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meguiars vs zaino - three step

Goonz SVT said:
yea those pics really dont do much justice. In person however is a totally different story
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actually in person the sides are fairly close, I figure it has to do with the condition of the paint.

Anyway I will take some more pics in a few weeks and see how it looks and is holding up
 
I believe that you would have gotten MUCH better (and huge visual differences) if you would have used the Zaino Clay Bar then followed up with 2 coats of Z5 then finished off with the sealant.

I did that to my Silver Frost SVT before SZ and it actually changed colors and became a much brighter, sparkling color. Prior to the clay bar it was more of a milky silver color. All I have to do is spray a little Grande Finale and wipe and it looks freshly washed and waxed in minutes.
 
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Nice comparison, you did a very thorough job of capturing the process at each step.

I'm not familiar at all w/ the Zaino products, but I do have some suggestions about the Meguiar's products:

The products you selected for the cleaner and polish are entry-level at best. You would get much better results using the Mirror Glaze line of products (#9 and #7, which are available at NAPA, Autozone, and Advance Auto). I'm not sure about the cost of the Zaino products, but the Mirror Glaze products are in the $9-$12 range per 16 oz. bottle.

The "wax" you used was the NXT spray product. That is intended as a "booster wax," which enhances the appearance of a properly detailed vehicle in between major detailings. It is not intended to be a LSP. You would get much better results using the NXT liquid or paste wax (or better yet, something from the Mirror Glaze line such as #21 or even #26). I would rank the durability abilities of NXT spray wax about equal with a quick detailer, so don't be surprised if the NXT side is not beading after a week or two.

I would even recommend replacing all 3 Meguiar's products you used w/ a single product: ColoRx. I bet you would get as good a look and better durability than the line-up you selected.

It sounds like I'll have to bring my detailing arsenal w/ me to a meet somtime to really test the on-going (most likely forever-going) debate of Meguiar's vs Zaino.:laugh:
 
I was going to use the straight NXT wax but I didn't have enough let at my parents house to do what I wanted. I suppose I should have tried using what I had.

Again I used the Meguiars that I did because that is what I used before I got Zaino so that is what I had on hand
 
I just took this thread as just a comparison of a 3 step program for both Meguiars and Zaino. Obviously better results would have been had using each respective companies full line of product in the comparison.
I know when I detail my vehicles, there are far more than just 3 steps.
I assumed this demonstration was just for quicky detailing.
 
BrApple said:
Again I used the Meguiars that I did because that is what I used before I got Zaino so that is what I had on hand
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If you used the "good stuff" before, you wouldn't have had to jump ship!:laugh:

In all seriousness, whatever you use, if you like the results, then that is the best product for you.
 
If I had a show car sure I'd buy Zaino. But for the money and ease of obtaining Meg's they get my $.
 
todras said:
If I had a show car sure I'd buy Zaino. But for the money and ease of obtaining Meg's they get my $.
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I think i have to agree. I was thinking of trying zaino and having people pay me to detail there cars. I have people asking me a lot but did not want to do it because of the time involved and i had no idea how my products would work on there cars (I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my work). I think I'm just going to do Meguiar's clay, #9, #7, #21. And is there a topper i could use over #21?? or is there anouther meguiars product i could/ should use with those for the best results?
 
If you're going to order products, I would highly recommend purchasing #80. This product replaces #9 and #7. It has more cleaning abilities than #9, but not as much polish as #7. Follow that with #21 and top it all off with #26. That's my go-to combo for my mid-season quick details.
 
todras said:
If I had a show car sure I'd buy Zaino. But for the money and ease of obtaining Meg's they get my $.
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I can guarntee you that there are many show car winners that prepped their vehicles w/ Meguiar's products. You don't last ~100 years in the detailing business by selling so-so products:rolleyes:
 
Dr. Cross said:
If you're going to order products, I would highly recommend purchasing #80. This product replaces #9 and #7. It has more cleaning abilities than #9, but not as much polish as #7. Follow that with #21 and top it all off with #26. That's my go-to combo for my mid-season quick details.
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well I'm not looking for a "quick detail" so to speak. i just want to restore my finish the best i can. as far as using #80 in place of #9 and #7 is there any need to "polish" it more for smother deeper glossy finish other than #21? and i don't want Carnauba wax, i want a synthetic topper. i have a t-red car so i want what is best for dark colors.

What dose the arrow on the side of the bottle indicate? the taller the arrow the more abrasive? if so #80 is more abrasive then #9.

what i want to do is, clay, clean, polish, seal, and maybe topper if needed. these would most likely be applied my hand. or one of those low speed safe random buffers.

so what i got now is:
clay
#80
#21
topper?
 
Dr. Cross said:
I can guarntee you that there are many show car winners that prepped their vehicles w/ Meguiar's products. You don't last ~100 years in the detailing business by selling so-so products:rolleyes:
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I think the point he was making was that there's no reason to spend the high price on Zaino products for a daily driver.
Obviously the times that he does show his car, he is using Meguiars and is proud of the results, and even prouder knowing he got there without having to shell out $$.
 
lol.gif
 
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