Okay need help from the gurus on this. I've been using Zaino for a while and have been hooked on the stuff for it's look and durability but now I've run into a problem.
I have a new to me vehicle with a relatively fresh single stage black re-paint maybe 60-90 days old. The seller did a rush job on buffing out the paint so I've had to take my time cleaning things up. As a result, I've been polishing it in sections over the last few days with my PC, Menzerna IP, then FPII and finally AIO. All of the sections I complete at this point look beautiful.
I then waited 24-36 hours for the AIO to cure on the first section and laid down a light coat of Z-5 (with ZFX) waited 45 minutes, then a wipe with Z-6 and then a coat of Z-3. All this on the way to eventually 3 coats of Z-3/Z-6 and two finishing wipes with Z-8.
Now here's the problem, the first section completed with the my initial Zaino treatment (up throught the first coat of Z-3) show minor scratching/swirls that were definitely not there at the completion of the polish and AIO steps.
I'm not sure what to do next or what the source of the micro maring could be? Could it be the Z-5? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I really want the durability a Zaino finish offers. I use it on all of my other cars and have never had a problem. Should I consider skipping the Z-5 or try to apply it with the PC?
No no no, you never leave AIO on for 24hrs! You only do a panel at a time. SG you leave on for 24 hrs.
If you just had it painted I wouldn't use those polishes. I did a '57 Chevy that had a rush job. I went over with a wool pad and used 3m 1800 grit buffing compound, then went to Meguires Glaze. That normally does it. Then you can use AIO then a sealent and/or wax. Your going to get much better results with a wool pad at least. I would take forever with a foam pad. Trust me I've been there. You can get that stuff at Napa or a car paint store.
You misinterpreted me. I wiped off the AIO right away but I waited 24-36 prior to Zaino application for the AIO to cure. I was also VERY happy with the way the MIP and FPII worked.
I would think that your towels are your problem. Also, different lighting can show defects that would be otherwise unseen. Maybe they were there but you just couldn't see them before because the lighting was wrong.
Well it isn't the lighting because the swirling shows up right away and in both natural and artificial light and I can compare different sections at the same time. I don't think it's the towels either. I mean I'm using high quality clean towels and if they aren't scratching during the polish phase why would they scratch with Zaino??
It would seem that either the imperfections were already there & the Z highlighted them. Or your application and/or removal of the polish created the swirls.
I'm with you on that. This doesn't fit my experience base either but I'm sure of two things.
First, the scratches were not there before (I'm 100% certain of this. You can even see them appear and they follow the track of my wiping).
Second, I'm using the same, clean, high quality microfiber applicator and concourse buffing towels I've used before to apply and remove Z-5 and I've never had a problem like this.
Since Z5 is ment to hide imperfections and not as the final polish it would seem that you really dont need it at all. It isnt necessary if you feel you dont need it go right to Z3.
If it is your towles you should see the same marring w/the Z3.
It would seem that either the imperfections were already there & the Z highlighted them. Or your application and/or removal of the polish created the swirls.
I'm no expert but I have seen swirl type marks made if Zaino is put on too thick (looks streaky). I would try to remove a section and redo it with an even lighter coat and see if that helps. Since you have AIO, just use some AIO in a section and see if the "swirls" are removed. If so- then reapply the Zaino with a very light coat and see if that helps. Unfortunately you may have to remove all of the layers of Zaino if this is the case. Keep us posted!
Well I went back to FPII and removed all the scratches. I also got all the body panels done up through AIO so tomorrow I can proceed to the Zaino. I'm going to go for as thin as I can get although I wasn't seeing streaks it wa sdefinitely scratches and I'm going to try a small section and apply with the PC. The polish job with MIP, FPII, and AIO wasabout as good as I ever thought I'd see. Check out my gallery for a couple of recent uploads.
No they weren't towel marks. I'd hoped that they were at first. All I can think is that in an effort to remove the product without streaking I rubbed harder than usual. I'm going to try again tomorrow just on one fender. I'm going to go with the PC dampened with Z-6 and real, real light on the Z-5. If it streaks after removal on the first coat so be it. I'll worry about streaking if it's still there after 2-3 coats. Then Thursday I'll move to the Z-3. I've got to get this to work
Okay I completed an application of 3 coats of Z-5 this morning with excellent results. This is what I did. I decided to do them by hand. I figured one less variably to worry about. The first coat was very, very light maybe 2-3 dime sized drops for the whole car (and a Crown Victoria is a big car).I used a blue microfiber applicator dampened with water and Z-6. Not enough to cause droplets on the finish but just short of that. I refreshed the Z-6 whenever I sensed the pad drying out and used about a dime size per third of the car. This made for a very light and almost un-noticable application in places. I then let it dry for a good hour (nice Florida weather, sunny, upper 60's low humidity). I wiped it off with a concourse buffing dowel lightly misted with Z-6. It came off like a charm. I found it very important to dampen the towel with the Z-6 and not spray it directly on the car again the towel was just lightly damp. 2 more coats lile that and I was done for the day. What a relief.
In retrospect I think my initial problem was too thick a coat (and believe me I never use much) and too aggressive in trying to rub it off. I guess black just needs to be treated differently than other colors.
