I finally got around to trying out the Zaino I bought a few weeks ago... figured my 323i ought to be clean for the next bay area meetup and that I needed to get some practice with the Zaino before my M3 arrived... which should be in about a month since it is now on a boat!

Anyway, here are the requisite pictures:
http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200074s.jpg

http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200075s.jpg

http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200077s.jpg

http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200078s.jpg

http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200081s.jpg

http://www.peterphillips.net/forumimages/bmw/P6200084s.jpg

Yes, the old TX registration and inspection stickers magically disappeared between photos.

Well, the Zaino turned out to be nice and shiney... you can't tell how hashed the paint is unless you get close... from more than about 4 feet away it just looks great. Got a few looks on our evening drive.

Here's what I did:
- dawn wash
- clay bar (in the dark...by feel... should have done this in the daylight)
- dawn wash
- z5 + zfx
- let dry, wipe away
- z6
- z5 + zfx
- let dry, wipe away
- z6
- z2 + zfx
- let dry, wipe away
- z6

It took roughly 8-10 hours in total. But the car looks much much better... still room for improvement for sure.

Cheers,
Incendiary

8-10 hours... dam... crazy. Oh yeah it looks great, nice car man :beer:

Wow. 8 to 10 hours is a long time. Looks good though!

Str8 blingin... But yeah, 8hrs is long time.... I get tired after about 2....

with more practice you should be able to cut that time in half...
1hr wash and clay
1hr z5 apply, dry, remove and z6
1hr z5 apply, dry, remove and z6
1hr z2 apply, dry, remove and z6

And you can be even more productive by doing other stuff during the drying times... dress the tires, polish trims and plastics, clean the interior :)

with more practice you should be able to cut that time in half...

Very true, I did the final coat in a little over and hour... it dries quicker once you're good at spreading it thin.


And you can be even more productive by doing other stuff during the drying times... dress the tires, polish trims and plastics, clean the interior :)

OK, next on my list of stuff to learn is wheel and tires... looking for something to help repel brake dust for my painted wheels (Zaino perhaps???) and something to make the sidewalls of the tires black and smooth, but not wet looking... I prefer the barely glossy look. Any recommendations?

Cheers,
Incendiary

Practice makes perfect. Lookin' good. That new M3 on the way is going to a good home. :thumbsup:

.....and something to make the sidewalls of the tires black and smooth, but not wet looking... I prefer the barely glossy look. Any recommendations?

I just posted this in another thread...
Meguire's Gold Class Endurance long lasting tire protectant gel.
It's not like all the other stickey, super shiney crap that slings off the tire and all over your paint.
This stuff is works great!
Not real shiney, won't fling off, and lasts for weeks, (smells good too)

Meguire's Gold Class Endurance long lasting tire protectant gel.
It's not like all the other stickey, super shiney crap that slings off the tire and all over your paint.
This stuff is works great!
Not real shiney, won't fling off, and lasts for weeks, (smells good too)

Thanks for the advice... any idea who tends to carry that Meguire product? In the past it's been hit-or-miss for me when I've tried to find their stuff.

Thanks,
Incendiary

Auto Zone, Advance Auto Parts, Wal-mart, Target... You can find it almost anywhere really.

Many of you may already know this, but "Eagle One tire gel" is the absolute RUBBISH. It flings off after one drive and all over the paint and there's nothing left on your tire. Just a word of warning in case anyone was looking to try it.

I agree... Eagle One is RUBBISH.
However, the key to ALL tire dressing is to let it sit overnight before driving.
Or at least a few hours. Especially the liquid type. Stick to the gel type and apply a small amount. Clean the tires good - removing any other dressing that might be on there before using new stuff.

Nice work! I think met you and your GF at the mercado zaino demo.

I just posted this in another thread...
Meguire's Gold Class Endurance long lasting tire protectant gel.
It's not like all the other stickey, super shiney crap that slings off the tire and all over your paint.
This stuff is works great!
Not real shiney, won't fling off, and lasts for weeks, (smells good too)

OK, my wife managed to locate a bottle of that for me... question, is it supposed to be super runny, I thought it would be thicker like a gel? Mine looks and smells like grape soda. Seems to do a nice job, but I applied it in the dark so I'm have to wait until tomorrow to see how it turned out.

Cheers,
Incendiary

Nice work! I think met you and your GF at the mercado zaino demo.

Thanks, I believe we did meet there, see ya tomorrow... this time my car is mostly clean on the outside insted of that bug covered mess. :)

Cheers,
Incendiary

OK, my wife managed to locate a bottle of that for me... question, is it supposed to be super runny, I thought it would be thicker like a gel? Mine looks and smells like grape soda.

I just went out with a flashlight to see how it was doing... and it looked bad enough I tried rubbing it off... it was very splotchy... I'm really wondering if I got a bad batch or something.

I just went out with a flashlight to see how it was doing... and it looked bad enough I tried rubbing it off... it was very splotchy... I'm really wondering if I got a bad batch or something.


Make sure you shake the bottle up for at least a minute. Turn the bottle upside down. All the gel is settled on the bottom. It should be a thick concistancy. Not runny at all. Like hair gel I guess...
And if all else fails, read the instructions :).