hicksi Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Hey team, So I've recently purchased a fantastically cared for orange Z that has been garaged. And my garages are so old their regulation size isn't big enough to fit the damn thing inside. Live in flats by the way. So from all my hunting around looks like I have two options. 1. The double cover approach cotton/water proof outer layer. 2. source a folding garage. Whats your thoughts on these? The folding garage sounds expensive, however I can even really find a UK supplier. All i know is dimensions are roughly 4.3mx1.8m Will the covers ruin the paint work through abrasion? Thanks in advance guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack94 Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Personally I'd go down the portable garage route if you can, never been a fan of outdoor covers because unless the car is immaculately clean any dirt will rub around with the wind and cause damage to the paint like you've mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 Cheers jack, Agreed id want the car clean and dry every time it goes under. Its gonna be the daily so not sure that would be practical. Anyone know any good sources to get a folding garage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 I'm pretty sure a folding garage would, er, fold in the winds we've been having for the last couple of days. How about ceramic coating to make it easier to clean ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Ive had good experience of using a cover on my Zs. They work well if your Z is a weekend toy like mine, but not a good idea if it's a daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 If only they made cars that don’t instantly dissolve in all weather that you could just park up at the side of the road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 (edited) My Zed only spends a few days a year in my garage normally for some detailing in the evening. It's my daily and it's a bit of a faff moving our weekend family car out and getting the zed in so the zed lived outdoors for all of it's 15 years. To be honest. As long as there's not overhanging trees with heavy bird bombings and sap, all it needs is regular washing and maintenance. Not even a ceramic coating. Just some wax or spray on sealant every month or so. A good paint decon once or twice a year. The paint will feel smooth and pristine. It'll be dirty when you can't be bothered to clean it. It'll be a glowing orange fireball when you can. Plus, without a cover, even after 15 years ownership, I still walk past it and say to myself "Damn....... that's a mighty fine car with a mighty fine orange paint job" I don't think I'd be walking past going "Damn......check out that mighty fine dusty car cover" Edited February 13, 2020 by HEADPHONES 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 On 10/02/2020 at 21:54, ATTAK Z said: I'm pretty sure a folding garage would, er, fold in the winds we've been having for the last couple of days. How about ceramic coating to make it easier to clean ? Haha, almost definitely find that folding garage half way down the street. I did see one that comes with securing plates you drive onto... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 9 hours ago, HEADPHONES said: My Zed only spends a few days a year in my garage normally for some detailing in the evening. It's my daily and it's a bit of a faff moving our weekend family car out and getting the zed in so the zed lived outdoors for all of it's 15 years. To be honest. As long as there's not overhanging trees with heavy bird bombings and sap, all it needs is regular washing and maintenance. Not even a ceramic coating. Just some wax or spray on sealant every month or so. A good paint decon once or twice a year. The paint will feel smooth and pristine. It'll be dirty when you can't be bothered to clean it. It'll be a glowing orange fireball when you can. Plus, without a cover, even after 15 years ownership, I still walk past it and say to myself "Damn....... that's a mighty fine car with a mighty fine orange paint job" I don't think I'd be walking past going "Damn......check out that mighty fine dusty car cover" Well, i'll sleep allot better tonight after reading this. Thanks mate sound advice. Now I'm looking up autoglym and auto finesse reviews That picture though, absolute credit to you. THOSE RIMS! So what have you done to the outside of your Z? V1 wing Rear spats Have you got the v1 side trims and front lip/bumper? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 It's a 2005 DE zed. Ordered it new with the full Nismo N1 Aero kit comprising a whole fibreglass front bumper, side skirts, rear spats and wing. Got some led rear clusters off Zmanalex in 2007. Got the Nismo LMGT4 rims in 2007. No other mods since then really. Just enjoy driving it, and detailing it. As you already know, when the light hits that orange paint, the glow is outta this world which is why I reckon you'd be missing out on a visual treat each time you arrive and leave your zed if you cover it up. As a coincidence I just applied Autofinesse Tripple by hand to the zed last week. A lovely All In One product that gets the this up from our club detailing fanatic Ilogikal. Then I topped it off with Turtlewax Hydrophobic Spray Sealant which goes on like thin baby oil and wipes off easy leaving a slippery slick finish that has class leading durability according to many detailing channels on YouTube (also cheap as chips ) It's also known as Seal n Shine in US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 What an absolute dream to have received and owned that vehicle from new buddy! I started life as a two wheel kinda guy, lucky enough to get a '15 triumph stripple R from the dealer. I can only imagine what picking the Z up must have felt like. Especially in its rowdy Nismo format. I now have a shopping list, lets hope I can find all the parts as genuine Nismo... Anyway, agreed that orange imo is to die for, I genuinely feel more confident after all you guys encouragement, so I'm going full daily responsibility mode captain! I was blabbing on about autoglym all day at work today, then someone showed me auto finesse.. From my understanding so far washing the car is as follows? Rinse Pre Wash - Snow foam etc... Wash - Car shampoo (sponge or mitt...) Dry Polish (this is where you used your triple?) Seal (use your hydrophobic spray sealant?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 As far as looking after the paintwork, or to be specific, the clear coat on the paint, rarely will you find 2 people who use identical steps/products. The principles I think can be categorised into the following. 1. Prevent inflicting damage/scratches during superficial/basic washing. 2. Removing tar 3. Removing iron fallout 4. Removing other miscellaneous bonded contamination that makes the paint feel "bumpy" with clay/clay cloth /clay mitt 5. Paint cleanser to remove ingrained dirt that is so fine you can't feel it. 6. Polishing and/or filling imperfections in the clearcoat once it is clean 7. Protecting the clearcoat from the elements to make future washing easier........and show off lovely water beading I do steps 1 to 7 once a year or so due to family commitments. Normally I just do step 1 then goto step 7 sometimes just applying the Last Stage Protection in the form of a drying aid where you spray a specific product onto the wet car after washing/rinsing and dry the car to spread the product onto the paint. The Turtlewax Hydrophobic Spray Sealant can be used like this. Last week I didn't have time for steps 2,3,4, bit still had a little time spare so used an All In One product "Autofinesse Tripple" that deep cleans the paint, lightly polishes the paint, temporarily fills in minor defects and swirls and adds a little protection. Autoglym Super Resin Polish is another example of this. My applicator pad would go black after just doing half the door! Then a couple minutes spent applying the Turtlewax spray sealant at the end. So pretty much what you've already planned. If I didn't have kids I'd use a tar remover every couple months and fallout remover maybe twice a year. I've two other white cars and the fallout really stands out as little yellow specs embedded in the rear hatch. The orange paint masks this well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) Here's some extra reading that educated me many moons ago Bear in mind these are VERY OLD and new products like ceramic coatings and drying aids are around but it's good sound information that's quite detailed and gives a good understanding of the basic principles written by one of the most respected people on detailing world at the time Dave KG. In fact I've not seen anyone there that has put so much info out since! Safe washing technique https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=222657&highlight=Wash+guide Basic information on bonded contaminants and clay https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4829&highlight=Guide Fallout remover information https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=168433&highlight=Iron Polishing guide http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/images/misc/dapolishing.pdf Can be done by hand to a lesser degree and ALOT slower and hard going. Protecting the paint https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4915&highlight=Guide Edited February 14, 2020 by HEADPHONES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 Spot on buddy, i really appreciate all that information. Those links are great! Praise the lord its my birthday in march. Dont think ive ever had such a long list of items I really wasnt aware of how much decom/fallout a car can require. Safe to say youve set the standard bud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umster Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Might be an idea to support our local seller and fellow Z owner @G1en@waxandshine and grab stuff from https://waxandshine.co.uk/ He did have a clearing sale a while back.. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack94 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 27 minutes ago, hicksi said: I really wasnt aware of how much decom/fallout a car can require. It depends how well the car has been cared for by its past owners really. When I first buy a car I usually give it a really thorough wash and decontamination then single stage paint correction (if needed) and finally a sealant/wax to protect your hard work. After that any future wash will be much easier and quicker because the car will be in a much better state before you start plus you can skip certain stages like headphones has mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 Hey jack thanks for the link! Checking him out now!!! Spot on advice, the car was super clean when i bought her but shes not been treated, i can tell looking at the water beading after all this rain. Whats your favourite products? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack94 Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 I tend to use quite a lot of autoglym, dodo juice and bilt hamber products, but to be fair I normally just do some research when I'm looking to buy a new type of product and go with what people reckon is the "best". If you go on detailingworld.co.uk there's guides on there for anything to do with cleaning a car plus product reviews for pretty much everything out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hicksi Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Nice one buddy, thanks again for the link to our resident detailer. Checking them both out. I took a £6 punt on some turtle wax hydrophobic sealant spray. Bloody great stuff! Applied it wet as a drying aid this time. The water is still beading off a week later. Not bad for £6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N13GEY Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Just seen your post. 2 things: I would always use a portable garage, one where the cover does not touch the car. From personal experience I did use a purpose made cover on another car (not a Zed!) and when the wind blew under the cover, over time some scratching occurred. Not good! If your looking to save a few bob on cleaning products, Halfords do a Wash and Go product in a 20 L plastic container for around a tenner. Brill for day to day washes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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