[DPritchett]

I've been a dedicated Zaino-user for years now, but for some reason I was intrigued when I got a promotional email (with discount) for the new Ultima line of products sold at Autopia Car Care and other online stores. Of course, it says its better than Zaino. So I decided to put them to the test against a Zaino lineup on my 2000 Camry. I intend for this to be a 'long-term' test, so I'll update every few weeks so we can see how the products are lasting.

Here are the products I used:




Washed, clayed, rewashed, ZPC, ZAIO, Z2, ZCS.



Washed, Elastofoam Paint Cleaner & lubricating gel (clay replacement), Paint Prep Plus, Paint Guard Plus (the lsp)


The Camry was last detailed in Oct 2007 with ZAIO/ZCS. This combo did not hold up as well as I hoped, (my BMW got multiple coats of Z5 & Z2 at the same time, and it still looked great this April when I did a spring detail on it) so I was going to put on a coat of Z2 this time around, as well as using ZPC to take out some swirls, as the ZAIO was not aggressive enough. Ultima promotes its ease of use (fewer steps, fewer products compared to Zaino), so for my purposes, it has to achieve results against the broader range of Zaino products. My test site is the trunk lid ... the right side with Zaino products and the left side with the Ultima - all hand applied with either the supplied applicator or a cotton pad. (I normally use a Porter Cable and both lines can be machine applied, but hand-application was easier for my small test area.)

As you can see, the car was really dirty ... we've had lots of rain, and this is pollen season here in central Virginia, so every car looks yellow after a few days outside.




And the finished results.



(look carefully for the reflection of my garage door.)



Initial impressions:

1. Ease of Application goes to Ultima ... fewer products to apply, and Ultima is either wowo or wowa, so there was no waiting between steps.

2. Results: a tie. I asked my neutral wife and son to look and say which side looks best, and they were not able to tell any difference. Both sides look good to me, but since Ultima does not have a polish, you'll need another product if you need to polish. I can see a few small scratches on the Ultima side, but I did not use a separate polish there either. This would have reduced, but not eliminated the time advantage to Ultima.

3. Price: If you think Zaino is pricey, just wait until you look at the Ultima prices. Of course, what really determines price is how long a product lasts. If it costs twice as much, but lasts three times longer, its really cheaper.

4. Long-term results: my plan is to wash the car periodically and maintain the Zaino side with Z8 and the Ultima side with their detailer spray and see what happens in terms of looks and water beading.

[BK]

Originally Posted by DPritchett

4. Long-term results: my plan is to wash the car periodically and maintain the Zaino side with Z8 and the Ultima side with their detailer spray and see what happens in terms of looks and water beading.

Interesting test. This #4 above is what I'm looking forward to hearing.

[LOLrance]

tbh, i used to do this test a lot. But with such a small section, you will never ever notice a difference. i used to do half the hood with Z5 and the other half with Jetseal (which are bigger pannels then just a trunk) and i still could not see a difference. Then i moved on to do half the car with Z5 and half with Jetseal, STILL didnt see a difference.

Finally i sucked it up and tried Jetseal on my whole car and when you really step back and look at the car as a whole, man it was a huge difference. Jetseal was noticeably shinier then Z5, but when i only did part of the car i could not tell a difference at all.

[Detailed Image]

Good test, I look forward to reading your follow up posts. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

George

[DPritchett]

Week One Update:

Washed with Z7 and rinsed. Car was outside most of the week -- still have lots of pollen - and we had one day of intermittent rain showers.





As you might expect, after only one week, you can't really see any differences. Both sides still look good, and appear to be beading about equally.

Week 2:

Washed with Z7 & rinsed. Car was outside all week. Hot, lot's of sun, two days with heavy thunderstorms.





Still too early to tell for sure, but it looks like the Zaino side is beading, while the Ultima side has sheeted water away to a dry surface. I saw some of the same effect after it rained one night.

[picus]

I've got 5 bucks on the Ultima lasting 2 more washes at best.

[number335]

How does the Elastofoam compare to clay? Is it reusable like it is advertised?

[DPritchett]

Originally Posted by number335

How does the Elastofoam compare to clay? Is it reusable like it is advertised?

This was my first experience with elastofoam, and I did a small section, but the basic process is identical with clay ... i.e you have a lubricant, do small sections, and rub it over the surface. The promotional descriptions of the elastofoam say that you can use it to do 20 cars, and it doesn't strip wax protection. I wouldn't even think about using a clay bar that many times. From what I've read,, most people consider easier than clay, but a few people report some marring. I would suspect they just used too much pressure.

[DPritchett]

Week 3 Update:

Car was outside again; warm weather, sunny. One day with a fast & furious thunderstorm and some light rain later.





I'm beginning to see less beading on the Ultima side ... both sides still look good although I think I'm beginning to notice a difference between the two.

[picus]

How is the slickness? I'd say they are both looking kind of weak right now.

[DPritchett]

Originally Posted by l4wr3nc3

tbh, i used to do this test a lot. But with such a small section, you will never ever notice a difference. i used to do half the hood with Z5 and the other half with Jetseal (which are bigger pannels then just a trunk) and i still could not see a difference. Then i moved on to do half the car with Z5 and half with Jetseal, STILL didnt see a difference.

Finally i sucked it up and tried Jetseal on my whole car and when you really step back and look at the car as a whole, man it was a huge difference. Jetseal was noticeably shinier then Z5, but when i only did part of the car i could not tell a difference at all.

There's that old saying about detailing results being 90% process and 10% product... which has a lot of truth to it. And certainly what we think looks good is largely subjective based on personal preference. (What color should I pick? Does Z5 look better on a dark car by itself or with Z2 added? Should Brad Pitt have ditched Jennifer Anniston for Angelina Jolie?)

But just thinking logically, I would think that if you can't tell a difference between two products in a direct side by side comparison, there really is not a discernible difference. If you do a car in a product and like the look, hey, that's great.

It's more likely though that you can notice a difference in how long a product is lasting.

[DPritchett]

Update for Weeks 4 & 5

Week 4 - mostly sunny week, with thunderstorms in the afternoon. No wash, as it was raining off and on all weekend. I took photo's during a break in the rain, so this is indicative of how they are beading rain water.






Week 5 - sunny and hot. Some thunderstorms again. Washed with Z7.






Someone asked about smoothness, so I did a baggy test today. Both sides feel the same - no discernible difference to me, which means I suppose, that the Elastofoam and Clay produced very similar results. My 325, which I used a Porter Cable on, is noticeably smoother than the test area of my Camry -- remember I hand applied everything there.

[DPritchett]

Weeks 6 & 7. Busy over the 4th of July weekend, and with thunderstorms every afternoon, no chance to wash. The car is not garaged, so its getting full exposure to the elements.




these pictures were during a lull in the rain ... shows a different beading pattern than when I rinse after washing.

for week 7, a wash with Z-7. A few thundershowers during the week, but mostly hot and sunny.





By the slightest of margins, the Zaino looks clearer to me ... when I look at the reflection of the trees, more detail shows. Beading is about equal, and both sides still look good.

[BlueLion]

Originally Posted by number335

How does the Elastofoam compare to clay? Is it reusable like it is advertised?

if you drop it, it wont pick up sand or particles you could rinse it off and use....not that i would recommend dropping it