I bought a black 2000 a few months back, and was looking to get a real nice finish out of it following a wash without having to spend 6-8 hours or a lot of money in the process. It's by no means a show car, but I would like to get a little better finish than what I'm left with following a typical wash. The car was meticulously maintained, and the paint has no swirl marks or other imperfections of note. I've read through the forums and Zaino typically seems to be the method of choice. I know they have a basic kit but even that seemed like more than I should need. In that my paint is in very good shape, would a claybar still be beneficial? Also, what product(s) would give me the best bang for the buck without having to spend an entire Saturday applying them? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

You can pay me now or pay me later.

You can spend some time doing the zaino routine and not really have to mess with it for 4-6 months or give it a quickie and have to do the same in a month or two. The later depends on what you use.

I know that Z5pro looks excellent on a black vette:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=black

You can test the clean surface by placing a sandwich bag over your hand and lighly rubbing the surface to see if it feels rough. If it does clay it.

 

Just a few questions in order to help you decide what's best for your car.

Is it garaged or kept outside ?

Are you looking for a product that will last a long time or would you rather apply it every month or so ?

I see you mentioned that paint doesn't have any swirls or other imperfections, does that include minor scratches ?

As for the claybar, an easy test is to wash and dry the car. After it's dry, put your fingers inside of a baggie and gently slide it across your paint. Does it feel gritty or rough ? If it does, then you could/should use a claybar on it. Is it mandatory that you do ? Of course not, but it will help the overall appearance of your paint.

 

Thanks for the info. To answer your questions, it is garaged, it does have some very minor scratches that can be noticed in just the right light, and in terms of how long the product lasts, that doesn't make a tremendous difference to me. I'd be looking to spend maybe 1-1.5 hours every other Saturday, something like that. I wouldn't mind spending a little more time than that once, but I've heard stories about guys who spend an entire day every weekend washing their cars, and I'm certainly not looking for products that require that type of dedication.

I have read about the Z5pro and most people seem to be pretty happy with the results. Is that something I can just use following a wash or will it only produce the advertised results following clay and the Z1 Show Car Polish Lok or ZFX? Also, is the Z6 gloss enhancer spray worth getting as well?

 

Listen to what everybody is saying about doing the baggie test.
I would use Z5p/Zfx on it. I think the Z5p has a slight edge over Z2p on black. The Z6 is definitely worth it but for your case I might reccommend the Z8 instead. Z8 is like Z6 on steroids and will actually add some polish to your finish extending its life and giving the black that little extra depth and wetness it sometimes needs.

 

The new Z5pro really works well for hiding minor imperfections. The website states it should be used with either the Z1 or ZFX. I use the ZFX personally. It's only required for the first application and then after like the 10th coat. Some users have used Z5 without the ZFX and still reported great results. For me, I use it.

It will look good if you don't clay so no need to worry about that. Most of us on this forum are pretty **** about our vehicles and go the extra distance and use the clay to take the finish to the ultimate level. I've done it both ways on black since all 3 of my vehicles are black (I never learn ).

The Z6 is really good for a regular quick detailer. I also use the Z8 which is like Z6 on steroids. It's a little more expensive and I only use it every few weeks just to add some additional "pop" to my paint.

Since the car is garage kept, you could use the Z5pro, do normal washes and hit it with Z8 every few weeks after a wash. That's the routine I use and it works really well for my needs. It's been many months since my last coat of Zaino and I still get tons of compliments on the look of the cars finish.

As for application time. If you wanted to put on more than one coat of Z5pro the same day to help hide some of those minor scratches, I would get the ZFX. Average time to put it on seems to be around 20-30 minutes per coat. Drying time will vary, but typically is around 30 minutes. So you're looking at a few hours to put on 2 or so coats. The nice thing is that once it's on, it will last you months and you can just wash in between like you've been doing and then spend maybe 20 minutes every few weeks to mist some Z8 on there.

Hope this helps.

 

I've had real good results from Meguairs products.

 

Thanks for all of the info. How would the Zaino Z5pro and the Z8 compare to say Meguiar's NXT and Quik-Detailer?

 

I thought the NXT looked great when first applied. After 1 or two washes it really lost a lot of it's shine. I found I was applying a coat or two about every 2-3 weeks to keep it looking it's best.

Again, this was *my* experience while using NXT and I'm sure others will post with different opinions.

 

NXT has very poor durability. I barely got two washes out of it, when you compare that to Zaino which last for months there really is no comparison between the two IMHO.

 

Are you refering to MaGuire's quick detailer, or the wax? I've been thinking about using MaGuire's products but have no experience with them as yet.

 

Also thinking of going to Meguiars products. I really like 3M stuff but there seems to be a distribution problem in my area and I live in Minnesota home of 3M. Apparently the body shop supply houses are having a issue with 3M willing to sell the product to anyone who wants to seel it out of the trunk of their car thus causing the supply houses to sell the stuff at nearly cost. So Meguiars is taking alot of the shelf space that 3M once occupied. If you want to buy bulk you can still get it but I don't need that.

Durability is not a huge issue with me. I am looking for a easy to apply product that is readily available off the shelf and that seems to be Meguiars. The internet botique products are fine but if you find yourself needing a certain product Saturday afternoon forget it. It won't be on the store shelves.

 

This is a real shame. I would just go with 3M IHG if I was you.

 

Yeah I hear ya. I hope the distribution issue straightens itself out as I would like to continiue using the product. However I hear Megs is a good product as well and may like to give some of it a try.

 

My experience exactly.
certainly NXT will give you a nice gloss, and can fill in and conceal some swirlmarks. But you'll really do SOOOO much better if you go with Z5Pro- regardless of whether you want to do the entire clay routine or not. But claying the car is really not a hassle. No more than 20 minutes to do the hood and trunk, which are the key places. The vertical surfaces are less important for claying.

 

I'm a weekend waxer like it sounds you are. I've used the NXT since I've had mine. They are right about the durability but I can literally wash and wax the car in an hour. I do it every couple of weeks. My advice to you is start with this easy method then move on to the more sophisticated stuff.