i read all the faq's reguarding zaino, but it seems like they might be a little old...plus i have a few questions for anyone that uses this stuff regularly...

#1...all the faq's say to wash your car with DAWN or some similar dishwashing soap before applying zaino the very first time. would it be okay to wash your car with the z-7 car wash instead or is washing your car with DAWN absolutely necessary?

#2...the faq's say to start with z-1 then apply z-2...and some say to start with z-1 or zfx...so if i apply zfx first, will it act as the "base coat" like z-1 and accelerate the drying time of z-2 as well? i was a little confused on this point.

so this is my proposed starting method...this is the order of which i think would be proper...please tell me if this is right or wrong...

#1) wash with z-7 then let dry
#2) apply zfx then let dry
#3) apply z-5 then let dry
#4) remove all
#5) apply z-6 and remove
#6) apply z-2 then let dry
#8) remove z-2
#7) apply more coats of z-2 if necessary and/or desired

or should i wash with DAWN right at the start, then use z-7 whenever the car needs to be cleaned again later on in the future.

thanks guys for all your comments!!!

mike

 

you don't HAVE to use dawn, but if you want to start with a clean slate ahd remove any residual wax before applying zaino, then you should. ie carnuba wax may yellow over time.

zfx is a newer product, so follow inx that include it and toss inx that don't mention it cuz those are older. zfx is a curing additive that you mix (just a few drops) with either Z-2 or Z-5. you don't apply it as a separate layer, but it eliminates the need for Z-1 (which IS applied as a separate layer). you need either zfx or Z-1 - get zfx if you don't want to wait for the 6-to-24 hour curing time to lapse between layers.

 

I just went through my first experience with zaino, on my new suzuka blue. I was confused by the instructions as well, so I e-mailed the guys at zaino (actually I think it was Sal) anyway, they provided me with a good step-by-step plan).

You don't need to use Dawn, but z-7 is not "harsh" enough to remove some of the previous build-up on the car. If the car is new, z-7 should be enough (as long as you are sure the dealership didn't put anything else on the car during PDI. If the car is not used, use the dawn or equiv.

This is what I did.

1) wash with dawn

2)used clay bar with z7 solution as lubricant (this step really is important. I was amazed at the crud that was picked up by the clay bar)

3) Wash car with z7 and dry it

4)mix 5 drops of ZFX with about one ounce of z5 (fill the mixing bottle that comes with zfx about half full). Shake the crap out of the mixture (its said 90 seconds, but it seemed to take longer to get a really good mix). The one ounce mixture should be enough to put three coats on the car. Apply the first coat of z5/zfx mixture, wait half an hour (or more) and then wipe it off. It goes on and comes off really easily, if it seems too easy (based on previous wax/protectant experiences) don't worry... It really is that easy. Put the second coat on, wait 30 minutes and wipe it off. Do it once more and you're done.

5) I finished with a layer of z6 spray.

This took me about four hours, so I figured that was good enough for one day's work. I will be adding a coat of z2 in a couple of days, because apparently it looks even better that the z5 (but I have to say, the car looks great with the z5 alone).

There were a couple of things I was concerned about.

First, when I saw the very tiny bottle of zfx, I just about hit the roof. I e-mailed the Zaino guys and said "hey, there must be some sort of mistake... the little eye dropper of zfx looks like it only has about 5 drops in it." They told me not to worry, there are about 80 drops in that little bottle (it will only be half full). I have to say, After using the first five drops, I will agree that there is a lot more of the zfx in the bottle than it looks.

Second, I wondered if I needed to use zfx every time I polish. Zaino said use it about once for every ten applications of polish. The kicker is that next time you polish if you don't use ZFX you will have to wait the full length of curing time before you take it off (not just the accelerated 30 minute time). But hey, that just gives me more time to detail the inside of the car.

...I need to get a life!

You'll like the results.

 

Let me just add that even on a new car (like yours) you'll want to do the claybar thing. On most areas (especially those that were covered by paper during shipping, you may not see much crap picked up, but there were some definite black specs picked up by the bar around the wheel wells. It really made a difference. You might as well start out as clean as possible.

Happy Zaino'ing!

JonasM