my first post need help with detailing decision

jacsil · 03-09-05, 02:02

Been reading this forum for a few months now. We bought a new titanium grey volvo xc90 in january. I was thinking about zainoing the car myself but in reading up and talking with the zaino distributor in san jose ca I come to the conclusion that it would take about 4-5 hours including claying etc. The problem is with all of the kids activities I dont have this amount of time. I would wind up claying washing then waiting a few weeks and needing to start over. He had someone who does detailing with zaino but I would have about 3 hours of toatal travel time which is to much.

I get the car hand washed at a shop that does detailing. They were recomended by a body shop. the owner is a nice guy. He used to work for a delearship in San Francisco that sells high end cars. Jaguar being the least expensive.

He uses various products including "touch of class" something from a company called "prestige" He even has a polish that is sold for bentlys at his old dealership. but he doesn't recomend it.

I have heard good and bad about touch of class. He would charge $100 for the exterior. I had told him I saw a benz with a touch of class on it that just looked ok. He says the prep is very importan in how the shine comes out. He also said that certain brither colors such as red will shine more than darker colors.

The hand wash he does on the car comes out beautiful and his shop is very neet. He says he will use what ever I want on the car.

The only other place I found is in San Francisco where I work they charge $225 for the exterior of a newer car including all of the prep. They say they put on 3 coats of some airplane polish/wax along with another ingrediant to make it adhear better. He says it lasts for 1 year even trough car washes. He wont say what he is using. He says it shines better and lasts longer than "touch of class". He has a website californiadetailing.com . The pictures do look good.

Any suggestions

Sorry about the length of the post.

Jack S

dpeezy415 · 03-09-05, 02:23

I would recommend going to the "nice guy" you talked about and have him zano it since he'll use "whatever you want." That seems like the best solution to me.

He sounds really knowledgable on the subject so even if he won't zano he'll still do a good job. Did you ask him if he's a member? LOL he sounds like one!!!

If that doesn't work just try another person. In the end you could always DIY.

cwcad · 03-09-05, 03:01

225 dollars,.... i am leaving for alaska in three weeks. i would drive thru and do it for you for that much. no not really. rather, i would take the time to reap the rewards of detailing your own vehicle. with that much money you could buy a lot of products and a pc. you would be money ahead. plus the feeling that you would have for a job well done. sorry to say this but i find it hard to beleive that you cannot find time. it is easier to beleive that you just do not want to.

MongooseGA · 03-09-05, 03:10

Quote:

Originally posted by jacsil
I was thinking about zainoing the car myself but in reading up and talking with the zaino distributor in san jose ca I come to the conclusion that it would take about 4-5 hours including claying etc.... I would wind up claying washing then waiting a few weeks and needing to start over.

Jack S

I think you've misunderstood the posts on this forum. Yes, the initial detail will take you the better part of a day, but that includes washing, claying, polishing, sealing/ and or waxing.

You only really need to do a 20-30 minute hand wash weekly. Re-apply your wax monthly-ish, and maybe use a cleaner to remove it all and re-apply your sealant every few months depending on the product you're using. Claying is reccomended yearly.

If you want a job done right, you can't expect someone to do it quickly. A thorough job takes time. Plus, if you do the job yourself you can be sure of the quality of the work and you can take pride in it.

JBM · 03-09-05, 03:25

I only did a section of my wifes car at a time. Like a hood and a fender.

It was badly swirled and scratched though. I needed 3 passes with DACP and a couple with a follow up polish.

Just break it down into stages, then when your finished go over it one time with a light polish, AIO, and topper, your done

jacsil · 03-09-05, 03:28

Believe it or not I would like to do it and I find projects very relaxing. Here is a typical weekend. Oldest is away at college so not much there. My daughter had a basket ball game, soccer game, and cheerleeding. My youngest son had a baseball game. Add in church cooking breakfast on saturday and sunday and the weekend is pretty much shot. when school lets out I'll have more time but did not want to wait that long. This weekend is even busier. plus my brother just past away and I want to go to his kids sporting events etc. So As you can see I'm kind of jammed up.

So any feed back about varioous products or if "touch of class" or prestige will do a good job compared to the top rated products.

since my local detailer was going to clay and prepare then wax or seal for 100 bucks maybe zaino would work?

Jack

cwcad · 03-09-05, 03:50

guess maybe i was having a bad day. i am sure that your schedule is hectic.

like they said in other posts get the man who is hand washing your car and have him do the zaino. menzerna has a good line of products. with a new car you could use final polish and FMJ. top with a good carnuba. s100 or P21S to name a few. some say they are almost the same. pinnacle souveran is another good one. albeit expensive.

i just recieved a zaino order in the mail. i got Z-2pro and the ZFX additive. plusZ-7 car wash and Z-6 detailer. this was about 60.00 dollars. you could use AIO or menzerna fpll before you put Z-2 pro on your vehicle

maybe order Klasse twins. AIO and SG. another good combination. all will do a good job if the preparation is done thoroughly.

lastly ...I apologize at being rude. really, i am at a loss as to why i said what i said.