paint protection films and sprays.

[DeWitt Harrison]

On Mon, 2 Oct 2006 13:52:34 -0700
        "mike posner" <posne at cox.net> wrote:

> Anybody out there trying to sort out  the actual value of  the
> various methods to protect our car's paint, ie : Venture Tape, Paint guard
,llumar,Beckart, Scotchguard, etc?  > I can't retrieve any good source
comparing these other than an article in European Car(November, 2005, pg >
96 aptly called
> "The Shield".
>
> I find it hard to see how $1000  is charged to spray your
> panel or two at your home. The PPGs (Paint Protective Films)  appear a
more technical demanding feat to do
> right but it seems a crap shoot as to who will be arriving in your
driveway to do the job.  Any btdt
> experiences will be
> appreciated,  TIA  Mike

What you want, if you are prepared to expend a little elbow
grease is the Zaino ZFX system. The Zaino main page is
http://www.zainostore.com/ and the product page of interest
is
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ZFX
There is an overload of information on these pages - a result of too
much exuberance on Mr. Zaino's part - but if you stick with
it, all will eventually become clear to you as to exactly what
you need and how to apply all the products. The cost to you will
be on the order of $30-40 plus shipping for everything you
would need to put an excellent polymer coating on your car, with
material to spare for the next round. The thickness and visual
depth of the final finish is up to you in terms of the number
of coats applied. I went with three. If anyone is interested, I
can go into the file to report exactly what I bought. Btw, hand
application works great. No need for power tools.

I speak only as a very satisfied customer. My last Fall's application
is still holding up (on a newer car). The water still beads off the car
when it's washed but since it's Fall again, I'm preparing to add a
few layers before the bad weather hits in order to keep the
protection in good condition over this winter as well.
You can email Mr. Zaino directly with questions. He's
usually the one who responds to their "contact us" link.

One caviat: this system absolutely does not restore damaged paint.
The Zaino system(s) is(are) merely designed to preserve and
wonderfully display the exact condition your paint was in on
the day you applied it. If your paint needs help, do all the
necessary polishing and swirl removal and whatever required
before applying the Zaino products. If you apply Zaino coatings
over dull or swirl marked paint, that dullness or those swirl
marks will be beautifully preserved and brilliantly displayed.
"'My goodness! What brilliant swirl marks!" It's like taking what
you have and putting it under glass. Get the idea? But if
you want to preserve and even flaunt your paint, try it out.

DeWitt Harrison
'88 5kcstq (not quite ready for Zaino)