Results 1 to 14 of 14
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    4
    Post Thanks / Like
    Hello everyone. This is my first post here, but I have been reading a lot lately. I ran into a problem the first time I tried to apply Zaino. I sent this email to Zaino customer service last Sunday. They have yet to respond, so I decided I would seek help here.



    Here is the email (sorry it`s long) :



    "Hello, I am having some trouble with Zaino. I purchased the Z-2 polish, ZFX, Z-6, and Z-7. My car recently clay bared, polished, cleaned with a paint cleaner. Then two coats of Zaino were applied. I guy I know was helping me out. He really knew what he was doing. I was extremely happy with the way everything turned out. I wanted to get some Zaino of my own to put on more coats.



    After about 2 weeks I got the products I mentioned. I washed the car with Z-7. Then in the morning I mixed the ZFX and Z-2 according to the instructions. I wiped each body panel with Z-6 before applying polish. I know for a fact my first coat was way too thick. I used almost 3/4 of an oz. I kept doing the "finger test" It was always sticky and would smear. I waited and waited. The temperature was about 68 degrees and humidity was 48%. After about an hour I decided to see if I could wipe it off despite it still smearing. I took a lot of work to get the polish to come off. (this was with the use of water and Z-6) I am afraid I put in quite a few scratches even with a microfiber cloth. After taking the polish of the best I could I decided to give it an other shot. I applied the coat much much thinner. I waited more than 3 hours before touching it again. When I came outside to check, it smeared again. I once again did my best to take it off. The polish residue was like glue or tar stuck on the paint. It took a lot of coercion to get it off even slightly. I decided to wash the car with Z-6. It was still not perfectly clean.



    One thing came to mind. I did not shake the bottle of polish before pouring it into the mixing bottle. I thought this might be the problem. I applied the coat perfectly this time. It was super thin and even. I came back in about 35 minutes to check it out. I tried to finger test, but it was difficult to tell for sure whether it was coming off or not. I took the polish off the car. It was easier than before, but it still did not come out right. When I felt the car with my hands, it did not feel smooth or slick. I remember when we got done detailing that day, my car was slick and smooth. My fingers would just slide off of it. This time it felt like it had a lack of protection. In certain spots I could get my finger to squeak across the paint.



    I am not really sure what is going on. Is it possible I got a bad batch of Zaino? By the way I got all my stuff from a local distributor. Sorry for the long e-mail. Thanks. "



    Just a couple things I want to add to help you better understand my problem. It is like the zaino never cures, no matter how long I wait. I think my ZFX may be suspect. I dont really know. I am just frustrated. If anyone has any insight into problem please please help me. Thanks

  2. #2
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Norwalk, CT
    Posts
    2,761
    Post Thanks / Like
    If you used the new Z5 in the white bottle, it now has the tendency to streak. They best way to resolve this is this way:



    Mix 1/2oz of Z7 and 12oz of distilled water in a spray bottle. Spray on the effected areas and no smears!



    Yes, you have to shake the snot out of the Z5 bottle, then mix up your ZFX/Z5. Spray the applicator with a light amount of Z6 after you did the car with Z6. Apply VERY THIN, to the point it`s hard to see or tell. Humidity plays a BIG factor in cure time. But with ZFX, it should cure much quicker. It pays to wait. Don`t rub hard! It`s still setting up, or you had way too much on. Grab the Z7/water mix and spray it down and wipe it off. DO NOT use Z6 for this, or you get what happened to you where it just re-wets itself for another cure attempt. It then just drags all over without curing.



    If this has not resolved a test section next time, please contact Sal Zaino and speak to him with your problems. He will assist you in resolving it very quickly.



    Zaino is a great product, but it does have a slight learning curve in application. It`s normal to put it on heavy at first like a wax, which it`s not. Again, it should be hard to see... that thin. That`s how you layer Zaino. Very very thin coats one after another.



    Hope this helps, and don`t give up yet! See my SC430 in my sig below!



    Regards.

    Deanski

    "Dr. Shine"
    DR SHINE
    Swanky Shine (tm)
    What`s in YOUR garage? 997 Carrera S.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    The Old Dominion
    Posts
    2,346
    Post Thanks / Like
    Deanski, I don`t think he has Z5, only Z2.



    Faceplate, if I were you, I`d try washing the car with Z7. You said you "decided to wash the car with Z-6". Did you mean you QD`d it? I`d actually break out the hose and buckets and sponge and do a real car wash with Z7 carwash.



    I would suspect your incredibly heavy coat the first time was the problem. If you couldn`t buff it off, then I`d say the subsequent coats were probably a pretty bad idea. Adding more Z2 would likely make things worse.



    You buffed the car and introduced scratches? I`m a bit unclear on this. Are your towels bad? Did you apply incredible pressure? I think no matter what the product problem was, if you are buffing so hard that you are scratching the car, you`re doing something wrong...



    While it is possible your Zaino is bad, it seems a lot more likely that you just aren`t applying it very well. I would work on the application after correcting all the current problems and then see how it goes. Just my two cents...

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    4
    Post Thanks / Like
    Thanks for the replies. I was using the Z-2 polish for clear coated finishes, and I had washed with Z-7 as in real car wash. I will give it an other shot and see what happens. Thanks again



    BTW I dont think I really have any scratches. It was just left over polish reflecting light in a wierd way.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Vancouver
    Posts
    247
    Post Thanks / Like
    What paint cleanser did you use and did you wash the car afterwards before applying Zaino?



    You describe what I experienced 2 months ago. I used SEC then washed with Z7 before applying Z5. The first layer seemed to go on reasonably but subsequent layers were torture. It seemed like the Z5 never dried even with ZFX. It took forever to buff off and the Zaino seemed to congeal into hard orange plastic bits stuck onto the paint. Afterwards, the paint felt bare with no slickness at all and there was visible smearing on wiping with the finger.



    After 5 attempts at this futile exercise, I washed with Dawn and re-did the Zaino with no problem whatsoever.



    My conclusion was that, for me, even Z7 wash was not enough to wash off all the oils from SEC and the Zaino had trouble bonding, choosing instead to congeal together instead of onto the paint. Therefore, next time I will wash with Dawn after any polish before Zaino.

  6. #6
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Norwalk, CT
    Posts
    2,761
    Post Thanks / Like
    Faceplate,



    OOPS, Z2... So if you did not shake it well, it may have been a bit seperated. At least you can see it in the Z2 bottle as it sits for days. Just shake it really well first.



    I`d do the Z7 wash as soon as you can.



    Next time, measure out 1/2 oz of Z2 (half of the mixing bottles with your ZFX) and add 4 drops of ZFX. Shake that really well, let it site for several minutes for it to activate. You can finish your drying while it starts to activate. Then, spray your applicator with Z6 lightly and start the application nice and thin on just one small area. Let it cure, test it with finger and if cured, wipe off. If it`s better, congrats! Now go do the rest of the car with the 1/2 oz. This get`s you in the habit of applying it thin.



    Zaino as you may know from reading is very optically clear, so if you had any swirls or spider webbing, it will show through it. That`s the only downside of Zaino, a finish has to be as perfect as possible as it really does not hide. Z5 claims to hide some very light swirls, but it still takes several coats/layers to do this. This is why most of us polish and polish and polish until it`s like a mirror. Then, we remove any oils etc with Dawn or a spray of alcohol/water mix over the finish. Then Z5 and then Z2.



    That`s also why a lot of people switch to other ways. Look at Scottwax pics. He has good results with the Clearkote products VM and carnuba moose.



    Some also top Zaino with wax to get a bit more depth out of it. It`s all personal perception. What looks good to me may not look good to you. That`s why we are here... We try all kinds of stuff and show off what works and what may not work.



    Let us know how you did with Z7 and your test of a section of ZFX/Z2...



    Regards,

    Deanski

    "Dr. Shine"
    DR SHINE
    Swanky Shine (tm)
    What`s in YOUR garage? 997 Carrera S.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    The Old Dominion
    Posts
    2,346
    Post Thanks / Like
    Originally posted by Deanski

    Next time, measure out 1/2 oz of Z2 (half of the mixing bottles with your ZFX)
    Just FYI, but 1/2 an ounce is actually only 1/4 of the mixing bottle. They are 2 ounce bottles.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    4
    Post Thanks / Like
    Should I wash my car with dawn before I apply the wax? All the prep work was done earlier. It was clayed, polished, cleaned with paint cleaner, then two coats of zaino. (the zaino was ok back then) If I use dawn will it remove the old Zaino? And what ratio of dawn to water should I use? Thanks

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    West Los Angeles
    Posts
    149
    Post Thanks / Like
    This thread is getting confusing. Let`s see:

    [list=1]
    [*]All the paint prep was done and 2 coats of Z-2 were applied successfully.
    [*]2 weeks later, your Zaino order came in.
    [*]Washed car with Z-7 and waited until the next day to apply Z-2 with ZFX as per mixing instructions.
    [*]Initial coat was too thick and an attempt was made before the product was dried to buff it off, after approximately a 1+ hour wait time. Buffing was difficult and a mixture of water and Z-6 was used to aid in the removal/polishing process.
    [*]Then another Z-2 coat was applied afterwards and the wait time was increased to 3 hours before buffing. But buffing was still difficult and the polish felt like glue. The car was then washed with Z-7, but car did not seem to be clean or free of the sticky polish.
    [/list=1]



    If the above is correct, then I would suspect that the 1st coat never dried and any additional coat would just be smearing or moving around the product and increasing the cure time, even after 3 hours. If the polish felt like "glue", then IMHO, either too much ZFX was used (use 1 drop less), way too much product was present on the paint surface, or maybe waited another hour or 2 for the product to dry. Personally, I would have waited a day before trying to add another coat and/or even (re)buffing the 1st coat(s) before trying to apply another coat. Might have more success just using Z-2 (no ZFX) on a Z-6 dampened applicator. I just put on a coat of Z-2 (no ZFX) on my neighbors car and the humidity out this way is 90+% (77ºF), but it dried in about 3 ½ hours and buffed off without any problems. Sometimes going back to the old Zaino ways works out a bit better.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    5,775
    Post Thanks / Like
    Yes. Wash with Dawn. It will remove any oils, uncured ( unbonded) Zaino and leave the cured previous Zaino untouched.

    Re-apply Z2 with ZFX. If you can easily see the applied Z2 , YOU ARE USING TOO MUCH!!!. Do not worry about missing a spot but use a controlled pattern of application. The next coat is likely hit the missed spot. It should not take more than 45 mins for a thin coat to dry and buffing should be effortless. Streaking has not been a problem with my application of the new Z2 or Z5 on a black vehicle but I am anal about making sure my prep prior to application is perfect. As Aurora 4.0 mentioned, do not compromise all your work by using poor quality or old towels, wash mitt, etc.

    Do not feel alone in your initial adventure with Zaino. Even though the sytem is quite simple the conversion from using a carnuaba based system to a Zaino system is quite a re-edification.



    P.S. I am surprised Sal has not got back with you. Re-send your e-mail or try calling him between 8-5. Most distributors usually bend over backwards to get new users going in the right direction. This my be another source for corrective action info. :wavey





    I use about 2 tablespoons of Dawn per gallon of water. Rinse well or even do a follow-up wash with Z7. Z6 wipe down ( I spray Z6 on MF rather than directly on panel). Start Z2`ing. :xyxthumbs



    This is not to imply that this could not be a product problem ( defective Z2) but some things to try if product is okay.

  11. #11

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    4
    Post Thanks / Like
    Hello again. I`ve got bad news. I tried everything everyone here has told me but I am still out of luck.



    I first washed the car with dawn. Then I went around and used a microfiber cloth to slowly buff out the left over patches of polish. Then I Z-6`ed the hood. Then I applied a super super light coat of ZFX/Z-2 on the hood. When I checked it with the "finger test" I could barely notice anything. Nothing really came off or smeared, so I just buffed the hood pretenting it was doing something. The hood looked shiny but not very shiny. The really problem was when I felt it. It was rough and bumpy. It was like there was serious paint contamination. I did the hood again and the rest of the car. I got the same result. In some spots it look like there is a patch of different color silver. It is as if when the zaino dries it just stays there. Doesn`t smear and does not come off. The only time the car feels smooth is when it is Z-6ed.



    Is it necessary to clay the car before every zaino application. Because of a flat tire the car was sitting in the garage since it was prepared the first time, so I dont think it has had time to be recontaminated.



    So can anyone tell what I should do now? This really sucks.

  12. #12

    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    The Old Dominion
    Posts
    2,346
    Post Thanks / Like
    Was the hood rough feeling before you reapplied the Z2? The fact that you had patches of polish left over after washing is a bit disturbing. I don`t know what the problem is, but I think you probably just need to start from scratch. Clay, polish, the works. Was the hood shiny before the new coat? If not, then some Z isn`t gonna fix it. Your paint should look pretty dang good before the Zaino. Just my thoughts...

  13. #13

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Vancouver
    Posts
    247
    Post Thanks / Like
    Perhaps it was still rough with bits of Zaino after the Dawn? Clay it again and re-Zaino.

  14. #14
    STUTTGART'S FINEST Deanski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Norwalk, CT
    Posts
    2,761
    Post Thanks / Like
    Agreed, you must start again by claying the finish. Once that`s done see if polishing is warranted. The finish should be glass smoth after clay. Since you polished previously, you just need to get the surface contamination off.



    Wash the car prior to Zaino after clay use. Just use the Z7 and dry. Then apply ZFX/Z2. You will be fine then.



    Does sound as surface contamination worked its way into the finish. Make sure you use a fresh applicator pad. I use the foam pads as they absorb less than terry and terry can hide or trap dirt.





    Regards,

    Deanski
    DR SHINE
    Swanky Shine (tm)
    What`s in YOUR garage? 997 Carrera S.

 

 

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. ZAINO da water spots problems?
    By palulo1 in forum Car Detailing Product Discussion
    Replies: 32
    Last Post: 09-25-2012, 12:04 PM
  2. First go with my PC, problems with Zaino
    By TheOtherHalf in forum Machine Polishing & Sanding
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 07-16-2009, 08:43 AM
  3. Zaino Problems
    By richifever in forum Car Detailing
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 04-23-2007, 03:40 PM
  4. zaino problems
    By matrix_808 in forum Car Detailing Product Discussion
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 11-28-2006, 12:04 AM
  5. Problems with Zaino on a 911
    By w.neurauter in forum Car Detailing
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 09-13-2006, 10:47 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •