[stormace]

Hello, I'm new to detailing.

What are the directions to applying Zaino Z2 and Z5? front to back? 2x2 sections? I'm doing this by hand.

Also, when polishing this off, what are the hand motions?

I have black sapphire and I don't want to do anything to get swirls.

[pander5]

The recommended motions of any type of "friction" stroke (washing with mitt, drying with towel, applying polish or wax by hand etc.) is to follow the way the air flows over the top surfaces of the vehicle and up and down for the sides. That is suggested in case you pick anything up in your towel/pad/applicator that might induce a microscratch - it won't reflect light back at a 360 degree angle. Circular motions and a small piece of debris will make a circle and the sun shows it as a circle.

When I was applying Zaino by hand in the past I would work it in VERY LIGHTLY in straight lines front to back/back to front and up and down on the sides. I also applied just enough Z polish to do maybe a 2X2 or maybe 3X3 area then move onto the next section. Buffing off is the same motion you used to apply it and don't bear down with excessive pressure. As long as it was applied light and thin as recommended it buffs off almost effortlessly so you don't need to buff too aggressively.

Good luck and enjoy the shine brotha!

[fragadellic]

Originally Posted by stormace

Hello, I'm new to detailing.

What are the directions to applying Zaino Z2 and Z5? front to back? 2x2 sections? I'm doing this by hand.

Also, when polishing this off, what are the hand motions?

I have black sapphire and I don't want to do anything to get swirls.

I am by no means an expert at this yet, I am just following what I have read from Picus and DavidN. I did my own new car prep and followed the two-bucket wash method. I did the paint prep by claying, then Klasse AIO, then Z5. If your paint is clean and you take care not to drop anything, there should be nothing on your paint or your applicator that could cause a swirl. I did my entire E92 black sapphire using circular motions by hand and it came out perfect. No problems whatsoever.

Like the last poster mentioned, if you have any type of contaimination on your paint or in the applicator, it could cause a swirl. Straight line scratches would not be nearly as noticable as a circular swirl.

By my point is, you should be using a new (or just washed and stored in a sealed container) applicator, and your paint should be just washed, so there shouldn't be any contaminents in the applicator or on the paint, so there's nothing to scratch the paint.

My $0.02....