Hmmm...no takers.

OK, I'll try it on my wife's car - it's a light beige, so not ideal. It is a new car, though. I'll wash the hood with Dawn & then CG one side & Zaino the other.

I had an interesting conversation with someone who had CG analyzed. As I remember the conversation they said it's basically some kind of oil, maybe silicone, with alcohol to make it flow. (Have you smelled the CG wash? Smells like isopropyl!) 15% solids, which is good because that's what stays on your car, but the solids are water soluble, which is bad. Initial shine very good, but it loses a lot of gloss with the first wash & a lot more with the second wash. This is probably why they want you to wash with their "renewal" wash. Can this be protecting the car, though?

The description of it as a kind of oil could explain why it "sheets" water off, it could also explain why all or most of the people who are raving about it have been applying coat after coat. I wonder what would happen if they stopped applying it for a few months? Admittedly a lot of people who have raved about Zaino apply coat after coat, but I put 2 coats of Z5 on my 98 Accord last September & it still looks very good and beads water.

Anyway, I'll continue the testing & let you all know.

I wonder..... if I find (as I have come to suspect) that I am totally dissatisfied with the CG, will they take back 3/4 of the bottle or more and give me a refund?

 

Was this in private conversation or on another web site? I suspect that the wash is just diluted CGQ. Not sure though. I also noticed the alcohol smell. Couldn't the solids actually bond to the paint/clearcoat and dry to a hard, non-soluable finish?

Are you actually experiencing fading gloss on your test?

BillR seems to have had good longevity with his application over zaino; but the question is - Is it Zaino or CGQ?

Good work, thanks!

mgk

 

OK, I've driven for a week, through rain and shine, and it's time to wash it for the weekend.

I'm sorry, CG-lovers, but the CG side did not stay any cleaner than the Zaino side. There's a light dusting over everything and some water-driven dirt flowing back from the wheels, but no more or less on one side than the other.

I have some pics that show the CG side sheeting the water off while the Zaino side beads it up. I'm not posting because it makes it obvious which side is which.

Interestingly, the Zaino side gets a big win on cleanup. I had a lot of bugs on the bumper. When I washed the CG side, the microfiber with the CG wash just didn't seem to get the bugs off very well. I guess it's to be expected, the CG wash seems kinda wimpy. I eventually sprayed it on my bug scrub pad and the bugs came off OK. It even foamed just a little!!! (Alcohol & soap doesn't foam much) When I washed the Zaino side (with Z7 and a cotton towel) the bugs came off much better and easier. I had to get out the bug pad for some of the more persistent transparent splats (anyone who has ever scrubbed bugs off a bumper will know what I mean) but overall the Z7 on Zaino did a MUCH better job than the CG cleaner on CGQ.

FWIW

 

I plan on washing my wife's hood with Dawn. Then I will claybar it, then mask it off down the middle. I'll apply a couple of coats of Zaino to one side and a couple of coats of CGQ to the other. Then I'll take pictures.

I had an interesting idea ----- how about if I wash it with Dawn a couple of times? Zaino recommends Dawn to cut waxes and says that Zaino is not touched by Dawn. CG says that it is made of glass and is many times harder than polymer sealants (like Zaino) and so it shouldn't be harmed by Dawn. If my informant was right and CG is an oil and/or water soluble, then Dawn should wash it off and we should see a difference.

If anyone has any objections or suggestions, I am eager to hear them.

 

OK, I washed my wife's hood with Dawn (2003 Impala) and applied 2 coats of Z5 to one side and 2 coats of CGQ to the other side.

It was perfect! Since I applied them, we have had a very wet week, rain almost every day. Today it cleared up and I washed the car and compared the two sides.

The two sides were completely different. The Zaino side beaded water, the CG side did not at all. I am reminded that CG people brag about the product "sheeting" water instead of beading it. Here's what I experienced: The area that was Zaino'ed is very obvious. Remember that in this test there was a 2-inch-wide strip of painters tape down the middle of the hood; what was under the painters tape is bare Dawn-cleaned clear-coat. You cannot in any way tell the area that was Crystal-Guarded from the area that had nothing applied to it. The CGQ might as well have been water. I have no confidence that it is protecting my finish at all.





I started this experiment really wanting to believe that CG was the real thing. Based on these results I have asked CrystalGuard to honor their satisfaction guarantee and give me a refund. We'll see now what kind of a stand-up company they are.

 

Here's an interesting video I took:

http://www.extremespeedonline.com/bh...s_CG/rinse.mpg

 

this was one sweet thread. thanx for all the work !!!!!!!

 

the water still beads off of my car....and i applied it over a month ago (and we have had rain almost every day here). seems like you applied it wrong!! i can't complain about it at all. it was applied over a month ago and it still shines like i did it yesterday. and to wash it....a quick splash of water...and back to spic and span! everyone at work asks if i wax it every weekend! no complaints here. i wouldn't waste my money on all that zaino....one bottle of CG will last just long enough. i still have over half a bottle and i've done my car and my friend car.

 

I had my car professionally CG'd by the company that sells it before I did anything else. claybarred the raw paint.

The CG is really great. the car glows, theres no residue on the rubber, it sheds water and filth...and the best part is like 1 hour a week with the cg vs. 16 hours a week with that overly complicated zaino deal.

who cares which one is '1 %' shinier? the CG thing is totally effortless and the car looks KILLER.

I will never have to wax it again. ever. which RULES.

unless you really like all that Zainoing....i'd rather be driving around

plus...theres a Murcielago, a Lotus and an M8 at their facility-CG'd- as 'sample cars'...now, if someone will trust their $230,000 Murcielago, with the stuff I got no qualms about my 40K Z....

 

I wonder why some folks are getting great results, and other don't care for CG????

It has been raining here for 2 weeks +. I haven't washed the car, but it is still (somehow) shiny and the water still beads.

Also on my wife's IS300, I am getting the same results. Now on the IS; it has only one coat of CG that was applied just before Easter.

Also many of you may know I applied it on my boat as a test. I was on it yesterday, and it still shines (and beads water) better than any waxes. On the part of the hull that stays in the water, I am not getting any scum lines. The non CG areas do.

So far I am really VERY happy w/ CG. IMHO, it shines better or as good as Zaino, the cars (& boat) doesn't get as dirty and so far lasts better than Klasse (boat) and as good as Zaino.

A big test (for me anyhow) will be how much shine I retain after I wash the car this afternoon.

 

well, the way i see it , the main problem is the crummy paint jobs on new cars.
Somehow thinking some 19.95 'miracle product' will make your car look insanely perfect is unrealistic.

I had one of those 'perfect' mile deep gloss finishes on a 1970 Roadrunner, and it took about a month of taking the car completely apart,gloss lacquer clearcoating,hand rubbing,heat treating, re-painting..layer after layer after layer and thousands and thousands of dollars....something that just really doesnt exist anymore..and I still had to wax it. And it still got nicked and dinged....

either way, Zaino or this stuff..for the 400 bucks I paid to have them prep the car and the 100 bucks in product i will spend every 6 months, it looks about half as good...which is good enough for me.

cause I HATE WAXING!

 

B Hobson333:
I have used many wax products over the years, but none compare to Zaino. Their polish, Tire Enhancer, etc. are easy to apply and long lasting.
I think Zaino products are excellent. Your car looks beautiful.. Like the color
Lewf

 

Ummmm.... I certainly don't want to start an argument, but you are vastly exaggerating the complexity and time requirements of Zaino. The claybar to start is no different than what you did with your CG; after that it's wipe on & wipe off however often you want to. CGQ is easier, but not that much easier.

It doesn't surprise me that you're getting great results from the professionally-applied CG. I only tried the CG Quick and....you've seen my results.

FYI - those cars belong to the owner of the facility

 

i didn't get it professionally done and mine looks awesome. i haven't seen one picture of a zaino'd car look as good as mine does.

CG is a much quicker process. Zaino is more expensive. I did my car and my friends car without clay bar....100% spotless. I'll post pics one day if it ever get sunny out

the guy who started CG ownes this site....everyone should know that by now.

 

I came into the situation completely with no opinions, and a fresh car to seal.
First i read all the Zaino raves..sounded good so I went to their site...after reading all that gobbledygook, and the ninety-seven stage process and watch the video and products Z1-Zinfinity i felt like I had just sat through a Moony Cult induction...
They site actually scraed me away..then i stumbled on the CG thread, and it seemed pretty gppd..TOO good...so..since I live ike 25 miles away from their place I went over there to see if it was,in fact, some sweaty fat guy in an apartment mixing the stuff in his bathroom. Well, instead of THAT (which, honestly, I expected) I found a very nice ,very clean shop where the main biz is super-high end carbon fiber work. In addition to the 'owners cars' (which is what,supposed to mean they are worthless?) there where all kinds of tricked out cras, trucks and even some bad-assed cigarrette race boat. Then I find out the head CG guy is a Japanese dude, who brought this over from Japan where it is called Bliss. That cinched the deal because I got to Japan and do busness and a lot of my friends over there use Bliss on their high end stuff.

I was SOLD. Maybe Zaino is better, but this stuff looks great on the car and there's only 2 bottles to deal with. So I'm stoked. Maybe in a year when my car suddenly dissolves or something I'll eat crow,but for now I think CG rocks.

also,not be a jackass, but if a difference of 50 bucks is a big deal maintaing what i consider a 'real car'.....

 

DJKern:
I agree, why would someone pay $400 for a prep. Put Zaino on the night before and wipe it off in the morning. Zaino makes it easier not to hate waxing

 

why? because i just layed out a pretty fat wad of cash for a car with a crummy paint job. I want it to have the best possible first coat. I'm not a professional car detailer. I would have screwed it up or missed something. Plus, I'm lazy, no desire to spend all day rubbing on a car. After a long time with cars and bikes i have found it's way better to let the pros do it.

I plan on keeping this car for a while, and it's going to be treated correctly.

 

Washed the car last night, finally; it still shines better than anything I have used in the past.
It also still beads water too.

In the past with Zaino, I would have felt compeled to add another coat to bring back the depth of the shine.

I did find a nice rock chip though, damn!

 

Kozik:
Do you really feel the paint job is that bad?

 

well...its like an OK paint job, but it can use all the help it can get. Buddy of mine just bought a new Jeep...oh man that thing has horrible paint...