I know the bottle says its ok to use Z-6 on a dusty or lightly soiled car, but is this really safe to do without risk of scratching?

i have two big problems... a) my neighborhood is under construction so no matter how spotless the car is when i'm done washing it, by the time i get out of the subdivision its got some dust on it... b) there is always some amount of water that runs out of a mirror or taillight and leaves some dirty spots on the first drive...

i'd love to be able to "quick wash" the car a few times with Z-6 and a towel in between real washings (i spend about 3 hours when i wash a car so its not something i want to do every day!)... but all my cars are either black or dark gray so they won't be very forgiving on swirls/scratches... can anyone confirm/deny that a Z-6 "wash" is totally ok as long as the car isn't filthy?

thanks!

 

I'm probably in the minority here, but I will never use Z6 or any other QD product on a dusty/dirty car. I'm just too picky to risk potential swirls and scratches. I will only use Z6 after my car is already squeaky clean, i.e. after washing and while polishing. I personally just prefer to wash instead of QD dirt away.

Now, I know some, like Kevin V and KevinSS, do it all the time and they say it works great for them at car shows and such. Maybe they can give you their secret! If I absolutely had to use Z6 on some light dust, I would make sure the surface is well lubed and not worry about wasting too much product. Lightly wipe the towel across the finish then with a clean towel wipe the area dry. Try to minimize the amount of rubbing you do with the dirty towel.

 

I've done it a few times, but I'm very generous with how much I use. You can always order more

 

I'm with MikeLS... I am just too scared to do it even though it is supposed to be OK...

 

i'm always very liberal with the Z-6... i spray it all over the place and first wipe with one side of the towel (which is basically wet from so much Z-6 on it) and then finish buff with the dry side... for the past 4 years i've never tried the Z-6 on a dusty car, but the wife just got a new car and I can't keep up with keeping all of these beasts spotless (especially since i can't get her to swerve to avoid puddles!)... anyway, zaino themselves say that this is what Z-6 is for, and they seem pretty **** about everything else (removing the stitching from towels!), so i'm guessing its ok if done right ??

 

This might be a great question ot ask Sal himself!!

If you do so, please post his thoughts!

 

i sent him a link to this thread so hopefully he'll have a chance to respond...

 

Get a California Car Duster.

 

i've got one of those things, but at best it will only get the loose light dust off... the dirt spots from water running out of cracks and then drying won't go away with a duster...

 

Sal wrote me back saying:

"Z-6 can be used as a quick detailer to remove light dust between washes without scratching.

It's your call on this one Jeff. Just use common sense...

A lot of my customers use a California duster to remove medium to heavy dust and light soil and then use Z-6. If it's light dust then they just use Z-6.

Remember if the car is pretty dirty it's always advisable to wash it
first especially on darker colors!"

 

On my black cars....I'll always use a California Duster first and then Z6.

 

I always use the duster before I Z-6, even if it is just a little dust.

 

I just got off the phone with Sal regarding a few things, and one thing he said was that people use too much Z6. You only need to use a small amount. A dime for a 16" square area. And it's best used on a clean car.

Hmm... day off... in the mood... polish time

 

Whether there is just a tiny bit of dust or a descent amount already on the car, I first use one of KevinSS's clean towels to gently wipe off all the loose dust off the vehicle(shaking the towel often) and then hit it up with the correct amount of Z-6 using a freshly clean KevinSS towel. Just make sure you do this in the shade after the cars paint has had a chance to get cool(which will help avoid putting in any fine scratches/swirl marks) on a "hot" dark car. Works great on my black Camaro.

Obviously though, if there is crap on the car that the dusting/Z-6ing won't really remove(like heavy tar, deep bug stains, tough water spots, etc...), just wash down the car with some Z-7 first then dry and hit up with the Z-6 afterwards unless you choose to also polish the car as well at that time.

Good luck,

Mike