sinz

Hi everyone,

Im expecting delivery of my Accord Euro luxury (Acura TSX) sometime next week - finally!.

I have bought some products and would like some opinions on whether or not I have made the right choice:

Zaino Kit for washing and polishing.
ZFX , Z2 , Z5 , Z6 , Z7 and Z18

303 Aerospace protectant for the Dash.

Lexol leather conditioner and cleaner.

Pack of 12 100% cotton australian made nappies. - recommended by a friend to use for everything.

And some Maquiar's No Smear glass cleaner for the windows.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Mick

DEVO

skip cleaning the dash with anything but a damp cloth.

use stoner's invisible glass with newspaper for the best results in cleaning windows.

lexol is real good stuff just don't over do it.

not a fan of zaino because i haven't tried it but there are a lot of people here that love it and the pictures look great. i think you have too many steps for Zaino, so do a search here on Zaino usage or wait for somebody to reply.

basic steps that i know of... make sure car is clean using DAWN dishwashing detergent. Yes you are not suppose to use this soap on a car but you just need it to get rid of any contaminents initially. some people clay their cars after and then wash it one last time to get any residue off. then they start with the whole zaino process.

KingV

I fully stand behind Zaino. You have essentially the entire kit that you'll need. If you have questions on how to apply, there's quite a bit of information here, and on www.autopia.org. I use it on my car and get compliments pretty often on how good it looks. I'd like to make a few recommendations on your products, however. I don't know specifically what the detailing towels you have are, but I would recommend different microfibers specifically for each task, I have waffle weave microfibers for drying, nappier ones for QD duty/removing polish, and glass microfibers specifically for cleaning the glass. I bought mine from www.detailersparadise.com. www.autopia.org also has a shop which would sell good quality micros, as well as www.autogeek.net. I still use terry cotton detailing towels for some things (mainly polishing kick plates/exhaust tips), but definitely do not use them to dry the car or apply products. I can't say that they will necessarily be worse than micros, however.

For washing I'd also recommend a sheepskin wash mitt. Some people use Chenille. Don't use just a rag. I have a chenille for the wheels and a sheepskin for the paint.

Lexol is good, and popular as well as Aerospace 303. I've used both in the past. I believe aerospace 303 can be used on the leather as well. No one seems to be certain what you should/should not use on leather, so I wouldn't stress too much about which is "better" for vinyl coated leather. I've used leather specific, and vinyl specific products on my TSX leather, neither seems to be better or worse for it, from what I've seen.

I personally disagree with Devo on the stoner's invisible glass recommendation. I have a can of that product, and I hate it. I've never gotten satisfactory results from it. I use the 1Z scheibenklar glass cleaner (available at most of the above mentioned sites). I've never used the megiuar's glass stuff, so I can't comment on its quality.

One thing you definitely need in there is a tire dressing. Some people won't agree, I prefer armor all products for tire dressing. Armor All original is excellent for a satiny sheen on the tires that lasts a good while. Also very easy to apply and cheap. Now that I have larger rims I thought something shinier would look better to make the tires pop out more, so I've started using Armor All Extreme shine. It's a little messier than the original, but so far so good. I haven't formulated a final judgement on it, yet though, as I just started using it this week. Tire dressing will really add that last final touch to your beautifully clean car and separate it from the guy that just takes his car down the street. A wheel cleaner would probably be a good buy as well, I like, again 1Z's and also P21S, which is very safe for wheels, but kind of pricey.

Enjoy your TSX, it's an awesome car.

jeff5614

Let me put in a vote for claying when you take delivery to get rid of any rail dust etc. I'm not much of a fan of washing with anything other than a good car wash shampoo as dishwashing soaps are just a bit harsh, however I realize zaino recommends it prior to using their product and I would follow their directions for the best results.

As far as the interior I like einszett 1z cockpit premium. It's a protectant with some mild cleaning ability and leaves a matt finish. I also like their leather care product, not very shiny either.

And last but not least, check out autopia.org. They have a great section on how to wash, wax, etc and not end up with any swirling, etc. not to mention forums with plenty of info. You'll find it well worth your time.

sinz

Thanks Guys,

I went out and bought a woollen wash mit yesterday as recommended. I have tryed to find some microfibre cloths but have found them really hard to find here in sydney. Would it be the same microfibre material that you find in fabric stores ??

Dutch

Hi Mick,

I can only comment on the Zaino, as I haven't used any of the other products.

I have been using Zaino for over two years now and I realy love it! It makes is very ease to use, protects your cars paint for a very long time and it looks fantastic!

I have applied six or seven coats of Z2 to my car and it shines like a mirror. The car actually looks better than when I picked it up at the dealer...

yfin

Hey dutch - love your Euro. What is your car lowered with - Pro Kit? Do you know the size of the drop? It looks perfect. They look like 17" rims?

Thanks

biker

Dutch

The car is lowered with Honda sports springs, dropping it about 1 1/4 inch. Yes those are 17" wheels, looks a lot better than the standard 16"

KingV

What kind of Tire dressing do you use, I like the glossiness of it. It's the look I'm going for. Nice pics/detail by the way.

For microfibers, I'd try to find an online dealer that'll ship to Australia. I've never really seen that many microfibers at storefronts here stateside, not sure of the situation overseas. If you have some kind of automotive specialty store they might have what you need. You check autopia or detailers paradise to see if they'll ship to you? There has to be some kind of detailing site based out of australia, I'd think.

Dutch

I used Turtle Wax Extreme Tire Gel applied by brush. If you like the glossy look just apply is and leave it like that. If you like the satin look more, apply it and take of the excess.

sinz

UPDATE:

My car has been delayed again ! for another week, hopefully next week I will take delivery.

I found some magaires microfibre cloths and bought two polishing cloths and one microfibre chamois. I will probabaly just use the cotton ones i bought for the interior, wheels and maybe the windows.


Thanks for all your advice guys.

Mick