Number of Pads and Zainos

zaius · 01-13-05, 06:18

Hi All,

I'm a newbie and I've spent quite some time trying to soak everything in, in the past week. (I did do a search but still really confused)

I recently bought a PC 7336SP and I own Z1, Z2, Z5. However, I'm really conufsed with what sort of pads I need.

I have a 1995 black Camry and it has some major swirls. From the looks of it I don't know what polish to buy and with what pads.

Since I have Zainos, I don't think I really need any "Grey, Black" pads do I (the wax sealant ones)? Zainos should and will be applied by hand.

I'm thinking that I should just start off with some Poorboy SSR1, 2, 2.5 or Meguiars DACP and apply it with either a light cutting pad (green, yellow, then orange)

that is, SSR1 with green, and if it fails, head off with SSR2 and yellow/orange. Or is this a poor choice in products?

I'm really bewildered with the amount of selection. My other car, my RSX has always been using Zainos. Would I still need to polish it? It seems rather fine without swirls.

I won't need the Klasse Twins because I have Zainos as a sealant right?

Please help.

Thanks.

CutNAction · 01-13-05, 07:15

As far as pads and products. SSR 1 with light cutting and then move up is a good idea. You usually want to try the least abrasive approach first. As far as the actual products, I liked SSR 1, but wasnt too impressed with SSR 2.5. I havent had any experience with 2.0 yet. If you just have light swirls, SSR 1 with light cutting should do the trick.

Also on your RSX, just because you have Zaino on it doesnt mean it doesnt have swirls..hehe..I think you would have to judge for yourself if it needs a good polishing. I would say if you have never polished it my best bet would be it would need a light polishing to reduce if not get rid of the swirls.

I usually apply all my waxes and LSP's by hand. To me it seems almost faster.

Burlyq · 01-13-05, 07:46

Zaino is the most durable sealant out there but you still have to be careful to avoid swirls. Dry your car with a good waffle weave MF and wash with a sheepskin mitt. Grey or black pads will be good for paint cleaners, like AIO or p21s, which do make your Zaino look good. As you car ages, paint cleaners are very good products to use under Zaino if you don't feel like doing a long and tedius polishing. The Zaino website says to wash after paint cleaners to maximise your durabilty but it's up to you. Sometimes I wash with z7 and sometimes I just apply Z2 over my paint cleaner, it's all about preference but I would get at least one finishing pad to mess around with.

thinksnow · 01-13-05, 08:50

I used Pinnacle's Swirl Removers (both regular and advanced) on a new black Sonata GT with fender scratching from branches. They were far more severe than your average swirling, but with (honestly, either) of Pinnacle's SMRs, I took 100% of this scratching out with a Meg's cutting pad. The Pinnacle products squeak clean, so I followed directly with Z5 with no ill effects.

If you have a PC, cutting pads, and Zaino, just experiment with the proper prep to remove the swirling that will be compatible with the Zaino application. Menzerna polishes also leave a Zaino-ready finish.

Key: don't be afraid of taking a little time and hitting the "6." Each fender took me less than 3 minutes with the Pinnacle products (I used one product on each fender for comparison).

The only thing to look out for is clearcoat failure with aged black paint if it has been exposed to the elements throughout the years. If you see the first signs of fading on upward facing panels, keep polishing to a minimum.

tripper_11 · 01-13-05, 09:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Burlyq
Zaino is the most durable sealant out there but you still have to be careful to avoid swirls. Dry your car with a good waffle weave MF and wash with a sheepskin mitt. Grey or black pads will be good for paint cleaners, like AIO or p21s, which do make your Zaino look good. As you car ages, paint cleaners are very good products to use under Zaino if you don't feel like doing a long and tedius polishing. The Zaino website says to wash after paint cleaners to maximise your durabilty but it's up to you. Sometimes I wash with z7 and sometimes I just apply Z2 over my paint cleaner, it's all about preference but I would get at least one finishing pad to mess around with.

you said you just apply Z2 over the paint cleaner. can i do that with #80 cleaner polish? will Z2/ZFX still bond fine? or is it mandatory to apply Z2 on bare surface? some use AIO and 3M but I haven't heard applying Z2/ZFX over megs cleaners...and i just haven't tried it. always done it the AIO --> Z5/Z2/ZFX way.

Burlyq · 01-13-05, 11:11

Quote:

Originally posted by tripper_11
you said you just apply Z2 over the paint cleaner. can i do that with #80 cleaner polish? will Z2/ZFX still bond fine? or is it mandatory to apply Z2 on bare surface? some use AIO and 3M but I haven't heard applying Z2/ZFX over megs cleaners...and i just haven't tried it. always done it the AIO --> Z5/Z2/ZFX way.

It is RECOMMENDED to apply on bare surface. It would bond if you use ZFX but it probably wouldn't last long as long as w/o 80. It would bond to anything, I have even put it on top of a nuba topper sometimes over the years on lazy days. Would I recommend it, no. If you want the Zaino durabilty than follow directions, but if you like detailing your car often why not mess around. Give it a try on #80 and tell us how it worked for you, why not? In that particular case I'd wash with z7 after applying #80, then apply Zaino, but guess what, that's just a recommendation, do your own thang. The one thing I garauntee is that it wont hurt anything!!! I've messed around a lot with this product and trying many combinations that the Zaino brothers would laugh at me about, and i've never been dissapointed with the outcome. I am always detailing my car though, so every month or so I strip it all down and do it over anyhow. If your going to put Zaino on 80 check this thread out. Actually I see you already did cool. I'm interested in how it worked over 80 so if you do it let us know ok?

http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...threadid=49261

zaius · 01-14-05, 04:04

CutNAction:

Thanks. I will inspect my car and see if I see any swirls. I just really don't know what swirl remover products to use. I guess *yikes* it'll just be trial and error.

stupid question: wouldn't i have to slap on z1/zfx over the cleaner polish before i can apply my z2?

ERASE · 01-14-05, 05:22

This is a newbie question but if I do Menzerna IP and Fp do I need AIO at all?

Also if I use Zaino clay IP and FP without AIO can I avoid the Dawn wash?

CutNAction · 01-14-05, 05:31

Zaius if your swirls are light and barely noticeable just use SSR 1 with a light cutting pad. That should get rid of most of them if not all. Like I said you want to start with the least abrasive approach.

zaius · 01-14-05, 07:28

I need to take pics of my Camry. It's pretty bad swirling. If I use SSR2.5 with a green pad, will I have to follow up and use 1.0 w/ green pad to removing most of the hazing?

Or can I just go with Zainos after the SSR2.5? When it's warmer, I'll take pics of my Camry.

Eliot Ness · 01-14-05, 07:44

Quote:

Originally posted by zaius
I need to take pics of my Camry. It's pretty bad swirling. If I use SSR2.5 with a green pad, will I have to follow up and use 1.0 w/ green pad to removing most of the hazing?.....

It depends on your paint and how you work the 2.5. If it leaves any hazing at all you can knock it out with SSR1. This is just one of those situations where you evaluate the condition of your paint after SSR2.5 to decide if SSR1 is necessary.

If it is as bad as you say, and the SSR2.5 and green pad aren't removing them after 3 or 4 applications then you may need to bump up to the orange pad and give that a shot. The aggressiveness of the propel pads for polishing is as follows: green > orange> yellow.

The key to removing defects is to work a small area (~2 x 2), use a fast PC speed (5-6), and use slow arm passes. Patience is the key.

And the golden rule here is to use the least aggressive polish/pad combo and then step up if needed.

tripper_11 · 01-17-05, 09:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Burlyq
It is RECOMMENDED to apply on bare surface. It would bond if you use ZFX but it probably wouldn't last long as long as w/o 80. It would bond to anything, I have even put it on top of a nuba topper sometimes over the years on lazy days. Would I recommend it, no. If you want the Zaino durabilty than follow directions, but if you like detailing your car often why not mess around. Give it a try on #80 and tell us how it worked for you, why not? In that particular case I'd wash with z7 after applying #80, then apply Zaino, but guess what, that's just a recommendation, do your own thang. The one thing I garauntee is that it wont hurt anything!!! I've messed around a lot with this product and trying many combinations that the Zaino brothers would laugh at me about, and i've never been dissapointed with the outcome. I am always detailing my car though, so every month or so I strip it all down and do it over anyhow. If your going to put Zaino on 80 check this thread out. Actually I see you already did cool. I'm interested in how it worked over 80 so if you do it let us know ok?

http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...threadid=49261

OFF-TOPIC:

Sorry, I missed this post. Thanks for the clarification. Yeah I'm gonna try that as soon as my order of 6 bottles of Z2 PRO (not my old Z2) arrive. I just wanna see the combined reflectivity and richness of #80 and Z2 Pro (w/o the Z5). I'll just try to start another thread for this.