Okay, I just spent 15 minutes talking to Sal Zaino about my plan below and he had a lot of interesting things to say (great guy). Based on that conversation, here's my final plan:
NOTE: I have a metallic midnight blue (almost black) Porsche 911 cabriolet (so no top to finish).
1. I will wash my car as usual with with Griots Car Wash (although Sal likes his better
).
2. I'll clay as needed using Griots Clay as I like it more than
Sonus & Zaino's. (
I don't clay while washing because I have to wash in the sun and that will result in water spots)
3. I'll polish any defects out of the paint using Griots Machine Polish 3 (or 2 if there any bad spots).
4. I prepare the paint with a coat of Griots Paint Prep which helps to
remove wax & sealants. Sal recommends washing again at this step, but he didn't seem very familiar with Paint Prep, so I don't believe re-washing is necessary.
------- From here on I discussed each step with Sal personally on the phone today and he approved these steps -----
5. I'll spray the car down with one coat of Z6 and wipe it off (in sections of course) using a blue Sonus MF towel.
6. I'll mix a HALF ounce of Z5 Pro with 2 drops of ZFX and apply a THIN layer to the whole car (as I would do with
Klasse AIO &
SG) using a Z6 moistend microfiber applicator (orange Sonus ones).
7. Based on Sal's comments, by the time I'm done applying to the whole car it should be ready to remove. I'll test it first, but it sounds a lot like the dry time of Klasse AIO (an on / off product).
8. I'll buff off the first coat in the garage and then repeat steps 5 & 6. I'll repeat step 7 afterwards. Sal says 2 coats of Z5 Pro is plenty. Anymore is just wasting the product.
9. I'll REPEAT step 5 (Z6), then
I'll use straight Z2 Pro WITHOUT ZFX and apply a THIN layer to the whole car using a
Z6 moistend microfiber applicator
for one final coat. (NOTE: Sal says your final coat doesn't need ZFX. You can use it, but it isn't required NOR is a long cure time required - wipe on and wipe off is sufficent).
10. According to Sal, immediately after the last coat of Z2 Pro has been removed, I'll ]finish with a SINGLE coat of Z8 when I do a full car wipe down using a Sonus Blue MF towel.
Sal claims that steps 5 - 10 could be done in as little as 45 minutes with the best possible results that the product will offer. I don't think I move that fast, but I guess the real point is that all of these claims about long cure times don't offer any benefit (according to Sal).
If I have the engergy, I might prep my windows and wheels and do those in advance of the Sunday marathon.
Other interesting notes from my conversation with Sal:
- Sal claims that Werkerstat and Klasse products are made by the same supplier so they are the same product. Both are VOC compliant which he claims translates into Klasse AIO not being as good now as it used to be before it was VOC compliant. He's not a fan of Klasse, but I love the stuff personally.
- He stated clearly that you SHOULD NOT use Z8 moistened applicators, but rather use Z6. He made it sound like that it was a waste, but he was pretty clear that I shouldn't do that.
- He seemed to think there is no harm in putting some Z8 in with your Z5 or Z2. He doesn't feel like he can notice any benefit, but he said it doesn't hurt and if someone can see a benefit then sure go for it.
- He stated the main benefit of ZFX is to allow immediate curing. The reduced dry time is a side effect, but not the purpose of ZFX. He said that it is nonsense to think that using Z2 Pro or Z5 Pro with ZFX requires long cure times - it simply doesn't.
- Sal said there's no advantage to NOT using ZFX - he claims it is required if you are going to do multiple coats in the same day, but it isn't required on the last coat (but you can still use it if you like).
- If you screw up with any Zaino product (Z2, Z5, Z8, etc...) then you should simply get a wet towel and wipe it off. In the case of Z2 & Z5 with ZFX, you don't need to re-apply because the bottom layer would have bonded, so you are good to go for your next step.
If you have ANY questions about these claims, I encourage you to send mail to Sal (sal@zainobros.com) and then call him at 732-833-8800 to discuss it (he'll tell you to call him in e-mail).
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