I ordered Zaino products and initially ordered Z1. Then I was told by Sal (the Zaino man) to get ZFX and according to Sal: "You'll be happy you did". So i ordered ZFX along with Z9 and Z10 (So now I will be getting Z1, Z2, Z5, Z6, Z7, Z9 & Z10). I hope you guys are all right about this stuff... i just spent 8 times what i'd normally spend for similar stuff at the local Autozone.

anyway, here is my question:
Is ZFX better than Z1? Shall I use Z1 at all?
I also got me a Clay Bar from Mothers... is that any good?

Many thanks in advanced to those who'll respond.

/Cheers

I highly recommend ZFX. It makes the initial 3 coats a snap. In the old days, you needed to wait a day between the first coat and the next. With ZFX you can apply 3 coats, one right after another per day.

The Z1 is good to have beacuse after every 10 coats, applying Z1 helps to tighten/strengthen the bond.

I use the ZFX for the first 3 coats, then apply a coat of Z2 now and then normally. After a while ill use some Z1 before the Z2 to help tighten the bond as explained.

Good stuff. Prep the finish good and you will have great results.

Thanks Adam... one other thing still confusing me: regarding the 100% cotton bath towels Zaino site is recommending... how many of those things one needs? I don't see it easy to use a "bath size" towel to remove wax! I bought a large towel and when i fold it, i kind of lose grip on the thing... any ideas there... According to Zaino, very much all the towels I’ve been using are suspect to causing swirls... 99% of towels i buy from the auto part store are not made in USA. i kind of prefer to locally buy towels and not order them from the net... what's your take on that?

I use American made white 100% cotton towels that I bought rather cheaply from Target. They work well. I got a few different sizes for different applications. Never had a problem.

I really recommend www.microfibertech.com elite microfiber towels... they work great when using zaino, speak to ian and he will give u a great deal. Microfiber towels (imo) are significantly better than regular cotton towels because they pick up more residue in one swipe. Just make sure you fold the towel to a "fresh" side often and switch to a new clean towel when you used all the sides on the other towel. You should go through about 6 towels when applying 3 coats. then simply toss them in the washing machine with liquid soap and no fabric softner. Also when you get the towels clip off the tags as they will scratch your finish.

I'm still waiting for my Zaino order, but I did find a Zaino site that has the cotton towels with the tags clipped. I ordered some and have them, but it's difficult to evaluate without the Zaino. I also bought some microfiber (from another site), so I guess I'll try both.

http://www.lazaino.com/

i just got a pack of zfx (now that it is cold outside) and will try it over thanksgiving break.

frankly, zaino must be raking in the cash...

All their business is word of mouth too... And I truly think Zaino is the best prodcut for my purposes that I have ever used.

i also think zaino rocks, this is the only product i have used, so i can only compare to the dealers job, and wow, what a difference, ill post 2 or 3 pics to show the look, this is after 3 coats of z2/zfx

wrong one, but in that pic, you can se the difference of zaino and w/o zaino. the outside part of the door has 6 coats, and the inside has none, it is a lot blacker, and slicker

here another one with only 3 coats though

heres another with only 3 coats

Man! Owsem shine... now i can't wait to get my Zaino stuff....

did you do the whole process including dawn and clay?

Good Job!

hey thanks man, yea, you need to, they say it is a good idea, but it is really mandatory if you want the shone to be there, and also the slickness to be there, i first dawned, then i clayed, then i z7 washed, then i apllied 3 coats of z2 w/ zfz, next week i z7 washed and put on 3 more coats, but on a new car claying takes no time at all, it took me less than 15 minz to do the whole car, when i dawned, clayed, and etc, it took me about 7 hours, then the next week i washed with z7 and put 3 more coats on, it took me about 3, but it can take less depending on how long you let it to dry on the car

Just wondering, do the crevices and parts with plastic get white stains when you wax? I've had that happen with black cars in the past.

Try using Q-tips to get the wax out of the crevices.

Good question. One of the most amazing things about Zaino is it leaves no residue. It wipes off clean, even on dark colors.

So you didn't have to use q-tips at all and it had no residues?

None what so ever. I also follow up every coat with some z6 quick detailer.

Your Mother's clay bar will work just fine. I recommend using car wash as lubricant, or a cheape QD.

Young, they do seem to get an amazing amount of business! I can get better looking results (on black anyways) with other products, but none last as long as Zaino. That is the main reason I use it.

Thanks Justin.
I read in a couple of sites (LAZaino one of them) mentioning to use ZFX mixed with Z2 or Z5 and just use 1 oz of the mix for 3 coats. Is that possible? Or did they mean 1 oz of the mix for each coat?

no they are right, one ounce can do 3 coats, but after a while you can do 9/10 of an ounce and do you rims too, thats what i do

Zaino goes on very thin, if you use a foam applicator, 3 coats to an ounce shouldn't be a problem.

Man.. Finally i got some zaino on my car. I still "struggled" with putting three coats with only 1 oz (i barely had enough for 2 coats of Z5/ZFX mix with 1 oz) this stuff is thick (thicker than Z2 anyway) and half of it sticks to the inner walls of the mix bottle... i was going very thin on the applicator, but still ran out on the last coat... in any case, this stuff is amazing and the shine is there... i will add 2 more Z2 coats in the next week or so. This was a whole day's work!
I love the clay process; it was much easier than i anticipated... everyone warns you to grab the thing because it could slide out of your hands... and boy they're right... when i was done with the whole claying/washing/polishing process i noticed that there were few little spots that could use some more claying, do i need to wait for a while or could i clay those spots and just add zaino? i just don't want to go back and do the whole thing all over again (i mean dawn wash/claying/Z7 etc...). The only problem now is that i don't wana drive the car again so it doesn't get dirty

You will get the hang of applying thinner and thinner coats next time. You can go right ahead and clay those spots where you think it needs it, no need to wait. Claying those spots may remove a little Zaino from those areas.