Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics AAAARRGGGG!!!

Rainshdw,

T-shirts won't work, even if they're 100% cotton. They still have stiching in them,
which isn't 100%. This *can* cause scratches.

Also, the shirts have been washed and dried
many of times, which doesn't make them
function like they should.

Brand new, 100% cotton towels made in the
good 'ol US of A. Cut off the ends, as those
aren't cotton.

Zaino works wonderful on even a white car,
so it'll work great on silver. Guys, what
you have to understand is that one application lasts 6 months!!!! Try *THAT*
with any other wax.

Sal Zaino himself has told me that the car
REALLY starts to shine after the 10th coat.

I'm more than half-way there.

Also, between every coat of Z2/Z5, apply
Z6. This will make the car 'slick' again,
and it will be a little easier to apply the
next coat.

Wait 24 hours before applying another coat of
either Z2 or Z5. It takes that long for the
Zaino to cure and protect the paint like it
should.

I've seen a '98 black with 30 coats of Zaino
applied, and lemme tell ya something, I have
something to look forward to. It was honesly
hard to see what color the car was it was
so bright and shiny.

If you think it wont' work on silver, go
to the Zaino website and check out the pictures. I rest my case. :p

LOL @ T-Red.

Think I'll do a coat of Z5 tomorrow. heh.

John
-Zaino freak

one grand blitz wax. Impressive stuff. ~$18 can. www.carcareonline.com .

I spent just over $100 on Zaino stuff, including:
z1, z2, z5,z6, z7, z18, and 12 applicator pads. Plus $30 for 3 towels on sale.

Did the dark blue F-150 first, then the silver SVT. Can't comment on how long it lasts as its only been a month for the longest vehicle. But with only time for 2 coats of Z5 and 1 Z2, the truck looks amazing. I week of hard rain and water is beading up and running all over.

You must use a clay bar. Order from Zaino and you get two bars, the Meguiers kit come with one for plus some polish that you aren't going to use for the same $18. Starting with a smooth surface makes a huge difference. I missed a strip of clay bar on the truck about 3" wide by 10" long on the driver side bed. I can see and feel the difference.

I'm ready to order some more Z1, Z5 and Z2. Between the two vehices, I used up a bit. The Z6 bottle will last probably all summer. The Z7 car wash is so concetrated it'll probably last me two years.


Besides the protection and shine, I like Zaino the most because it takes about $20 to wash and dry the SVT, 30 min for the F-150.

I need to ge some pictures of the SVT after Zanio as I had just taken some before.

And the most famous link for Zaino freaks...
http://www.corral.net/Forums/Forum13/HTML/000017.html

Aaron

JVT thanks for the info!!

I'll get some towels...obviously you wash these towels after you use them right???

Glad you asked... Hehe.

Yes, wash them, but with only regular soap and water. Rinse them thoroughly, and I mean THOROUGHLY. Do not use washing detergent, as some particles will get stuck
in the towel, and you don't want that on your paint. This is directly from Sal Zaino himself. Not to mention that over time it ruins the absorbancy and softness of the towels.

Also, do not put them in the dryer, let them air dry. Dryer will form a static on the towels. Another thing you don't want. Also directly from Sal Zaino himself.

But yes, wash them after every time you use them. I keep a spare towel for the Z6, which doesn't need to be cleaned nearly as often.

John

Well, I went to Sam's Club today....

They 'do' sell Fieldcrest/Cannon towels there, but the 6-pack that's for $18 is NOT
what you want. It says it's 100% cotton, but
inspecting up close, in parantheses, it states that it's not true 100% cotton. It's actually 86% Cotton and 14% polyester. OOPS.

The only true 100% cotton towels they had were small hand towels, which are way to small to use on the car. They were probably only about 1'x1'.

I bought towels from Sears, and I've been pretty happy with them.

There is a place on the internet somewhere that sells true 100% cotton Fieldcrest/Cannon towels for cheap, but I forgot the address. If I find it, I'll post it here.

Happy Zaino'ing.

John

P.S. Did my friend's '99 GT that's never been waxed or polished, and needless to say, he's thrilled with the results.

Next question...you said the 1x1 was too small...do you use your towels full size or cut them up into smaller pieces? Plus what size do you buy and how many? AND couldn't U use a dryer sheet to eliminate staic cling?

oh and about the T-shirt thing...for the last 2 years I have been using a 100% cotton cloth to apply my polish (Meguiars deep crystal) and then a clean, white t-shirt with the sleeves, neck and waist cutt off to clean and buff, . Therefore no other by-products, like nylon which will scratch. Actually I use one to clean the polish off and one to buff. I really haven't had too much of a problem with swirls after I polished it. I always get compliments on it. Oh and do I really need the clay bar? my paint is very clean!! I was my car at least twice a week, sometimes more depending. I use dawn once a month or so and polish most every time too. I can't stand a dirty car!!

Sorry about all the questions, just curious :

I use ones that are about 1'x2'. You can
fold it and use it more than a 1'x1' towel. Sure, a 1'x1' will work, but you'll have to use a lot of them. 1'x2' doubles the size.

I have 4 of these 1'x2' towels, and one of them is for to use with Z6. 3 is enough to use on the entire car.

Using a dryer sheet might work, but I'm just telling you what Sal Zaino told *ME*. Take it however you wanna take it.



Chances are you are not hurting the paint with the T-shirts, but I'm sure they've been washed quite a few times. If it works good for you, by all means use the T-shirts, as long as they don't have any non-cotton stiching. Don't know how well an old T-shirt will 'absorb' and 'take off' the Zaino though. Again, if it works for you, use them.



Do you *think* you need to do the clay bar? If you run your hand over your paint, and it's not completely smooth, and you can feel impurities on it, then it's worth doing it. I didn't think my paint needed it, but boy, was I wrong. Helped tremendously. I would do it if I were you. It's not NEEDED, but it's RECOMENDED.

If you use Dawn once a month, you are basically stripping the wax once a month. DAWN is a strong concentrate which will strip just about any kind of wax, Meguiar's included, off of the clearcoat. Washing the car often with Dawn will slowly but surely damage the clearcoat. Once a month is nothing to worry about, but again, you're stripping the Meguiar's every time you wash the car with DAWN.

Fire away w/ questions, I've got nothing better to do anyway.

John

Where do they sell zaino? or where can i get some zaino?