I wanted to start a new Thread with this question from the previous one "wax". Which is better and does it matter what color you our applying it to?

 

Get your vehicles paint cleaned & polished to "perfection" (prepped), and it won't matter which products you use.

You will find that:

Some products are easier to find.
Some products are less expensive.
Some products are easier to apply and remove.
Some products produce a better (or different) look.
Some products are more durable.

You will also find that it's a matter of personal preference.

Good Luck.

P.S. I'm sure some of the other guys will be by shortly to voice their opinions............. it may take RP a little longer, as he will be working on getting over his "X-mas party hangover"!

 

Totally agree with Boss....... and although I dropped in, I am not gonna be the first to say "*******" is the BEST....

A search will tell you just how **** some of the folks here are about the products they use....... but in the end, it will be a matter of what you are looking for with the end result being about the same with little variation........

Personally, having 3 vehicles to care for, I chose a more durable product and really enjoy all the other properties that came with it.

Good luck ......

 

I am with Boss and Donny on this as far who you ask will get you a different answer on what is the “best”.

As to Zaino and Meguiars and one being the “best” would depend on a few things. First and foremost would be the shine your after. Each one will give a bit different shine and only some people would actually be able to tell the difference in shine if you had two identical vehicles together, one with Zaino and one with Meguiars.

The Zaino will last longer then the Meguiars but I can not tell you how much longer because I have no real experience with Meguiars and its longtivity. I can say I have got 6 months from 5 coats of Zaino but that is only a part of the complete picture.

Some feel you can get more depth to the shine with Meguiars, and others feel the same way about the Zaino.

One important thing to remember is that Zaino is a synthetic polish and once it is on you really can’t strip it off. You basically have to let it wear off whereas with Meguiars you can strip off anytime you wish if you want to switch to another brand.

Another thing about Zaino and any of their products is they will NOT help in any of the paint surface preparations. They have a product Z5 that is titled “swirl remover” but I can tell you it will not remove any swirls. It is a polish and it is recommended for “darker” color vehicles where Z2 is recommended for “lighter” colored vehicles.

So you need to ask some questions first, such as does your paint surface need some prep prior to waxing/polishing. If it does, for example to remove swirls and you decide to go with Zaino as the polish then what ever product you use to remove swirls can NOT leave behind any wax or fillers that have wax in them because Zaino will NOT bond with the paint.

Zaino needs to have a clean surface and it is highly recommended that the vehicle be washed with Dawn dish washing soap to strip all the waxes and grease that may be present. Thus if you use something for swirl removal which usually always have some fillers in them they can not contain wax or silicone. If they do the Dawn will strip them off and you will have swirls again. There are products that can be used for prep that will not affect Zaino but I am not sure which ones so that is the question you will have to ask should you decide to go with Zaino.

Zaino is an awesome product and I would highly recommend it, not because it is the absolute best, but because it is the product that accomplishes what I need, an excellent shine, durability, and you do not need to use a buffer to achieve an awesome shine as you do with some waxes.

Zaino and Meguiars are top products among many so you won’t go wrong with either product you decide to use.

Meguiars is going to be easier to find in your local area as Zaino is mail order and distributors only. They do not sale Zaino in stores. As far as any questions you may have about either product this is a good forum to find the answers or for someone to point you in the direction to find the answer. There are many knowledgeable people here about these two as well as many other products.

If you decide to go with Zaino then I can “recommend” what you should get as far as their products and why. However before you do decide, make sure any questions you may have about paint prep is answered first before you decide to buy any product. Zaino can be expensive to begin with but it last for a long time so price wise, in the long run, it comes out about even.

Oh, and I always like to say:

You just can't beat that Zaino shine...

 

Great post 01 XLT Sport.... and I concur with his observations. I'll go ahead and add I am too a Zainoid.........
You'll find a lot of opinions around here about a lot of products but it will boil down to what fits your needs. One more warning about Zaino..... be sure you get the surface as prepped and clean as you can cause one Zaino is put on, you do not have the option of stripping it off to get at something you missed.....
I'm taking the liberty of posting a pic I took yesterday of my "ride around" truck, a '97 F150....that hasn't been touched for a week. Nothing seems to stick to it nearly as much as it used to........ I bought it new and worked for years at keeping it looking its best. A clean and shiny vehicle was instilled in me by my father from when I was barely big enough to shine his wheels......LOL .... I"m 54 now and trying to instill the same in my 3 sons.........Anyway, after I switched to Z, it has become easier and more rewarding and I don't have to tend to a wax job monthly unless I want to.

There's many other here with other preferences and I'm sure you'll find one that fits what you really want to do. Good luck....

 

I like Zaino on light colors, especially metallic paints. On dark colors, I prefer carnauba. They appear less reflective and deep. I'll give just give a few of my own examples.

Zaino Z5 on black
Z5 on Deep Wedgewood Blue
Z2 on Silver Frost
Another Z2 Silver Forst
Z5 on Graphite gray
S100 on Deep Wedgewood Blue
S100 on Dark Highland Green
And my current favorite pic of my own vehicles S100 on Graphite Gray

 

First I wanted to thank everyone for the help. Secondly I wanted to say that the vehicles I will be using this on are both black. The first one is a new 04 F150 supercrew Lariat and the paint seems perfect and smooth, so I want to keep it that way. The second is a 01 VW passat which is blk and starting to show swirl marks which are driving me nuts.

 

seeme2020,

Actually, on darker colors like black, I prefer products other than Meguiar's or Zaino. APT has mentioned one of them!

 

Wax/polish is like underwear, everyone likes something different.

Take 01 XLT Sport... he tells me that he can't wear anything other than a thong...

Then, on the other hand, I like boxers....

01 XLT is a Zaino guy...

I'm a Meguiar's guy...

Bottom line is that everyone here has all kinds of different preferences. There are a slew of great products out there on the market that will give you a lot of pop with minimal time.

I've tried Zaino. Great product but it had been talked up so much by so many that when I tried it, I think my expectations were out of wack. I didn't notice any additional depth or shine over my Meguiar's application. I certainly won't disagree with the longevity issue though but, with me, waxing my truck is enjoyable. I don't mind doing a few applications each year...

Pictures, however shiny and nice they are, really don't tell the full story of a product. Sure, they'll show the shine and potentially even show the lack of swirls and scratches but, the real test comes down to ease of application, longevity, and durability in my opinion. A totally unprotected paint job will shine great if it's been well maintained outside of wax.

I'm not going to attempt to rival 01 XLT's article but, to answer your question directly about going with Meguiar's or Zaino... for me, the choice is very simple... Meguiar's.

RP

 

First I am not the thong wearing type that is LGJ, second thanks for calling it an article, I thought you were going to call it a mini-novel...

 

LOL

Nah, it's short of a mini-novel... My Meguiar's thread was a novel.. https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=135238

RP