I bought my new Prius about 1.5 weeks ago. http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/44417-just-picked-up-my-08-metallic-grey-yesterday.html I've put on about 500 miles. I inquired below about how to wax my new baby. http://priuschat.com/forums/care-ma...44466-newbie-gentle-how-do-i-wax-my-baby.html I'm a novice at all of this (in my thread inquiring about wax, one person asked if I'd looked at the "detailing" sticky on this forum...well, if I had known that "detailing meant cleaning etc. the car, I might have. :blush: After reading all kinds of threads on this forum, I decided to give Zaino a try. So, I ordered it. Today I washed the Prius (metallic grey), and then used Mother's claybar on it (a first for me - I hadn't even known that such a thing existed). It was pretty easy. After the claybar, I used Zaino Z2 pro (with the activator). Each coat (I did 3 coats - used 1 oz of the Z2) was followed by Z6. And a beer. The process took me about 4 hours total on my car. Check out the pics. I have never had such a gorgeous shiny car. I'm thrilled! I put the pics below - I originally had links instead of the pics posted, and just learned how to post the pics. Scroll down about 4 posts for the pics - sorry. p.s. I also used the 303 protectant on the vinyl in the car, and love the look of that, too. It looks much richer (but not gross shiny). I love my new car.
Hey. Thanks for posting the pic. How did you do it? I wasn't able to get the pic posted - just the links???
Twin Cities, eh? I've heard lots of good things about Zaino in other climates. But here, going 7 months between applications all while enduring loads of salt exposure have prevented me from ever trying it. What do you plan to do during the winter? .
Hi tarapup. To get your pictures, which you uploaded to photobucket.com, to show up in your message, click the little icon for the mountain which pops up a dialog box that you can paste the URL of your image into. That puts the URL in your message wrapped in [IMG ] [ /IMG] tags. (I had to put extra spaces in so the tags wouldn't be interpreted. In your message it looks like Code: [IMG ]http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z292/tarapup/IMG_5317.jpg[/IMG] (Again, there's an extra space) which produces What a shiny car!
Okay, I'm trying to follow the instructions to upload the pics. Thanks for the helpful info! Here they are:
Very nice, Tarapup! I've been a Zaino junkie for years. It's never failed to amaze me, no matter what vehicle I apply it to. I bought my Prius in November, making sure that the cleanup department did not touch it. Actually, they knew that I didn't want them touching it, as they know that I'm very anal about my vehicles. Upon closing, I immediately went home and did the Zaino dance. Claybar/Dawn pretreatment, followed by one coat of Z2 and one coat of Z5. Throughout the winter, I've kept it clean and given it a bi-weekly treatment of Z6. A moth ago, I applied Z8 (Grand Finale). Today, as the first decent day weatherwise hit, I washed my Prius with Z7, applied Z5 (with ZFX added), followed by a treatment of Z6, and finally - Z-CS. Talk about amazing! It truly is a labor of love. I had tried the Z-CS when I first brought home my Prius and was disappointed, as it seemed to never dry and striped irridescent appeared all over the car. I had to scrub with Z6 to cure the problem. After contacting Zaino, I found that that I'd applied Z-CS entirely too heavily! Today, I did as they instructed and am dazzled by the mirrored finish that picks up every detail of my garage in the reflection. The more you use Zaino products, the more you'll love them. It's time to do my wife's Camry, but I'll wait until next week. Great job on a stunning appearance. It makes it worthwhile. As soon as I get the time, I'll post pictures of my "Zaino'd" Prius. Erick Faust Asst. Service Manager O'Brien Toyota/Scion Indianapolis, IN 2008 Barcelona Red #2 60.1mpg tank average/50.2mpg Life average EV Switch - Coastal etech Splashguards Scion TC self dimming rear vie mirror with homelink and ambience lighting Nokian WR tires Block heater Foamed grille - winter Toyota brand 0W-20 full synthetic oil Exact mats To do list: Lockpick - Coastal Etech 35% window tint Scangauge
I've read many posts on the topic of car care. As promised, I tooksome photos of my '08 Prius to show the results after applying the bestf inish protector made. I've used Zaino Products for years with absolute delight and have never been disappointed. A little time and a little money result in the best looking, best protected finish possible. The method to my madness is: 1) Wash vehicle with Dawn detergent, rinse and dry. 2) Use Zaino claybar as directed to remove surface contaminants (they're on new carsas well as older vehicles). It's sort of like using a defoliant on your face to clean the pores. 3) Apply Z2 for new cars or Z5 (I use both) for slightly blemished (carwash swirl marks, etc.) cars. Add ZFX to the Z2 or Z5 for excellent results. 4) Let dry and wipe off with 100% cotton towel made in USA (Fieldcrest or Cannon). Other types of towels may scratch the clearcoat. The use of microfiber is still questionable. I only use it on my windows. 5) Apply Z6 detail spray sparingly, using one cotton towel to spread around the Z6 and another to dry it. 6) Apply Z2 or Z5 again (this can be done if mixed with ZFX hardener right after applying Z2 or Z5 prior - if no ZFX hardener is used, you might have to wait a few hours before applying). 7) Apply Z6 detail spray sparingly, using one cotton towel to spread around the Z6 and another to dry it. 8)VERY sparingly apply Z-CS (clear sealant). Over use could result in a hazy or irridescant surface (It happened to me last month and I had to buff with Z6 to remove the streaking). Let dry. 9) Apply Z8 (Grand Finale spray). After the first Zaino treatment, following applications are quick and easy. You should only have to re-apply Zaino1x/year. I choose to put on two coats twice per year. I also use Z7wash to clean my car. If it's not horribly dirty, I use Z6 to clean it(keep a bottle in the car in decent weather with a couple cotton towelsin order to spot clean if needed) - sort of like dry cleaning your car.I apply Z8 every 3 months. www.zainostore. com Erick Faust Asst. Service Manager O'Brien Toyota/Scion Indianapolis, IN
[IMG ]http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/hefaust/Prius%20Zaino%20shine/th_PriusZainoshine11.jpg[/IMG]
Let's try it again. This is getting frustrating! Maybe I'll look into Tarapup's beer methodology. Erick
Ok, I think I got it right this time. I apologize for my f*** ups. Hopefully, you can see the true details and awesome shine. Now, for that beer! Erick
Here's mine, Zaino wash, then Claybar, then Z5+ZFX then Z2 + ZFX A month later a simple wash, Z6 and Z8...
