apart from 'use Zaino instead' :-)<p><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/nTTsig.jpg" border="0">

 

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/tt.jpg"></center><p>I am one of those Zymol persons so no Zaino comments. The key to the Zymol system is the HD cleanser...use in small quantity in a small area and 'rub' until cloth squeaks (really). When you finish doing car go down to local bar and challenge anyone to arm wrestle. The HD is the hard part, but once done the applying of the wax is easly and a pleasant process...and what a shine. Periodically use detailer to maintain finish/shine.
Here is a post Zymol picture of my 225TTQC
Hope this helps
MichaelTT
MichaelTT<p>2001 Amulet Red 225TTQC
AMULETT

 

<p>180FWD/Wetterauer/Remus/Pipercross Air Filter/PIAA/17" BBS RXII

 

Ditto, and the wax smells good, too. ;-)

 

1. Wash with Zymol Clear Auto Bathe. Use less Clear than you think is necessary.

2. HD Cleanse the car. The directions in the Owner's Manual worked fine for me.

3. The challenge to reaching the proper level of shine and protection is to buff the wax at the correct point in drying. This is somewhat of an art.
a. apply very very little Creame or Carbon wax.
b. Apply in a straight line or you will get swirl marks.
c. apply to a small area at a time, such as 1/4 of the hood OR LESS
d. Do the thing where you run the a towel across the wax you put down to spread it evenly. This is explained in the owner's manual.
e. After about 10 minutes, the wax is ready to buff. Wait longer if you got a thick coat on but do not wait so long that it dries into a white film. This is VERY hard to remove.
f. If you buff too early, it will look hazy and **** you off. Mine did.
g. Buff in a back and forth and up and down motion. DO NOT BUFF IN A CIRCLE YOU WILL SWIRL YOUR CLEARCOAT. ALSO, CHANGE TO A FRESH SPOT ON THE TOWEL OFTEN. More than often, for better results.

4. When you are all done wash the car with Zymol Clear, dry and immediately re-buff with fresh towels. This can be done the following day.

I am not a Zaino salesman, even tho this seems like a process that one might write! I am an experienced Zymol customer and have had help from others on this forum, like Denny, when things went wrong and hazy with my Zymol job. This is not easy, and unless you are Ralph Macchio (wax-on! Wax-off!), go into it with the mindset that this process will take time, possibly leave you with sore arms from buffing, but the car will look great and clean up REALLY easily the next time.

Best of luck.<p>Ivan
<i>Jacksonville, Florida<i>
<img SRC="http://www.geocities.com/y2ktturbo/tinytt.jpg" BORDER=0>
"Zorro" 2000MY, 180hp, Fronttrak, Silver/Ebony
K&N, Garmin EMap GPS, Audi "mask", Cobra R/D

 

<p>Ivan
<i>Jacksonville, Florida<i>
<img SRC="http://www.geocities.com/y2ktturbo/tinytt.jpg" BORDER=0>
"Zorro" 2000MY, 180hp, Fronttrak, Silver/Ebony
K&N, Garmin EMap GPS, Audi "mask", Cobra R/D

 

I did a Wednesday "Clear", Thursday "Cleanse" and Friday "Carbon" job on the TT last week. About 8 hours total. Guess I should switch arms more often, so they stay the same size!

 

<p><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/nTTsig.jpg" border="0">

 

<p><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/nTTsig.jpg" border="0">

 

I am assuming that you are using the Cream/Carbon variety as opposed to the higher level Concours which is applied by hand and requires a different methodology for using.

When Ivan talks about very, very little he means *very, very little*. This is the main issue with new users of Zymol - they use way too much wax! This is not standard paste wax. You do not "dig in" and "scoop" wax out and you don't even press hard to get wax on your pad. When you open the container, take your foam-cell applicator (if you have a foam/terry combo do *not* use the terry side) and *lightly* drag the applicator across the surface of the wax. If you think you don't have enough wax on the pad then you probably have just enough After a while you'll have no problem getting just enough wax - it's all about experience.

Ivan's 10 minute wait time is very extreme - mostly due from the humidity he must experience. The key is to wait long enough so that the wax has started to cure. Too soon and you are removing too much wax - too late and you are going to have to buff harder.

This leads to buffing - I buff quite erratic (neither straight nor circular) which seems to work very well. Also, buffing is to be done very lightly - do *not* bear down while buffing. The buffing process should not tire your arm (unlike the HD-cleanse arm-killing process). If your arm gets tired while buffing then chances are you may be buffing too hard. The description on application that Zymol gives should be followed very strictly.

Some extra tips...

1.) If your wax job looks hazy (i.e. greasy looking, smeary, etc.) then you used too much wax. To fix this move the car into the sun for a while (maybe 10 minutes max) and then after the surface warms slightly rebuff very lightly. What this does is heat the wax up to allow it to reflow giving you a chance to remove anymore excess.

2.) After you apply the wax you can test the removal time by lightly dragging your fingers in the wax. If you leave greasy lines then it needs more timer. If you remove wax then it's time to buff. This is an art and takes some getting used to but helps quite a bit since the drying time changes based on environmental factors. I haven't used Carbon in years (Concours is my wax now) but I do remember waiting no more than 15 seconds to remove wax on a perfect Northeast day (dry, warm, slight breeze).

3.) Ivan's point of his humidity means a lot - he needs to wait longer due to the humdity. This also applies to the temperature - the colder, the longer the curing process.

4.) Someone else mentioned "squeakiness" after applying the HD-cleanse. The old HD-cleanse formula used to completely strip the paint (hence the squeaks - paint with no wax will squeak when rubbed). The new HD-cleanse actually seems to clean the paint and leave a little protection so the squeakiness has been vastly decreased.

5.) If you find that you allowed the wax to dry it is easier to remove with a little HD-Cleanse than to just try to buff it off.

FWIW, I have been using Zymol for over 9 years now. My brother was once a high-end detailer and he would try every new high-end product that came out and he has yet to switch since he found Zymol. He no longer details for a living but still is very **** about his cars and still does a few cars now and then. He is actually getting some Zaino for us to try on his experimental car (wife's Passat We'll see how it stacks up.