gs3_4me

ron 430 --- I just got one of those Absorbers and it dries the car up in no time. However, I have found it helps to have an extra Fieldcrest towel lying around to dry up any little droplets that I seem to have missed.

RON430

gs3_4me - Yeah, like I said, it is more like a chamois but it is really strange. You need a good protectant already on the car so the water really wants to roll off. I am surprised how good a job it does and at least so far it doesn't seem to scratch any worse than anything else for drying. It is pretty quick. And it does come clean in the washing machine which is usually pretty hard on natural chamois. Really need something around to get the dribbles or to dry the hard to reach areas. I have a wet cotton towel (wrung out as much as possible) and the Absorber for drying, so far so good.

mcgong

You might want to try Z5 buy Zainos. That works well on swirls IMO.

mumbles

Nice SC... by the way, you got the SC too shiny cause I can see you hiding in the bushes to take the pic!
I have been using the Absorber for years, and it seems to work well. Again, thanks for the info!
Eric

///MDex

I'll throw my bits in here too.

I just purchased some products from carecareonline.com

http://www.carcareonline.com/index.html

Great company BTW; they refunded my shipping costs when UPS couldn't do deliveries due to snow, and they always seem to provide honest and clear answers.

3M Imperial Handglaze
3M Swirl Mark Remover (Dark Car Specific)
1Grand Blitz Wax

These come highly recommended, both from others that have used the products, and, by the owner of CCO, Larry Reynolds.

I was a previous Zaino user, but wasn't satisfied - not a wet enough finish for my blue.

HTH

gs3_4me

yeah, those guys are great at carcareonline.com and the autopia forums -- so much information and nice people who all want to keep their rides looking great!

mumbles

Thanks Dexter, I keep forgetting about those folks... they have lots of great info there!

///MDex

Sure guys.

Their customer service is great too. Sincethey have so many products, I email Larry about what to use, and gave him my parameters

Lexus
dark blue
daily driver
what I had been using
visual charateristics I was looking for
durability charateristics I was looking for
and a couple of options for products I had pulled off their site

Larry had a return email to me in a few hours with his recommendations - very cool

I know, Zaino has great cusotmer service too, but I just wasn't happy with the end results...

Yeah, their articles are a great resource in and of themself!

duster

Hey Dexter,

What are you using to get the Zaino off?

I've been tempted to try Zaino, but I've heard it is difficult to remove if you want to go back to wax.

BTW, I agree Larry is great. Was I ever glad I spoke to him a few years back. He really educated me and set me up with the right stuff. If you are like me you will enjoy putting the 1 grand on with your fingers over your well cleaned and polished paint.

I think you will like the 1 Grand and I am looking forward to how you think it compares to the Zaino.

qwalls

I read on another forum that rubbing alcohol would remove Zaino, but I haven't tried it personally. One Grand is my favorite conventional wax, but I prefer Zaino for longevity and shine.

///MDex

When I'm ready to start a polish and wash combination from scratch, I'll wash the car with dishwashing soap in a heavy concentration. Zaino actually recommends this before you apply their products, and makes sense for any initial application of finish treatments.

I had to use some last week since I didn't have any car wash soap with me (Meguiars Gold), but wasn't a big deal since I planned on doing the application this weekend.

Yeah, this might be interesting - not sure if I'll use my fingers all the time - I'm contemplating getting one of those space heaters that hooks up to a propane tank to get the garage nice and toasty to ease with the application and removal.

I haven't used wax out of a can since I helped my old man wax our old Buick Skylark with Turtle Wax way back in the day, though I'm sure this wax will have a much more manageable consistency

I'll definitely write up a report.

duster

Dex,

Did you ever end up trying the wax?

If so....what did you think?

///MDex

I really like the Blitz 1K Wax. Read here for some more good comments.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=43686

Manaray

Hey Guitarman, thanks a LOT for that information. As a habitual black car owner, knowing that kind of info helps! I have some bad swirls in my car from the dealership having it "detailed" but now, I can finally get rid of them for good!

Guitarman

I'm glad to help anybody acheive shiny-car-ness.