OK - so what does everyone use to wash and wax the 8's? I was going to go out tomorrow morning and buy a good wash/wax/brushes and such, but am looking for suggestions too....thoughts?

 

Check out the "Show and Shine" section.

 

Well I use:
Armor All Car Wash.
Blue Coral Wheel Magic - Helps remove brake residue.
Eagle One Wax as u dry - Like the name says. ( IMO, I don't think you would need to wax your car, because for one your car is brand new.)
Armor All Glass Wipes.
Meguiars Hot Shine Tire Spray - The finishing touch. :D

I hope this helps.

 

BTW I like your Avatar. :D

 

Mr. Clean Auto Dry
Black Magic Tire Wet Gel (your wheels will look shiny for a WEEK)
Eagle One 20/20 Glass cleaner - amonia free, tint friendly
Armor All - Detailer's choice for the interior
Black Magic Polish Wax

 

Lots of good products out there but I like Dupont Teflon Spray Wax.

 

You know the teflon is a gimmick? It won't bond to anything except when baked at high temp. When the wax companies started putting teflon in the prodcts, DuPont came out and said there was no benefit. No one listened, and DuPont realized these jokers were charging double for a bottle of spray, so they jumped on the bandwagon.

 

I usually spray it down at a do-it-yourself place with their soap and then rinse and dry. Then I take the car home and use meguairs quick detail spray to get all the watermarks out. Then I wax with meguiars tech wax. My friend swears by gold class and I've used it before with great results as well. Meguiars interior wipes for the plastic and black magic for the tires and black plastic.

Then there is always the zaino darkside if you are obsessive...

 

OK, I'm old and have made all the mistakes. I now use Zaino products, so this "essay" pertains to their stuff, but the basic principles apply to any product.

First, remember any time you touch the paint you scratch it. You may not be able to see the scratches, but they are there and build up over time. To "make them go away" you can fill them (with wax for example).
To make them less visible, whenever you wash, dry, wipe, polish, always move fore/aft on horizontal surfaces, and up/down on vertical surfaces. This will ensure the scratchs (swirl marks) will only be visible from one angle, and one not usually seen. Never use rotary tools. I know "professionals" do. Make your own decisions.
Here is what I do:

1. Wash car and dry (I use a mit to wash (rinse it out often) and a small "microfibre" towel to dry - Zaino recommends a cotton bath towel, but I find it too hard to keep it off the ground, where it will pick up "debris"). If it's the first time for a new product, wash with dish detergent - Dawn is a good brand. Don't use this stuff more than once a year - it's hard on the paint. It's used to get rid of any potentially non-compatible product still on the car.

2. Run your (clean) hand over the surface of the paint. If you feel any roughness, you probably have "bonded contaminants". Use a clay bar to remove them (you will hear it "tick tick" as it does). Use a car soap dilluted in a spray bottle to lub the clay bar. Once done rinse the car off and dry. You can do this step before drying on the first step, to save the time of drying the car once. The paint surface should now be "glass smooth" to the touch.

3. Apply Z1 - be stingy. You want to get it on with no missed spots, but you want it as thin as possible. I use a small soft cotton cloth to apply the product - less is wasted that way. I also dampen the cloth before I begin. Note that Z1 will also clean problem areas - my RX-7 had an early engine fire - under hood the original shipping wax was "smoky" and I couldn't remove it even with wicked solvents. A little elbow grease and Z1 did the trick!

4. Apply Z2 or Z5 right over top of the Z1. If you have "swirl marks" Z5 will fill them. If not, Z2. I try not to inhale these products (the dust) and try to minimize skin contact. I'm not sure, but I -think- they may not be healthy. You can apply Zaino stuff in sun or shade, works fine either way (faster in sun). Again, be stingy. You want a very thin continuous film on the paint. Apply this stuff over plastic, metal, and paint. Try to avoid forcing it in cracks. It will dry "off white" and be unsightly - I use a toothbrush to get it out of these problem areas once it drys. You can also leave these two products on for as long as you like. They will both just wipe off even after months in the sun!

5. After the Z2/Z5 dries, just wipe off with a soft towel - read real cotton here. Do not press hard! Zaino recommends Canon brand towels - white only.

6. Take Z6 and spray it on a small area and wipe it off immediatly. Do not let it dry! If it does it will leave a "stain" mark - just apply some more on top and wipe it off. I think Z6 removes excess Z2/Z5 and spreads the molecules out to approximate an even layer. That's the scientific term - it enhances the shine. That's the real world term.

Once you've gone over with Z6 you can apply another coat of Z2 (if you had "swirl marks" and used Z5, you can now switch to Z2) from step 4.

You can also use Z6 as a "detailer" if you're showing your car.

With Zaino on the car, bugs will just rinse off. The Zaino will last on a "daily driver" for at least 6 months (unless you're into the show car shine - in which case once a month for another coat of Z2, preceded and followed with Z6).

When I wash the car I use water. No soap, etc. Water!

And I don't want to hear any of you complain this is too much work! Try applying it to an SUV! Three times the surface area, with climbing involved! My Pathfinder (the beater) wears me out! The car is a joy to do.

Enjoy.

 

OK - so after I washed my brand new (1 mo old) Shinka (with the Black CHerry Mica paint job) I noticed something... I have scrathes (horiz, vert, and otherwise ) ALL OVER the paint job! The trunk area, the driver's side, and definitely the hood... just looks like someone was careless when they were rubbing up against it or something... agh! The "scratch filler" didn't do jack sh**... just made swirls on the paint job, so I'm now distraught.

Will this stuff you talked about Zaino, work to help fix this? We have a TON of highway bugs down here in Georgia and they make the paint all nasty if I don't clean it daily!... what can I do?!

Help.

 

Try the Zaino. I've found the Z5 is pretty good at making the fine scratches disappear. They're not gone, just not visible. Zaino makes it much easier to clean bugs off as well. The nose of my RX-7 (CYM - Competition Yellow Mica) is black with bugs when I return from the coast. They just rinse off if you catch them before the sun has a chance to bake them on (usually takes a few days)!

People just don't understand how soft paint is, and how easily it scratches. They will, with good intentions, try to wipe off dust! Scratch city! Just watch someone wash a car. Circular motions! The scratches they leave will be visible from any angle!

I use a "California car duster/brush". Mine is labled "Mothers". They are a narrow dusting mop coated with very thin wax. You just drag the mop fibres over the car to dust it and it will pick up dust and not scratch the paint. You don't press it on the car!

To try the Zaino, you will need Z1, Z5, and Z6. Oh, and one thing I learned today, wait overnight before applying a second coat of Z2 or Z5. Just clean with the Z6 and apply the next coat.

 

Thanks man! I actually have a California brush in the garage already :-)

I looked at some of the local places, but can't seem to locate any Zaino, ideas on where to purchase?

 

They sell Zaino online (only, I think). http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc