GT_Ron - It's a good idea to strip your car w/ dawn and claybar as soon as you get it. In my case, I did the "hand in a wet sandwich bag" trick over my (wet) G and could feel bumps, especially on the back. I've since read that this is usually rail dust from transporting your car to your region. Go ahead and spend the 4 or so hours needed to do this process right off the bat and you'll be rewarded with perfectly clean paint from the start.

I think that depends more on 1) your color 2) where you live and 3) how **** you are. I have a black G in the DC area so mine needs washing about every 3 days I try to wash mine once a week. Washing with a good car shampoo (I use Zaino Z7 show car wash, but I've heard good things about Mcguires Gold Class also) will not strip your Zaino, so cleaning it doesn't affect the polish. If you want, you can put another coat of zaino (or 5, or 10 if you really have no life) every single time you wash it. Won't hurt one bit, although I'd imagine reaching a point of dimishing returns. On the flip side, you can simply wash, dry and hit it with Z6 detailing spray.

The first 6 weeks or so, I gave it a coat of Z5, Z6, and Z2 after each wash. Once I'd done that 6 times, I backed off and started simply using Z6 detailing spray after each wash. On average, I'd say I do 3 wash/Z6, and 1 wash/Z5,Z6,Z2,Z6 per month.

After a wash, I generally use a cali car duster each morning until it rains - can't dust a wet car.
--Viral

 

The waterblade tears your paint up. Stay away from the waterblade especially if you have a dark color. If you don't beleive me, try it, then place your car in the sun or under ultraviolet light and look at it. You will see marks and scratches all over the place You are essentially dragging a peice of plastic accross the surface of your car- not good.. There is no substitute for a chamois. If you don't want to take alot of time to dry your car properly, invest in a powerful air compressor.

 

I've had my G for about 9 months now and used Zaino for about 8 of that. I did a lazy clay treatment in the beginning and was happy. I had some water spot build-up and swirls related to the CA duster and cheap MF towels so, this last weekend, I did a complete strip down with a couple Dawn washes, and a VERY thorough clay barring. At that point, rinsing would yield not a single water bead, just a uniformly wet car. I got 3 coats of Z-5 on with Z-6 in between, finished with Z-8 before it got dark. The result is truly phenomenal. I have Twilight Blue, which I never realized had such depth. Looking straight on it looks like one of those 3-D posters you used to see at the mall, where you kind of have to cross your eyes, losing your sense of depth perception. A picture simply would not do it justice. The point is, yes, at this stage of things, clay the hell out of it and make sure to start with the cleanest, smoothest paint possible. You will be tired, but you will not regret it.

 

I'm anti-waterblade and anti-chamois. It isn't just the Zaino folks that recommend not using these. The logic is not that either can damage your paint by themselves, but that they leave nearly zero room for error, meaning if a dust particle or fine grain of sand is blown on and sticks to your car, you will trap it with one of these products, and drag it under pressure across the surface of your car. What is recommended is a high quality 100% cotton towel, and not the cheap ones. The high pile allows any picked up particles to be lodged away from the paint. Since the loops are larger than most particles, they help to keep contact pressure down should a particle find it's way between you and the paint. I have found through experience what Zaino says about microfiber: There is a HUGE difference between good and bad towels and it is very hard to tell what you have in your hand. I caught a pretty good case of the swirls from some Pep-Boys MF towels. I know, you get what you pay for, but that rule is no longer safe enough for me. Only 100% cotton is touching my paint from now on.

I also took a tip from my local Zaino dist. for drying. After the spot-free rinse at the local DIY wash (Or Mr.C Auto-Dry if you prefer), I go over the car top to bottom and all seams with an electric leaf-blower ($39.99 well spent). Just make sure you hose the surounding area down so as not to suck in dust and sand-blast the car. If you already have Zaino on the car, you can just about dry the whole thing in a few minutes. Finish with a small cotton towel, Z-6 and done. It's great for the side view mirrors which seem to drip for hours after a wash.

 

Hey Gs, I know you're suppose to wash the car before claying - I did that, and then layered with Z1, Z5, and Z2.

I then realize that I was still getting some "bumps" and I want to clay all over again. Do I have to wash with Dawn again or can I just spray the thing and clay now? Has the Zaino "sealed" the contaminants in? (My car has been in the garage all this time, so no dust and crap yet). Thanks!

 

I do the exact same thing except I use the Duster every evening when I get home from work.

 

I would say yes. Since ideally the clay will remove everything, including Zaino, the Dawn will just speed up that part of the process. If the "Bumps" are just in certain areas, say the hood or roof, you could localize the process. Use the Dawn with water as the clay bar lubricant. Also note that the clay gets flakey as it gets loaded with Zaino, to the point where it won't even stick to itself when folded over. With the Zaino fresh, I think skipping the Dawn step will ultimately cost you more time.

Depending on the type and size of the imperfection, the Zaino may "seal" it in. For larger "Bumps", the Zaino will build up around the bump, trying to make it smooth, even though the bump is much larger than a coat of Zaino. The result is, the bondline between the bump and your paint is very effectively sealed with Zaino, making it even more difficult to remove. Getting rid of or reducing the Zaino first will improve the removing of these types of bumps by clay. Good luck!

 

Thanks! If leaving it alone won't hurt anything, I think I'll leave it until the next time I clay. If not, there goes another 4 hours of a weekend...

 

On dark cars, cotton towels work fine if you are going to buff the car afterwards either by hand or using a machine) or if it is not humid outside- my area of the country is often humid. If not you will leave streaks after it gets fully saturated. A chamois is soft enough that you will run a low risk of permanent scratches when using it. Any particles of dust heavy enough to cause such scratches should be noticed before drying.

 

have any of you guys tried P21? I used to use it, and its amazing!

 

Sorry but Wrong .. There are distributors all around the world/states. I found one 15 miles from my home .. Do your research to locate one in your area.

 

Sounds like you know what you're doing but just a tip you may like to try.
Check out http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwdt-2.html for drying &
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/mf-cbt.html that for removing wax/polish

I have bought the best cotton towels made, both here in the US & from over seas, never once found a towel that did not scratch. (did this while I was looking for metal polishing towels for my Metal Polishing / Powder Coating business) Look over some other towels on that site & read some reviews in the forum. I use the 2 above & they are the best money can buy at this point.

PS. Micro Fiber towels in retail auto stores come from China & are crap! I wouldn't wipe my A$$ with them. Good luck