I have a full bottle of that Zymol cleaner wax laying around. I don't use it and I have just ran out of my Quick Detailer. Do you think I can use about a quarter of the wax in a spray bottle and fill the rest up with some bottled water. It's sounds kind of ghetto but I don't want to waste the Zymol. I would use in between washes to give the paint a little kick. Seem reasonable?

 

I don't know about that... It wouldn't have the lubricating properties of a QD that help to keep from scratching the paint, I don't think. Also, that stuff is just a PITA to use normally, I'd think you'd be doing a LOT of buffing to get the slight haze out... not sure if it would spray smoothly, either (gum up the bottle)...

Why not just pick up a bottle of QD or two? Meguiars can be had for $6 or so.

 

I figured that about the lube in Quick Detailer, that's why I would use it right after a wash. Quick Detailer is cheap, I just had that Zymol laying around and didn't want to trash it. Maybe i'll try it and see what happens, whats the worst that could happen?

 

If you get it in the gallon it costs around $20. http://www.autogeek.net/1gallonrefill2.html

 

I use and like Zymol cleaner wax. I don't use it like the directions on the bottle though. Try this. After rinsing off your car, squirt a little Zymol into a bucket, then add about a pint of very hot water. mix it up and wipe this emulsion on the windows and body of the car. Don't use this on the soft top. By the time you wipe this stuff on the last section of the car, the first section should be dry enough to buff out. It's quick, easy, swirl free and a little wax goes a long way.

 

I also want to comment on washing and waxing in general. Dirt is abrasive and some waxes are slightly abrasive by design. I've seen cars done with zaino, and they look very smooth. This is due to the fact the stuff is filling the voids in the honda cars factory paint jobs. Otherwise one would need to wet sand the clear coat to even out the finish. I don't want to do that. With this in mind, I like to always clean and wax the car in a water environment. buffing the car only by hand, and in the shade.

 

You may want to un-learn much of what you know about detailing and start from scratch.

 

I tried this right after drying my car after a wash. I actually used the old Quick Detailer bottle, filled a quarter of it with Zymol and the rest with filtered water. Sprayed a fine mist covering all the panels, it dries into a very thin film. When dry(only couple mins to dry), I used a microfiber to buff...looks great. I must admit I would not use this on a car that had even a small amount of dirt, only on a freshly washed car.

 

looks pretty good

 

I guess with your comment you didn't understand what I posted, or maybe you are stuck with the mindset that you can only get a great shine from the paste and power polish method. I have seen too many cars out there with swirl marks that came from this old method. Granted, that proceedure does a good job at restoring a car that the finish has been damaged/neglected, but if a factory finished car is to be unharmed, the method I discribed is about as gentile as one can go.