Hi,

I have now become completely lost on the whole car *polishing* thing...

i have always tried to look after my bus and have done the following.

Cleaned down the car with fairy to clean off all the original crap and polishes etc.

Used a Zaino clay bar in straight lines, used light pressure all over and cleaned off all the tar spots and bits stuck in the paint.

Used Zaino Z* swirl remover (didnt seem to remove any swirls, maybe i wasnt working hard enough) waited half an hour and removed and then followed by Zaino Z5 and left for half an hour.

The car looked pretty good after this, but not seriously mint.

Since then i have been *polishing* (or is this waxing) with Zymol and the car looks ok, but does not get that wet look.

(dont worry i dont ue fairy anymore, i use Meguairs (sp) car wash.

What am i doing wrong on the cleaning or process wise, do i need to buy some new products to sharpen up the old beast?

Any recomedations on products i should be buying?

Thanks in adavance, Silver

 

What car and colour is it mate?

Gareth

 

As Gareth has asked, what colour is the car?

Which swirl mark remover have you been using? The one for PC use (Z-PC)? Or the non-abrasive one (Z-1)?

With the Z5, do you have a clear coat paint or single stage? Also, are you ZFX'ing the Z5 as this may make a difference as to how it finishes, especially now the weather is not as warm and generally damper....
I've noticed it makes a difference with the Z2 Show Car Polish for Clearcoats but, I'm not totally sure if it would make a difference with the Z-5... You never know though....

Finally... What Zymol are you using?

Cheers.
Alex.

 

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

Its a c.98 bmw and a light green.

In response to Alex, i havent been using a swirl remover as such, i used the z2, and applied two costs and then the z5.

If i follow your reply Alex- i have used the additive that you add by the drop to the mixture bottles (and then leve for 1/2hr). (the Zaino seems v.v.vgood, but god its a bitch to run off!!!)

Dont get me wrong, the car looks bloody good for its age and always gets mixed up for a much younger car. However, I would just like to get that real deep wet look and wonder if i should be using another product (or more elbow grease!!!)

I hear lots of talk about poor boys etc and wonder if this is the way forward

 

Right... That helps alot!

First off, swap around so your doing the Z5 first, then follow with the Z2-Pro......
With the Z5 's swirl hiding ability etc, I'd do this first and let it do it's job masking any little marks / swirls etc not taken out by any swirl removal you've been doing. Then I would build up a few coats of the Z2-Pro. Zaino isn't generally hard to work with but, it is known that when the weather gets colder it's not quite as easy to buff.... Just make sure the coats are as thin as possible to aid with the curing...... A few coats will build up the shine and the protection. Theres no fillers or anything in the Z2-Pro (supposedly) like there is in the Z5 , so effectively you'll be locking in the fillers that the Z5 has left behind, and should start getting a great shine.

You haven't mentioned what Zymol wax you're using? If it's a proper tub of Zymol then thats fine, and should give you added gloss and depth. Once you've waxed on top of Zaino though, if you want to do further coats of Z5 and Z2-Pro, you'll need to strip the wax and start again.
If you're using the Zymol cleaner wax from Halfords, then I would stop using it..... The cleaners in this 'Cleaner Wax' will pretty much strip all the Zaino and leave just it's own shine behind. This product is also known for beiong a pain and being streaky, especially when the weathers a bit damp and cold.

Anyway, hope that helps!?! If you still wanted to go for a proper carnauba wax over the top of the Zaino, then I'd go with Poorboy's Nattys Blue Wax would give you some nice added gloss but, see how you go with what you have first rather than spending more money for the sake of it. (What kind of salesman am I???!!!)...

Cheers.
Alex

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice thats great. i went into the garage and checked on the bottles i had been using. I was using the Z5 first and then the Z2 polish.

However, i hadnt used any swirl remover product before (the swirls arnt too bad, but as the teachers would say could try harder!)

I will try again and strip off all the previuos products and give another go (thats if my Halfrauds Zymol hasnt already done it for me! i was using the cheap non tub version)

As an aside. Is Fairy ok to use when you want to strip off the previuos waxs/polishes? I never use it once polished and use Meguairs [sp] car wash only once waxed.

Or do i need a decent, citrus degreaser?

And would using the Natty blue wax, sort of *seal* in all the Zaino stuff underneath?

Many thanks for your time in setting me straight.

TIA

Silver

 

Hi Silver,

Fairy is okay once in a while but certainly not recommended as a regular wash.... You can use this to strip the Zaino back but, I would still do a second wash with your Meg's shampoo afterwards to make sure that it gets all the surfectants etc off the paint from what the Fairy may leave behind.

I know now people are saying that with the current cold spell even ZFX'd Z2-Pro is taking up to an hour and a half to cure, so make sure you do coats as thin as possible. Build up two or three coats of Z2 over the Z5, then you can either leave it as it is, or you can go for something like the Natty's Blue Wax to help add a bit of depth to the shine..... The Natty's Blue won't give as good protection as the Zaino itself so if you wanted proper winter protection as well as the Zaino, then go for either one of the Collinite waxes.... 845 Insulator Wax or 476s Paste Wax. These are the durability Daddies of waxes and will give months of protection and some of the best beading you'll ever see

Anyway, see how you go and look forward to seeing some pics!!!

 

Thanks for all your help guys.

I looked on your site at the Collinite paste, and it looks great (good pro looking sit as well btw)

I think i am going to have make a trip to your site with my credit card and buy some of your gear.

Thanks for the info with the Fairy and follow up wash. I hadnt ever done that and gone straight off the fairy.

I have recently been using some megauirs applicators and this has made the rub off so much easier. I was loading up with product, leaving it to cure and god it was a beeaaacth to get off. With the foam pads it literally leaves a very thin smear.

One last query (sorry), is the Z5 an ok de swirler? Should i use more than one coat of Z5 and should it be applied in lines (this is my normal practice) or should i be rotating to deswirl.

Thanks again for the advice.

Silver

 

I don't think the Z5 will de-swirl... From my understanding it will only help to hide or mask any marks by filling them, it won't actually have any abrasive power to remove them.... You would need to look at a very light diminishing abrasive such as Poorboys SSR 2 to help sort the swirls by hand first... Thissort of product also carries no wax or silicones so will be fine underneath a sealant such as Zaino and won't affect it's bonding to the paintwork.

I'd work in straight lines along the car if using anything abrasive. If the car is perfectly clean and using anything that doesn't actually biteinto the paint then it shouldn't matter what direction you work in but, people as good practice tend to still work in straight lines along the car.

The Collinite paste has been the most popular wax this year by a country mile (closely followed by the liquid version), as it's durability is better than some sealants and the beading you get is just stunning......

Thanks for the kind words about the new site... Glad it's being received well

Cheers .

 

any of u seen this website? jst about cleanin ur car http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.html

 

Riches guides are very well written and informative.... Also, another point of reference is http://www.bettercarcare.com/cardetailing.html
They've been around a while but are really good sources for info.

Cheers .