Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

Forrest · 05-24-2009, 06:31 PM

Okay here is my guide to how i wash and detail my car. Things said and expressed here may not be the best way, but they are how i do it and how i see it works for me so obviously take whats valuable and mix with what you already know.

Choose Your Weapon.
From the beginning I never liked the idea of putting on carnuba wax and knowing with in a week it melts off. I heard of this “polish” not a wax, called “zaino”. What sold me was all the 350z owners with there awesome pictures of there Z2 layered z's that had more shine that I could imagine. To make it better they said it lasts 6 months, and if your not lazy you can keep adding layers to increase the depth and shine!!!!!!!!! Do your research on yahoo and google about zaino and see if its for you.

Okay you don't need to use zaino to use this guide, my methods still apply to the general process, you may use what ever you want obviously but im sure some tactics and processes I do apply to other products. Obviously I am writing this as if you were to use zaino so please bear with it.

Item list of things that are needed:

Necessary Zaino Items: Zaino Store Each item can be seen under product info
Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes
ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive
Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray
Z-7 Show Car Wash
Z-18 ClayBar
Zaino Custom Polish Applicator (2 or 3 of these normally they toss a few in if you buy a lot of stuff)

Non-necessary Zaino Items but great to have!
Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal
Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss
Z-CS Clear Seal
Zaino Blonde Borderfree Towel: 3 pack (buying 2 of these for 6 total probably good idea)

Non Zaino Items but are needed
Liquid Dawn Dish Soap (no scents PLAIN ONLY)
Squirt Bottle with spray nozzle empty
5 Gallon Bucket (You can buy two for the two bucket system)
Wool/Lamb Wash Mitt (I found these let go of debris really easy.)
One Large Or Normal sized 100% Cotton Bath Towel
Leaf Blower (what ever you can find at walmart for cheap and is light and blows good haha)
Extension Cord: for your Leaf Blower.
Tide Liquid Laundry soap PLAIN ONLY NO SCENTS NO EXTRA CRAP JUST PLAIN

General Tips and Tricks for zaino items.
Read every product description for zaino products on line, theres no point in me retyping every thing so I will focus on things the product description doesn't tell you that may cause you problems. It also helps if you print them out that way when your washing the car you can quickly access the info.

Z-18 ClayBar: okay I have to stress Lubricate like crazy, if you do not squirt a lot fluids on the surface, your clay bar will stick to the car leaving marks that are going to be hard to come off. You will have to refill the squirt bottle many times but trust me its easier than rubbing dry clay bar on your car.

Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray: I believe on the bottle it says “in between washes detailer” or implies that. I don't recommend using this with out washing the car or it goes back to the original theory of your gonna move dirt around on your car and scratch.

It also says turn towel frequently. I find that letting the towel get damp is easier application due to turning the towel frequently just lets the towel suck up z-6. If the towel is damp it is not absorbing the z-6 and actually moving it around on the car. Obviously you don't want it to be “wet” but “damp” is good.

Z-7 Show Car Wash and mixing it properly so you don't get water spots!
I was using a tiny 2 gallon bucket and putting 2 cap fulls of Z-7 Into the water and mixing it with a wash mitt in the bucket. I then would get water spots after each wash. I switched to a 5 gallon bucket, marked off the 2 gallon spot.
Fill the 5 gallon bucket up to the 2 gallon mark.
Pour in 4 cap fulls of Z-7.
Turn water hose too what ever high pressure jet/power wash/paint peeling setting you have.
Blast into the bucket with 2 gallons of water already in it, till foam hits the top of the bucket and quit.
Its not about adding more water to the 2 gallons, but more about mixing it up really good.

Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal: Same as z-6 instructions, use this after z-6 and use same towel techniques.

Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes: Here is the hardest to use part of the Zaino system. Now I do not claim to be a expert on Zaino but I can use it some what good. With z-2 the common Novice mistake is to believe that the more you put on the better layer your going to get, or the better protection you shall receive. NO, do not apply z-2 thick. You will be sorry if you put it on thick. For 1 layer on your 370z, if you fill up the 2 ounce bottle half way, you should still have 10% left over in the bottle and you put it on thin. If you are using more than that you are going to have a hard time removing it.

Look at how i put z2 on my pad before i apply it. I don't put 1 lump in the middle but i put it all over in small spots so the entire pad get wet and applys evenly.

Then look at how i apply z2 to the car. Lightly press your pad into the area your going to work in spots. The reason i do this is becuase if you just put your pad into 1 spot and smear the bulk goes into 1 spot and not spread. So i tap the pad agaisnt the entire rectangle i am going to work applying blotches then i work those blotches together. This seems to work for me. example

What happens if you apply zaino on thick? You wont be able to rub it off with ease. It will stick and smear like a coat of slime. Once this happens DONT APPLY PRESSURE. I always and constantly put it on too thick, all I do is just wash the car few times and the extra residue comes off. If you sit there and try to buff it off your just scratching your car. Some times I just drive around and wash it few days later, I don't really care if some one can see my zaino marks specially when I don't have time hehe.

With a white car, you wont even be able to see where your applying zaino because you will be applying it so thin so you have to use a mental memory of what spots you hit, you can see a little bit but not to great, at least my poor eyes with a astigmatism don't see it well.

The Shade will trick you, you wont know you have put it on to thick until you get under direct sunlight and it shall reveal all your smears and sadly any scratches the dealer put on your car! I end up moving my car out of its car port for a quick glance under the sun to see my progress.

Hotter it is, the faster z-2 cures onto your car, if you get below a certain temperature, cant remember what it is, may take a while to even let you wipe it off.

Heres a idea that will help you use z2. Z2 "smears" on. Thats right its like smearing a thin oil on your car that will cure onto it. If you go into the process realizing you are smearing a very thin layer off polish on your car, you will do a better job. Any time your putting it on and you see thick spots, you did it wrong. That spot is going to be a killer to get off when you try to buff it. So what you do is just smear that thick spot around until there is not a obvious spot.

ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive: cleaning out the bottle can be tedious first time, use water at high pressure and squirt in there for a little bit until every thing that can come out will. Poor in ¼ oz. Of liquid dawn and shake it all up, then squirt water in there again until it appears clean. Then go and get a paper towel and twist it like a screw as you feed it in the bottle, It will start wiping the inside of the bottle, then let it just sit and dry with the towel in the bottle.

Also I believe you want to use ZFX, you can use z-2 with out it but ZFX quickens cure time and it claims it lets z-2 bond deeper into the original layers of zaino

General Tips and Tricks that does not apply to any item but good washing techniques.

Horizontal and Vertical motions when moving wash mitts, applying polish, removing polish:
So lets say your washing the hood, your gonna move your mitt all over the place, 360 degrees, sounds great doesn't it? Wrong, if there is debris trapped under your wash mitt you could theoretically create a big circle scratch seen from every angle of the car. You don't want this

For example ANY top part of the car, you need to use the same motion the wind will pass over it. So from the hood to the back of the car, you would make one line. This only has the possibility of making one scratch that can be seen from one angle.

Any Side piece of the car you need to use up and down motions.

This applies to all things, whether your washing the car, applying polish, removing polish its all the same. Any time you touch the car you should keep these motions.

Leaving Soap on the car until done washing?
I wash the car, top to bottom, leaving the soap in place.
Once I wash the entire car and I then hose off all the soap.
Before I would hose off the soap as I went and it was leaving water spots from my hard water.
This way works for me and I no longer get water spots. Should note though I wash in the shade, this method may not work in the sun.

Wash and Dry in shade, don't wash after driving if you can help it
Okay if you wash in the sun it heats up the body panels. While your drying it the heated up panels dry the water for you into water spots. If you have a black car this will make your job even harder. With a white car you can sort of wash in the sun but you will still get spots but no where near as bad as a black car. Okay you will probably get the same amount of spots but you just wont notice it on the white car. Also if you drive the car around and the engine is hot, the hood is going to stay hot making water dry faster on your hood possibly creating water spots.

Washing from Clean Top to Dirty Bottom
The bottom part of the car is in general dirtier than the top. IF you use your wash mitt and wash the spot where the mud flap is or goes, it accumulates the most dirt then wash the top of your car, your effectively bringing debris to the top to scratch your car. In this order I end up washing. Roof, Back hatch, Hood, Left side, Right side, Rear, Front, last but not least, the two very under parts on the left and right side, they get the most dirt so I save them for the last.

If your car is extremely soaked with dirt, mud. I don't know what to tell you, be delicate. Probably let the water get the heavy stuff off. See also the Two Bucket System

DONT PRESS HARD
Thats right if you press hard you are just going to create a scratch, if there is some well say bug guts and its stuck on your car and you are sitting there pressing hard trying to get rid of it, Your doing more damage than good. What I find works for me with bug guts, is my finger nail. Yes thats right if simply moving your wash mitt gently over it doesn't work I gently use my finger nail to remove whats stuck there. Why my finger nail? Its the only tool I have thats hard yet I have enough control to very the level of pressure being pressed down. Could I scratch with my finger nail, yeah you can. I find this works for me. While writing this I sort of realized if your car is really covered in stuff that is not simply wiping off, maybe a small piece of claybar while washing may be the trick.

Drying the car. DONT USE “the Absorber”
I think the absorber should be called the scratcher, it gets wet, heavy and creates a suction type connection to the car if you drag it across. All that seems like it does to me is trap any thing between the absorber and the car and drag it across the car with weight and suction, no good.

The best and fastest way I find is using a Leaf Blower. Mine is a Toro something, its light weight and it blows really good. The Leaf blower gets the bulk of the water off the car and water out of the crevice. For example these spots will hold water and keep dripping for a while and mix water into any solution your putting onto the car. The gas cap of the Z will drip water for a while, if you move your applicator pad with zaino on it near it, your gonna mix water onto your pad making it soggy. The leaf blower gets all the hard to reach spots like this making detailing a lot easier After you get rid of the bulk of water off the car, use the One Large Or Normal sized 100% Cotton Bath Towel to gently remove any drops that was to small to be blown off. Don't press hard your just gently picking up the left overs.

Water Spots:If they are small and easy you can use z-6 and it will remove most of them, if they are large, huge and a lot, I suspect rewashing is easier to get rid of them.

Towel Maintenance: I wash all towels used on the car and the wash mitt it self in my washing machine with some tide liquid detergent.

Applicator pad maintenance: Zaino says you can wash there applicator pads then reuse them, I have never done it I always toss them out and re buy new ones, I may try it later on.

Two Bucket System: 1 Bucket is for SOAP water. 1 Bucket is for plain water. The general idea is you put the mitt on the car, wash the section, put it in the plain water to rinse out the dirt, after you rinse it, you place it back into the soapy water then apply to your car again. The idea is to minimize the amount of dirt you re apply to your car. I use this strategy on the rainy season when mud get caked on the sides of the car, but for summer when I have very little dirt I just use the empty bucket to hold the dirty rags I am bringing in the house to wash.

Towels: You don't have to buy the expensive Zaino towels if you don't want to, but let me tell you they are the softest towels I have felt in my hand, they are so soft I do not believe the towel it self can scratch the car. It also helps they have no border thats hard so it reduces that chance of scratching.

Do not buy those little tiny 100% cotton rags in the automotive section of walmart they feel harsh and I wouldn't dare let them touch my car because I think they would scratch it.
I would recommend doing research on what towel is the best for each use.

New or Old car the beginning.

Prepping the car for zaino to be applied for the first time:
With every new car I have to strip off all the crap and dealer junk they may or may not spread on it. If your car is not brand new, doesn't matter doing this process still is necessary for first time of zaino.
You need Liquid Dawn Dish Soap, yes thats right, its strong, it will strip of wax thats already on the car and prep the surface. You don't want any fragrances you just want PLAIN Liquid Dawn Dish Detergent. You don't want to make a habit of washing with dawn as to I heard it can maybe discolor plastic pieces. Its strong enough to strip wax but according to Sal Zaino via email dawn wont strip off zaino. You are only using dawn for the first time to prep the surface to make the paint as clean as possible so zaino will bond to it. This is also why we are using the clay bar so we have the best surface possible for a bond. All other washes you really want to use Z-7 Show Car Wash

You need shade for this part, you don't want the car hot as you wont be drying the car for a little bit.

#1 Mix about ½ oz. to 1 oz. of liquid dawn into 2 gallons of water.
#2 Wash the car using proper vertical and horizontal and the clean top to dirty bottom techniques
#3 Use your z-18 clay bar and remember to squirt like crazy!
#4 Dry the car
#5 Apply z-6. Then z-8. (if you don't have z-8 don't worry its not needed)

#6 for first time, Go ahead and mix a full 2 ounce ZFX bottle with z-2
#7 Apply z-2 THIN AS POSSIBLE. TRUST ME SUPER THIN.
#8 Wait 30min to Hour, then remove.

Heres where it gets tricky if your a Novice and you put It on too thick, you will have spots you cant wipe off,
continue anyways following the steps if your the novice or pro.

#9 apply z-6 then z-8
#10 apply z-2 second time
#11 wait 30 min to hour then remove.
#12 Apply z-6 then z8 again

If your the novice, I say call it a day, don't worry about the smear marks, let it sit for 1 day then proceed to do a normal wash.
If your a pro go ahead to these steps.

#13 apply z-2 third time.
#14 wait 30 min to hour, then remove.
#15 apply z-6 then z-8
#16 your done with the car for now.

Now if your car has smears any where remember washing it can get rid of it, use a normal Z-7 Show Car Wash solution. I just recommend waiting a day before washing. I am not sure what happens if you try to wash after putting on 2 or 3 coats of z-2 so I wait 24 hours.

If you have no smears and in direct sunlight the car looks optically perfect. Go ahead and apply Z-CS Clear Seal the bottle claims 9 months of protection. I always hope it will make my shine last longer.

Normal wash and dry, the hard work is done:
#1 2 gallons water, 2 caps full of z-7 seems to work for me.
#2 wash car gently
#3 Dry
#4 apply z-6 then z-8 (once again don't need z-8 but I like it)

When I am trying to be fast I can do this entire process in 45 minutes.

Adding more z-2 for depth mirror glass like sexiness!
#1 Wash.
#2 Dry.
#3 apply z-6 then z-8
#4 apply z-2
#5 Wait 30 Mins to 1 Hour then remove.
#6 apply z-6 then z-8

Your Done, you can repeat it all again if you want.

You don't like z-2 but you want protection and shine thats probably as good?
This is Theory and speculation on my part. I know from my own experience z-2 can be a pain, if z-2 is turning you off of the zaino system I have put together a alternative that I thought about using. I have not tested this process but I assume it works, if it does not work like intended I am sorry.

You would have to prep like normal for the first time application of zaino.
So I suspect it would go like this.

#1 wash with liquid dawn dish soap
#2 clay bar
#3 Dry
#4 Apply z-6 then z-8 (I would recommend using z-8 if your not going to use z-2 ever)
#5 Apply Z-CS

Now normally you would you would reapply layers. It states on the zaino page for z-cs that it takes 15-30 minutes for it to dry depending on temp. I personally don't know if it does or doesn't dry in this amount of time. I suspect your probably safe after 30 minutes to do another layer of z-cs.

If you feel confident z-cs is dry then you can restart the process like this

#6 apply z-6 then z-8
#7 apply Z-CS

You should be getting the point by now all these processes are the same.

Making your Tires Shine:
Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss is really easy to use, it makes the tire look very clean, wet and black and best of all, it really does not “sling”.

Since Zaino does not have any tire cleaner, I end up buying some tire cleaner at walmart and clean the tire with it first before applying z-16. I was just applying z-16 on my dirty tire and it was not giving me the best looking result. After cleaning the tire then applying z-16 I had very very very good results.

more pictures at my album.
http://www.the370z.com/members/forrest-albums-370z.html
The picture with the caption zaino actualy have zaino on it, the others are like the first day i had the car with nothing on it.

05-24-2009, 06:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Forrest Track Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: california 707! Posts: 677 Drives: 09 370z Blk 6mt sprt Rep Power: 258	My Guide: Wash Polish Wax with Zaino Okay here is my guide to how i wash and detail my car. Things said and expressed here may not be the best way, but they are how i do it and how i see it works for me so obviously take whats valuable and mix with what you already know. Choose Your Weapon. From the beginning I never liked the idea of putting on carnuba wax and knowing with in a week it melts off. I heard of this “polish” not a wax, called “zaino”. What sold me was all the 350z owners with there awesome pictures of there Z2 layered z's that had more shine that I could imagine. To make it better they said it lasts 6 months, and if your not lazy you can keep adding layers to increase the depth and shine!!!!!!!!! Do your research on yahoo and google about zaino and see if its for you. Okay you don't need to use zaino to use this guide, my methods still apply to the general process, you may use what ever you want obviously but im sure some tactics and processes I do apply to other products. Obviously I am writing this as if you were to use zaino so please bear with it. Item list of things that are needed: Necessary Zaino Items: Zaino Store Each item can be seen under product info Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray Z-7 Show Car Wash Z-18 ClayBar Zaino Custom Polish Applicator (2 or 3 of these normally they toss a few in if you buy a lot of stuff) Non-necessary Zaino Items but great to have! Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss Z-CS Clear Seal Zaino Blonde Borderfree Towel: 3 pack (buying 2 of these for 6 total probably good idea) Non Zaino Items but are needed Liquid Dawn Dish Soap (no scents PLAIN ONLY) Squirt Bottle with spray nozzle empty 5 Gallon Bucket (You can buy two for the two bucket system) Wool/Lamb Wash Mitt (I found these let go of debris really easy.) One Large Or Normal sized 100% Cotton Bath Towel Leaf Blower (what ever you can find at walmart for cheap and is light and blows good haha) Extension Cord: for your Leaf Blower. Tide Liquid Laundry soap PLAIN ONLY NO SCENTS NO EXTRA CRAP JUST PLAIN General Tips and Tricks for zaino items. Read every product description for zaino products on line, theres no point in me retyping every thing so I will focus on things the product description doesn't tell you that may cause you problems. It also helps if you print them out that way when your washing the car you can quickly access the info. Z-18 ClayBar: okay I have to stress Lubricate like crazy, if you do not squirt a lot fluids on the surface, your clay bar will stick to the car leaving marks that are going to be hard to come off. You will have to refill the squirt bottle many times but trust me its easier than rubbing dry clay bar on your car. Z-6 Ultra Clean Gloss Enhancer Spray: I believe on the bottle it says “in between washes detailer” or implies that. I don't recommend using this with out washing the car or it goes back to the original theory of your gonna move dirt around on your car and scratch. It also says turn towel frequently. I find that letting the towel get damp is easier application due to turning the towel frequently just lets the towel suck up z-6. If the towel is damp it is not absorbing the z-6 and actually moving it around on the car. Obviously you don't want it to be “wet” but “damp” is good. Z-7 Show Car Wash and mixing it properly so you don't get water spots! I was using a tiny 2 gallon bucket and putting 2 cap fulls of Z-7 Into the water and mixing it with a wash mitt in the bucket. I then would get water spots after each wash. I switched to a 5 gallon bucket, marked off the 2 gallon spot. Fill the 5 gallon bucket up to the 2 gallon mark. Pour in 4 cap fulls of Z-7. Turn water hose too what ever high pressure jet/power wash/paint peeling setting you have. Blast into the bucket with 2 gallons of water already in it, till foam hits the top of the bucket and quit. Its not about adding more water to the 2 gallons, but more about mixing it up really good. Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal: Same as z-6 instructions, use this after z-6 and use same towel techniques. Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finishes: Here is the hardest to use part of the Zaino system. Now I do not claim to be a expert on Zaino but I can use it some what good. With z-2 the common Novice mistake is to believe that the more you put on the better layer your going to get, or the better protection you shall receive. NO, do not apply z-2 thick. You will be sorry if you put it on thick. For 1 layer on your 370z, if you fill up the 2 ounce bottle half way, you should still have 10% left over in the bottle and you put it on thin. If you are using more than that you are going to have a hard time removing it. Look at how i put z2 on my pad before i apply it. I don't put 1 lump in the middle but i put it all over in small spots so the entire pad get wet and applys evenly. Then look at how i apply z2 to the car. Lightly press your pad into the area your going to work in spots. The reason i do this is becuase if you just put your pad into 1 spot and smear the bulk goes into 1 spot and not spread. So i tap the pad agaisnt the entire rectangle i am going to work applying blotches then i work those blotches together. This seems to work for me. example What happens if you apply zaino on thick? You wont be able to rub it off with ease. It will stick and smear like a coat of slime. Once this happens DONT APPLY PRESSURE. I always and constantly put it on too thick, all I do is just wash the car few times and the extra residue comes off. If you sit there and try to buff it off your just scratching your car. Some times I just drive around and wash it few days later, I don't really care if some one can see my zaino marks specially when I don't have time hehe. With a white car, you wont even be able to see where your applying zaino because you will be applying it so thin so you have to use a mental memory of what spots you hit, you can see a little bit but not to great, at least my poor eyes with a astigmatism don't see it well. The Shade will trick you, you wont know you have put it on to thick until you get under direct sunlight and it shall reveal all your smears and sadly any scratches the dealer put on your car! I end up moving my car out of its car port for a quick glance under the sun to see my progress. Hotter it is, the faster z-2 cures onto your car, if you get below a certain temperature, cant remember what it is, may take a while to even let you wipe it off. Heres a idea that will help you use z2. Z2 "smears" on. Thats right its like smearing a thin oil on your car that will cure onto it. If you go into the process realizing you are smearing a very thin layer off polish on your car, you will do a better job. Any time your putting it on and you see thick spots, you did it wrong. That spot is going to be a killer to get off when you try to buff it. So what you do is just smear that thick spot around until there is not a obvious spot. ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator Additive: cleaning out the bottle can be tedious first time, use water at high pressure and squirt in there for a little bit until every thing that can come out will. Poor in ¼ oz. Of liquid dawn and shake it all up, then squirt water in there again until it appears clean. Then go and get a paper towel and twist it like a screw as you feed it in the bottle, It will start wiping the inside of the bottle, then let it just sit and dry with the towel in the bottle. Also I believe you want to use ZFX, you can use z-2 with out it but ZFX quickens cure time and it claims it lets z-2 bond deeper into the original layers of zaino General Tips and Tricks that does not apply to any item but good washing techniques. Horizontal and Vertical motions when moving wash mitts, applying polish, removing polish: So lets say your washing the hood, your gonna move your mitt all over the place, 360 degrees, sounds great doesn't it? Wrong, if there is debris trapped under your wash mitt you could theoretically create a big circle scratch seen from every angle of the car. You don't want this For example ANY top part of the car, you need to use the same motion the wind will pass over it. So from the hood to the back of the car, you would make one line. This only has the possibility of making one scratch that can be seen from one angle. Any Side piece of the car you need to use up and down motions. This applies to all things, whether your washing the car, applying polish, removing polish its all the same. Any time you touch the car you should keep these motions. Leaving Soap on the car until done washing? I wash the car, top to bottom, leaving the soap in place. Once I wash the entire car and I then hose off all the soap. Before I would hose off the soap as I went and it was leaving water spots from my hard water. This way works for me and I no longer get water spots. Should note though I wash in the shade, this method may not work in the sun. Wash and Dry in shade, don't wash after driving if you can help it Okay if you wash in the sun it heats up the body panels. While your drying it the heated up panels dry the water for you into water spots. If you have a black car this will make your job even harder. With a white car you can sort of wash in the sun but you will still get spots but no where near as bad as a black car. Okay you will probably get the same amount of spots but you just wont notice it on the white car. Also if you drive the car around and the engine is hot, the hood is going to stay hot making water dry faster on your hood possibly creating water spots. Washing from Clean Top to Dirty Bottom The bottom part of the car is in general dirtier than the top. IF you use your wash mitt and wash the spot where the mud flap is or goes, it accumulates the most dirt then wash the top of your car, your effectively bringing debris to the top to scratch your car. In this order I end up washing. Roof, Back hatch, Hood, Left side, Right side, Rear, Front, last but not least, the two very under parts on the left and right side, they get the most dirt so I save them for the last. If your car is extremely soaked with dirt, mud. I don't know what to tell you, be delicate. Probably let the water get the heavy stuff off. See also the Two Bucket System DONT PRESS HARD Thats right if you press hard you are just going to create a scratch, if there is some well say bug guts and its stuck on your car and you are sitting there pressing hard trying to get rid of it, Your doing more damage than good. What I find works for me with bug guts, is my finger nail. Yes thats right if simply moving your wash mitt gently over it doesn't work I gently use my finger nail to remove whats stuck there. Why my finger nail? Its the only tool I have thats hard yet I have enough control to very the level of pressure being pressed down. Could I scratch with my finger nail, yeah you can. I find this works for me. While writing this I sort of realized if your car is really covered in stuff that is not simply wiping off, maybe a small piece of claybar while washing may be the trick. Drying the car. DONT USE “the Absorber” I think the absorber should be called the scratcher, it gets wet, heavy and creates a suction type connection to the car if you drag it across. All that seems like it does to me is trap any thing between the absorber and the car and drag it across the car with weight and suction, no good. The best and fastest way I find is using a Leaf Blower. Mine is a Toro something, its light weight and it blows really good. The Leaf blower gets the bulk of the water off the car and water out of the crevice. For example these spots will hold water and keep dripping for a while and mix water into any solution your putting onto the car. The gas cap of the Z will drip water for a while, if you move your applicator pad with zaino on it near it, your gonna mix water onto your pad making it soggy. The leaf blower gets all the hard to reach spots like this making detailing a lot easier After you get rid of the bulk of water off the car, use the One Large Or Normal sized 100% Cotton Bath Towel to gently remove any drops that was to small to be blown off. Don't press hard your just gently picking up the left overs. Water Spots:If they are small and easy you can use z-6 and it will remove most of them, if they are large, huge and a lot, I suspect rewashing is easier to get rid of them. Towel Maintenance: I wash all towels used on the car and the wash mitt it self in my washing machine with some tide liquid detergent. Applicator pad maintenance: Zaino says you can wash there applicator pads then reuse them, I have never done it I always toss them out and re buy new ones, I may try it later on. Two Bucket System: 1 Bucket is for SOAP water. 1 Bucket is for plain water. The general idea is you put the mitt on the car, wash the section, put it in the plain water to rinse out the dirt, after you rinse it, you place it back into the soapy water then apply to your car again. The idea is to minimize the amount of dirt you re apply to your car. I use this strategy on the rainy season when mud get caked on the sides of the car, but for summer when I have very little dirt I just use the empty bucket to hold the dirty rags I am bringing in the house to wash. Towels: You don't have to buy the expensive Zaino towels if you don't want to, but let me tell you they are the softest towels I have felt in my hand, they are so soft I do not believe the towel it self can scratch the car. It also helps they have no border thats hard so it reduces that chance of scratching. Do not buy those little tiny 100% cotton rags in the automotive section of walmart they feel harsh and I wouldn't dare let them touch my car because I think they would scratch it. I would recommend doing research on what towel is the best for each use. New or Old car the beginning. Prepping the car for zaino to be applied for the first time: With every new car I have to strip off all the crap and dealer junk they may or may not spread on it. If your car is not brand new, doesn't matter doing this process still is necessary for first time of zaino. You need Liquid Dawn Dish Soap, yes thats right, its strong, it will strip of wax thats already on the car and prep the surface. You don't want any fragrances you just want PLAIN Liquid Dawn Dish Detergent. You don't want to make a habit of washing with dawn as to I heard it can maybe discolor plastic pieces. Its strong enough to strip wax but according to Sal Zaino via email dawn wont strip off zaino. You are only using dawn for the first time to prep the surface to make the paint as clean as possible so zaino will bond to it. This is also why we are using the clay bar so we have the best surface possible for a bond. All other washes you really want to use Z-7 Show Car Wash You need shade for this part, you don't want the car hot as you wont be drying the car for a little bit. #1 Mix about ½ oz. to 1 oz. of liquid dawn into 2 gallons of water. #2 Wash the car using proper vertical and horizontal and the clean top to dirty bottom techniques #3 Use your z-18 clay bar and remember to squirt like crazy! #4 Dry the car #5 Apply z-6. Then z-8. (if you don't have z-8 don't worry its not needed) #6 for first time, Go ahead and mix a full 2 ounce ZFX bottle with z-2 #7 Apply z-2 THIN AS POSSIBLE. TRUST ME SUPER THIN. #8 Wait 30min to Hour, then remove. Heres where it gets tricky if your a Novice and you put It on too thick, you will have spots you cant wipe off, continue anyways following the steps if your the novice or pro. #9 apply z-6 then z-8 #10 apply z-2 second time #11 wait 30 min to hour then remove. #12 Apply z-6 then z8 again If your the novice, I say call it a day, don't worry about the smear marks, let it sit for 1 day then proceed to do a normal wash. If your a pro go ahead to these steps. #13 apply z-2 third time. #14 wait 30 min to hour, then remove. #15 apply z-6 then z-8 #16 your done with the car for now. Now if your car has smears any where remember washing it can get rid of it, use a normal Z-7 Show Car Wash solution. I just recommend waiting a day before washing. I am not sure what happens if you try to wash after putting on 2 or 3 coats of z-2 so I wait 24 hours. If you have no smears and in direct sunlight the car looks optically perfect. Go ahead and apply Z-CS Clear Seal the bottle claims 9 months of protection. I always hope it will make my shine last longer. Normal wash and dry, the hard work is done: #1 2 gallons water, 2 caps full of z-7 seems to work for me. #2 wash car gently #3 Dry #4 apply z-6 then z-8 (once again don't need z-8 but I like it) When I am trying to be fast I can do this entire process in 45 minutes. Adding more z-2 for depth mirror glass like sexiness! #1 Wash. #2 Dry. #3 apply z-6 then z-8 #4 apply z-2 #5 Wait 30 Mins to 1 Hour then remove. #6 apply z-6 then z-8 Your Done, you can repeat it all again if you want. You don't like z-2 but you want protection and shine thats probably as good? This is Theory and speculation on my part. I know from my own experience z-2 can be a pain, if z-2 is turning you off of the zaino system I have put together a alternative that I thought about using. I have not tested this process but I assume it works, if it does not work like intended I am sorry. You would have to prep like normal for the first time application of zaino. So I suspect it would go like this. #1 wash with liquid dawn dish soap #2 clay bar #3 Dry #4 Apply z-6 then z-8 (I would recommend using z-8 if your not going to use z-2 ever) #5 Apply Z-CS Now normally you would you would reapply layers. It states on the zaino page for z-cs that it takes 15-30 minutes for it to dry depending on temp. I personally don't know if it does or doesn't dry in this amount of time. I suspect your probably safe after 30 minutes to do another layer of z-cs. If you feel confident z-cs is dry then you can restart the process like this #6 apply z-6 then z-8 #7 apply Z-CS You should be getting the point by now all these processes are the same. Making your Tires Shine: Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss is really easy to use, it makes the tire look very clean, wet and black and best of all, it really does not “sling”. Since Zaino does not have any tire cleaner, I end up buying some tire cleaner at walmart and clean the tire with it first before applying z-16. I was just applying z-16 on my dirty tire and it was not giving me the best looking result. After cleaning the tire then applying z-16 I had very very very good results. more pictures at my album. http://www.the370z.com/members/forrest-albums-370z.html The picture with the caption zaino actualy have zaino on it, the others are like the first day i had the car with nothing on it. Last edited by Forrest; 02-20-2011 at 03:59 AM.