Z2Pro over a new paint job? Can I clay it also?

SidiousXXX

New member
Had a bad accident with my Audi A6. Repainted virtually the entire car. Is it safe to clay it and put Z2Pro on it yet or do I need to wait that 30 days that I have heard from in the past?

Thanks,

James
 
I had the same thing happen with my car. The entire car was repainted.



I can't tell you about claying right away but I can say that you shouldn't apply Zaino to your car's paint right now. 6 weeks is the minimum for the paint to cure. This is very important! I'd wait at least 3 months. With my repainted car it was 4 months before I applied any Zaino (or any sealant or wax!) because it was stored for winter shortly after I got it back. In the springtime I clayed and Zainoed it and it looks great.



You can use a glaze such as Meguiars #5 or 7 or 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, which is what I use on the hatch on my other car. With my other car, the hatch was repainted in April and only now am I planning on putting NXT on it. Up until now I've been using IHG on it.
 
I would wait the 30 days and then some just to be safe.



What did the bodyshop say ?...different bodyshops will tell you different wait times.
 
SidiousXXX said:
Man two answers. Kinda sad



I'm always giving advice about the care of fresh paint, but I dunno from Zaino. My gut feeling is that you should not use this product on fresh paint, but some people have said that it's OK and that Sal Zaino, who has painted a lot of cars, says it's OK. So :nixweiss But remember that "body shop safe" is *NOT* the same thing as "fresh paint safe". I'd *play* it safe and use Meg's #5. It's cheap and works great, so I'd just order a bottle and apply after each wash for a while.



When they reshot my Audis (and other vehicles) I only used glazes for well over two months. Better safe than sorry IMO. That was with a (moderately low-temp) baking after the paint was shot. It's been about two months since the same shop reshot parts of my minivan and I'm not ready to wax/seal it yet.



Be careful claying (or polishing) it, it'll still be a bit softer than normal while it's curing, and it'll probably *never* be quite as hard as the Audi (Spies Hecker brand) factory clear, which is very hard. If they used Spies-Hecker for the repaint, and *if* they did the job right, then it'll still be quite hard though. S-H paint is hard stuff, even without the factory high-temp baking, but only if the job's done right.
 
I've used Z2Pro on fresh paint no problems at all. I sent an e-mail to Zaino and this is the reply I got:





The most I personally would wait on fresh "aftermarket body shop" paint

before

polishing with Zaino Show Car Polish is 1 week. That's more than sufficient

curing time.



Zaino contains no wax, harmful silicones or abrasives.....



The new paints are catalyzed. A chemical reaction cures the paint. The

older lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release. This

is not the case anymore. Believe me if that paint need 3 months to dry

than it will never dry.... Just the facts.



Thank You,

Sal Zaino

(732)833-8800

http://www.zainobros.com



It's up to you, but if you choose to leave the paint unprotected, keep it as clean as possible.
 
I put a coat of Megs #7 on tonight before reading this, how the heck would I remove it now without being able to buff the surface or clay so that I can put the Z2Pro down?
 
SidiousXXX said:
I put a coat of Megs #7 on tonight before reading this, how the heck would I remove it now without being able to buff the surface or clay so that I can put the Z2Pro down?



You might want to check out this thread.



I'd wait awhile for the Zaino application but then again, I'm paranoid. ;) I'm with Accumulator and in the "Better Safe Than Sorry" camp but I guess you have decided otherwise.



In any case, you'll need to clay it and wash with Dawn to get that glaze off. Perhaps you should look into using the new Zaino Z-PC before applying Z2-Pro. You'll also need to use ZFX or Z1 with that initial coat of Z2-Pro as well.
 
Hope all goes well. I'm not gonna :argue with Sal (or anybody else) about this, but I can tell you for a definite fact that some paints continue to harden and outgas ("harden" and "outgas" aren't the same as "dry") for quite a while and I dunno why some people still call silicones "harmful" :nixweiss



I've experienced the hardening first hand, having had products cut easily one week and barely cut a few weeks later as the paint continued to harden. At one week I could correct the fresh S-H paint on the S8 easily by hand. At two months it took the rotary. *Something* was sure going on for that to happen.



And Spies Hecker paint will outgas for well over a month. You *can* really smell it, then all of a sudden you *can't* smell it at all. Anyhow, I don't mean to beat a dead horse or make you all paranoid about the fresh paint, I just hope you don't have any problems. It's not like it'll cloud up or come off or anything dramatic like that, it just won't attain maximum (potential) hardness.



And yeah, as you found with the alcohol, Meg's glazes come off pretty easily. Even a regular wash will take 'em off (just had it happen this afternoon with #5 on the MPV). Heh heh, I'm still gonn keep using #5 on the MPV for a few more weeks. Call me paranoid :o
 
Accumulator said:
Hope all goes well. I'm not gonna :argue with Sal (or anybody else) about this, but I can tell you for a definite fact that some paints continue to harden and outgas ("harden" and "outgas" aren't the same as "dry") for quite a while and I dunno why some people still call silicones "harmful" :nixweiss



I've experienced the hardening first hand, having had products cut easily one week and barely cut a few weeks later as the paint continued to harden. At one week I could correct the fresh S-H paint on the S8 easily by hand. At two months it took the rotary. *Something* was sure going on for that to happen.



And Spies Hecker paint will outgas for well over a month. You *can* really smell it, then all of a sudden you *can't* smell it at all. Anyhow, I don't mean to beat a dead horse or make you all paranoid about the fresh paint, I just hope you don't have any problems. It's not like it'll cloud up or come off or anything dramatic like that, it just won't attain maximum (potential) hardness.



And yeah, as you found with the alcohol, Meg's glazes come off pretty easily. Even a regular wash will take 'em off (just had it happen this afternoon with #5 on the MPV). Heh heh, I'm still gonn keep using #5 on the MPV for a few more weeks. Call me paranoid :o

I appreciate your assistance. I feel confident that it will be just fine. Because I am a trouble starter, I tried to get a few swirls out with SSR 2.5 and a orange pad on the roof and it didnt make a dent. Im sure it will be fine, I will give it 30 days then strip the Zaino and start over.
 
SidiousXXX said:
I appreciate your assistance. I feel confident that it will be just fine. Because I am a trouble starter, I tried to get a few swirls out with SSR 2.5 and a orange pad on the roof and it didnt make a dent. Im sure it will be fine, I will give it 30 days then strip the Zaino and start over.



OK, glad you didn't take my $0.02 the wrong way. Your paint must be good and hard if the SSR 2.5 didn't get the marring out, and that's a good sign IMO. Like some other Audis owners, you might find you end up needing a rotary to do the major correction. I finally got one just for use on the Audis, hadn't used one in over 20 years and never needed it before I tried to correct some really marred Audi clear.
 
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