It’s a guy thing. In the garage or shop of any car enthusiast, you’re likely to find dozens of car products. Soaps, tire shines, glass cleaners, leather conditioners, assorted towels, brushes, sponges, etc. We like to spend our weekends polishing our cars, even if they only go back in the garage directly afterwards. For some reason, it’s a therapeutic process. Like any process, there are dozens of ways to go about it. With automotive detailing, there are millions of ways to do it wrong. Waxing and polishing products are tools, and like any tool, they are only productively effective when used correctly. Zaino products are my tools of choice. This article is designed to detail the correct way to complete the Zaino wax process on your vehicle, and then maintain all of your hard work.
I have used only Zaino products on my 2000 BMW E39 M5 for the past nine years, and I never stop getting compliments of how my 210,000+ mile BMW looks and feels like a much newer car. My vehicles paint currently feels smoother than the 2021 BMW M5 on my local dealerships showroom floor. It reflects light beautifully, and is well protected from the elements. If you want the same on your car, follow these steps, take your time, and be thorough.
The video at the end of this article sums up all of the following text, in video form. The mentioned video was filmed in the Spring of 2013. Now in 2020, my process has not appreciably changed.
List of Products Required for my Method
Zaino products can either be purchased online from ZainoStore.com, or in their store in Howell, New Jersey. Use this link to quick order what you’re looking for.
Z18 ClayBar… $17.95
Z2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes… $16.95
Z5 PRO Show Car Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches… $18.95
Z6 Gloss Enhancer… $11.95
Z7 Show Car Wash… $10.95
Z8 Grand Finale… $19.95
ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive… $19.95
Preface
Before any bit of Zaino or sweat touches your car’s paint, you should determine it’s condition. Should you find severe swirl scratching, rust, or other moderate-major paint imperfections, do not expect Zaino to remove them. Zaino car polishes are designed to polish and cleanse your vehicle’s clear coat, not buff it down to a fresh layer. If swirls or other deeper marks are present, you should be looking into paint restoration. This would involve wet-sanding the clear coat. A scratch is nothing but a chunk of clear coat (and maybe paint too) that has been removed. To make it go away, it must have the surrounding area buffed down to the same level. This is what the wet sanding and buffing process would do. If you have little to no swirl scratching, or don’t care about still seeing them afterwards, proceed.
Follow the instructions printed on the rear of each product bottle, in addition to these below. Only attempt this process if the ambient air temperature is at or above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You can work these products down to 45 degrees, but the drying-time will be closer to 2-3 hours.
Towels
Anything that touches your paint can scratch your paint. Nothing touches your paint more than towels. I recommend only using Zaino border-free white, or blonde towels. Do not use microfibers, or anything but a 100% cotton towel.
Dry-time
Drying time is totally contingent on the ambient temperature and humidity. Low-humidity, and high-temperature will yield the fastest dry times. Full sunshine will also decrease the required drying time. Normal drying time when between 55 and 75 degrees with normal humidity is usually about 1 hour.
Procedure
Wash entire vehicle thoroughly with dish-washing soap. This will remove all previous waxes. There is no need to dry the car.
Mix 1/2 cap full of Z7 with 12 ounces of water in a spray-bottle. This is the lubricant for the clay-bar.
Use Z18 along with the solution mixed in step two to clay the entire vehicle. Need the clay bar frequently to continuously expose fresh clay. This will remove airborne contaminants from the paint, such as tar, paint over-spray, etc. Do not drop the clay bar. I always clay the entire body, all of the glass, and plastic trims that are not textured or porous. Work in 2’x2′ areas, applying very light pressure. Clay works with friction, not pressure. Gradually work over the entire car, saving the potentially still dirty areas for last, rocker panels, rear bumper, etc.
Wash the car thoroughly with Z7. This will remove the residue from Z7 and water mix, and provide a clean base coat ready for polishes. Thoroughly dry the car.
Use ZPC and a 314 pad to work over any areas with clear-coat imperfections. Swirl scratches, scuffs, paint overspray, tar, nuclear fallout, etc.
Prepare 1oz of Z5 in a ZFX container (will fill 1/2 way), along with 4-5 drops of the 2ml vile cure accelerator. Shake for 60-90 seconds. This will cure the product to paint instantly, and allow for multiple coats of Z2/Z5 without waiting 24 or more hours.
Apply Z5/ZFX mix with a 314 pad. Let dry until you are able to run a finger along the paint, and a perfect shine is left behind. Any smearing indicates that the product is not yet dry. Buff off the Z5 with a high quality towel.
Apply and remove Z6 from the car. This will add a deeper shine, and reduce static electricity up to 60%.
Repeat step 7 until happy with paint finish so far.
Prepare 1oz of Z2 in a ZFX container (will fill 1/2 way), along with 4-5 drops of the 2ml vile cure accelerator. Shake for 60-90 seconds. This will cure the product to paint instantly, and allow for multiple coats of Z2/Z5 without waiting 24 or more hours.
Apply and remove Z6 from the car. This will add a deeper shine, and reduce static electricity up to 60%.
Repeat step 10 until happy with the finish so far.
Apply and remove Z8 from the car. This will add a final layer of gloss, depth, and smoothness to your clear coat.
Future Maintenance
Now that you’ve invested the time (around 12 hours in my case) into make your paint as good as you can, it’s important to keep it that way.
When ever you wash the car, only use Z7. Zaino Z7 is formulated to only enhance the existing Zaino products, and add to them.
Don’t wash the car unless it’s dirty. The common week’s worth of road dust can be safely removed with Z6 Gloss Enhancer and a cotton towel. Make sure that you’re working in small, well-lubricated, areas, and work over the car that way. It’s a lot faster than washing and drying the entire car, and each time you do this, you’re only adding to the wax layers and protection on the car.
Clean-up
Clean out the ZFX containers within 12 hours, or throw them out if later than that. Soak and wash out 314s. Double rinse cycle towels in warm water, let dry in air.
