s2kdriver80

I think I'm going to be applying Zaino on the car tomorrow. I've read through the Zaino threads and although they've helped greatly, there are some minor questions I still have. The ones that I'm not sure about have question marks - OK so .....


1. Wash with Dawn

2. Do I need to dry the car at this point?

3. Z-18 clay bar with Z7/water solution

4. Wash the car down with Z7 and dry car

5. Prepare Z2/ZFX and Z5/ZFX solutions in the bottles

6. Now this is the part that's still not clear to me - the instructions say that you can apply Z2/ZFX and Z5/ZFX in any order. What order should be followed? I know that Z6 should be used in between every polish application.

7. Do you do all the Z5/ZFX that you need to do before you think about touching the Z2/ZFX?

8. If so, since removing swirls actually takes very thin layers of clear coat out, should I just do one Z5/ZFX and then move on to Z2/ZFX --> and how much coats of the Z2/ZFX?

9. The instructions say at least an hour yet he says that in the Arizona sun he just waits a few minutes. Should I just wait until the polish dries and hazes and just go ahead with the next coat?

10. End with Z2/ZFX then Z6

11. Wash car?

Note - on the site, it says to not polish the car more than 3 times with the ZFX enabled polishes but I see some people going to town with like 10 coats - is this ok? Should I put tape over moldings and black trim to prevent discoloration or is Zaino safe?

Thanks for helping out a moron.

wanabe

wow- lots a qs... will give it a try:
yes dry after washing with dawn (to prevent possible water spots)
you wont be removing any swirls, since you are using a swirl cover... if you really want to remove swirls, you should clay, then use a true remover (3m swirl remover, for example).
i like to give the z2 cure time, and dont use zfx any more. but not saying you shouldnt.
most of us have so many coats of z2 cause we have applied them so many times (mine is in the 20+ coats- but about to all be removed for swirl removal).
you dont need to wash the car after beginning the z2 process- in fact you should not wash it.
my motto- keep it simple! (if you are new at zaino, i think you should just do the z2/zfx (i do z1 z2 cause im old fashioned and like to use the cure time to work on other parts of the car) and forget z5 and z6- do those next time).

xviper

This is my take on it:
3 layers is the "base" coat. After this, you car done for a while. A "while" being till you need to wash and polish the car again OR like me, it can be 5-6 months.
#2: No, if you are going to claybar, no need to dry the car as you as you are going to use something wet anyway with the claybar. Only dry the car if you doing it in the sun to prevent the car from drying out prematurely and leaving water spots.
#5: You don't need to prepare both Z2 and Z5 at the same time. Prepare at the time you are about to use it.
#6: This depends on the color of your car and how visible the swirls marks are. If they are quite visible, you should just do the first 3 coast with Z5. If you can't really see the swirls, like on a siver car, then do the 3 coats in Z2. Later, you can use the Z5 when you do develop swirls.
#8: It is my understanding that Z5 is NOT a swirl remover but rather a swirl "hider", so you aren't really removing any more paint than by using just Z2.
#9: Always wait till it dries and hazes before buffing off. Test a small piece to see if it is dry.
When you completely finished (ie. last coat buffed off) you can either just leave it or use Z6 if you want to make sure all the residue has been removed and you are done. No need to wash it again. It's already clean.

mntony

I think xviper hit it pretty good. Water spots aren't a big concern before claying because claying will remove the spots. That is, if you are going to clay the whole car. If only claying parts, go ahead and dry.

Z5 hides swirls - there is no clear-coat effects. I tend to do one or the other, Z5 or Z2. Ideally, you want Z2 on top because it looks better. The number of Z5 layers depends on the amount of swirl masking you want or need. If you have little or no swirl marks, go right to Z2.

I think the 3-coat limit on the Zaino site means that's all they recommend in a single day. Without ZFX, it's even lower (1 or 2? wanabe?). Once you have one coat on with ZFX, you don't need to keep using ZFX, but I do because I'm too impatient to wait for the curing time.

Like wanabe said, you can make this as simple or as complex as you'd like. I think last time I used Z5, I mixed up 1/2 ounce or so and did two coats. And that was it for that day. A few weeks later, when I had some time (or made some time), I did 1/2 ounce of Z2 for three coats. I seem to spread Z5 a tad thicker than Z2.

Any way you do it, you should enjoy the process and especially the results.

s2kdriver80

Wow, thanks guys - lots of good information. Is there anything that needs to be covered while applying Zaino on the car? Like moldings, edges of the softtop, wiper blade arms, etc.

mntony

Nope - Zaino comes cleanly off nearly everything. Well, don't get it on the top, I guess...

s2kdriver80

Thanks - and one more quickie ...

Since I have to wait 30 min - 1 hour (depending on air and temp conditions) after applying the polish, would it be OK if I were to Zaino the car in my driveway as opposed to doing it in the garage? Doing it outside would definitely be ideal since it is nice and bright and I can see better (to see what part needs more buffing, etc) but I wonder if I'm to leave the car for a half hour outside, would stuff from trees, dirt, foreign objects (etc) get stuck onto the drying Zaino polish and therefore be bad when I rub along the paint during buffing? When I waxed with Zymol on my other cars, I wouldn't have to worry about this since I would usually take it off a couple of minutes after applying so there wasn't much time for dirt and contaminants to fall onto the paint.

xviper

Zaino is one the few products that can be used in the sun, however, doing it outside does present the problem of getting windblown dust and dirt paritcles falling on the car. When you buff off the Zaino, you'll risk dragging all the grit around the paint. If this is a possibility, then doing it in a sheltered location is advised. I usually just have the garage door open with the car inside. During the daytime, plenty of light gets in to do a proper job.
In case you didn't see it in the instructions, try to use an up and down motion when applying the Zaino and motion that runs at right angles to the edges on the horizontal surfaces. This supposedly gives the best optical shine. Buffing off, it doesn't matter really how you do it. A power buffer (meant for cars) will produce the best results when buffing.

s2kdriver80

Thanks everyone for helping me out with advice and information.

I had a late start today (started at around 11 AM). I did the whole interior (vacuumed, cleaned everything, then Vinylex'ed everything besides the leather, then Lexol'ed the seats, door inserts, and elbow rest). Then, I washed the car down very very thoroughly with Dawn, making sure all road, tar, and bug bits were off the paint surface (sometimes having to redo a panel), then wheels, then clay barred using Z18. Rewashed with Z7 then thoroughly dried. Then, I applied Z5/ZFX. By the time I applied it, it was getting dark out and I figured I'd finished the rest off tomorrow. So tomorrow, I plan on buffing out the Z5/ZFX, go over with Z6, then apply Z2/ZFX with Z6 again afterwards. That's all I'll have time for since I have to go somewhere. I think that should be enough for an average car enthusiast. Next time I'll just have to get up earlier if I want to do more coats in a day LOL.

Is it a job and a half to rinse out those 2 oz mixing bottles or is it relatively painless?

mntony

Use rubbing alcohol to clean the bottles. It dissolves the Zaino. Follow with a little dishwashing detergent.

Next time, you won't have all those preperatory steps. It will go much, much faster!