havabooz

zaino is great...the durability is unbeatable..the only thing it isnt great for is paint restration

the z5 simply isnt abrasive enough to fill in bad swirl marks like other products can...

none of are really concerned with that because we are talking about new cars with relatively new paint

i use zaino and i love it....there are prob other products that can give as good a shine or better...but nothing beats the protection

havabooz

another thing is that the performance of products differs with the color of paint it is used on

MTL350z

Picture?

Thanks in advance

djkern

oh wow! i was a crystal guard guy....but that's AWESOME!

bonz....when will you be in boston. i'll give you all weekend to just sit there and put layer upon layer on my car. 10 bucks per layer....as many as you put on...i'll pay! haha! do you get a frequent buyer discount? if so....pick up some extra....i'll take a shipment!

ISH

I have to say that after using Zaino for 5 years on 4 different cars I have to agree and disagree on a few points here. Personally I think after 5-10 coats there is virtually no dramatic benefit in terms of shine. However as far as protection goes, the more layers provide a nice smooth barrier against the elements. I think what's most addicting about Zaino is that silky feeling on the paint that seems to last forever. And the dirt seems to just glide off.

I think we are all crazy considering how expensive this stuff is and how much time we spend applying it. I find myself spending $50 every 2-3 months on this stuff, but my car looks like a showcar eventhough it's my daily driver and I park it outside.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

No frequent buyer discount here. I did manage to get Sal to donate two starter kits as raffle prizes for Z DayZ though.

I just don't understand how people can say that Zaino is expensive. If you are spending $50 every three months I think you are applying it WAY too thick.

I probably have more Zaino on my Z than anyone and in TWO YEARS have only spent about $150.00. Most of that was on Z-6 which you use a lot of and even though I had a ton of the old formula Z-2 and Z-5 left, when Sal came out with his new formula Z-2, and Z-5 I bought that.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

Sorry ISH, I had to add this.

I just realized that you said you use it on 4 different cars so I guess you wold be spending more than most people.

I have 60 layers on the Z
About 6 layers on my wife's Jeep
3 layers on my dad's Jag (I did it for his birthday)
and three layers on my sisters SLK.

Thats 72 total layers.

Try buying an "over the counter" wax and apply it 72 times and not spend a TON of money.

ISH

Let me clarify. My 04 350Z is currently the only car I own. The reason for going through 4 cars in the last five years is due to Nissan buying back my 03 350Z as part of a Lemon Law settlement which then followed with me buying a 04 TL which I couldn't stand driving so I traded it in and bought another Z. I guess I just couldn't stay away.

If you want more details check out my previous post:https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....9&goto=newpost

ISH

I think you're right. I might be applying it to thick but I think it's mainly because I clay twice a year, use ZXF with every application to speed up the curing time, and use an excessive amount of Z-7 to prevent swirls while washing.

I think I need to get help!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But hey now that I think about it, if I still had my 03 Z I could have challenged your record of 60 layers.

___DJK___

iTrader: (2)

I enjoy that "smooth as glass" feeling when I touch my paint. The California duster just seems to glide over the surface like a puck on an air hockey table

bhobson333

Money-saving hint: I have found that ZFX used at half of the recommended concentration works just as well. Similarly, you can water down Z6 half-& half & it works great too!

What the... who's that? Sal! SAL!!!! No, Sal, don't! I'm sor
[connection lost]

Z4ToddB

iTrader: (2)

MTL350z-
I've only got one picture handy right now, this one is with only one coat on it. This weekend I'll take some more with the 5 coats on- Hope it helps you decide, but it's hard to illustrate what I was saying about the specks popping...you kinda gotta see it in person in the sunlight- but here ya go!
TB

afr0puff

iTrader: (1)

Damn dude... that's some wicked orange peel you got going on!

Z4ToddB

iTrader: (2)

I think the picture makes it look worse than it is...I suck at resizing pictures, and it kept telling me it was too big before. But ya, I do have a little- although it really doesn't look too bad in person!

bhobson333

Try different software. Some software is better than others at resizing pics. MGI Photosuite (came with my digicam) does a good job.

If I really need to squeeze a pic (like for a sig logo) I find I have real good luck if I convert to .BMP then use MSPaint (of all things!) and use the Stretch/Skew function. Just reduce both axes by the same percentage, then convert back to .JPG. It seems like a lot of steps, but it works very well for squeezing tight without distorting.

Z4ToddB

iTrader: (2)

bhobson333-
Thanks for the info. I tried what you said in the below photo...I'll have to wait till it posts to see the results. Sorry everyone subscribed to this but- Here's a picture of the hood of my wifes 2000 SUV that had tons of swirls, scratches (small) and this is only one coat of Z-2, Z-5 and Z-6. I think this helps show how much better it works on darker colors-
TB

bhobson333

That looks a lot better! For comparison, it would be cool to re-shrink that pic of the PPW & re-post. What kind of camera? How many megapixels?

Z4ToddB

iTrader: (2)

Its a Fuji Finepix (I think that's what its called) and it's 2.1mp. I tried the same on the first pic of my Z, here's the results!

bhobson333

Much better!

Z4ToddB

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for schooling me on the computer skilz!
TB