2006 Dodge Charger Revival

[smoldin]

I need some help from you fellow autopians please. Before I new any better I applied Zaino on top of what appears to be water spots on my truck. The finish feels super slick but I want to get rid of these spots. I tried washing and clay but the spots still remain. Following the advice here I tried distilled white vinegar and they are still there. I am not sure if they are under the Zaino and I just haven't removed it(Zaino) properly or if they are just super stuborn spots. What is the proper way to remove Zaino and how do you know if it is all gone? Thanks in advance.

Bill

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

I believe the consensus here is to use alchohol to remove zaino. You caoul aslo use a polish like SMR or finesse it II.

 

[kiltman]

Hey Bill,



Call Sal he may have come up with something new.

 

[Guest]

Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl-spelling?) will remove Zaino, however, if you go to your local pharmacy, have them order you some denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol is more pure and leaves almost no residue. Rubbing alcohol leaves a little film that must be washed off before proceeding. I would also wash after using the denatured alcohol just to be sure. Remember, alcohol burns and should be used in an open area due to fumes. Always read the cautions on the alcohol bottles and use caution whenever working with any chemicals. Proceed at your own risk, etc, etc.

 

[BradE]

You can buy Denatured alcohol at most hardware stores, I think it with the mineral spirits in the paint section.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Yes I got it at Home Depot in the paint section. approx a dollar for 32 oz. Denatured alchohol that is. It works great as a glass cleaner too.

 

[imported_Dude]

I might be wrong about this, but I suspect that Dawn will remove Zaino. Sal told me that Dawn removes Meguiar's #20 polymer sealant. #20 is a polymer like Zaino, so I suspect that if Dawn removes #20, it also removes Zaino.. Also, my local Zaino distributor told me that Dawn removes Zaino.

 

[William420]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Dude[/i]
Also, my local Zaino distributor told me that Dawn removes Zaino.</blockquote>

A Zaino distributor told you that? hmm Interesting. To my experience, Dawn does NOT remove Zaino. I've Dawn my car before and it still beads water... and beads it WELL... I do have 20 coats on so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I always thought the only way to remove Zaino is Alcohol, or abrasive... Or Clay the S@$% out of the car.

 

[ISLANDSBEST]

William 420 is right. And, he knows that claying removes a little bit of Z . . . and a lot if you clay a lot.



Removing with alcohol will require a lot of towels, or else you will just be moving the Z around. The comment on safety while working with the alcohol is well put. Remember, catalytic converters get and stay very hot! I have seen them light weeds on fire! Manifolds get very hot.



Make sure any hot spots on the car cool before using the alcohol.

 

[smoldin]

Ok, I give up! I have PPCL, clayed, vinegar and the water spots didn't come off. I then removed Zaino very effectively with alcohol as per recommendations from several of you.(Thanks very much!) I re-vinegar,PPCL and clayed and they are still there. The finish is as slick as any I have ever felt but these damn spots won't go away. I am starting to think that these "spots" may not be water spots after all and just flaws in my paint/clear coat. The spots are not so bad or obvious after all so I guess I will just re-Zaino and hopefully blind anyone that gets close enough to inspect. Thanks for all the advice and recommendations.

Bill

 

[Lemonxxs]

Get a magnifying glass or a some sort of thingy and look at them real closely. maybe the clear coat got "etched" and what you see is the etching in the clearcoat?



I think radio shack sells a little thingy that is 30x and is used to look at circuit boards.





good luck

 

[vettefan67]

Which alcohol did you use and how did you use it?



PPCL isn't that harsh, do you have a swirl remover you can try in an area to get rid of the waterspotting? If not, work the PPCL in well and keep rubbing it in until it is dry with sucessively lighter pressure.



Are you going to remove the PPCL fillers from your paint before Zainoing?

 

[William420]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

Originally posted by Bill Gomez
Ok, I give up! I have PPCL, clayed, vinegar and the water spots didn't come off</blockquote>

Most of the time, the water spot etching you see is simply the hardened mineral deposit, and usually "fresh" deposit can be removed by white viengar full strength or clay bar. Since you have PPCL, clayed, vinegar without any success, I think the these spots have etched in the paint surface (you did not take care of them fast enough and gave them a chance to harden). I think you have no choice but using an abrasive product.. Do you have swirl remover, such as 3M 39009? Give it a try. And use it only on those water spotted areas.

 

[smoldin]

If these water spots were etched into the clear coat wouldn't I be able to feel a little bit of roughness? This truck is only 6 months old and I am a bit worried about using an abrasive and introducing swirls or making things worse. Is it possible these "spots" are in between the paint and clearcoat?

Thanks, Bill

 

[imported_BretFraz]

Bill,

Have you had a chance to look at these with a magnifying glass or similar?



These may be the after-effects of acid rain that has etched into your clearcoat. Hard to tell somtimes with the naked eye so you really do need some magnification to see them. They'll looks like the spots were burned into the clearcoat and have left little craters kinda like the moon's surface. They could also be flaws in the clearcoat which are permanent.



I bought one of those little 30x magnifiers at Radio Scrap. Please know that they've been discontinued so you may have to search several stores to buy one. IIRC, the R.S. part # is 63-851. Let the store staff do a search for that p/n and they can tell you which stores have them in stock. I paid $6.97 for mine.



Have a super close look at the spots and let us know what you see. Good luck.

 

[DETAILKING]

I was looking for one of these things to play around with...........couldn't find any in local stores....the part number will help.......

 

[Leadfootluke]

This car is owned by a grandmother, and is in fairly good condition; however there was a lot to be washed away to know that. A wash and wax, and interior cleaning were requested. The car will be for sale shortly and through the course of the detail with the carpet/dash/engine bay being clean, I can confidently say the value of the car is increased.

The paint was dull with dirt and contamination.

The wheels were filthy as well, with a little APC and many brushes I was able to clean the wheels, tires, arches, and barrels of the wheels [some afters later].

The exhaust was caked with debris

They were polished with Collinite 850

Opening up the doors revealed a mess inside. The jambs were filthy

The vinyl on the doors were dirty

The back seat is where the dog is transported

Front floors were dirty as well

Shifter/dash area was a mess

The truck was especially in need of attention

The engine bay was not included in the requests for services, but it was also in need of attention

I started at the back of the car and worked my way forward. I started by removing the rear floor and cleaning it and the spare tire/battery compartment before replacing it.

The trunk lid was also thoroughly cleaned

The doors were cleaned

Seats cleaned from the back

Floor mats were removed, carpet was vacuumed, stains were treated, mechanical areas of the seats were cleaned

Shift covers/compartments/etc were taken out and cleaned

Front seats were cleaned with APC and Collinite 855, carpet was vacuumed, dash was cleaned

The engine bay was degreased, cleaned, dressed, and sealed

Here are some after images of the car itself.

I did clay the horizontal surfaces of the paint, and used m205 on a tangerine pad on the hood as it had marring unlike the rest of the paint. This brought clarity back into the paint. Our personal car is this same color, and it looks incredible when the paint is cleared up.

The LSP this time was DGPS 3.0, after curing for 24 hours it was given an ONR wash and OID wipedown to remove some dust that settled after cleaning the rest of the vehicles.

We haven?t had sun a long time, and when the sun popped out I tried to get a few pictures.

Thank you for reading! Hope everyone has a blessed 2011 :thumbup:

 

[imported_Bunky]

Nice job !! You bet the resale value increased dramatically and probably saved it from a hack with a rotary who would have cleaned (added buffer swirls) it up for resale at the dealer or auction.

What did you use in the engine bay (products and tools)?

How many hours did you put into it?

BTW, do you have a Coke machine in the garage?

 

[bmw5541]

Awesome job Luke!!!:rockon:
That car was a mess. You should be proud of yourself. The value of that car has just dramatically increased due to your efforts.
I love how the interior came out as well.:notworthy:

 

[Leadfootluke]

Nice job !! You bet the resale value increased dramatically and probably saved it from a hack with a rotary who would have cleaned (added buffer swirls) it up for resale at the dealer or auction.

What did you use in the engine bay (products and tools)?

How many hours did you put into it?

BTW, do you have a Coke machine in the garage?

Thanks a lot Al! I know I failed to include a lot of the details. Anything else, just ask.

Also, this vehicle was really fun to work on, having this platform in the family helped with the familiarity and the removing of particular parts.

Products
- Meg's APC+ 4:1
- HD Degreaser
- Meg's Hyperdressing 4:1
- Optimum Opti-seal
- Optimum Instant Detailer and Gloss Enhancer

I Sprayed a section at a time with APC and used my Meg's slide lock brush and soft paint brushes to agitate, and Qtips to get in the small spaces. Then, flushed everything with a 1 gallon pump sprayer. I did each section, but came back to get areas with the degreaser that the APC did not effectively clean. I used compressed air to remove most of the water and towel dried any remaining water. I had the engine cover and strut covers removed, and cleaned and dressed those separately. I sprayed the rubber and plastic in the engine bay, let it sit for 5 minutes, primed an applicator with hyperdressing and wiped off any excess. An hour or so later, I came back and wiped the dressed surfaces dry. After I finished the vehicle, I came back with OS and sealed a few painted surfaces, and then used OID on the remaining non-dressed surfaces to remove any settled dust and leave a nice shine.

Because of the holidays and having the whole family off from work, I spread a total of 15 hours over the course of 3 days. I did the engine bay as a bonus, because it is invaluable to have every area of a vehicle for sale "presentable." The exterior took a few hours due to the wash and seal, polishing out the grill and exhaust, buffing of the sealant, and another wash and wipe down the day after. The interior took a long time to vacuum, remove the hair, hand scrub each seat and remove stains, rinse leather, get all of the nooks and crannies, and finally inspect. I am not a professional and cannot do it as quick, or non-distracted, but I feel I did it as effectively as possible for myself.

And yes, that is a Coke Machine :cornut: