Some props for Zaino...

[jb2178]

I just finished my fall detailing before winter sets in and I just wanted to give some credit to the guys at Zaino.

All I've ever used on this car is Zaino All-in-one, twice a year before and after winter. I've had this car since June 23, 2008 and it has 32,000 miles (and change) on it. It's been autocrossed semi-regularly and driven on roads in Maine, Florida and everywhere in between.

This time I went the extra step and used their car show polish on it and it's fantastic. I don't think I will do this every detialing but it sure makes my 1 look almost new. Yes there are some paint chips, and if you look closely you can see where I killed a cone in a COLD autocross this season but I still love this car... I just miss driving it, can't bring myself to take it out now that it's so shiney...

[MarkR171]

Nothing but Zaino on my car. I use a coat of Z5 and 2 coats of Z2 per month. The car looks great and the water slides right off when it rains.

I tried a Carnauba wax, and I just don't get the beading = good mentality. Beading = water spots, sheeting = clear paint.

This is after a wash, 3 weeks and 2 autocross sessions after applying Zaino, the paint was still slick and rinsing dried the car almost completely because the water sheeted off completely.

[HISI808]

looking good. no tint though being that we live in Hawaii?

[MarkR171]

Yea, I probably should get it tinted soon

[BlackjackMulligan]

JB2178, how did you use the polish? By hand or machine?


Damn MarkR171 that color looks sweet.

[jb2178]

Hand polish - I use their applicator for the All in one but I used their soft cotton towels to apply and remove the polish...

[MarkR171]

Same with me, all applied by hand, I don't own a machine.

Apply a thin coat to the whole car, and by the time the car is completely covered, the coat is ready to be wiped off. Takes about 20 minutes per coat.

[jb2178]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

Same with me, all applied by hand, I don't own a machine.

Apply a thin coat to the whole car, and by the time the car is completely covered, the coat is ready to be wiped off. Takes about 20 minutes per coat.

Sleep well knowing your car's paint finish will look basically identical in 2 years... just keep an eye out for those cones when it's 45 degrees out - you can see the slight indention on my lower front lip middle/passenger side (top down front car photo) I got at our first event this season back in march. I was pissed when I saw it but it's better than a door ding!

[HISI808]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

Same with me, all applied by hand, I don't own a machine.

Apply a thin coat to the whole car, and by the time the car is completely covered, the coat is ready to be wiped off. Takes about 20 minutes per coat.

20 minutes? wow, I must be doing something wrong. This past weekend I washed, polished and then applied two coats of Blackfire paint sealant. Took me the whole day. Applied all by hand.

[MarkR171]

Originally Posted by jb2178

Sleep well knowing your car's paint finish will look basically identical in 2 years... just keep an eye out for those cones when it's 45 degrees out - you can see the slight indention on my lower front lip middle/passenger side (top down front car photo) I got at our first event this season back in march. I was pissed when I saw it but it's better than a door ding!

Oh I know, I've been using Zaino for almost 4 years now. Zaino products were the only thing that touched my SLK when I got it in '07 til lease end in '10. Up until I got rid of it, I was still getting compliments on the paint.

I don't have to worry about hitting cones (when it's 45 degress out, see my location!) I've hit many cones so far, 2 direct hits to the middle of my front bumper from a spin, but not even a single mark so far.

The shine of my Zaino'd SLK after 3 years of nothing but monthly Z5/Z2 applications. Never seen a detailer, and over 30k miles.

[Sarracino89]

Hey guys, I love the way your babys look brand spanking new and shine with true pride. I would love for mine to stay that way. Which products should I get from Zaino? should i buy separates, or which of the packages? TIA
-Sam

[MarkR171]

If your car has minor scratches/swirls, start with a coat or two of Zaino Z5:


After the Z5, or if your paint is in excellent condition, use Zaino Z2:


With both, use a few drops of Zaino ZFX to make each coat cure faster before applying the next coat:


Between coats, I spray a thin layer of Zaino Z8 after a wash. That gives it an extra layer between washes and Z8 really makes the shine come out:


For my interior: I use Zaino Z9 leather-soft cleaner and Zaino Z10 leather-in-a-bottle conditioner. Countless people have commented my car "smells like a new car" when it's really the Zaino conditioner they're smelling. I drive with my windows down a lot, so the new car smell didn't last that long. The Zaino conditioner leaves a slight smell as close to the actual new car smell as I've experienced.

Also, I have lemon leather, and Z9/Z10 keeps it looking brand new.

Z9:


Z10:

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

Oh I know, I've been using Zaino for almost 4 years now. Zaino products were the only thing that touched my SLK when I got it in '07 til lease end in '10. Up until I got rid of it, I was still getting compliments on the paint.

I don't have to worry about hitting cones (when it's 45 degress out, see my location!) I've hit many cones so far, 2 direct hits to the middle of my front bumper from a spin, but not even a single mark so far.

The shine of my Zaino'd SLK after 3 years of nothing but monthly Z5/Z2 applications. Never seen a detailer, and over 30k miles.

OT, how did you like the SLK? I've always liked the looks of them.

[MarkR171]

It was alright, though especially now, overpriced against the competition.

I had the 7sp auto as the 6MT is nearly impossible to find on any Mercedes, and they've since gotten rid of the 6MT option for the SLK350. It was a good for what it was, a cruiser. It was comfortable, good seats, and the metal roof made it somewhat practical, against the Z4's soft top which was the decision maker for me 3 years ago.

Handling was good, and actually had some controllable oversteer with the roof down (heavy roof assembly in the trunk for more weight in the rear.) I autocrossed it a few times and did fairly well against RX8s (similar power to my 280, but RX8s are known for their excellent handling.)

Being a Mercedes roadster, it got TONS of attention from girls. I had girls leaning out the windows of their cars to yell "NICE CAR!" or "I LIKE YOUR CAR!" many times. Once I heard "LOOK LEFT!" while driving and turned to see 4 girls in a Jeep with cameras aimed at me. That was obviously a perk No such attention in the 1 series haha!

Downsides was the size of the steering wheel, too large a diameter for a sports car. The transmission, shift delay in manual mode but it was decent enough as an auto.

[BlackjackMulligan]

cool, thanks. I just picked up my first M-B, a 2010 C300 and I love it....I'm thinking I'd like the SLK too. I'll have to check one out, my 1er lease is up in 3 months.

[MarkR171]

I believe the 2012 SLK is getting a redesign, I saw pictures of it with camo and it looks good. Looks like a mini-SL.

[Sarracino89]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

If your car has minor scratches/swirls, start with a coat or two of Zaino Z5:


After the Z5, or if your paint is in excellent condition, use Zaino Z2:


With both, use a few drops of Zaino ZFX to make each coat cure faster before applying the next coat:


Between coats, I spray a thin layer of Zaino Z8 after a wash. That gives it an extra layer between washes and Z8 really makes the shine come out:


For my interior: I use Zaino Z9 leather-soft cleaner and Zaino Z10 leather-in-a-bottle conditioner. Countless people have commented my car "smells like a new car" when it's really the Zaino conditioner they're smelling. I drive with my windows down a lot, so the new car smell didn't last that long. The Zaino conditioner leaves a slight smell as close to the actual new car smell as I've experienced.

Also, I have lemon leather, and Z9/Z10 keeps it looking brand new.

Z9:


Z10:

Many thanks MarkR171. I am gonna pick these up asap.
Thanks a million
-sam

[JohnL135I]

For those on the west coast, I recommend ordering your Zaino through www.lazaino.com Great service.

[BahamaBart]

The Zaino product line has served me well. Good stuff.

[roo97ss]

been using zaino for quite a while now. probably since 01 or so, maybe even a bit before that. shine on dark cars is amazing, so deep and rich.

i'm quite disappointed in the paint on my current car. i know reds diff to work with, but there's lots of orange peel to say teh least. my brothers 335 too, same color. even the orient blue metallic on the 5 isn't as good as some of my previous cars.

i know there's enough paint to wet sand her, but not sure if there's enough clear...and it's not a show car, so it will have to do.

this weekend will probably be the zaino weekend for the cars, getting ready for the winter....

[Red Bread]

Just spent the weekend finally doing a full exterior detail on my wife's Jet Black 135i. I've been a Zaino user for a decade or more, and really had good results with it. From feedback here and on Autopia, I ordered some Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze and Blackfire Wet Diamond to try out from the fine crew at Detailed Image a few months ago.

I washed and clayed the car and treated a few bird bomb etches and the door handle areas with Meguiars Scratch X by hand and did a full polish with Menzerna IP and orange pads with a PC to remove some microswirling. All of that left the paint relatively dull and hazy, especially after inspecting with halogen lighting, but at least it was mostly free of swirls and looked uniform in appearance and was finally smooth to the touch using a ziploc baggie.

From here, I was deviating from my usual Menzerna FP2 and Zaino Z2 and started with the Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze with a white pad. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it totally exceeded my expectations. I'd debated doing a pass of FP2 with white pads and finishing with the EZ Creme Glaze on a black pad, but after a test panel of the EZ Creme on a white pad, I was blown away with the shine and lack of visible swirls in halogen and LED lighting. I can't say enough good things about this glaze.

I finished with the BF Wet Diamond by hand, on a microfiber applicator. It went on super easy, a little thicker than I would have used with Zaino, but still nice and thin, like most synthetics. I have to say that it's a super easy product to work with and seems both slicker and glossier than Z2. I'm super comfortable working with Zaino, but think I may have found a better product for my needs. It certainly works great with the CG glaze and I'm hoping it provides a more durable finish than Z2 with better ability to resist bird bombs and water spots, the only two, relatively minor complaints I've had with Zaino.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Just spent the weekend finally doing a full exterior detail on my wife's Jet Black 135i. I've been a Zaino user for a decade or more, and really had good results with it. From feedback here and on Autopia, I ordered some Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze and Blackfire Wet Diamond to try out from the fine crew at Detailed Image a few months ago.

I washed and clayed the car and treated a few bird bomb etches and the door handle areas with Meguiars Scratch X by hand and did a full polish with Menzerna IP and orange pads with a PC to remove some microswirling. All of that left the paint relatively dull and hazy, especially after inspecting with halogen lighting, but at least it was mostly free of swirls and looked uniform in appearance and was finally smooth to the touch using a ziploc baggie.

From here, I was deviating from my usual Menzerna FP2 and Zaino Z2 and started with the Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze with a white pad. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it totally exceeded my expectations. I'd debated doing a pass of FP2 with white pads and finishing with the EZ Creme Glaze on a black pad, but after a test panel of the EZ Creme on a white pad, I was blown away with the shine and lack of visible swirls in halogen and LED lighting. I can't say enough good things about this glaze.

I finished with the BF Wet Diamond by hand, on a microfiber applicator. It went on super easy, a little thicker than I would have used with Zaino, but still nice and thin, like most synthetics. I have to say that it's a super easy product to work with and seems both slicker and glossier than Z2. I'm super comfortable working with Zaino, but think I may have found a better product for my needs. It certainly works great with the CG glaze and I'm hoping it provides a more durable finish than Z2 with better ability to resist bird bombs and water spots, the only two, relatively minor complaints I've had with Zaino.

This is my go to combo as well, except I usually will go with Menz SIP (cuts a bit less than IP I believe) then go with the EZ Creme and seal with Blackfire. The EZ Creme provides light correction while prepping the surface for the seal and does a great job (plus it smells great )

The EZ creme is nice because it's so quick to apply and remove that it's really an insignificant amount of time to use it prior to sealing- less than 20 mins or so to apply and remove on the entire car.

I sealed my wife's new 2010 MDX this past weekend (paint is almost new, never been though a car wash and the dealer glaze had mostly worn off after a couple of months) with Blackfire and once again was pleased with how easy it is to use and remove. No streaking, no wondering if you actually missed spots, and very durable. For even better protection, try adding another coat of BFWD in a week or so after it's cured and you'll be amazed at the shine and feel of the paint.