I need to wash my car already! Any reccomendations

Isn't there a couple of different types Zaino to choose from?..... Which one would you use to start with a new car.

 

Ah yes, McGuire's. Made by Barry Meguiar's long lost Irish cousin.

 

I've seen that new red, someone at work has an '06 that color.

That color can benefit from something better than Zaino, if you're willing to put up with somewhat less longevity.

Right now I like Blackfire for a sealant that has some of the depth and richness of a carnauba wax, but with the longevity of a synthetic sealant (it will last 2.5 or 3x longer than Pinnacle Souveran at least). The matching polish (Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish) is extremely mild, it's almost more of a glaze than a polish. So I'd go with the GEP, followed by two or three coats of Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection. Hit it with the matching quick detailer (Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray Sealant) every other week when you wash it, and you should be good for three months. After three months, just apply two or three more coats of All Finish Paint Protection. I don't know what the winters are like in New Jersey (other than what I see on the "Sopranos"), but you can probably get away with applying GEP once per year, when winter is over, since your car is garaged.

Zaino would give you maybe 30% more longevity, but I don't think the Barcelona Red would look nearly as good as it would with Blackfire.

By the way, your car would look WAY better after this than it did on the day you picked it up.

 

Oy vey...

Good luck with this crew priusenvy LOL

Seriously though, I'm not around here much, but to everyone on PriusChat, priusenvy knows his stuff when it comes to detailing, this is obvious. LISTEN TO HIM!

 

You know, having owned a few performance vehicles in my time for which I took meticulous care of, I've gone though this a few times, and have come to the following conclusion:

Unless you have a collectible, an exotic, something for which you only drive when it's dry out, and keep garaged most of the time, it's a lot of wasted time.

A daily driver only stays "perfect" for about a day, two or three, if you're lucky, and that's under ideal conditions.

Of course, if it is the first car you've ever owned worthy of a lengthy cleaning, it'll probably be fun for a while, so by all means enjoy yourself!

Nowadays, I just run it through the carwash while I'm up here in New England, and when I'm in FL, where there are tons of "full service" wash/wax places, I'll just shell out the $20-40 to have someone else do it.

Part of the reason I got my Prius is because, for once, I wanted something low maintenance within that respect.


As a side note, I did notice the Toyota clear coat seems to be pretty damn good compared to other cars I've owned. It's more like a nice, hard, protective "shell", than a coat... h34r:

 

Thanks very very much for your recommendation. After all the reading I had been doing I was only able to come to one conclusion.....PRIUSENVY will know what to do! I have taken your advice and ordered the Blackfire stuff. As soon as it arrives I will get to work. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again. My Barcelona Red GIZMO thanks you too.

 

For those interested in more on such things as cleaner/waxes, layering etc. there's an interesting post on the Meguiar's online forum by Mike Phillips, who has been detailing cars for decades.

Layers and layers

Go about halfway down the page to find the post that starts:
"
Because whether or not a product is capable of layering is such a hot topic in the online detailing communities, I think it's only natural that the discussion takes place, and what better place than here.

I know that layering is possible at least to the degree of creating a layer with a uniform density.

I think that layering is possible if by layering you mean increasing the thickness of a layer of product, at least to some degree.

But I believe that at some point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in."

A significant point is made here:
"A surface, such as an automotive paint, can only hold so much product before all you're doing is removing all subsequent coatings applied to the surface.

That is to say, after the first, second and in some cases a third application/coating, any more product applied to the surface is merely removed when you wipe the excess off after waiting for the product to dry or cure.

At this point you've reached a plateau, (or limit), as to how much wax, (natural or synthetic) a surface can hold. Once you reach this plateau, all further applications of wax simply become excess that will be removed (and thus wasted), during wipe-off because it has nowhere to attach and layer."

Basically, if it's a daily driver (as my car is) you're never going to maintain a show room finish. I just want to do the best the can with what I have under the conditions I have. At least I have a garage. And I know how take care of my car so I don't intentionally make it worse, but can try to protect it as long as possible.

 

For clarification I have tried Blackfire as well as Pinnacle.

Also priusenvy don't be so fast to jump to conclusions.

This prius is my eigth car. The past 4 have all enjoyed Zaino.

One grey, one silver, on cyber green, and one black. Now the white Prius. Also my fathers 2002 red thunderbird looks damn nice with it as well.

 

"Find something you like and use it often"

 

I have just finished my Blackfire treatment. I need a nap! Wash...wipe dry....apply GEP....wipe off...apply All Finish Paint Protection....wipe off (now it's dark outside and I had to finish under the lights in garage) Anyway I think it looks GREAT but tomorrow's sun will allow me to get better look. Then I will apply another coat of AFPP.

Question: Should I apply the Deep Gloss Spray Sealant after last coat of AFPP or just wait until I need to wash it again?

Another Question (are you surprised?): While wiping and inspecting every square inch of my Prius I noticed a paint chip already on passenger side rear door. Just a tiny white spot and upon further inspection learned it's not dirt...it's paint chipped off (size of pin head). I see white. So now what do I do? It's not noticable unless you look for it but I don't want to see a rust spot or anything (hey maybe that would go with the RED better). Do I need to touch this up? Believe me it's tiny but my heart skipped a beat when I saw it. I'm so protective of my new car.

Also now I'm wondering if I need to protect the front of the car somehow (bra or clear 3M shield?). I'd rather not but surely don't want to get it dinged up either. Maybe my new Blackfire protected car surface will let those stones just bounce off. Recommendations?

Now that my car looks so awesome I am getting motivated to complete the same treatment on my husbands Lexus RX400h. It's BLACK. Should I use something else? Believe me...right now it's black and white with all the salt on it so anything will be big improvement.

 

Most dealers can get you a small bottle of touchup paint for your color....
Apply a tiny dab with a tiny brush, wipe off any excess around the spot and let it dry.. then wax or put your protectant over it... that should seal from rust as well as make it invisible.

Just the sealant alone will protect from rust.. but maybe not forever... so this remedy will be better.

 

Cool. Post a pic when you're finished.

It's not required. What I do sometimes when I'm feeling lazy is buff off the AFPP really quickly and not worry about missing any spots. Then I hit the whole car with the Deep Gloss Spray Sealant and wipe it off to make sure I got all of the sealant residue off. This also helps if you didn't wait long enough for the product to cure, and are having trouble getting all the residue off.

Sounds like you can see primer underneath, so you shouldn't have a problem with rust. You might try a touch-up pen rather than the normal touch-up paint that comes with a brush.

No sealant or wax can provide protection against small rocks. If you want to protect against rock strikes, you'll have to get a bra (clear or conventional)

You're going to detail your husband's SUV? There's a phrase that describes people like you. It's "WORLD'S GREATEST WIFE".

Detailing an SUV gets old really fast, so my preference is something that will last a long time. So even though I don't care for the appearance on black, I'd use Zaino. If you're ok with the longevity of your Blackfire'd Prius though, Blackfire looks really good on black. Keep enough sealant on it and you won't have to apply the polish again.

 

priusenvy: I used to enjoy detailing cars when I was younger and had more free time and interest, but now with family responsibilities and a fleet of 3 cars, 1 truck and assorted motorcycles and dirt bikes to maintain, I no longer have the time or interest for labor intensive, frequent appearance work.

So my question for you is, what is the most durable, longest lasting wax or sealant for a driftwood 05 Prius, 6 months old, garaged at nite? And same question for my white '03 Tundra, parked outside (it won't fit in my garage) which is a major PITA to wax due to its size? I just had the Prius detailed at the Toyota dealer yesterday and it looks better now than it did the day we took delivery. The Prius had dealer applied paint sealant when I purchased it, the Tundra did not.

I am absolutely NOT looking for a show car look, I just want to keep the paint in good shape with the least amount of time and effort possible. Would prefer to apply wax or sealant once a year.

 

Take a look at the following link regarding car waxes and finishes:
http://www.gurureports.org/press/wax-test-2002-release.html

Essentially, their "comprehensive" test of 46 waxes & finishes came up with the following four:

"In the low priced category Armor All Protective Barrier Car Wax took the top honor. The Gurus praised Armor All for its high marks in the ease of use category and they point out that Armor All worked better than some waxes which cost 10 times as much." (I've read that Armor All is pretty cheap.)

"In the moderately priced category the clear winner was Mothers California Gold Pure Carnauba, a liquid wax that performs well and is easy to use." (Sells for about $19 for 12 oz.)

"In the premium priced category the top honor was taken by P21S Concours-look Carnauba Wax. The Gurus noted that this product applies and removes effortlessly and produces outstanding results." (This product retails for about $32 for 6 oz. on Amazon.)

""Best in Class" honors in the synthetic wax category were awarded to Zaino Brothers Show Car Polish. This product achieved the highest overall score, one of only a handful to receive an overall grade of "B" or better." (Looks like the full "starter kit" will set you back $90.)

If you want their full report they will be happy to sell it to you for $10.

More about the Guru Reports evaluation:
Grades were weighted as follows:
Overall Performance: 40% (averaged from 80 individual grades over 8 weeks)
Durability: 30%
Ease of Use: 20% (10% for app, 10% for removal)
Availability: 10%

I don't claim to have experience with any of these products, or to know a lot about this subject. Personally, I'd like to be able to find a decent polish/finish at a very reasonable price so that I can wax the car in an hour or two maybe three times a year and call it done. All suggestions are greatly welcomed.

 

Here are some pictures. Of course I feel like these pictures don't do it justice...but here's a look:

Check out on the web: http://homepage.mac.com/dripps/PhotoAlbum14.html

[attachmentid=2023][attachmentid=2024][attachmentid=2025]

Notice body side molding and mud flaps! I'm pimping my car!

 

John: Interesting "guru" report, thanks for the info. I have been using the Armor All liquid car wax for years with excellent results on my Honda Accord, my truck, my Miata and my motorcycles. It has carnauba, goes on very easy, buffs out nicely, and lasts a long time. And it is very inexpensive and available locally.

 

Sweet.. you stole my car!.....
the car looks so good, it makes the tires lack of shine stand out.. they too need a little shine!

I should be getting my barcelona in a few days!... if yours comes up missing you'll know what happened!

 

With 4,167 reads to this thread and counting, I just had to click on it to see what all the interest was about! Surely it couldn't all be about washing a car? Save for one brief deviation on the weather, six pages of posts on wash and wax!

One would think that nothing more could possibly be added to this topic, yet no one has yet mentioned the fact that silicone, and silicone based products, are strictly avoided by professional body shops, as silicone products are not paint shop safe.

Paint won't adhere to silicone, and let's face it... it isn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when the car will have to be partially repainted after a fender bender, a tire tread on the highway, or a runaway shopping cart collision.

While the repaired or replaced panel will be fully stripped and primed, it is the process of paint matching by blending the computer selected color of the new/repaired panel with the REST of the neighboring panels (taking into account the color shifts that UV fading and oxidation impose over a car's life) where a car coated with silicone will give a paint shop fits with paint adhesion and feathering.

The car will end up being wiped down with some pretty strong solvents, like Dupont 2930, or PPG's Acryli-Clean DX-330, or a 3M blend of Naptha and other petroleum distillates, and the guys that do the wiping won't give a flying fowl what direction they wipe in, how dirty the rag is, what bucket it came from, or how many mils of clearcoat they strip off the panels beyond that which is needed for blending.

Some of the slicker feeling, nicer applying products found in consumer and retail channels are nice and slick because of silicone.

Detailing products I've used from the professional body shop wholesaler all said "Paint Shop Safe" or "no silicones" on the bottles. I used detailing products mostly made by 3M, as well as some Meguiars pro line stuff. Be careful with Meguiars though, as they have a lot of product lines... some professional, and some consumer. The pro line has less fancy labels on the packaging, and usually is identified by a number. Many of their consumer products smell nicer (perfumes are added) and apply smoother (silicones are added), and come in fancier packaging. Still, some of their higher end consumer products are "paint shop safe" and carry no silicones.

To research more about this, consult the manufacturers of multi-stage automotive paint systems, like DuPont, PPG, Shermin-Williams, and others.

Again, all of this presumes that your car will one day pay a visit to the body shop.

The more new cars one has over a lifetime, the more one accepts this reality. Old beaters never get hit, or when they do, no one notices or cares. It is the new cars that find themselves under the HVLP spray gun.

Just another point of view to consider that surprisingly hadn't yet been mentioned.

 

Zaino claims no silicone oils.. humm..?.. they call it "synthetic car wax"

Here is an awesome link to compare:
http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

WAXES & POLISHES TESTED:
Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish - $12.95 per bottle
Zaino Z-1 Show Car Polish LOK, "Pre-Cleaner and Gloss Conditioner" - $8.95 per bottle
Zymol NSX Glaze - $144.00 per jar
Zymol HD-Cleanse - $25.50 per bottle
Meguiar's Gold Class, Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax - $12.95
Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish - $20.00

this Test sold me...
Before I order from http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/mercha...=Yes&Quantity=1

I want to know whats up with thier statement that says:

ZFXâ„¢ is the ZFXâ„¢ Flash Cure Accelerator Additive $19.95
and Z-1â„¢ is the Show Car Polish Lok $9.95

Why are those necessary?

And I wonder if I can find Zaino locally or is it only mail order?