Zaino 101 for Beginners: A Day in the Life of a Lazy First-Timer

bmwexecutive · 07-07-2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostoniant

sparkling graphite?

Yes, that's considered a dark car. You should definetly get some Z5.

kobechrome · 07-07-2006, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Yes, that's considered a dark car. You should definetly get some Z5.

Z-5 Pro fills in swirls or microscratches on dark colored cars so its definitely worth getting. You should layer the Z5 on first before going to Z2 Pro.

mobilejt · 07-20-2006, 01:55 AM

Great DIY- helped motivate me to try the Zaino products. I am very glad I did! Although a relatively lengthy process, it is truly worth it and I would highly recommend to others.

TheRox · 03-21-2010, 04:10 PM

bump good thread.

D13S3L · 03-22-2010, 03:01 PM

Bump for this thread - I did the Zaino technique on my red 328xi and my wife's Highlander this weekend and I'm very happy with the results. It took about 3.5 hours in total to do one car through all the steps the OP mentioned.

One word of caution though, this process is not really for the faint of heart. I was sore for a good day or two after i did it. There is a lot of squatting and standing and buffing and bending - especially if you do it the right way with the three coats + clay. I'm pretty fit and thought it was a good workout (I also sit on my ass in front of a computer all day though - that might have had something to do with it). Zaino might want to look into a few of those "loose 20 pounds over night" infomercials at 4:00 in the morning.

Like the OP, I have absolutely no experience with detailing and didn't pay any attention to what i was doing when i washed my cars. The Zaino process was straight forward and the finish on the car was very glassy and smooth. It is hard to describe, but it is noticeably different than the wax I used to use.

I found the claying process to be fulfilling. You glide the clay around the car nice and smooth and then you encounter that rough patch. A few seconds of attention with the clay and its back to good. Its a good feeling of satisfaction to know that after you are done with the clay your ride is 100% smooth from top to bottom. It was definitely worth the time the claying process took.

The only hard part for me was knowing how much polish to use at a time. I was worried that I was using too much or too little for the ZFX to be effective. It was hard for me to eyeball the correct amount of polish to use for the number of applications I was going to do. It would have been much easier (and knucklehead proof) to just mark off the amounts on the plastic mixing containers (if using 1 application fill to here, if two then fill to here etc).

Overall, I highly recommend it. Thanks OP for your very helpful posting.

07-20-2006, 01:55 AM	#25
mobilejt No Spa in '06? 1 Rep 8 Posts Drives: E90 06 330i Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: In Town iTrader: (0)	Great DIY- helped motivate me to try the Zaino products. I am very glad I did! Although a relatively lengthy process, it is truly worth it and I would highly recommend to others. __________________ 06 330i \| Jet Black \| ZSP \| 6AT \| Aluminum
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03-21-2010, 04:10 PM	#26
TheRox Colonel 119 Rep 2,312 Posts Drives: 6mt Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Here and there iTrader: (2)	bump good thread.
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03-22-2010, 03:01 PM	#27
D13S3L New Member 1 Rep 10 Posts Drives: RED 2007 328XI Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Akron, OH iTrader: (0)	Bump for this thread - I did the Zaino technique on my red 328xi and my wife's Highlander this weekend and I'm very happy with the results. It took about 3.5 hours in total to do one car through all the steps the OP mentioned. One word of caution though, this process is not really for the faint of heart. I was sore for a good day or two after i did it. There is a lot of squatting and standing and buffing and bending - especially if you do it the right way with the three coats + clay. I'm pretty fit and thought it was a good workout (I also sit on my ass in front of a computer all day though - that might have had something to do with it). Zaino might want to look into a few of those "loose 20 pounds over night" infomercials at 4:00 in the morning. Like the OP, I have absolutely no experience with detailing and didn't pay any attention to what i was doing when i washed my cars. The Zaino process was straight forward and the finish on the car was very glassy and smooth. It is hard to describe, but it is noticeably different than the wax I used to use. I found the claying process to be fulfilling. You glide the clay around the car nice and smooth and then you encounter that rough patch. A few seconds of attention with the clay and its back to good. Its a good feeling of satisfaction to know that after you are done with the clay your ride is 100% smooth from top to bottom. It was definitely worth the time the claying process took. The only hard part for me was knowing how much polish to use at a time. I was worried that I was using too much or too little for the ZFX to be effective. It was hard for me to eyeball the correct amount of polish to use for the number of applications I was going to do. It would have been much easier (and knucklehead proof) to just mark off the amounts on the plastic mixing containers (if using 1 application fill to here, if two then fill to here etc). Overall, I highly recommend it. Thanks OP for your very helpful posting.
	Appreciate 0 Quote