I've already clayed, Z5, Z2 and Z6 the whole car once already a couple of weeks ago. Looks great and I'm very satisfied with the results. My question is, how do you guys maintain the car afterwards?

my car was dirty this week, so I just cleaned with the Z7 , applied a coat of Z2 and then finished off with the Z6. Am i doing too much? too little? it seems that I could just wash with the Z7 and then go straight to the Z6 and skip the Z2 or Z5.

thanks in advance!

 

i ususally wash and just do a Z6 application afterwards to maintain it.

 

no need to use z-2/z-5 after each wash. a z-7 wash followed by z-6 is fine. to boost protection, follow the z-6 with some z-8 or duragloss aquawax every 3-4 washes and you're set for a long time.

 

Q: My question is, how do you guys maintain the car afterwards?"

Finish your Zaino application with Zaino Z-CS (Clear seal) and then 'maintain with Z-8'

 

I purchased the full Zaino kit and I agree, the results show even after the first coat. Without being in direct sunlight, my NBP shines like a mirror but whenever back in sunlight I can still see swirls. My question is, whenever I'm applying the layers am I applying force to get the wax into the paint? or am I applying force on the MF towel when wiping off the wax?

Currently I'm doing neither. I'm applying moderate pressure when applying the wax, waiting for it cure, and then gently wiping it off with a MF towel. I don't use a PC so I'm wondering what's the best method by hand to get rid of surface scratches/swirls

Thanks!

 

^
You probably won't get rid of swirls, unless you use a PC. Take if from a NBP owner.

 

Swirl Marks:
Marring, spider webbing or halo-scratches these are micro fine surface abrasions that have a circular appearance, that's the way they appear under a bright light and are inducted onto a paint film surface from inappropriate vehicle washing and/or drying. These so called ‘swirls’ are actually random linier surface scratches, they appear to be circular because the light is concentrated on a specific point and reflected from the raised edge of the scratches giving them a halo effect

What makes a scratch visible is that it makes the paint surface two-dimensional and the light reflects from the microscopic peaks and valley’s differently from the rest of the paint surface. When you abrade an area with a machine and foam pad these abrasions form a uniform pattern (the machine /foam pad applies an even and consistent pressure) and light reflects from its surface evenly without any two-dimensional reflectance.

 

doesn'tn the z-7 like strip off all the zaino???? I have had zaino on the TL for about 9 months and have only washed with water and sheepskin mitt, then dry and apply z-6 monthly. I was scared to strip all the wax as it's a super concentrated car wash soap. Can anyone chime in on the z-7 car show soap dellima please

 

I've never heard anything about Z-7 stripping off the Zaino wax - would be pretty counter intuitive if that was the case. The only process I heard of that strips off original wax is if you use something like Dawn dish detergent - which Zaino recommends using only once before you first use their products to strip off previous wax.

 

Using plain water will induce surface scratches/ marring

Car Wash Concentrates:
A good quality car wash (Zaino Z-7™ Show Car Wash or Groit’s Car Wash) provides a slightly alkaline pH-7.1 and balanced blend of active biodegradable ingredients, to provide lubrication to prevent scratching, surfactants to lift and encapsulate dirt, road grime and oils. Water quality (pH value, mineral content, harness, etc) and other characteristics will affect how well a car wash concentrate works.

As well as conditioners to maintain the shine without stripping the paint of essential oils (the way detergents do) and dispersing them in the rinsing process, warm water (not hot) will improve the cleaning abilities of wash concentrates.

The amount of foaming produced has nothing to do with its cleaning efficiency (although it does provide a means of encapsulation as well as acting a cushion between the paint surfaces and cleaning tool) when laundry was done with soap flakes; suds level was an indicator of cleaning performance.

Many people still equate a good rich level of suds with cleaning; however, this is no longer true. Today's quality car wash concentrates are formulated with anionic surfactants that have a very low suds level without affecting cleaning performance. One of the advantages of this formulation is that road dirt and grime are encapsulated in its structure (micelles), which makes for very easy and efficient rinsing.

 

yeah, i've never heard of Z7 stripping any of the Zaino layers off.

on a side note...how often in a year do ppl clay? if it's more than once, what's the time you wait inbetween claying?

 

I only clay 2x a year, unless there are specific spots that need attention.

 

You must have some very hard water.

 

A good quality car wash provides a slightly alkaline pH-7.1 and balanced blend of active biodegradable ingredients, to provide lubrication to prevent scratching, surfactants to lift and encapsulate dirt, road grime and oils. Water quality (pH value, mineral content, harness, etc) and other characteristics will affect how well a car wash concentrate works.

This is the reason water is rarely used for wet-sanding, detailer’s clay application, or washing a paint surface

'Hard water' refers to its pH value not the amount of scratches it could inflict on a paint surface

 

You always have good info, so I'm not knockin you, but do you have a PHD in Car Wash Chemistry or something? LOL!

 

Very good questions ebs.......

From what I understand the Zaino is best when applied in layers......I did mine once like you with all the steps.

A few days later (maybe a week) I went back and did the Z2-Z5 and Z6 again.

Another week later I did it again.........and topped it off with the Z-8 and Clear Seal.

The results are fantastic - it feels like I have a Teflon coating on the paint now.

For a regular routine I would use the Z-7 and follow up with some Z6.


Zaino is contagious.........I hope I got all the numbers correct...lolo