OK, Zaino'd. Looks good but not great but I think I did the *used to much* thing and can't seem to get all the areas glass-like. Anyway, gonna fix that tomorrow and add another coat. What I'm wondering is how should I maintain it now? What is the best procedure for maintaining that shine?

-Hose off the road dust
-Wash
-Z6
?

Also, there's just one coat on it and I can still see micro swirls (black shows everyhting ). How many coats would one recommend to get those filled? And finally, how long should it last? Do folks use Dawn to strip it back off and start fresh? Thx in advance for any help.

 

if you have micro swirls the best thing to do is use 3m Swirl Mark Remover and 3m Finesse it II with a random orbital polisher, then wash with dawn to remove any residue and then Z up the car

 

when using Zaino, remember a little will goes a long way...

 

Today's paint jobs are notorious for "orange peel," which makes it very difficult to get the entire car glass-like. You can thank the environmentally friendly paint these days for that.

Maintenance procedure is just to wash with Z-7, dry, follow up with Z-6 if you wish.

If you have the Z-5, it may take 4, 5, 6 coats to fill in those swirls. The Z-2 does not fill in swirls. Zaino lasts 6 months. No need to use Dawn again. Zaino layers, the shine gets better, up to a certain point, maybe 5, 6, 7 applications, and then you will probably not notice much improvement in shine.

 

i agree with all of the above and would probably use the z-5 instead of the 3m (if you use the 3m, you need to start over with the z1, etc.). especially agree with the suggestion for a random orbital (i use the porter cable) with the zaino... at low speeds.