dansmith2004

I'm picking up a '06 Acura TL 6-spd black/ebony with the a-spec body kit this coming Friday... I have a couple questions

1) What type of wax/polish/coating would you recommend applying to the car? I've read about people using Zaino, Maquiars, etc. I'd like to know which products I should use to make it look the best

2) I have a set of chrome 18x8 rims that I was using on a 98 Honda Accord, I just had 235/40r18 T1R's put on them about 3,000 miles ago. I'd like to put those wheels on the TL being that they match the A-Spec 18's wheel size/tire size perfectly. Is there a way to turn off the TPMS, or will the valvestems from the Acura wheels fit on any rim?

Thanks for your help!

Dan

Hawhyen51

1. This question would be best answered in the Wash & Wax Forum. There are a number of folks who have NBP and their product of choice varies depending on their needs and expectations.

2. I believe you can purchase TPMS sensors for aftermarket wheels and they should work without any problems. See this thread concerning aftermarket wheels.

xtin

Wax is a matter of preference and around here, just like assholes, everyone got an opinion on which is best.

Try a few out, see what works best for YOU and YOUR car

BukvaMan

if u dont mind payin a little extra then try pinnacle advanced swirl remover and pinnace final polish . then on top of that 1 or more coats of p21s carnauba wax. the results are stunning. its just unbeliveable but you gotta use the porter cable DA.

Boardman

First, congrat's on the TL and hope you enjoy it . In regard to wax, FWIW, I just swtiched from Meguiar's NXT to Zaino on my ASM TL and I can't believe the difference. Again, everyone has their spin on it but I can tell you that in my case Zaino made a HUGE difference on my car.

dansmith2004

Friday's almost here, I can barely wait!

How hard is it to apply Zaino? Do you have to buff it on, or do you just apply it with a microfiber cloth or similar applicator?

Thanks!

Dan

Tonywp75

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...de=APPLICATION

Since your car is new, i would skip the claybar application. The new Z5 pro is said to be very good on dark color cars..more of a deeper look. The Z2pro give more of a reflective shine. Put a coat of both on...it will looks better then you got it...i promise. I also notice I havnt had any water spot since i applied zaino. Although, it might be a little pricey...but it worth it.

As others mentioned above...it really depend the experience you have with the wax. My with Zaino has been really good. I just wax my car 2 days ago..if i get a chance ill snap a few pic for u.

Boardman

Also if you go the zaino route I'd recommend going with the Z8 as the final step when you really want the shine to "punch" . While it is rather exppensive the Z8 is amazing for ocassional use such as photoshoots, car shows, car club gatherings etc. One more day ........... enjoy the new TL .

dansmith2004

I picked up the TL yesterday. I love it! It'll take me a few days to get used to driving a stick coming from driving an automatic on my previous car but I'm glad I went with it instead of an automatic.

I'll have to order the Zaino soon, I'll go ahead with the claybar cleaning even though the car's new. I live on a dirt road in Michigan, so there's a fair amount of dust and such, even though I don't go over 10mph down my road (going that slow doesn't make the country folks very happy!)

Dan

ding069

i use a mixture of products. i never thought that i would say this, but i eagle one wax-as-u-dry every time i wash my car. on top of this, i go with griots bug be gone spray and griots speed shine between waxes.

quick, easy and works great.

i have tried zaino and think it is just too much maintainance. meguiars NXT is a great products as well, but involves removing wax. i have gotten lazy, but the results are still surprising.

K-Shawn

If you don't like the Zaino....try the Mothers, Mothers has a three part system 1:Clay, 2:Seal & Glaze, 3: 100% pure carnuba wax. This is what I use on my TL RRP.

erik_tedder

Haha i feel ya Ding. I've been lazy too and use EagleOne. Works great for me, cheaper too.

dansmith2004

There are so many choices! I'm still contemplating between the use of a carnauba wax, and Zaino. I want to use whatever's going to keep the car looking the best longest, and give the nicest shine. Zaino claims to reduce dust pickup by 60%, is this marketing hype, or is it actually true? I guess I'll be a perfect tester of that, being that I drive in areas that have dust quite often - just fine amounts, enough to wipe off with a microfiber cloth.

I checked the price of Zaino and it looks like it costs about $120 for the complete kit. I understand there's a lot to it, so in all honesty, if it does what everyone says... It's not so bad. If you can afford to pay $36,000 on a car, then spending $120 on something to keep it looking great shouldn't be a huge deal.

Not to switch topics so much, but what kind of miles per gallon do you guys get? I'm getting about 20 in the city, but on the highway/expressway I've been getting 34. Once I'm a little smoother with my shifts and such I imagine my mpg might go up a little too.

Dan

JetJock

All I can say is that ZAINO completly changed the look of my Anthracite TL. When I purchased my car, I previously had a NBP TL that was shiny using Sovereign Carnuba wax...it looked awesome but was full of swirl marks and it drove me crazy enough to sell the car. The Anthracite looked dull in comparison to the NBP. I had heard about Zaino so I decided to give it a try. After 1 coat, although it looked better, it still didn't have the shine of my NBP TL. Now, after many coats, the car looks like it's got a custom paint job. It's just as shiny as the NBP TL, the color is darker and shine deeper than any other Anthracite TL i've seen. People constantly ask me where I had my car repainted. Once, I had it parked next to a new "06 TL at the dealership, shortly a small crowd of people formed around the cars commenting on how good the older car looks. Everyone thought it was a repaint, it looked THAT much better than the new car. BTW...the new TL was prepped and ready to sell, and INCLUDED the expensive paint sealant and protectiion package they try to sell everyone. When I told the people it was Zaino, not a repaint that made it shine, everyone was impressed to say the least. I've probably got 5 coats of Zaino by now, but you'll notice the magic after 2-3 coats. Also, be sure to use the Z-8 spray between coats, and let them cure overnight between coats.

Dan, another thing that's awesome about Zaino is I hardly ever wash my car. I don't drive in rain, when I drive the car, I just use a California Duster, then do a quick applicatiion of either the Z-8 or Z-6 spray. If you use the spray, the finish will be so slick, dust just does not stick to the paint and can easily be wiped off without scratching the finish. If it does rain, you'll have to wash the car, then use the spray and it will feel like new again. Zaino does work magic. I'm what you'd call a fanatic about keeping my car looking new...and Zaino is the best product I've found....and I"ve tried them ALL.

joed40

I've used Zymol Concourse wax at $120 a clip all the way down to Liquid Glass.

Zaino is what I use. I use the show polish with the additive hardener that gives use the benefit of adding additional coats in the same day. I also used their acrylic spritz afterwards and with every other wash. It works fantastic.

I was parked, late night, in a heavy populated area, found the next morning that some asshole poured what looked to be a large quantity of coffee over the roof and hood of my car. It was hot, the car was in the sun, all there was were scattered, perfectly round beads of coffee and they were dried.

Panicking I got the car wet and prepped to attempt scrubbing it off when I saw that just the rinsing literally took the coffee spots off.

I was happy, but would've loved to see the boneheads face as all that coffee just sheeted off and left only beads.