I am helping out a friend rejuvenate his car's finish. The car is black in color. Sides are nice and clean, but the hood and roof has a haze of road scum and mild oxidation. I took a clean rag and just rubbed a small part on the hood, which was dull, and you can see the shine underneath. We are not pros nor do we wish to devote more than an afternoon to the project. So we don't have electric buffers or the such, just hand power. What we want to do is buy a product to clean off the oxidation, and then we plan to do 3 coats of Zaino with the catalyst, what is that Z2 and ZXF? I know that many prefer Klasse on black, but he likes shiny and has seen my 8 month old Zaino on my truck and likes the fact that its still shining. What product would you recommend as the cleaner/polisher for the first step?

As a side note, how do you think the Klasse Cleaner and topcoat product would look with just the one application of the topcoat. How effective is the cleaner/wax on oxidation?

 

Wash with dish soap and warm water
Clay bar for a smooth surface
Chemical paint cleaner (Meguairs Medallion, P21S/S100 SEC)
Meguiars #9 version 2.0 mild polish
ZFX enhanced Z2 (I prefer Z5 over Z2 on black, though)

 

I agree with APT when he states that Z5 is better then the Z2 on black. There is another guy on the forums who goes by Harley and he has a black Harley truck and I am positive he had stated the same thing, that he prefers the Z5 over Z2 for shine on dark colors.

 

Meguiar's Dual-Action Cleaner Polish is also good for oxidation. I've seen what it can do when used by hand from another Pro detailer. I suggest you try to find it.

3M's Perfect-It Fine Cut also works well by hand.

If I was working by hand, then I would use the above products. If you use a buffer, then you can cut back to a less abrasive product and get the same results.

 

I agree with what's been said here. I would try the Medallion paint cleaner first to remove the oxidation. If there are still deep stains/swirl marks/scratches, I would go with the DACP. If the stains are gone, and the swirl marks are minor, I would go with #9.

 

Um, after you use Meguiars #9 2.0 shouldn't you rewash with Dawn again to strip any oils that the products may have left behind?????. Wouldn't it help for the Z to bond better this way????? 91

 

YES, if you use any product that contains any type of oil or waxes in it you should wash the truck with dawn to strip it, otherwise the Zaino will not bond correctly.

 

I did not think #9 had many oils/fillers. It isn't a glaze. I have used 3M SMR for dark cars #39009 and it seemed to have more. Regardless, 4 coats of Z5 didn't have any problems lasting 8 months (although, not driven much). You are correct, though. If using a product with a lot of oils and fillers, wash before starting Z process. Hmm, now I'll have to research that.

 

I would say that one would have more success in putting Zaino over top of a product like #9, than putting it over a product like #7. The #7 has a lot of oils in it, and probably would make a poor bonding surface. Washing with Zaino's wash after #9 would probably be sufficent.