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Best wax/polish for Winter Grey?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PriusRos, Aug 30, 2009.

  1. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    BAD truck! :( Sorry to hear that. Are you taking it to the shop or try to fix it yourself?
     
  2. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    Did you take down the truck's information?
     
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I agree 100%. I always clay and polish my cars when brand new!
     
  4. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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  5. Jon S

    Jon S Member

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    So, how do you like the shine on the S100? Pretty good. ain't it.... The wax feels super slick compared to the Zaino. The Zaino is durable but I think the S100 wax gives it a deeper reflection. If you really want to make the shine pop, look for Mother's Reflections Car wax. Use that as a base and put the S100 over it. Reflections gives the paint a higher gloss but unfortunately, it is not durable, that's why I put the S100 over it.
     
  6. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    Looks awesome!
     
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  7. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Why not put Zaino Z-CS over the wax to give it added durability?
     
  8. Frankblack0503

    Frankblack0503 New Member

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  9. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    The S100 has a great shine -- however, I really have not had that much of a chance to look at it on its own in the sun because when I had finished applying it, it was starting to get dark. The next day it was raining again. It's been overcast/raining a lot, and it doesn't look too great when it's dirty -- so, being the obsessive that I am, I wash it again as soon as I get the chance. The last time I washed it, I used Zaino Z-6 for a quick polish afterwards. I haven't tried Z-CS over the S100 yet. But do you think it adds durability? I always thought it just adds gloss.
     
  10. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    What I meant is, if Mother's Reflections gives a higher gloss, rather than put S100 over it simply to make it more durable (which is kind of redundant for a wax), use Z-CS instead. It's a long-lasting polymer sealant so of course it adds durability as well as gloss, and in fact, it's designed to be applied over cured wax.
     
  11. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    PriusRos,

    Reading through this thread, it seems perhaps you should be more aggressive in your color choices than in the past to counteract the drab, rainy weather that occurs year round where you live. Sure, silver and winter gray are nice in sunny Southern California, but maybe go for bright red or blue when you pick up your 2015 Prius with full solar body.
     
  12. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    You're right -- and maybe the 2013 will come out in a color I can't resist! :p Actually, grey was my third choice. Blizzard Pearl and Blue Ribbon were my first and second... It's probably a good thing I didn't get the blizzard pearl because it would probably have been snowing the whole time, instead of just raining.
     
  13. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    I've been using Optimum Opti-Seal and Optimum Car Wax for a bout a month now and have to say I think I like the look of Zaino (Z5) better. I think it has a deeper richer look to it whereas the OCW has more of a light gray look. One thing I've noticed and I don't remember if I saw this with the Z5 is that the paint has an eggshell look to it when standing very close. Do others that use Z5 notice this or does that Z5 cover this up?
     
  14. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Here are two pictures of Graylord...
    The first shows him washed and waxed with S100 carnauba wax (over previous treatments of Zaino + S100).
    The second is taken about an hour later, with Zaino Clear Seal applied.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I'm not sure whether there's any difference. Maybe slightly more reflectivity in the second picture? :p If there is, it's pretty subtle. What do you think?
     
  15. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    I don't think you can reach a conclusion because there's also more reflectivity/details on the front windshield (which I assume you didn't treat with Z-CS) in the second picture.

    You waited until S100 cured before applying Z-CS, right? How long was that?

    But they look good! Z-CS over carnauba wax sounds like the way to go, best of both worlds.
     
  16. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    If the Z-CS is anything like Optimum Opti-Seal (and I think it's exactly the same) then it doesn't matter if you apply it before or after. Once applied, it bonds underneath anything that's already there. Pretty cool stuff.
     
  17. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    I just finished stripping off the Optimum Car Wax and applied the first coat of Z-5. Even with one coat the difference in depth of color is very noticable. After I get a couple more coats of Z5 (I'm not using ZFX) then I'm going to try applying a coat of Optimum Opti-Seal. As far as wax for the Winter Gray, I'm convinced Z5 is the way to go.
     
  18. rstark18

    rstark18 Member

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    Which Zaino wax Z2 or Z5?
     
  19. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    The instructions specifically state not to apply Z-CS over uncured wax. I haven't heard from anybody who've applied it over uncured wax with no ill effect. It doesn't make much sense to bond to wax before it's cured, or seal it in while uncured, does it?
     
  20. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    You're right -- the increased reflectivity is in the windshield too -- so I think it was just a matter of lighting/exposure between the first and second pictures. There was about an hour or so in between.

    No, I didn't wait for S100 to cure. I don't have time to wait --Yesterday was the first nice day in a while and the only time I could do my car. Today it's raining again!

    I've used Z-CS over Zaino AIO, Z-2, Z-5, and/or Z-6, and now over S100. I can't decide whether I think applying Z-CS makes that much difference(as opposed to not applying Z-CS).