18anatak

well guys i've got a question for ya....everytime i look on this board, everyone is ranting and raving about Zaino...whats so special about it...and who started saying it was the greatest....the only reason i'm asking is because i started working at a carwash when i was 16, and have been detailing professionally ever since, including while i was in the army for a few years.....now im' the asst. manager at a carwash, and i still, to this day, have never seen any of it used anywhere......i've read their web page, and i have to disagree with some of the things they say, i.e., washing your car with Dawn dishwashing liquid...that is the worst thing to do.....what kind of wax is it similar too...or is it more like liquid glass?....just tryin to find out, thanks for any info!

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Ok first off Zaino is not a "wax" it's a polymer, somewhat similar to the Liquid Glass product.

As for washing with Dawn, it is done to remove any wax, grease, oil from the paint surface so Zaino can bond properly. Typical carnaubas can bond to just about anything, polymers need a sqeaky clean surface.

I doubt the products used at a "car wash" are the best quality. They are looking for quick, get you in and out and something that won't last too long so you'll be back again soon. And yes, most carnaubas fall into that category. Although they give a great shine, their longevity is pretty poor. Polymers on the other hand, have longevity. Some people say the shine is not as deep, but I think that is up for debate.

If you have time, search the mountains of information at theAutopia Car Care Forum These guys are some of the most dedicated, anal retentive, knowledgeable people on car care products, techniques, etc. You could learn a lot.

18anatak

yea i didnt think zaino was a wax, i figured it fell into a different categories...how long does zaino last? because the wax we use lasts about 3 months, but i've heard that liquid glass can last anywhere from 6mos to a year.....as for washing with Dawn, if you want a squeaky clean surface, clay the vehicle, dont wash it with Dawn...theres a reason its a dishwashing liquid, not a car wash soap....any dishwashing detergent will rob the clear coat of vital moisturizers and over time, will dull the surface and accelerate oxidation......as for my car, i use a polymer wetcoat designed specifically for light colored cars...its a wax, which looks great and offers protection for about 3mos....but with me working at the car wash, i say i wax my car about 2x every month, just cuz im' also anal retentive...however i have many customers that use our products, namely blue coral/meguiar's, etc...whose cars i see on a regular basis and the product still works.....we would never use zaino because, from what i've read, it takes forever to apply....but no matter what u use on your car, it will break down over time, nothing last forever, no matter what you hear....a car is subject to many things that will strip off any protective coat....sun, rain, industrial fallout, bugs, etc....the number one way to stop these from even penetrating the clear coat is to wash often and wax occasionally.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Oh brother...you have soooo much to learn.

1) Dawn will not harm the clear coat

Dishwashing liquid has a high alkaline content which cuts thru carnauba wax, paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This gets your paint finish squeeky clean and wax free. Otherwise the polymer won't bond.

I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on polishes but will never harm the paint finish.


2) "Zaino takes forever to apply" - another misconception

The time from application to removal is way less than with any carnauba, and I've used them all. The reason people claim it takes "forever' is because Sal used to require a bonding agent (z1) be applied prior to the polish. Now that he has the curing agent (ZFX) I literally can put on the polish, then work back around polishing the car.

18anatak

ok, like i said, i dont know too much about zaino, if it doesnt take forever to apply, thats fine...but as for the dishwashing liquid, thats where you might be a little confused, because it does harm the clear coat....you say you wouldnt make it a habit to wash with Dawn...why not, if its so safe...the reason is, like i said before, it does strip everything strip off the car, but at the same time takes all oils out of the clear coat, which in turn, speeds oxidation....if you want to really get the surface clean, just use a clay bar on the car...that way u clean everything, and you also get out any paint overspray/ tree fallout/ etc....like i said before, i dont know too much about zaino, but i do know the only thing im' gonna be using Dawn dishwashing liquid on is well.....my dishes

AgentDSS

You need Dawn before Claying unless your car is free from Carnuba wax and other dirt, tar, etc.. that reg. wash won't remove. Clay will remove remenents of carnuba and tougher tar, oxidation, etc.., but you need to get most of it off w/ Dawn. I have talked to Sal Zaino before, a chemist, and he says Dawn does not harm/remove oils from paint finishes, but it's known for leaving a film after drying. This film, of course, is easily removed by a regular car wash (Z7).

chef chris

Katana, you're exactly right. Dawn, with repeated uses, will dull your paint. It will harm newer paint even more. The oil & sealer in paint is what keeps the paint shiny & protects it from the elements, Dawn's various detergents & surfactants remove oil(and just about every thing else too). Dawn(Joy, Palmolive, etc) should be used very, very seldom, at most. I think most of the guys here already know that though.

However, I do think these 'Zaino' guys buy into too much crap posted on the Z website. Liquid Glass is a polymer wax and is just as good, if not superior to Zaino(not to mention way fuckin cheaper). It's been around for years & is still one of the best products I've ever used. I've seen countless "here's my ride after 45 coats of Z" threads & frankly, I'm not too impressed.

I'll post some pics of my piece of shit, non-garage-kept, 2 year old, non-clayed CLS this weekend... Liquid Glass only... I'm confident there will be plenty of Bling & Bling for all the Z'ers.

ccshamrock2004

yeah, if you use Dawn everytime you wash your car for a couple years you may see a little fade but using it before everytime you clay isn't going to harm anything. the abrasiveness and high alkane content is needed to stip any 'poo' on the paint

18anatak

the thing i dont get is why so many people say use Dawn before you clay..why?? claying gets out/off EVERYTHING.....trust me guys, leave the Dawn in the kitchen and get some Meguiar's Gold Class car wash soap for your ride!

Katies99CL

alright...i was reading this post and thought i'd add my 2 cents...i recently met Katana18 and let me tell you...his car was incredible!
i have never felt anything like this before...your hand just slid across it...it was smooth and soft, i never thought a car could be soft, until i saw his. It was addcitive...i couldnt stop touching it.

It's hard to describe exactly how nice it felt...but i would listen to what he says, he knows his stuff and i'd trust him w/ my car anyday...

mantis23

2 words.

Zaino Owns. I know you've seen it countless times, but it does.

18anatak

Zaino owns? owns what?

mantis23

j00

ccshamrock2004

dawn strips all the wax/sealant that is on the car....for the clay to actually work all the wax/sealant needs to be stripped...so briung the dawn out to the driveway

18anatak

you know...clay removes EVERYTHING on the car....including, but not limited too....wax and sealant.......since you use Dawn, which is a household cleaner, on your car, what other household cleaners do u use on your paint finish? bleach? ajax? maybe some soap scum remover?.....i ll say it again, there is a reason Dawn DISHWASHING liquid is not in any car wash aisle, at ANY store...that is...because it is not safe for your car......but hey, its your car, and your investment, and your paint finish...u can do what you want, i mean hey, what do i know, i've only been doing this professionally for the last 8 years or so. i'm trying to give all of you solid advice on how to properly care for your car and keep it looking its best, i would never give any of you bad advice!

chef chris

Katana,

You're wasting your time. The Zaino guys are set on the Z & that's it.

I'm with you though, Liquid Glass is the best I've ever used. Easy on & easy off. It's the quickest I've ever been able to wax my car(with the best results) without using my buffer.

Katies99CL

i agree w/ chris
it's their car...all u can do is give advice eric...people arent always going to listen to what other people have to say...that's just human nature

but i used meguires gold class on my car...and it worked just fine:P

ccshamrock2004

i am not trying to make this into a huge arguement Katana. i also have been professionally detailing for a somewhat long time and know what i am doing....i am not one of these "Zaino guys" whatever that is suppose to mean. But i do use Klasse AIO and Platinum UPP, a product many pro detailers are familiar with.
Saying that i would use bleach and ajax on my car is just uncalled for. It has nothing to do with the subject and the reason you bring it up is unknown. i rarely and i mean RARELY use Dawn. actually i haven't used it on my RSX yet and it hasn't touched my brothers ITR. so think what you want to think and make stupid comments like you did before because it is 'obvious' you know everything and are a genious.

18anatak

look shamrock, i'm not trying to get into an argument with u...im' just sitting here beside myself wonderin why anyone would put that on their car.....and i'm not saying you would use bleach or ajax, its just in the same class....and sorry if it sounded like i was making stupid comments, cuz i really wasnt trying to do that, and no, i dont know everything, but i know a lot about this kinda stuff and am only looking to share the knowledge with fellow CL drivers. oh and by the way, its genius, not "genious"...lol just messin with ya sham!

ccshamrock2004

ok, we have settled...now lets make this detailing section the best it can be.....btw, me wetowded

chef chris

a polymer product like Liquid Glass/Zaino anyway, right?

I'm sure it works well, as I know the polymer products work a lot better than the waxes I've used. I'd be interested in giving that a shot if I ever came across it. Where do they normally sell it?

ccshamrock2004

online stores such as www.premiumautocare.com will sell them. these products, just like most professional grade product, are not sold over the counter

KCPreki11

I have to disagree with NSXNEXT here...there have been several people who don't think Dawn is the best thing to use to strip your car of greases, wax, etc...and nobody has ever proven that Dawn is safe to use on your car occasionally, only because Sal said it everyone agrees...I would rather polish the surface clean and then wax it...

ccshamrock2004

who has proved that it has harmed paint? this will be an ongoing never ending subject

18anatak

u know..i was thinking...maybe a lot of guys are hung up on Zaino due to the fact that you cant buy it over the counter, that its a "order over the internet" kinda thing...maybe thats why some people think its so exclusive, because you cant buy it at any store...but see that could be the whole Zaino plan...if they made it available everywhere, more people would buy it...but if the people didnt like it and found it its worse than most other car products, they would say it sucked, and then Zaino would be out of business...this is one of those things where its like you want what you cant have....but hey, thats just my opinion....a far fetched one perhaps...but still my opinion

mantis23

I can get Zaino from 2 locations, both within 10 miles from me.

Truely man, I said the same thing as you. I had tried several products before Zaino, Meguiars, Klasse, Pinnacle...then I said fuck it and tried Zaino. Now, I probably won't use anything else. If you ever decide to give it a try, you'll know what I'm talking about. Use it properly, and the results are outstanding.

18anatak

hey if Zaino works for you, thats great, a lotta people have only certain things they ll use....if they ever decide to sell Zaino around any Orlando shops, i ll give it a try and see how it works out...but for now, i ll stick with my poly-wetcoat....

CL Hype

KCPreki11

Shamrock, it's made for dishwashing, not car paint.

BTW, Zaino is great, all the results I have seen are awesome, I just can't justify $70 for the whole process when I can pick up a jar of S100 for $15. What sucks about Zaino is that it's a whole big ass system.

18anatak

so how much and how long does the whole process take....i mean, if u didnt have nothin, and u used only zaino products, what would u need to take it to "zaino pimp status" and how much would it all cost, and how long approximately would it all take?

ccshamrock2004

i wouldn't know...maybe some of you Zaino die-hards can enlighten us?

18anatak

not only that.....whos the first guy to rant, rave, praise, and endorse Zaino on this board?

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

I would venture a guess that I was one of the first to use Zaino.

I read about it a lot before I got my TL back in July of 1999, and went up to Howell, NJ and talked to the guys at Shore Motorsports about it before I bought it from them.

I don't think I was the first to post here, I didn't join for a while, I was on Acura-tl.com first.

KCPreki11

NSXNEXT, would you not agree that Zaino is somewhat expensive to keep the shine on your vehicle, say compared to waxes that give a comparable shine?

aaron1017

I Love my Zaino and it is the best stuff I have used so far and it has lasted the longest, so I think i am gonna stick with it!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES, THEN THE FOLER CALLED "MEGA BLING"

reflection1.jpg is my favorite!

mantis23

lookin' good

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

It's not too expensive. The problem most people have with it is they use way too much product. I can do 2-3 coats with 1 ounce of product. So an 8 ounce bottle will last me 16-24 coats.

The biggest bang for the buck is longevity. No way any carnauba-based product lasts as long as a polymer.

Red-CL

WOW!!!!

knv8

Katana

I might of missed something, but quick question. I want advice from a pro. What do you recommend for wax and leather cleaner/conditioner.

18anatak

Lexol, definently Lexol. they make a cleaner and also a conditioner, but u have to buy them separate, it really helps as far as moisturizing, conditioning, and slowing down wear and tear, also gives it that soft, supple feel.