I like Zaino too, since it is long lasting SEALANT. But what I do not like about it is it's generic shine. I also do not like them telling people to use dawn, horrible for the clear coat, and dries out trim.

 

What does dawn do to clear coat?

 

Huh? Nothing "generic" about the shine, but I guess that's subjective. I don't understand the comments of it not being a polish. It does not merely seal the paint, but enhances the depth of the paint. I'm speaking with 9 years of experience and just sold 2 cars that looked like they just left the showroom, one of which was not even washed regularly and driven in harsh conditions.

Also, if you don't want to use Dawn then you need to decide what to wash the car with to strip the old polish or wax (as well as grease) off. Dawn is ideal for this and never heard of it damaging the clear.

 

A "polish" has abrassives in it to remove a thin layer of the clear coat to get rid of paint imperfections. Zaino Z2/Z5 is simply a sealant and has zero abrassives in it. Z5 attempts to "fill in" paint imperfections, but that is it. They are sealants only and not a polish.

 

I don't think it's very subjective, it's a "generic" shine because it looks like pretty much every other boutique like sealant out there. It lacks depth and wetness of a Carnauba wax, which is my preference for an LSP. I like to use Swissvax Divine, now I understand Zaino and Swissvax are in two completely different classes. As far as zaino enhancing depth... I think you may mean it enhances its reflective capabilities, but compare it to a good carnauba... the carnauba will blow it away in depth and wetness.

FWIW I do like to use zaino as a long lasting protectant to sit under my LSP waxes, as durability definitely is a victory in zaino's win column. I don't dislike the product just it's marketing scheme. Like ZFX... completely useless product, and has been proven to not be needed tme and time again. Let's just be realistic about the product though. It is no wonder product by any means, but it is a GREAT performer for it's price point. All I can say is experiment, pick up a decent $50 jar of carnauba, and put an application of it over your Z2 or Z5, guaranteed the looks will be much more appealing. Best of both worlds is what you will get. Lot's of guys prefer to use P21S fr this, since it is not too expensive and gives off a great appealing look.

Dawn has a very high alkaline content. It can yellow certain clearcoats, dry out the rubber trim, and tires, causing them to harden and sometimes crack over time.

Do what real detailers do to strip off wax, mix isopropyl alcohol with water, cut 50/50. Does the exact same effect but 100% safe to the car, lots cheaper too.

 

Drying out trim I can agree with, but Dawn does not yellow clear coat. If you have some proof of this, Id love to see it. Its alkaline content is high when it isn't mixed with a few gallons of water.

On a side note, I don't use or recommend washing with Dawn for any reason. It should be kept in the kitchen.

 

i call it synthetic juice that adds shine

 

polishes/sealents whatever you want to call it

 

Some apples and oranges comments.

Carnauba lasts only about 3-4 weeks and deteriorates quickly in warm weather. It also doesn't have abrasives on it's own, so is it a polish or a sealant? You can apply carnauba over Zaino and it will look awesome, but unless you want to apply that every 4 weeks it's more of an occasional thing, and Z-8 will work just as well for special occasions.

And Zaino does make products with abrasives if needed, such as Z-AIO. However if the surface is well protected you should not need to use an abrasive cleaner often especially with clearcoat paint.

Not sure about the comment on ZFX being useless. I started using Zaino before ZFX was available and from personal experience had to wait for the polish to cure sometimes overnight if the humidity was high, and the polish would still smudge until ready to remove. ZFX works as advertised to eliminate any wait time.

I guess not for everyone, but for ease of use, durability, price and results I find it hard to beat.

 

I personally use a carnauba over Zaino because it does give the car more depth and a warmer look. I apply it every 2nd or third wash mainly because P21S is sooooo easy to apply.

You are right, a carnauba has no abrasives and, therefore, is not a polish. I guess it is like a sealant just not synthetic and therefore less durability.

Z-AIO has VERY little abrasives. It is more of a chemical cleaner than a polish. My experience is it can remove very light hazing and very light marring but it is limited. If the paint needs any correction at all, it is useless and you need to go to at least Z-PC (although if I am trying to correct marring or swirls I turn to Menzerna products).

P.S. I love Zaino products (especially Z2pro and Z16) and it is great line of products that perform extremely well but there are other great sealants too.

 

The reasoning behind calling their sealants a polish is marketing - when Joe Public waxes his vehicle he 'polishes it', so they sell a 'polish'.

Most detailier's are aware that the term polish refers to a liquid or paste that contain an abrasive.

 

[Dawn has a very high alkaline content. It can yellow certain clearcoats, dry out the rubber trim, and tires, causing them to harden and sometimes crack over time.]

I would not recommend using a harsh dishwashing detergent such as Dawn on a regular basis, as they contain a degreaser, although most of them are approx pH 8.0 the other ingredients will tend to emulsify, breakdown and leach out oils found in rubber moulding, trim and the paint system, which causes the plasticizers to dry out and oxidize, causing them to lose their flexibility

Urathane clear coats are detergent resistant and most won't cause them to 'yellow', harden (they are formulated with hardeners) or crack, however UV radiation will cause all of the above given time

 

It's a preference thing putting a Carnauba over Zaino. No one is disputing the fact that Zaino is a long lasting Sealant. I personally do not like it's reflective glass like appearance. I like my cars to look wet, and deep. Hence why I apply a boutique high end Carnauba over my Zaino or other sealant of choice, just like you.

ZFX... myself and a good number of others out there have found no difference between multiple applications of zaino with or without the use of ZFX... could be just the geographic area, humidity etc, skewing your results.

As far as Zaino being tough to beat for it's price, I'll give you that, but there are other Sealants just as good, and if not slightly better for a similar price. I.e. Wolfgang 3.0, Jetseal 109 etc, would be great competitors for the price.

 

Regardless of what type of protection you have on your paint, it won't prevent swirling and marring. These two notorious traits are derived from improper washing, drying, and application techniques.

Basically, you can have 10 layers of your favorite carnauba or sealant and still inflict marring. There is no correlation between the amount of protection you've applied and swirling/marring. Unless, of course, you're looking at bird droppings or sap, which even the toughest sealant may only protect against slightly.

Saying you shouldn't need to use an polish is quite naive. The average car will need a polish bi-annually.

 

I just purchased some Bilt-Hamber Autobalm and I will be using it this time instead of my Zaino regime. I will be spending the day on my car wed or thurs, and I'll post up some results.

This stuff is supposed to be nearly as durable as Zaino, but it will give the car a much warmer/deeper/wetter appearance. It is supposed to fill well too.