Well, the summer detailing blitz is just about over I guess. I did 3 coats of ZFX/Z2 on the G Saturday and it looks sooooo damn good it's unreal. Anyhow, now that Fall is here and winter is just around the corner (if not already here for some of you ) now's the time to start prepping the finish for winter and hard weather. Whether you use Zaino, Meguiar's, Liquid Glass, Klasse, Mother's, whatever it may be, it's a good idea to plan on giving the car it's winter protection. A good plan of attack might be a light claying, polishing (if needed), and waxing. Salt, road contamination, and ice is a killer on a paint finish, so it really needs good protection during winter as it does from UV in the hot summer. I don't do much detailing in the winter weather, maybe a few washes with numb hands, but that's about it. So, within the next month or so, if you don't wax often it's a good idea to give the car one good cleaning before harsh weather sets in. It also depends on what type of product you use as to how well it will protect or last through those months. 3 coats of Zaino would easily last me through until Spring if I wanted to let it go, but we all know Z is too addicitve to let go that long without applying more coats. If you are using a wax, like Meguiar's or P21S or Blitz for instance, you might wait a little closer to the end of the year so the protection will be greatest during the roughest months. Also, you may need to check the fluids in the car, tires, belts, oils, etc....

Mike

 

Good tip, Mike!

I've got 5 coats of Z2 on my 2002 White Monte SS, and just got two coats of Z5 on my fiances 2001 Navy Monte SS this weekend (did a full strip down and initial Zaino application actually, including claying) ...

I might try to get a few more coats on them if I get time, but I feel pretty good about the protection I should have, especially on the 02 w/ 5 coats of Z2...



I remember last spring, after spraying off my 99 Bright Red Z28 maybe twice all winter, getting ready to clean her up... I was so dicouraged , because it was just covered in winter crud.... All that mess just washed away so easy thanks to the Zaino I had on it (I want to say I had around 4 coats total... 3 Z5 and 1 Z2).

I still say the BEST feature about Zaino is how easy it is to clean crud off the cars when it is Zaino'd


Zaino!

 

Very good information I use Liquid Glass, so whats your reccomendation on how much I should use Mike?

 

Liquid Glass is a pretty durable product, and should last you through the winter. If I were going to use LG, I'd do one coat now, wait about 15-30 days and do one more. One coat is good, but two ensures complete coverage on all areas of the paint. LG can't really layer, but additional coats will help cover possibly missed areas, areas that need more protection, and lay down another fresh coat on the paint. As always, the amount of prep you do to the paint partially determines the durability of the product. So, use a good paint cleaner or clay (I'd use clay personally), then lay down a couple coats of LG (spread apart time wise) and you're set with protection and a good mirror-like shine. Nutin' to it!

Mike