In all honesty I don’t think Zaino has any products to really deal with swirls. Z5 is advertised to help remove swirls. When I first did my truck it had those very light micro scratches, you know the kind from maybe someone washing it once or twice. Was hard to notice but in the light you could tell.

I used 3 coats of the Z5 as a base and it did a good job of “covering” the micro scratches as I can not see how it would remove them since it is also advertised as having no abrasives in it.

If I were going to try something with swirls then I would try the Z5 and do at least 3 coats and see what you think. However, if someone has real swirls, the kind that are easy to see I don’t know if Z5 will help much. As like with any of the other Zaino products only apply it in straight up and down or side to side motions and not circular.

If you do intend on trying Z5 with at least 3 coats and what to do so in the same day you will need ZFX which is a cure accelerator that will let you apply up to 3 coats in one day. Otherwise you have to wait, I believe, 8 – 12 hours between coats for it to bond properly.

RockPick, your take on how Z5 does would be interesting since you have so much experience with Maguire’s and since you know that Z5 has no abrasives in it…

 

RP,

Nope.......... no SMR from Sal yet. The rumor-mill has it that he's working on one though?

My advise is to get the paint as "perfect" as possible before the "Z" process and not rely on any products to fill them. I recently did my wife's car as follows........

Light claying
Medallion paint cleaner with the PC.
SSR2.5 on a couple areas with the rotary and a polishing pad.
SSR2 with the PC and a polishing pad on the rest of the vehicle..
Menzerna FP II and a finishing pad with the PC for a mirror like finish.

Needless to say, the paint looked extremely nice after that prep.

Then, I did a quick S & W to make sure all residue was off the paint and applied 2 coats of Z2 (with ZFX) with a quick wipe down with Z8 between the coats.

 

What numbers would I use on my black truck if I was to purchase Zaino. I would like to try it from what everyone else is saying about it. Thanks

 

RockPick,

I’ll have to agree with Boss and Sport in that Zaino still doesn’t really have the “filler” qualities that some other products have to take care of swirls. But when was the last time the Swirl Fairy visited your truck anyway? In almost every other area though, the new Z2 and Z8 combination really kicks butt. Yes, I (like Boss) did some swirl removal using my PC and a combination of Scratch X and Liquid Ebony first. The very first coat of Z2 left a velvety smooth surface with a very different feel than anything I’ve used to date. Following Boss’s hint, I actually applied two coats of Z2, both followed by Z8. Like I predicted, because of my detailing activities, the weather is supposed to go right down the tubes up here this weekend. That’ll give me a chance to report back on how well the new combination holds up!

 

Well Friday I had a chance to use my Z2 Pro and the new Z8 detail spray. I washed the truck with Z7 carwash, dried and then preceded on putting a coat of Z2 Pro. As per Bosses recommendation I buffed that coat off and then used the Z8.

Put a second coat of Z2 Pro and again followed that up with the Z8. So in all it only got 2 coats of the Z2 Pro and Z8. I was going to go for 3 coats each but since it was quite warm out I used more Z2 Pro then I anticipated so didn’t have quite enough for a 3rd coat.

All I can say is WOW!!!! I really didn’t think it could look much better then it already did. Now in fairness the truck already had 3 coats of Z2 (non-Pro) before winter storage, which was on top of another 2 – 3 coats last summer.

The truck was stored in the garage and covered for winter. In other words the truck came out of storage with basically fresh polish on it that hadn’t an opportunity to wear off. This is why I did not think I would be all that impressed with the new Z2 Pro and Z8.

I was wrong and noticed a difference. It is a bit hard to describe but it does look more wet, more in depth, does feel more slick, I would say it seems more defined then before, a more warm look, just has a glow that’s hard to describe, like a hypnotic glow that just attracts your attention but hard to turn away from, and really has that car show appearance, I am talking the high class car show appearance…

 

Flareside150,

Switching to the Zaino system is not an inexpensive proposition. You need to be committed to it, as it is best to use all the Zaino products together as a system for maximum results. Anyhow, here's a minimum list:

Z7... Car Wash.
ZFX... Accelerator.
Z2-Pro... Sealant
Z5... Sealant (you can do without this one, but some like it on dark colors after a couple coats of Z2-Pro)
Z6... QD
Z8... Spray Sealant

Not having to do with the paint:

Z16... Tire Gloss (An excellent one)

Obviously, with any system, you want to get your paint prepped really well before the LSP. That is particulary true of Zaino. It is very "optically clear" and won't hide any
imperfections.

 

Ok thanks alot Boss.

 

I have a fair amount of imperfections in my paint that I would like have remain hidden. But I just got a job at one of the largest body shops in my state and I smell new paint job in my future.