Longitudinal Zaino test... need input

[cwcad]

hello everyone,



am about to do a detail on my vehicle. have been taking very good care of my 03 silverado since i purchased it but i beleive that i have gone over board as far as keeping it clean and shiny. consequently i have created a lot of swirls from to much wiping down with detail sprays. this detail is also going to be a longitudinal study in protection. this vehicle will have little or no care for about six months. my wife will run it thru an occasional car wash. will not be using any detail sprays or an additional topper for the entire time that i am gone to alaska for work. it also will be out side every day during the test. we have a garage but it does not fit into the garage even if we had room.



have chosen to use Zaino z2pro as my sealant along with a collection of menzerna products (IP, FP) and Klasse AIO. i have in my arsenal another zaino product called z-1. am not sure if this is being redundant by applying this after AIO or not but before Z-2 pro.



will apply products with pc7424 and appropriate pads from lake country. Zaino products will be applied by hand with mutiple coats. most likely three different coats with Z-6 in between each coat.



so i am going to list my process in the order that i plan on doing the detail. am looking for any addtions or corrections before starting this detail to test for longevity and durability.



#1. wash using one of these... meg`s deep cystal, menzerna body shampoo, or pinnacle body work shampoo. is dawn really necessary? with good quality wool mitt.



#2. clay using blackfire clay, using a detail spray as a lubricant. i have adam`s detail spray, meg`s last touch, pinnacle crystal mist, and four star detailer. i could also mix up a shampoo concentration for the clay.



#3.wash with wool mitt. using waffel weave mf towel to dry.



#4. menzeran ip, using pc with lake country yellow pad. wipe off with a high quality mf towel



#5. menzerna fp II, using pc with lake country white pad. wipe of with high quality mf towel



#6. klasse AIO, using pc with lake country white pad and high quality mf towel



#7. zaino z-1by hand with mf apllicator



#8. zaino z-2 pro with zfx by hand with mf applicator. wipe off with high quality mf towel



#9. zaino z-6 in between coats. wipe down with high quality mf towel.



#10. repeat steps 8 and 9 for each coat x3



will document each step with pictures and my opinions of the results. am excited about this test. any suggestions as to my process and what to look for would be most appreciated.

[RedondoV6]

Your process looks fairly good, but *I* would change as follows:



Wash and rinse (no need for dawn, you are going to clay and then polish, which will take care of any oils or waxes left on the paint)



Do not dry, go straight to clay, using CLEAN wash solution as your lube. Then rinse and dry with WW. All this will save you time and effort.



Polish as you intended, but you might want to try a white pad with the IP first to see if that removes enough swirls for you before going to the yellow cutting pad.



Definitely go with the AIO .. although FPII will leave the paint very clean ( and ready for Z2 Pro), a base of AIO will leave the Z2 Pro feeling a little slicker after it is applied.



NO need for Z1 (save that for touch up work), just mix the Z2 Pro and Zfx and apply. if it is your first time using a sealant I would go ahead and mix one of the little Zfx bottles, about 3/4 full (1 1/2 oz)with 6 drops of Zfx and shake well. Remember to apply in very thin layers, which you can barely see. Z2 Pro appears to be more forgiving than the old Z2 if applied too thickly, but anything more than a thin layer is probably just a waste of sealant. Spritz your foam applicator with a little Z6 to prime it before applying the Z2 Pro for the first time.



If you want to save time on the Z6 spray downs between layers, just spritz the MF you are using to remove the dried Z2 Pro with Z6. Save the separate walk around the truck spritzing with Z6 for the final layer after is applied and removed. This will also save you time and effort.



Try to time all this so the Z2 pro has 24 hours of dry weather to crosslink before it rains.



Good luck with it! I`ll be happy to help with any more questions :)

[imported_memnuts]

What RedondoV6 said plus:



I would use either the FPII or the AIO. If this is going to be a true Zaino longevity test do not use the AIO. Instead, final polish with FPII. Though it is common practice recently here at Autopia to set the stage for Zaino with AIO, Sal does not recommend this for the best durability (bonding) of his product. The best (most enduring) bonding of Zaino polish is directly to the painted polished oil-free surface. AIO lays down a protective layer of acrylic and technically separates the Zaino from th paint.

Enjoy yourself cwcad. I believe you will love the results. :wavey

[SK2003TypeS]

Originally posted by RedondoV6

.....Try to time all this so the Z2 pro has 24 hours of dry weather to crosslink before it rains.......





Ideally if you can. I once applied Zaino and had it down pour a few hours later. :(



I`m one of the slower detailers here. I`d probably schedule an entire weekend for something like this...especially a Silverado.

Another fan of the AIO/Z2 combo :)

Good Luck !

[cwcad]

thanks to all that responded. will take all comments into consideration for this detail.



have a lot of time until i get back to alaska. am trying to get the weather report to help a little bit . lately it has been raining a lot.



have plans on doing the vehicle in thirds. taking time to do it right for each step. will do most of the work in the garage but will have to take it out side for the overnite. it will be covered when sitting outside at nite. for each section i plan on taking two days to do a third of a car. i may be making more out of this than i need to. i am just a little worried about my vehicle. since i have owned it it has never gone without any attention. every day i have done something to make it look as shiny as i can make it. thinking about six months of no care at all is a little disconcerting to me

[Ed Hartman]

I would not worry to much. A PC and good products can replenish a multitude of sins

[cwcad]

Originally posted by Ed Hartman

I would not worry to much. A PC and good products can replenish a multitude of sins



thanks!! i an sure that you are right. never the less the vehicle has really become an attachment that i have come to enjoy. the work that i put into it really has become welcome part of my day.