PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

I've never polished my car before..

Should I wash after polishing? Or should I apply a glaze right after? I assume the wax goes right on over the glaze..

Thanks.

I'm Batman

After polishing you will have a lot of "polish dust". The only way to really clean it off is to wash the car afterwards. Then after waxing you end up with a good look.

SK2003TypeS

depends on what products you're using.

exceldetail

If you have an air compressor and soft tip, it would help. After polishing client cars I always blow the surface free of dust anyway, even if its a very low dusting product......

Brewmaster

I use a 50/50 mix of water and isopropyl alcohol w/ a mf to just wipe it down. It evaporates quickly and doesn't leave any residue so you can move on to the next step quickly w/ minimal effort.

joerockt

Why would you do this? Your removing what you just put on.

I think it really depends on what product your using. I have yet to see Zaino flake up on me. And even if it did, I wouldnt wash it again. Just use Z6 and wipe it down.

DarkWraith33

No.... A polish is just that, a polish. It leaves behind no protection. That's what the sealant and/or wax is for.

That being said... I see that the Z2 is a labeled as a polish. Does it leave behind protection? I think it does... Does it have any cut to it? I know the polish I use does not leave protection... Once again, the clarity of the Zaino product line amazes...

SK2003TypeS

I haven't had Zaino flake up on me either. I have tried a few combos with "oily" type products without any "failure". I think if anything, if you use a product with oils/fillers and then don't bring it back down to bare paint with an alcohol wipedown or wash prior to applying Zaino, the life of the Zaino will be affected. Maybe shorten it a couple months. Just my

joerockt

I really cant think of one polish out there that dosent leave some kind of protection. Maybe some of the abrasive polishes? Like SFX-1 or SSR2?

Zaino has great protection to it (can last 4-6 months), but its not a "cleaner" polish. I know that Klasse AIO is a cleaner polish, but it also leaves a protective acrylic coat. Klasse SG helps with the longevity AFAIK.

DarkWraith33

Perhaps I am losing something in the semantics... As we know, I use BF and the first step is the gloss enhancing polish, which does not leave any protection behind. It simply removes old wax and minor swirls. You must then use the AFPP to get your protection... When I think polish, I think remove old wax and make imperfections more sublte

Does Sal have a product to remove old wax or just the Dawn method? Does he have a product to remove minor swirls or is the Z2 to simply fill them in and provide protection...

Sorry for the minor thread

SK2003TypeS

You're correct, a true polish will remove old wax and improve imperfections.

The thing is that is misleading is that the Zaino Z2 is labeled as a "polish" when it is actually a sealant.
Sal recently released Z-PC which is an actual polish/paint cleaner and can be used prior to a Zaino Z2 or Z5 application without a wash.

SK2003TypeS

Correct. FWIW, I've used AIO as a base for Zaino Z2 and had some great results. A lot of Zaino users have been using this combo lately with success. Now that the Z-PC is out in the market, people seem to be going that way since it was designed for the product line.

joerockt

Yea, I just bought a bottle of AIO. I wanted to save some time by not having to clay every 6 months. Once a year should be sufficent. Im also thinking about picking up a bottle of SG instead of using Z2. If I can get the results from one layer of SG as I get with about 3 layers of Z2, then I think im done with Z all together.

Winterwaves

I think that Z-5 and Z-2 are technically sealants, aren't they? Even though they're labeled as polishes. Again, the terminology with this stuff gets muddy. I've seen websites that instruct to "wax the car with Zaino," and of course Zaino isn't a wax.

Z-5 is for eliminating Zwirl5.

Xpditor

I will echo the comments above. "Polish" means an abrasive mixture to remove a microscopic layer of clearcoat to get rid of the stains, imperfections, swirls, etc. "Cleaner" has chemicals to remove same. A "Cleaner-Polish" is an aggressive mixture to clean up and smoothe out the surface but leaves NO protection. AIO or "All-in-one" is just that.

Zaino, until recently, did not make a true polish. They made polymer sealants but labeled them as "polish" since the general population has bastardized the term to include waxes/sealants.

Zaino Z2, Z5, Z6 has no abrasives and only Z5 has a little filler. It is an excellent protectant. But, many people will put a wax with filler on top of it, especially black and darker colors, to handle the fine swirl marks that always show up on dark colors.

I recently discovered that Eagles' Wax-as-you-dry does a great job after washing my Zainoed TL. I really didn't expect it to be that good and easy. It's better than QD (Quick Detailer) or Z6 (Zaino Gloss Enhancer). Try it. And it's not a lot of money. It takes the "silvery" effect away that Zaino can leave on black.

SK2003TypeS

I think in general it's good to clay at least every 6 months, unless you have a true GQ that doesn't see too much road time. AIO wouldn't help you clay less.

If you have Z2 and AIO already, why not try that combo. Not sure what you're more focused on, but I'm guessing it's durability. Either combo will give you a good amount of life provided you regularly wash the car. As for appearance, I like the classic AIO/SG on light colors like a beige or silver. I like AIO/Z on darker cars.

joerockt

Thats incorrect on the AIO. It leaves a layer of acrylic protection. Thats why its called a polish and sealant.

Link.

joerockt

I drive 5 miles to work one way...I dont need to clay every 6 months

Yea, durability is what I'm looking for. Z seems to be the best at it. Just wanted to save some time and not have to add several layers of Z2.

My wife has a silver VUE, and that is due for a 6 month. I think I'll try the AIO/SG on it and stick to AIO/Z2 on my CG TSX

Xpditor

Joe: I should have been clearer: AIO is just that = All (polish/cleaner/protection)-in-one.

I didn't mean that it was just a polish.

SK2003TypeS

I drive 1 mile to work

For me, Zaino seems to hold up longer than SG. For daily drivers, both products are great for durability.
The only way to find out what you like is to try out the different combos. Of course you can pick up Z-PC, which is the AIO for Zaino.

As far as layers, I'll do only 2-3. Anything more, I don't see a difference in appearance or durability.