I am going to clay bar my truck and then ziano it. (intel, i know you prefer klasse, but i already have ziano....maybe next time.) anyway... i have alot of waterspots on the hood and roof that have been there for a while and i have not been able to get off with zymol cleaner wax. my question is, will the clay bar take these spots off? or do i need to use a polish (mcguiars #9) to get them off.... i am going to be using the Z-5 "polish for swirl marks and small scratches" but i dont think this will get rid of the spots, will it? i just want to make sure that i get a super clean finish before putting all that work into the ziano. please let me know what i should do. and thanks very much for all your help.

-steve

 

The clay might remove some of the waterspots but you will need to use a polish. Something like Meguiar's #9 will work.

Z5 is not a true polish as it does not remove some of the paint like Meguiar's #9. It is more of a filler. It fills in swirls and scratches. It hides them instead of removes them. If you have visible swirls though, then you should try to polish them out before applying Zaino.

If you want to, then call a local professional and have him come over and just do the prep work on the exterior of your truck. Wash, Clay, Compound, Polish. You can then have a perfect surface for starting your Z.

 

I had some minor water spots on the hood of my L before I put Zaino on for the first time. I went to an auto parts store, got some 3M buffing compound (fine) and buffed only the spots that had water spots with my buffer. Then I did a really good wash with Dawn (entire truck) and then clayed the entire truck. The spots that are buffed don't need to be clayed.
I started with 3 coats of Z5 followed by 3 coats of Z6.

 

How much do you think it would cost to have all the prep work done? I generally dont trust people, and i wouldnt know how to find a good detialer to do the work. Is it possible to do something like the mcguiars #9 by hand. Because i dont have a buffer either. I may just end up doing the clay bar and whatever else does not come off i will just leave on. thanks for the help intel.

-steve

 

Well if you wash the car for him and all he has to do is the compounding and polishing then expect $50-$60.

If he doesn't do a good job and leaves behind swirls, then make him do it over again.

But after he gets the major swirls out then you probably won't have to have it done again for awhile if you take care of your truck. Wash it right, dry it right, hand polish it when swirls start to show up, keep it waxed, etc.

 

i just dont want to get some idiot and have to deal with that. but i guess ill have to try it. i figure once i get the truck really clean and prepped all i have to do is keep it washed and keep putting on Ziano and it will stay nice. i could also clay bar it once in a while to get off rail dust and that sort of stuff. thanks for the help intel. i think i will start looking in the yellow pages for a detialer. is there a better place to look?

-steve

 

Pay to fly intel to FL He would do a great job and would love a vacation LOL

 

I usually use vinegar to get rid of water spots all my vehicles. There is also a "stripper" kind of stuff that I used once prior to zainoing after we 3M'd the car for a few hours and it got rid of all old wax and waterspots...my buddy brought it over...didn't smell good but it worked great...if I find out what it was I'll post. But I've still been using vinegar since then.

Seabass

 

i guess i will just use a claybar and then maybe a polish like 3M or mcguiars. i guess i will have to buy a buffer. i know there was a thread about this. but what is a good buffer for a reasonable price. i dont mind spending the money on it because i could use it for my boat. or maybe i could borrow one from a friend.

-steve

 

Expect to pay a good about for a buffer. A good dual action would be the porter cable 7336 or 7424, the Dewalt DW443, or the Cyclo Dual Head Polisher.

Expect to pay around $200 for the buffer and all the pads you'll need. It'll be around $300 for the Cyclo.