People seem confused about Zaino - they think it's complicated, they don't understand what you should do and what you must do. I think a lot of the confusion is based on the fact that a lot of the people who are giving the advice are trying to tell you how to get the best shine. What if you just want to protect your finish with the minimum of effort???? With Zaino advice you often have to take a grain of salt as you evaluate the word "necessary".

First step: Wash with Dawn. Is this necessary? Well, not technically, but you're crazy if you don't. If you apply the Zaino polymer on top of wax it's like the biblical golden idol with feet of clay. The wax barrier prevents the Zaino polymer from properly bonding to the paint. Don't skip this step.

Then there's claybar. Is claybar necessary? No. However, many different car finishing solutions start with claybar; it isn't by far just a Zaino thing. Claybar is very much worth the expense and effort if you want to maximize your long-term shine potential. With the claybar you are preparing your canvas to be able to accept your art. Without claybar you are making a mirror with glass that is not as smooth as it can be.

(Of course, you can "smooth the glass" a lot more with wet-sanding, etc. but that gets expensive and is really only necessary if you are going for a true "show car" finish. For our purposes, claybar is good enough.)

Z1 & ZFX: One or the other is required. Minimum requirements are before (Z1) or mixed in with (ZFX) the first coat and every (at minimum) 10 coats after that. This allows the Zaino polymer to properly bond with the paint. Many people still like Z1 but Sal Zaino will tell you that ZFX does a much better job and is beneficial with every coat. Here we touch on necessity vs. ideal; the choice is yours, make your own decisions.

Z5 vs. Z2: This is one of the most puzzling subjects. Z5 is billed as filling in swirls and scratches. Z2 is intended for a high-gloss over-coat. Conventional wisdom is that it's best to start with Z5 and then finish with Z2, with an occasional follow-up coat of Z5 mixed in occasionally with the regular coats of Z2.

What is necessary? If you're only going for a basic Zaino coverage Z5 is good enough to keep the average car looking good and beading water much better than wax from year to year.

Z6 finishing spray This stuff does a good job of getting rid of the leftover blemishes from a wash or a Zaino coat. It finishes the process and it smells good. Necessary? Nope. Worth the money? Probably, if you want the best shine, especially since it can make the job of applying Z2 & Z5 easier and more effective.

I hope this helps.

 

Man, one day your going to have to get with me and show me how to do this stuff

-Bill

 

Whenever you're ready, grasshopper, let me know and your instruction will begin.

 

I just added 3coats of s100 to my car and this is the results......I used to be a zaino freak but I have been getting into this S100.


By the way.....the car is a Pikes Peak White 350z....

 

I have a PPW and am trying to decide what wax to use. If other pictures look this good i may have found it.

 

On white? You have to post some more pictures, that thing is off the chain!

 

not for nothing, but at that angle you cant see much of anything, its too sharp, a 10year old car without any wax would look shiny at that angle. biggest indication of that is you can tell its even white, thats cause the light is reflecting off the clear coat at that angle, not actually coming through it.

anyway. I havent used Z6 in forever. wash, wax, done. whats so tough? I dont even use zfx or anything, the first time was different(clay and multiple washings) but since then, screw the rest, the cars protected and clean, if I want an extra shine Ill toss on some Z6, but Im not letting the car "go" by skipping that step.