Testing this AM. Review Please

[imported_zenhog]

I`m doing this test on Saturday 7/26 in the AM. Your feedback is appreciated, if I`m wasting steps then let me know. If I should be trying something else pls also let me know.



Car: 2001 sebring dark navy blue. finish in very good shape.



Testing for: Look. Depth. Gloss. I`ll worry about durability when winter rolls around and I`m not so much in love with my new toy. In the mean time I don`t mind f the best looking system takes some weekly maintenance (adding layers or re-waxing if someone thinks it`s worth putting some carnauba on any of the panels and that one turns out best)



Products:



AIO

SG

Poorboy`s EX

Zaino #2



p21s carnauba wax



Test Sections



First, paintwork prep was with pi3 MG, Manzerna Final Polish and p21s paintwork cleanser. Looks great. Very few scratches left. Since this isn`t a test of fillers I`m not using any on any of the test panels.



AIO + SG(x3)

AIO + EX(x3)

Zaino#2 (x3) alone

Zaino #2 (x3) + EX



Ok.. so is there any interest in adding the carnauba wax to any of these panels?



If all of them would benefit from a layer of carnauba how about I look at the comparisons pre-wax and then add the wax to all of them?



Thanks for the feedback. Will post pics.

[Accumulator]

I think a pre-P21S comparison would be a good idea. The wax will probably improve ALL of them to some degree. Including a POST-P21S comparison will tell how much each benefits from the topper.



Is this the car that`s going to the bodyshop? With its "time in the hands of others" your test might lose some "control". Yes, even though we`re talking about different panels.



Glad to hear you`re getting the overall finish the way you want it, BTW :xyxthumbs

[imported_zenhog]

Yes, it is. but I`m going to consider my "looks" test over with when I drive her over there tomorrow night to turn her over to bodyshop hell.



One thing I did eliminate from the test which some of the zaino fanatics would insist I do would be their ritual doucheing of the surface with the zaino qd between z2 layers. The mist is not controllable and I didn`t want that variable in there. If doing that (non-standard) mist would have that much of an impact on the zaino finish in the comparisons, then the zaino bros should be making that a requirement.



The other exception I see some taking is with the choice of wax. From what I`m told the p21s is not "optically clear" and will therefore not do my dark car as well as another wax would. If I had agreement on that issue that I should be choosing a different wax, or comparing waxes in the second phase, then I`d run and get some. As long as we pick something I can get at either a walmart superstore, an autozone or a K-mart superstore. Because that`s all that`s within reach for today.

[rstype]

P21S PCL is in many ways, a filler product. It is loaded with oils. I would wipe down the whole test bed with IPA so that Zaino, Klasse, and Poorboy Zealots don`t complain. I`m also interested in how EX performs alone.



And about the (x3), one application would be more fair and easier to judge. EX x3 may not result in a difference from EX x1, while Z2 x3 may be much better than Z2 x1. Also, it`s hard to keep your car clean in the garage for 3 days, since you`re supposed to apply one layer per day. Too many variables...



I also see that you`re not planning to use Z1. Make sure to use the IPA wipe-down then...

[imported_zenhog]

Ah, BW, I forgot to mention that I put the $20 hardener in the zaino so I can put multiple layers on in the same day... lol.



Thanks for the great input.



I blew it and put sg in the quadrant where I wanted to use EX alone, on top of AIO - so I`m going to do the trunk and try that. AIO/SG on one side and AIO/EX on the other.



Also got your note too late about the p21s PCL being filled with oils - so no wipe down. I`ll do that on the trunk. In fact I think I`ll leave it out since AIO claims to also be a paint cleaner. Think that would make sense?



What I`m going to have now for a test is



Hood.



4 quadrants, test in 2 phases. First phase will compare



AIO/SG(x3) vs Zaino Z2 (x3)



Second phase will add a "wax" to half of each side to give 4 different qudrants to look at:



AIO/SG(x3) no topping

vs

AIO/SG(x3) + EX

vs

Zaino Z2(x3) no topping

vs

Zaino Z2(x3) + EX



Then to see if carnauba is a better topping than EX on either I`ll add that to the 2 panels that were "topless" and we see:



AIO/SG (x2) + EX

vs

AIO/SG (x2) + p21s carnauba

vs

zaino z2 (x3) + p21S carnauba

vs

zaino z2 (x3) + EX





One more thing. Right now I`m at the stage where I`ve got 2 coats of each the sg and z on the hood. I see no difference between the two. The zaino seems never really "dry out" in the 20 min I`m told to wait by the mfg (it`s 79 degrees and moderate humidity) but that stuff must be loaded with some kind of oil because I need a terry cloth and then 2 MF`s to get it all off.



More to come...

[imported_zenhog]

OOPS.



Zaino says 30 min. That`s how long I`ve been going. I`m so tired I`m glad I`m running this out of a book with notes lol.



Also Zaino does suggest to use their QD between coats... oh well.. maybe next time..

[imported_dookiebob]

Sounds like a good test, although you have a lot of variables here. The P21S paint cleanser for one, as I believe it is quite the filler. The Z system needs to be by itself (with Z6 between passes) to work "properly" according to Sal.



Still, I can`t wait to see the results :xyxthumbs



BTW, you misspelled "chemistry" in your sig. I should know... I was a "chemistry" major in undergraduate ;)



-Bob

[imported_zenhog]

gotcha, thanks.



I`m done. pics are taken. I need to recoup and look them over. for the life of me I can`t see much difference between any of the methods. lol.

[imported_zenhog]

Ok, I can`t really tell much yet, maybe when I run some errands and see the car in a few different lighting situations it might stand out. But.. if I`ve gunked it up by topping the zaino and sg then I`m going to want to strip that stuff off the hood and do it again.



How do I take the wax and the acrylics off the hood?

[chris0626]

Just now seeing your thread, zenhog.



Yes, Zaino clearly says to use their QD between layers. I consider it a "must" when I`m applying Zaino.



To take off polymers like Zaino, use a 50% IPA/water solution. I`ve bookmarked this thread on "how to remove Zaino": http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17807



Sounds like you`re being mighty ambitious!

[imported_zenhog]

or mighty bored... lol



thanks for the help!

[imported_zenhog]

Oh great, look what the newbie ran into tonight, after the test work was done.. a thread that slaughters, with lots of agreement, zaino on dark cars. Now why didn`t someone point that out to me BEFORE I spend the $$$ on that stuff?



lol.. sheesh..



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21902&perpage=24&pagenumber=1

[imported_zenhog]

Ok, I washed the hood twice with a 50/50 alcohol/h2o solution and then took the pc/white LC pad with gepc after it. I have no idea of telling how well I removed the zaino (and SG on the other side) but I`m going back in.



I think doing more than 2 sections on one panel for a test is fruitless, since I really couldn`t compare all of them at the same time.



This time I`ll do zaino (with z6 in between this time - the proper way lol) against my standard AIO/SG/P21S Carnauba



If I think the zaino looks too "plasticy" or doesn`t have enough depth I will then add a layer of p21s to see if that cures the problem.