Wonderful Black Paint

[payton5812]

Well I have had my '06 Black SL for about a week now, and the paint is already driving me nuts. Regardless of how careful I was in washing it, there are already tiny scratches in the paint. From reading previous threads and searching online, I have read about 100 different opinions. From everyone's own expierence, what is the best way for me to take care of the paint? Should I only use microfiber towels in cleaning it? I used 100% cotton terry towels, but they seemed to still scratch the paint. Plus, before I make anymore scratches, is there anything recommended to get rid of these scratches?

[Enforcer]

You might take a look at Zaino Z5. I use cotton myself but not on a black vehicle.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino

[payton5812]

Thank you very much, Enforcer. It states again to use a 100% cotton towel, but I am a bit leery of that. Any other type of applicator you would recommend?

I also have a question in regards to the application of Zaino. For the use of Z-5 for the first time, it states I need to use ZFX Flash Cure, which I believe I mix in with Z-5. Do others use this ZFX? Would you suggest I then follow that up with Z-6? Are these steps sufficient to where I do not need to hand wax my car?

As you can tell this is the first black car I have purchased and do not want to loose the amazing look of it.

[hfelknor]

You can use 100% cotton towels, but there ARE caveats.

1- NO Foreign towels (Sri Lanka, etc). They are just BSing and are not made of 100% cotton. Get Fieldcrest.

2- If there is a "pattern" in the towel so that it looks "embossed", cut that off. Cut off ALL edges and stitching.

3- NEVER use fabric softener on the towels. If you have towels that have been exposed to fabric softener, throw them away.

4- You will need "several" towels. Use 1 towel per layer of Z5.

And remember, when Sal says "buff" he doesn't mean HARD buffing. Just run the towel over the finish, turning often, until the Zaino has disappeared.
It does not require hard buffing. (I personally wish he would remove that word from the instructions. A more proper word would be "wipe". Zaino is ez on and ez off.)

I have yet to use the ZFX so cannot comment on that.

ALWAYS remember, you can CALL Sal and talk to the man himself (most of the time....if he is busy leave your number). 732-833-8800
You COULD use Email, but that sometimes leads to misunderstandings IMO.
info@zainobros.com


Hope this helps.

Homer

[gibby26]

My 2006 Murano is the dark blue - also tough to keep clean and look good after waxing (but not as tough as black). My recommendation? Spend $50-75 at a good detailing shop and have them wax it with an orbital applicator and buffer. Had the local car wash do that to mine, and it looks like a mirror. Also, if you wash it yourself it's really hard to dry it without leaving spots, etc. Again - go to a good full-service carwash that uses spot-free rinse. We're lucky here in the Chicago suburbs - lots of excellent car washes around.

gibby26

[Mr3Putt]

Originally posted by gibby26
My recommendation? Spend $50-75 at a good detailing shop and have them wax it with an orbital applicator and buffer.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

When I first got my MO, I had a good shop buff it. I'm still fighting swirls. The paint on this car is too soft.

[gibby26]

Wow - that's a shame. I've had the dreaded swirls in a couple of black cars, and they're a pain. Good luck with trying the recommended waxes, cotton rags, etc. That likely will work best for you.

gibby26

[Nfilippelli]

In my opinion...

if you take the time to wash, clay bar, polish, apply a glaze, and apply a good synthetic wax (i like Klasse or FMJ),
your car will look amazing....
better than any detial shop, cause you did it yourself.

just me 2 cents on detailing..

[JCM_Murano]

Originally posted by payton5812

I also have a question in regards to the application of Zaino. For the use of Z-5 for the first time, it states I need to use ZFX Flash Cure, which I believe I mix in with Z-5. Do others use this ZFX? Would you suggest I then follow that up with Z-6? Are these steps sufficient to where I do not need to hand wax my car?

ZFX works great and reduces the dry time, however I've had some headaches with it. My major complaint was that the tiny bottle of ZFX dried up into gel in less than a year, making it useless after only a few applications. Now I just use the Z-1 instead.

The Z-6 is great when you really want that extra shine, I use it now and then.

[Halo]

My MO isn't black, but my other car is and it gets Zaino.

I had the same problem with the zfx, it does dry up even though the bottle was as closed as I could get it. IMO, the zfx is most useful if you decide to zaino on humid/cold days. If it is reasonably warm, say over 70, and dry out and you can be a little patient, you can do fine without it. I apply Zaino to the entire car (and break the rules GASP!). Then I go do something else for a couple of hours and forget about it. Come back and wipe.

I used 100% cotton back in the day, similar to what Zaino recommends, cut the hems off (since those are often stitched with synthetic fiber) yada yada yada. But, once I switched to microfiber towels, I've never looked back. Of course, these are also synthetic, but they do work very nicely.

Depending on the level of swirls in your black paint, you may need to consider getting a Porter Cable, pads and compounds. I have this stuff from a previous car (also black) that I bought used and was able to completely remove the swirls. It took 3 grades of pads and compounds and an entire weekend. But, I worked slowly as I didn't want to grind through the clearcoat completely

[Gonzo]

I too have black with swirls... I've like a clean car but I've come to terms to keep the car clean (washing it avg 2x week) then I'm gonna have swirls.

The Nissan paint appears soft but anything you put on the car, clay bar, poolish etc has great postention to leave swirls.

I wish there was a filler to use address the swirls. I've purchases some clear coat restorer that I plan on trying out next week but that is for limited areas and not the whole car.

Good luck.

[Halo]

One thing I've always wondered about, but never had the time to actually look into, is to just have the entire car re-clearcoated by a reputable paintshop. Since I don't hear people doing this routinely, there must be some problems with this solution.

[gibby26]

I hear you guys talking about "clay bar." Not familiar with that - what is it, exactly? And where can I get it?

gibby26

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by gibby26
I hear you guys talking about "clay bar." Not familiar with that - what is it, exactly? And where can I get it?

gibby26

Do a search for "clay bar": Clay Bar

[littlemurano06]

here some info on swirls and other links

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...&threadid=7011

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...&highlight=g35

nxt tech wax is great