Arguments vs. Zaino

[phenomic]

Well, I have 2 fbodies and I love Meguiars products. They are the right price, work well, and are readily availible for me at most stores. I like NXT and gold class stuff.

Full detail: NXT wash, clay, step 1, step2, 2 coats NXT and then just maintain as needed. My cars look great as you can see here.

I was wondering, can anyone give me some ammo to use vs. Zaino. I know it isn't a bad system but some of my friends are hardcore Zaino users and I prefer meguiars still. They don't badmouth it but always try to get me to convert. What can I say to them to counter these annoyances?

[the other pc]

Your cars look great. The products you’re using now work great, are easy to use, are reasonably priced and are easily available. Seems like reason enough to stick with Meguiar’s.

If your friends keep pestering you and are rational, you can always ask them to demonstrate, not just talk about, how their way is both better and better enough to justify the hassles. (The key is for them to go through the trouble and expense to demonstrate it. If they actually go to the trouble of trying they’re more likely to come around to your way.)

If their enthusiasm leans more toward the “religious” flavor it’s usually best to just avoid the topic.


PC.

[STG]

Have your buddys GIVE you the neccessary Zaino products and tell them you'll use them on one F-body. Have them guess which is Zaino and which is Meguiar's.

By the way, I stopped being interested in Zaino when I read on their website that they recommed using dishwashing soap to remove old wax! (Sounds like a cult ritual, doesn't it? We must clense your paint of foriegn waxes before allowing the sacred Zaino to be applied to your formally unworthly car.)

P.S.: If you size your pictures to 700 pixels in width, the rest of use don't have to scroll h-o-r-i-z-o-n-t-i-a-l-l-y to read your post!

700 pixels:

[gb387]

All they really have to do is look at your cars!

Now I have never used Zaino but point them over to this web site. Have them look over the galleries the proof is in the pictures anything from "Extreme Makeovers" to the everyday details.

Here is photo to start with(#21):

[RDVT4ME]

Zaino and Meguiars are excellent products. I've used both and have had great results. Just ask Mike Phillips. He's seen my vette when I used Zaino. Now I use Meguiars for a number of reasons and the vette looks great.

Bottom line, use what you like and don't sweat what the other guys say. If you're happy with your results (and your cars look excellent!), then you are using the right product.

[phenomic]

Alright thx for the tips guys. Ive seen Zaino on cars and it does look great, but then again, my cars look just as great if not better. I really don't see anything spectacular about cars that use Zaino that sets it apart from other waxes.

[F-150]

if I were you I wouldn't care. maybe point out imperfections in their car, and what meguiar's products would fix them. and just say you're getting the results you want with the products you use.

[miked2]

It's hard to convince Zainoheads. Zaino is a good product. My beef with it is (1) the incredibly detailed prep process that has to be followed religiously; and, (2) it's relative expense (and inability to be bought just OTC).

Even if you show people cars that were not done with Zaino that look as good as better as Zaino'ed cars, you're not going to convince these folks. Zaino has done an incredibly good job at marketing, where people are buying into a movement as much as they are a product. Similar to some hard-core Apple folks, for instance. It doesn't matter what you say, or what you show them, they're not going to be convinced.

[Murr1525]

Not usualy worth arguing... I mean, the stuff tends to work and protects ok, just expensive. Not really worth the effort.

[amari]

Zaino = Say No

[gregcavi]

My review should be pretty non biased:

I use alot of the meguiars detailer products, but dont use any of meguiars polishes, and the only LSP's i use are #66, #21, and used to have some nxt.

Ok so I was given some zaino to try this winter, The short version of it, is that It does take quite a bit of time to apply the product. It takes about a weekend of work, and thats after polishing!! So you must apply 3 coats, with the aditive, and then another 3 coats, and then use the Detail spray and spray sealants etc. I was done applying the whole shebang, and was not blown away at all. I was rather disapointed. My take is that Zaino looks good on mettalics the best. The durability blows away pretty much anything though.

Now I can get the zaino look IMHO with one coat of #21 rather than 6+ coats of the Z. I use #21 quite a bit on clients vehicles, and it has never let me down. It doesnt have the zaino durability but I have gotten 3 months from #21.

So if your happy with the Z, then stick with it. Maybe you and your buddies shoudl trade products some weekend and see what you think. Its worth a shot, but I dont think you will be to blown away with the Z.

Greg

[STG]

How much longer did it take to apply Zaino vs. regular products?

If it takes 3 times as much effort, I better get 3 times the durability. But even if I did, I'd rather detail my car three times!

[kpagel]

I'm a recovered 'Zaino Zombie' myself. Without Zaino, I might not have gotten into serious detailing. They make good products, but they are expensive, and don't do anything that other products don't do. However, they have great marketing and have managed to convince thousands of people on car forums that really don't know a whole lot about detailing that it is the end-all and be-all of car wax. So you end up with all these guys on car forums that have maybe used Turtle Wax once or twice in their lives that read Zaino's site, and suddenly its a miracle product.

Anyways, I really don't mean to bad mouth the product or Sal Zaino, because as I said, its not bad stuff. However, I do the Zainoheads get pretty crazy sometimes, and I do agree you're buying into a 'movement' or 'faith' as much as you a car wax.

I do have a couple big problems with the Zaino thing, though...
1) Use Dawn dish soap to remove wax-- Come on, no serious detailer actually does this. Even Dawn says not to use it on paint. Its meant for a completely different purpose. If you want to remove the wax, your clay bar should be just fine, and here's an idea... how about prepping the car beyond just using clay, rather than just hoping your 10 coats of Z5 will hide all the swirls.
2) Zaino's staunch anti-microfiber stance. Telling people to buy made in the USA 100% cotton towels may have been good advice in 1986, but this is the 21st century, and most serious detailers I know have embraced microfiber towels as being equivalent if not superior to cotton.

Again, I don't want to trash the company, its just those couple things always bothered me.

[Accumulator]

Ah, it's just hotdogs vs. hamburgers. I couldn't care less what others use or what they think about the stuff *I* choose to use.

If somebody's unhappy with their current regimen/results that's one thing (and I'd be happy to recommend something), but if they're satisfied, then who's to say they oughta try something else?

[MandarinaRacing]

Originally posted by gregcavi
The durability blows away pretty much anything though.
Greg

Even #21 topped with #16.....I'm currently trying that combo, and so far I'm VERY pleased!

Alex