Question - Best long lasting finish combo?

[lairdness]

I may get linched for saying this, but I hate having to polish and wax...it`s a pain in me arse!...I have a black 350z and I want a long lasting yet great looking finish without having to spend every other weekend rewaxing. Plus I figure the less I lay hands on the finish the less I`ll manage to screw it up. It`s a 2 month old car but the paint already has some minor swirls/spiderwebs because I suck at this hehe.



I figured I would start with a good cleaner like P21S Paintwork Cleanser, OR Meguier`s Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner



I hear the following combinations are good alternatives to the classic polish / carnuba combo that will last longer but still give great shine and depth:



Klasse All-In-One with

Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

OR Meguiar`s Paste Wax #16



OR



Zaino Z-5 with Zaino Z-2



What do you folks think of my choices? good? bad? give up and take it to a detailer? go buy a grey car?

[grt1today]

You hate polishing and waxing your car, and your an autopian...:nono You should probably go with the Zaino. Whether you like the look or not(alot do and alot don`t) everyone agrees it will last a long time on your car. So will SG. If the sealant look isn`t deep enough for you on blk, be prepared to wax whether you want to or not...

[imported_Greg]

Zaino is going to last the longest of those. SG will come in second, but doesn`t retain the slickness of Zaino. Since you don`t like polishing/waxing, topping your sealant with a carnauba wouldn`t float your boat, thus I`d say Zaino.

[Dalton]

I hear good things about the new Poorboys EX-P. I got some the other day and am waiting for good weather to try it out. Hear it will last a long time

[tom p.]

Originally posted by lairdness

but I hate having to polish and wax...it`s a pain in me arse..



I don`t hate the act of detailing but there are only so many hours in a day. The daily drivers in my stable are lucky if they get done 2X per year. I simply don`t have the time to do much more than that apart from weekly hand-washing.



I have never used Zaino so I`ll reserve my comments. I do run the Klasse products and they are 1st class :o - - great clear appearance and great longevity.



I`d also suggest you consider products like Poorboy`s PwC and the EX Sealant - - very easy to work with, great looking finish and value-priced. This combo is tough to beat. I am running it on my daily driver right now and it has held up wonderfully thru a miserable winter season. As I was saying to a fellow Autopian at lunchtime today, if I could only have one set of products Steve`s Poorboys just might be my choice - - I am that pleased with it and I do place longevity slightly ahead of a sizzling shine.

[thinksnow]

OT, but is this already available? I just didn`t want to bother Steve with another question.




Originally posted by Dalton

I hear good things about the new Poorboys EX-P. I got some the other day and am waiting for good weather to try it out. Hear it will last a long time

[lairdness]

Thanks for the input folks.....I`m leaning towards the AIO as a polish right this second because I went and read what Zaino wants you to do to apply Z-5 and Z-2...sounds like a huge pain with the drying times...take a look http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Z&Category_Code=APPLICATION

[rstype]

Zaino for Dummies (or Cliff Notes?): ;)



1.) Apply Z1

2.) Apply Z2

3.) Let dry (approx. 30 minutes - do the finger swipe test)

4.) Wipe off products



You`re done!

[Scottwax]

I`ve used a lot of sealants lately, Klasse, UPP, 1Z, Poorboys, Meguiars #20, and now Wolfgang. If I had to pick one to recommend based on ease of use and durability, it would have to be Poorboys. I now have a few vehicles approaching 5 months now since using PwC and EX on them and they are still beading nicely and have noticable slickness. Klasse holds up well too, but SG is a little more finicky to use than EX since you have to be pretty anal about how thinly you apply it. UPP is great, but you have to wait 45-60 minutes before removing it. Meguiars #20 is easy to use and is a good one step sealant. I haven`t used 1Z or Wolfgang products long enough to judge their durability, but they are both easy to use.

[lairdness]

Originally posted by BW

Zaino for Dummies (or Cliff Notes?): ;)



1.) Apply Z1

2.) Apply Z2

3.) Let dry (approx. 30 minutes - do the finger swipe test)

4.) Wipe off products



You`re done!





I have some teeny spiderwebs/swirls...so I would have to go with a coat or 2 of Z-5...if I read their site right it sounds like that will take all weekend...do I have that right?

[rstype]

Originally posted by lairdness

I have some teeny spiderwebs/swirls...so I would have to go with a coat or 2 of Z-5...if I read their site right it sounds like that will take all weekend...do I have that right?



You could, but it`s better to polish the paint and get it close to perfect before any wax or sealant like Zaino.



Take a look at this article: http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=17

[lairdness]

Originally posted by BW

You could, but it`s better to polish the paint and get it close to perfect before any wax or sealant like Zaino.



Take a look at this article: http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=17



No doubt! I was gonna give that p21s Paintwork Cleaner a try if I don`t use the Zeeno line (Z-1 or that pwx or whatever it`s called). I agree...The more I read the more those first couple steps seems to be the most important.

[imported_neoflex]

OK everyone took care of your main questions but I have a suggestion. If you really hate polishing then buy yourself a PC. I am super anal with my cars but like you if I have multi-steps like the Klasse twins and a polish before that and a topper than it takes some of the fun out of it. I know bad autopian bad, but I like to make her look good and then drive her but sometimes after all those steps by hand you run out of time to enjoy all your work. That day anyway. I just got a PC for Christmas and really got to play last weekend. Man what a pleasure. Actually thought about tackling wifies car after mine but snow and rain were forcasted for Mon and Tues so I opted not too(Yes, mine sits all week so she stayed clean(I drive a beater to work)) Yesterday I added the second coat of SG after work. 20 mins done. Tonight will be layer 3 and Sat she will get some S100 which will be the old by hand method:(

[mgk65]

I think that people balk at Zaino when they read about the initial claying step. The purpose of claying is to remove contaminants in your paint before using the sealant. While this step is optional, it is recommended.



What many people don`t understand is that claying is beneficial before you use ANY product. If you want to start with the cleanest surface possible for any product you should clay your car.

[LightngSVT]

A product that seems to be overlooked lately is Collinite waxes, both Insulator and 476. Both give a nice, deep carnuba shine and have protection that rivals many sealants. My wifes car is still beading a bit and it hasnt been touched since October, sits 24x7 and is lucky to get a drive-thru wash every 2 weeks. And the 476 is supposed to be even better! On my test of NXT, Zaino and 476, the 476 "appears" to be holding up the best of the 3 so far.