My wife recently purchased a 2001 Pontiac Formula Firehawk and wanted the "ultimate" in paint protection. We asked our local Camaro/Firebird club and everyone recommended Zaino Brothers products (http://www.zainobros.com/) so she ordered their Carwash (Z7), Polish Lok (Z1), Show Car Polish (Z2), Polish for Swirl Marks/Fine Scratches (Z5), and ClayBar (Z18).

I bought a 1988 IROC Camaro just before my wife took delivery of her Firehawk. The Camaro had the factory paint still on it (a 12 year old paint job) and it was looking pretty rough (the roof, hatchback, and top of the rear bumper has the clear coat burnt off).

Following Zaino's recommendation I washed my Camaro using Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove any built up wax and grease/road grime. Next I used their clay bar to remove contaminants from the paint (actually what the clay bar does it polish the "stuff" out of the paint...it's a VERY mild abrasive, on the order of tooth paste). The clay bar is a lot of work but makes a visible difference in how the car looks. Next I applied their Z1 followed by a coat of Z5. The car already looked better and I had only spent about 3 hours on it.

Zaino tells you to use their Gloss Enhancer spray (Z6) between coats of Z5 and/or Z2 but we did not buy the Z6 so I skipped that step, removed the dried Z5, and applied a coat of Z2. Truth be told I should have done one or two more coats of Z5 to remove even more of the swirls and scratches but the car still looks 100% better. The heavily damaged paint is still dull but you can feel a difference when you slide your hand across the damaged area. The whole car feels wet all the time. On our next order we plan to get the Z6 because everyone says it makes for an even better shine.

All told I invested 5 hours in my polish job. Next time it should go quicker because I can probably skip the clay bar and Z1 needs only be applied twice a year for daily driven cars.

My wife's Black Firehawk got "treated" to a wash with Dawn then a wash with Z7. After that she applied Z1 and 2 coats of Z2. I've never seen black glow before but her car does. When the sun hits it just right it's like a mirror.

Zaino is not cheap and you can only mail order it but for the results I got on my "dead" paint...it's worth it.



Recommended: No