Zaino Miracle Makeover 2

[Tuna]

I'll break it down for you guys, the process I used to give my car this "Miracle Makeover."

1) First, I gave my car a nice thorough Dawn wash to remove all of the old wax and any other light contaminants. You have to make sure to get your car SPOTLESS or the paint will get scratched in the next step. Being very meticulous, it took me roughly 2 hours to wash it.

2) Next, I used a Zaino Z18 clay bar on the whole surface of the car to get rid of any contaminants on the paint that can not be removed with Dawn dishsoap. It also removes waterspots and a plethora of other things that are harmful to your paint. (Yes, waterspots ARE harmful to your paint as they can etch into your paint. They're more than just an eyesore!) The total clay bar process took me roughly 4 hours.

3) After claybarring, I washed the car again, this time with the Zaino car wash, to remove the residue that the claybar leaves on the paint. This took about 1 hour, significantly less time than the first wash due to the fact that there is much less scrubbing involved since the car should not be dirty at this point.

Now that I had the car all stripped of contaminants and old wax, I noticed my paint still had some oxidation. I was hoping it would be removed with the Zaino clay bar but it didn't get all of it. I shot an e-mail to Sal Zaino and he informed me that none of his products are abrasive, so he doesn't advertise the clay bar for removing oxidation. (It removed most of it, however.) He then recommended a product for me by 3M that is a very mild abrasive. (Better to use a mild abrasive a few times than to use a heavier abrasive once and screw up your paint!) Thanks, Sal! On to step 4

4) Now that we have a plan of attack against the evil oxidation demons, we take our 3M product (3M Foam Polishing Pad Glaze Swirl Mark Remover #39009) with a very soft 100% cotton cloth and apply it to about a 1 foot square of paint, with soft to medium pressure, and rub back and forth until it starts to dry out. Then take a second towel (same kind) and lightly rub back and forth until the 3M product is gone and the gloss comes up. If there is still some oxidation left, repeat. Some places, I had to repeat this many times. The 3M swirl remover can also be applied with an orbital, but I didn't use this method. This whole process took me roughly 4-5 hours.

5) Next, after the 3M, I washed the car again with Zaino car wash. (See Step 3)

After finally removing the oxidation and getting all the tedious work out of the way, we can start the fun part! Actual Polishing! For steps 6 and 7, I strongly recommend that you use Zaino ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator with the polishes, as it could mean the difference between half an hour of drying time and 1-6 hours of drying time (depending on the temperature and humidity.) When applying 12 coats of polish, like I did, that additional drying time is not a good thing, nor necessary.

6) Finally, no more headaches. I applied 6 coats of Zaino Z5 Swirl Mark and Fine Scratch Removed. Yes, another swirl mark remover, because, as you remember, the 3M stuff was used to remove oxidation, not swirl marks. Honestly, I found the 3M product to be horrible in its intended use as a swirl mark remover, but awesome for removing oxidation. Always use back and forth strokes, NOT circular strokes. That's all a bunch of Karate Kid mumbjo jumbo. Try do the strokes vertically rather than diagonally. However, I realize that some places are near impossible or mind numbingly time consuming to attempt horizontal strokes. (The top of the rear bumper and side vents come to mind.) When using the Z5, you want to apply a layer of Zaino Z6 Gloss Enhancer between each coat. The Z6 comes in a spray bottle and you just spray it lightly on a small section and wipe it with a white 100% cotton bath towel. (Bath towels work best for these since there's a nice big surface area. Always use white to avoid colored dyes that may come out.) The 6 coats, including the 6 coats of Z6, took me roughly 7 hours.

7) Then, I applied 6 coats of the Zaino Z2 Show Car Polish. The Z2 is intended for paints with clear coat, and as we all know, most MR2's don't come from the factory with clear coats. However, the Zaino kit comes with Z2 and their website says they won't substitute anything in or out of the kit. I didn't find this to be a problem because the Z2 worked remarkably anyway. The Z2 is applied in the same fashion as the Z5. Also, like the Z5, you apply Z6 in between each coat. This, like step 6, took me roughly 7 hours.

8) After I was all done applying the Z2, I stepped back and enjoyed 26+ hours of hard work!

(Pictues in next post.)

[Tuna]

Here are some pictures to illustrate the steps in oxidation removal. But first, let me tell you, my camera sucks and doesnt pick up the color red very well. Some pictures may appear a tad pinkish, but I assure you, my car is nice, bright Super Red. Some of the pictures, the red comes out well. It's a problem with lighting. It only seems to come out a nice bright red in pictures if the sun bright and shining directly on it.

After the Dawn wash...


After the Zaino Z18 Claybar


After the 3M product



Now some Before and After pictures. The "Before" shots are taken right after the first Dawn wash.

Before




After
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01831.JPG (Large Picture)

[Tuna]

Before


After
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01832.JPG (Large Picture)


A few extra "After" pictures. (All Large Pictures)

http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01825.JPG
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01826.JPG
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01824.JPG
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01827.JPG (I used Zaino on the taillights too!)
http://pictures.dolphinsteak.com/MR2/93T/DSC01830.JPG (I'm really disappointed in the way this picture came out. The red looks horrible and it didn't capture the reflectiveness as well as it looked in person. Also, I looked a lot more handsome!)

If anybody has any questions about Zaino or anything in this thread, feel free to e-mail me at Tuna@MR2Pride.com or hit me up on AIM at TunaMR2.

[Paul Boz]

This should be sticked, everyone could benefit from it.

[MustangR2]

very nice. good write up too

[DrakesKakes]

Tuna, i read this the first time around and im glad you broguht it over. Awesome!

[G3aR]

when i finally get my car running, i'm so doing this. awesome right-up!
during the dawn wash what type of pad did you use?

[UCmba97]

I'm a newbie, so forgive my lack of knowledge. Where can I obtain these Zanio products? Also, am I correct in assuming this was your original factory finish?

Thanks so much for sharing something that works!

[Tuna]

Originally Posted by UCmba97

I'm a newbie, so forgive my lack of knowledge. Where can I obtain these Zanio products? Also, am I correct in assuming this was your original factory finish?

Thanks so much for sharing something that works!

You can buy them at www.zainostore.com They don't sell their products in any stores so you can only order online. And yes, this was my original factory paint.

[tigerpee]

did u do this all in one day?! i think i could do this in 7 days in the garage!!

[Tuna]

Originally Posted by tigerpee

did u do this all in one day?! i think i could do this in 7 days in the garage!!

IIRC, it took me a total of 26 hours. I did it over the course of about 3 days.

[Mike_E_P]

looks good! you think a maaco paintjob will hold up to it?