R888

I was wondering am I do it in the right direction, hope u all bro can help me out.

Car wash
Z2
Z6
Z2 again
Z6

Am I right? I also have ZFX with the blue little bottle. How does that work? I don't understand the empty bottle's purpose?

The Zaino website I search many times without steps.

Please help your Bro. Ziano Rocks!!

Thank you

yiksing

Car wash
Car wash
Z2
Z6
Z2
Z6

Raptor2k

The ZFX comes in a small blue bottle. The empty bottles are for mixing. You put about 1-2 ounces of Z2 in a bottle, add a few drops of ZFX and shake. The ZFX just makes work Z2 work better I guess.

R888

just 1 coat of Z2 n Z6

ndtechie09

For the first time using Zaino:
Dawn Wash
Z7 Wash
Claybar
Z-PC Fusion (Not all the time as this is very abrasive)
Z6
Z2
Z6
Z5
Z6
Z2
Z6

Note that the Dawn wash is only for the first time as it is used to strip all of the old wax off of the car and help prepare for the Zaino. You can repeat the Z2,Z6,Z5 steps as many times as you like but I do believe they don't recommend more than 3 coats in 24hours. Also make sure that you do use ZFX to activate Z2 and Z5. Check out their leather cleaner and conditioner, you won't be disappointed.

IJM

I did mine for the first time on Friday. My car is a one month old Velocity Red. Here's the procedure I used:

Z7 wash. No need for Dawn because I'm claying and Z-PCing which will remove any polish anyway. Also I used hot water which also contributes to wax removal.
Rinse. (Didn't bother drying at this stage)
Clay with Z7 wash mixture as lube. I cut Z18 claybar into 8 pieces and used a different piece for each part of the car. Plus if I dropped a piece (which I didn't) I had plenty left. Also used warm water for the Z7 lube as it helped keep the clay warm.
Z7 wash again to remove any clay film.
Rinse and dry using Microfibre Waffle Weave Towels.
Z-PC with Porter-Cable and SFX-2 polishing pad to remove swirl marks. (There weren't many swirls, but there was some)
Z6 (I tried not to let the Z-PC dust, but I did get a bit, so a quick Z6 detail removed any dust there was).
Z2-Pro with ZFX (Applied with Microfibre applicator pre-spritzed with Z6)
Leave for 15-20 mins then buff off with Microfibre Concours Buffing Towel
Z6
Z2-Pro with ZFX again
Buff off
Z6
Z2-Pro with ZFX for the last time (only supposed to do 3 in a day)
Buff off
Z8 Grand Finale
Don sunglasses to look at car.

This left the paint silky smooth. In fact it was so slick, I had difficulty opening the boot (i.e. trunk). My fingers just slipped off the paintwork!

Raptor2k

How well of a job did ZPC+SFX-2 do for your swirls? Got any pics?

IJM

No pics unfortunately. To be honest there weren't many swirls there to begin with. Any that were there were there when I bought the car. I've been very careful not to add any when I washed it until the weather was good enough to properly zaino it.

After washing and claying, a first pass on the trunk with Z-PC and an SFX2 pad with the PC running at 4.5 seemed to have little effect. I remembered seeing your thread a few months back, so I knew it could be difficult. I tried again applying pressure this time and going as high as 6. It removed some of the worse swirls, but I'd be lying if I said it was perfect.

In the end I went over the whole car, with pressure, on 6 and got rid of what swirls I could. Remember, this was a near new car with not that many swirls to begin with. The only swirls left after Z-PC weren't immediately obvious and you'd have to be looking for them. What with the changeable weather over here, I decided to press ahead with Z2ing it anyway. I could have Z5'd first, but Z5 isn't supposed to be that effective. I look forward to Z5-pro.

That said the car came up great and I'm pleased with it. In six months time I'll have another go with a more effective polish and pad. I'll still use the Z-PC, but as a glaze with a finishing pad to remove anything left behind by the other polish.

With your experience and mine, the VR's paint seems to be tough. I wonder if Mazda are starting to use similar paint to the german manufacturers with their ultra hard clearcoats.

Would someone with more experience of polishing care to comment on the RX-8's paint?

IJM

I've just re-read your thread on Autopia. If I understand correctly, you ended up using Poorboys SSR2.5. What pad did you end up using though, a polishing pad or a cutting pad?

Raptor2k

I tried both the orange and yellow cutting pads. They ended up having the same effect, using speeds 5/6 with pressure...the swirls aren't as severe now but some are still there if you try looking in very bright light. I have feeling it's just the nature of the paint, because a pad+polish usually removes swirls almost (if not) completely on other cars.

time4akshun

How to from Zaino's website (Includes ClayBar):

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Before using a Z-18 ClayBar™ on your car, you must thoroughly clean and dry your car to remove any loose dirt. Direct sunlight should not fall on your car's surface, and it's best if the work area is relatively cool to prevent rapid evaporation of the clay lubricant. Do not risk scratching your car; if you drop your clay bar, throw it away!


To use Z-18 ClayBar™, you spray a water-based lubricant on a small area of your car and rub the bar back and forth with light to medium pressure. If the lubricant begins to dry, you'll need to spray more. Z-18 is fairly sticky, and cannot be used dry. If you try using it dry, you'll make a big mess. We suggest mixing one cap full of Z-7 Show Car Wash with water in a 16 ounce spray bottle. Z-6 also works as a lubricant for Z-18 ClayBar, but Z-7 Show Car Wash is much more cost effective.


After a few passes with the Z-18 ClayBar™, rub your hand over the area to feel if the surface contamination was removed. Keep rubbing until all contamination bumps are gone. Finally, wipe the clay residue off with a soft terrycloth towel, and buff to a nice luster. Just like polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish, work in small areas.


Check your Z-18 ClayBar frequently for hard particles. When found, pick them off. Make it a habit to occasionally knead and reform the bar so that a fresh portion of the bar contacts your car's paint. If you drop your bar of clay on the ground, it's history. Toss it out. Don't take any chances, discard the clay bar if it becomes impregnated with grit.


Do not overuse. A single bar will do 3-4 medium size cars with moderate contamination. If you are removing heavy overspray or rail dust, use the bar once and throw it away.


When you're finished claying your car, you should wash it with Z-7 Show Car Wash to remove the lubricant film. Finally, seal your freshly cleaned paint with your choice of Z-2 Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes, Z-3 Show Car Polish for Non-clear Coated Paint, or Z-5 Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches.

hedgecore

good tips guys!

so, can i use a porter cable or dewalt orbital to remove the hazed over z2?

On the zaino site it's always 100% cotton this, 100% cotton that....

I tried 100% cotton and some microfiber towels...much prefered the microfiber...i wasn't brave enough to use the orbital...what do you guys think?

Renesis_8

Wow very detailed guys! That'll help with my first Zaino I am planning to do soon!

My car has never been waxed before after coming off the dealership. Just last week, I picked up a claybar and some quick detailer and clayed the car (1st timer, figure I'd learn before buying my Zaino), it works pretty good, but very temporary. Now I wanna zaino the car, and got a few questions to ask you guys.

Should I use Dawn to wash the car? I have never waxed it before, but maybe the dealership did apply a layer of some cheap wax on it? I dont know, but its been a year, its probably gone?

I just clayed it last week, and I'll be picking up the Zaino starter package, should i use the claybar included with the package and clay the car again? I read somewhere that its not good to claybar the car so often, maybe once every 6 months.

Okay and one more question, a very newbie one sorry, when you say you buff off the Z2, do you use a electrical buffer? or buff it by hand with a towel in swirling patterns =D
________
NASTY_FLOWERXXX

New Yorker

1. Yes, you should use Dawn the first time you Zaino. It's possible the dealer did put something on the car; the Dawn will take it off.

2. If you clayed the car properly (i.e. the paint felt glass smooth to the touch) last week, there's no need to clay it again.

3. I believe Zaino recommends buffing with 100% cotton towels rather than an electric buffer. (Some people like to use an electric buffer to apply Zaino, but their website suggests that this wastes too much Zaino; they say you might as well do it by hand.)

4. Zaino says make sure the towels are really 100% cotton, which means using name brand (i.e. Cannon) towels. (Apparently many cheaps towels are labeled "100% cotton" but actually are not.)

5. Zaino says a tip for getting the best shine is to not buff off using circular motions. (You can apply the stuff using that way, though.) For buffing off, they say it's best to use a) straight up-and-down motions on the sides of the car, and b) straight front-to-back motions on the top surfaces (roof, trunk and hood).

Good luck!

Renesis_8

niceeee, Thanks a lot New Yorker!!
________
Best_Sexy_Sugar

Easy_E1

iTrader: (2)

Man I am going to have to get some and do the Snowflake White.

IJM

With regard to the use of cotton products, I use microfibre stuff on my '8.

A microfibre waffle weave drying towel for drying; a microfibre applicator to apply Zaino; a microfibre buffing towel to buff it off and a microfibre detailing towel to quick detail it with Z6 or Z8. It's good stuff, it minimises scratching and swirls and I recommend it.

Having said that: not all microfibre products are created equal. There are substandard microfibre products out there just like there are substandard cotton towels. "Microfibre" is a bit of a buzz word at the moment and that means that there are a lot of "microfibre" products out there that either aren't microfibre or is microfibre but it's poor. I got my gear from Autopia which I know does quality gear.

Now, I'm not saying that cotton is bad, just that I chose to go the microfibre route as it seems to be widely recommended in the detailing industry.

There is another reason for applying and buffing like this, and that is that any swirl marks that you do unintentionally introduce during your detailing process will be straight lines all running in the same direction, which means that it restricts the angles at which they will be visible in the prevailing lighting conditions. Whereas circular motions would introduce marks visible from all directions.

This means that not just application and buffing should be done this way, but also washing, drying, claying and quick detailing.

There is a useful page in Autopia's How-To about using Zaino here >>> Autopia: Enhance Your Zaino Experience. It discusses the use of a PC in the Zainoing process, but although I have a PC, I still do it by hand.

I hope this helps.