My Planned List of Products -- PROS PLEASE CRITIQUE!

[ManiZ]

Hello all! My first post here after a year of very infrequent browsing.

I am a detail nut, which is to say that I have been detailing cars since I was 7, but in a very low-end way. Dad always used turtle wax, so I did as well until NXT came out and have been using that since. I love its shine on my current (old, old) black Maxima, but didn't invest in other products as the car's value didn't warrant anything more expensive than NXT. Plus I was a poor grad student. Thankfully, that all ended last year.

Now I am getting a brand new brilliant red 350Z coupe (flat). Being a special order, it will be arriving from Japan in the next 4 weeks or so, and I want to assemble a killer detail kit beforehand. My target is to stay around $150.

I have literally spent countless hours in the past two days combing through these extremely informative forums to read on product after product and everyone's take on each. That, combined with the e-tailers' and manufacturers' take on dozens of products, I have prepared a list of products that I think will go well together. Now I need input from you guys on it:

Exterior:

P21S Shampoo
Zaino Clay Bar
Menzerna FP2
Mag's Show Car Glaze
P21S Paste
Zaino Z-8 QD

Interior:

303 Aerospace Cleaner
303 Aerospace Protectant
Souveran Leather Cleaner
Souveran Leather Conditioner

Engine/Wheels:

P21S Total Auto Wash


My reasoning behind exterior products was that since I want the Holy Grail, i.e. both insane depth and amazing reflections, FP2/P21S/Z8 combined should give me that (the first two for depth and the 3rd one for reflections). I was first thinking of going with a full Zaino kit but noticed that nearly all pros here avoid Zaino unless the customer specially asks for it.

I am not lazy and don't mind a full detail every month if need be, so what do you think I should change in the kit and why?

I have read a lot about Natty's Blue. Scott here specially seems to like it a lot. Should it replace P21S? I know, I know, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, but I have told you what my goal is: the absolute best combination of depth and reflections.

I do NOT have a PC and won't be getting one in the near future since I likely won't be dealing with swirls for a while on the new car.

One request, please avoid abbreviations as much as possible. I know the Menzerna line, but little else, so FULL PRODUCT NAMES PLEASE!

Thanks for reading my long post!

[HomicidalSloth]

That looks like a pretty good list really. I wouldn't change much.

Personally, I'd probably get a bottle of ClearKote's Red Machine Glaze instead of the Meg's, but I suppose that's personal preferance. P21S and Natty's are both great products.

Congrats on the 350z! Very nice cars.

[EMazda3S]

I think you set up looks OK for the most part.
Firstly, realize that new cars can and frequently do have swirl marks, etc. The first thing you may want to consider is not letting the dealer touch the car. This can prove tough especially when taking delivery of a very filthy new car.

Secondly, I would like to hear from others how the Z-8 will function over a carnauba. It is really meant for the Zaino sealant system and also realize that it is a fairly expensive QD if you want to use it that way. Z6 is the real QD of the Zaino line and Z8 is more for special occasions. Consider others such as 425 by FK1 or Quick Shine by Clear Kote for more frequent use over something other than a sealant or possibly a carnauba containing QD to up your wax protectiona bit when QDing. Also consider adding Poor Boy's Spray and Wipe for slightly heavier QD sessions.

I also have to ask, why Zaino clay? It is really very similar if not the same as other more "generic" clay bars. Consider Sonus Ultra Fine clay or for an OTC product similar to Zaino, Clay Magic, etc.

Lastly, I am not a professional detailer and I would like to hear why most don't use the Zaino system but I have suspicions that it may be cost prohibitive and possibly time prohibitive for the initial application. It is a tad finicky initially but once you get the hang of it, it is really simple especially when adding layers of protection. Also, there can be some bonding issues over other products used to prep the surface requiring another step(s) to remove oils or fillers before application.

Oh and I do think you will end up with a PC soon if you find you like and want to continue detailing to higher standards.

Congrats on the new car and most importantly enjoy it and drive it in the best of health!!!

[Pats300zx]

Congrats on the 350Z purchase. Don't forget to post pics...

[Pennypacker]

Hi ManiZ,

With regard to the clay, maybe consider Clay Magic or Mother's. If I'm not mistaken, there are only a couple of manufacturers of clay. The Zaino clay is more expensive and I believe is the same as Mother's? I personally found Clay Magic easier to work with.

Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze under Poorboy's Natty's Blue is a match made in heaven. I was really pleased with the result on my red car. I'm sure it would work well under P21S as well though.

Z8 is great, but for a QD to be used regularly I would pick Finish Kare's Ultra Slick Poly Wipe Spray Detailer (also known as 425). You can buy it by the gallon, so again it's more cost-effective than Zaino and you wouldn't have to monitor how much you were using or think about cost per spritz as much as you might with the rather expensive Z8.

You may also want to incorporate a chemical cleaner into your regimen, like Klasse All-In-One or Jeff's Werkstatt Prime.

[sspeer]

Ditto on the clay comment. I like the Clay Magic.

Also, NXT wash is one of the best IMO..save some bucks there or spend it some NXT Glass Cleaner and some microfibers

I like the idea of the Klasse AIO or Werkstatt Prime as well.

[ManiZ]

Thanks a lot for your input guys!

HomocidalSloth and Pennypacker (awesome logins, by the way!): Thanks a lot for telling me about the Red Moose Machine Glaze. That is yet another product I had never heard of! Actually, I put Mag's SC Glaze on the list only 'coz I already have a bottle from earlier. I will now definitely look into getting the Moose instead.

EMazdaS3: Terrific point about not letting the dealer touch the car. I had especially requested that back in early Feb when I ordered the car. I have even asked them to leave the white protective film untouched since they are likely to at least rub a rag on the paint after they remove the film.

As for clay, the reason I chose Zaino was because the only clay I ever used was Meguiar's grey clay and it was horrific! So bad in fact, that it put me off clay for good. I had looked up Sonus's clay as well and it is the same price as Zaino. Is it very soft and pliable as well? That is one my main requirements since the Meguiar's I used turned into a rock when it touched water.

Also, I too, had heard that Z8 layers best with Z2/Z5, but had read several cases here of members using it on top of carnuba with great results. I do agree that it is very expensive for a QD. Last night, I also read that FK 425 (Thanks, Pennypacker for the full name!) is being recommended here for reduced static charge and thus, less dust attraction. I will research that further as well.

As for the Klasse AIO for cleaning, I thought Menzerna FP2 would do exactly that. Do you guys think I should replace FP2 with AIO?

Pats300zx and others, thanks for the congrats! 350Z has been the car of my dreams eversince its pre-release reviews and pics appeared in magazines back in 2002. I am getting a loaded-to-the-teeth GT (hence the special order and long wait) and couldn't be happier. This will be my very first brand new car and the detail freak that I am, I want to make sure it is treated perfectly from day 1. Until now, I have had to deal with earlier owners' mistakes on my (very) used cars. Look for Z's pics in Click and Brag in the next 4 weeks or so!

I should add that the main reason I did not go with a full Zaino kit is that it seems Zaino is nearly impossible to remove once applied. So if I went with something else afterwards, I would be stuck layering it on Zaino instead of directly on the clearcoat as it should be. I don't like that idea.

Please keep the suggestions coming in. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Scottwax where are you?

[Asonyexec]

Get a PC, it's not just for removing swirls

[drewski59]

Originally Posted by HomicidalSloth

That looks like a pretty good list really. I wouldn't change much.

Personally, I'd probably get a bottle of ClearKote's Red Machine Glaze instead of the Meg's, but I suppose that's personal preferance. P21S and Natty's are both great products.

Congrats on the 350z! Very nice cars.

Ditto. It looks like a great list!

I personally prefer Eagle One's All Wheel&Tire Cleaner for my wheels/tires, and it's great because you can get it almost anywhere!

Red Machine Glaze is a good choice, as would be Vanilla Moose.

I'm still a poor college student, so enjoy the 350Z!

[chpsk8]

Looks like a good start. I really think I'd change out the clay and the Zaino Z8. I have both, and I'll say that the Z8 is really more for the Zaino package. I've tried it over canuba and although it works, there isn't any percievable improvement compared to any other detailer. At $20 a bottle I think I'd pass if I weren't going with an all Z package. That said, if you're not going to get the Z8, then there's no sense buying the clay there either. As posted previously clay is only made by a couple suppliers. Save a couple bucks on shipping by picking it up at another supplier with the rest of your goodies.

You could try something like this...

P21S Shampoo
Opti-Clay (from exceldetail.com)
Menzerna FP2
Red Moose Glaze (from exceldetail.com)
Natty's Blue (from exceldetail.com)
Clearkote Quickshine (from exceldetail.com)

That process would produce some great results. I have a similar process for my black Lexus GS300, black Miata, and a relatives black CRV.
The bonus is that you save on shipping getting most of the products from exceldetail instead of all over the internet.

Seeing how this is a new car, it should be fairly simple to get into shape and keep it there. It may be worth it to add a sealant after the glaze to help with longevity.

Your washing techniques should also adapt to your new red car. Since it looks like you're going for the pimpdaddyhustla detail kit it would be wise to add in a foam gun from Danasse. It helps greatly with the washing process especially with darker cars. Danasse may even have a couple of the listed products to help balance the shipping.

Most importantly.. have fun!

[Pennypacker]

Originally Posted by ManiZ

As for the Klasse AIO for cleaning, I thought Menzerna FP2 would do exactly that. Do you guys think I should [b]replace FP2 with AIO?

FPII is a finishing polish that contains micro-abrasives. AIO and Prime are chemical cleaners that do not have any abrasives in them (although another version of Prime, Prime Strong, does). Other more knowledgeable people may want to chime in, but you may want to consider using a cleaner after FPII to clear out any small particles the polish might have left behind (although you picked a good one in FPII, which is one of the really great finishing polishes).

Even though All-in-One is named a "polish," it isn't really in the conventional (I guess) Autopian sense because it does not contain any abrasives, and so will not draw down any of the clearcoat like what Menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish are meant to do.

I should add that the main reason I did not go with a full Zaino kit is that it seems Zaino is nearly impossible to remove once applied. So if I went with something else afterwards, I would be stuck layering it on Zaino instead of directly on the clearcoat as it should be. I don't like that idea.

I think Dawn would remove Zaino. And again, cleaners like AIO are designed for removal of just about anything, including Zaino.


You're going to have a lot of fun working on that nice ride!

[Bence]

Sorry, but AIO has one micron abrasives, and Prime - being Carlack's Nano-Tech liquid - contains 1.000.000 particles per cu. mm. That's why it is milder.