EricL

I finally got a ton of ZFX, Z2 and Z6, and got some 50-70 degree weather for some fresh new coats. The car had been living with 15 coats for quite a while and I just couldn't stand the idea of waiting in the cold for hours to get the stuff to harden (pre-ZFX).

I started with a wash, spot claying, and Z6 to do a "perfect prep" on the car.

I mixed up 10 drops of ZFX to 2-ounces of Z2 and decided to go a bit heavy (to test dry time).

For first ZFX + Z2 app, I had 50-degree temps with a little humidity. I laid down coats WITHOUT the usual water and Z6 strip method; boy did that pad soak up the Z2/ZFX combo. I used 1 oz. for coat one and 3/4 oz. for coat two. For the first test run, I didn't apply Z6 between coats (I knew I was going to leave the car in the garage for a 2nd round on a following day.).

The first coat died by the time I finished all the panels and made a few phone calls (30-45 minutes). The stuff was harder than usual to get off, but was super slick and the 2nd coat went the same way with the same dry time.

I left the car inside overnight, and normally there will be a few spots that don't dry/cure (with just the Z2/Z5), but I noticed that the stuff totally dried on the day of the job -- NICE!


Day 2:

I prepared for round 2 by using 8 drops of ZFX in 1 and 1/2 oz. This time I soaked and then wrung out the terry/foam applicator with clean water and spritzed some Z6 on the pad. I put some slightly thinner coats on the car and covered every inch of glass, plastic, paint, molding, and chrome with the combo. This time, the addition of the wet pad made the dry time seem longer, even though the temp was higher (70-degrees/20% humidity). The dry time was around 45 minutes (or more). The stuff came off with ease, but this time I added some Z6 right after the "rub down". The slippery quality, reflection, and ease of application of the Z6 was excellent. I followed up with a second super-thin coat (1/2 oz) and a final Z6. I put an extra coat later on the front bumper (didn't count that 3rd/5th total).

The ability to put the Z6 on instantly between coats gives the slickest finish I've seen yet. The final Z6 (right after the Z2/ZFX) makes for some of the slickest and glossiest shine I've gotten to date!

Bummers:

The stock bottles that come from Zaino need to be cleaned ASAP. Be prepared to use plenty of Dawn to clean out the mixing bottles and leave them facing upside down. The Dawn should be multiple times with warm water to get the bulk of the gunk out, then used in lower dilutions to "soak out" the epoxy like stuff. The stuff tends to collect in the cap, so leave the bottles upside down once you have gotten the bulk of the Z2 (or Z5) out of the bottle. Let it sit. If you have some toothpicks, it will help to pick out any "resistant" blobs. Note: I did the clean up within 1 hour and it’s a pain.

The bottles also show stress cracks and one bottle has a crack in the middle from by squeezing it to get all the Z2/ZFX out.


Comments/Conclusions:

Great product -- makes cold weather apps possible and the multiple coats work; my bumper got 3-coats on day 2. And I put 4 full coats on the car in 2 days. The ability to intermix the Z6 and get the job done in 2-4 hours TOTAL makes this a winner.

Clean the bottle out ASAP (do it right away) and leave it upside down during soaking.

Soak the applicator with clean water and apply Z6 to the pad with thin strips -- forget about the new instructions (on the ZFX box) about the dime size blob on a dry pad (you will waste tons of the stuff).

Suggestions:

Get better bottles *or* bug your dealer to find some better bottles (YMMV).


$0.02

Homer2

wow - very informative . . .

ok, so the bottles arent as functional as they could be , ,good input,

I'll have to keep my eyes open for something to offer customers . .

origanally , my thinking was "why clean them"

but i was thinking only about a full 2 oz application every time, then toss it. the ZFX is supposed to be enough to do a 8 ounce bottle of polish . . . 4 btls, 2 ozs, = 8 .

math never was a strong suit.

EricL

I've gotten conflicting reports on how many drops are in a bottle of ZFX. Some vendors claim that there are 80 drops in the bottle and at 5 drops per oz. (80 / 5 = 16), that would make for it possible to use one ZFX kit per two 8oz Z2 bottles (16 oz total).

I will know for sure when I finish up my first "ZFX" kit... however long that is.


(Someone could also choose to use less than 5-drops per oz…)

ira

I just asked that question and was told by the boss that there should be enough ZFX to treat somewhere between 2 and 3 bottles of polish. So no matter what, you'd best be cleaning those bottles.

Ira

Nicky Pass

Sounds like it really doesn't speed up the drying time at all!!!!!!

ira

Seemed to speed it up quite a bit for me. The first time I used it, it was 50 degrees and raining and the second coat dried in 15 minutes or so. I was putting it on really thin though, about 20 coats per bottle on my Z-28.

Ira

dajuice27

2 bottles of polish? 80 drops in a bottle of ZFX?

I think not!

I have some, and I doubt that 80 drops are in the bottle. I use 4 drops per ounce of Zaino either Z-2 or Z-5 and I am almost out, and I am working on coats 7 and 8 this weekend. I'll be contacting my retailer pretty soon if I expect to make it to coats 10-15.

Cleaning the bottles are a real pain, this stuff gets into all the nooks and crannies, but it's well worth it once you finish the job. It does make the curing time quick, but I have nothing to gauge that against since I never used the Z-1 before. I usually have a good 15-20 minutes before I wipe down the car and get started on the next application.

EricL

I have more than 1 kit, and I noticed that the height of the liquid is not quite the same in each bottle -- what could this mean.

I don't know the exact count of drops left, but I have used 28 drops (6 coats) and the bottle looks to be more than half full.

It would be nice to get an "exact" count of what's in the bottle.

EricL

Without the ZFX, with the thickness I use, I had to wait about 40 minutes on hot So. Cal days for the stuff to dry and would still find some that I missed (from my bit too-thick coats) the next day.

With the ZFX, and at 50-degrees F, the coat is dry by the time I finish the last coat (if I go very thin). Some people like using the super, super thin coat; I go for a bit thicker coat (it's my way). So, with my thicker coats, a few minutes of wait time, gets me going straight to the next Z2 or Z6. Before being too harsh, try different coats of varying thickness -- I got a huge relative improvement in dry time. (Hey, the amount people use per layer is all over the place…)

I can apply the next coat without going inside and I sure don't have to wait the 2-3 hours that I used to have to wait when I was doing my coats in 60-degree high-humidity temps. last year.

If I can get the coat to be DONE and ready for the next one, by the time I finish applying my "thick-ish" coats, I'm happy.

I want to be able to get a bunch of coats on in a few days, not a few weeks. The old way: 1-coat per day; the new way: 3-coats per day. I will have 12 fresh coats on the car in no time!

Finally, the stuff is already glossy. IMO, it is even better with the ZFX!


IMO -- the bottles are a pain and are not of good quality...