Sal Zaino and his wax - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Perfectlap · 08-11-2008, 10:56 AM

Yeah but Zaino's not taking something into account at all.

Many of those purchasing that one Zaino item, you're spray in
this instance, are first time Zaino customers. By setting up a barrier
to entry in the form of shipping costs he's lost a customer to another
brand. This a pretty narrow view, particularly during a tough economy.

In this day and age of computers he should build in a "first time exemption".
I'm sure his own data proves that the average Zaino customer
is repeat customer.

I've been buying detailing products long enough to know that
an enthusiast will often make a big jump in quality from the off
the shelf stuff to the far more concentrated but much more
expensive 'boutique' brands. For the enthusiast this like a "big revelation".
What most enthusiasts don't realize is that boutique brands are
almost identical in terms of end results. But at the same time,
pricing for boutique brands are all over map. Zaino are one of the
more expensive brands I've tried, I can get similar results with a
few others at lower cost. That's a lesson most enthusiasts will
NOT learn. By charging a first time customer 50% in shipping as
you put it, he's opening the door for you to go with a duragloss or
FK1 both of whom charge $5 flat rate no matter the size of the order.

These guys have to learn to be more flexible. The competition in
the boutique brands market is plentiful and the big over the counter
brands (Mothers, Meguiars) are catching up fast.
When something works people tend to stick with it, they're not inclined
to experiment with other brands once a great result is achieved. That's
a big advantage that Zaino is risking in this instance. I bet you if he
packaged small samples like FK1 do and sent them first class mail people
would order the full size versions on a bigger order and not quibble with
$9 shipping.

Mike_Yi · 08-11-2008, 11:31 AM

Chitowndad, where are you in Chicago? I know there's a shop down in Aurora that sells Zaino. Of course, they charge a bit more as they're eating the shipping costs, but since they buy in bulk, it's minor. If you ever want to buy Zaino, let me know as that's what I use. I'd be willing to add a bottle for your needs.

Keep in mind though, that you really should be using at least two Zaino products. You should be using Z2 or Z5, but you should also use Z6 or Z8 in between coats. If you are going to do multiple coats, you probably want ZFX also so you can do two coats in a day. Zaino really shines (pun intended) when you get around 5 coats on. Their wash, Z7 is really good too.

chitowndad · 08-11-2008, 01:58 PM

Hi Mike,
Actually I'm working in Aurora in the perimeter of the Fox Valley mall. What's the name of the place you're thinking of?

Thanks,
-Steve

Mike_Yi · 08-12-2008, 07:53 AM

Damn. Of course, now I cannot find it. The forum that I learned about the shop on is long gone. I'm pretty sure it was located on Clow Creek Drive which might actually be in Plainfield. However, I don't know if it is still there. I'll keep looking and see if I can find it.

I called Zaino and they said they used to have a local distributor in Chicago, but he moved. I don't think this shop was actually a distributor though. I think they just bought in bulk and resold. I'll have to look around some Corvette forums.

FTD · 08-12-2008, 11:05 AM

I thought I read, on this forum, that the technology in body paint of the last 10 years is such that the glamour products don't make a difference over off the shelf products. I searched but can't find the comments I am thinking of. Maybe someone here can respond? I have been using Zaino for a few years and had the idea that once it is used I would try some lesser expensive products.

Perfectlap · 08-12-2008, 01:25 PM

Yeah ^ I rememeber this too. I believe it was regarding clear coats and modern paints vs. single stage paint that Porsche used to use. The jist of it was that with
only a clay bar and a decent seasonal wax you can keep the paint looking showroom for a decade with ease. No need to buy 7 different products for the paint.

Mike_Yi · 08-12-2008, 03:49 PM

That may be, but I can tell you that my Firehawk looks damn fine with several coats
of Zaino on it. Not only that, but it takes me so damn long to polish the car (it took
me 7 hours just to wash it today, and I didn't really do the wheels) that I don't do it
often. So having a product that I can put on every six months makes the cost worth
it. When that car is clean, you wouldn't believe how much attention it gets. Two
years ago I went to the hardware store and on the way back I got a thumbs up
from a guy who much have been 85. I attribute a most of that to the color, but a lot
of the credit goes to the gloss that the Zaino keeps on it.

And I just have to ask, how much did you spend on your car? How much are we talking about for a quality product to protect that investment? It's a bit like the octane argument. Most of us spent a pretty good amount of money on these cars, so why not treat them right?