hey guys, I just got an 07 MDX with Nimbus Grey Metallic paint. It rained today while I was at work so the MDX got a bit dirty. As well, I noticed a few swirls on the doors of the MDX. I am a zaino user and will apply Zaino on the coming weekend. What can I do for now to make sure that now more swirls appear and it stays clean. I bought a few new MF towels and a new mitt to make sure that no dirt from previous washings marrs the paint. Any help is appreciated to help me keep the MDX beautiful for the next few days.

 

well, i would honestly get rid of the swirls you have now with a DA polisher. at that point, you can begin your good techniques.

to prevent the swirls, use washes that are high sudsing (Megs NXT wash and DP Shampoo). Use two buckets for preliminary rinse of the mit and final rinse before you got at the next section of the car. this will give your sponge two chances to lose the grit in between the fibers.

as for drying, either flood the paint by soaking the paint with very light pressure water and letting it bead off. another method is by using forced air, ie. a leaf blower. finally, you can also use a microfiber waffle weave towel (the Guzzler, by autogeek.net) to remove anything that may remain.

these are all safe washing techniques that will drastically reduces the swirls that anyone will inevitable acquire.

 

Im not real familiar with Zaino, I wish i could help, but get those swirls out!

 

i was at a "Detail Fest" this weekend and a fellow detailer told me he LOVES Zaino and swears by it. his car looked great, so i guess they've got something there...

 

I already have the PC and some pads from autopia. Just ned to get that other bucket. My question was instead of blasting it straight with hose water, wouldn't it better if I used the filter feature on the MR. Clean thingy for mineral free water. I have some Meg's color x and scratch X at home and might give that a try as well. Also does anyone know weather the Zaino car show wash stuff is high foaming and good for preventing swirls? I still have like over 90% of the bottle and figure it might be good to use.

 

I don't really know much about the wash, but the Color/Scratch-X products are awesome for hand-use. With a PC, I would probably try another type of abrasive.

Also, any water softener and water filter will be a tremendous help. Any steps that you can take to reduce the potential for grit in the mits or hard water is a step in the right direction. Keep in mind, that instead of spending more money on the filter, using the "two bucket" method will yield just about the same results... then again, two filters in two buckets would be amazing... hehe, just kidding.

 

Using two wash mitts, one for the top and one for the bottom will also help minimize swirls. For a final rinse, remove the sprayer from the end of the hose and let the water sheet over the surface. This technique leaves just residual water and cuts your drying time considerably.

If the swirls are light, i would use a mild polish and a polishing pad before applying Zaino. If you have Z-PC that will work also. If they're light enough and you have Z-5, you can try that. BTW, Z-5 is more of a filler capability instead of a remover. Personally, I would remove/correct the surface defect before applying anything else.