I've been reading all this stuff about Zaino and seeing Dr. Bonz' car, I must have this stuff. Right now it's late February, so I won't get to wash my baby until maybe March or so when it warms up. (I live in an apartment complex and they don't turn on the water spickets until it warms up to where the pipes won't freeze).

Anyway... I read through a lot of the "how-tos" when it comes to Zaino but I want to go into a bit more detail. Take Dr. Bonz' guide for example (he does 3 layers):

Z-6 & Wipe
Z-5 & Buff
Z-6 & Wipe
Z-2 & Buff
Z-6 & Wipe
Z-2 & Buff
Z-6 & Wipe
Finish

He never said whether or not he used the same towel for all the Z-6s & I'm assuming you use a clean towel for each Z-5/Z-2 buff. That's at least 4 towels or 7 towels if you use a fresh towel for every step. He does this every week. I know a lot of you Zaino addicts also do your cars on a weekly basis...

So what do you do with the used towels? Microfiber towels aren't cheap. Doing it weekly would make you go through tons of them. Is it ok to wash them with regular detergent & re-use them? Or are you supposed to use a fresh Microfiber towel everytime? I know some wax/polishes/etc. tell you not to use the same towel (even if washed) because it doesn't get the wax/polish completely out of the towel.

 

I use two DF Towels and one Waffle-weave Microfiber on my car. The WW towel is for drying, the DF towels for removing the Zaino and buffing. I use one of the DF towels for removal of the Z-2 or Z-5, the other for Z-6. You don't need a new/clean towel for each layer of Z-x you apply. The amount you apply is very small and the amount you remove is even smaller so it doesn't build up noticibly on your towels.


I wash in liquid detergent only. Never wash the microfiber towels with other towels, never use fabric softeners, never dry them completely in the dryer.

 

i use microfiber towels from costco. some say they are not good, some say they are just fine. check out the ongoing discussions at auotpia.com for more info. i did the "cd scratch "test on the microfiber towels from costco and they dont scratch. whereas the nice bath towels from macys do scratch. i believe they are ralph lauren towels and dont know if they are high quality or not ( they are $$$ tho). anyway, the costco microfibers towels are like $0.55 each (pkg of 16 for $9) they are 16"x16" in size.

 

For drying, I would recommend the 24 X 36 "Waffle Weave" towels from: www.pakshak.com For applying/removing your polish I would only recommend products from: www.dftowel.com

 

I do exactly what Dave does. I use a WW towel for drying (I have two of those), and I use one MF (from www.dftowel.com) towel for the Z-6 and one for the Z-2 and Z-5.

I wash them separately. Always with LIQUID (not powdered) detergent and NO FABRIC SOFTENER.

 

I use DF towls for drying and also for Z-2 and Z-6.

What I find best with Z-6 is to use a small 'wash-cloth' size DF to wipe/dry the Z-6 and then keep a second, larger DF for buffing the surface. I wipe/dry in 1 sqft sections and wait to buff until I can do about 4-6 sqft.

This keeps the wiper cloth damp (the wash-cloth size), cuts down on waste and allows the second buffing cloth to stay dry and correctly buff and really creates a nice wet shine.

 

I use the micro fiber towels from Costco also and they do not scratch. They the same as any other micro fiber towels.

 

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it. We don't have a Costco here, so I'm looking around locally (to save on shipping) for all the stuff I need when I get to detail my car myself. I heard there was a local store that sold that 303 Aerospace stuff. If I can find a good shop that has MF & WWMF towels, all I have to do is wait for my Zaino.

Then again.. Waffle Weave is impossible to find from what I hear. Looks like I got to order online.

Edit: Are Pakshak's regular MF towels as good as DF's towels? I'm ordering my WW towel and 2 MF mitts from Pakshak. I was going to go ahead and order regular MF towels for buffing/polishing from them if they are as good as DF's towels.

 

Just a note, since many people are headed into the WW world, they are excellent for drying a washed car, but be careful using them on a dusty car. There is little to nap to absorb dirt. Hence the dust stays on the surface of the towel and gives you some great swirls.

 

Hmm, I tried applying the Pakshak's discount code of "autopia", but it doesn't seem to discount me. Do I have to have a minimum order amount? I just tried to order one 25'' x 36'' Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel.

The DF Towel discount applied though (not much, but any amount helps). I ordered 2 MF Wash mitts, 1 Medium DF towel (for buffing/polishing w/ Z-2 & Z-5), and 1 Small DF towel (for Z-6).

Does that sound ok?

 

Z-2 & Buff
Z-6 & Wipe
Z-2 & Buff
Z-6 & Wipe


I'll use 2 DF towells for each z-2 step, and 3-4 for each z-6.

More towels makes the job easier, and less chances to drag dirt across the surface.

 

I sent you a PM...........

 

Oh ok.

 

edit to my post above....i received some dftowels yesterday and decided to put another layer of Z2 on. the dftowels work better than the microfiber from costco

 

THANK YOU!!!!

 

www.exceldetail.com has AWESOME towels if you don't want to jump up to the price of the DFtowels

 

Any of you guys know the coupon code for dftowel.com?

 

I think it's just my350z isn't it? I haven't done it for a long time.

 

Yah "350z" still works. Thanks!

 

Actually it is 350Z