Zaino Z1 and Zaino ZFX

J

JasonC8301

New member
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The facts...



Zaino ZFX will allow you to apply up to 3 coats of ZFX enabled Z2, Z3, or Z5 to a paint surface in a 24 hour time period. The ZFX also replaces the Z1 as a surface prep and bonding/catalyzing agent.



How I use ZFX.

1. Wash car

2. Clay if needed

3. Polish with Makita rotary if needed

4. Follow up with a fine polish and PC

5. Dawn Wash

6. Mix Z2/Z5 with ZFX in +/- 1 and 1/2 ounce batches.

7. Apply zaino Z2/Z5, let haze for 30 minutes and buff off, then Z6.

8. Repeat Step 7 2 more times.



Zaino Z1 is the original (or at least the 4 years I've been into detailing) prep for applying Zaino Z2, Z3, and Z5. You would apply it to the paint surface after all paint prep has been done and let haze, then apply Z2/Z3/Z5 directly over Z1 and let dry to a haze. Then buff off. The disadvantage to this is you can only do one coat in a given 24 hour period.



I have never used Z1 before.



After reading the forums someone prompted me about little difference between Z1 and ZFX in terms of hazing time or application removal. I can't quite pin point/find the thread.



I will test Z1 VS. ZFX in accordance to haze time and ease of removal. I think it was over the price of the Zaino Z1 ($8.95) to Zaino ZFX ($19.95.)



If the price really worth it for the ZFX?



More information on a test car and the actual test to follow (I will most likely use my father's car's hood which is still original paint. Just lots of swirls, a clay and the Makita with some Menzerna IP should handle that.)



I will put regular Z1/Z2 vs. ZFX and Z2. I will apply one coat of each and evaluate shine, slickness, and compare dry times and removal times. Then I will just let the finish be as is and every other week or weather permitting Wash with Z7 and Z6.
 
Hmmm, interesting. Oh Gosh Its going to be split up now...



I'll divide the hood into 4 sections. Z1/Z2, Z2/ZFX, Z2, and on one section will be just left alone after polishing (I will dawn wash the hood though), just bare paint.



Thanks Stanger, turning into the waxtest report with an indepth review of Zaino itself....



any advice geekysteve???
 
Another thought:

If you will be observing water beading on a regular basis(dont know if you are going to test durability or not), be careful with the Z6. You may not know if the beading is from the original application or the Z6. Probably more random thoughts to follow;)
 
I have used both Z1/Z5 or Z2 or ZFX/Z5 or Z2. I did not notice any difference in shine or how long it lasts. ZFX allows you do to several coats quickly - That's all. I didn't like screwing around mixing the stuff in little bottles. Just my thoughts -
 
Yeah the mixing can be a PIA and ends up with some wasted product but I think 3 coats in a day is worth it.



I am going to tweak my test and work it because I have until next Wednesday. I will test durability because my test subject sits outside 24/7 and rarely gets washed.



luvthong

I just washed the silver Caravan with Z7, applied a new coat of Z2, removed, and Z6'd it. I used 1/4 of an ounce maybe less of an ounce, very small amount of product. I was comparing my two 2 ounce bottles of the Z and both were filled up to the same level (about an ounce and 1/2.) So I would say I used 1/4 of an ounce as a good ballpark on this caravan (which is by no means small in terms of amount of paint to cover.)



To get such a thin coat, I spray two full sprays of Z6 into the foam applicator pad (a 4 inch disk) and apply a dime sized amount of Z onto the center pad. I then apply (this covers an entire door panel of hood of the caravan which is not huge.) For the next panel apply a smaller than dime size amount, maybe the size of a pea amount onto another section of the pad. At the end my pad is pretty much loaded with polish on the entire pad surface area. After every other panel I put a small 1/4 spray of Z6 onto the foam.



Heres is the caravan....



12caravannewz2.jpg


12caravanz2new.jpg
 
I like to use Z1, especially on the first coat becuase it contains Aliphatic hydrocabons. This is a powerful "cutting agent" and if I'm not mistaken is a strong petrolem solvent. This insures any oils on the surface are broken down and insure a clean oil/grease free surface for the Z. Every few cotas I'll reapply the Z1.
 
repvette said:
I have used both Z1/Z5 or Z2 or ZFX/Z5 or Z2. I did not notice any difference in shine or how long it lasts. ZFX allows you do to several coats quickly - That's all. I didn't like screwing around mixing the stuff in little bottles. Just my thoughts -
Click to expand...



Very, very interesting.
 
Ok, going to add the trunk to the test. On one side of the trunk, Z2/ZFX (since I'm going to mix some anyway) and the other side Klasse AIO, one coat of SG, and then a coat of Z2.



Any ideas if this would work??



Dr. Jones gave me the idea for this test....



EDIT: Heres the hood (OEM paint, the fenders are not) and the trunk is in the same condition...



12corolla.jpg
 
Thanks, Hmm, I will apply AIO, remove, apply SG, let dry on hour, buff off, then Z-2, allow to dry for one hour, remove, don't have time to lat the SG cure....
 
You don't need the polish lok.Just mix abought ten drops of zfx in two ounces of Z 2 and go,got an email from Sal Zaino on procedure.It eliminates the Z 1 and the putting on Z 2.I've had two Pt Cruisers and used the Z 1 Polish Lok and then Z 2,great stuff.Reason I emailed a question to Zaino's I had three layers of Z2 on her but sustained some minor body damage to front of hood and had some nicks on the painted rear bumper and had both repainted.He emailed me back and told me to get the ZFX and just go over the whole car.You will get a few two ounce mixing bottles with the ZFX when you order your ZFX and Z or whatever yiu desire in polishes.If you need info email Sal and he will get back in a day. Following is the emails I got from Sal.



Daniel Moore wrote:



I've got three coates of Z2 on my 2003 Cruiser and I had to have my front grille and my rear bumper repainted,

There's alot of misinformation about waiting three months for the paint to

cure.



I am a custom painter by trade. I am very familar with Dupont, PPG and

all the other paint manufacturers.



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, 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.



how would I go about using the accelerater with Z 2 polish.Just go ahead and apply the mixed on all surfaces,



I would ZFX/Z-2 the whole car...



the two areas that don't have polish and treat the rest of the body parts that have the two coats of Z2.Thanks for everything.
 
Well, good info Daniel, but the test is to compare the ZFX to the Z1, to see if there is any difference between the two (besides more than one coat per day.)



2 ounces is way more than necessary for me. I can get 3 coats onto a BMW 5 series out of one ounce. This was last year. Last week I got 1/4 of an ounce on a Dodge Caravan.



Looks like the test has to be post-poned...rain tomorrow.
 
Hi Jason nice to see you're getting good ideas on these tests. :cool: The Klasse/Zaino test is interesting, but one thing I'm wondering about is how do you know where the Klasse starts and where the Zaino ends? In other words, how can you tell if it "worked" or not? I have a similar problem trying to gauge carnauba durability on my Klassed car.... :nixweiss
 
Thanks Brian, Ok Looks like I gotta split the trunk up into 3 sections. A unprotected swatch, a swatch with Klasse AIO and SG, then next to it Klasse AIO and SG with Z-2 topper.



I will look for paint differences I guess between the panels to see if Z is there. I know its very subjective. I'll try my best.
 
JasonC8301 said:
any advice geekysteve???
Click to expand...



Yeah, be prepared to be bombarded with people complaining about your test procedures, telling you you're an idiot, having wax companies sue you, have people who never read any portion of your test tell other people how bad it is, and then wonder why you ever did the work in the first place. :D



Oh, sorry about that...



Try to "level" the playing field as much as possible by eliminating as many variables as possible. Prep work is fine, just be sure to leave an area as "control" (like you have). I might also suggest using one area with a wax only, just for the sake of comparison.



And, I'm exaggerating a bit with the first paragraph - I've got about 1,200 "good job" e-mails, and about 3 "you're dumb" e-mails, so it works out ok...it's just frustrating to have people who've never seen the report shoot it down on other forums. :)
 
gosh, I'll look at the car today and see if I can do it :) The weather looks promising but T-storms might roll in later.



What wax should I test for comparisons sake? I have Pinnacle Souveran, Meguiar's #26 Liquid, AutoInt Carnauba cream and finishing wax, Meguiar's cleaner wax, Meguiar's Gold class, and Armor all paste wax (the one ranked #4 in your test Steve, but I paid $8 for it way back in 99 at Kmart.)



I was going to try to keep it within Klasse/Zaino, but a swatch for wax to see if tehy can at least try to hold up to Klasse/Zaino can be a interesting comparison.
 
I'd say choose the one that you're most familiar with. When we test a group of products against one another, we always use our P21S as the control sample, since we know how it's most likely going to react throughout the test.



The control sample just gives you a "known" item to compare performance against - it'll help you determine how the other products are doing in terms of optics, ease of use, durability, etc.
 
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