wow

I took my E500 for a long drive today and boy, did I get a lot of compliments from the people. Even when I am driving, I can see that people pointed at my car and probably wished that they can drive one. That makes me feel good about my choice of buying this car.

Don't guess me wrong, where I live, there are plenty of S class, M5, M3, Bentley, 745iL and Older model E class (silicon valley - home of the geeks who have lots of money), but somehow the new E really gets people attentions.

Well, I guess that being the first kid on the block with new toy do get some attentions.

For those of you who have your cars, congratulations. For those of you who are still waiting, it is definitely worth the wait.

Peace

jhb

Ditto on all counts.

wow

So far, Tele Aid is the only thing that does not work in my car. The service manager told me that since the car is so new that he does not have spare parts available. He has to order them. I don't know how long is the wait.

Anyone here did the perma plate? Would you rather condition & details the car yourself like bmms8? Granted that you need 6 or 7 hours to do them. I am way to busy at home to have that much time to perform the zaino (spelling?) on my car.

Chris

bmms8

my teleaid isnt working again...even though they fixed it....but i would not get anything done by the dealer....yes, it did take me 7 hours to do zaino, and it will take you that long also....plus you need towels, i suggest www.microfibertech.com they have good towels, get 10 elite, and one large waffle weave...talk to alboston, or justins64, they helped me a lot, i like the cruise, the lights are nice

etenn

WoW :

What do you mean by "perma plate". Is that a dealer offered detailing? Don't think I have ever seen that around Seattle.

I would like to find someone to do the Zaino also. Wonder what that ought to cost.

wow

Perma Plate is something that the dealer where I live (CA) offers. Basically they wax your car, apply a protective coat for your paint after the waxing. Also they detail the inside of your car, apply protective coat for leather, fabrics, etc. The cost is about $650. They are willing to do it for me for about $450. They told me that it would take more than 1 day to do it (I assume that it is 8 hours work day?)

bmms8

lol, wow 650 bucks, what a waste, with that money man, you can get so many good towels, and all the zaino u need for life.....just rty zaino yourself, it isnt hard at all, i made a big fuss about using it, but it is really really easy

JustinTRW

Uh...you still don't know what you are doing, LOL.

Seriously though, if BMMS8 could be taught (it took like three months), then anyone can learn. Zaino isn't the only option, but it is a good option.

NHW

Zaino is so easy, even this chick got it exactly right the first try. And that's from someone who ran her C280 through the car wash twice a year, whether it needed it or not. Seriously. No joking there.

When I got my new MB last July I would never have considered the Perma Plate, even being as clueless as I still was at the time. Instead, I did research here and Autopia and decided on Zaino which I had never even heard of before. I followed the instructions on their site to a "T" as well as the advice on the boards and had a perfect job, right from the get-go. Took me 4.5 hours including claying and other prep work, then 3 coats of Z w/ZFX with Z6 in between each coat. Not bad at all.

Nancy
2003 SLK320 Firemist/Charcoal

JustinTRW

Hey Nancy,

Are you sticking with Zaino or are you going to try the S100 topper? I'm interested in what you might decide.

wow

Thanks. I am going to stick to zaino and do it myself.

Chris

NHW

<laughing> I am suffering the stereotypical female indecision on that one. I had thrown another coat of Z on the car a week ago, the same day I started agonizing if, in spite of how good it looked, if this was the BEST it could look. It's been looking damned fine this week, if I do say so myself. I washed it this afternoon and followed with a quick Z6ing and it sits out there just glowing. It's still not as deep as I would like but it sure is shiny.

So...I dunno. What I plan to do in a week or so is run by CMA since they are right here in my town, let them take a look at the car and see what they think. P21S/S100, Blackfire, etc. Since they don't sell it, I expect them to have a prejudice against Zaino, but perhaps they can give me a good idea what to expect from the different options. Also might get to see some cars there with the various products on them.

NHW

You won't regret this decision. After the initial application, which really isn't that bad, it's just wash, dry and go. You don't have to QD after each wash although I almost always do.

I do use only the Z7 car wash and that may make a difference in how easily it stays looking good.

Also, if you have the time, repeat the three coats again a week or so after the initial application. While not necessary, I did get a gain in slickness, uniformity and shine. From then on, you really can leave it alone for half a year.

Oh, another thing. Make sure you do your wheels with the Z2 or Z5 also. It's amazing how easily the wheels wash up. No scrubbing and fighting the brake dust. It just swishes away.

Nancy
2002 SLK320 Firemist/Charcoal

ctouhey

Well, heck, iffin' a girl kin dew it, ah prolly kin to...

Nancy, I did get the Perma Plate and feel really stupid (not to mention the waste of money). I'm hoping the Dawn wash strips it off. My $300 worth of Zaino products are scheduled to ship Monday (according to Sal) and I bought about $700 worth of vacuums, mitts, cloths, brushes, California Dusters, etc. to detail the car. My money says I do it once and then go back to paying someone else to do it.

I bought some kind of PS21 wheel gel ('cause the site said you needed it with MB brake dust - am I gullible or what?). Do I use this? First time or regular? I see you said to use the Zaino for regular maintenance. Are these products mutually exclusive?

Also, Nancy, did you clay and was that as easy as the Zaino? I've read everything about that, but still - it's something I've never done before. But iffin' a girl ...

The nice thing about paying someone to do it is if you trust them, you just assume they'll do the same job you would. If I do it myself, my ****-retentive side will kick in and the 7 hour initial job will turn into 14 hours. The best thing would be to get up at dawn and have a couple pints of Guinness just to get the proper attitude before I begin...

NHW

Good God! I thought I bought a lot. What could you have possibly purchased that added up to $300? I purchased Z2, Z5, ZFX, 2 of Z6, Z7 and some extra applicators. I don't think it was much more than $100.

I don't think the Dawn wash will get rid of the Perma Plate as I believe it is also a polymer. Justin or someone else might better answer that question. Certainly a polish will remove it though.

I thought I would just do it once then hire someone. But I have found it quite therapeutic. It gets my head "somewhere else" while I do it and I solve all my work problems as well as those of the whole world while I work on the car. Also, I too have an ****-retentive side. This didn't make the job take longer though. It just makes it so I don't think anyone else would possibly do as good a job. So for the foreseeable future, I will be doing it myself which is a surprise to even me. Let me emphasize, this is NOT a 7 hour job. It took me 4.5 hours. The SLK is a tiny car though. Maybe add an hour at most for your car.

My guess would be that the wheel cleaner you puchased would strip off any Zaino you apply to them. In that case, they could be considered mutually exclusive. I'd hang on to that wheel cleaner and only use it if regular washing doesn't do the job. You may never need it. I find the coats of Zaino on the wheels maintain a slick enough surface and barrier that the brake dust has just not been on issue like it was with past MBs I've owned. Maybe it's a difference in the wheel material/coating and maybe it's the Zaino. Whatever it is, the infamous MB brake dust hasn't been a problem for me since the new car and Zaino.

Claying was a snap. The car was only a few weeks old so the contamination was minimal. I used a bucket of soapy water (Z7) as a lubricant. I liked it because I could just slop lots of it on instead of daintly spraying as I went. :p It took no time at all, far less than an hour.

What I put on my wheels is the Zaino polymer only. No special wheel cleaner has been needed. All my prior MBs had horrible brake dust build-up. Granted, I didn't wash those cars often so it would get really baked on. When wheel cleaner was used on my last MB, a C280, by a professional detailer, it completely screwed up the finish on my wheels. Forevermore, I will be scared of wheel cleaners. On my current MB, I have several coats of the same Z2 and Z5 I have on the paint. I wash the car weekly and the brake dust comes off the wheels as easily as the dirt off the paint.

Here's the process I went through the first time:

Dawn washed the car
Clayed with Z7/water as a lubricant
Z7 washed the car
Dried
Applied 3 coats of Z5 mixed with ZFX. Used Z6 after coat 1 and 2.
Cleaned the interior when done with all that.

That was it. There was immediate drying so the only wait in between the coats was for a short break. About an hour total for the two washes and drying after the second, an hour for claying, 2 hours for the three coats of sealant. 30 minutes corking off.

How tough is that? If a 100 pound, 5'1" tall GIRL can do it, so can you. Just don't have an attack of that male malady of not asking for directions or following instructions. :p J/K Use the information supplied by Zaino and the people here and you too will achieve the results I did with the ease I experienced.

Nancy
2002 SLK320 Firemist/Charcoal

See how **** I am? I edit for typos.

awiner

Zaino is also my personal favorite. Clay your car down good and that permaplate garbage will strip off just fine.

JustinTRW

If you are a weekly washer, then car wash will suffice for the wheels, but P21S wheel gel is a good product. Use it if you have any trouble.

ctouhey

Thanks Nancy, Awiner, and Justin!

I feel more confident the more I talk about the process. Nancy -- I bought multiples of everything to get to the $300. Except Z5. My car was delivered 10/21 and it's rained all but 2 days since then. I hope it doesn't have any swirls yet, but it's at the dealer's for service and who knows what will happen by the time I get it back. I guess I can order some Z5 if necessary. I did get some ZFX and Z2, and 2 or 3 bottles of everything else. (Except the leather cleaner - 1 bottle.) Plus the special hemmed towels from lazaino.

Question: I did not get any of the Z plastic cleaner -- what is plastic on the E500 that would need that product? Also, what about the chrome and the headlights? Use the glass cleaner for the headlights? Z2 or Z6 for the chrome?

Why wouldn't you have used Z6 after the 3rd coat?

Am I correct in thinking I can wash outside (sun/shade) but Zaino in the garage? (Don't Zaino in the sun?)

Did you stick with forward and back motions on top, hood and trunk and up and down motions on the quarter panels and doors?

Nancy - like that "slop lots of it..." I gotta 'member this ain't that much of a precision job! And if I'm lucky, it will be theraputic for me, also.

I appreciate the responses.

JustinTRW

You use the plastic cleaner on things such as the headlight and brakelight covers. Seems unneccessary for now. The glass cleaner is for the windshield, and all other windows. For chrome, you need something like Eagle One Nevr Dull, but for now just wipe it down. You will not need anything else.

Always wash in the shade unless you can work at super human speeds because water will dry on the car and make your life miserable. You are correct on the motions of applying.

The only other thing I can say is to get it on as thin as possible.

NHW

Since I didn't get my MF towels from Zaino, I didn't add the cost of those in. That does push my initial purchase higher. And I am getting the leather conditioner with my reorder here soon. The leather is so crappy in the SLK that I hardly feel it's worth the trouble, but oh well. I'll take care of it anyway. The SLK interior is very cheap compared to my former MBs.

I use the Z2 or 5 on the headlights and chrome. Same theory as the wheels...makes cleaning a breeze since dirt won't stick very well. I haven't needed to clean anything plastic beyond what the weekly washing takes care of so I have had no need for the plastic cleaner. I hear it is very good though.

Basically, I but the Z2/5 everywhere except the windows and tires. Works and does good on almost all exterior surfaces and doesn't stain or whiten trim. Some even put it on the windows. That seems a little over the top to me but maybe it does some good there too.

I didn't use Z6 after the 3rd coat because that was the final coat so it was not needed as an "in between" coat. Besides, after that 3rd coat, I was ready to be done. And so I was done. Enough was enough. It was August in Florida and straight up sun, between noon and 1pm My brain would have fried if I made one more pass doing anything on that car.

It may have looked better if I had put on Z6 as the very last thing but, unlike the other coats, it wasn't going to make a permanent or long lasting difference. Only until the next wash at best. Besides, I wanted to get to the interior (which takes all of 15 minutes max in that tiny car). The Z6 is very important in between coats because it will ensure nothing like a water spot or something else gets trapped under a layer of Zaino. Supposedly it also enhances the shine of the sealant. Since I always do it, I can't say if it does that or not. And the smell is awesome. It's worth using just for the intoxicating smell. It competes right up there with my 24 Faubourg! Well, not really....but you get the idea.

You can Zaino in the sun. I did. And the web site also says you can. But my car was not excessively hot since I started in the morning and was in shade part of the time. I don't wash my car when it is hot from driving and try to go for a shady area so it's not too hot from sun. I always prefer outside. The garage is just no fun at all.

The "slop it on" technique using a bucket really does work. Plenty of lubricant is important in the claying process and this works as well as anything I can imagine.

The only precision in this job is the prep. The claying should be easy (and probably hardly even necessary but worth doing. I found very little picked up because my car was new like yours). Just be sure you don't have water spots or anything else before applying the sealant because they will be trapped below it. Z6 takes care of that. Use two MF towels. Mist the Z6 on, spread and wipe with one towel. Use the other for the final buff-off. Towel number 1 will get pretty damp by the time you are done. Towel number 2 will be relatively dry and is necessary to avoid smearing with the Z6. Do NOT let the Z6 dry on the car. Spray it on and immediately wipe it off. Do a panel or half panel at a time. I use a smaller 15x15 or so towel for the first pass and a larger 24x24 towel for the second pass. The latter I keep refolding to expose a drier surfuce. The former doesn't matter as I am using it mostly to distribute evenly, not buff out, so very damp is okay. Don't let them touch the ground when you are working on the lower part of the car, keep them clean so the surface of the car will remain clean.

Yes, I did horizontal surfaces from to back and vertical surfaces up and down as a final pass. Best is to do the opposite at first and finish in those directions. i.e., side to side on the hood followed by front to back. That will ensure complete coverage. Just don't use too much ZFX or it will set up too fast to do this, depending on your weather. Fall on the 4 drops per ounce side instead of the 5. Or do the first coat opposite direction and the 2nd and 3rd coat normal/preferred direction. Multiple coats alone should make for complete coverage so don't obsess too much about this. The Zaino site recommends circular motions followed by the straight front-to-back or up-and-down. I just can't bring myself to do anything in circular motions. Too afraid of swirls.

After you digest all this stuff, much of it is really common sense. It's really very, very easy.

The Zaino should look even better on your Pewter than my Firemist Red. Let us know how it turns out.

Nancy
2002 SLK320 Firemist Red/Charcoal

awiner

One of the great things about Zaino is that YOU CAN apply it in the sun. I wouldn't recommend doing it in the hot blistering Southern California summer sun, but supposedly you can. I Zainoed a Ferrari in the sun on fathers day. Was pretty hot out and the final result was excellent !

As with everything, Zaino isn't magical. it is a excellent product however that does live up to the hype if you take your time and follow the instructions.

The durability of Zaino is AMAZING ! I have let the finish on cars go up to 6 months without any noticable loss in protection or shine. I do however recommend at least a coat of Zaino to freshing things up everyone other month or so.

The entire line works well. I have not used the glass, plastic or chrome cleaners however.

wow

Thank you so much for all the information provided by Nancy, JustinTRW, bmms8, and many others (I started to sound like an oscar winner LOL). Anyway, one last question. Where do I buy this zaino products?

_______________

E500 Platinum blue/Ash Leather. E1, E2, Active ventilated seats, Rear Window sun shade, Navigation, folded down rear seat, CD changer

JustinTRW

Visit http://www.zainobros.com. You can either order directly from them or ask for the nearest distributor.

NHW

You can buy straight from Zaino Brothers as I did with my initial order. The only negative ordering directly from Zaino Brothers is that you must use snail mail and a check.

I erred on ordering neither ZFX, which I intended to do, or Z1 and you must have one or the other. So I found an authorized distributor named Gloss Boss who takes phone orders and credit cards. I ordered the ZFX and another Z6 and it arrived extremely quickly. The phone number for Gloss Boss is 317-859-8449.

Kar don

Zaino has a chrome cleaner? I thought u said u used Z12 on your glass before? I would really like to try it...