Looking for a better wax--

[bronzebird]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

I have an 02 Evening Black and have had a difficult time capturing the dazzling shine I'm looking for. I think I've tried at least 5 or 6 different products. Many of them were fine on my other vehicles but black is turning out to be a much tougher challenge than most colors. My next attempt will probably be the BLACK BOX by Turtle Wax. This product is made especially for black cars..We'll see..At least I have a project for my bird while it sits until spring... Anyone with suggestions?? Thanks Tim

Tim:

All of the responses are good ones. My preference (especially, for a nine year old car), would be to go the clay bar route first to make certain nearly a decade of accumulation of grime is removed. The clay bar is similar to wet sanding the entire car but with much less abrasion. It will lift the top surface of the clear coat to get down to the next layer.

Then go with Zaino, by far the best and longest lasting of the polymer waxes. It will keep the deep luster of the black for a long time. Use the hardener that comes with the Zaino wax so that it applies and dries better.

Then, just maintain the car with Zaino or Meguiars spray detailer to keep it looking good.

Bronzebird

[Dizzbe]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

I have always used Mequiares - this year I used a clay bar and cleaner, and then also used the Mequiarers Show Glaze #7, and followed up with Gold Wax. They say to use Hi Tech Yellow Wax #26 as the follow up, so I might try that next year. The car had a great deep shine to it. Also used the ultimate detailer.

[Southern]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

I guess I should say that although I have been using Zaino for more than 20 years (They have changed the formulation as they went along. Nanotechnology is the big deal now...as invented by Sal Zaino) and I have won Concours de'elegance with it (Fort Pierce Florida May, 2000), I sometimes do tire of the glass like surface and put a coat of P21S on over the several coats of Zaino. As others have mentioned a nice coat of wax over Z looks good. Won't last, but looks good.
Carnauba doesn't last very long, but it does impart a rich looking shine for the very reason that it is not optically clear. Causes a slight glow. Dynamite on a Gold car.....After I do this the P21 wears away over a period of weeks and by the time I do another Zaino treatment (usually every 6 months, but I know it will last nearly a year if I can't get to it...) I'm ready for that optically clear, "encased in glass" look of Zaino again.
I was asked why a polymer was superior to wax in less than a 100 words....
Your "paint" is no longer a Paint. Hasn't been in years.
It is a "coating". Nothing natural about it anymore. It is a chemical..........polymer!
So Zaino (Polymer) "bonds" with your "coating" (Polymer) and that is why it lasts so long and looks so good.
Sal Zaino founder and owner of Zaino Bros...
is a research Chemist whose hobby was show cars.....He showed cars and won competitions for years.
You can call him and talk to him.I have several times over the years.
Try that with Mothers, or Barry Meguiar.
Wax OTOH, just rides on top of the coating and the elements,including sunshine, wear it off.
The Vette Guys like Z too.....My 85 just dazzled.
As to Z5 and swirls.
The best way to handle this is to find a quality paint shop and ask them if they can buff the swirls out. A good shop can dot his. Usually a couple hundred dollars.
Then, quick like a bunny rabbit,get some Zaino on that honey and apply as per directions. Do NOT BUFF Zaino. It's not needed.Just rub it off without apply very much pressure. BUFFING is one way you get swirls to begin with. Washing with poor cloths, mittens, etc is another..and buffing with coarse towels, cheap micro clothes etc is also high on the list.
In the day we used only American made 100% cotton towels...now a days, a top quality Micro fiber is reco'd
BUT.......if you don't want to go that expense thereis Z5.
I cannot claim that Z5 is better than the other swirl treatments out there.
Z5 hides minor to moderate swirls.
It does this byintroducing impurities into the Zaino Polymer.
IMO it doesn't last as long a the more normal Zaino...but it will probably last 3 to 6 months.
It works pretty good, but men can disagree what constitutes a moderate swirl........
Some say Zaino is tooo expensive.
Hmmm...25,000 dollar car.........5000 dollar paint job.......hmmmnnnn. Yeah I can see why 40 or 50 bucks for a couple of years would be considered expensive......
But lets live and let live.
If you think a bottle of Meguiars or Mothers is OK, then it's OK with me too.......

[njmiket]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

Where can you find the Zaino products?

[FritsB]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

Where can you find the Zaino products?

This might help out
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...G&Store_Code=Z

[Peterfurlan]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

As to Z5 and swirls.
The best way to handle this is to find a quality paint shop and ask them if they can buff the swirls out. A good shop can do this.

Southern that was a great post. As far as the swirls on my car they are
very light. It all depends on the lighting.Problem is I know they are there.
The Zaino sight claims that the Z-5 Pro will eliminate swirl marks but it
may take more that one application.In your opinion will I be wasting my
time or should I give it a shot?

[FritsB]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

John, on a Black Z5 will not cover away the swirls completely. Only the minor ones. Like Southern says, go to a good shop and have the car polished. If it is done fi with a Flex and 3M professional 3 step polish, nothing can beat that. Then put on the Zaino formula for long lasting potection and shine. Your car will look stunning like nothing else.

[Southern]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

If they are very light, Zaino Z5 can hide them for sure.

Some say that Z5 can be used to eliminate them.

What I think really happens....


Z5 has some micro filler added to the Z2 to become Z5......this fills the minor scratches that we call swirls.
One coat will do most of them. Then we do another coat and pretty well get all the rest.

Then maybe 3 months later we do another treatment.

And we say"Look, the swirls are gone!"

Not quite true. Swirls are scratches.The only way to get rid of them is with an abrasive.
Most of us are not good enough to use an abrasive without adding more scratches/swirls......



So the best thing is to pay a guy, who is a pro, to do it.

Or fill the scratches....and here's the secret.....keep them filled.

So what I would do is.....

Clay bar your car.
It's easy.
Wash your car using Dawn. Dawn is a killer on grease....and Carnauba wax is a kind of plant grease and will come right off.
This is the only time I would use Dawn, BTW.
Then clay bar your car.
This is NOT abrasive.
Just take a squirt bottle filled with water and a 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn or your and spray the car a little bit at a time (2' by 2')and then just lightly rub over that area several times with a clay bar while keeping it wet. You will know when it is clean..the bar will slide easier...
IF YOU DROP THE ClAY BAR....throw it away.
(I usually spread newspaper on the ground around the car after washing and prior to claying) That way if, or should I say when, I drop the bar, it is still ok.
every few minutes, fold the bar in on itself.
The claybar will actually attract contaminants off your car.
It takes about 30 minutes to clay bar a car. There is no great amount of work to it. Rub lightly. You want the clay bar to glide over the lubricant.

D you really need to do this?
Yes. At least the first time. I Clay barred my Vette every 2-3 years.
I clay barred my brand new Red Miata, put on 5 coats of Z2 and a year later won the Beauty Contest at Fort Pierce over a beautiful Med Blue Vette loaded with MeGuiars wax.
BTW, You can't beat black cars in these contests.
The next day they may look like they need a wash but for the few hours of the show,they are unbeatable....even if they have "I can't Believe Its Butter" on them....

OK, The car is now super clean.
I would put 3 coats of Z5 on. With a few hours in between.

Now if you really want that thing to pop, wait 24 hours, and put on two coats of Z2.
You are good to go for 6-9 months, depending on whether it is a garaged, driven in crap weather,etc.

That's as good as it will ever look.
It should be good enough to get attention even at a car show, if you start with reasonably good paint.
Then I would add a coat of Z5 and a coat of Z2 every 3 months and it will seem like the swirls are gone!


BTW EVERYBODY puts Zaino on too heavy in the beginning and it is a PITA to fix that. Dawn will not take Z off,period.
So you start with Half a dime size glob.....just a few drops.....on the applicator.....and cover a good bit with it.....again about a 2' by 2'
You should be able to put a very light coat on one of these cars in maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Go have a beer ...or two......after about an hour take it off with a 100% cotton towel/quality microfiber. Detractors will say..see it took an hour to do one coat!.
It comes off even easier, than it goes on.
You don't buff hard. Try to merely remove the residue. and lightly fluff the towel over the area when done. This is really very easy to do.
Don't worry if you don't get it all. It is not that horrid white powder crap that some waxes leave behind....

I should have mentioned temp.
This stuff will not work when it is cold. OR real hot.
I don't know what Sal is recommending nowadays. Used to be between 60 and 100 low humidity. High humidity is OK...but it stretches out drying times.


There is a lot of good info at the site http://www.zainostore.com/

And if there is any problem, call them. YOu may even get to talk to Sal Zaino.
And don't get upset if the stuff streaks the first time you use it. That's not serious.
It will do that if you put too much on and it seems everybody has got to get used to how little is used...even when told over and over again that you only need a few drops.......LOL!
But Sal can fix it if you put too much on, and you will do better the next time.

As you can see, I love this stuff.

I'm sure there are other Polys out there now.....
They are OK,but I seriously doubt that they have the same amount of optical purity, UV Sunscreen, reflectivity and service standing behind the product..
So I will stick with my Zaino.
Which brings up another subjsct...
I am old school. And Sal has come out with a ton of products.
I don't agre with some of them...ad don't know about others.....

I should have also mentioned that I am a retired computer guy that has owned 53 cars in my life. It has long been my hobby. This is the first time that I have not had multiple cars since...1969. I have Never have been associated with Zaino in any way except as a customer.

[Guest]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

The Zaino fans are speaking out - I am one of them too. I simply love their product line - this past season I used a lot of Zaino CS (Clear Seal) - incredible results. TBird blue is a very interesting colour and Zaino enhanced its gloss and look to a superb level.

[007Cruiser]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

Where can you find the Zaino products?

Mike..... They are here in NJ so you could drive right to the source.

[XCR440SP]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

I prefer the Meguirs. On our Black Fusion I clay bar, followed by Meg's 105/205 depending on the amount of correction needed (this is the step that makes it pop) followed by Megs #21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0. This holds up really well and has the best deep wet look that I 've found short of pure Carnuba

[2k03birdman]

Re: Looking for a better wax--

Liquid Glass Polish it will bead water for about a year by it self. It's hard as a rock. So hard gas won't take it off. Put any good wax on top and shine so bright you will need sunglasses. No swirl marks. Body shops use liquid glass for final detail.