Yep, doesn’t matter how many post espousing the wonders of Zaino there are, there will always be new questions like these.

My question is, “Is it worth it if it rains every day?”

Here is my conundrum; I live in Florida and it rains EVERY day and Mother Nature seems to like to wait until the very moment when I start driving to start raining. Everyday my car gets dirty and to truly keep it clean I have to do a quick wash when I get home. This gets monotonous as I will just dirty up the car in an hour when I have to go to the grocery store or get gas or whatever. It also turns into an hour long “quick” wash as my water is harder than a group of post-pubescent teenage boys at a Christina Aguilera concert so I have to do a really thorough job of drying.

I’m currently using Liquid Glass (a polymer type “wax”) and while it is easy to apply and use it doesn’t fill up the swirls and lines I can see in the paint when I really look closely at the car. It also doesn’t get anywhere near the shine I see with the Zaino pictures people are posting. My car looks really good after a wax, but those Zaino pics look amazing.

Oh, and to top it all off I have to drive 50 miles a day on pebble filled I-4 and already have numerous paint chips on the hood and on my windshield and one really nasty pit on the windshield. (Dump truck drivers are the most evil people on the face of the planet)

 

Zaino is perfect with rain compared to others. My NXT would seem to disappear after every rain on my Maxima. Not the case with Zaino.

Try it, you might like it!

 

I don't understand why you wouldn't want to have the best protection out there on your car for this situation? No matter WHAT product you use, it's still going to rain right? Why not use the one that is the easiest to apply and remove, protects the best and the longest (so you don't have to do it over and over again), and that LOOKS the best?

 

its better to put zaino if its going to rain

 

Basically what I was saying was that I'm already using a polymer based "wax" and since the car gets dirty every day you don't really get to see the shine.

I'm going to give Zaino a shot though since I love the results I'm seeing on the boards.

 

Zaino protected my car when I got the most fubar water spots ever. These water spots were like saturated with some serious minerals, but now they're totally gone, you can't even tell that they were there (on SB).

 

We have many customers that live in FL and swear by Zaino for the UV protection, durability, and protection from acid rains and water spots.

 

I think Zaino works pretty well with Rain.

The shine/wet look is visible when the car is dirty..

 

ok i saw a kit but it was for 80 bucks.to much for me..what kit can i get to see if its worth all that money?

 

Just get some Z-7, some Z-2 and some ZFX. If you want to do it right you'll need to clay the car to get off any other product you already have on and down to bare paint. You don't have to use a Zaino claybar though.

 

cool, thanks dr. which clay do you recommend that i can get in a local austo store?

 

Any one would probably be fine. I have always used Zaino's clay so I can't really help you on that one.

 

And before I get asked again, here is my tutorial on Zaino application.

Bare minimum Zaino products:

Z-6 (two bottles) (or now Z-8)
Z-2 (one bottle)
Z-5 (one bottle)
ZFX (one bottle)

You can use any mild carwash but the Zaino Z-7 is best. It is pH balanced and cleans very nicely without removing any of your Zaino polish.

Also, nice to have (but not essential) are the Zaino Tire Dressing (Z-16) and the Claybar (Z-18). Zaino makes a nice leather seat product, a plastic cleaner, a window cleaner and several other non-essential products.

Here are the initial steps of the Zaino process (at least how I do them)

-Wash with Dawn dishwashing liquid. Use a non-scratching wash mit. I use a microfiber mit. Make sure it is completely free of dirt and debris. Make sure your bucket is completely clean too.

-Rinse

-Clay the car with a solution of Z-7 and water. A quart of water and a cap full of Z-7 should do it. I use a clean spray bottle to spray it on the car. Do small sections at a time. Make sure the clay glides over the paint easily and doesn't stick. If it does, spray on more lube solution! Continue to knead the clay to keep a clean fresh surface against the paint. DON'T drop the clay! If you do, toss that bar and get another one.

-Wash with Zaino Z-7 carwash. Do the tires/wheels first and then use a separate bucket of suds to do the rest of the car.

-Rinse. After you are done rinsing with your spray nozzle, remove the nozzle and rinse the car with the stream of water from the hose only (no nozzle, no thumb over the hose). Use the stream of water to "push" off the beads of water. This is a neat trick that will decrease your drying time significantly!

-Dry the car with a microfiber towel. I prefer the waffle weave microfiber towels. I like to use a shop vac to suck out drops of water in tight areas that you can't get with the towels. Make sure you don't touch the car with the vacuum hose.

-Do a Z-6 misting. It's just like using Windex on windows. Just spray on a light mist of Z-6 detailing spray and wipe it off (in). You don't let it dry, just take it right off. I use the Z-6 on all the glass as well. It cleans well and rain zips right off of it.

-Apply your first layer of Z-5 polish. You can add 2-4 drops of ZFX "flash cure" accelerator to ONE OUNCE of polish. If you do this your drying time with be decreased to one hour or less depending on the temperature and humidity. I use 2 if it is very hot and dry and 4 when it is colder and humid. I recommend applying Zaino polish in the shade but it will work fine in the sun as well. It will just dry a lot faster. Take note that the small mixing bottles you get from Zaino with your order are TWO OUNCE bottles so you only fill them half way up (one ounce). One ounce will do the entire car easily. In fact, if you apply the polish thin enough (and thin is the best way to apply it) you can get two layers on the car with one ounce. Zaino shouldn't look like wax on a car. In other words it shouldn't look hazy and white. It should look like the color of your car only a little blurry. If it looks the least bit white, you applied too much.

The other way to go at this point it to not use the ZFX flash cure and just apply the polish to the car. This is fine only it will take a good 6-8 hours to cure on the car and this will limit the number of layers you can get done in a day (or weekend). I often do two layers with the ZFX, and the third one without it. I apply the last one at night and let the car sit in the garage all night and remove it the next day. You can tell if it is ready to remove when you smudge it lightly with your finger and it ALL comes off and leaves a very shiney surface behind. If it is the least bit blurry it isn't ready yet.

The polish goes on with the applicator Zaino sends you. I like to slightly dampen it first with water. It helps to apply it a little smoother and evenly this way. I recommend side to side straight line applications on the horizontal surfaces of the car (hood, roof) and up and down straight lines on the vertical surfaces (doors, quarter panels). Do not use circular motion (swirls) to lessen the chance of scratches and swirl marks.

-Buff off the polish with a microfiber towel.

-Another Z-6 misting

-Repeat another layer of Z-5 (with or without ZFX)

-Buff off

-Z-6 misting

-Final layer using Z-2 this time (with or without ZFX)

-Buff off

-Final Z-6 misting.

This is my method. You don't HAVE to do all three layers nor do you HAVE to do all the prep work (the Dawn and the claybar) but you will get a MUCH better result if you do them. Many feel that the Zaino process is too complicated and involved and want to use "easier" products. It is important to realize that the prep process is NOT exclusive to Zaino. It should be done with ANY product for best results. Also, you don't need to do three layers or even two for that matter. If you want to do just one, go for it!

For maintenance all you need to do is wash with the Z-7 and do a quick Z-6 (or Z-8) misting after you dry. This is enough to keep your ride looking great between your BIG detailing sessions.

Good Luck!

The Doc