I haven't bought into the Zaino frenzy yet, but am thinking about it. I would love to see some pics with half the hood Zaino'd and the other half original and the picture taken from dead center in front of the car. Has anyone done this - a true side by side comparison? Any similar pics of alternative products would also be appreciated. TSX pics not required, but favored. I've seen pics of before and after, but they are never taken under identical conditions and is sometimes hard to tell if the difference is due to different conditions or due to the polish.

Thanks.

 

I polymered my TSX last weekend (after claying it, of course). I must say that I could tell no difference by sight alone. She was black and shiny when I got her. She's black and shiny now. To the touch, there's a great difference. Bird poop also wipes off pretty easily, too.

I would have to agree on Bear Trap regarding "Before" and "After" pictures. Usually, the sun has shifted by the time the guy finishes polymering his car, so the lighting's all different. A half and half on the hood would be the best comparo.

 

This may likely cause some controversy (what, I'm sure, will amount to heresy among Zaino lovers) but here goes...

I had heard a lot about the Zaino polish system and thought I'd give it a try seeing as how I would use it to officially christen my new TSX.

In short, I'm not a believer.

Considering all the work that went into mixing and applying the product, as well as the subsequent wait times, this product just doesn't suit me. I did one door panel with Zaino and the door next to it with Meguiar's Gold. After just one application (coat) of Zaino, Meguiar's was the clear winner (easily).

I'm sure that had I taken the time and effort to apply subsequent layers of Zaino that it would have easily equalled the Meguiar's if not surpassed it but that is simply WAY too much time and effort for this old man. I'll stick with the wax-on, wax-off, Daniel-san approach and be done with the entire process in half an hour.

I also think one might not fully appreciate Zaino without a darker color car which can show more gloss/reflections. I do know that it was a ROYAL pain in the arse to apply what is basically a pink liquid to a silver car. Again, Meguiar's was much easier to see going on as well as noting any spots in its application as well as when buffing off.

Keep in mind that these are just my simple results. I'm not talking about lab tests to compare shine versus durability versus UV protection, etc. I'm simply talking about the final results versus the work put into it.

To each their own but this is one guy who is sticking with Meguiar's for now.

On another note, I'm very satisified with the results of the Zaino Z-10 (Leather In a Bottle). I used this to condition the seats as well as the black vinyl and I am quite impressed with the results. Went on very easily and gave a nice, non-gloss finish. I'm definitely sticking with this product and it was great to see the dash with a nice, uniform finish given its splotchy appearance when delivered by the dealer. It surely made me feel better after being personally let down by the results I achieved with the polish.

 

I want to first start off this reply by saying I am a MAJOR Zaino supporter (have applied or helped apply it to 5 cars now).

Additionally, I want to state, RadMon is not entirely faulted by his comments.
1. Zaino does take a lot of upfront work and subsequent coats.
2. Zaino is not the least expensive product on the market.
3. Zaino is a product that show car people held secret for a while.

I guess the question every person who wants to protect their car must ask themself is, "Do I feel comfortable about taking a day to put the first coat of Zaino on?" If you answer "no", then stop thinking about buying it.

For all those Zaino lovers, I know it doesn't take a day, especially with ZFX, but you know what point I'm trying to make to the prospective Zaino user.

Finally, someone out there took their NSX hood and performed a test on 4 products including Zaino and Meguiar's. The end result was Zaino just inching out over the others.

Zaino is for everyone who is obsessively driven to have their daily driver look like a show car. It is not for those people who want a shiney car in an hour's worth of work.

I too have the Zaino leather care products and THEY ROCK!! They made cleaning and conditioning leather so quick and simple.

 

Nicely put, moda_way!

I'm glad you took my comments as they were intended. Not to enflame any issue or offend Zaino lovers but to simply tell of my personal experience and why I came to the personal conclusion that I did.

Given the time constraints on my life for work & commuting, home, family, etc. I could not justify the time and effort.

And likely I'm just lazy and spoiled by years of wax-on, wax-off

 

I fund Zaino or polymer sealant quite good, but they must apply on clean surface.... i agree regular wax looks bettet, but polymer feel better when touch. plus i think protection is more important..... bird dropping and water spot will eat into the paint. and i don't think general picture can catch the differences but microscope may be helping???

 

a few more pics on WWW button in sig.

 

For those interested, the test you are refering to is here: http://www.nsxsc.com/html/article10.html

I just wish they would have tested Griotts Best of Show...

 

Hey, Vasu! VASU! (Where is Vasu when you need him?)

P.S. If he sees this, be prepared for a VERY THOROUGH answer!

 

...and hot sex!

 

It's like this.. If you are going just by the appearance of the car..how it looks to your eye, then of course a quick coat of wax will look better than a quick coat of polymer. In fact in general, a wax will look better than a polymer.

However, as they say, appearances can be deceiving. Just because it might look better and shine more, doesn't mean that it's protected better, and afterall isn't that why most of us bother waxing in the first place?

Put on a cellophane glove or wrap your finger in 1 layer of saran wrap and then run your finger over the waxed car. You'll probably notice that it feels gritty. If it does, that means it's not a clean and smooth surface, and it's also not completely protected.

But you're right, some people don't want to spend a lot of time detailing their car and prefer to just do the wax on wax off route. Personally for me I'd rather spend all those hours 1-2 times a year, rather than having to wax 6-12 times a year for a wax. Because to be honest, that's all you're going to get from a wax 1-2 months protection tops. And you can't build up layers with waxes. Waxes are usually slightly gritty and when you try to build up layers, they might weaken the pervious layer.

But all this talk about ease of use, longevity and appearance will vary from user to use. Some want something that's simple or familar/don't mind doing it more often if it's quicker/looks great at the first go. For them you're going to use a wax. Some want something that will protect the absolute best and they don't mind expending more effort and dealing with sometimes complicated methods. For them, use a polymer.

But there is one area that a wax will never be able to match a polymer, and that's protection. A polymer will always protect better and longer, and while you can just re-wax every couple weeks or once a month to maintain your carnuba shell, there's again 1 big thing a carnuba can't do.

UV protection. You compare a car that's been polymerized 1-2 times a year vs a car that'x waxed 6-12 times a year, and look at them side by side after a few years, and you'll notice the one that'd been polymered is going to have a deeper, richer, more vivid finish because the paint has faded less.

That's just my take on it...

 

It took me a total of 4.5 hours to wash, spot clay, and apply 2 coats of Zaino (Z-2/ZFX) to my TSX. For the 30+ minutes curing time, I lubed the leather and cleaned the inside glass.

I will agree that it's harder to see going on, but it was easy to do if you had a good profile view.

Otherwise I'm pleased with the results. The only thing I've had disappointments with is that I still have waterspots every morning after the sprinklers catch the front end...and they don't wash off easily.

 

How important is it to clay before applying a polymer like Zaino? Should it be done to the whole car, or just on visible spots?

 

Your time is right on. I just washed, spot clayed, rewashed, and did one coat of Z-2/ZFX last night in about 3 hours on the TSX.


One more coat (maybe two) is going on tonight after it's Z-6'd again.

Have you tried Z-6ing the spots. I've had these before and they usually come right off if you don't let them bake too long in the sun. I keep a bottle of Z-6 in each of my cars 'cause you never know when you'll need it (damn birds).

 

Thanks for all the info and opinions. The NSX comparison was great - just what I needed to see. I guess I'll be reserving a Saturday to Zaino soon (after I get around to placing my Zaino order). Also, thanks for the different opinions.

 

If you're interested, I've got some pics of my Arctic Blue after 2 coats of Z2/ZFX up at http://richf.org/tsx

I'm very pleased with the results.. Car has been hit by birds a couple times since I applied the Zaino - it comes off with incredible ease.

 

Not right away. The spots aren't baked on, it's mainly due to the really hard water they use in the sprinklers. The car seriously needs a bath right now, but I'll check it out next time I wash.

 

LOOKS SHARP! Thanks. How long did it take you to do it?

On another note, how many coats are other people putting on? It seems like I've seen a lot of posts with two or more coats. Once you get two coats is there any need for more?

 

Argh! What does it mean!?!? z2 zfx z6 z7,148.....I'm interested in picking some of this stuff up.....

Can someone PLEASE break it all this down to what does what and how much you can expect to pay... Tks.

P.S. Is their site the only place to get it?

 

When I wash my car this next week, there should be proof. My car is damn near covered in speckles of pine sap. What a bitch to get off. We'll see if Zaino does it's job.

 

What an incredible comparison that is! Thank you very much for the link. I am definitely buying Zaino now.

 

Here is a link for a kit that has everything you need. Total is $92.65 including shipping. I don't think you can buy this stuff anywhere else.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino

 

Zaino is not selling it to anyone. Reason being is that they want to protect their proprietary formulation. If they had it in retail stores, they'd have to display an "ingredients" list for MSDS purposes (e.g. shipping requirements).

Also, I don't use the ZFX accelerator (maybe I should) so I based all my comments on that.

As for the # of coats, I've put 3 on so far, but remember, you have to wait 24 hours b/t coats unless you're using ZFX, then you can get up to 3 coats in a day.

ClutchPerformer asked about the importance of claying. On a new car, it isn't crucial, but the clay is removing "in transit" deposits, like microscopic shards of metal from the trains and trucks they were transported on. Honda does an amazing job of plastic rapping of their cars, so I'm a huge supporter of the clay, but didn't use it on my car since I garage kept it the first week specifically to Zaino it.

Finally, I personally recommend the applicators Zaino sell, but to each their own (if someone hasn't started the acronym for this I will - TETO).

Total cost for me b/c I got the leather treatment and didn't go the ZFX route, $103.

 

Thanks. What are the advantages to NOT using ZFX, if any?

 

Some areas have local distributors. There are 2 within 10 miles of me. If you contact Zaino Bros directly, they may be able to direct you towards a 3rd party retailer. Ohh, and they don't jack up the price either. (At least the 2 near me don't.)

 

there is another distributor in souther california (in santa monica to be exact). i thought it was kinda shady at first, but i went there to buy some towels and they showed me everything. its exactly the real zaino stuff. www.lazaino.com for those that are interested.

 

Took about 7 hrs in total. But I worked pretty slowly with lots of breaks...

Washed with Dawn, took a break, Clayed, took a break, Washed with Z7, took a long break, Z2+ZFX, waited 45 minutes, wiped it off, put on Z6, applied second coat of Z2+ZFX.

 

OMG....I'm such a Zaino believer now. I just spent about 6 hours claying my car and applying two coats of Z2/ZFX and Z6. The look and feel of the paint is just so silky smooth. I still can't stop walking over to the garage, turning on the light and peeking at the car. Oh yah...sometimes I feel it to see just how smooth it is. It was well worth the time spent and is definately the best stuff I've ever used. So easy to put on and take off. And best of all, no white residue!

Gotta go now....gonna take one last peek before I go to sleep. Give it a try so you can be the judge.

I agree with ebcheon abou lazaino for those that are in the LA area. Quick service and great people. Very helpful and friendly.

 

We are allowed to sell for more - but not less than the zaino store/plant in N.J.

Ira in L.A is a great guy . ..

Shady ? never heard that before, but products sold through distributors can lend themselves to comments . . .

Remember, as the wise vasu stated - there is no pictoral proof that one item is better than another. Ive seen hundreds, if not thousands of car and pictures talking about shine - there are way too many variables in photos to be reliable.

The nsx test has been around for a while - but the king of wax testing is the gurureports test - they did 46 products - carnauba and polymers (yes FF and Zaino , also) - cheap (2.95) to expensive Zymol (over $100) -
tested for 8 weeks, graded on everything from water droplet size to reflectivity and durability , ease of use etc . . .

It is over 50 pages of very interesting reading . . .

I love my copy - well worn pages . . .lots if useful info on 46 car care products that would take years to get for yourself . . .

 

I don't own a TSX yet but I'm looking to buy one in the next few months as my daily driver! I currently own a 1999 Camaro Z28 as my fun car and a 1990 Cadillac Eldorado as my daily driver.

I have used Zaino on both of my cars and my girlfriends 2002 Camaro and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. It is a pain in the butt to first put it on but once you're done with the entire car it's breathtaking! I tried just doing one half of the hood and leaving the other side unwaxed. It didn't look all that great. But for some reason when you're done with the entire car it's just awesome! It looks so wet/glossy/smooth! It's phenominal! If you're picky about your car I'd buy it. If you're not that picky and anything will do, don't buy it! It's for those who are really finicky and will spend the time to do it right! If it's not done right it does not turn out! Multiple coats with detailing mist in between each coat is the way to go. I only used 1 coat of swirl/scratch remover and then the final polish and it looked great. I didn't have to apply 5 million coats like some people do. Also, my Camaro is silver and it still looks great! Darker colors really stand out though. My girlfriends Camaro is Navy Blue, that thing looks like it's glass!