Seeing is believing

[landrovered]

The hardest part is not using too much when you first get started. A little goes a long way and a lot cheaper than $250+ carnuba wax to boot. I paid $54 for the Z-PC, AIO and Z2.

[thstone]

Looks great! I like the pair of P-cars too.

[Perfectlap]

not to be a debbie downer but it's really in the prep not so much the product.
I have a garage full of every boutique brand including Zaino. As long as I prep the cars equally and thoroughly before the product goes on, and unless you are a SERIOUS expert, you would not be able to tell the difference between the car I finished with a $10 auto store over the counter product and a $30 boutique brand.

What happens is that since most people doing this first the first time don't know what they're doing the detailing product companies dilute the concentration to avoid mishaps. And its obviously cheaper to produce -- more profit. The cheaper stuff just requires a little a more elbow grease but you are however keeping $20 in your pocket. Handy for gas money...
The fact is that today's modern paints are exteremely resilient. A once over with a lubricant and clay bar and you've got 99% of the shine back. Just about any synthetic or Canauba spray will get back the last 1% and add a little more.
I really doubt whether you even need sealants on those paints, especially if you are enthusiast that never leaves the paint bare for too long. These guys from all these detailing products tweak 18 different products slightly and try to sell you on how you need four or five. Nonsense. A solid polish (1) to clean and protect (maybe twice a year tops) and wax to shine (monthly for carnauba a little longer for a synthetic). maybe a last step (LSP) prouct to give it teflon slippery finish every couple of weeks if its a daily driver. Heck even the cheap stuff like Mothers and Meguiar's will seal for the entire season unless you live in Central Florida or Arizona where the Sun just melts away clear coats.

My favorite: Werkstat Prime and Carnaua Spray. Very concentrated, minimal elblow grease. After a wash I'll cover with Finish Kare #425 which is great for lazy people. I buy it by the gallon and keep a spray bottle in the trunk.

[landrovered]

Well I would have easily spent $54 on stuff at Napa so I am good on the part anyway. My only qualm if I even have any is that I would have liked a bit more bite to the polish. There are a few scratches that I will have to go back and compound because the the Z-PC did not get them out. It did do a great job on the swirl marks and holograms though. The blue car has lots of little chips from stones over the years and I will have to find a better technique to fill those in than touch up paint on a brush. Anybody got any tutorials on the best way to make paint chips disappear? These are to the primer.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by landrovered

Well I would have easily spent $54 on stuff at Napa so I am good on the part anyway. My only qualm if I even have any is that I would have liked a bit more bite to the polish. There are a few scratches that I will have to go back and compound because the the Z-PC did not get them out. It did do a great job on the swirl marks and holograms though. The blue car has lots of little chips from stones over the years and I will have to find a better technique to fill those in than touch up paint on a brush. Anybody got any tutorials on the best way to make paint chips disappear? These are to the primer.

NAPA acutally has a pretty good line called DuraGloss. They sell a spray called Aquawax spray that's damn good for the money.

I've seen methods to cover up the chips, usually at the front bumper, that involves using the eraser on a No.2 pencil to blot the paint over the chip.
But first you need really fine 1000 grit type sandpaper, punch out little circles using a hole punch and stick them to the eraser. Then pushing down in a circular motion over the sandchip to create a rough texture for the paint to stick to.


swirl and scratch removal really needs to be done with torque. The Porter Cable 7424 is a must have tool. Best to buy it as part of a detailing kit where they give you the flexible backing plate (comes with rigid) and the correct pads for cutting or polishing. Lots of YoutTube videos out there on the right method to use for deswirling.

[AndyA6]

For detailing go to my fav site

autopia.org

all you need to know and more!

[landrovered]

I did use a 10" orbital buffer on the polish phase, I was afraid to use a high speed cutting pad straight out of the gate. I intend to experiment now that I know the polish is pretty benign.

PS: thanks for the compliments on the zeintop, I bought it from Byron here on this board.

[Perfectlap]

the key to swirl removal with the orbital is to use the product sparingly.

Please post more pics of that Z-top. Does it squeak or rattle?
After chucking $10+K in tune up and upgrades (I'm keeping the car for a long time) I'm seriously considering trying to hunt one of these down at some point.
I guess price is the issue.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

not to be a debbie downer but it's really in the prep not so much the product.
I have a garage full of every boutique brand including Zaino. As long as I prep the cars equally and thoroughly before the product goes on, and unless you are a SERIOUS expert, you would not be able to tell the difference between the car I finished with a $10 auto store over the counter product and a $30 boutique brand.

What happens is that since most people doing this first the first time don't know what they're doing the detailing product companies dilute the concentration to avoid mishaps. And its obviously cheaper to produce -- more profit. The cheaper stuff just requires a little a more elbow grease but you are however keeping $20 in your pocket. Handy for gas money...
The fact is that today's modern paints are exteremely resilient. A once over with a lubricant and clay bar and you've got 99% of the shine back. Just about any synthetic or Canauba spray will get back the last 1% and add a little more.
I really doubt whether you even need sealants on those paints, especially if you are enthusiast that never leaves the paint bare for too long. These guys from all these detailing products tweak 18 different products slightly and try to sell you on how you need four or five. Nonsense. A solid polish (1) to clean and protect (maybe twice a year tops) and wax to shine (monthly for carnauba a little longer for a synthetic). maybe a last step (LSP) prouct to give it teflon slippery finish every couple of weeks if its a daily driver. Heck even the cheap stuff like Mothers and Meguiar's will seal for the entire season unless you live in Central Florida or Arizona where the Sun just melts away clear coats.

My favorite: Werkstat Prime and Carnaua Spray. Very concentrated, minimal elblow grease. After a wash I'll cover with Finish Kare #425 which is great for lazy people. I buy it by the gallon and keep a spray bottle in the trunk.

In total agreement. Just about anything makes the car shiney.

The impressive thing to me is that after 9 months with no garage, the finish is still relatively smooth and the water still beads tightly on my DD using Z2. I've not had other synthetic products like Mirror Glaze high tech wax last even half that long, let alone the carnuba based products like Mother's.

On the flip side, I take care of a 1967 Mercedes SL that sees use maybe 5 times a year and sits in a garage under a cover the rest of the time. That car never needs to be waxed, even over years of time. It's always shiney and water always beads. Now the rest of the car suffers, but the finish holds up great.

[Stroked & Blown]

Zat Zaino'd Zeintop is ZEXCELLENT!

Zelebrate with a Zima!

/punchyonafridayafternoon

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Stroked & Blown

Zat Zaino'd Zeintop is ZEXCELLENT!

Zelebrate with a Zima!

/punchyonafridayafternoon

The best part about it is the color !! On a serious note, at one time or another I've tried virtually every kind of wax and polish there is out there. Everything from popular off the shelf products to high end boutique brands . Granted my vehicle is the ultimate "garage princess", however, to me a bottle of Turtle Wax can often times produce excellent results .