Hey guys,

I've been wanting to completely detail my car for some time now. I really want to just take a weekend a completely clean the inside and outside of my entire car. I've heard a lot of good things about Zaino. I went on their website, but I have no idea what I should buy. I've owned the car for almost three years and I've never claybared it, so I think that would be a good idea to do. Is Zaino's clay bar good, or should I get another brand? Does their Z-5 Polish for Swirl Marks and Fine Scratches work? How about their Leather cleaners?

Should I just buy the Total Protection Show Car Kit?

Thanks,
-Nick

 

First question before considering Zaino: What condition is your paint in right now?

That is, how much swirling does it have, and does it have any oxidation at all? If it has anything other than very light and fine swirls you may wish to consider looking into methods of polishing your paint before looking too hard into Zaino.

Zaino is great if you have very good looking paint already, but if it could use some sprucing up, then it really can't help very much since Zaino doesn't sell any products actually capable of repairing anything or hiding more noticable defects. Z5 is designed to fill in swirls/light scratches, but there is a limit to its effectiveness.

Their clay and leather products both get very good reviews. Get them if you don't have these products already.

Claying is a highly recommended step because it removes the gritty contaminants from your paint and leaves it very smooth feeling.

 

My paint really isn't that bad. I actually had the car repainted probably about a year ago after a minor accident. The front of the car (bumper) is in the worst condition because of highway driving. It has a lot of marks and minor chips. I do notice some very minor light scratches and swirl marks in my paint, but it really isn't that bad. Really, I just want to make the paint smooth and very shiny. I want it to be so smooth that when you toss a rag on the hood it will slide off.

The interior of my car needs a very deep cleaning. Tan leather, and tan interior in general is very tough to keep clean.

Thanks for any help you can give me.
-Nick

 

Considering that your paint is not in bad shape, you need something that is not too aggressive to remove the swirls.

Candidates would be:

Menzerna Final Polish
Einszett Metallic Polish
Meguiar's Swirl Mark Remover
3M Swirl Mark Remover for Dark Colored Cars