Very torn between the two
 

So I did some search on this forum and I got a lot of information on this subject. Just out of curiosity. I used to just do a wash and dry with Maguire's Gold Wash and use Mother's Carnuba Wax on my old 350z. After becoming an enthusiast of the 370Z I really wanted to do the best for my new baby. And I am torn between whether to get the Zaino detailer kit for 90 dollars or is it best to do some shopping around IDetailer and combine different products to get the best shine on my car. What are you guy's input on this?

I would personally stick with Zaino. It's one of the best out there and is highly recommended by many detailers.

If you want shiny you want Zaino or Griot's Paint Sealant.

If you want deep gloss you'd probably want Prima Epic.

If you want warm deep gloss you'd probably want something carnauba...I tend to like the latter and use Griot's Best of Show.

Regardless, off the shelf stuff is for beginners. The only thing I use from the local store is Meg's pos maroon bottle quick detailer as clay lube. :D Hahaha
Oh, and some of their tire shine in very small amts.

its all controversial. Zaino is some awesome stuff, but I live by Meguires. Both of their products are highly tested/refined for best results so either way you go, your getting a good product. STAY AWAY from the cheap stuff. Most high end products will offer the same long lasting protection.

I like to wet my car down first then wash my car with some non-wax/shine car wash soap. then clay bar w/ Mothers clay bar kit, and wax with either Meguires gold or NXT.

I usually wax every 3rd or 4th wash.

while each wax offers different kind of finish, just an FYI for some out there, Carnauba wax does not last as long as polymer waxes such as NXT. I dont believe Carnauba bonds as well either. They both offer the same good results. they do have a bit of a different finish look as well, a lot of people prefer Carnauba because its always worked in the past (been around a while), and because of the finish. I just use the polymer waxes.

Thanks guys so much for the input, I use to do minor detailing for my car and my family's car. So I think after hearing your thoughts I want to go ahead and get the Zaino kit. As far as car wash go, I know Zaino recommends using Dawn for the first wash, personally I don't like to put dish detergents on my car so I was thinking of maybe CG's Citrus and Shine wash? Because it takes off any previous wax / polish as well. What are your inputs on CG's wash compare as to using Dawn detergents?

i like turtle wax ice because i don't have to worry about getting it on the black rubber parts, makes waxing much less stressful. It might not be the best shine but i cant really tell anyways...

Forget everything you just read, all lies. Read on:

IRVINE, California (August 18, 2008) – For more than 100 years, Meguiar's, the leader in automotive appearance care, has offered automotive enthusiasts the finest products and accessories for preparing their automobiles for top shows around the globe. That legacy shined once again at the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 17, 2008 as an overwhelming majority of the incredible cars awarded "Best of Class" achieved their flawless appearances using Meguiar's car care products.

In all, 20 of the 24 individual “Best of Class” winners in this year’s 58th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance selected Meguiar’s as their products of choice for creating a show-quality finish. Over the past ten years, 211 of the 245 vehicles judged “Best of Class” (86%) have used Meguiar’s car care products.

“We create quality products for serious car people who are passionate about their vehicle’s appearance,” said Barry Meguiar, President and CEO of Meguiar’s, Inc. “We would like to congratulate all the best-in-class winners and thank them for demonstrating that whether your car is a Pebble Beach contender or a daily driver that you wash and wax in your driveway, Meguiar’s products provide the opportunity for every car to have the look of a world class award-winner.”

use dawn. they dont tell you to use it becuase it doesnt work.

I have used it on many car that i zaino'ed i never noticed any problem with it.

not entirely true, although I swear by meguires, the article states that most of the top winners use meguires, but we dont know if its because of their aggressive marketing. They have a program, if you are in car shows, etc, they will give you a very good discount on their products.

So just out of curiosity. How much dawn and water do you cut it with? I don't want it to be too concentrated or too little to have an effect on the car.

For anyone thats really interested in proper car care educate yourself from people who know what they are talking about. There are some great online detail sites with professionals to learn from. I know people here are just trying to help, and some even know what they are talking about, but for the most part they are not very educated on proper auto care.

Meguiars is without a doubt good stuff, but as far as winning all of the Pebble Beach Concours awards, you have to take into consideration that most if not all of the cars there are not daily drivers, and do not have modern factory applied paint with clear coats. The type of paints used on multi-thousand dollar paint jobs or even on original finish cars made 10-20 years ago or longer is very different that the paints used today.
I used Zaino with excellent results on my G35 Coupe that I owned for 5 years since new, and decided to carry on with my new 370Z. Zaino products are expensive and labor intensive but if those two factors are not important, I think you'll be pleased. Follow the instructions on the Zaino website religiously. Wash your car with Dawn to remove any factory or dealer applied wax. Clay bar the surface, and wash again with Dawn, although not in as high of a concentration. I applied 2 coats of the Z2 with ZFX accelerator the first time, and then about 2 weeks later washed the car with Meguiars Gold car wash, and applied 2 more coats of Z2/ZFX. I get a lot of comments about how good it looks and bugs and pollen wipe right off. Even bird crap comes right off with a few spritzes of quick detailer of your choice and a microfiber towel. Again, if you don't mind spending the bucks and the better part of a day for the first time Dawn wash/clay bar/wash/apply Z2 w/ZFX, wipe off/apply another coat of Z2 w/ZFX, wipe off, and finish with Z6 or Z8, you'll be happy with the results. After the initial treatment, reapply the Z2 about twice a year like you would any other wax and obviously the labor involved will be much less than the initial treatment is on a new car. Otherwise, the Meguiars NXT is highly regarded and not as labor intensive. I would still recommend a Dawn wash & clay bar treatment with any new car, regardless of the type of wax or sealant you end up with.

Some of these cars are worth millions of $$$$ and are in a competition are you serious?

wow, talk about hard core waxing, I never knew this kind of info. I've used Maguire's and ive happy with it. I'll tried the Zaino kit next time.

If you want detailing info.....


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