Zaino Z-PC

[thegunguy]

I'm guessing the many of you are familiar with the line of Zaino (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc) products. Combined with proper washing techniques and quality mitts and towels, the Zaino products provide wonderful protection for your paint as well as providing an incredibly rich shine. You can find great info on the Zaino products at many sites on the web, but I'd like to comment on one that I recently tried for the first time.

Having a black car, I am very careful to use proper washing techniques (linear strokes, etc.). However, there is just no way to keep your car free of micro-scratches such as swirl-marks and spider webbing, regardless of color, and once they start, the only way to remove them is with polish. I've used the various 3M products for years, and they've always been good to me, but since I've become a Zaino fan of late, I decided to try the Zaino Z-PC polish about a month ago during a marathon detail session. Z-PC is a light polish that is only slightly abrasive that I would call a finishing polish. Zaino claims that the suspended abrasives breakdown when in use. So, when used with light pressure and an random orbital buffer like a Porter-Cable, there is almost no way to damage your paint.

After a initial wash and clay treatment, I used the Z-PC over the entire car. The results were incredible. Nearly all swirls were easily removed, leaving a factory quality finish - a black mirror in my case. The stuff is the easiest polish that I've ever used - goes one smoothly, cuts cleanly, dries quickly, and removes without any "gunking" that I've seen with other polishes. I completed the session with the several coats of the Z5 and Z2 polishes and Z6 and Z8 glazes.

So, if you're looking to cure some swirls or minor scratches, give Zaino Z-PC a try. It's super easy to use and the results are phenomenal.

[Rjay]

I just converted from P-21S wax to the Zaino system, and like you I'm very happy with the results on my red car. The shine is deeper and wetter than with wax, and should be much longer lasting. However, I have been unsuccessful polishing out micro swirls that can only be seen when looking in direct sunlight. I have several times used Griot's #2, #3, and #4 polishes, as well as others, using the orbital buffer, with virtually no impact on the swirls. I am now convinced the swirls are in the paint itself, sub clear coat, and thus beyond reach (I am afraid to keep trying). Has anyone else experienced this?

[thegunguy]

Rjay, your description does suggest that your swirls are pretty deep. Most swirling is easily cured by a fine polish by any quality brand. If you've been unsuccessful with polish, I'd agree that you're probably down in the paint. European paints, particularly BMW paints, are generally softer than domestic paints, and thus, easily damaged. It might be time to take it to a detailing specialist or a good paint shop.

[Rjay]

I think my swirls are in the paint itself as it came from the factory, below the clearcoat. Normally swirls are just in the clearcoat and thus the methods you describe (and which I have tried with great care and effort) are succesful in removing them. I have not worn thru my clearcoat by any means--my problem is that if the swirls are in the paint as it came from the factory, below the clearcoat, I cannot reach them. Fixing it would require a complete strip of the clearcoat, buff out the paint, and then re-clearcoat, which I am not even contemplating. The car looks great and the tiny "spiderweb" swirls are only visible to a critical eye in direct sun-- its just frustrating to put so much time and effort into detailing and find tiny but pervasive flaws that appear to have come from the factory that I cannot fix. Pursuit of perfection has to stop somewhere I guess!

[thegunguy]

Chalk it up to "sporty" and "enthusiastic" driving...:D

[robz82001]

....I recall reading a post about BMW leather being "special" or "unique" and requiring the special BMW leather cleaner. Anyone heard about this? Also, can anyone provide an endorsement for a leather care product as strongly as thegunguy has for wax/polish? In the gallery I recall an owner of a black Z8 who had polished his/her leather seats to an outstanding glossy shine. Which would seem to be quite hard given the matte surface of the seats. Anyone know how to achieve that result? Thanks.

[thegunguy]

Yep - I like the Zaino leather products too. There are probably better products out there, but the two-step cleaner and protectant by Zaino have done me well.

As I recall, it was macfly that did the gloss treatment.

[macfly]

and the product I used was a little unorthado, Kiwi Silcone Black shoe polish.

The only thing that is different about BMW's leather - and almost any modern leather in any car - is that they now impregnate the leather in silicon to lock out moisture. Of course his also blocks out all the old hide food type conditioners, meaning the only thing worth putting on it is something formulated for siliconized leather.

Since many all weather shoes have the same treatment I decided to try it out in my car. It was a lot of work, and I liked the results. It gave the car an even more '60''s classic feel, and it looked much more elegant to me than the standard flat finish on the black to be honest. However it 'fades' back to flat pretty quicky, just like that silicon tire polish stuff.