To Wax/Polish or Not To...

Don't wait. Factory paint is already cured.

 

Get that Zaino on there ASAP! No use getting six months worth of winter grunge worked deep into the clear coat.

I don't think auto paint has had to "cure" for at least a decade. "Curing" means letting the volatiles work their way out of the paint, and everyone uses low VOC paint these days.

 

Go ahead and wax it now.

If it's a factory paint job, the paint has already been cured in a bake oven, so there isn't going to be any additional curing occuring after you drive it off the dealer's lot.

 

:blink: I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to car products (among several other topics) - I've googled Zaino and it lists a bunch of products - how do I know if I have a "clear coat" finish? What type product do you use?
TIA
Marty

 

If you have any color other than black, there is a clear coat.

 

If you're interested in car finish care and detailing check out www.autopia.org

Everyone's right though, the paint is already cured so wax away.

 

I have had mu baby for about two weeks. I have 2 questions. #1 Do need to claybar it? and #2 It has the toyoguard package, (couldn't get it without) do I need to do anything special. I just received my Zaino shipment last night. Have never used it before, but ordered it anyway after reading the kudos from other PC members.

 

General consensus on the board is to claybar it. It doesn't take that long, and you won't have that nagging "should I have claybarred it?" feeling.

Don't know what kit you have, but do the full Zaino recommended routine: Dawn wash, claybar with Z7/water as lubricant, wash with Z7, then couple of coats of Z2/ZFX with Z6 or Z8 after each coats. It sounds like a lot of work, but not really. Your car is new and you'll be motivated.

When I wash the car, I tend to put some Z6 or Z8 on afterward about 1/2 the time. I have a total of 5 coats of Z2 on it applied over the past 4 months. It really looks nice and shiny even when it is dirty.

 

Yep. I think this gets rid of the "Toyoguard" sealant, which is a SE Dealer ripoff. I was lucky enough to be able to delete this option from my car.

I used the Zaino glass polish instead of RainX. It is OK, not super impressed with it. Might try RainX one day based on comments. Invisible Glass works like a charm. There was a special here at the local pep boys on Stoner products and I stocked up on the spray bottle version of it.

As for other Zaino products, the leather stuff seems to work well, and like other Zaino products, it smells really good. The interior plastic cleaner stuff is OK too.

It is a really nice day here in Atlanta, all this Zaino talk is making me want to ditch work and go pretty up the car, it's been awhile....

 

I'm waiting on my 2006 Prius, which will be here around the first of the year. I live in upstate NY where salt and sand are used on the roads in lethal amounts. I have no doubt a proper wax job would help protect the paint on my new baby, but it's not exactly going to be DIY-detailing weather when she comes home! Argh!

Oh well...I guess I'm stuck paying a local auto detailing place to hand wax until spring arrives and I can consider Zaino. <pout>

--Bonny G.

 

So this is the 3rd time ive recommended this stuff on here. 3M

My father has been in the paint business for over 35 years and we know from experience... this is the best paste wax you can get. And you can use it on your new prius as soon as it gets home. Actually you shouldnt wait a second longer than that.

 

Being in the paint business is a lot different from being in the detailing business. 3M products are popular with body shops, that's about it. Very few professional detailers or enthusiasts use it, since there are much better products available.

Go to any of the major car detailing web sites, and the number of people recommending Pinnacle Souveran as the best wax available will outnumber anything else by at least 10 to 1.

Considering it sells for $70 a can, and lots of people who have tried everything think it's worth it - that's saying something.

 

Thanks for mentioning that you can use Invisible Glass to remove the haze from RainX. I could never manage to get rid of that last bit of RainX cloudiness, and didn't know it was OK to use Invisible Glass for that. I was afraid it would remove the RainX, but it doesn't.

 

Cool, all I can say to that is that Ive never tried it and will... after the comparison I will get back with opions. And your right about being in the paint business, all Im concerned about is paint chemistry, finish, longetivity and I have to honesty say I dont know what the detailing business world is about really. thanks.