It's a shame my ZFX keeps drying up

C

chevyguy28

New member
My ZFX tends to dry up in about a year, basically turning into a solid in the vial. Since I it's hardly used, it becomes a waste of money for me.



Three coats of Zaino last me 9 months, so I probably get about 8 drops out of a vial, and then it's done. So good is Zaino's durability, that ZFX's shelf life cannot compete!



It's quite annoying that I have to reorder ZFX just to refresh my Zaino paint...I may just use up the products I have on the shelf instead. IMO this is the main weakness of the Zaino system right now, especially when I can apply/remove a coat of FMJ in 10 minutes.



Shelf life for ZFX is supposed to be about 18 months, so it makes sense to use it with every coat of Zaino you apply. The other solution is to use it on every car I own, and then maybe I can use it all up.



It's a nice problem to have.



- J
 
Just in my garage, behind all my products on the shelf, as to keep it in a dark spot. Since I live in San Diego, I imagine the garage temperature can get into the 80's, which would explain why ZFX only lasts 12 months for me instead of the 18 cited by Zaino.



Zaino told me refridgeration would not help, so I suppose in the future, I may keep ZFX indoors.



Still, I find it a shame that you have to mix with ZFX. Though when the liquid is still wet, I don't seem to complain. :) Have a local friend who is letting me borrow his, so I can still use Zaino without reordering!



- J
 
BTW guys, don't take this as an anti-Zaino post. Just more of a note of frustration about ZFX.



Went to mix some up and forgot how nice some of the products smell.



- J
 
I hear your frustration with it. I haven't checked my ZFX bottle in ages because I haven't used it in a while. I'm guessing it's not in good condition....it's probably like 2 years old.
 
That's a drag what did Zaino say about it? I have never had my ZFX dry up, not even after 18 months. Maybe it is a tempature thing being in Diego? Maybe keep it inside would be a good idea. Have you tried Pro w/o ZFX? I did and didn't get good results but I may try again on my own car. I really like that I can put extra coats on hood and roof though when I'm using ZFX, but I'd be chapped if I had to buy some everytime I used the stuff too.
 
I think it's a result of somewhat "extreme" conditions in my garage.



The first time this happened I asked Sal if it could be refridgerated. He said it's best to keep it stable at room temperature. My garage can get warm in the heat of summer, even though my ZFX is kept virtually in the dark.



If I keep ZFX in a droor in the laundry room, it shouldn't be a problem from now on. Also will make sure it is tightly capped, and inside the 2 oz. bottle. I was just especially peeved that it dried up right when I needed it. This product is more sensitive than most other products in this sense, so you just have to be more careful I guess.



- J
 
Close tightly and store in temperature stable area (45-65*) and you should have no problems. I store all my detailing products in such an environment for product longevity and stability. I have had vials of ZFX last over 2 years stored in this fashion. The only product I did have a problem with stored in this fashion was P21S GEPC. It grew mold after 2 months of opening (over 3 years ago - product might have changed to alleviate this problem when it surfaced among several users in 2002). :( .
 
It sounds like a drag but if you look at it in other terms it's the only product that allows someone to put multiple coats, that's why it's so valuable to me. If a customer wants to pay extra, she/he gets multiple coats and still can pick up the car at 5. Definetly not worth it if you have to buy it everytime you detail that's for sure. Maybe you should detail a few cars for profit with that stuff so you get some $$?



Lol Mold? Wow, was it the wax? The only problem I have is the GPEC wax drying from time to time, but to me it's still the easiest wax to use.
 
P21S paint cleanser. Excellent product for a carnuaba pre-cleaner. If I had continued to used this product I would allocated into a small container for usage and keep the main bottle uncontaminated. I am assuming that this mold was introduced to the parent bottle by multiple dispensing and the oils in this product was a great medium for growth in a cool and dark place (my detailing storage closet). :nixweiss
 
Thanks for putting this post up.



My garage is around 95-100 all day long.



Gotta bring some stuff inside for the summer.
 
Have you tried calling Sal and asking for perhaps a replacement bottle? That would be my first step. I never liked the idea of ZFX so I always used Z1 instead. Mixing bottles and the price was enough to say no.
 
Wow, let me go check my ZFX....Crap, 2+ years old and its solid. OH well. I don't use it much anyway. I use Z1, but Sal is gonna get a call about this.



EDIT: This did happen in the past few months though. I remember using the same ZFX for my car back in early May. So anytime in the past two months it solidified on me.
 
I had mold grow in my p21s paint cleanser as well after a couple months.



I have 2 year old zfx in my garage, but I haven't checked it to see if its any good.
 
mine has dried up on me too, but am not completly sure when i purchased it.



I could have sworn it was this last spring but cant find it on my cc statments now.



hrmmmm. i wonder if squirting some z5 into the dried up vial and giving it a shake will get one last use out of the zfx.



cant hurt i guess



its funny cause i JUST used it not 2 months ago and it was perfectly fine.. now i go check on it in preparation for a big detail and its no good :(
 
My ZFX went solid on me too. I was just about to Z my car and BAM! Solid in the vial! It's all good. I have another on the way.:D
 
The sample I got from ZaneO dried up too. I still have some Z5, do I *have* to use ZFX with it? I only have about a 2 oz sample size, can't see ordering ZFX for enough to do just a few cars.
 
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