E30 Zone

From what I have seen you recommend in this forum and from peoples reactions from buying products and using techniques you recommend, without personally knowing you, I 100% trust your opinions on car detailing. The results speak for themselves

To get to the point, I'd like to ask you to compose a list of ALL products you would recommend, from start to finish. If this was then stickied then everyone would have a reference to look up quickly if they want to purchase a detailing product, cos lets face it, most of us cant afford to buy them all at the same time! This should save repeat topics too.

What y'all think?

his skills are proven on his work....
yeah would be a good idea....

Good idea ... would cut down on posts. I have only tried the leather cleaner recommended and it's great. Waiting for warmer weather to try out the new polish and the 303.
Maybe a top 5 in each category - shampoo, polish, tyre stuff etc..... ???

G

i would be happy to do this
but only if people understand these will be my opinions and are not definitive answers
"the best polish" question can never be really answered because its down to user
ie what they are able to do with it and whether it gives the results they are looking for

but iam happy to recommend what i use and i stress i use
anything i speak about i have used on my own car and know its strength and weaknesses
if i havent used it i wont comment ..............its not fair to

it will take me some time but i think it would be good to do some sticky topics ie different areas

ie washing drying
claying
using zaino
using porter cable and removal of swirls
products
tools

etc
you let me know .we will need a friendly mod to sticky them ...SIMON!!!

i know he will gladly do it
so please give me a little time as it will take time to do and i will do it
iam currently answering approx 50 pms a day and it would make sense to do this
if i havent got back to anyone yet
iam sorry but i will

john

glad to hear you're up for this jon, i appreciate you sharing your knowledge and views. fully understand that this will take you time, theres a lot of stuff to cover! i'm going to finish up my meguiars stuff then take up the zaino challenge to get my e looking nice for the summer!

Jon if you can create a document outlining all different products and the stages they are used, so basically your whole process in 1 document.
I can then add that to the articles and i'll create a sticky in this section that points all users to first read through that before asking questions relating to your recommended products

Just to back up what Jon is saying about polishes, i ordered some Zaino prior to gaydon last year, applied it as recommended but was very dissapointed certainly no better than any other of the top pruducts, so i've gone back to Autoglym, i know people don't always rate it ,but it works for me, & it's cheaper !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All I would use was Autoglym, but when using this on my sport evo, I ended up with a freshly painted car (1 year ago) to something ending up looking like it was painted 10 years ago. I could not believe my eyes. Everytime I polished it got worse, and I was soooooo careful with it.

For the zaino stuff to work properly, you MUST prepare the paintwork before applying it. My pictures speak for themselves. The car lookes much better in the flesh too, and after 24hrs of the this being applied, the finish looked even better. A week on, and its still as good.

To prep the paintwork properly for best results, John has said time and time again, but really this is the only way.

I would not go back to Autoglym.

OK sheps Maybe i'll give it another go !!, or i'll get hold of Jon

it would be good if you gave it another try

i will be posting how i use zaino and what works for me

id be intereted in you method used step by step naming all products when you zainod

maybe there is something i could help to change to get you better results second time

what colour is your car ??

with all due respect zaino is not even on the same playing field as autoglym and iam sure we can get it to work for you.
zaino if applied in the right way is amazing.

john

hi jon

when are you going to do another group buy ??? i want to try these products out for myself .

alexm3uk

Hi Jon & thanks for your interest, I wash the car as you discribe,then

1 coat Zaino Nr 5 as instructed then

1 coat Zaino Nr 2 "" "" "" ""

2 coats Zaino nr2 but with the accelerator added,.

Granted it has a good shine, but nothing like yours or indeed any better than my other polishes like Zymol, maguires, or autoglym.

If my approach with Zaino is not as you would recomend, then please feel free to educate a numpty in the valeting game


regards Steve Parkes

I tired the Mothers 3 step, cleaner, sealer and pure carnuba wax, ok results and hard to use.

Then try megauiers NXT wax, easy to use and great results.

parksie wrote:Hi Jon & thanks for your interest, I wash the car as you discribe,then

1 coat Zaino Nr 5 as instructed then

1 coat Zaino Nr 2 "" "" "" ""

2 coats Zaino nr2 but with the accelerator added,.

Granted it has a good shine, but nothing like yours or indeed any better than my other polishes like Zymol, maguires, or autoglym.

If my approach with Zaino is not as you would recomend, then please feel free to educate a numpty in the valeting game


regards Steve Parkes

hi ok

i see acouple of maybe problems

the paint you are applying to HAS TO BE totally wax and previous product free
so car needs to be washed in fairy liquid and dried really well

now depending on condition of paint/age etc you now have adecision
you either clay bar the car as you have no swirls etc etc or you remove marks /swirls etc with appropriate products
once as good as you want it and remember PREP IS THE KEY,then begin to apply

but iam slightly worried about how you have only applied z2 with accelerator after 2 previous coats of zaino
1 of z5 and one z2

i have used z5 and its good but its meant to fill swirls to some extent instead of removing
it works well but not imho as well as removing altogether

i would

apply first coat of z2 on top of your totally clean paint but THIS MUST HAS HAVE THE ACCELERATOR ADDED
your first coat must use this or a precoat of Z1
i prefer the precoat of z1 as when i started using zaino zfx(accelerator) wasnt available
z1 is appliede very thinly and z2 is applied directly on top and you dont leave it to dry b4 the z2

you must let the z2 dry
this is all dependant on atmospherics,heat hunidity etc but my advice if you are applying by hand is to leave an hour
when u go to remove test by wiping finger on polish
if it comes straight off and leaves crystal paint then its ready if it kinda smears then its not ready

i apply with porter so its slightly different for drying because the porter applys such a thin coat it dries quicker and a little bit of heat generated by pad helps the curing

once you have taken this off leave car for at least 24 hours b4 applying any more polish
your car will look better in morning as it cures

you can apply a spray mist of z6 or now i use z8 tho its pricey and wipe off as u do it

i always z6/z8 between coats as it gives more depth without doubt
then i just build on it

i never (after 1st application) apply more than 2 coats in 24 hours
i get better results like that

i always give a little sprayof z6/z8 on what ever iam using to apply polish it just seems to help process

with zaino less is best
apply it as thin as you can.

follow this andiam sure you will see a difference

the first coat with accelerator or using z1 is the most important

john

So how long does that all take to do start to finish?

This is a science

John thanks for your time and interest, hopefully next weekend i'll have another go and put some pics up

Cheers sp

even though its not necessary, i would just like to say that what john has said about thinner being better is absolutly true and have expreienced this myself

also, when buffing, to help enhance the shine stick to up and down movements on vertical panels (i.e. doors wings etc) and front to back (i.e. bonnet to boot) movements on horizontal panels (such as bonnet, roof etc)

i find it helps just that little bit

iam glad to help

if you need any more help just shout me ill do what i can

i cannot answer how long it takes

i can zaino a whole car with its initial coat in about half an hour and that is covering every panel completely
i can remove it all in 10 mins

this is all the easy bit

prep can take me 3 days
it all depends on what condition your paint is in

what you are looking to achieve

its all in prep and there is no way to get glass like mint fibish in 2 hours
its just not happening

once you have pre[pped and your first coat of zaino is on and has been for 24 hrs then looking after it is easy

you will wash your car quicker(only use zaino z7 if ur using zaino dont cross over products) and dry it quicker and a quick 5 minute mist of z8 finale spray and car will look like the minute you last polished it

initial work needs to be put in
you only get out what you put in

john

billgatese30 wrote:even though its not necessary, i would just like to say that what john has said about thinner being better is absolutly true and have expreienced this myself

also, when buffing, to help enhance the shine stick to up and down movements on vertical panels (i.e. doors wings etc) and front to back (i.e. bonnet to boot) movements on horizontal panels (such as bonnet, roof etc)

i find it helps just that little bit

good point chris

and ONLY USE TOP QUALITY MICROFIBRE TO WASH ,DRY,APPLY AND TAKE OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Iv just ordered the complete kit from advanced car products, i cant wait for it to come now. I might even take friday off work so i can spend the recomended 3 days on the car

Jon, i think iv seen you driving around coventry, your car is stunning, it looks better in the flesh than in the pictures, and thats saying something!

Im sure i speak for everyone on the zone when i say all this advice is really appreciated!

m3ben05 wrote:Iv just ordered the complete kit from advanced car products, i cant wait for it to come now. I might even take friday off work so i can spend the recomended 3 days on the car

Jon, i think iv seen you driving around coventry, your car is stunning, it looks better in the flesh than in the pictures, and thats saying something!

Im sure i speak for everyone on the zone when i say all this advice is really appreciated!

did you put e30 zone in appropriate box
that gives u 5 percent off

remember prep is the key
macau is ahard colour to prep
guess how i know!!!

zaino is simply an enhancing sealant system
it will enhance and highlight what is underneath it

if u have swirls etc then thats what it will show if u see what i mean
zaino ,apart from zpc is non abrasive and removing swirls has to be done with the abrasive first
take your time
it will pay off

john

john- so what is claybar used for? i thought it also helped remove swirls.

if you just washed your car with fairy liquid and were using all these products for first time, what would you do?, would you clay bar it first, then remove swirls then polish, or remove swirls then claybar and then polish.

cheers

Iv ordered some zpc based on your suggestion in a previous thread. So i should use that first to remove the swirls before begining to apply any other products?

As far as i can tell, i should do the following -

Wash with fairy liquid
ZPC the car to remove swirls
a coat of z1 followed by a coat of z2 then leave for 24 hours
spray the car with z8, remove then reapply z2

If i can achieve results 50% as good as you can achieve i will be very happy!

right

fairy liquid wash
dry
zpc (or clay bar if you odn't wish to remove swirls or use abrasive zpc)
then z1 (don't buff off)
z2 and leave to cure
buff off
z6/z8, do not allow liquid to dry, litterally spray and wipe

then after a day or two, re apply z2 and z8 etc

cheers chris, but still unsure about claybar business. bit confused. can you not use claybar aswell, so use it after or before removing swirls.

yep
wash car i fairy liquid
dry well

use zpc on all apnels
take your time
by hand its hard work i assure you but you will get there
i suggest claying car too prior to zpc if you are doing by hand

once u have zpc'd car than apply z1
leave z1 on car and even if its not dry apply z2 on top of z1
really really thin coats

let this dry.maybe an hour test as previously mentined

take z2 which is on top of z1 off

spray mist car with z8 half panel at atime and just wipe it ibnto panel and u will see it dry and leave panel sparkle

dont apply anymore for 24 hours

youMUST USE TPO QUALITY MICROFIBRE TO DO ALL THESE STEPS
if not u will be putting swirls in as you are trying to take them out

wash with microfibre,dry apply and take off

then never use anything but microfibre on paint again or u will reintroduce swirls

if u need help let me know ill try and advise

john

right

a clay bar picks up any contaminates/oxidisation that is stuck to the paint surface amking it rough and dull


an abrasive product like g3, zaino zpc and other swirl mark removers actually remove an extremely fine layer of top coat, therefor removing the swirls which are actually minute scratches in the surface, the abrasvieness actually takes the level of the paint down flat so there are no makrs/swirls etc

these products also take all the oxidisation and contaminates out of the paint too so there is no need for claying.

so the clay bar is good for a rough/dull surface

zpc is good for both that and swirls but is abrasive which many people don't like using.

hth

nav786 wrote:cheers chris, but still unsure about claybar business. bit confused. can you not use claybar aswell, so use it after or before removing swirls.

use clay before removing swirls

clay is not really needed if ur using orbital as this will remove all plus more than clay and if ur using porter u r doing so to remove swirls

john

Last questions hopefully,

How long should i leave the zpc on for? Panel by panel or apply to the whole car then remove?

Also, after completing the above process, which steps need repeating after 24 hours? Im guessing just the z2 pro and the z8.

m3ben05 wrote:Last questions hopefully,

How long should i leave the zpc on for? Panel by panel or apply to the whole car then remove?

Also, after completing the above process, which steps need repeating after 24 hours? Im guessing just the z2 pro and the z8.

zpc is the abrasive
panel by panel
remove from panel
inspect
you may do areas 5 times depending on swirls etc

then as u say after 24 hours z2 ,z8

john

cheers jon, chris. just wanted to find out everything before i do anything. dont wanna mess up. well i'm confident enough now.

cheers

how have you found the microfibre products you had on the last group buy nav???

im sorting another one out at the minute

just waiting to here back from my man

john

i was well pleased. the wash mitt is very good as it helps to get to awkward places, but i was amazed by the drying cloth. it really really is amazing. it reduced the drying time by a half or more, and leaves a good shine. havent tried the claybar or chip kit yet though.

let me know when you do the group buy again, will be after some more polish removing microfibre.

cheers jon.

one last question thats come to mind.

say i did all the prepping using a porter cable, then polished etc using zaino., how long does finish last. say if i wash it again after a week using a shampoo, would i just dry it off and apply one of the zaino products. when would you expect to do it all over again from step 1.

cheers

i can quite easily say that you only need to do from step one maybe every 12 months thats to keep it nice
cars pick up marks etc so you will after this time poss want to deal with these and start afresh

if u do step 1
then wash with zainoz7 and reapply say z8 after wash and dry

id say finish wouldnt go off boil for 6 months

but zaino is addictive cuz more u do deeper and wetter it gets

and if u do good prep really take your time then id say once a month if u then washed ,spray of z8,quick coat of z2 and another spray of z8 you could do whole car from start to finish in two hours tops

when your paints nice and well protected it cuts down the time it takes to maintain

john

cheers jon. . real star