deatiling woes. please help

[Hawkeye_TDI]

Well, Ok here goes.



I set out to rid my Carbon black beast of swirls. About 2 weeks ago I had a pro detail her and it was very nice. He used the following: Clay, PI III, SMR, IHG then Z1, Z2. I`m not sure when he washed the car, I think between steps 1 and 2.

About a week later I Qd the car, to remove light dust, and I caused swirls. I used 100% cotton and Z6. But that`s a seperate issue.

I had a routine service done on the car and the dealer took it upon themselves to wash the car. Needless to say they really messed it up.



So I set out yesterday to remedy the situation. I quickly decided to omit the clay as it had just been done and this car is a garage queen. I did PI III only to a couple of spots and went right to the SMR.

Here`s what I did.:

1. Set up two 750 watt halogens.

2. PI III with a yellow pad from lake country and PC to areas needed (2).

3. When dry I Buffed them of with a MFtech elite.

4. SMR with white pad from LC, at speeds from 3-6 depending on how bad the swirls were.

5. Buffed off the residue with a suede style MF lubricated liberally with Z6.

6. Apllied Z1 with 100% cotton lubricated with Z6.

7. Allowed Z1 to haze and did exact same application process with Z2.

8. Allowed 1.5 hrs to dry and removed with cotton towel.

9. Did a final Qd with Z6 and suede MF.

When all was said and done it looked beutiful under the halogen lights at various angles. I puposely adjusted the lights angle several different ways to be sure.



Note:

I skipped the IHG because I was not sure it would bond with Z1 or Z2. I did not wish to "fill" the swirls because this is temporary. Also ALL my cloths were brand new and had been washed with no softeners or bleach. All were very soft.



This morning I couldn`t wait to see it in the sunlight. I was disappointed to say the least! The sides were full of streaks and very light swirls. I could also see them on the hood and trunk but because the sun is lower they don`t show up as much.



What did I do wrong? was it the final Z6 app? I used very little pressure with all the steps. HELP PLEASE! I hate to see my baby this way!

Thanks in advance ,

Bruce

[BradE]

The streaking could be caused by either too much Zaino, or it was not totally dry when you removed it. The heat build up from the lights on a black surface can also cause this problem. Go over the car again with Z6, when it`s totally cool, and see if that fixes the streaking problem.



As for the swirls, it could be a number of things. Black is a very hard color to maintain. You might have needed more applications of SMR or a "rougher" abrasive. It`s tought to say without seeing the car.



Good Luck!!

[Hawkeye_TDI]

Lincoln,

Close up you can still see the swirls. From 10 ft you see streaks. I too thought the Zaino might not be dry. I may also have applied to much. But the lights I kept at a distance.

I`ll try what you suggest.

Thanks!

Bruce

:bounce

[Hawkeye_TDI]

Originally posted by ShowroomLincoln

The streaking could be caused by either too much Zaino, or it was not totally dry when you removed it. The heat build up from the lights on a black surface can also cause this problem. Go over the car again with Z6, when it`s totally cool, and see if that fixes the streaking problem.



As for the swirls, it could be a number of things. Black is a very hard color to maintain. You might have needed more applications of SMR or a "rougher" abrasive. It`s tought to say without seeing the car.



Good Luck!!

I tried to buff out the streaks today with very limited success. If I put on to much or it was not dry, how would applying another coat help? Wouldn`t I just be compunding the problem?

[samiam513]

I had this same problem with my 1st Zaino Experiance.



Here`s what my problem was.



I used 100% cotton twoels which were not 100% cotton. They said 100% cotton, but were actually 50/50 or with polyester.



Get some high quality MF.



The swirls will be hard to get out without a buffer, but when they are out you will be astonished at the work you have done!

[Hawkeye_TDI]

I used 100% cotton twoels which were not 100% cotton. They said 100% cotton, but were actually 50/50 or with polyester.



How did you find out they were not 100% cotton?

My tags were specific. They said 100% cotton, coton, made in USA

[imported_Intermezzo]

Originally posted by Bruce Peter

I tried to buff out the streaks today with very limited success. If I put on to much or it was not dry, how would applying another coat help? Wouldn`t I just be compunding the problem?

Applying another coat might help because the solvent or carriers in the new application will dissolve or `re-liquify` the existing streaks and make it part of the new product.



With Zaino, thin application is critical. Make sure you apply the coat as thin & EVENLY as possible. Apply a nickel size amount on your applicator and dab it around on the panel first and then start spreading the product. Don`t use long strokes as that will exacerbate your streaking problem. With the exception of machine application, I find that using this dab followed by short strokes method allows for the thinnest and most even distribution. Give it plenty of time to dry (finger wipe test), and then carefully buff out the Z. When buffing, you`ll get less swirls and better results if you use light pressure and more passes...as opposed to wiping with pressure so the entire product is gone in just a few wipes.



As far as your swirls go....like Showroom said, black is an extremely unforgiving color when it comes to swirls. I don`t think I`ve ever seen a black car under the sun that was truly swirl-free (Anywhere! even at car-shows. But then again, I haven`t seen carguy`s & DavidB`s porsches!). Z-2 & black is probably the most unforgiving combination I can think of.



You can check for any polyester content in towels by pulling off a thread and burning it with a cigarette lighter. Any polyester mixed into the cotton will not burn into a powdery ash. Instead, it`ll roll up into a hard ball. Poke your finger into the ash to see if you can find any fused polyester material. If you buy towels made by fieldcrest/cannon, make sure you only use their bath-sized towels. Their smaller towels are not 100% cotton, even though they claim to be. You`ll be fine if you purchase your towels from any Zaino distributor.

[Hawkeye_TDI]

You can check for any polyester content in towels by pulling off a thread and burning it with a cigarette lighter. Any polyester mixed into the cotton will not burn into a powdery ash. Instead, it`ll roll up into a hard ball. Poke your finger into the ash to see if you can find any fused polyester material





Intermezzo,

Thanks for the advice. The more I talk to people like yourself, the more I think it was a combination of to much pressure and to much Z2.

I tried the burn trick. The strands burnt to an ash. No polyester was apparent. I`m going to attemt another very thin coat and see what happens. If it doen`t do the trick I`m going to repeat the smr and the application proceedures that have been recommended.

I will post my results.

THNAK YOU, THANK YOU! I am most appreciative.





Bruce,With the exception of machine application, I find that using this dab followed by short strokes method allows for the thinnest and most even distribution.



Can you spell out how you machine apply Z2? I have a PC with concave stlye pads from lake country, black, white, and yellow.

Bruce

[imported_Intermezzo]

Have you seen this thread?



Zaino by machine?...Yes!!



I think ShowroomLincoln covered it pretty well here. I do something similar with a few minor differences, but all in all I follow the same basic concepts as SL. It might be a little difficult at first because it`ll feel like your pad is soaking up all the product. But once your pad is primed, it`s a breeze. The only hard part is that the coats go on so thin, they`re hard to see. You just got to make sure you`re actually applying Zaino polish, instead of just Z-6.

[imported_memnuts]

I too have black cars. Complete swirl-free results are obtainable but a completely flawless ( no spiderwebbing) is almost impossible on a driven and washed vehicle.

When I first applied Zaino (Z1 and Z2) with 100% USA cotton towels I was shocked. Zaino is so unforgiving in terms of revealing any finish imperfections. Black is the worst at amplifying these flaws. You might try several coats of Z5 or in my case after 70+ coats of Z2/Z5 I topped with Blackfire. Why Blackfire? It tends to hide the last little bit of visible marring. Also it added back the depth of base colorcoat and made the color richer. This is personal taste preference. Some like the clearcoat enhancement that Zaino is famous for.

Bottom line is to not be caught chasing surface imperfections that are not curable without greatly effecting the protective clearcoat layer. Apply several more coats of Z2. See if this alleviates the marring. Try Z5. Try ZFX in order to apply multiply coats in one session (day). Try topping with Blackfire.

Isn`t seeking the goal of paint perfection fun?:wavey

[Hawkeye_TDI]

Isn`t seeking the goal of paint perfection fun? NO!





My next car will be silver.



Thanks for the advise. I`m gona try more coats and I`ll post the results.

Bruce