Zaino Tips

[JonnyMiata]

Just to give you some background of why I am a distributor for Zaino Brothers Show Car Products: I have tried almost every wax and polish you can think of. I got tired of looking for one that lasted a long time and was easy to use. Once I found it I decided to sell it as a side business.

The reason why Sal Zaino does not sell his products in stores is because he thinks it is important for people who use and love these products to be selling them. If you were to go to a store and buy his polishes and try to use them and you don't use them the right way then there will probably be a bad feeling towards his products an others will hear that from you so I think he is doing it the right way.

That being said, let me tell you how to use these products. BTW you can get all the info you want on these products at www.zainobros.com. First off you want to wash your car in some sort of dishwashing soap (i.e. Dawn). This will take all and any wax off of the car so don't make it a habit to use this when cleaning your car. It will defeat the purpose of waxing or polishing your car. I usually clay my car after washing it. This is done by using a clay bar (similar to modeling clay) with some diluted carwash in a spray bottle. You spray the solution on a section of the car and then rub the clay bar over that section. After you are done with that section, dry it off and move to the next section. After the whole car is complete you can wash it again in dishwashing liquid if there is some clay residue or start the polishing process.

The old way of polishing with Zaino polish was that you used Z1 first. Z1 is their "polish lok" product that acts as a pre-cleaner and gloss conditioner. I think of it as a primer for the polish. You can still buy this product but it just takes more time. You would put this on the car and let it sit for about 2 hours and then put the polish (Z2 or Z3 depending if you have clearcoat or not) over the top and let it dry and then buff off. Depending on the humidity, you would let this dry as long as possible or for at least a couple hours. I usually let it sit over night.

Things have changed. The new ZFX Flash Cure Agent is actually mixed with the Z2 or Z3 to make it cure faster (30 mins) and then you buff/wipe it off. No need for the Z1. After buffing off the Z2 or 3 then you want to follow it up by spraying a very soft rag with Z6, which is a Gloss Enhancer spray (quick detailer) to remove static and lock in the shine. You are then done.

The best part of this process is that you can layer this up as many times as you want. I know a guy in our club who has about 8 coats on his Miata and it is outstanding. The protection lasts about 6 months if you keep your car outside all the time, more if it is garaged.

What I have found with my dealings with this is make sure your car is cool when you do this. That is very important. Also if you get streaks after this process, just wet a soft towel and rub it over the car when it is cool and they should go away.

I only wash my cars twice a year with the dishwashing liquid and clay them. All the other times just wash with the Zaino carwash, dry, and then finish up with the Z6 and you are done.

I use a California water blade and a leaf blower to dry off my cars. It gets all the water out from behind badges, lights, doorhandles, lugnut holes, and any other little hiding spot. You can buy one for about $30 at the hardware store.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Happy cleaning!

Jonny

 

[ZiO]

My name is Sal too... do i get a discount?

 

[jroof]

Thanks for the write-up. I'll be buying some in the spring.

 

[DooMer_MP3]

Interesting writeup. I might have to check it out. Question though: Now that you can just apply ZFX and buff it out, don't you have to apply a wax afterwards? Or is this some kind of crazy all-in-one polish wax compound?

Chris

 

[JonnyMiata]

Good question. The Z3 is actually a polish....not a wax. So once you buff it, and I use the term buff lightl, you just apply the Z6 spray and you are done. Now if you want to layer it up you would mix the ZFX and Z3 together and then apply again and then do the Z6 as many times as you would like.

This stuff is best used in very very very thin coats. You don't want to clump this stuff on. The thinner the better. Give the polish applicator (a sponge covered in terry cloth) a quick sot of Z6 before applying the Z3 so it doesn't all get absorbed in to the applicator.

When you buff it off, all you are doing is wiping the car down. No elbow grease needed like waxes. You get no wax build up. There is no yellowing like other waxes can give you. It is like an all-in-one type of polish. It also has nice sunscreen built into this polish to protect your paint from the harmful rays of the sun.

I should also mention that CLAYING the car is the single most noticeable thing you can do to the paint on your car to make it as smooth as glass. You can even do it on new cars. You will not believe the difference.

Jonny

 

[ZG77_OzZ]

There based in NJ

I will be getting the kit this summer also...

 

[Dexter]

im assuming the mazdaspeed will be clear coated....yes?

 

[JonnyMiata]

Almost all cars nowadays are clearcoated. Many of the first Miatas were not. The MSP's are definitely clearcoated because they are have metallic paint.

Jonny

 

[Newf]

so let me do a list that I'd need for the MSP.

As a Minimum req.

1. Z2 - 12.95
2. Z6 - 9.95
3. Claybar - 16.95
4. ZFX - 19.95
5. Car wash - 7.95
6. Applicator - free
Total 67.75 - US

Which equals
$3000.00 in Canada.

But, how long can these measly 8 0z bottles last. And how much of the ZFX are you supposed to mix with the 8 oz bottles....and will the zfx last for an entire 8oz Z2 bottle? less or more?

I've always wanted to try this stuff, but in Canada this stuff is big time $$$$$

 

[Newf]

Canadian dealer for Zaino !!!


http://www.car-fanatic.com/

Ontario

 

[alcoholiday]

Canadian dealer for Zaino !!!


http://www.car-fanatic.com/

Ontario

i just ordered a pile of it from them. i'll report back on how i found it.

my P5's paint looks like absolute hell right now. the clearcoat is swirled to death so i'm really hoping it works well. the car looks awful. i'm embarrassed.

i ended up having to buy the non-clearcoat polish for my other car so the whole shooting match cost a bit more.

$130CAN. i hope it's worth it. i imagine i'd easily spend that much getting only one car detailed professionally.

fingers crossed.

 

[JonnyMiata]

I can give you a guideline on how much ZFX to use with the Z2. You are supposed to use 4-5 drops of ZFX to mix with Z2 in the 2 oz.mixing bottles you get with your ZFX . For reference, I use about a half an ounce to do my whole Miata. I use about 2 drops with that amount of Z2. So I am guessing that to do the MSP you would use just a little over a quarter of an ounce of Z2 and 3 drops of ZFX. That should do it. Remember, use very thin applications of this. You will also need to make sure to get all of the polish out of the mixing bottle so you can reuse it. The best way to do this is with dishwashing liquid and a small bottle brush.

 

[bluetribal]

I totally recomend this wax. My cousin details cars on the weekend so he is always waxn' mine at least twice a year. Now his on the other hand has 15 coats of the stuff and it looks like a damn bowling ball. It is amazing. Plus it leaves NO chalky resedue. You guys won't be disapointed.

 

[alcoholiday]

A-1

well, i'm finished with the Z-1 and one coat of Z-5 plus the Z-6 and so far, i'm very impressed. i'm planning on doing 2 or 3 coats of Z-5 before i do a final of Z-2.

i'm taking pictures of the rub mark caused by my moonroof deflector since this is the most severe damage my clearcoat has. i'm not expecting it to disappear fully but it should show a great improvement. plus, it's easiest to photograph.

anyway, so far i'm happy.

picture 1: no polish

picture 2: Z1 + 1 coat of Z-5 + Z-6

i'm letting the 2nd coat of Z-5 sit overnight now.

 

[buster]

I usually use mothers soap to wash the car bi-weekly, and once every 3 months I use the Pre Wax cleaner and then the Carnuba wax. My car is black which shows swirls like crazy, if not for the wife using a cheap and nasty snow brush, the finish would be immaculate. As it sits, I always have comments on how good the finish looks, and how little swirl marks I have. By the way, * 100% * cotton towels with the edges trimmed are the way to go. I usually use one but rinse it three of four times while washing to keep the dirt out of it. Same goes for drying, turn the towels often to keep from dragging dirt or dust across the paint. I am going to take the easy way out this spring and take the car to a local Benz dealer to have the outside detailed and polished.