imaginis

Hey guys...
I have a 2005 with about 6k miles on it. I ordered some Zaino for the first time, and decided to give it a polish.

I washed with their solution, and then waxed with the show-car polish. I rubbed my had across the hood of my car post-polish, and it feels a littel rough...as if there are little solidified "specs" on my hood. It's also on my decklid.

I neglected to give my hood a rub before I Zaino'd. Do you guys think that was there before I Zaino'd, and it's most likely from rocks and debris from driving on highways?

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this, or if it's all in my head.

I hate to have to go back over my new wax job with cleaner wax and do it all over again...but oh well.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

You shouldn't have any specks after detailing. Did you claybar your car before polishing? If not, the specks might be from embedded dirt on your paint. Try to claybar it now and see if they go away.

mark 3M bra man

Did you clay before you zainoed?

If not, there is where the mistake is in MHO.

I think you will have to redo.

SilverQuartzTL

Doesn't sound like you followed all of the steps...
1. Blue Dawn Wash
2. Claybar
3. Zaino Wash
4. Showcar Polish with ZFX
5. Gloss Enhancer (I didn't do this step)
repeat 4 and 5 2X

When you're all done, the surface should be so smooth a dry cloth should slide off of the hood.

Kinda sounds like may have put Zaino over Wax... That'd be ugly :P

imaginis

Yup! I didn't get the clay bar.

I was a little intimidate by it, cuz I didn't know how to do it, and I didn't really think I needed it since my car isn't that old.

I'll order now, and let you guys know if that smooths the surfaces.

Thanks!

mark 3M bra man

You should be able to get it locally at parts store. You do not need to get it from Zaino.

VTEC=happiness

clay magic is pretty good

mark 3M bra man

caball88

the clay bar is a must if you are detailing the car.

JetJock

Absolutely do the clay bar. Even a new car can pick up debris on the finish riding on a truck or rail. This crud gets into the paint so when you do the Zaino...you'll end up with a bumpy feel. Also, one coat of Zaino just isn't enough. With my Anthracite TL, I didn't really start to see the magic until I got 3 coats layered on the paint. Now, the car looks great. The color is deeper almost darker, and the "feel" of the paint is almost silky smooth. The new Zaino Z-8 detail spray is great...get some and use it between layers of Z-2. It's a lot of work, but you can do it over time. I've been working on my car for almost 1 year..and it's finally done!!

Treblig

I've used Zaino's Clay Bar, but must admit that I prefer Mother's Clay Bar. Much more pliable and easier to work with.

Hawhyen51

Preparation is key factor in the detailing process. Check out the Car Care FAQ for some great links and general info.

shodog

when I use my claybar I keep a bucket of warm soapy water with me. After I do a portion of the paint I rinse the bar off in the bucket. this keeps the bar fairly clean and the warm water makes it more pliable.

caball88

i use klasse AIO and SG, one coat of each i all you really need. i don't like the fact that most people who use zaino say multiple coats is needed to get it to really shine. really don't have time to put coat after coat.

BTL05

once you get the clay bar...use z6 to wet down the surface of the car you are claying. you need to at this point (claying i mean) since you trapped the particles under the polish.

Xpditor

Follow the instructions with the clay bar. Use some lubricating solution which is some car wash solution in a spray bottle.. Keep the surface wet at all times. Move the clay slowly in strokes from front to back, overlapping until the clay moves slickly without dragging, then move over. Keep it wet. The clay will pick up overspray, rail dust (iron particles from the train tracks), bird poo, tree sap, etc.

It is very safe and forgiving. Just keep turning a clean side of the clay to the car's surface. If you drop the clay- throw it away. Don't use it if it has touched the ground or driveway.

I took delivery of my TL with the plastic on it. I wouldn't let the dealer detail it. I took it home and spent the next day detailing it myself. I clay barred it a week after it was made and got a lot of crap off the surface. Now it's like a mirror except for the orange peel which we can't do anything about. It's not a Rolls-Royce and they don't wet sand it between coats. Dammit.

After the clay bar, I used Zaino Z2 and then the detail spray Z6. I did about 3 coats. It's very easy to put on LIGHTLY. A little goes a long way.

-XP

TerminaderTL

Save yourself some time and money. Go with Klasse All-in-one. It polishes and protects. It's easy on and off. It leaves your clearcoat feeling smooth and shiny like a mirror. Top it off with some Meguiar's #16 and you are set. No claybar or extra coats/steps needed.

JoganJani

If they are rock chips, clay bar will not do any good. I'll say find out first before you waste some elbow grease.

If it is not then do all over again. You'll have to strip the wax with dawn wash again.

JetJock

Zaino really does work the best. If you check the detail forums, it consistantly ranks #1 for depth of shine and durability. One coat will be fine, but you won't see the results that most people rave about until you get several coats on your finish. Personally, I don't find it that difficult. I started with 2 coats...they're very easy and fast to do if done right, just make sure you only use enough to barely see the stuff on the paint...any more and you've used too much...less is better with Zaino! Then, over the next several months, whenever your car is clean...just put an extra coat on when you've got the time. This process will eventually give you the deepest shine possible and is unrivaled by any other product on the market. Don't believe me?....check out the detail forums for unbiased tests showing Zaino as the #1 product on the market.

ResidualFreedom

the problem is definitely not claying before applying zaino...

A Good way to tell if your car needs a clay, rub the back of your finger across the hood, if you hear a slight hissing/scraping noise you need a clay, if it is silent then you're good to jump the clay step. The noise that is made is the tiny pieces of sap, road grime, etc stuck to your paint. If you don't clay the car you'll seal in the garbage and it'll be bumpy until the wax wears off, then you'll have to clay.

The paint "should" literally be perfectly smooth before you start to swirl remove, polish and wax/seal...

Xpditor

I disagree and I think the people at Klasse would confirm that you need to clay bar BEFORE using AIO- which is an excellent product.

Without the clay bar step, you will just rub the contamination in and then seal it up to the paint. Yuck.

mark 3M bra man

You can devide the bar into quater size pieces and when they get dirty, throw them away.

If you run out of the lube that comes with the bar, just use some light soap solution with water. That works great too. It is never too wet. Sorry, my thoughts went somewhere else.....

Xpditor

With emphasis on SOAP, not detergent. Some claybars come with "lubricant" but a small amount (tea spoon) of car wash in a 32 oz. spray bottle of water will do the same thing.

You should have already washed the car with Dawn dishwashing detergent to get the old wax and gunk off. Don't use Dawn very often. It is a harsh detergent that will cut grease and anything else made from petroleum base (plastic and rubber parts- over time). Formulated liquid car washes are designed not to harm rubber and plastic and not to strip your wax or sealant. That's what you should use for every day washing.

HEK

A few years back my wife took my car thru a "touchless" car wash during the Winter, not realizing that these brushes freeze and act like needles as they spin hitting the surace of your car leaving it clean but filled with scratches ... , I almost cried but I have to thank her for that day since it was the begining of my research into "how to make my car shine again" like new.
I bought a PC (Porter Cable buffer) many types of pads and many types of waxes, polishes, all from Meguiar's and since then I have mastered the techinique making the cars I work on be and feel as smooth as a baby's behind and shine even at night, (Not tomention I've detailed a few cars from ppl at work and have already paid for all my money invested in this).
It is a must to use an abbrassive polish to smooth the surface of the vehicle you are currently working on, claying only the areas that have some tar, bugs or imperfections that may be noticiable to the naked eye from a close distance.
After that a rinse to get the dust from the polish and a hand application of your favorite wax/ sealer, personally NXT is my favorite, finishing this with another pass with the PC and a buffing bonnett, total maybe 4 to 5 hours but it will be a shine that will last for months, of course a weekly bath will help.
Sorry if the post was long, it's just that I went by word of mouth like this and many threads trying to locate the perfect combination of methods to restore a cars finish and this one works for me.....
Did I mentioned that my two last cars are the worst color to keep clean or shiny??....