Not Everyone Is A Born Detailer...Experiences Wtih Zaino

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imported_Al D

New member
Geeze, I haven't even WASHED a car in a number of years. I've been getting the valet to do it at my buddy's restaurant. (He details a lot of MB, Jags, Lexus, etc.) Sure, there's some swirls, but then I had cocktails and dinner instead of sweat and ant bites, so in retrospect, it seems like a pretty good trade-off.



I've got a MB that's about a month old and some time with the holiday weekend. I've read everything, literally. I've spent upwards of $1,000 on multiple Zaino products, wheel cleaner, vacuum cleaner, brushes, MF Mitts, MF towels, applicators, and god-knows-what else.



I Dawn washed - not knowing that my tropical back yard also was a haven for ants. I never pay much attention - that's what the landscaping service is for. I was on the last side and noticed my feet were on fire. Looked down and my feet were covered with black moving creatures. (At least they weren't red!) Turns out some ants had settled in where some banana trees had been removed. I used an entire thing of roll-on Cort-Aide (hydrocortisone) before I could walk again.



So, I relocated down the street to my parent's house and clayed the car. That was strange. Didn't seem that hard, but I did go through several pieces. If you lack common sense with manual activities as I do, don't be too eager to fold that stuff over. (It was the Zaino Clay - Z18?.) It gets real grainy. Plus, I dropped two bars. Good thing I overbought. Anyway, I finally got through it. I then did a wash with Z7.



I didn't get started with the Dawn wash until about 1:00 PM, so it's dark by the time I get the car dry after the Z7. And it's maybe 60 degrees if I'm lucky. But I forge ahead for a ZFX enhanced Z2 coat.



Now, like I said, I read everything. Beginners put the stuff on too heavy. Heck, I started with 2 oz. plus 8 drops of ZFX. I went through 3/4 of that doing 1 coat of the car and wheels. And I still couldn't see any film on the car very well. I could see it in places on the hood, and after an hour I checked it and it seemed dry. I wiped the car down with some towels from LA Zaino and then did a QD with Z6 and the Little Blue MF towels. And people say they can do 3 coats with 1 oz? No way!



Ya know, I thought the car looked pretty good after claying. 'Course I was pretty tired, but the car just still looked pretty good after the Zaino. What the heck. Tomorrow I guess I'll put on the other 2 coats and detail the inside. I'm just wondering about thin coats. I'm using the Zaino applicators, and they seem to soak up some of the polish. I'll use the ZFX stuff again in case I missed sealing any of the paint with the weak garage light.



It was an interesting experience, and if I could have skipped the ant episode I may have even enjoyed it. (As I look down at my swollen feet.) Still, I wonder if there are any recommended detailers in Houston who are expert with the Zaino system....



Chris
 
Well, I'm sorry to hear that your first detailing experience sounds like it was one big pain in the neck. But take heart - with more practice (and maybe some insecticide ;)) you will get better at it and be able to get those coats of Zaino down to those 3, 4, 5, or 6 coats per oz people can get. It sounds like you've done your homework and spent a fortune on quality products, but remember that all the reading and all the money you can spend aren't a substitute for practice, experience, and some patience. Just keep trying and try to learn from each experience, and you should get good at it pretty soon!



Happy detailing. :wavey
 
hey ct, i never knew you were on this forum too:) well, i would go to walmart and buy maeguires foam applicators, they soak up zaino quickly, but it is basically lubed with it after one coaat, so you dont have to put a lot on it, it gets easy after one coat, also, serioulsy put on close to nothing, hopefully u used the ruler lazaino sent you, believe it or not, i can do 3 coats of zaino, and 2 coats of zaino on my rims with less than 1 oz, so it is possible:)
 
Well, the second day went much better, especially without help from the ants! I got another coat of Z on and used some Z6 on the applicator. I used less polish this time. It's much easier to do in daylight than under incandescent light.



One thing about the Z12 - not sure about the # but it's the glass cleaner - that stuff makes a mess! It drys to a haze and then MF off and that yellow dust gets everywhere. I had to brush out some of the interior again and vaccum again, plus I had to QD with Z6 a second time on the outside. Oh, well, I guess that's the experience thing to which 4DSC referred. Anyway, I really think it looks good now. I've still got a lot to learn, though.
 
Well, it sure sounds like you had lots of fun, and you made a few friends in the animal world, too. :D :rolleyes:



But I'm glad you posted your experiences. It will be a good primer for those who think that car detailing can be easily mastered by throwing gobs of money at it. Far, far, far, far too many people think all it takes is a bunch of expensive products and everything is roses afterwards.



You've learned a lot over the past couple days. Imagine what you'll learn over the next couple years.



Keep up your good attitude and your car will always look showroom new and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.
 
Ya know, there really is something to that "knowing you did it yourself". I typically pay for service-type stuff, and if it's something I'm not particuar about, it's okay. But, to be honest, car detailing results have not really measured up to my expectations. Well - maybe to my expectations but not to my desires. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I tend not to hold others to my personal standard.



Yeah, I can argue my hourly-rate v. time to achieve goal thing, but heck, I like knowing every nuance of my car's body. I learned more about my automobile today than I have since I purchased it. Brefraz nailed it -- pour money at it and everything is okay. That works a lot, but in this case, sweat is worth more than the dollars. I'm gonna be hangin' out here and givin' it my best with my new MB, and we'll both (me and the MB) reap the rewards!



Thanks for all the info and tips,

Chris
 
Don't give up! It gets better.



I can echo what others have said here. I can put 3 coats on a C5 Corvette and 2 coats on a Suburban with 1 oz. of Z-2/ZFX.



You probably used too much Z-12 also but using a MF towel to remove it off glass is a step in the right direction to minimize any residue. I don't have enough courage yet to remove Z-2 with an MF towel.



Don't forget to keep the applicator moist and use Z-6 between layers of Z-2/ZFX.
 
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