Zapata

how many? I got two coats.

Shawn S

That sounds about right.
On Saturday I filled one bottle about HALFWAY with Z-5 & 4-drops of ZFX and did ONE coat on the car.

When that was gone, I filled it almost all the way up with Z-2 and put 8-drops in.
I had enough to do the entire car TWICE and the front bumper again with what was left.

ZFX=Great STUFF

Shawn S

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Not sure what applicator you're using, but the foam ones tend to soak up a lot of product. I did two coats from 1/2 a bottle of ZFX.

Sqeezed the applicator pad and was able get another coat out of it.

Thin baby, thin.

Zapata

Excellent. I'm about the same.

ira

If you're only getting 1 coat out of an ounce of polish, 1/2 a ZFX bottle, you're putting it on way to think. I can get 3 coats from 1/2 a bottle on my 2000 Camaro and I think it's slightly bigger than a CL.

Ira
Los Angeles Zaino Distributor
www.lazaino.com

Homer2

my turn !

i "finally" had a chance to use ZFX on the weekend . . . dont ask why it took so long. please.

i mixed 2/3 of a bottle - dripped 6 or 7 drops -
got two coats on my Bonneville - we got one coat on my neighbours Blazer - and had some left over. If the daylight hadnt left us, we would have put 2 on the blazer easy.

Now, as you can imagine, my SSEi has a good chunk more sheetmetal - so you guys should be lapping me on coats per ounce.

EricL

Hey Ira,

I've been fooling around with the stuff, and the foam pads do suck up a bit of the stuff. The products literature doesn't mention it, but it is still a good idea to soak the pad with water (then wring out) and put a light mist of Z6 on it.

I have been able to get 3-coats from one bottle (with room at the top) or 2-coats from one bottle, with enough left to really put a thick layer in the front.

It's only an opinion, but I prefer the thicker coats (even though they take a few minutes longer to dry). The final 2nd or 3rd coat will sometimes even have a few spots dry the next day that I missed (yep, way too heavy in a few places.)

The good news is: When I got blasted with some dirty sprinklers, I was able to just "wipe" the water spots of the way-to-thick Zaino apps (I was done in a few minutes. My neighbor was busy redoing their car [different wax/protectant and the spots were NOT coming out...]) So, I don't know if Sal ever did a study that determined that the coat would only be xxx mils thick REGARDLESS of application, but there might be some slight variability in the fully cured coats (Don't know, but after 20+ coats, I think it’s possible -- and BTW, I'm not advocating "wasting" the stuff with globs of it. I'm just wondering about the 1/4 oz per car stuff...)

Zapata

How long do you all wait between ZFX coats.

Zapata

bump, so how long do you all wait between coats?

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

You can wipe off the residue immediately and put on another coat. The only time I had to wait more than an hour was when it was really humid outside.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

hmm, I actually got about 6 coats out of half a bottle (1 ounce). may be i'm putting on coats that are too thin.
also ZFX kinda sux that you have to use it all up w/in 24 hours.

and ericL my zanio distibutor actually told me about wetting the applicator

AcuraFanatic

Are you talking about how many per bottle? I remember reading that you're not supposed to do more than three coats of wax per layer of ZFX.

Homer2

yup - 6 exceeds the max suggested number in that 8 hour window you have to apply - its supposed to be three.

and while there is nothing "wrong" with thicker coats - you just have to re-train youyr technique to deal with it . .

i wish all my customers would apply thicker coats

aclbuyer

So I just got my zaino, and I've never used it before. I got the zfx, but I'm wondering do I need to use it in both the z2 and z5? Should I only use one coat of z5 and then multiple coats of z2? Is there any reason to put on a lot of coats of z5?

ira

If you need Z-5, you have swirl marks or fine scratches, you should use it until the problems are gone, 2 to 8 coats usually. When they are all gone, switch to Z-2, if they return go back to Z-5.

Ira

Scooter

i can barely get 3 coats out of the 2oz bottle...i wet the applicator just a little...don't use the Zaino applicators!!!! for $3, u can get like 3 100% cotton applicators from Turtle Wax or a no-name generic brand that soak way less which gives u more to use on the car...that will make a big difference

as far as thick/thin coats go, my personal theory is thick coats are good for your initial Z'ing, like for the first few coats of Z on the car...after that, i think u're just wasting Z...there's only so much Z the panels can take at any given point...when u first start Z'ing, the car's down to the bare essentials, so it can take a hella lot of Z, hence the thick coats...after a few coats, however, u're now beginning to just support your initial coats, which is good...but u don't need thick coats to do that...in fact, it's counterproductive...all that excess either smears or just sits on top, and u get a lot of haze marks u can't seem to get rid off...it's b/c the Z hasn't dried into the existing coats and the paint, nor will it if the Z can't go anywhere...this past Monday, i was applying my 3 coats after Sunday's 3 coats...by the time i was on my 3rd coat, the Z was starting to smear bigtime...it's b/c the body panels were at that point supersaturated with Z...so thinner coats will save Z and have the same effect at the same time...that's how i view it from my personal experiences.

tw1112

So i've read over and over the zaino application instructions and am ready to go out and buy some from a local distributor. Does this sound good:

z1, z2, z5, z6, z7, z18, and zfx


Should I go z1, z2, then z5 with z6 in between? Or z5 first then z2 doe it matter? Should I be using zfx with my z2 and z5 even after putting on z1? I know they say that you don't need z1 if you use zfx....

stenoslave

If you get the ZFX, you don't need the Z-1. The ZFX takes the place of the Z-1.

Depends on the color of your car. If you have a dark color, use Z-5 first (up to 3 coats a day when mixing with the ZFX, if you wish). Then, the next time -- next day or whenever -- use the Z-2. It's not necessary to use the ZFX every time with the polish, just as long as you use it every six months or every ten coats, whichever comes first.