interesting facts about leather care by lexol

**imported_Dude** · 01-21-2002, 02:29 AM

I just switched to Zaino, and I am very happy with it. I have not seen much of a difference between Zaino and what I was using before (Meguiar`s #20 and Blitz).

Zaino does have a unique look, which I do like. It`s not really better- it`s just different. #20 and Blitz had more depth and a warm glow; Zaino has an interesting flat shine. Paint with Blitz looks like it is being illuminated by a candle; Paint with Zaino looks like it is being illuminated by a flourescent light. Interestingly, I rather prefer the Zaino look.

If your car is already in excellent shape, I doubt that you will see much of a difference when you switch to Zaino. Your car looked great before, and it will look great with Zaino.

Zaino does have one HUGE advantage over carnubas- no wax residue in crevices. My Jeep is very boxy, and there are a million cracks that I used to get white residue in. Zaino does not leave any residue, which is great. I have spent hours getting rid of this white residue, and I am very glad that I will never have to do it again.

Other things about Zaino that I love include the Z-7 car wash- hands down the best carwash I have ever used- it leaves no spots at all! I am also a big fan of Z-6. I don`t know that it improves the look of my paint, but the smell....ahh, the smell...

I am also a big fan of Z-2.

Also, with regard to swirls, I had good luck with Z5 x3. It got rid of all of my minor spiderwebbing. However, the Zaino ITSELF swirls quite easily. I had a million swirls today, but they were in the Z-5, not my finish. So in my experience, Zaino does hide swirls in your paint- i.e. the ones you are really worried about- but can develop swirls of its own rather easily.

Ahh, that Z-6 smell...

**imported_Intermezzo** · 01-21-2002, 02:54 AM

Dude, you are definitely right about Z-7. I think Zaino excels in pretty much all of its products, not just the show car polish. But it seems as if Zaino is either loved or hated. It usually doesn`t get a lukewarm response.

Carguy, I understand what you are saying and respect your opinion, but I think ALL automotive detailing companies are guilty of marketing claims that range from being completely absurd to being only partly true. Eg. Polymers in gold class give it extra durability? In no way do the polymers suspended in a wax provide extra protection. Also 3M`s Finesse-It II "Quickly and effectively removes minor scratches, producing a brilliant, deep, wet look shine." Yes, it does a good job with imperfections, but when it comes to a deep wet look shine, I think you put it best when you said, "Bull$hit!, it leaves a haze."

**Andre'** · 01-21-2002, 02:54 AM

Not to say your Porsche looks bad

, but it did have alot of swirl marks on it.

Over the years i`ve used all kinds of waxes, sealants and paint protectants, and i must say Zaino is second to no one.

I do love and use outher protectants, Klasse, Pinnacle, Blackfire and outhers, they all have they`re uses.

carguy, if i could i would do one of your sweet cars.

**Michael H** · 01-21-2002, 03:09 AM

"Zaino does not leave any residue, which is great."

Not quite true. If you miss removing some Zaino (eg front side of the door jam, very hard to reach on my car) after about 4 weeks you will find a chewing gum type substance, that is the Zaino you missed!

**William420** · 01-21-2002, 04:13 AM

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

detailking said "....you can drive the car, get it wet,etc, while it is curing and results start the minute you buff it off the car. "
I`m confused - you drive around with the unbuffed Zaino still on? What about dirt/dust you pick up in between coats?</blockquote>

Carguy, he meant drive around AFTER you buffed off Zaino. 24HRS later, another layer can be applied. QD the car first or wash it again (depending on how much dusts on the car). If that`s too much trouble then there`s always ZFX. I do agree if there`s a way to implement ZFX capability into regular bottle of Z2/5 then it`s PERFECT. However, that`s just the way it is now and to me it`s worth it.

I`ve used Zymol, Meguars, Zaino, Blackfire, Souveran. I don`t use Zymol & Meguiars anymore but still using Zaino, Blackfire & Souveran on all my cars. I`m using all 3 brands instead of 1 because they are ALL best product I can find in the market now. ALL have their shortcomings to the marketing claims. I don`t blame them to boast A LITTLE, I mean they have to sell their wax right? I`m apalled if everyone expect them to live up to ALL its claims. Which wax company does? To me, Zaino works and live up to MOST (but not all) of its claims. About the swirl fillings, it`s too subjective as there are minor swirls, deep swirls, spider webbing etc... Just use SMR and don`t be too picky on Zaino. The primary purpose of Zaino is to protect and shine anyway and not meant to be get rid of swirls. To those that have covered up minor swirls with Z is just added bonus.

To the guy that mentioned about staining issue, you probably missed the Zaino coverage (I`m fishing here).

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

Zaino and ardent Zaino followers make 4 claims:
1) Superior shine
2) Superior longevity
3) Superior swirl filling
4) Superior dust repulsion/rejection.
</blockquote>

In my own observation:

1) I think it`s true.
2) I think it`s true.
3) Superior swirl filling - I agree. It`s NOT superior but it does work in certain circumstance.
4) Superior dust repulsion/rejection - Ok MAYBE not SUPERIOR to other wax, but AT LEAST JUST AS GOOD.

THAT`S GOOD ENOUGH TO SAY Zaino is a great product.

EDIT - And about OPTICALLY PERFECT, yah there`s no evidence from Zaino brothers, but if you can, compare a black car with multiple coats of Zaino, and take the same car with multiple layers of carnauba. Take a look at it and I firmly believe you can draw your own conclusion without scientific evidence. Pls do not pick on the word "PERFECT" though.

**Michael H** · 01-21-2002, 06:23 AM

"To the guy that mentioned about staining issue, you probably missed the Zaino coverage (I`m fishing here). "

I do not think so. I used lights for each panel as I worked. Put on several coats, the chance of missing in several places is zero. The stains were in the Zaino layer, no doubt about it. Stop when I replaced the Zaino and was not there before I used it.

**imported_Dude** · 01-21-2002, 10:13 AM

I agree about the hype. My guess is that what Carguy dislikes are the legions of Zaino users who belive in its superiority with an almost evangelical fervor. Those people are always hyping Zaino and cannot bear to see it criticized. I cannot understand why Zaino inspires such devotion, but it does.

I really love Zaino, but just don`t see myself becoming a true believer. It has an excellent shine. It is the best product that I`ve tried. However, the difference between Zaino and #20/Blitz just isn`t that great. Zaino is an outstanding product, but many others on the market will produce results that are just as good when applied by a dedicated detailer.

In sum, I would be very surprised if someone said that Zaino is a BAD product. I would disagree with that statement. In my experience, it`s a fantastic, outstanding product. Now if someone were to say that Zaino is not any BETTER than other products, that would be a different story. I tend to agree with this. Zaino is the best product I`ve tried, but the difference between it and other high-end products is very slim. Zaino works best for me, but excellent results can also be obtained from different products.

**imported_nihoole** · 01-21-2002, 10:19 AM

it is buy far easyer to use than carnuba and not near as messy.I put a new set of halogen lights in the garage over the weekend and before I started the two coats of Z5 the lights brought out swirls could not be seen outside in the sun.The 2 coats of Z5 with ZFX did in fact cover alot of the minor swirls and the Z5 also has a different look than Z2.The two coats of ZFX with Z5 took about one and one half hours on and off and this was with Z6 after the first coat.

The garage door stayed open the hole time with rain pooring down so humidity was high the Zaino went on and came off with no haze.The ZFX is great for speeding things up with multiple coats but to me I do not do this often most of the time I enjoy the hour wait and get other stuff done during this time.

As said every body use what you like and enjoy the fact that there is so much good stuff to choose from

:up

**dengelson** · 01-21-2002, 10:31 AM

I tell you this is what I dig about this forum. It is ok to have disagreements with each other while maintaining civil dialogue. We each spell out our own reasons for our preferences without making personal attacks.

As a reader of this thread, one that has not used Zaino, both the pro and con opinions have been very interesting and informative to read. Thanks!

**BradE** · 01-21-2002, 10:37 AM

Well I will add my opinion into this discussion.

The question of which product is the best is one that cannot effectly be answered. Personal opinion factors in too much for a clear cut answer. The true answer is NO PRODUCT IS PERFECT! It all comes down to what the user prefers and what he/she is willing to live with.

IMHO is Zaino the"end all" product for car care: NO. Is Zaino an Impressive product: Yes. But there are many other impressive products as well.

It all comes down to, use what product YOU like. After all it`s your car and your money buying the product, so use what makes you happy.

:up :up

**YoSteve** · 01-21-2002, 10:53 AM

I wasn`t going to reply to this thread because I have no Zaino experience. I do, however, like the honest write up that carguy wrote (knowing it would be against the grain). In that aspect, I would like to see his write up on Klasse (something I am familiar with) to point out it`s strengths and weaknesses. Since he waxes more than most, he can pic out little variences about all kinds of products and be a valuable resource of information to all of us. Keep the review coming.

**Steve @ Guru** · 01-21-2002, 11:05 AM

Missed a great thread!

If anyone is familiar with the Zaino follower`s "wrath", it`s me. When thewaxtest.com went live, we had no less than 300 angry e-mails in less than 36 hours from Zaino folks...and 90% of them were not very cordial. That said, we quickly realized that we had misused the product - applied <em class=`bbc`>way[/i] too much of it, which resulted in streaking, hazing, and longer than anticipated cure times.

After a retest of the product, we found that its durability (albiet in a very static, non abusive environment) was better than most products. For some reason, our P21S refused to die, and the Klasse held up quite well too.

As of yesterday, which would be 15 weeks after the initial application, the Zaino panel was still beading water (it`s been drizzling here for a few days), whereas the other panels were not. Again, our panels are not subjected to daily wear and tear from road abrasion, so it`s not really an accurate test.

My thoughts on Zaino are this: on a daily driver, where protection is critical, it`s the product to use. On a show car, where the benefits of "clean" layering are welcomed, it`s also a great product to use. But..

I truly believe that Zaino works best in the hands of a skilled detailer, and I know that carguy, etc are great detailers - they have demonstrated their awesome knowledge of car care not only on this forum, but on other websites as well. For the guys on the other forums that write things like, "just drove the car from Arizona to New York, ran through the auto car wash and slapped on 5 coats of zaino - looks perfect!" I question their evaluations...but...

Zaino probably requires some pre-application conditioning in order to achieve the best results. I think that a good claying, SMR/FI-II, etc, Dawn Wash & then Zaino treatment will result in a good looking finish. I`ve been evaluating the product "off the record" with my Tahoe, and it`s pretty good stuff. It`s been through snow, salt, sand, rains, dog poop, auto car washes, etc. and it`s still holding up pretty good - the rocker panels, etc. are beading water (still) which I consider to be extraordinary, since I last Zaino`d the truck at Thanksgiving.

Not to worry, though, we`re going to re-test it in Round 2: using our normal panels, simulated wear panels and on real-life vehicles, side by side with some other products.

Hope this shed`s a little more "unbiased" info on the situation.

**miguelgf** · 01-21-2002, 11:13 AM

I can add this much to the conversation...

I too didn`t find too many people unhappy with Zaino - I did find some *disappointed* - clearly because the marketing claims were very extreme, and they had unreasonably high expectations.

A friend of mine, who is a car-show guy and is a car fanatic (and follows the detailing mantra to the max), told me this much - the polymer sealants were all very close, and that the difference I would notice between Klasse and Zaino were slim, if not none.

His advice - try them both, see which one works for you. I`ve tried Klasse, works great! Don`t have any of the issues some people complain of.

I tried some of his Zaino, and he was right - I really didn`t see a difference between the two. I could be applying wrong, or maybe I`m not discriminating enough.

I read it here all the time, and I`m a firm believer - use what works for you. I`m waaay happy with the Klasse, and although I won`t stop trying new stuff, I can`t say that something better will make me disappointed in the Klasse.

**DETAILKING** · 01-21-2002, 11:50 AM

A lot of guys are evaluating zaino on inital gloss only. They are detailing their car, looking at it, and making an evaluation. Well that is only part of it. I believe carguy`s test was only really evaluating initial results. Initial shine does not impress me. There are many products out there that can produce a killer initial shine. But what will the car look like the next day, next week, next month, next 2 months, after a rain or snow storm? How slick will the car stay? How good will it bead water months to come?

A zainoed car looks and feels the same months after application. Gloss and slickness remain and get better and better with each Z7 wash. The products were designed to work together and really deliver. There are other systems that work well too and others might prefer, but I can`t see how anyone that used zaino correctly over time have any real complaints.

I also have to disagree to an extent about having to be an expert detailer to get good results with Zaino. Zaino is easy to use and produces a fantastic shine and look, even on daily beaters that may not get the full initial prep that some of our prized cars would get.....

<img src=http://www.fototime.com/BFFEE2FDB60DE05/orig.jpg>

**andrew43** · 01-21-2002, 02:55 PM

I use Zaino products and have had very good luck with z5`s swirl hiding capabilities. Do a search in the picture forum and you will see a couple posts from me with pictures demonstrating this.

One thing I wonder about is the optically pure claim. Is Zaino really 99.9% optically pure? When we are talking chemistry, optical purity refers to whether or not the chiral compound is uncontaminated by its enantiomer. Surely z2 is filled with ingredients, many of which are solvents that likely evaporate or are wiped off. Wouldn`t z2 be optically clear if it really was optically pure?

Regardless of marketing, the stuff works good. Many people are turned off to Zaino because of the way it is promoted by some of its users, just like how many have trouble with Zymol`s corporate marketing claims. Of course, some people will not be pleased with the product. But, it is safe to say that the majority, which primarily includes detailing junkies, like Zaino and have no problem recommending it to others.