Is this finish reflective enough for ya?

[Buzzzz]

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Here's the same car, inside my garage at night. Notice the reflections from the recycle bin, the light bulb, and the stripe on the wall. The car looks wet but it isn't.

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Nothin' like black.

 

[Ulysses]

When did they start using mirrored glass for Viper body panels?

Nice finish.

 

[safireviper]

Zaino? That is awesome.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

missed a spot.... j/k, looks awesome

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

kinda looks like a lassen mural......

 

[King GTS]

VERY CLEAN!

 

[Gerald]

Wow, that ZYMOL is some good stuff!

... hehe j/k..
Nice job!


Gerald

 

[00prowler]

You Missed a spot when you shsved! LOOKS GREAT! 00PROWLER

 

[00prowler]

I MEANT SHAVED! 00PROWLER

 

[MtHam ACR]

looks like someone took a little creative license with photoshop. . .

 

[Vip-RT10]

That is a nice expensive mirror!

 

[onerareviper]

Buzzzz,

I'm not going to 'ASSUME' you used Zaino. There are other good products out there. Two questions:

1.) What product did you use to remove swirls?

2.) What product produced that awesome mirror finish?

Inquiring minds want to know....

Thanks.

P.S. - I know, he probably used Zaino.

 

[Buzzzz]

Hi Guys,

I've had this car in my garage for about a month (it's still winter here, and I just recently bought it). When I bought it, the paint was flat and not very reflective. I went through the entire Zaino process to condition the paint. Several coats of Z5, Z2 and plenty of Z6 in between. However, I wasn't satisfied with the overall appearance that the Zaino products left. Not to finish with, at least. So I did a side-by-side with Meguiar's Gold class, and on black paint, the Meguiar's gave a deeper shine. It made the black blacker than the Zaino side. So I decided to switch back to Meguiar's (which I had been using for years), and Meguiar's is what you are looking at in the above photos. 3 coats in fact, topped off each time with detail (gloss enhancer) spray by 3M.

Did the Zaino help to condition the paint and remove swirls? Absolutely. But the finish you see in these photos are Meguiar's and 3M. The images are not touched up in any way, shape, or form. No photoshop tricks. Went directly from my camera onto the web. Only problem is I might cause accidents next time I'm out and about

- Buzzzz


By the way, I'm keeping an online journal of my Viper pics at http://www.dingouml.org/viper/index.html
Feel free to check it out for some night photos.

 

[shifter]

Buzzzz,
Did you remove the Zaino before putting on the Meguiar's, or did you just apply the Meguiar's over the Zaino???

Nice Job.

 

[Scott J]

Buzzzz:

Thank you for confirming my sentiments. Meguiars has proven to be the best on my Black cars. I use Meguiars Cleaner Wax too, and the one small dull spot in the paint has never re-appeared.

In all fairness, Zaino is close, but requires much more work to get the same results.

 

[Buzzzz]

Scott,

It does seem to me that black cars have different requirements for getting the finish right. I've never owned anything but black, so I can't say if Meguiar's would work the same on say red or yellow paint. But that's none of my concern. For black, Meguiar's is the only thing I've been happy with.

- Buzzzz

 

[Jeff Torrey]

Buzzz- Great job. I am happy to hear about the Meguire's. I was days away from placing an order with Zaino, and I still may. Been using Meguires Gold Class all along. So the more coats the higher the sheen? I need the swirl reducer and conditioner. I wash my car way to often and I think I put a few swirls in the finish myself. Looks great.

 

[Buzzzz]

Hi Jeff,

It works perfectly for me. I can only speak for it's effect on black, however. Every little speck shows up on black, so I wash it every weekend. I only take it out on weekends too, so I'm basically always cleaning it. In all fairness the Z5 did do a fine job of removing swirls.

Shifter: I just applied it directly over the Zaino. Nothing exploded when I did that, so I guess it's ok.

- Buzzzz

 

[MichaelP]

OMG that is amazing and a little sick. I think that is why I like it so much Buzzzzzz.

 

[jimandela]

NICE!!!

 

[agentf1]

You gotta love that black Sikkens paint. Sikkens is what they use on all vipers right? My 76 vette (show car) was done with sikkens and it looks unbelievable. I get best paint often at the shows. I have found that the Zaino looks better on my black cars. It is definetly a different look than wax. I guess it depends on what look you like. I have not tried wax on my new black Z06 since I got it. I know every car/paint job looks different/better with different products. My MB C320 and my 76 sikkens black vette looked 10 times better with Zaino I just assumed the Z06 would too. I wish my Z06 had a better quality paint job like the Vipers. It has a little more peel than I would like. Not as bad as some I see. So far all of the Vipers I have looked at so far had nice paint.

P.S. I think the wax will remove the Zaino. Cleaner wax definetly will.

 

[Buzzzz]

One other thing, I've always had the best results using 3 individual cotton cloths: the first removes all of the wax, the second buffs the surface clean, and the 3rd really gives it the finished look. For the first step, a large white cotton bath towel (mine are fieldcrest) seems to work fine. For the last 2 steps, I've always had the best results using cotton detailer/polishing cloths. The trick is to just keep grabbing new ones so you don't accidentally wipe any old stuff back onto the car. I'd be interested to hear what techniques everyone else has been successful with.

- Buzzzz

 

[FUSCUCLA1]

There is a guy here in California that does detailing, his name is Simon and he uses the phrase "has your car been simonized". I have seen photos of his work on a black Viper and it was very much like this. Looked like a mirror, I thought the car had a chrome finish, couldn't tell it was black. I think he charges in the 200-300 dollar range and brings everything including water, all he needs is an extension cord. Anyone interested email me and I can find his number.

 

[dadsvpr]

i second the above sentiment. it looks chrome. wow. ver impressive. nice work.

Jason

 

[Buzzzz]

One more thought- for anyone with black finishes, I've recently tried this stuff called "Pinnacle Souveran Wax", which I'm now using as the final touch after the Meguiar's gold class. This stuff pushes glossiness to the point of insanity. The car looks totally liquid afterwards. 65 bucks for 8oz jar, but I bet you can do a Viper at least 50 times from top to bottom since it requires only a light coat. It's carnauba-based so it won't last forever, but it's absolutely the wettest shiniest stuff I've ever seen. Comes off instantly- no dry time required.

- Buzzzz

 

[mit]

I don't want to be known as a polisher and I certainly don't
want to be associated with the Zaino-Dork cult that exists
on this board. However, with a saphire blue Viper, can I use
the same guidlines as those used for black? Or is the saphire blue sufficient different?

 

[Performin Norman]

Wow! That is beautiful.