yahtzee

What is the best applicator to use for waxes and polishes? My gut tells me foam pad but even Zaino sells the cotton terry pads. I bought a little plastic thing with a velcro bottom that sticks to pads (easier application) and it came with a foam one and a cotton one.....which one is the least bothersome to the paint?

tachyon

It depends - are you polishing or waxing?

If the foam pad is soft and smooth - use it for wax. If the foam pad is firm with a rougher surface, use it for polishing. THe cotton pad could be used to either polish or wax.

superhung

I use the one that comes free with my Zaino order (cotton terry pad)...It works extremely well.

C's Bimmer

Griot's Random Orbital my man! Here's the process I use, along with the Zaino Products:

Tools/Pads/Towels:
1. Griot's Random Orbital
2. 3 White or Orange Pads - For Polishing (in this case, Zaino AIO)
3. 3 Red Pads - For Wax (in this case, Z5 Pro)
4. Hand Wax Applicators for tight area's and for laying on CS Clear
5. 100% Pure Microfiber towels ONLY!!!
6. Leaf Blower or Air compressor - to get every drop of water out of every crack.
7. 2 sets of Wash Mitts (1 for Dawn cleaning and 1 for Z7 car wash cleaning). You can wash these mitts in the washing machine with regular Tide. DO NOT use Tide that has fabiric softner in it. Get a small bottle of the basic tide just to wash your mitts, towels and waxing pads. And never use Bounce or fabric softner when washing or drying your towels. The softner actually can heat up the towel/pad fibers to make them harsh. The next time you dry/wax your car, you could end up causing more swirl marks. Just a tip.


Products:
1. Dawn Dish Washing Detergent
2. Mothers Clay Bar (If you end up buying Zaino products, just buy their Clay Bar kit)
3. Z7 Car Wash
4. Zaino All-in-One (AIO)
5. Z5 Pro (2 Coats)
6. Zaino CS-Clear
7. Zaino Z8 Grand Finale Spray
8. Zaino Z6 High Gloss Spray
9. Zaino Z-PC Fusion Paint Cleaner

Process:

1. Wash car with Dawn to completely remove old wax, dirt, grease and debris.
2. Clay entire car
3. Wash car with Z7 Car Wash (If you use the same bucket that had the Dawn, make sure it is COMPLETELY clean of any Dawn soap)
4. Blow Dry with Leaf Blower or Air compressor hose to get rid of all water tucked into any cracks and door jams.
5. Lay down coat of AIO with Orbital and White Pads (Check the pad after each section to make sure it's not building up too much dirt. If it is, wash it and attach a new pad)
6. Buff clean with Microfiber towels
7. Lay down first coat of Z5 Pro (Red Pads)
8. Buff clean with Microfiber towels
9. Lay down second coat of Z5 Pro (Use a NEW Red Pad)
10. Buff clean with Microfiber towels
11. Apply Z-CS Clear with hand wax applicators (A little goes a LONG way. Lay too much down and you'll be waiting hours, if not overnight, for it to dry)
12. Allow to completely dry. DO NOT buff off.
13. Spray car down with Z8 Grand Finale Spray (If you see some Z-CS Clear residue that didn't dry properly, don't worry. The Z8 Spray will get rid of it as you're going along this step)
14. Buff clean with Microfiber towels

NOTE: I also have Z-PC Fusion which is their paint cleaner for swirl marks or fine scratches. Do not use this product often and only use it in area's where it's needed. I use my orbital and my white pads for this. But again, it just depends on the condition of your paint. I didn't need much, but it cleans certain area's to perfection. I laid this down BEFORE I applied the first coat of AIO, as Z-PC strips the wax to get down to the clear coat and clean it.

I also have Z6 High Gloss Spray. I use this between washes each week. I only use Z8 Grand Finale Spray after details.

Hope this helps and Good luck!

superhung

cman's hit it spot on... The only thing I do that is different is I do the Z-PC before the Z-5 to get rid of the swirls/scratches etc. I also do the Z-2 after the Z-5 to give it a little touch (but not necessary and you can top it with just Z-CS if you want).

C's Bimmer

That's what I said. Do Z-PC before you apply any other Zaino products, should you have swirl marks. Otherwise, all your effort is wiped away once you lay down Z-PC. It will strip the stuff before completely away and leave your car without any protection.

superhung

Hey cman how do you like the Z-CP? I think my car doesn't look that much different without it. What ya think?