Greetings,
I've used Zaino on two other vehicles and I've always followed the directions to the "T". I picked my ZR up from the shop and decided I was going to get started on its' first Zaino application. By the time I did all the prep work and applied the first two coats of Z5 w/ZFX, it was getting late. I called it a night, laid down my microfiber and unused Z5, and got up really early the next morning to resume my application.
THERE WAS NO VISIBLE CHANGE WHATSOEVER TO THE Z5 W/ZFX! No hardening, clumping, pilling, or separation. It applied exactly the same way it did when I started 16 hours earlier. It buffed off identically.

(Bruce is suspicious by nature) Is ZFX a scam? Is Sal just trying to get us to throw out any unused product that's been mixed with ZFX? Is this all a plot to make us toss good product and buy more? Okay, let me have it.........

 

OMG MAN!!!! Dye your hair...leave the wife & kids...and drive the Z the hell out of here...if Sal or the other Zainoites catch you questioning the product...you'll be...you'll be...well let's just say your durability will be in question....

 

HAHAHA! So true...prepare to be ***-slammed! I once made an off-hand remark once about how his marketing lingo is over the top and got bludgeoned to a pulp by the faithful (and I'm an avid user). You are questioning the product's effectiveness...may God have mercy on your soul.

 

LMAO... :Grabs Popcorn:

 

From a users standpoint, I'm thrilled. If I can mix with ZFX and continue to use it the next day,week or month, that's a plus! I use it sparingly, and I hate to throw it out.
Still waiting to hear from some of the longer-term users. Ed, Kevin, are you out there? Anyone have their Zaino "go bad" from being mixed with ZFX and sitting around?

 

The Zaino instructions say to not keep Z-* mixed with ZFX for more than 12 hours. I'm sure that Sal didn't make it so exactly at 12 hours something magical and mystical happens to it. That 12 hour window may also be affected by temperature.

After 12 or 16 hours, it may still look the same or apply and remove the same but that doesn't mean that it's going to last as long or be a glossy as much as if you had done it in less than 12 hours.

Like any other product, you have to put a "safety factor" in it. If something is going to fail or go bad after 100,000 miles, you don't tell people to replace it at 99,999. You tell them 75,000 or 50,000 so that the bozo who thinks it can go twice as long, will probably not get hurt in doing so. Same thing here, Zaino w/ZFX may be good for 24 or even 48 hours. It may never "go bad" but the effectiveness may start to decline after 12 hours. The question is, how much of the quality or effectiveness are you willing to sacrafice? You may be able to use it after a week but it may only be 10% as good as a fresh batch.

Only Sal can give you a definitive answer. Give him a call or drop him a line. I'd like to hear what he has to say.

 

I think it has to do with the layering process of being able to apply multiple (up to 3) coats in a 24 hr period. My guess is (and it is a guess) that it's okay to use it beyond the 12 / 16 hrs but not to remix or add ZFX to it to apply yet another coat over it.

 

oooh...he called you a bozo Bruce! You gonna take that?!

(stirs the pot)

 

hehe. this is getting interesting.

 

I don't think that you'd be able to visually tell any difference but it may instead be more of a chemical "problem" if you will.

It may look nice and shiny but the reason you use ZFX at all it to enhance the chemical bonding of the Zaino to either the paint or to the previous layer of Zaino.

In other words, using "old" Z-2/Z-5 mixed with ZFX may appear to be identical to using "freshly mixed" but on a molecular level, you may not be getting the optimal result.

 

Also remember ZFX makes it dry MUUUUUCH faster and cure harder. Definitely not a scam. It produces results you can clearly see.

Oh and if you leave the ZFXified polish for longer than 12 hours....I personally have found you can't use it anymore because the stuff turns to rock!

 

What brucekgt is saying is that he came back to the Z-5/ZFX mix 16 hours later and there was nothing unusual or different about it. He was expecting to see what you described - a bottle of cured, hard Zaino.

 

Perhaps oxygen plays a role in curing, and that little closed bottle may slow the reaction down enough for the zaino to remain uncured at 16 hours... just a thought.

 

I find, that at least in my garage, in atlanta GA, the zaino dries at the same quick speed with or without ZFX. I quit using it altogether, with no change in results.

Last time I used ZFX, I left the partial bottle in my garage for a week and the liquid was in the same state.

 

Well if the liquid is still good I see no reason to not use it....but my experience has been that it gets very hard very fast. I know in the Texas heat in my garage ZFX is dried in about 5-10 minutes. Without ZFX it easily takes twice that amount of time and then you cannot do multiple layers. Also make sure you are atleast using Z1 if not using the ZFX

 

I figured the ZFX was supposed to act as a calalyst and make it "harden". It' s plenty humid here with all the rain, so I added 2 drops of ZFX to 1 ounce of Z2. That was three days ago. I just now dumped the rest and rinsed the bottle with Dawn per the instructions. The smell, shine, consistency, and ease of removal were unchanged.
Do you mean to tell me NOBODY else except 2003z and I have questioned this? I bow to the experience of users with many more layers than I (you know who you are). Regardless, I'm very pleased with the product and the results.

 

I believe the instructions say 4-5 drops per ounce......that could be a factor.

 

mine stayed liquid too, used it a week later to add another coat. Looks good as ever.

 

ive questioned it too. ive actually got some left over z5 mixed w/ zfx sitting in the bottle from last weekend and it still looks ready to be applied.

 

Again, you can't confuse the terms "drying" and "curing". I agree that the Zaino DRIES just as fast on the car with or without ZFX. You can't tell the difference with your eyes or your fingers.

What I am saying is that the Zaino CURES (i.e. chemically bonds to the paint or the previous layer of Zaino) much faster with ZFX than without it.

If you are removing Zaino in only an hour WITHOUT ZFX, you most likely aren't getting the full benefit of the polymer sealant. It might LOOK good but probably won't last as long or protect as well than if you had used the ZFX.

I am not a chemist but this is what I have learned in discussing this with Sal.