lok. It can be avoided all together by adding 4-5 drops of ZFX per oz. of polish, mixed into your Z-2 or Z-5 polish (and shaken well) about 10-15 minutes before you use the polish.

Z-5 is basically Z-2 with the addition of swirl mark fillers. Depending on the condition of your finish, one or two coats of Z-5, followed by one or more coats of Z-2 may help reduce the optical effects of the swirlmarks and microscratches in your finish.

 

thanks all for the advice...it's slowly starting to come clear. a few clarifications would help, though:

-does the car come from the factory with wax? if so, do i really want to remove this, as i believe zaino does? are any of these zaino products replacement wax--z2? z6?

-do i need to use any products that take out swirls, etc. (z5) on such a new car?

-given that polish takes off--albeit a microscopic amount--paint in order to do its job, do i really want to polish a brand new car?

i guess fundamentally i'm a bit confused about wax vs. polish, and when to use which...

thanks!
-diana/luluzapcat

 

Zaino calls itself a 'polish' but I prefer the term 'sealant' as a polish, to me, has abrasives in it that polishes (hence the name) the surface down a bit... just like a fine grit sandpaper... just in liquid form.

Wax: An organic compound (usually a refined product of something found in nature) that is blended with oils, and possibly organic solvents and abrasives. Waxes 'float' on the surface of the paint, providing a barrier between the environment and the paintwork. Detergents (like you use to wash your car by hand... a good auto shampoo) will strip away the wax over time. Heavy weather conditions will do the same. The detergents used in car washes will strip your wax off almost immediately. Most department store grade waxes (Turtle Wax, et.al.) have organic solvents and abrasives in them so that they can clean the finish while applying the wax.

Sealants: Sealants (Klasse, Zaino, and others) bond on a molecular level to your paintwork... this is why they generally last longer than waxes given the same conditions. Some have other components to them for cleaning purposes (ex: Klasse All-in-one, I believe... I'm not a huge Klasse expert... Nu-Finish would also be another good example). Sealants are sometimes more step-intensive as most are built for a different (enthusiast) audience who doesn't mind trading some extra steps for a better finish and/or longer life. Sealants like Zaino with no solvents/abrasives require more surface preparation before sealing (because they don't have those solvents/abrasives in them). That's where conversations about machine polishing and/or claybar come in.

Waxes and sealants both protect your finish. Waxes tend to wear off more quickly (a month or two in harsher environments or with more frequent washes). A good sealant will last 6 months or longer, again depending on the treatment the car gets and your environment. Sealants are usually more optically clear than waxes (that can yellow with age), but many people like the look that a good wax gives, especially to darker colors.

 

ah! thank you, agranger! that was very illuminating.
zaino order going in soon...

 

Lots of good information here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=37303

 

yup; that one got printed out & taken home yesterday. but left me still a bit lost as to theory (wax vs. polish, polish vs. sealant, etc.).

 

To simply things:

If you are really overrwhelmed or simply can't afford all the "ingredients" to our complete detainling, don't worry. Zaino Z2 is the main important step. If you simply buy a bottle of that, you are most of the way there. Of course you are welcome to buy all the "accessory" products that each make it slightly better...but it is a bottomless pit!

You can't use "too much." You simply waste any extra as it is buffed off, or left in your applicator. I use over an ounce, because I use an applicator that is a foam pad covered in microfiber, and that foam absorbs a lot. Don't worry about how much you are using. As you get more practice, you'll notice you can spread it quite thin and start using less. But it's nothing to worry about.

The car shouldn't have wax from the factory, but dealers often wax them before delivery. You might be able to ask them not to. But regardless, something else may have gotten on your paint during shipment, and you've got to wash your car anyway, so you might as well wash with dish soap no matter what.

And as agranger explained, Z2 is not really a polish (it doesn't take off paint), it is a sealant or polymer wax, whatever you want to call it. I call it Good Stuff. :D

 

Waxing my pimp whip this weekend with the zaino