So I was ready to plunk down some serious cash for the Zaino package but was reading more of it. Came across this;

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/gheumann/zaino_test/

There's a few people who have seen almost no or minimal difference between the Zaino line and the typical over the counter items. My question is, is the difference worthwhile? I don't mind the additional $50 or so compared to the Autozone Meguair's if it's worthwhile, nothing but the best for my new Clubbie BUT if the pictures in the above-linked URL is true, I'll stick to Meguiar's and put the change in upgrades for the clubbie. :P

Truth be told, I've used neither and I know above all, it's personal preference. However, what is the specific hard cold factual results?

 

This is a very interesting test to say the least. As an amateur OCDer of the Mini Cooper ilk, I have learned that results are directly proportional to the skill level and the correct choice and order of detailing products. To this mix is added patience, a ton of practice, and a keen eye for detail. As the OCDer's skill levels improve the need for better materials becomes of the essence. Of course, another thing to consider is what you are willing to settle for. Back in the day I bought my "stuff" at the filling station dujour and seemed happy with my mediocre results from my mediocre efforts. Today after four years of practice, researching here, and experimentation I have learned the better products afford better results, which is what I expect for my car. The quality level of the detatiling products should suit the individuals expectation levels of how a car should look.

 

you should just get Hydro and call it a day.

 

To me the test results highlight exactly why Zaino isn't great for older cars but perfect for new cars with minimal to no defects.

Think about it, you're a new owner of a car--some Zaino zealot sings the praises of Zaino--you use it and love it too and recommend it to others.

Why?
You learn about the importance of claybar, and about making your paint glossy and slick. And you find that Zaino prevents things like blue tape from sticking to the paint. You're also lead to believe that the more "coats" you apply the better--so people are proud to say they have 20 coats of Zaino.

But what happens after a few years? The swirls become so deep and severe, thanks to poor maintenance habits that were never taught because well Zaino was so durable, it "didn't matter". So I get the inevitable phone call--"I've got some light swirls, can you buff them out? Oh and I'm using Zaino."

What goes through my mind? Let's see--the "light swirls" are actually deep swirls that are too deep to be masked by Zaino--so you're seeing them partially filled. With Zaino removed, I will find the paint is badly swirled which means a lot more polishing than "light swirls".

Is Zaino better? Its a good durable system with lots of gloss. Not much depth, not nearly as rich as Epic, and by Sal's response which he is directly comparing Zaino to carnauba but neglects to mention that Zaino is just a synthetic polymer sealant--like Epic.

A great finish is more than just gloss/reflectivity. Paint color richness/depth and purity of the paint are just as important factors that are often put second to gloss.

Sal's appropriate response should have mentioned to the tester about Z PC which was formulated to remove the swirls then be sealed with Z5 or CS.

Richard

 

seems to me the main advantage of sealants like Zaino, or Epic, is longevity....they last for months and are very slick, vs some other products whose protection and slickness wear off in a few weeks.

a good way to measure, I would think, how much protection is there or how much protection remains is water beading.....this was not addressed nor was slickness. Zaino beads like crazy even after a few months and seems to keep the car cleaner in between washes and remains slick.

this test seems old.....zaino changed their formula a few years ago and now Z5 is Z5pro and Z2 is Z2pro which are reportedly better and the Z1 lock is hardly used because the ZFX is used instead and greatly reduces curing time......

I think a better judge of how zaino fares is to take a survey of NAM members to see what their impressions have been

 

+1 on hype.

 

Im confused.. did the Zaino cause the swirling? or was it that Zaino masked improper cleaning technique?

 

Zaino has concealers that mask defects. But if you don't know that, or you don't use good techniques, you may not realize the actual damage you are causing.

So many times a customer will show me his car and ask me if I can make it look better--essentially to remove a few scratches. Along with those scratches, the paint will be heavily swirled, and I'll ask him if those swirls bother him, and most of the time the response will be.."Oh I thought that's how all paint gets. Can you fix that??"

The moral being--if you don't know what's wrong, you can't possibly fix it. He doesn't know that the scratching and swirling is preventable.

 

I've used Zaino on my M3 for years with excellent success, and I plan to use it on my JCW, hopefully this Sunday, weather permitting.

 

You don't love your MINI ??



Seriously... how would you know if anything works better if you don't try it ?

 

I love my MINI just fine, even though I got spoiled by my M3.

Seriously, maybe I don't care about trying something else. There's nothing wrong with Zaino. I don't need anything else. If someone can prove to me that Zaino is inferior than something else for my car I'll reconsider. But I'm not about to waste perfectly good Zaino supplies I'm happy using, and I'm not interested in the miracle of the week.

On Sunday my JCW gets Dawn wash, claybar, Z2 + Z6 + Z8 & it will look beautiful when I'm done. Next spring I'll Dawn and claybar again, and use a PC to fix the winter damage. Chances are pretty good, Zaino will go on again.

There's a picture of my Zaino'd M3 in this thread.

 

No denying your MINI will look beautiful after the Zaino detailing.

But read Richard's (OG's) post again and see why I'm suggesting it's time to try a different line of products.

And hey... your MINI would look every bit as beatiful, if not more so, if you used the Prima line of products.

 

Yep and another thing--the pic of your M3 looks great---typical gloss/reflective shot with diffused (cloudy day??) lighting. With a proper system, you won't need to hide your paint from direct sunlight. =)

Richard

 

My M3 looked great in direct sunlight. I didn't need to hide swirls because I took care of the car and didn't have a problem with them. Maybe the people complaining about Zaino don't use it correctly (many over-apply it and cause it to cloud somewhat).

I don't care if something else is better. I don't care if Zaino is better. If this thread is just Zaino bashing, it isn't useful to me.

 

Sorry RaceTripper, I did not start the thread intending to bash Zaino. In fact, I went ahead and placed the order for Zaino. I did the math and frankly the Zaino kit came out less than the Prima line-and I got free stuff. The difference between the Zaino and AutoZone-available-products isn't huge enough to choose them over Zaino. I would have liked to try Prima but obviously price is a factor.

As for the comments of swirl marks and scratches- that holds true regardless of product line, doesn't it?

 

I'm still wondering if you've bothered to read ANY of the posts here, or even the linked thread about why the OP wasn't sure about Zaino. Nobody said anything about Zaino looking cloudy. And nobody complained about Zaino.

No need to be so defensive.

 

Giving more credit to the product than you are to yourself

 

Hi all, Nick here filling in for Heather.

I think Zaino is a nice product that has its place. It offers great durability and a very distinctive look. It's a look some people absolutely love. Nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I find the process tedious and the look sterile. Given the right look, though, I would plod through a tedious process, so with Zaino, it boils down to I don't like the look. As we have hopefully come to learn here at Detailing 101 is that there are no absolutes. To me, Zaino looks great on red. Particularly red, because reflectivity (the mirror shine) translates on red to wet. I like wet.

Sal Zaino is a good guy with is head on straight. The problem lies with a few Zaino users who think it is their duty to spread the gospel (none here). Their enthusiasm tends to generate some negativity in response.

I say give it a try and see for yourself. Durability is huge and you may find you like the look.

 

this tread sounds like i like vanilla and vanilla is great.

i dont care to try chocolate because vanilla is the bestest.
i love vanilla. vanilla is the great.

hahaha

 

My MC is Chili red and as Nick says, Zaino on the red looks wet. I like it and like the durability and the beading. That being said, I recently tried Hydro on top of the zaino....I used the Hydro really to just be as a booster, but the Hydro does make the red look as wet as the zaino but it also makes the red look richer....this has been mentioned with Epic and I thought how could it be any better looking than the zaino makes it but I think I am sold and like the richer wet look and will be switching to epic shortly....,I hear its durability is close or same as zaino

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm just gonna give the Zaino line a try since I purchased it but will also give Prima a go once the Zaino runs out-unless I can find someone who wants to purchase or trade the freshly bought Zaino kit :(. I just finished detailing my 96 Cavalier Coupe with Autozone stuff. This was my first complete detail including dawn, clay, swirl remover and wax. Took a total of 6 hours-which included the 2 hour interior detail(carpet and upholstery scrub down). I'm really happy with the results and cannot see the swirl marks anymore-these weren't deep to begin with. Being white, color richness isn't obvious but definitely a glossy look. I cannot wait to try the Zaino on my Nightfire red/black roof Clubbie. :D

 

IzzyG- please come back with a review showing NXT2.0 out does
Zaino and Prima.


then you will be banned.

 

kenchan- Bleh! :P

I'm gonna detail my 2000 Cougar tomorrow morning. It's a metallic charcoal so hopefully it'll have a deeper gloss. We'll see. =D

 

I have been using Zaino on all of our cars beginning with our '03 MC. It is Liquid Yellow and 6 years later looks as it did when we first picked her up.

I'm not sure what "tedious" means to you folks - but Zaino is the easiest product I have EVER used. Just set aside some time, follow the directions, apply each coat, let it dry properly while relaxing in your lawn chair enjoying a cold beverage and reap the rewards...

My final testimony and why I will forever use Zaino occurred on our break in drive on my '04 JCW. We were driving up the Great River Road in Illinois in October of that year. Before we left home I Zainoed the Dark Silver MINI. Somewhere around Galena Illinois we were treated to some sort of insect migration. It sounded like hail hitting the car. The windshield required hot water and liberal applications of Invisible Glass to restore visibility. Amazingly very few insect carcasses adhered to the painted surfaces treated with Zaino.

I am an old geezer who looks for easy solutions to difficult stuff. Zaino stands up the the Midwestern sun in summer and salt on the roads in winter. It simply rocks.

Bear

 

Tedious, to some people, is several steps of polishing and waxing, when they could have got the same results in their eyes with just 2 steps with another brand.

The same goes for any other product on the market today. Any brand will look good if you do it right and follow the directions given by the company. Nufinish can look good if you know what the hell you are doing. I've noticed with many Zanio users that they hail it as the "end all, be all" of car detailing products because Zaino explicitly told them that "if you do not do it exactly this way, it will not work". They probably didn't bother to read the directions on their previous turtle wax, meguairs, mothers, or other brand that they first tried becuase they listened to the Karate kid, rather than the makers of the product.