Product Try-outs

This thread is intended to compile first impressions of products. It isn't meant to take the place of comparison tests and through product evaluations. Consider any opinions and conclusions subject to change as experience piles up.

Zaino Leather Soft Spray Cleaner $8.95 for 8 ounces :
This product is billed as gentle and it seems to be exactly that. The cleaning action on leather seemed adequate but inferior to Griot's Interior Cleaner, Awesome All Purpose and Ford Triple Clean. It probably cleans better than Lexol leather soap. Unfortunately, I have no way to measure gentleness so my opinion has to be based on my confidence in the manufacturer-and that isn't admissable evidence.
I used the cleaner on leather seats in a Honda. Zaino says it can be used on vinyl but I didn't try it for that purpose.

Zaino Leather In A Bottle $10.95 for 8 ounces.
This is a creamy product, similar in consistancy to Meguiar's Medallion For All Leather. Unlike the Meguiar's product, however, it is recommended for interior vinyl as well as leather. It seems to make both materials darker and richer. It leaves a satin finish and a powerful leather smell. As far as I can see, it does a similar job ( on leather ) to Griot's leather product ( which is not recommended for vinyl ).
On vinyl, the results are more even and rich than with the Armor-All wipe that was used last time ( this was on a Honda Pilot ). The Zaino Z-10 probably leaves a more satiny shine than Meguiar's #40 . Keep in mind that Meguiar's #40 is recommended for both interior and exterior use and for rubber too. #40 is a combination product that both cleans and protects but is not recommended for use on leather.
Griot's vinyl and rubber dressing is also good on interior vinyl and can be used on exterior vinyl and rubber but not leather.
What we have here is a perfect product for the amateur, who doesn't know where his leather leaves off and his vinyl begins. All you need to do is coat everything.
For the pro, the issues are more complicated. I felt I could apply Meguiar's #40 quicker on vinyl, while slopping on more product. I have not tested durability and, without a chemist at my side, I can't judge Zaino's claims of UV protection etc. For initial performance though, A+ . NOTE : I strongly recommend wearing gloves ( as you should with all chemicals ) as I handled my wet applicator towel and my hands still smell like leather.

Doug



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2007 10:30PM by Doug Delmont.

Addendum :
Leather In A Bottle has such a powerful leather scent that I'm sure some people will find it offensive. If you want your car to smell new and leathery, fine, but notice I said, "YOUR" car.
Using this product on a customer's car might bring complaints from a motorist with a sensitive nose. For that reason, I think the product is not suited to commercial use.
Doug

Zaino Z-16 Perfect Tire Gloss-16 ounces for $12.95 :
This product is recommended for exterior rubber and vinyl. I tried it on a set of tires and found it to be shinier than Meguiar's #40 and probably shinier than Griot's dressing but not overly shiny. It was as easy as these others to apply. Both the Griot's and Zaino products are expensive so there is a tendency to conserve product and work slower.
The Griot's and Meguiar's products can be used inside and out so there can be no head-to-head comparison.
Going by the aspects I'm able to see, the Zaino product does its job fine. A+
Other dressing products I've had good luck with in the past include Mother's Back to Black, Meguiar's Natural Shine, Meguiar's Vinyl Cleaner And Protectant and several others. I have not tried the dressings by AutoMagic and Malm's or the renowned 303 Protectant.
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2007 04:05AM by Doug Delmont.

Has anybody tried Buds Diamond Plus? What about Duragloss products like #105,Aquawax, and Fast Clean and Shine?

Larry :
Melissa posted awhile back that Bud's Diamond Plus was great for wholesale work and warned against getting it on vinyl trim.

Philip tried it on his customers' cars and found it great, saying his customers remarked on the shine. He said, as I recall, that he had previously used Rightlook's Cherry Wax and liked that.

Gina named Diamond Plus as one of the products she uses.

Brandy liked Diamond Plus and Valugard's sealants.

Someone said he liked Bud's price of $22.95 a gallon but griped about the postage and handling charge. I'd advise asking the current charge before ordering.
I've never tried Bud's Diamond Plus myself and refuse to be influenced by the comparison test his company commissioned.

Kerr has evaluated the Duragloss products you asked about. I know of no published test involving them. He Said " The Duragloss i was referring to is their newer 105 polish ( sealant) and Aquawax spray sealant lasts 2 months by itself. "
I tested their Swirl Mark Remover sealant against Meguiar's red bottle Step 2 and Step 3 ( polish, wax ) once and found it lasted about twice as long and shined equally well. Duragloss Clear Coat Polish sealant, in a more recent test, was inferior to Meguiar's NXT in gloss/depth/slickness but had more aggressive cleaners and lasted longer. I did not stick with either product.
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2007 05:33PM by Doug Delmont.

Ive tried the 3 Duragloss products and they seem great. Ive put the #105 on 3 cars since thanksgiving and the cars still look great and still bead very good. The Aquawax is like iceing on the cake, you can use it over , under anything, and by itself it will last 1 to 2 months. The Fast Clean n Shine is one of the best QD out there.Its like other QDs on steriods.There are a lot of great products out there, I just though I would mention 3 of them.

Update on Zaino Leather In A Bottle ;
Sal Zaino himself informs me that this product is made with leather extract fragrance to restore the powerful new car leather smell of a new Mercedes or BMW. He says the smell is only temporary so a few hours with the windows down should weaken it right away if you don't like it.
Based on the above, I'd think this product would be good for preparing a used Mercedes for sale. That means it has a place on the pro's shelf.
Doug

" War does not determine who is right. War determines who is left. "-Unknown-

Note on the Z-16 tire dressing : Sal informs me that Z-16 can be used on interior vinyl and leather if one would prefer its aroma to that of Leather In A Bottle. Both products are water based.

( UPDATE 3/15/07 : I comparison-tested Z-16 and Meguiar's #40 today. Initial results were identical. These seem to be very similar products. )
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2007 02:37AM by Doug Delmont.

Newest Try-outs :
1) Zaino AIO : A good one-step product but doesn't seem to produce as good a shine as Z-2 unless topped with Z-5 or another product ( can be topped without the need for ZFX ).

2) Zaino Fusion : Seems to be a good fine polish like Griot's #3. I think it is even easier to use.

3) Zaino Z-5 : Seems to produce a first-rate shine, darkening the paint slightly unlike Z-2 .

My neighbor looked at the red Cavalier I used the products on and said I had it shined up nicely ( disclaimer-he said this before I had applied these products, just after the car went through an automatic car wash. He thought I'd waxed the car. )
Doug

I finally tried Zaino's car wash concentrate today. I did not follow the directions, which call for mixing a small amount with a gallon of water in a bucket. I put a couple capfuls into a 33 ounce spray bottle ( that's right ; 33 ounce bottle-its a left-over Griot's bottle ). Then I spritzed it onto the car and washed it.
It seems like a good car wash soap and the concentrated form probably cancels out the high price. I like it a lot better than Malm's concentrate. There are a lot of good car wash products on the market including Meguiar's Soft Wash Gel and Professional Line Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner. I found Meguiar's #00 to be too mild to clean well. 3M Professional Car Wash was good as is AM's Easy Suds. I won't venture to declare a winner here.
If you choose to use Zaino products, however, it seems logical to use the car wash Sal Zaino specifies.
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2007 02:37PM by Doug Delmont.

I tried out 303 Aerospace Protectant on tires. The shine is identical to Zaino's tire stuff and Meguiar's #40. Looks like good stuff but all three of these products appear to work well.

I tried Layering Zaino AIO / Z-5 / Clear Seal. I prefer the shine I got with 2 coats of Z-2 with ZFX. Of course, before applying the Z-2, I had to polish separately. In the latest sequence, the AIO does the polishing ( applied by PC orbital ) and ZFX is unnecessary.

Doug

Doug..... for tires try using AM dress it right .
I started using it last year and was very pleased with its performance and durability.It makes the tires water repellent and can withstand lots of pressure washings unlike the others you mentioned. Great stuff!

Thanks, Pro Mobile !

Doug

Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Clay Bar :
This apparently unique product consists of three ingredients that settle out during storage and mix when you shake the bottle. The product is not actually a direct replacement for a clay bar. Regular clay shaves off contaminants without affecting the paint significantly. Liquid Clay Bar, by contrast, acts as a paint cleaner as well as clay. You rub it in during the wash stage and rinse it off.
I tried it on old single-stage paint and found it removed all of the old sealant and left the paint smooth but was too gentle to remove all of the dead oxidized paint. This car had no significant bonded contaminants so the claying action was not tested on this one but...
...on a newer vehicle with a clearcoat and lots of bonded contaminants, the product worked well. It removed most of the bonded contaminants and left the paint smooth.
All in all, I'd say this product works. That said, I think you can do a more thorough job with traditional clay and without abrading the surface. I believe that a light polish will provide equal cleaning action and leave you with a glassier finish but I can't swear to it. I would use a polish after using this product myself.
I thought it strange that Turtle Wax's instructions imply that this stuff can wash the car as you clay it. Common sense tells me to wash the car thoroughly before applying this stuff to avoid scratching.
Overall, the product does what it says it does but I fall short of recommending it. I say, " Stick to the old ways ".
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2007 06:56AM by Doug Delmont.

Thanks Doug, for the test on Turtle liquid clay.

Members-
I just recieved the Drillbrush from www.drillbrush.com . I haven't tried it yet but I can see that it is well-made. The stiff bristles should work well for spurring buffing pads, scrubbing encrusted wheel wells,agitating carpet spots, and cleaning whitewall tires.
If you use this tool with a cordless drill, you eliminate any hazard of using electricity near water. If you use a plug-in drill, use common sense. The Drillbrush can chuck into an air tool too.
If the Drillbrush saves time and muscle strain, it will be a big benefit to the professional detailer.
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2007 02:40PM by Doug Delmont.

Invisible Undercarriage Spray by www.adamspolishes.com

This product is a silicone spray dressing primarily for wheel wells. It is flammable until it dries for 15 minutes. In some cases, you can get uneven coverage and have to spray on a second application to even it out. The resulting appearance is good.

One notable characteristic of this spray is its powerful fragrance, reminicent of cherry cough syrup ( EDITOR'S NOTE : An Adams Polishes salesman has since informed me that the fragrance in question is Grape. ) The smell lingers long after the 15 minute drying time is up. You can smell it anywhere within 20 feet of the car. You could probably use the product and be able to locate your car in a shopping mall parking lot by smell alone ( JUST KIDDING ). The smell is bound to irritate some people so I think this product is only suitable for enthusiast use.
I had previously used Meguiar's Engine Kote, which met an untimely end due to looming VOC requirements. Griot's Garage sells a competing undercarriage dressing. New Again recommended Mop & Glo ...
A NAPDR article on dressings etc. link : [www.carwash.com]
Doug



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2009 04:40PM by Doug Delmont.

Z-8 is a gloss enhancer that is claimed to beef up the sealant protection as well. It is supposed to be used only once in awhile, unlike the Z-6 detail spray.
I tried the product on a red car after washing the car with AM's EZ Suds car wash soap. ( I prefer EZ Suds to the Zaino car wash product. ) I followed instructions, using less than a half-ounce on a small car.
The stuff definitely improved the shine. It looks as if Z-8 is one more worthwhile step in the Zaino process.
Doug

New Again said he used Dawn Ultra With Bleach Alternative to clean wheels. Assuming it to be gentler than wheel cleaner, I tried it. It did an impressive job but caked on deposits on the backs of the wheels survived the wash. This was on one set of clear-coated aluminum wheels.

I tried the product at near full strength on lower panels that were fouled with road tar and oil. It worked but substantially removed the Zaino Z-2 and AIO from those areas.
Doug

Doug,
are u a disrtibuter of a product line? was wondering because i was looking for some new products to test.

Mike-
I don't sell products. Sal Zaino has given away samples for testing to some pros in the past. His company site is www.zainostore.com. These are show car products but are used by some pros for various reasons.
Glad to see new participation on the forum. Welcome 'a-board'!
Doug

DOUG-
LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A FEW PEOPLE THAT DISAGREE WITH YOUR IDEAS ON DETAILING SUCH AS TIME FRAMES AND USES OF PRODUCTS. WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I HAVE BEEN A PRO DETAILER IN THE BUSINESS FOR 15YEARS AND MOSTLY AGREE WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING I HAVE READ SO FAR. YOUR IDEAS SEEM TO BE VERY MUCH VALID! I THINK THERE ARE JUST TO MANY KNOW-IT-ALLS. GOOD JOB

Thanks Mike !
Doug