wash with dawn soap
clay bar
wash again
dry off
S100 swirl remover
s100 wax

stand back and enjoy the shine

 

To all those Zaino guru's (Rockpick, etc )
How many coats of the Z2/Z5 can you get from the two ounce mixer bottle (with the ZFX added)? If it's more than enough to do 3 coats, how much do you put into the bottle before you mix in the ZFX?
The stuff's on the way and it looks like I've got my work cut out for me this weekend.
Thanks for any help.

 

I usually fill the bottle with just a tad bit more then 1 ˝ ounces of either the Z2 or Z5. I then add 8 drops of ZFX.

If you are putting it on correctly, thin, then you should get 3 coats no problem. I had a silver 01 and used the Z2. Now I have a Sonic Blue 03 L, dark color so I will be using the Z5.

This will be my first time using the Z5 but from all the reading I have done on Zaino, and that’s been a lot, it has always been recommended that Z2 for light colors and Z5 for dark colors.

Forget about using Z5 for swirl removal. It may work “slightly” but it will be very slight since it has no abrasives or fillers to actual cover up the swirls…

So with DSG you might want to think about using the Z5.

If this is your first time using it then after the first few coats you may not be real impressed. It takes at least 3, in my opinion, to make a difference, and if once you get 5 coats on HOLY DAMN the angles are singing…

 

O Boy....

Burt is in his glory now

 

Sport,
Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't think I'd need 2 ounces to do 3 coats.

Quote:
"...it has always been recommended that Z2 for light colors and Z5 for dark colors."

I got the impression (from the Zaino website) that the Z5 was a swirl remover (like you said) and the Z2 was a higher shine polish. I figured I'd do one coat of Z5 and 2-3 coats of Z2 with Z6 between each application. But maybe I'll just use the Z2 if I'm not going to really get anything from using the Z5. Anybody have a comment on that?

 

Damn straight, RockPick don't get down here often, hell I can say what ever I want... hehehe

 

go daddy go

 

Your welcome,

Yes there site states that Z5 is a swirl remover but many people have tried it and not got very good results.

However, with those that have used Zaino on both light and dark vehicles have stated time and time again that Z2 is the polish for light colors and that Z5 is the polish for dark colors, basically ignoring what it was originally advertised as.

You will get real good results with the Z2 on dark colors as well, but there was one gentleman that goes by the screen name of Harley#356 who tried both the Z2 and Z5 on his black Harley Ford and stated the Z5 had a better shine then did the Z2.

You might want to put a few coats of the Z5 on and then top it with the Z2 and see what you think. You will get something out of the Z5 because it is a polish as Z2 is and they are both compatible with each other, or will bond with each other so its more a matter of taste and the type of shine you get from either of them by themselves or doing a few coats of Z5 then Z2.

Now, don’t get me wrong the Z5 will help with very light and very minor swirls and/or scratches, more so then the Z2, but the Z5 is still basically a polish like Z2 and that is why some people have done 2 – 3 coats of Z5 and then topped it with a few coats of Z2.

In case you don’t have all the steps down here you go:


Zaino application tips

1. Wash truck with the dawn dishwashing soap. This will strip any wax or grease residue that may be present on the paint.

2. Get a 20oz size or so plastic spray bottle. Fill it 2/3 full of clean water. Put about half a cap (from the Zaino car wash bottle) of the Zaino car wash in with the water. Put the spray nozzle back on and mix solution.

You will use this to lubricate the paint when claying the truck.

3. Use the Zaino, or any good brand of clay. If it is the Zaino clay it comes with two pieces in the bottle. Take one and separate it into 2 pieces. Main reason for doing this is IF you DROP it on the ground you MUST throw the clay away. Do NOT bother trying to get the dropped clay clean because you will never get all the little dirt specks out, some you won’t see but if you try to use it after dropping on the ground you WILL see nice little scratches in your paint.

Now with your piece of clay in hand, spray the mixed solution on an area of about 1 sq foot. Spray generously (the solution is cheap so don’t worry about over kill) if you spray to lightly if will dry up quick, which makes it easy for the clay to STICK to the paint (no problem) except when it sticks you’ll most likely to drop it. Move the clay back and forth until it feels smooth or feels like it needs more lubrication. You will know if you are picking stuff up because it feels a bit rough, or kind of like clicking while you go back and forth. When it is real smooth you know the area is done. You may also find most the truck feels smooth as you clay, but down around the fenders, bottom of the door etc will most likely be the areas that need the claying.

As your claying you want to turn the clay frequently, knead it where you’re turning the area of the clay you used into itself to expose an area of clay that has not been used yet. If you use the same area of the clay, especially after you feel a rough spot on the paint surface you will be dragging the stuff you picked up across the paint. Myself I would recommend after you do 1 – 2 areas to knead the clay and use and area that hasn’t been used yet.

4. After you finish claying wash the truck again, this time use the Zaino car wash.

5. Dry the truck using 100% cotton towels (made in the USA). The good brands not the cheap crap from overseas, because even though they say 100% cotton they have other materials in them that could scratch the paint. There may be other recommendations for drying from other post so you decide which suits you best.

6. After the truck has been dried your ready to polish using the Zaino. If you do not have the ZFX I would HIGHLY recommend you get the ZFX. The following is assuming you’re using the ZFX, if not the dry time may be much longer after you put a coat on.

7. Mix the ZFX with the Z2 (light colors) Z5 (dark colors) using the 2oz bottles provided in the kit. If you fill the bottle close to 2oz then you will want about 8 drops of the ZFX. Mix well for about a minute. Let sit for about 5 minutes while you get things ready.

8. Get your applicator ready by wetting it and ringing it out good. This helps so it doesn’t absorb a lot of the polish. After the 5 minutes re-shake the bottle again and now you’re ready to polish. On the sides of the truck, doors, fenders, tailgate etc put the polish on in an up and down motion (not circular) just straight up and down. Put it on LIGHTLY I would say about a dime size amount of polish on the applicator will do about a 2 foot section or so.

On the hood, do the same straight application, from the windshield to the front of the hood, not from one side to the other, from the windshield to the front of the truck.

9. Once you are done applying the Zaino with the ZFX I would wait about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes find an area you can run you’re finger across to see if it is clear and shinny or if it looks smeared.

It WILL be HARD TO SEE the Zaino polish. I have silver and it is a pain to see. You will have to look at it at an angle until you can tell.

You want to make sure that it is NOT smearing. It won’t hurt the paint, it will mean the Zaino has not dried completely and it will be a PAIN IN THE @SS to take off. If it does smear with the finger test wait another 30 minutes or so.

When it is dry, it is very easy to buff off. If you feel like you’re really having to buff the hell out of it to get it off (towel DONT feel like it glides right across the paint) then it is not dry and it’s just smearing around.

IMPORTANT, when buffing off the polish to use same type of towels (100% cotton made in the USA). Turn your towel frequently when buffing off the Zaino polish, like any other polish/wax.

Once your done buffing off the first coat you can apply the second coat (only if you’re using the ZFX) otherwise I think you have to wait like 8 hours in between coat. When using the ZFX you can only put a max. of 3 coats on in a day. You should really notice a nice difference after 3 – 5 coats. Some people use the Zaino Gloss enhance (detail spray) in between coats. I have done it before and not done it and didn’t notice any real difference. So myself I wouldn’t waste it between coats.

Hope this helps a bit…

EDIT

I would highly recommend using MicroFiber towels in replace of the 100% cotton as mentioned above. They are excellent and even better then 100% cotton on your paint surface…

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 01 XLT Sport

Hope this helps a bit…

That helps a bunch, thanks a million. Looks like 3 coats of Z5 Saturday and another 3 on Sunday (maybe with the third coat being Z2).

 

Whitestx,

Good luck with it this weekend. I think you will really like the results. It’s still to cold here to polish BUT I am thinking about taking my wheels off so I can clean the rims real good, you know like behind the front where you really can’t wash well, and then putting 2 – 3 coats of Z2 on them.

That should make it real easy to keep them clean all the way through…

That and I am FREAKING tired of not being able to do anything since it has been colder then a BI%CH…

 

You guys whine when it's 30 degrees outside... That is warm to me.

 

30 degrees is t-shirt weather here, but anything below 0 is a ****, and we have had a lot of days where "wind chill" has been close to 0...

But women, normally, are usually cold blooded to begin with...

 

Oh I forgot where you live... It's been 40 here lately.