Hey all,
Has anybody used the Mothers claybar before? I picked up one up last week, and am going to do the Z this weekend unless anybody sends me flaming "STOP!!!" messages. I'm assuming that for the most part, clay is clay, so whether it's Zaino clay or Mothers, I should be ok ( I know that Zaino is on a differentl level in the world of waxes/polishes )

I got my Zaino kit a few days ago, which includes Z2 and Z7 and the ZFX. I didn't get the Z6, but after reading so many good things about it, I think I'll go ahead and order some. Also, it's a new car, so I didn't get Z5 (no swirl marks, yet)

The other question I had is, is it ok to Zaino your car in "indirect sunlight"? I have a one car garage that's pretty tight to manuever around in, so I was thinking that I'd put up the 10'x10' canopy over the car. It's still relatively cool here in No. VA, so water doesn't evaporte off the car too fast.

Any thoughts from all the Zaino experts out there?]

Thanks.



Want 2 C my Z?

 

Meguiars is fine. The Zaino claybar is about the same. Nothing wrong there.

What I do see wrong is you didn't buy any Z-6. That is one of the most key ingredients to a shine when using Zaino. Z-6 is used after washing, and especially after each coat. I can't say enough about it. I along with many others say Z-6 is the far best detail type spray ever used.

So my suggestion would be to order two bottles of Z-6, since you pay a minimum of $7.95 for shipping per order.

You won't regret it.

As far as outside, as long as its not in direct sunlight you are okay. Just don't let the ZFX sit long. 30 minutes, max outside is what I would recommend.

 

Clay is, for the most part, the same no matter what the brand. Clay Magic is super-inexpensive and works as well as the others. The only clay I've NOT liked (and I've heard this repeated before) is the Zaino Z-16.

I disagree about the ZFX - you can allow it to sit for hours if you wish, once applied. If you let it sit in the bottle for more than a few hours, though, toss the bottle - it's useless.

 

The clay really does a great job of smoothing out the top surface. I have used Mothers and one other (both yellow) and have seen some of the detail places use a blue clay.
Suspicion- it is the same stuff we had in pre-school.... but I have not researched this idea.
Clay (before blending with the carrier) is abrasive to anything softer than itself- the particles, not the carrier. It is a question of how fine they grind the powder before mixing. The chunky stuff is cat litter and oil absorber....
I would suggest that any clay is fine, as long as you use some type of lubricant (like water with a very small amount of rubbing alcohol or a drop of dish soap in a quart of water).
Good luck and happy shining

 

Claybar is great, but be prepared to be going at it for a looooooong time. It will take you a few hours to finish the car. My personal thought it, if you arent entering it into a car show, the additional time is just not worth it. You will be amazed by how smooth it makes your paint feel though. Good luck if you decide to do it!

 

Hey, thanks for the input....I did the claybar thing, and it worked awesome....Check out the thread titled "my arms hurt" .....Pic's posted.

 

First of all, Zaino clay bar is designated as Z-18 (not 16 as posted above).

Secondly, claying really doesn't take that long. I can do my entire car in about 30 minutes. It's no different than say, washing your car but instead of a mit or a sponge or towel, you are using a slab of clay. Just make sure you keep kneeding the clay to keep a fresh surface against the car. Also, if you drop it on the ground, toss it out and get another one (Zaino gives you two per jar when you order the Z-18).

I only let Zaino polish (Z-2 or Z-5) with ZFX sit on the car for as long as it takes me to do the whole car. It is usually ready to remove then (30-40 minutes). Leaving polish with ZFX on any longer offers no benefit and in fact can make matters a little harder if you have a dark car. I have seen owners complain of streaking (and I had it once early on on my Brick) especially if it is hot, dry, and sunny.

I've never heard of using rubbing alcohol to clay a car and in fact that may ever break down your clay (I don't know for sure, just theorizing) but alcohol isn't a very good lube and it is really important to allow the clay to glide over the paint. I recommend Dawn in water as a lube for a first project (no Zaino on the car yet) and I use the Z-7 wash in water as lube AFTER you have Zaino on.