I know many PriusChatters are pro Zaino, but I came across 5 Star Shine and wondered if anyone has heard anything about it, or used it? -> 5 Star Shine TIA
You're "talkin'" to a believer here! I've had my Tideland Pearl since 2/04 and used Liquid Glass for about forteen months - four coats. It did a great job; looked good; fairly easy application. It needed to be washed every couple of weeks of course and after drying seemed to maintain a fairly nice shine. Then about a month ago I thought I'd apply the pretty darn expensive 5-Star Shine system that I'd ordered a few months back. (I was waiting for the Liquid Glass to fade a bit...) It remains to be seen if the application will only need to be applied every 3 to 5 years but I can tell you "IT SURE SHINES". Dust seems to just blow off while driving. Bird droppings, tree sap and beverages etc. just wash off with clear water. It really does act like Teflon. The difficult part is learning to only RINSE the car off. NEVER wash it or wax it again, but hey, you don't need to. The trick to applying it is to use a VERY thin coat - not like other polishes/waxes. Then use a terry cloth towel to wipe off the "haze". I would attach a picture or two but it couldn't do it justice. I'm sold!
Do a search on any of the detailing web boards (www.detailcity.com, www.autopia.org, www.roadfly.org). You'll see that most people's opinion is that it's overpriced and all hype. I mean, look at the ridiculous statements on their web site. Their special car wash "opens up the pores of the paint" and "positively charges the surface"? You actually believe any of that???
I followed your suggestion PE. You are correct in that all three sites stated some negative entries about 5-Star but the majority were positive. 5-Star is the ONLY protectant to receive a patent. That should be worth something. Following is a quote from the United States Patent Office: (See attachment for entire abstract in pdf format.) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx United States Patent 5,081,171 Nixon January 14, 1992 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Composition for sealing of painted or metal surfaces Abstract A liquid composition for protecting a positively charged surface, the composition comprising: negatively charged polytetrafluoroethylene polymer resin particles and at least one member of the group consisting of methyltrimethoxysilane and an amino functional polysiloxane; whereby the negatively charged polytetrafluoroethylene molecules fuse to the surface upon exposure to ambient temperatures above about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I'm not affiliated with 5-Star in any way. Just a satified customer (so far). Some of their claims may be "hyped" but most polishes/waxes/protectants use similar marketing ploys from what I've seen.
Thanks BMcGraw, it's good to hear from an actual user of the product. And, thanks for the advice priusenvy. At this point, I'm deciding between Zaino & 5 Star.
I was debating getting 5-star shine again. I used it on my F250 awhile back. My observations are that when first applied it is awesome. Nice silky feel, water beads, and glass like shine. However, this fades over the next 60 days. The water still beads and the truck stayed shiney for the most part but the surface was no longer slick. The only thing I would do is go through car washes (but not get any wax options - sometimes clear coat protectant) so not sure if this messed it up. On the bright side I had enough in one package to wax my truck with camper shell and my wife's old Honda Civic. I am not sure if it will last 2 years. If it did I would probably get it again and apply every 2 years. The only reason I am concerned with the slickness of the wax is that I think it helps prevent scratches. I noticed more fine/small scratches on the truck than when I regularly waxed my F150. The clay bar and spray was awesome for getting off tree sap though.
Of course I don't know for sure Tadashi, but from what "they" tell me at 5-Star nothing but water, not soapy water, not clear coat protectant but clear water including Mr. Clean's Rinse ONLY, rain and snow should be "applied" to their finish. They don't recommend running it through the car wash for sure. Did I mention, it's NOT a wax.
hhhmmm maybe I will try it again then. How do you wash your car then without getting water spots? The water is very hard here and all the anti-water spot stuff is only in soaps.
Water spots avoidance.... That's a good one. First of all you shouldn't use a chamois with 5-Star. Natural oils in the skin may react with it. They suggest using a microfiber towel to dry it. One other option is to use the "water softening" rinse feature of the Mr. Clean Auto-Dry system. Just don't use the "soap". Hope that helps....
No brush. Shouldn't need a brush. Let the water (whatever the source) sit for a minute or two and bugs etc. should either rinse off or come off with a microfiber towel or sponge at the most.
From the patent description, it sounds like someone basically added teflon particles to a can of Rain-X.. The siloxanes will coat and penetrate any pores in the paint and will definitely result in a slick feel and water beading action.. The teflon on the other hand I can't see lasting long- it's basically held on by static cling and would rinse or wipe off quite easily.. The problem with the siloxanes is the same as for other silicon-bearing compounds- it can cause problems if the car ever needs to be touched-up or repainted as the silicone can be a pain to remove once it's in the paint and new paint will not adhere where there is silicone present (fisheyes).
Yep I can attest to that. I had someone gouge out a 6" line in my truck and I could not get that spot to blend with the car with the touch up paint. The edges of the gouge still had the 5-star shine so the paint would not stick. I was afraid to scrub too hard to make it worse.
