BEST/Ultimate Home Cleaning - help please??

[Young_Stallion]

Hey guys, I am new to the board but been around quite some time on the Mustang boards..using the same name.



I am in the process of getting rid of my Mineral Grey GT, which I kept in perfect condition...obviously mineral grey does not show swirls that easy, etc...



I am looking to get a Black Cobra but am paranoid about keeping it scratch/swirl free. I use Zaino on my car and only zaino..in fact I zaino the heck out of it..like hundreds of coats....



My question is, what is the BEST (do not worry about cost) Polish/Wax, etc for me to be using on this black car? Is Zaino the best?



What should I do to keep it mint? Wash as little as possible (just dust and wipe down). Dont touch paint while hot?



Anything you guys know to keep a black car mint (time and money is no object to keep my car mint) please let me know.

 

[Accumulator]

Young_Stallion - Welcome to Autopia. You're gonna get some differing opinions about whether or not Zaino is "the best", but it IS certainly right up there.



LOTS of info here about polishes and Zaino (and its competitors), happy searching.



Some of us would rather WASH a car than use a duster and/or QD, others go the other way. I myself don't TOUCH a dirty car with ANYTHING unless its WET. Try as I might, I just can't avoid some kind of micro-marring when using a CA duster, etc.



IMO, the single most important thing is how you wash/dry the vehicle, especially with black. Things that only show (on a different color) under extra-harsh lighting will show ALL THE TIME on black.



Experiment: with your grey car, go into the dark garage at night and shine an incandescent/halogen light source on it. Look from different angles and see if you find any swirls or other marring. If so, consider that the black car will look like that all the time.

 

[Gonzo]

Check out Souveran over the Klasse twins. Awesome on my red Lightning :bounce and altho nothing black in my garage, it is supposed to be even more awesome on/over black

 

[Jesstzn]

I use #26 as a topper over Zaino on Black .. Key is before the Zaino make sure your paint is perfect. If your buying new and the dealers lackie lot attenent didn't wash it with a corn broom you might have few swirls to worry about. Before i Zaino'd mine I used menzerna Intensive then Final Polish because there is no fillers. What you see is what you get. Then I applied the Z5/Z2. This way the Zaino is the sacrificial layer and a little Z5 can help with further induced swirls.

I also only wash with proper soap and a sheepskin mitt. Drying is done by pulling most the water off with a gentle water stream from the hose then holding an Absorber by the cornes and draging it over the flat panels to pull off most the remainig water ( no rubbing) then finally a M/F towel for the rest.



Never wash your wheels withthe same mitt as used for the body. Never dry the body with the same towel as the wheels. Use a seperate towel for the door/trunk edges.



The only time I use a QD spray is when the car is freshly washed and NO dust present.

 

[Young_Stallion]

Is the zaino car wash the best so i just keep using the entire kit like I am now?



What is the best wash mit, drying towels, etc...



I usually Air dry my car (leaf blower, compressed air, then remove the tiny bit of leftover water with a 100% cotton towel)



I clayed my car before zainoing it as well as dish soaped it to remove contams..then a Z1 Polish Lok, and Z2/Z5 it...nothing over top of the Zaino.