Junkman's "How to Completely Repair Your Paint Damage - The Videos!

sfearl1

Hey Junkman, is there a reason why you switched over from Zaino to Adam's? My dad and I are loving the Zaino system so it's going to be hard to switch over. But we're certainly open to trying new stuff. Are they comparable systems?

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Scott

Junkman2008

Very good question. I don't get asked this enough.

Zaino is very different from most of the products that you hear about in the detailing business. If you look at my Zaino videos, you will notice that I was simultaneously using Meguiar's along with it. The reason why is Zaino is more like a glaze instead of a polish. A glaze is used to FILL IN paint imperfections. It does NOT remove clear coat or scratches the way a traditional polish does. That's why you'll learn that the more coats of Zaino that you use, the better your car will look. If you build up enough layers of Zaino, it will pretty much hide all of the imperfections in your paint.

Now Zaino does have a traditional polish called Z-AIO. It will remove clear coat and thus, any scratches in the clear coat. The only thing about it is Zaino doesn't have another polish to follow it with. It is supposed to finish down pretty flawless but from my experience with it, it still needs to be followed with a lighter polish in order to finish it down flawlessly. When I used Zaino, I would follow Z-AIO with something like Meguiar's #9.

Since Zaino looked better with the more coats I applied, I hated it when I found a scratch and had to buff on it because that removed all of the Zaino in that area. Being as anal as I am, I was constantly fixing the car instead of driving it (and that was not good for someone who loves to drive his car). Thus, I decided to permanently FIX my scratches instead of covering them up with Zaino. By going with a traditional detailing product like Adam's, Meguiar's, 3M, (etc...), I was able to do the repair and protection of my paint a lot faster. So to answer your question directly, I decided to repair my scratches instead of hiding them.

A lot of people hearing that will turn around and ask me if one product is better than another. What I tell them is Zaino is DIFFERENT than other products in its category. That doesn't make it any worse or any better than another product, just different. Zaino definitely has its use in this industry. You don't need a machine to use it for one. Also, it is the preferred product that I would tell someone to use if the were working on a car that has the original 30 year old paint job and you can clearly see that the paint is thin in some areas. You DO NOT want to go buffing on paint that is so thin that buffing might remove it and expose the primer. That is a perfect scenario for the use of a product like Zaino.

So remember, it's not a question as to which product is better, it's a question of which product is best for your situation. No one product addresses everything so choosing the correct product for your situation and the results that you are wanting to achieve is crucial.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

sfearl1

Wow, that's some great insight right there, thank you for clearing that up for me.

This past December (shortly after I purchased my Z), I clayed the car, then followed your ZPC video tutorial to a "T", and knocked out 95% of my clearcoat blemishes, which was plenty for me! I followed it up with the rest of the Zaino system and achieved amazing results. Here's a pic (bad lighting but you get the idea)...



Now that you've put that in perspective for me, it makes complete sense how the more coats you add, the shinier and deeper the finish gets. You're basically adding layers of Zaino "clearcoat" to the car!

I will pass your write-up along to my dad and talk it over with him. Like yourself, we enjoy driving our Z's more than cleaning 'em! Thanks again for the info!

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Scott

Gauge

Hah yeah. Well I'm going to order it here on the first when I get paid and use it on the malibu first. I'm going to youtube the entire thing just so others can see someone else having success with no affiliation. My malibu hasn't been washed(correctly) in about 5 years. Ran water over it a few times to get seasonal salt build up off it, but nothing else. As it stands right now the car is almost white there is so much salt on it, it has very visible paint scratches and swirls. So we'll get to see the total transformation.

It's not that I don't trust you, just like practice for the big game you know. I'll be able to move quicker and do a better job when I move on to the Nismo.

I'll keep you posted and post my results in here.

Gauge

That front right section tells the whole story. Just amazing reflection there. Beautiful.

Junkman2008

There's nothing wrong with the method to your madness.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

sfearl1

Thanks for the kind words! I spent an entire week (after work) polishing this car with my porter cable and watching Junkman's vids on my iPad in my garage

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Scott

Gauge

SO talking to my clear bra installer, they say they use alchohol to remove wax to install the clear bra, will this effect the polish of the car?

What steps would you recommend for prepping for clear bra installation. I'd assume skipping wax as that is going to get removed anyways, then just wax the entire thing after right over the clear bra.

Junkman2008

Polish is NOT on your car. Polish is something used to REMOVE paint damage. Think of polish like a bar of soap. You use it to get the dirt off your body but you rinse ALL of the soap away. None of the soap remains behind. The same is true with a polish, as long as you are not using a junk type of polish that is full of fillers.

Wax is something like lotion is to your skin. It is applied and remains on your skin.

As for the prep you should do? Absolutely nothing. Don't go and make work for your installer by trying to help him out. He knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Do not get in his way.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

Coon-azz

Love the videos. Semper Fi Brother!

I've always owned a black car. Just love the looks when its got the spit and polish going. Bought my first white car ever. Wanted your input on how to make that 2012 pearl white have that wet look. Just like susie rotten crotch.

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I don't care how slow you want to drive; I encourage it. JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF THE PASSING LANE YOU TUCK FARD!!!

Junkman2008

lol!

Here's the deal with white paint. It is no different than any other color on the planet. White paint will damage the exact same way as black paint. Anything that is bad for black paint is just as bad for white paint. There is no difference. If you improperly care for a black car and do the exact same thing to a white car, the damage will be identical. It may be harder to see but trust me it's there.

So what do you do with a white car? The same exact thing that you do to any color car. The product in the bottle has no clue what color your car is and thus, it's going to do what it does regardless. So if it is a excellent product for a black car, you can bet that it is just as good for a white car. When you think about it, that is just common sense.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

Cmike2780

Hey Junkman!

I'm detailing my dad's '04 Maxima and could use some help. The car has never been detailed/polished and basically just washed... and whatever wax my dad put on over the years. I'm prepping the car for polish and there is a section of the front bumper that is really rough to the touch and looks a bit dull. I've already gone over it with the clay bar a few times. Cleaned with Aquartz iron cut, washed, clayed again. It helped a little, but still feels rough. I think it needs some wetsanding, but I want to be as unaggressive as possible. I don't think even an aggressive polish is going to be enough. What do you think? What grit should I use? I just want to do a few light passes with a very fine grit, & polish to get the shine back.

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

Junkman2008

There's no way that I could possibly advise you on what to do without seeing the damage you speak of. The spot could be clear coat failure and wet sanding on it would totally cause clear coat failure in that spot. Also, not knowing exactly what you've used or how you used it limits what advice I can give. A video of what you're working on would be best in this case. I need to know all of the above, as well as the amount of experience you have in these matters. You may have tried something that would work but used the wrong product or used the right product in the wrong manner.

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"Marines - Making the other guy die for his country for over 200 years."

Cmike2780

I'll take some pics, possibly video when I get home later. It doesn't look like a clear coat failure though. It in an area that's low on the bumper



My guess is road grime build-up/pitting/etc. I have had a decent amount of time detailing. Not a pro or anything, but not a noob either. I've done minor wetsanding twice (2000 grit only) and it was only on small areas. I'd rather not have to do it if I can avoid it. I used dish soap to wash the car, Dryed, then started with Adam's clay bar w/Adam's Detail Spray. After about two dozen passes I applied some of the Aquartz. Let it set for a few min, but not let it dry, sprayed off and dried again. There was a little reaction (color change with the Aquartz) so I'm assuming there was def iron build-up. It still felt rough though, so after the surface dried, I went over it with the clay bar again...this is where I'm at now. It still feels rough to the touch and slightly dull. It's not flaking off or anything and you can't really tell from 10 feet back. I know it's hard to give advice without seeing it. I'll get those pics up ASAP. Thanks in advance.

Attached Images

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

MightyBobo

Junkman - cant believe I didnt find this thread until now, and I've been here for years....

So I'm finally getting a house with a garage, and I want to get back into detailing. I'm looking for some good lighting setups to get some inspiration on how I want to wire my garage - maybe you have some info for me? Thanks in advance if so!

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