rsx_cutey

you only need to washt he car once with dawn....after the claybar just use z7 to wash the car....dawn is very harsh on the clear coat....

bassplayer

so, I have had the car 2 weeks now and the dealer's wax job is starting to bubble. it almost feels like pebbles on the car.

anyone ever heard of this?

i tried Zymol's cleaner wax in a spot and it removed the blemishes and really shines. tomorrow I do the whole car.

pretty scarry that the dealer's detail is so poor.

rsx_cutey

dealerships suck for everything....don't ever go to them for a detailing cuz they overcharge and they do half ass jobs

UA5-TL

Klasse All-In-One

German is the way to go hehe

2001TL4KCdude

what is cheap zymol and expensive zymol? how much and where do i buy cheap zymol?

FTM-1

Cheap Zymol can be had at some auto stores & also places like Wallmart. I am not sure of the exact cost. It might be around $10 or a little more. The expensive Zymol is mail order & can range in price from $25 - $800.
When I had my 94 ACCORD I had some Zymol it cost $40 a pint.
You had to keep the stuff in the refrigerator to keep it from getting soft. They make alot of waxes for car colors & specific makes of cars.They make one for the ACURA NSX also one for SABB cars. They also make some for older model Japan cars. The more expensive stuff is for people with cars like vintage Rolls Royce ect.

2001TL4KCdude

Cheap zymol = $12.95 at target or walmart. I am a meguires fan but I will try the cheap stuff and see. Actually it is the expensive stuff compare to $4.99 for Meguires (polish).

demons rage

iTrader: (1)

i currently use meguiars 3 step crap... works pretty good.. gonna order some zaino once im done with the meguirs

mentl

I used the Zymol I got at Pep Boys. It applied and buffed out very easily (much easier than the Meguiar's paste I used last time).

IIRC Consumer Reports rated the Zymol the best cleaning wax. I'm sure it was the stuff sold in stores that they tested.

bassplayer

this is most likely the same stuff i used and it worked great!
pep boys $13.00

diamond Jim2216

I own a 3.2 CL and only put CrystalGuard on my car...Why? because I run the company! Zaino takes hours to apply. Why not get the same results with little or no time at all?

I'd love for some of you to try this product out. Anyone interested in a free sample and would like to post a review?

Jim

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Welll Jim, I guess you have an unbiased opinion.

What is it that takes hours to apply?

Have you visited the Zaino site? The multi-step program is really designed to get your paint as blemish-free as possible. You only have to do it once.

Claying the car should apply to any paint finish product, or does your product have some magical powers that lifts rail dust, tar, bird crap from the paint

So tell me where is the painstaking time???

Wash car - hmmm sounds like a good idea
Dry car - again another good idea
Mix Z2 or Z5 with ZFX - wow that was hard.
Apply with terry or foam applicator, spritzing Z6 to create the ulta-thin coats.
Wait for Z to bond - with ZFX it's done before you've finished the entire car
Buff off residue.

Wow, I'm tired. I can Zaino my TL in about 30 minutes. That includes application and buffing to a brilliant shine.

I'm sure you're product is good, I'll stick with my Z.

r10apple

What the h=ll. I'll try your product, Jim. It's time to wax her again anyway.
Now, if you haven't seen my posts, beware: If it's crap, I'll post it. If it's good, well, you'll get a great review...

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Oh and a little proof. 1999 3.2TL

r10apple

C2's on SSM w/ the kit = pimp...

That stupid pic of yours NSX makes me want to buy the kit again.

diamond Jim2216

r10Apple,

Drop me an email at jim@crystalguard and leave me your address and I'll end you a small sample of the CG Quick product. Your opinion is welcomed.

We have another product that is a thre step procedure (Pro Kit), but it takes time to apply compared to 15-20 minutes with the Quick product. CG Quick is really a maintenance product for the pro coat, but it will give you a good idea of what the Pro coat will be like. CG Quick lasts a few months compared to about a year with the Pro kit...

diamond Jim2216

NSXNEXT,

I'm not trying to bash Zaino or anything. If you like it great, stick with it. I get frequent messages from people who tell me the enitre Zaino system is longer than you described. Not sure if the put multiple coats or what...

We do have a primer that removes everything off the paint, similar to a clay bar, so maybe that is my magical product

r10apple

I sent the email....
I'll try this stuff out and post a review for you guys...

dj5

I have used both Zaino and Meguiars products on my black 00 TL before I traded for a black 02 TL-S.

I would have to say the Meguairs is just as good as the Zaino.
I wax at least one a month. The best thing about Zaino is it does not generate dust like regular wax when buffing.

However, the Zaino did leave a greasy like film. Before anyone starts, no I did not use too much. Once I used my Zaino supply, I went back to Meguairs.


IMHO, Zaino is not all that...

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

dj5, you forget one huge difference.

Zaino lasts waaaaaay longer than any carnauba on the market. So yes the shine may be equal, but not having to do it every week to maintain the shine is huge. And carnaubas cannot be layered, Zaino gets a deeper shine with every coat.

SK2003TypeS

Another Zaino lover here....still on the old batch. It does last a long time and I don't think it's that involved. It's the prep prior to Zaino that is the "work", but if you enjoy doing it, it's not really work.

Jim, Can I get a sample too ?

...but what about Lab Sample D & E from Meg's ?

If anyone's interested, Meg's has a pretty good deal for the next few hours.
http://www.meguiars.com/monthly_specials/

Bear2Day

Their is a product on the market called, Collinite # 476S. I`m not asking you to use it, I`am asking you to look it up on the web. It won`t be easy, But you might learn somthing about somthing else than Zanio.
Happy Hunting!
Check out my Gallery, I use it!

diamond Jim2216

so have the people that got a sampel tried it yet? Any reviews?

Busta Nut

I ain't got all weekend to be waxin' my car. I use Meguires Cleaner one week and them come back with the Meguires Pure Carnuba about 2-3 weeks later. A fly would bust his a$$ tryin' to land on that car!

Vicman17

I've used Liquid Glass and have been satisfied with it for years. It's a one application product and I do it twice a year. Easy to put on and remove. Price has come down over the years (now $17.00 in Pep Boys).

Works for me and have improved the shine on my SSM Type-S. Makes the paint look thick. I enhance the shine with Meguiar's Quick Detailer once in a while. And I have used an orbital polisher to buff after removing the product by hand. I would not recommend it on darker colors. Zymol IMO works on darker paint. (Use it on my '01 1.7 EL EBP).

oxidizer2k

You just made be bust a nut.......

Is Zaino good for older paint too? Like paint thats 8-10 years old?

Im to lazy to research... so I am asking you since it seems like you know what you are going.... Nice TL..

groebuck1

Seems to have gotten off track from the original question -

What you have are swirl marks (the small circular scratches) and no amount of Zaino or any other wax will make them go away. First you need to address them. By hand it is harder but not impossible.

#1 is you need to get the car clean and free of waxes, fillers and such. Two options here. You can use plain old Dawn (the light blue variety) about two tablespoons to 3-4 gallons of water, or use a car wash soap (not one that is a wash and wax variety - off the shelf Meguiars Gold Class or Mothers is good) and use more then the recommened amount (if it says 2 tbls use 3-4). Use two buckets, one filled with the soap, one with clean water, and use a wash mit (sheep or cheneille - I can't spell that and a separate cloth for the wheels. Start with the wheels using the cloth, wash one then drop the cloth in the clean water, rinse the wheel and wring out the cloth soap it up and on to the next wheel. Use the same method for the car. Using the mit, wash the roof, drop the mit in the clean water bucket, rinse..then soap it up again - hood, trunk, then the sides (front, doors, back). Rinse the mit good between side panels as the lower panels tend to get the dirtiest. The two bucket method insures that your wash mit/cloth is clean and dirt free - if you use one bucket your depositing the dirt you just washed off the car into the soap and risk putting on the swirl marks you want to get rid of.
When you wash the car, wash it in the direction the air would flow over the car..so for the hood, from front to back in straight lines..never wash in a circular motion again to avoid swirls.
For the final rinse, take whatever nozel you have on the hose off, and run a slow steady stream over the car, starting with the roof, then hood, trunk and sides. This will sheet most of the water off the car and makes drying that much easier

Drying your car - here is where it is important. Bath towels can scratch your paint! Some folks use a leaf blower and blow the water off the car, I would imagine that is pretty darn fast. I don't have one so I use the Absorber (you can get them everywhere). It rocks for drying, laid flat on the surface and pull across (in the same direction you washed). Some folks don't recommend this way because if there is any dirt left on the car, you can potentially be dragging it across your paint and scratching it..but I have yet to have that happen (becuase I wash good ).

Okay you car is dry now and hopefully free of all the wax and fillers the dealer put on their. Since it is that awesome black color you should be able to see those swirl marks no problem (sunny day - if not and you have a garage, florescent lights reveal all!)

This will give you a good idea of the paint. If they are all over but are the size of a strand of spider web, then you can probably tackle them by hand. If you survey the car and find anything deeper or more concerning you might want to look into a professional detailer.

What you will need depends on how much work you want to put into it. You can disguise them by using a glaze and then top it off with a wax, or you can get rid of them by using a 3-4 step process.

Products like New Car Glaze from Meguiars or 3M hand glaze have fillers in them as well as conditioning oils for the paint. A glaze will fill in those little scratches at best, or make them almost impercetable at worst. Follow that up with a wax or sealant and you will probably have a swirl free car (they are still there just hidden).

To get rid of them - you need to start with a compound of some kind - This is an agressive polish that will level the clearcoat and get rid of the small scratches. Meguiars and Mothers have a three step system (meg's is called deep crystal). 3M has a product called Swill Mark Remover for Dark Cars which is also excellent.
To tackle them by hand you should use a terry cloth applicator. Terry cloth is more abrasive then the foam applicators and will help in making it a bit easier to get the results you want. If all over or in large sections (like the whole hood, roof or trunk) work in sections of 2 feet by 3 Feet. Apply the product of choice to your applicator (less is more follow the directions!! more product does not make it work faster and just gives your more work to apply and remove). In you 2x3 section start in the lower left corner and go up and down with light to medium pressue on the applicator. When you get to the lower right corner of your section then go across from right to left starting in the lower right and ending up in the upper left. Then go diagonally from the upper left back down to the lower right. Then repeat the whole thing again. Keep working the product until it's dry and starts to come off. The reason you are going in the various directions is the scratches are swirls so you need to compound in various directions to get them out. Never go circular - that's how they got their!!

Once you have reached the dried stage, use a clean cloth to remove the product. Have a look, if you got your desired results then move on to the next section. If not, try one more pass following the same pattern. The paint may even look a bit dull, but dont' panic this is what it was supposed to do. Step 2 will take care of that.

Step 2 will be to go over your compounding job with a polish. There are about 10 different polishes I can tell you about, my personal favorite is Klasse AIO but it is a little on the $$ side an you can only get it off the internet (unless you live near a kick ass detail product shop). Any of the step 2 products from Mothers or Megs will work just fine too. Here you should use a foam applicator, but follow the same pattern and method as the compounding. Once it reaches the dried stage, remove it with a clean cloth. Now the paint should be shiny and smooth..and hopefully swirl free.

You can do a step three here - using a glaze (as mentioned above). Glazes enhance your paint (especially dark colors) and can add so much extra shine. They can be hard to work with as some really need to be applied by machine (a glaze really needs to be worked into the paint to get the best affect)...it's optional but can really make a owner smile.

Here is where the wax wars pick up

My personal preference is a sealant in multiple coats - Zaino (I have never used it) Klasse Selant Glaze (never used) Platinum Ulitmate Paint Proctection (my personal favorite) as well as Mequiars Medallion and their polymer paint sealant. A sealant will bond to the paint and itself so you can add multiple layers. I have three layers of UPP on my car (this can be a little tedious as you need to let sealants cure for 24 hours so three layers - three days ugh).

Waxes - one word Carnuba. And again the products run the gamut. A word of advice though if you are going to go through a multi step process or even just a glazing and waxing, stay away from cleaner waxes. Cleaner waxes will remove all that hard work you did glazing and or sealing your car. Off the shelf I would suggest Mother's gold. Mequiars has Gold Class but I believe it has some cleaning agents. You literally can spend 100 dollars or more on some carnuba waxes. One of the best out there is a product called PS21. Not usually available at stores and around 24 bucks off the internet. The good news is if you have a Harley shop in your town, they probably sell a wax there called S100. It is identical to PS21 and about half the cost. A good carnuba wax is best applied by hand. Use a clean foam applicator and again, follow the lines of your car, front to back as air would flow..no crazy circular motions. Some waxes you can apply to the whole car, some recommend sections at a time. Follow the directions!! You got this far so why screw anything up?

either sealant alone or wax or combination of both, you should now be approaching BLING BLING status on your car. Here are a couple of recommendations for those who want true playa status.
Our wheels...they are clear coated - so treat them like you would the paint on your car. Stay away from nylon bristle brushes to clean them, a soft cloth is best! If you want then to shine like no one's business then use your polish from step two and follow up with a sealant or wax (I prefer to wax the wheels and man they seem to glow!). You should do this every time you wash your car (if your going to do it). Becuase the wheels get hot, waxes and sealants don't last very long on them.

Door jams, trunk jams whatever you call em, wax them too! no one may see them but you but it takes almost no time and it's the little things that make it true Bling.

You can spend as little as a hour or as much as 4-5 hours. One good 4-5 hour detail job and you can maintain it by washing and using a good Quick Detailer (stay away from ones with silicone in it) for months. It can become an obsession. I wash my car once a week, do a full detail once a month (I use a Porter Cable Dual Action polisher though so it goes by much faster), and do a full on strip off the wax wash and multi step detail twice a year...but then I get off on people asking me how I get my car so freaking shiny -

For the less obsessive you can do the full on detail (the works above) twice a year, maybe spring and fall, and then wash once a week and a Quick Detail or maybe a waxing/sealant every other month.

Keeping your hard work swirl free - Stay away from carwashes - touchless et all..unless you know for sure they hand wash and they can guarantee no swirls...stay away. Touchless ones use harsher chemicals to get your car clean and it will eat away your hours of work! Car washes where they have the attendants doing the drying and cleaning?? I cringe watching them dry one car after another using the same towel..

I hope this makes sense and helps out !

Type S Lady

Zymol

groebuck1

some of them are made by turtle wax

blk_tl

Liquid Lustre, that's all I use...

Black Y2K2 TL-S

call Zaino Steve 972-743-9443. he sells Zaino and his buddy does the mobile detailing. I have used Zaino on my car for the last 2 years it's by far the best! I use
Z-18 clay bar
Z-7 car wash
Z-2 w/ the ZFX additive
Z-5 for swirls mostly on darker cars
Z-6 for the finished look
I use a microfiber towel only which can be found at Wal-Mart

Once you try it, you'll never use any other brand again.

Chuck

Zaino is great stuff indeed.
Another great product is BlackFire from www.properautocare.com. I have a NBP 2003 TL-S and it works great. Lasts a long time too. Zymol is good stuff but on a black car, doesn't last very long. The clear coat on cars is paint. It oxidizes just like any other paint. It gets rough when you don't take care of it.

groebuck1

EEEK - MF towels from walmart? I use them for interior only - cheap MF towels can scratch your paint !! -

SK2003TypeS

Nice write up groebuck ! Just want to acknowledge that because it looks like it took a long time to write up.

groebuck1

I have not tried to myself but on detailing forums the two contending products are Zaino and UPP. Both have their fanatics but the between the two - UPP sealant is a one step process, on, wait 45 mins then off, where as Zaino has an additive you need to mix. Not sure about Zaino but UPP comes off like nothing..literally a wipe off with a MF towell. UPP does not stain trim (I don't think Zaino does either). I'm told that three layers of UPP looks like 6 or 7 of Zaino. UPP is a little less expensive as well...


but.... Zaino is good too -

p.s. if you want to see what two coats of UPP look like - I have pics in my gallery of my anthracite grey 2003 TL-S

here is a sample

groebuck1

BTW Thanks SK2003 - glad someone appreciates it (and doesn't point out my bad spelling