Zaino Products Yea or Nay???

[LinusSS]

I've have used their stuff before and was impressed, but seems like people either love Zaino or don't. Just curious to hear the opinions from the experts...

[FITZ TITS]

I've heard two things about Zaino...
1) Hard to work with
2) Look and work great


That said, I know other products that are easier to work with and look and work better.

Which ones are you specifically talking about? Maybe we can give you suggestions on other options.

[seal66]

My old man used Zaino on his 02 Z06. It was easy to work with when I helped him, and the product was awesome.

[LinusSS]

I've heard two things about Zaino...
1) Hard to work with
2) Look and work great


That said, I know other products that are easier to work with and look and work better.

Which ones are you specifically talking about? Maybe we can give you suggestions on other options.


Just looking for a well rounded (and not prohibitively expensive) car care setup.

- Interior Leather Care products
- Exterior Wash
- Simple Wax Sealant solution
- Wheel and Tire Care

I just purchase a 2012 S4 so just looking to care for it as well as possible, but I also have a 3 year old son and pregnant wife so can't devote hours of time working on the car...

Thanks SO MUCH for your help

[FITZ TITS]

Just looking for a well rounded (and not prohibitively expensive) car care setup.

- Interior Leather Care products
- Exterior Wash
- Simple Wax Sealant solution
- Wheel and Tire Care

I just purchase a 2012 S4 so just looking to care for it as well as possible, but I also have a 3 year old son and pregnant wife so can't devote hours of time working on the car...

Thanks SO MUCH for your help

I think the Adam's line of products would be well suited for your level of involvement and skill.

A random orbital would help speed things up as well. You get get a brush backing plate for the leather and one for the carpets. Then you can use a hook and loop backing to attach waxing pads. Adam's makes a fine machine polish that is well-suited for the RO machine.

If you don't have one, I'm selling my Porter Cable and I have a black 6.5" waxing pad with a near full bottle of Adam's fine machine polish. If you're interested PM me.

[chris@fifteen52]

I have used the Zaino stuff for years and have been extremely impressed with the results and how easy it was to use and not too expensive.

[TOGWT]

For many years (twenty plus) my polymer sealant of choice was an acrylic polymer (Klasse) I then converted to a polymer sealant (Zaino) and used it for approx fifteen years, but automotive sealants and coatings(Opti-Coat™, Aquartz, Permanon, G|Techniq) have evolved immensely over the last five years or so and have changed paint protection to an inordinate degree

Probably the greatest impact has come from the use of coatings, which have completely changed the landscape of the detailing industry. Products like Zaino, Collinite, and etc used to be the best protection available but nanotechnology (AQuartz) or a reactive polymer resin coatings (Opti-Coat™ ) that offer a coating thickness of 2-3 µ (microns) and a scratch resistant hardness of 9H, greatly extended durability, scratch resistance and protection from the elements that can be measured in seasons or years, as opposed to others

[TypeRx]

For many years (twenty plus) my polymer sealant of choice was an acrylic polymer (Klasse) I then converted to a polymer sealant (Zaino) and used it for approx fifteen years, but automotive sealants and coatings(Opti-Coat™, Aquartz, Permanon, G|Techniq) have evolved immensely over the last five years or so and have changed paint protection to an inordinate degree

Probably the greatest impact has come from the use of coatings, which have completely changed the landscape of the detailing industry. Products like Zaino, Collinite, and etc used to be the best protection available but nanotechnology (AQuartz) or a reactive polymer resin coatings (Opti-Coat™ ) that offer a coating thickness of 2-3 µ (microns) and a scratch resistant hardness of 9H, greatly extended durability, scratch resistance and protection from the elements that can be measured in seasons or years, as opposed to others

100% agree. I mean, can you really argue with anything TOGWT says?

I have been using Zaino products (z1, z2, z5, zfx, z6, z7, z8, z10, zcs, zclay....probably more!) since 1999. They are awesome and are still a great value. However, I switched last year to primarily Optimum products (Opti-Coat, car wash, spray wax, and ONR) and am very happy. I never found Zaino hard to use but you cannot beat the durability of Optimum's products. I will say that I think Zaino z5 has slightly more "pop" than Opti-coat, but Opti-coat just has too many other advantages.

Zaino is NOT hard to use, the folks that say that have generally never used it. Before the days of ZFX perhaps it was a bit more painful but with ZFX you are talking like 15 minutes a coat of protection that will last 6 months. Now, if you get crazy like I did and add 3 coats for the initial detail and 1 coat after each wash, well, then yeah, you are spending more time than you need to.

[LinusSS]

Thanks for all the feedback, will likely order an Optimum detailing kit after the beginning of the year. Are their leather products good as well or should I use something else?

[johnwiz]

I've used Zaino products for around 13 years. On my '01 Corvette it was all I used, the finish looked as good 12 years later as when I got it, no swirl marks or any other imperfections (can't do anything about rock chips). The leather products are very good too. I also recommend their tire gloss, it goes on and dries quickly, and gives a nice deep natural look - not a glossy mess.

[helix139]

I have it applied 2-3 times a year to my car. Here are a few photos from my most recent application:

In the detail bay under flourescent light:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/8025321388_532523b992_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/8025343112_e366dd7d80_b.jpg

Pulled outside, crazy reflections:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8025318235_bf4a720896_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/8025315175_ceaac49d96_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8320/8025312466_5982c969a0_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/8025306877_60bd954a5e_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8451/8025292891_6a86a89357_b.jpg

Zaino really brings out the pearl effect flake in the paint as the sun starts to get low:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/8025300846_d8933465a0_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/8025290250_1a27534dfb_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/8025287462_08e7fe3769_b.jpg

Low light:, shows off the violet hues the car can take on:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/8025266214_46154cd5e1_b.jpg

A couple shots playing with the exposure settings on the camera:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8451/8025274181_86e89e0754_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8025271396_b97fab1bc1_b.jpg

[O2ShootTheJ]

wow, beautiful! [up]

[SleeperCar]

sexxxy s4 bro!

[VroomVroom]

Really great comments above. The results that detailers - pro and 'work-on-my-own-cars-only' - get from Zaino paintcare products prove that it's a very viable product line. My guess is that, over time, you'll choose to mix & match items from different vendors, choosing what works best for you along the way. I love Zaino's leather care and tire dressing (Z16 is, hands down, the best I've ever used), but lean on other brands for paint correction and protection.

[helix139]

Really great comments above. The results that detailers - pro and 'work-on-my-own-cars-only' - get from Zaino paintcare products prove that it's a very viable product line. My guess is that, over time, you'll choose to mix & match items from different vendors, choosing what works best for you along the way. I love Zaino's leather care and tire dressing (Z16 is, hands down, the best I've ever used), but lean on other brands for paint correction and protection.

Zaino does not give paint correction, you are absolutely correct on that. Z-PC can do some very mild correction and Z5 has fillers to hide some marring, but for true correction you'll need something abrasive such as a polish or compound. As far as paint protection, it looks great and offers 6 months of very durable protection. One of these days I might get around to trying out 22ple but I simply don't have the time to do anything beyond maintenance detailing (washes, spot correction, etc) and only trust one other guy in the area to detail my car, and Zaino is the best stuff he uses when it comes to protection. With consistent results like the above, I'm fine with that.