I'm taking the plunge - Zaino is on the way!

I am glad to see that even OTC products can rival Z2Pro. In my experience, the Mothers Reflections has a more balanced overall appearance than Z2.
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While I like Reflections a lot, I think Zaino is a better product in terms of looks and durability.

I haven't paid much attention to the newer Zaino products, but I thought one of the Z2Pro attributes was supposed to be a carnauba look rather than what many people decribe as the plastic look of some of the other Zaino polishes.
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Charles, on my car it looks as good or better than the AIO+Souveran combination I used for about a year which was the best carnauba look I was able to achieve. Carnaubas give off a warm look but Zaino has better clarity which is more neutral...it still looks wet however which is very nice. The plastic look is really no more as the Z2Pro does not exhibit that. I was worried about a plastic effect when I started on Zaino but I have not seen that fortunately.
 
SilverLexus said:
Charles, on my car it looks as good or better than the AIO+Souveran combination I used for about a year which was the best carnauba look I was able to achieve. Carnaubas give off a warm look but Zaino has better clarity which is more neutral...it still looks wet however which is very nice. The plastic look is really no more as the Z2Pro does not exhibit that. I was worried about a plastic effect when I started on Zaino but I have not seen that fortunately.
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And your assesment of the Z2Pro look is what I thought was more common, but MGM feels that the Z5 has a more carnauba appearance.
mgm2003 said:
I prefer the look of Z5 (more of a carnuba look) over Z2Pro (very bright-clear), but I'm sure others are opposite.
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My comment was mostly to point out the differences of opinion on the Zaino look even among the Zaino users.

The point being, that we all have different ideas on how the various products look.
That isn't a bad thing, it was just interesting to me.

Someone, (Mike Phillips?) posted a quote that was something like "Find something you like and use it often". That seems to work for most of us.

Charles
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CharlesW said:
That is an interesting observation. I haven't paid much attention to the newer Zaino products, but I thought one of the Z2Pro attributes was supposed to be a carnauba look rather than what many people describe as the plastic look of some of the other Zaino polishes.
The different opinions sure do keep the detailing hobby from getting boring, don't they? :)

Charles
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Charles, I never tried the old mix of Z2, but I do remember people talking about the 'plastic' look. If you have metallic paint, Z2 will make the flake JUMP out big time, where Z5 has a warmer look (at least to my eyes).

Here's a shot of my neighbors MDX topped with Z2

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Here's my wife's Tahoe topped with Z5:

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mgm2003 said:
Charles, I never tried the old mix of Z2, but I do remember people talking about the 'plastic' look.
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The old Z2 is the only Zaino product I have used. It was O.K., but I didn't consider the look anything special. There again, just an opinion.:)
The pictures you posted look great, but with the prep you give your vehicles, you would get great results with any number of products.
Just so there is no misunderstanding, I'm not anti Zaino, but rather pro good prep before any number of products.

I would be interested in a test on a well prepped vehicle with something like Turtle Wax Finish 2001 that costs less than $4 for a 16 oz. bottle.
I honestly doubt that many people would be able to tell the difference.
After a month or a few washings, it might be a different story. :)

Besides, read my post about "Unbelievable information".
All you really need is some rubbing compound and a gallon of milk. :D

Charles
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MGM feels that the Z5 has a more carnauba appearance.
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Z5 does have some carnauba qualities as I noticed on the recent F-150 I did.

The pictures you posted look great, but with the prep you give your vehicles, you would get great results with any number of products.
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I think most of us here have outstanding prep, especially the longer term members. I am picky enough that even good OTC products and boutique products can disappoint me over the long haul in terms of looks fading, lack of durability, etc. Zaino and Souveran are some of the few products that seem to keep a smile on my face over the long haul. I also believe then even with perfect prep, some products have better gloss and clarity than others. Combine that with perfect prep and the results can be spectacular.
 
Charles-- Should I be using the Turtle Wax rubbing compound? And which milk topper is considered better, Holstein or Jersey? :stick
 
One thing I really am amazed at is how good Zaino holds up with the original look over time. Below is a photo of my wife's Camry which has 3+ months of Z-2 Pro and sees a lot of abuse from drives to a horse barn on gravel roads and mega-mud. I just have Z-7 and Z-8 applications on the car since the Z-2 Pro was applied:

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chml17l said:
Charles-- Should I be using the Turtle Wax rubbing compound? And which milk topper is considered better, Holstein or Jersey? :stick
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lol
You'll have to check with Kent at the body shop. :)
"As far as I'm concerned, you might as well pour a gallon of milk over your car. The new paint and clear coats on cars now don't even need to be waxed," said Kent xxxxxxx, owner of xxxxxxx Auto Body West in Des Moines.

He suggests buying a mild rubbing compound made for cars at any auto parts or discount store and using that in place of wax, simply for cleaning off difficult dirt and spots.
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He seems to have it all figured out. :horse:
Or maybe not. :D

Charles
 
SilverLexus said:
One thing I really am amazed at is how good Zaino holds up with the original look over time. Below is a photo of my wife's Camry which has 3+ months of Z-2 Pro and sees a lot of abuse from drives to a horse barn on gravel roads and mega-mud. I just have Z-7 and Z-8 applications on the car since the Z-2 Pro was applied:

cam.jpg
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Looks great. Could have just been done let alone after 3+ months.
Zaino does seem to have great longevity, but that hasn't been too high on my want list. A couple of years ago, I did get busy with some other projects and once let waxing my car go for about 7 weeks. :) Even during the Iowa winters, I seem to find time to wax every month.

Charles
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Wait a minute, you get the Lexus and your wife gets the Camry! (LOL My wife gets the Chevy and I get the Caddy).


That's a nice shot of her car, and a fine example of what I've seen (so far) with Z.

I've been EXTREMELY happy with Z8. (easy to use, slick, looks great, and insane beading).

I'll use Z8 more than any other Z sealer.
 
mgm2003 said:
Wait a minute, you get the Lexus and your wife gets the Camry! (LOL My wife gets the Chevy and I get the Caddy).
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You guys are on the right track, but....
I get whatever the heck I want. :)
Especially if it needs gas.

Actually, it isn't like it's a big decision between two Pontiacs. :stick

Charles
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chml17l said:
Charles-- Should I be using the Turtle Wax rubbing compound? And which milk topper is considered better, Holstein or Jersey? :stick
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Just a quick update.
It better be Jersey because of the higher butter fat content. 6.0 to 3.5 ...although it does have less pounds of milk per milking session. So are you going for quantity or quality. :stick

Actually, that info was given to me by cwcad.:)

Charles
 
Zaino is great stuff. Once you apply it, it lasts a long time. Even after the nasty crap called a Chicago winter, my dub stills look half-decent. All I would need to do is wash it with Z-7 and wipe it down with Z-8.
 
'Never say Never -but why try it' 'I've heard the hype' 'Snake oil', etc... That's how I started this post, right? (Low confidence).

The difference here is that Z has been on the market for a while (not a new, 'have to try product'), and I finally decided to give it a shot. I honestly had low expectations, and Sal didn't ship free product to the house.

I'm impressed, and confident that Z will stand up to (and likely better) most any sealer on the market. -Yes, that's a bold statement -but I feel ok making it since I've used sooooo many other products. I live in the NE, so results may vary. In DE winters, Z does an excellent job.

That said, I agree with Charles too.

--'Prep is key'. That's true with any product -and it will be forever.

Reading the instructions is key too -results will vary if you make up your own rules.

At the end of the day, there are several great products to choose from. Personally I feel that Z and FK give great results EVERY TIME. Some others will disagree.... But that's what makes DC a great place! If I ever 'locked' myself into a process or product, then I would stop visiting the boards.
 
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