1ton

I have put several layers of Zaino on....at the time, I did not notice any scratches. Now, under a bright light and some careful viewing, I notice there are A LOT of scratches.

Would you guys recommend me starting over?? (please say no) OR try a couple more coats of Z5?

Also, does everyone let the dealership wash their cars or do you tell them not to?

tfischer

I would start by trying some extra layers of Z5, especially the new Z5 that has been in production for the last several months.

However, do not expect a lot, since Zaino is not an abrasive.

If this does not work, you will have to start over. This probably means using a light abrasive, such as a swril remover. These products will remove the zaino, so you will have to reapply with z1 or ZFX and build up a few coats when you are done. but that happens all the time when a part of the car gets scratched.

Of course, you only have to work on and re-do the areas with scratches.

I never let the dealer or anyone else wash the car. Usually they just add swrils. Sometimes they don't , but why take the chance? Even if the wash is just soap and water sprayed on it, chances are they will have some guy there to dry the car off with a dirty towel made mostly of polyesther.

I made up a little card on my laser printer that I keep in the glove box that says :"Please do not wash this car today. Thanks." and I tape this on the dash whenever I take the car in for service. This works a lot better than an instruction to the service manager, which sometimes (often) does not filter down to the worker bees.

My car is black, so I have to be really careful.

Guitarman

1ton, You're certain the scratches are new? If you've applied the Zaino in horizontal motions on the roof, hood, and trunk, and vertically on the sides as Zaino insists, and the scratches follow in those directions, then you will know for sure you had some grit on the paint or on the pad when applying Zaino. If you followed the Zaino straight line application/removal directions and the scratches are in random directions, then you put them there in some other way. But first...did you look at the car under bright light / flourescent light PRIOR to putting the Zaino on? They may have been there beforehand, you just may have been unsucessful at getting them out during prep. Lighting is KEY.

Some other questions;
What was the last step you did before applying Zaino? How long did you wait after you prepped before applying the Zaino? Did you Z6 just before applying the Zaino polish?

What did you apply the Zaino with? (I'll assume the cotton terry applicator?)

What did you wipe the Zaino off with? And in which direction did you buff off?

These questions may give us some ideas to help you figure how/when the scratches came.

If they are difficult to see, I would try and live with them for a while, at least until it's necessary to re-do the whole process.You'll have to remove more paint to get rid of them, and depending on how deep they are, it might not be something you want to do now. We're all subject to causing a scratch or 2, being perfect in the real world is tough.

The Z5 will hide swirls (a bit) and it won't do much for scratches. If you're indeed talking about scratches and not swirls that is. If you are referring to SWIRLS, then we need to get our communication onto the same page, and we can address them.

P.S. Zaino and other sealants and waxes can often show swirls in the SEALANT LAYER. One way to know is to take your microfiber towel and swipe the paint with some quick detailer in the OPPOSITE direction of the percieved swirls. If you are able to change the swirls direction, then the swirling is in the SEALANT, not the paint.

Sorry for all the questions 1ton, just trying to make you think on where the problem might'ave came from.

1ton

Thanks for the replys. I am not sure if the scratches were there beforehand...I did not see them at least. Maybe the Zaino products enhanced them in some way. I originally did the following:

1) Used Dawn to wash my car
2) Used Swirl Mark remover by 3M, then clayed the car (i think maybe 3M after claying would have been better but I emailed Zaino and they told me to do it before).
3) Then I washed the car again.
4) Used the Z5 with the ZFX
5) Z6
Next day...
1) Z5 then Z6 then Z2

Last weekend I washed the car again then Z5 again and Z6.

I have to be honest, I did not use the Fieldcrest towels like suggested. I had 100% cotton towels that I used. Maybe that is my problem. I have since then bought Fieldcrest towels to use. When I applied the Zaino products, I used the applicator they gave.

When I applied, I used straight motions as suggested. When I buffed off, I did circular motions (should I do the same straight motions?) When I applied the polish (Z6) I did straight motions at first. I saw streaks that ran up and down when doing that so I found it better to do circular motions.

What are your thoughts?? I think I am going to start from scratch with my hood and see if it helps. My car is BLACK and is easy to see scratches. These are truly scratches NOT swirls. Not enough to notice until you look under good lighting.

Guitarman

Couple possibilities 1ton...

The scratches were perhaps caused during the claying process. It's not uncommon for someone that's never clayed before (not sure if you have or haven't , just a generalization here), or who hasn't done it on a regular basis, to incur scratches. You have to really make sure you use enough lubricant ( car shampoo & water or quick detailer ) and that you knead the clay OFTEN, to avoid any contamination on the clay. You also have to watch the pressure you apply when claying, don't rub hard. Let's face it-it only take 1 grit of sand or dirt to cause a scratch this way.

If you feel the towel was safe and had no lables or polyester binding etc. that probably wasn't it. (Those 2 items alone CAN cause serious scratches though, so check all your towels folks).
One thing I CAN tell you is that Zaino will magnify any scratches. That's what it does-brings out the paints' clarity, and all the imperfections on it , so if anyone out there is interested in trying Zaino, they have to have pristine paint to begin with, or polish and clean their paint till it is, otherwise Zaino won't make them happy.

If you try again, just take 1 panel (hood ) and go through each step in a systematic way, with the SAME lighting the whole time, and proven towels or microfibers. Test them on an old music CD if you're uncertain, that will seperate the good from the bad and give you a baseline, just use different parts of the towels so you can be assured they're completely safe, from binding to nap.

One last thing; It's *usually* better to even buff off wax / sealant in straight back & forth motions. This helps with swirls. You can usually remove any "ghost" streaks by a very fine mist of Z6 and a buff in the OPPOSITE direction . Relative humidity causes the streaks, as well as applying the polish too thick. Good luck.

mooretorque

I'm certainly in favor of microfiber towels having used those on the new black RX this past w/e. Two layers of Z5 with ZFX did wonders for the swirling I posted about in another thread here. Followed up with Z3 once and wifey is good to go for 3 months (according to Sal).

But the mf towels were excellent in removing water w/o adding scratches. I looked VERY carefully before and after using bright point source lighting and examining reflection. So this is another unashamed plug for PakShak (CL vendor)!!!!

tfischer

I have a lot of Pakshak's MF towels, and they are great.

However, for removing zaino I still use my white cotton towels, as I find that the extra heft seems to make that job go smoother. For all other purposes, especially drying and Z6, I use MF.

. . . . and for use on windows, there is nothing better.

1ton

Thanks for all the info guys...You may be right about the clay. I tried to keep the area moist but can see how scratches could have appeared.

Thanks again.

BuyERTS

I often wonder if it's OK or not for multiple coats of finish (wax, polymer, whatever) to be applied over the course of a couple of days. How possible is it that contaminants can settle on the car overnight and wreak havoc when the process continues the following day?

Guitarman

Well, it happens, but the variable on whether or not it's going to be merely dust or worse is going to be the particular enviornment, i.e. Is it in a garage, outside under a tree, outside in a driveway, outside with a cover, and on and on. The best thing you can do is to at LEAST quick detail the car before you proceed with another layer, giving you some extra safety, although it's more of a judgement call on a garaged car.

1ton

I left my car in the garage, reapplied the next day.

The following week, I washed the car and dried before I applied again.

airahcaz

Can I pay someone to Zaino my car?
Literally, Are detailing shops knowledgeable about Zaino?

PHML

iTrader: (33)

Did you use a 100% cotton....Made in the USA...towel?

tfischer

RAN:

You ask: "Can I pay someone to Zaino my car?
Literally, Are detailing shops knowledgeable about Zaino?"

I would say yes to the first question, just be sure the person hired has the right tools (towels) and good instructions, which are not too hard to find. Provide adult supervision.

I don't understand the "literally" part, as I would not have taken the second question as a metaphore. Unless you mean to inquire as to whether detailers are well read, but that's not something we should generalize about.

Some detailing shops are quite experienced with Zaino, and others just use wax and know nothing about polymer finishes. You will simply have to investigate to see if the shop you are interested in "has all the right credenzas."

Frankly, the nice thing about putting Zaino on your own SC430 is (1) Zaino is really easy to apply, even if you are finiky and (2) the SC is not all that big.

What I might suggest is that you have a good body shop or detailer do whatever is necessary to take out the scratches. Then you, your own self, wash, clay and Zaino the car to your own stringent standards.

Last year while visiting a friend out of town, a cat jumped up on the hood of my black SC and, despite some good foot work, slipped off eventually, leaving ugly scratches. These were way beyond my ability to deal with. I had a body shop work on them, and the guy there was able to sand them out without having to repaint (although he said it was close). That only cost me about $50.00. I took the car home and redid the hood to my own stringent standards.

Merry C.

airahcaz

I have a blue GS

so maybe I get my car detailed, then Zaino as best I can myself, but would love to just pay someone to do it all, and do it right...
I read heartaches where someone did many coats, then realized there were some scratches missed