polish and glaze??

racsos · 08-15-03, 12:53

I know that the polish is to pretty much to remove fine scratches and swirl marks from the surface of my car. my car is silver and has 6,000 miles on it. i do have some minor scratches and swirls on the car(a detailer removed a big scratch with a pc).Which polish do u guys recommend. Now i was reading the learn part on top of the home page. It says to polish then glaze then the sealant. I am using zaino as a sealant. I know the glaze is for filling the scratches. so the part that confuses me about the glaze is doesnt it have oils and waxes in it and arent i suppose to wash with dawn after the polishing? So wouldnt this remove the glaze? Also if i should be using a glaze at all which one should i use?

rightlane · 08-15-03, 01:03

Have your detailer remove the swirls and then you start with Zaino.

good luck

weegee · 08-15-03, 02:07

unfortunately a lot of companies use different terminology. So a glaze in one place might actually be considered a polish in another.

It is a pain to figure out the order products go on, but that's usually determined by the abrassiveness and whether there are cleaning elements to the product.

Obviously you want your most abrassive product on first.

P21s GEPC is a pure polish for instance and should go on right before waxing. I wouldn't wash with Dawn though after you polish. In fact, I wouldn't wash with Dawn period unless you just finished putting on 3 coats of wax and decide you want to try something different. The only time you re-wash might be after claying your car.

Typically, swirl removers have some sort of abrassive (more aggressive ones) and/or fillers (less agressive). So a 3M SMR would go before 3M IHG. But something with some more cutting power, would go on first.

Order from first to last:

Rubbing/Cutting Compound
Swirl Mark Remover (i.e. 3M SMR, Meguiars #9, Menzerna IP)
Polish (i.e. IHG, Meguiars #7, GEPC, Menzerna FP)
Sealant (i.e. Klasse, Meguiars #20)
Carnuba Wax

Sorry, I'm not too familar with Zaino products.

CuriousJa · 08-16-03, 04:54

weegee, nice write up but i have a question. on your list you have..1st: rubbing, 2nd: SMR, 3rd: Polish, 4th: sealent, 5th:wax. but the part im wondering about is....isnt AIO also a polish? so couldnt you just combine steps 3 and 4 into one step if youre useing AIO? or is it better to use an actual polish first then follow with AIO? Thanks- Ja

Deanski · 08-16-03, 05:39

It seems you do not own a PC. Therefore, getting swirls completely out is going to be a bit difficult.

You could use a "swirl Remover" product such as Meg's #9, or the 3M SMR. Some remove and some fill the swirls.

If at all possible, have your detailer remove all swirls for you.

As for Zaino, you MUST remove all oils left behind from polishing/glazing. One way that is somewhat quick is a Dawn wash, followed by Z7 wash. This will remove the oils left behind. The other way is water/alcohol mix, then Z7 wash.

Once oils have been removed, mix up your batch of ZFX/Z5 and start to apply VERY thin! If you run into streaking when you try to take it off, get a spray bottle, mix 1/2 cap of Z7 and 12oz water. LIGHTLY spray the effected area and wipe. Do NOT use the Z6 to try to remove the streaks, it wastes the product and can sometimes let it move around the finish. You can tell if Z5 is dry by finger test. If it's dry, wipe a CLEAN finger over area and if glossy, it's dry. Humidity plays a factor as well, it takes longer in humid conditions.

You can coat up to three coats of ZFX/Z5 in one day, then do not apply anymore untill 24hours has passed so it has time to fully cure. Then you can keep adding layers of Z5 until your statisfied, then switch to Z2 if clearcoated paint.

Here are some tips on Zaino: Nick's Zaino Tips

Enjoy Zaino!

Regards,
Deanski

racsos · 08-16-03, 04:55

yeah i do not have a pc. I think i would do more bad then good with one of these. I was considering getting a random orbital buffer. I guess it is pretty hard to mess up ur paint with one of those, but the results arent as good as a pc (if u know how to use one). Correct me if i am wrong. so let me know what u guys think about the random orbital buffer, considering i always have done everything by hand.

ok this is the last time i am gonna bother all of u guys. I know i have had a s*itload of quesions. so since i have already applied zaino and have not topped off with any wax i will do the following.

1. wash with z7
2. p21s gepc
3. wash with z7 to get any oils left behind from gepc
4. zfx, z5
5. z6
6. zfx, z2
7. z6
8. zfx, z2
9. z6
10. p21s wax

tell me if this looks good. also remember that the car only has 6000 miles on it, and that the swirls arent bad at all. It is a silver bmw, if that matters at all.

Deanski · 08-16-03, 05:40

Just an FYI, a PC IS a Random Orbital. Just use foam pads and you're all set.

I think you refer to the orbitals used at most car wash drive through for quick waxing.

Regards,
Deanski

racsos · 08-16-03, 10:14

Which is a good random orbital that i can buy from a local store like sears? And a good light polish that i could buy at a local automotive store?

Deanski · 08-17-03, 06:09

Here is the best price found on a new PC:Porter-Cable "PC"

Your best bet is to obtain a PC and a 6" backing plate from:Backing Plate

Foam pads: Advanced Foam Pads

Guide on type of foam pads and what they are used for: Foam pad guide

Porter-Cable info and guides: PC Guide AND: PC for beginners

Don't waste your money on inferior polishers! Get the one used by all and enjoy the way it works in getting your finish perfect without risk of burning it!

As for polish, the GEPC is great if you have minor swirls. Or you could go with Megs #9 SMR, or 3M SMR followed by a glaze such as Megs #3.

Since you are going to use Zaino, get the finish as perfect as possible as Zaino does not hide very much, even with the new Z5. It does hide VERY minimal spider webbing type scratches, but that's it. Just make sure you find a way to remove all oils left behind by polishes via Dawn and Z7 wash or Alcohol/water spray.
Your application looks good, Z6 prior, then ZFX/Z5 and Z6 again between coats. Once your happy with how well it looks, you can switch to Z2 if clearcoated as Z2 is optically pure.

Some people top Zaino with wax after they are happy with Zaino to give a little more depth, with the caveat that you'd have to remove the wax B4 any further Zaino applications. But at least the wax can become a "sacrificial" protection level before it starts to effect the Zaino layers.

Order the PC, get the correct polishes and Zaino away!

Regards,
Deanski

Dawnskaybug · 08-17-03, 02:40

That last post should be a sticky

Lynn · 08-17-03, 03:08

Yo, Deanski et al -- racsos has already applied Zaino! :eek Read the earlier post. So does that affect the advice you're giving about polishes? Me, I though you needed to do all the polishing/scratch-swirl removal before applying Zaino.

Deanski · 08-17-03, 07:56

Lynn,

You are correct! wash, clay, polish, glaze the finish as perfect as possible, THEN Zaino. Any further polishing will remove Zaino or whatever's on the finish. It's has been said time and time again, get the finish as pure and perfect prior to Zaino or really ANY sealant, wax or whatever.

Prior to Armorglove being installed, I polished the snot out of the finish, then stripped all oils off so they could apply it. They use Prepsol anyway as a precaution to ensure all wax/oils are off prior to the film application.

Same goes for Zaino. The better looking it is on it's own, the better and glosssier it will look with Zaino or ANY wax etc.

Regards,
Deanski