I've heard good things about Zaino products, but reading their website (www.zainbros.com) makes me think two things:
1. You have to be a scientist to figure it all out.
2. They encourage you to buy 10 different products (because they want to sell the stuff!)

(It's for these two reasons I always end up buying something OTHER than Zaino.)

The car in question is a 1986 Pontiac Fiero with original paint. OK, guys, I need some expert advise -- what Zaino products do I REALLY need?

Also, I notice that many of the Zaino products are in 8oz bottles --pretty small yet expensive. How many treatments could I expect out of an 8oz bottle?

THANKS

 

First on a per application basis Zaino is very cheap to use, on our Z06 we can get 30 plus applications from an 8 oz bottle, and over 20 applications on our M5 from an 8 oz bottle. Your cars paint has to be in good condition before you use Zaino, this is because Zaino contains no cleaners or abrasives, if your paint is not in good shape you will need a product like 3M Scratch and Swirl Remover, or a hand glaze to get the paint in good shape. Without knowing the color of your car I would suggest the following ZFX or Z-1 (I would get the ZFX) Z-2 (if your car is light color) Z-5 (if your car is a dark color) Z-6, Z-7 and do not forget the clay, that is Z-18. Zainois very easy to use and you only want to use a little bit, a little goes a long way.

 

Which do you REALLY need?
Z1 Or ZFX
Z2
That will get you a nice finish. It is nice to get the Z18 claybar, and the Z6 spray detailer, an di have those, but Z1 and Z2 will get you started.
You may as well get the Z7 car wash, since you will need to buy some anyway no matter what.
As far as the price, Z2 is actually cheaper than most anything else out there. To give you an example, i mixed up ONE ounce of Z2 and ZFZ. I applied THREE coats to my grand caravan, and TWO coats to my Jeep Cherokee. Thats FIVE applications form only ONE ounce. Per application, Zaino is cheaper than turtle wax.

 

Hehe, yeah, it can seem overwheling a first, but it's actually pretty easy to use all of the products. I completely agree with Carl about surface prep though. Zaino is a final protectant, with no cleaners or abrasives, so it will not restore dull/faded/scratched/etc...paint. It's really meant for use on paint that is in the best shape possible before it's applied as a protectant to keep the paint in perfect "showcar" shape. So, without knowing the condition of your paint, it's hard to say exactly what you should do. If your paint in in fair or rough shape and you don't want to do much work to restore it, Zaino may not be your best option. However, if your willing to put in a fair amount of effort to make the finish as perfect as possible, Zaino will work fine as the final protectant to seal it in. Or, you could take the car to a local detailer and have them make the paint flawless and then you keep it protected regularly with Zaino. It's really all up to you......

You don't need the full line of Zaino products if you're just looking for paint protection and shine. Since your finish is a bit older (and original), I'm gonna recommend Z1, Z5, and Z7 as the basic starter package. You probably need a good full claying too, so you either need to add the Z18 clay bars or find Clay Magic or Mother's at the local parts stores. Also, if you like to QD often, you might want to get the Z6 too to help keep the paint slick and shiny in between applications of polish. The reason I'd recommend Z1 for you versus the new ZFX, is that the Z1 may benefit your paint more than ZFX, in this case.

I can get 12-16 applications of polish per bottle of Zaino, so it really goes a long way. I find that I buy Z polish much less frequently now with Zaino than I did with the store bought stuff. I really don't find Zaino any more or less expensive than comparable paint protection systems from other companies, but I do find that the products last much longer. For instance, I'm still on my same bottle of Z16 tire/rubber protectant that I ordered a year ago. And, one bottle of polish will last me forever it seems! The Z products go a long way for the price.

Prep is probably the most important thing you can do to your paint and this should be done regardless of which brand of products you use. If your paint is already in good shape, the Zaino will bring out the shine and protect it as well. Many people think getting started with Zaino is expensive. When I first started with the Z products I think I spent about $30, which IMO, is pretty cheap. After I saw the excellent results for myself, I bought more of the products and have enjoyed all of them ever since. Most users have to prove to themselves that the products live up to what everyone says about them. This is why I started with the basics and built from there. Now, a few years later, I have several ZFX kits, many bottles of Z2, Z5, Z6, Z7, and at least one or two of everything else. So yes, the products have impressed me.....needless to say.

If you just wanna take the easy way out, just do the clay treatment and then use a cleaner wax, like Mother's Gold Cleaner Wax, Liquid Glass, etc....and apply it once a month. Zaino will provide superior results though if you are willing to do whatever is needed first...

HTH!

Mike

 

Mike, I have to disagree with you about Z-1 (and I do not like to do that to you ) , it offers almost no cleaning, it's is just a bonding agent, I will be happy when it gets dropped from the product line, Z-1 causes many new Zaino users a lot of problems that ZFX doesn't.

 

Hehehe,

With your knowledge and skill level Carl, you can disagree with me anythime. I always respect the thoughts of those with more experience and expertise than myself on any subject, so your more than welcome to disagree as often as you like really. If anything, it helps keep me in line!

I was recommending Z1 because I've had good luck using it as a base on older paints. But for new users, I can definitely see that it would be more complicated than the ZFX.

Gotta run!

 

Z-1 is a good low cost way to get into Zaino products, and I still love you

 

Mike...the paint is 17 year old factory original. It's OK, but not great. I would classify it as fair condition. Based on your comments above, you're telling me NOT to get Zaino?

If that's the case, I'll check out the products you recommend at the end of yur post. I'd like restore the paint/shine as much as possible.

Also, could someone explain to this ignoramous what a "clay bar" is? Something like a bar of soap comes to mind when I think about it. Is this something you're supposed to rub all over the car? How hard is it to use?

THANKS ALL!

 

Well it sounds like Zaino is not good for older paints.

So what do you guys think of www.nufinish.com instead of Zaino???

 

Zaino works great on all paints, the problem is if your cars paint is not in very good shape you have to get it into good shape before you start using Zaino, this is because Zaino contains no cleaners or abrasives, so you will need a product like 3M Scratch and Swirl Remover or hand glaze to get the paint looking good before you start.

 

Listen to Carl, he knows his stuff.
I just Zaino'd my 88 Cherokee, The hood was a bit oxidized, so i used a Meguirs cleaner first, then the Zaino. That did the trick!
A claybar is just that....a bar of clay. It si not like play dough though. It is designed to remove impurities such as sap, tar, brake dust, rail dust, industrial fallout etc. It is incredible how smooth the finish is after claying. I clay all my vehiles every spring. It is really easy to do, doesn't take long(30-40 mins), and IMHO makes a big difference.

 

Like "BigDave" I used Meguiar's Paint cleaner product as a prep. Then it's up to you, an application of Z5 and then end on Z2. You could be done. Use Z6 to keep the gloss in between cleaning / polishing. Unfortunately, some of us, especially with the dark colored cars, get addicted to the ease of the product in application and removal... so after a Z5, Z6, Z2, Z6, Z5, Z6, Z2, Z6, Z5, Z6, Z2, Z6 spree we'll finally call it quits 'cause all the towels in the house have been used up and the wife is REALLY pissed when we went for the bath towels.... But some of us are just nuts
Real bottom line, you need to prep the paint anyway you like but it has to be prep decently then of the Zaino line you need one each of Z2, Z5 and Z6.
--ron