-
Greetings from NE Ohio...
Originally Posted by
Merlin
Well, since you asked…
Was a Zaino-zealot from 2004 thru 2015 as the only car I cared about appearance-wise was my wife’s black 2004 Vette and, well, if’n ya had a Vette you know how those guys are about the Zaino. Would drop the then-staggering (to me) amount of $129 each Spring to update the Z2/Z5/Z6/Z8/ZFX supply, clay, then drop a few layers on every 3 months or so during the 7-8 month ‘car season’ up here in NE Ohio. Gave a nice, shiny look, always got many compliments but the protection was next to none as evidenced by the permanently etched water spotting on the hood that occurred at some point during that period.
Had a few black Mustang GT’s during that time, kept up with the Zaino until I bought a new 2016 Crystal Black Silica Subaru WRX in October of 2015. Had read a bit about the ‘tender’ Subie paint but didn’t realize how bad it was until the first use of a QD which left a few swirls (in addition to dealer installed swirls) and determined something would have to be done, protection-wise…something far beyond Zaino. Planned and plotted, reading forums and watching YouTube vid’s in preparation for Spring of 2016. Came across ceramic/glass/quartz coatings, picked up a GG6 DA and some compounds and polishes, pads and associated items.
Come Spring 2016, used our then black Mazda3 as a test vehicle, got the process down and corrected and coated the Mazda, then the Subaru. Liked what the coatings brought to the table, easy cleaning, less cleaning, better look and protection. Continued and did the Vette, a bunch of friend’s cars and then started really getting hooked on the whole process. Picked up some better tools (Flex 3401, Rupes LHR15 Mk2 and Rupes Mini, associated pads and polishes) and spent the Winter of 2017 in the warehouse at work, correcting paint and auditioning coatings on our Fleet vehicles to see I could find one that worked better than what I had already applied to our cars in Spring 2016. 12-14 different coatings (and a truckload of self-funded expenses later) I found the tools, techniques and products that tied in nicely with our local climate, the usage patterns of our vehicles and the appearance I desired.
During the process of trying all of these coatings it became apparent that there is no true ‘BEST’ coating for everyone in every situation. Determine the characteristics you deem important and then look for products that meet those specific needs; what works great for me in NE Ohio on daily drivers that see sun, rain, snow is perhaps not the best choice for a guy in Arizona who doesn’t have to worry as much about hydrophobic tendencies, self-cleaning and sheeting abilities.
Regardless, it’s been a long and expensive journey but fun nonetheless; met some great folks online and in person, people who helped me get my cars to the point they are at now…easy to maintain and generally looking better than any other car in the parking lot on any given day.
I’ve got a limited set of products that work for me so no more chasing unicorns for the most part, except for when SEMA arrives and my credit card starts twitching again.
So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it…now if Sky’s The Limit and other vendors could start shipping products in brown boxes that say something innocuous like ‘Pet Food’ I wouldn’t have to continue making sure I beat my wife home to get the latest delivery off the doorstep before she gets there.
Currently in a Scholls phase, the S20 Black and the S40 w/ the spider pads is a great combo. Trying new polishes/compounds and pads (especially now that I’m over my fascination with 32oz bottles) is much cheaper than a coating fascination. Also beginning to question the usefulness of the so called ‘3-5 year’ coatings on a daily driven car in a harsh world.
Every supposed answer brings up another question…but that’s the entertainment of it all when you’re just doing it for fun.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes, 0 Dislikes
-
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks, 0 Likes, 0 Dislikes
-
Senior Member
Welcome to the forum. Good to see you here as well.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks, 0 Likes, 0 Dislikes
-
Senior Member
Well hello there....
I'm down in Dover if you know where that is.
-
Originally Posted by
TroyScherer
Well hello there....
I'm down in Dover if you know where that is.
Original thought was ?Delaware? but then remembered you were at Esoteric open house last Spring so...google says south of canton.
Hoping Esoteric continues open houses...lotsa folks from various forums showed up last year.
Reply With Quote
