lymby

There are so many brands. What works best on Sterling Mist? Some input would be appreciated. I did get some recommendations already. I should have mentioned the color of my car though. I want a mirror look to it. I want something that dries quick so I can put several coats on it.

later

RcticMax

Perfect timing! Yes, it's Rctic-"Zaino"-Max reporting to you live from my PC while I wait for the second application of Zaino to dry.

Let me tell you, lumby, you will never spend better money than you do when you go with Zaino. Last Wednesday, I stripped the car of all my previous wax, used a clay bar, washed it with their Z-7 car wash, applied the Z-1 polish lock, the Z-5 swirl remover and finally the Z-6 gloss enhancer. Took me quite a while but, damn, it's soooooooo worth it.

Where am I going with all of this? Read and learn, my friend.

I used to use Maguires No. 26 yellow wax along with the No. 9 swirl remover. I try to wash my car at least once a week. With the Maguires wax on the car, washing it was your typical challenge. Of course, not as bad as if you go longer without washing, but still needing to make sure you hit all the spots and wondering why the stuff didn't bead all that great.

Well, early tonight, I decided to wash her especially because of the light coating of pollen on the hood and all the bug guts on the front bumper. As I was spraying it down before I began with the Z-7, all that stuff just slid right off the car. Most of the bug guts did too. Usually I needed some decent elbow grease to get those off but these just came right off when I swiped it with a sudsy towel.

Here's the best part... when I rinsed off the hood after washing, the water didn't just run off the hood, it screamed off the hood. The water had so much velocity coming off the hood that it jumped right over the bumper as if it were coming out of a hose. No joke. The beading and run off was un-be-lievable to say the least!!!

Since the beading was so great, my drying time was cut in half. After drying it, the car had the same slick glass-like feel that it did when I finished polishing it on Wednesday night.

In a word, Zaino is simply amazing.

Sorry for rambling (and repeating myself from other posts), but I am really pumped about these Zaino products.

Spend the money, you won't regret it.

MaineI30

Yeh, Rctic is right. Zaino rox.

Rctic, did you even put Z-2 on your car? I mean, Z-2 is the really shiny stuff.

mdeal

iTrader: (2)

Zaino. Use Z1, then Z2 (or Z5 if you have swirls), and follow up with the gloss enhancer spray. You won't be disappointed. I am VERY impressed with the products, plus it is the easiest of applications.

RcticMax

Yep, just about to go take it off now. BTW, I did catch your message on the other thread (don't know if I replied) about the Z-2. I just didn't have enough time to do it after the Z-5 until now.

I'll let you all know when I get back from the garage.

Stay tuned.

lymby

Well I took your advice Rctic. I am going to put in an order for Z-1, Z-2, and Z-6. I just bought my '01 Maxima SE last week, Sterling mist. I don't think I will need Z-5. Should I use the clay bar? Also, how do I take off all previous wax? What do I use?

I can't wait to get the Zaino now. How long does an order usually take to get to MA. I will put the check in on Monday.

as a side note: i just hit 1k miles today. When is a good time to Punch It?

RcticMax

Cool. Don't forget the Z-7 carwash and applicator (get at least two of these). The applicators will make is sooo much easier to apply the Z-1 and Z-2.

Wet the applicator first and it will make it go a long way (especially since they say 1 oz. of Z-1 should do your whole car!!!). I made the mistake of using a facecloth (more on towels in a moment) and wound up using more than I should have. No prob though, just wasted it. I used the wet applicator tonight with the Z-2 and it made a big dif.

If you have a leather interior, you may want to think about the Z-9 cleaner and Z-10 conditioner also. The Z-10, called "Leather in a Bottle" is supposed to keep that new car smell going and going and going. Not sure as I haven't had time to apply it yet but they haven't steered me wrong yet!

Now for the towels (as well as other application tips and FAQ's), go to Zaino's web site and read everything up there. They'll guide you on most everything you need to know, especially about the towels. My wife got me the Cannon bath size towels at Walmart for $1.50 on sale so keep your eyes open. Don't substitute for the Cannon or Fieldcrest, 100% cotton, made-in-the-usa towels. Trust me on this one.

I've had my Max since February and still wound up using the clay bar. Your choice but I wanted to go all out. Zaino's site makes a decent argument about (metalic) rail dust getting on your clear coat during transportation (I'm pretty sure most Max's make at least one trip on a train) as well as other contaminants. Takes a little extra work but IMHO it's worth it.

As for stripping your car of the wax, etc., use Dawn dishwashing liquid per Zaino's directions. However, you shouldn't have to do this more than once, if ever again once you get the Zaino on your ride. All this stuff is on their site, so read up, my man.

I sent my check into them last Saturday and had my stuff on Wednesday. They turn it around pretty quick. I'm in CT so MA shouldn't be any longer as their shipping from NJ.

I'm not sure about the break in period. Do a search on the site and I'm sure you'll come up with something (sorry).

Remember, be patient. This process takes time but you'll love the results.

Cheers!

lymby

you got any pics of your car? i would love to see a sample. as soon as i get the products and use them on my car. i will post some pics online. i can't wait now. i wanted to wax my car today, but now i am going to have to wait until next sunday. i work nights and go to college in the morning. no time to do anything except on sundays.

later and keep cool in CT

RcticMax

Nah, the only pix I have are crappy video screen grabs and they always come out looking grainy (see my sig pic for an example of what I'm talking about). I'll see if I can borrow a digicam from someone (too much coin for me to justify at this point).

Looking forward to seeing your pix and hearing about your experience. I completely understand about having to wait to do stuff. I have a 21-month old that keeps us pretty busy.

L8R.

lymby

does your bra leave any left over residue on your white clear coat. i just bought my bra, they say not to use it in the extreme heat that we have been having. after what i hear about all this chipped paint, i don't know if i should just keep it on all the time. also. i have not even opened the box to my bra yet. i like the look your car has with just the top part on. i think i may just do the same.



stay

RcticMax

Hehe, you caught it just before I changed my sig pic. I was getting bored with it.

Anyway, since I keep my car pretty darn clean and wash it every week, I don't get any residue or have any paint issues because of it (at least not yet and hopefully not ever). Heat shouldn't be an issue. It's when it rains you'll have one. You're supposed to take it off and let the car dry if you come in right out of the rain or your car is going to sit a while when wet. If it's wet and you're driving, the "breathability" of the Saddleman LeBra will dry out as you go (provided it's not still raining )

As for just the hood portion being covered, I didn't have a choice. Because of the aero kit on the AE, no one makes a bra to fit it yet. I'm thinking about getting that StonGard which I just posted about a short bit ago. A bit pricey but if it's good enough for a Ferrari, it's good enough for my Max.

If you do go with a bra, make sure it's not a piece of **** 'cause there's a lot of them out there. Not saying mine's the best one made, but it's a pretty darn good one. Great quality and fits like a glove. No slapping around in the slipstream.

Cheers!

lymby

i bought mine from the Nissan dealer. i payed $buck-10 for it. : I will try it on as soon as i wax the s**t out of my car. Does it really matter what kind of car wash i use. i have so many kinds piled up at my house from my old one. I figured i should use them first and then considering the zaino brand. I mean the kinds i have are just brands like turtle wax and some generic stuff from Lappens Auto Parts. I used them on my Lincoln, they always had a great shine. I used mother's for wax on the lincoln, did great, but now with this new discovery of ZAINO i can't wait to see the results. i can already tell on your pic. it has a great luster. regardless of the picture quality. well i have to go and do some work now.

i am sitting here just surfing the net and gettin paid. i am a security officer at a defense plant in MA. hey i make enough to buy a maxima. that is how i look at for now. waiting to finish college to get a better job. maybe even upgrade to a bimmer or something. who knows.

RcticMax

I've read up here that the one from Nissan is not the best choice. I'd return it and look at www.saddleman.com for one that fits your car. Just my two-cents worth.

As for the car wash, shouldn't be a problem waiting til you go through your stash as far as I know but you may want to call Sal Zaino on that. He seems pretty honest and hopefully won't try to sell you something you don't need.

Good to know our defense plants are in good hands. Keep your head screwed on straight and you'll do just fine. Whatever you wind up doing, make sure you do something you love. Money isn't everything. If you do something you love, the money will (usually) follow.

As for the Bimmer, yep, me too. Next stop is probably a 5-series.

Keep us posted.

lymby

I forgot to ask. Is Zaino a synthetic type of wax? Is it watery or is it like gel/paste of some sort?

I looked up saddleman.com. I would be $20 cheaper for the hood from them. I did a search on this website and found that people are having a hard time putting the mask on. Maybe for the AE model. But I think they were talking in general, for both models. Well now I have to take another trip to the dealer. Will they take it back is the quesion? Man I have had so many problems with my dealer it is pathetic. I took them for a ride on the price of my car. I think they have lost interest in me as a customer that they won't give me any customer care. I got my fully loaded SE for 24,500. I wanted the AE, but they didn't budge on that one. Those were selling for MSRP, and they did want any deals.

This site is a huge help. You have been too. I think I am going to have to consult this page before I buy anything for my MaxSe.

Avalon Racing

Here is a customers test of IBIZ vs. Zaino Bros Wax

"Let me start off by saying that I like to thank Paul at Avalon Racing for showing me this stuff and letting me try some. Let me give you my results of just doing half of my hood first, then
putting it in the sun and looking at the difference and feeling the difference. "

1.After applying IBIZ to one side, zaino to another side of my hood, then using both there after sprays, the IBIZ side wins. I can tell there is a much DEEPER darker look on the IBIZ side, compared to the lighter side of Zaino.
2.The feel, the IBIZ side is really really silky smooth, I mean really. Zaino side is real smooth but not near as smooth as IBIZ.
3.Reflection (very hard to tell this part. I do notice the METALLIC particles in the paint that zaino brought to life originally IBIZ is making them stick out much much better.
4.Protection and rain beading, have not tested this just yet. Hopefully a few weeks we will see how it with stands up to rain, hard water, bird crap, whatever environment acids hit it. I will give everyone a report in about 1-2 weeks
depending on when I get to see the results from rain, and bird droppings.
5.Hard of use. Zaino is basically very easy to take on and off, but u must wait for a while for it to dry. IBIZ definitely there is no waiting time basically. You wipe on, and it spreads very nicely, doesn't take much to put on, also takes
just a little more work taking off since u must remove when wax is wet. I did let it sit for about 1 min so it has good results.

This is just a fast summary of what I have seen between both of the waxes. But I can tell u now, that Zaino just lost my business most likely....but we will see after the final results.

Thanks again Paul!

lymby

I definitely want to hear the results. Where can I find IBIZ. Is there a website? Or an order form? I will probably try both at some point. I have already sent the check for the Zaino products, so Zaino will be the first to christen my car.

To argue against, IBIZ sounds to easy to apply. I don't trust a product that can dry in a minute or so. That can only mean that the product has a short life span. Do you know what I mean? Also, you say you can take it off wet, is it not a wax? I can assume that it is synthetic. I think Zaino is synthetic also, but I am still going to try it. If not I can always sell it to my next door neighbor. Some of the Websites I have been searching like www.autodetail.com, www.mothers.com, www.meguiars.com, they all recommend a carnuaba wax, due to its coating capabilities. I am going to experiment for a while. But I will take Ibiz into consideration also.

If you could get me some infor on where to locate Ibiz products I would be more than grateful to check it out.


Thanks for the tip, this website has been a great help.
Where you located?

RcticMax

You can find IBIZ at www.avalonracing.net which is where Paul hails from (a great guy to do business with, BTW). He's based out of Londonderry and Manchester, NH.

Don't know too much about IBIZ, but either way you go, I think you'll be giving your Max a nice treat.

Good luck and keep postin'.

Green_2

Well, I just picked up my Nissan bra this weekend and put it on. it was tough getting it on at first. It doesn't seem to want to fit, but after a little tugging and yanking...it finally fitted into place. it looks nice!

But too bad I had to take it off because it rained on my drive home, so I hadn't have a chance to take some pics of it...oh well...

Green

lymby

You say you bought the Nissan Bra. How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind my asking? I picked mine up for $110 from the dealer. A few people have been telling me to return it and buy it from www.saddleman.com. I put my top half on yesterday and it looks fine. I did have a hard time putting it on though. Well good luck with it. Any tips on how to get the bottom half on. Do you kneed two people. The top half was difficult because I didn't want to bend any of the hood joints, you know. I put so much pressure pulling on one side I thought I might warp the hood or something. I have not went on the highway with it yet. So I don't know if it will flap in the wind. If I hear one flutter, I am returning it for a LeBra.

Later Kid,

RcticMax

I believe Zaino is synthetic. It's chemically designed to build upon itself for a deep, three dimensional look with multiple applications.

I had NO problems getting the Custom Hood Protector to fit. It's a tight fit and that's a good thing as far as I can tell.

Glad you find Maxima.org to be helpful. I really enjoy the people up here and the info is terrific. I'm also glad that I could help (finally giving something back, even if it is one man's opinion )

lymby

What Up Rctic.

Hey did you see the thread from the guy talking about IBIZ. What do you think of it? He said he is going to post results later on. I want to know what last out there, you know. If you buy the stuff that goes on real easy and comes off easy. I can only assume that it will not last that long. If something is allowed to cure overnight or for a long period of time I can believe that it works. But if you can apply something and then take it off ten maybe 15 minutes later how effective can it be. I told him that I would try it out, after Zaino turn that is.

ON the another topic, I put the top half of my bra on. I didn't hit the highway though, so I don't know if it is going to flutter in the wind. And also I am psyched that I hit 1k yesterday morning on the way home. Already tested a few people on the highway. This car is amazing.

Out.

RcticMax

Yeah, I think I replied to that post on IBIZ (it was Paul from Avalon Racing).

I wouldn't necessarily assume anything about effort of application and/or curing time. Different manufacturers have different application directions, that's all. For instance, the Z-6 high gloss application from Zaino is a spray on/immediately wipe off and buff type of thing. Not sure how much protection it offers besides cutting the static electricity down but just the same, it's quick on and quick off and seems to help keeping stuff from being attracted to your car (e.g. pollen, dust, etc.)

Glad to hear you got your bra on. Hey, if it works for you and you're happy, that's pretty much all that counts. No need to return if it's doing its job.

And, yes, she is one sweeeet machine, isn't she. Just remember that you are made of flesh and blood and your parts can't be replaced with "OEM" replacements.

Be good.

umpopa

Just one more vote for Zaino...
I have been entirely satisfied with it, on my Sterling Mist GLE.