Newbie needs new car prep advice.

JohnN · 09-07-01, 10:50

I tried my best at reading as many message forums to hone down the stupid questions, but I'm sure I'll cross that line at some point.....

I'm due to get my first new car this November, and since all I can do is sit and wait for now, I figured I could blow some money on car care products.

It's a 2002 Mercedes ML320 - in white (I chickened out; my last car was black, and unfortunately, the streets of NYC are not kind to black vehicles). Got myself a beige interior, and with a child on the way, that might not have been the smartest move either.

Right now, I'm looking at doing the following:

1. Zaino the car - with Z1, Z2 (is this the clearcoat equiv.?), Z5, Z6. Is it a good idea to use the clay bar on a new vehicle?

2. Preserve the leather - I'm undecided on this. Haven't had a new car that would merit the use of anything really good. Thus far, I've used Lexol, but I'd like to find something better. Have heard about Hide Food and Leatherique. Anyone here used both and have a preference? Ease of application counts - I'd rather not have to do this every two weeks.

3. Preserve the carpets - scotchguard across all fabrics. Is there anything specific to look out for here?

4. Vinylex on all vinyl parts - here's another newbie question - how do you tell what's leather and what's vinyl on the seating surfaces? I'm guessing they're not all leather. Also - anything better than vinylex?

5. Vinylex on the weatherstripping.

Any comments, answers or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Like I said earlier - this is my first new car (or even close to new; previous cars have been bought with no less than 100k miles on them).

Thanks,
-John

Cybercowboy · 09-07-01, 11:05

Clay the new car. It can't hurt. I'm going to do my new vette as soon as I get it (we are in the same boat in that respect

)

Yes, Z2 is for the clear. You have that correct. Wash with dawn prior to claying.

Get some good MF towels and some Charisma white cotton towels. Get the towels already serged or have it done (a good bit of insurance to avoid swirls.)

The Zaino leather stuff is very nice, IMHO. Get a bottle of the conditioner and try it. You will like it.

I'll let the others chime in now. Nice car!

DETAILKING · 09-07-01, 11:24

First of all, congrats on your purchase. You are gonna love the M320! Next, I wouldn't be upset about the beige interior. As long as you have leather seats they will wipe clean easily of any mess your baby will make! Because you have white and swirls are going to be very unnoticable, I would get Z1, Z2, Z7 wash (a must), and Z6 gloss enhancer.

How on to answering the rest of your questions:

1. Zaino the car with Z1 and Z2. You can layer on as many coats of Z2 as you want. Z1 is only required for the first coat or every 5-10 coats or twice a year, what ever comes first. You will find that even with one coat your white M320 will look great and have plenty of protection from the NYC streets. As for clay, use your judgement. If you have the time to do it, it can't hurt. If the paint is real smooth, you might not need to do it, but most of the time, even with new cars, the clay will smooth out the surface of the car. Don't forget to dawn wash before applying Z1 as the dealer might of applied some kind of carnuba wax that needs to be stripped before applying Zaino.

2. Preserve the leather - Do it immediately! Zaino leather in a bottle is my favorite. It is easy to use and keeps a factory satin gloss finish. The best part is that you can use it on leather or vinyl so there is no guessing, apply it anywhere and everywhere in your interior. It also has UV blockers. Another forum favorite is lexol. Lexol works well and has a higher gloss finish. So if you don't mind a glossier dash and seats give that a try. Whatever you use, do the seats once a month or once every 2 months. Every 2 weeks is a bit overkill.
3. Preserve the carpets - You could find some cheap scotchguard spray fabric protectant, or do what I do. Buy rubber mats for daily use (I have nice ones), and take them out for specialy occassions. I found I vacuum the car less, and the carpet and matts stay like new for years and years.

4-5. On exterior weather stripping, I think the forum consensus will tell you that Zaino Z16 outlasts them all. It also works well on tires. It does have a low gloss shine though, which to me looks great on weather stripping and rubber trim, but on my tires I like a higher shine. 303 is another low gloss product to use on tires and rubber trim, but it doesn't last as long as Z-16 thru multiple washings. For a higher gloss tire dressing I like turtle wax tire gel. It has good durability and doesn't make a greasy mess.

The other thing is towels. Pick up some 100% cotton made in USA towels for drying and detailing, and a 100% cotton wash mitt for washing. This will prevent you from swirling up your nice new paint finish! Also, pick up an absorber for drying....I use that and really like it.

Again congrats and good luck!

JohnN · 09-07-01, 03:41

DetailKing-

Whatta post! That's one *hell* of a lot of detail... printed it out and saved it just to be sure.

Quick follow up for you though - how long have you been using the Zaino on the seats?

I know people who have Zaino'd the car, but nobody's used the leather conditioner. People I know seem to be stuck on stuff like Hide Food (which, I'm not exactly enamored with the smell), and Leatherique (which is a bit costly, even for a $40k car).

I guess it's the long term thing - how long has Zaino been making their leather products?

Maybe I should e-mail Sal and ask him for the name of a detail shop in the tri-state/NYC area - and let the first one be done by someone who knows best.

Thx again guys for all the great tips,
-John

Cybercowboy · 09-07-01, 03:46

Just try it. Then you can email The DETAILKING and I (is that a movie?) and tell us we were right. No kidding. It's great. Made my seats feel like new.

BradE · 09-07-01, 03:46

I would use either Zaino or Lexol on the seats. I noticed that you mentioned Hide Food, but I dont think that would fit your needs if ease of use is a major factor for you. Some report that the Hide Food needs a good amount of "working in" to the surface to get the full benefit.

Cybercowboy · 09-07-01, 03:58

The cow is dead. It doesn't eat anymore. And alkaline soap/oil immulsion such as what is in saddle soap are the worst thing you can do to your new seats. Check out this link...

http://autopia-carport.com/forum/sho...=&threadid=199

and this one

http://autopia-carport.com/forum/sho...=&threadid=127

I'm not sure what's in Hide Food, it may be great. Read these articles, then read the Zaino FAQ about their leather products. Then rinse and repeat. You will come the conclusion that Sal knows his stuff very well thank you.

The main link for these articles are

http://autopia-carport.com/forum/for...3?s=&forumid=7

happy reading!

BradE · 09-07-01, 04:14

Cybercowboy,

Hide Food has a blend of oils in it much like other leather conditioners. It is a great product, but it may require some extra work that other leather products dont. Hide Food needs to be worked deep into the surface of the leather so that it fully conditions it. Hide Food is recommended by many car builders like Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Jaguar, so it's by no means a bad product.

For ease of use, go with Zaino or Lexol.

sonnydaze1 · 09-07-01, 04:46

hi john, welcome to the forum. you've picked the right place to visit for some of the best detailing advice around. anyway, i'm on the other end of the spectrum as far as leather protectants. i don't like lexol at all and i hate hide food. besides, according to the hide food label, you're supposed to let it sit for 24hrs. b4 you buff it off. personally, my current fav is autoglym leather care cream. it's one of the best all-in-one cleaner/conditioner i've found, but after using the zaino products (z1,z5,z3,z6,z7,z16) i can't wait to try their leather stuff. just my $.02!

Steve9185 · 09-07-01, 04:51

DK's reccomendation for buying rubber floor mats was a good one, and if you have the $$$ go for it! However if you don't or if you want some extra protection, buy a bottle of 303 Fabric guard. I use it and it works great for repelling stains, water, and stopping UV damage.

DETAILKING · 09-07-01, 05:01

The interior was like new when I sold both of them. Z-10 has been around for a few years. It won the best leather product in corvette world magazine a few years back over lexol ( I will find the article, scan, and post). SOme people on this forum have used it like Brad B and Don2000. Maybe they will post opinions. Most of today's leather is clear coated anyway, so it really doesn't need to be "conditioned." The UV blockers help against fading and I guess the leather oils do help against wrinkling.

I am in the north jersey area and would explain and show you the zaino process if you'd like. You can also check out my car for proof! haha..... Let me know, maybe we can work something out.

hook · 09-07-01, 06:53

welcome, John!

Everyone has so far given you excellent advice. I can speak to a couple products about which you have questions.

Hide Food is good stuff, IMO, but it is a pretty good workout to get into the seats. I switched to a fairly inexpensive off-the-shelf pair of products (Tanners Preserve), based on posts by a guy named trader Alex over on the the Edmunds Town Hall leather seat maintainance board. He supplies hides to the tanneries who supply the leather for car seats, and has posted lots of research and sites that say, essentially, as long as you don't use something *harmful* to the leather (such as saddle soap), you'll be ok. The important thing is to use a product designed for leather, preferably automotive leather, and to use it regularly and as instructed.

A specific product I'd recommend to you is 303 protectant for the vinyl/dash. It provides that nice, new satiny sheen and protects well against UV.

Oh, and since it appears you've picked Zaino I won't mention Klasse...oops, just did!

blue skies,
Andy

yikes! My 300th post.