what color is ur car..? did you have any scratches on it..? have you ever used ZPC to get the bigger scratches/swirls out...?
i just followed the directions and it looks great.. the z-5 is suppose to get light swirls and scratches out.. ZPC for deeper scratches..
if z-5 and z-2 are the same, that only means that i got more coats of sealant on my paint.. right..> ? the more coats of zaino, the wetter it looks.. right..? after the wash and clay i usually hit it with 2 coats of z-5 and 5 coats of z-2, so 7 coats ... how can it be a waste of money if i am applying more coats.. ?
BTW.. i ran out of both bottles which means i used all the product i bought and my car looks amazing... no wasting here... FYI

i apply and it lasts about a year.. and both bottles lasted me over 3yrs and cost only about 30 bux for both.. 10 bux a year..

 

Ok, here ya go. First, Z5 doesn't "get swirls out," in theory it's supposed to help HIDE them by filling them in but in all honestly, ask ANY detailer worth their salt and they too will tell you the filling capabilities of Z5 are VERY minimal and I mean minimal at best. I've used it on cars with various colors with minor swirling and it didn't do squat in terms of filling. If the car didn't have any wax on it then naturally it will have more shine which will create the illusion the swirls are filled but they really aren't.

As for the theory of "layering" Zaino, no, the more you use your car it will not look wetter. The most you need are 2 coats...period. The second "layer" is just to hit any spots you might have missed. People think hey, I have 10 layers, but the truth is again, it's a total WASTE of product because your cars paint only holds a micro layer, any other other layers you put on are just being wiped right off. So, hitting your car with 7 layers is just a huge waste. I know you don't want to hear that and you'll swear you're supposed to do that but trust me, your car will look EXACTLY the same with 2 coats as it will with 7, even if you try to convince your eyes otherwise. Wash your car, apply 2 coats of Z2 and then a coat of a quality wax and trust me, you'll be solid.

Lastly, there are NO sealants on the market that will last a year. If you wash your car regularly, the longest Zaino will generally last is 3 months and pretty much every professional high end detailer will agree with that. As someone who details LOTS of cars, like I said above you will be more than happy with the results you get if you just wash, clay (the car should really be machine polished at this point), then 2 coats of Z2 and top with a nice wax like P21s. This is exactly what I did with my car last spring and as you can see below, the results speak it's self.

 

^^lemme rephrase that.. i apply it once a year.. as for the multi-coats.. AFTER applying 2 coats the car is okay.. but after 6+ coats... it not only looks better, but it feels better..the more the coats the more it "HIDES" the swirls or imperfections.. so .. i am in no way a professional detailer, but i definitely have experience in my own car.. dozens and dozens of people have complimented me on my paint... i have asked old timers with their mopar cars and their '40 fords and such and they all swear by the zaino products and their paints look better than any paints out there, mind you i know there paint jobs are 10k+ paint jobs but my car takes 7 coats a year.. still looks brand new off the lot.. took it to riverside infiniti and had a crowd of salesman and people admiring it..
to each his own..
IT'S DEFINITELY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM 2 COATS TO 7 COATS.. .


your car looks great by the way.. !!! Owning an Obsidian Black... i'm just giving my .02 cents on what works for me and my OB car...

 

Continue doing what makes you happy, I'm just telling you that no, there is no difference between 2 good coats and 7. I would put $1000 on the table and if I applied 2 coats to a PROPERLY prepped car and 7 coats on a properly prepped car, you would NOT be able to tell the difference. Again, you need to understand that paint can only hold a micro layer of product on it, this is a fact. It's been proven that these "layering" products really do no such thing but we want to convince ourselves they so do we can justify it. Anymore than 2 coats it's just wiping right off and it's NOT adding to the shine.

I'm not saying Zaino doesn't make great products because they do, but the "layering" thing is a myth and that has been scientifically proven. Since you have a black car there would be absolutley no reason for you to even be using Z2 along with Z5. That's like waxing your car with one wax and then waxing it again with another. If I was detailing your car, I would guarantee you I would have it looking like you have never seen before. If you had to have Zaino on the car, I would detail it properly with a machine polish. I'd apply 2 coats of Z5 and then 2 coats of P21s and then wipe it down with Z8. This would have your car looking like it never has before. Also, if you want some INSANE slickness, ditch the Z6 and buy Z8, it BLOWS Z6 out of the water! Trust me on the P21s and Z8 combo, it's sick. I had a photoshoot at the end of last summer and I didn't have time to do a big detail on my car so I just washed her, applied P21s and wiped down with Z8. The photographer said he'd ever seen a car shine like mine before. Multiple layers would NOT give this car any more shine. When I first started using Zaino a few years ago I too got caught up in the whole layering thing and I think I got up to 13 "layers" and I can say for 100% certainty, the car did NOT have more shine than it did below. What most don't understand id that 90% of how a car looks when it's done, is how well the paint was prepped.




Danase Wet Glaze is another product you should try, it's nuts on black. Look at this detail on a crazy jacked up black 350 z I did. I used Danase Wet Glaze, Ultima Paint Guard Plus (instead of Z5), P21s and Z8 I believe. The results were pretty crazy.

https://g35driver.com/forums/care-de...d-up-350z.html

Again, do what makes you happy. I'm just here as someone that is pretty up on this stuff and seeing people waste time and product doing something that really isn't needed is something I try to help with.

 

fosho... i hear ya.. I do think if you're car was black, things would be different.. we both live in 2 different parts of the country and the weather and conditions are different also..

i will do the 2 coat thing in a couple mos since it's in between 6 coats and c how it works out.. i'm just saying i have done this about 4x to my car now... and it still looks great.. but it can look better.. i'm itching to get a detail from someone who really knows what they're doing, but for the meantime, it workx for me..

thankx for info..

 

i was looking at the blackfire spray sealant. How often do you spray this on the car. Only when you do full details or regularly?