Tropi-Care'd my Z28, pics
05-13-2009, 05:04 PM
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Tropi-Care'd my Z28, pics Well let me start by saying that I have been a "Zaino-holic" for nearly ten years now. I recently started doing some detailing work from my garage part-time and I'm always trying out new stuff. Been looking around at the offerings from LS1Tech sponsor Tropi-Care and decided to give their products a try. Spoke with Steve from T-C on the phone to order a Flex polisher package, and was really impressed by his enthusiasm for the hobby and of course the excellent service. Anyway, onto the detail:
My car is a 2002 Camaro Z28. The exterior is by no means perfect, and I don't really try hard to make it so. It's got nearly 65,000 miles and has seen almost every state East of the Mississippi. All those scars have a story behind them
I started the day with a "dish detergent" wash, which I generally do once per year, to remove all the grime and strip down any Zaino that was still applied. While washing I spot clayed the car, especially the major Camaro problem areas like the rear bumper and along the sides of the doors. Used a "waffle weave" microfiber drying towel from Tropi-Care for the first time today and was very happy with it. After drying I tackled some of the rough spots I had (like my front and rear bumper and my roof panel) with a Porter-Cable / yellow 4" CCS foam pad / Menzerna Super Intensive Polish combo. Tropi-Care xP sealant was applied and removed via hand to the body and wheels, and TC-2 carnauba to the black roof panel and vinyl graphics. Tires and plastic grill got coated with Adam's VRT dressing.
Although the pics are kind of anti-climactic (I'm not a great picture-taker and I've got a cheap camera
), I'm really happy with the results from the Tropi-Care products. Very easy to apply and remove, and like most quality sealants "a little goes a long way." I'll be anxious to compare durability to the "other guys" 
My car is a 2002 Camaro Z28. The exterior is by no means perfect, and I don't really try hard to make it so. It's got nearly 65,000 miles and has seen almost every state East of the Mississippi. All those scars have a story behind them
I started the day with a "dish detergent" wash, which I generally do once per year, to remove all the grime and strip down any Zaino that was still applied. While washing I spot clayed the car, especially the major Camaro problem areas like the rear bumper and along the sides of the doors. Used a "waffle weave" microfiber drying towel from Tropi-Care for the first time today and was very happy with it. After drying I tackled some of the rough spots I had (like my front and rear bumper and my roof panel) with a Porter-Cable / yellow 4" CCS foam pad / Menzerna Super Intensive Polish combo. Tropi-Care xP sealant was applied and removed via hand to the body and wheels, and TC-2 carnauba to the black roof panel and vinyl graphics. Tires and plastic grill got coated with Adam's VRT dressing.
Although the pics are kind of anti-climactic (I'm not a great picture-taker and I've got a cheap camera
), I'm really happy with the results from the Tropi-Care products. Very easy to apply and remove, and like most quality sealants "a little goes a long way." I'll be anxious to compare durability to the "other guys" 
05-13-2009, 06:03 PM
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05-14-2009, 10:53 AM
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Glad you like the initial performance of the FLEX and products so far. Wait until you see the FLEX's correction ability on some more neglected surfaces.
Feel free to contact me with questions anytime.
Feel free to contact me with questions anytime.
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05-14-2009, 11:27 AM
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FYI a detergent soap wash doesn't remove Zaino. A nice alcohol bath will though.
The tropi-care stuff is pretty good and really friendly to use. Your car came out great.
Let us know your thoughts on durability. That was my main reason for going back to Zaino.
The tropi-care stuff is pretty good and really friendly to use. Your car came out great.
Let us know your thoughts on durability. That was my main reason for going back to Zaino.
05-14-2009, 04:03 PM
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JamR, what kind of durability did you get from Tropi-Care? Is your car garaged? A daily driver? At this point I'm willing to trade a little durability for shine. Also Zaino seems like it's been taking more effort to apply/remove, whereas T-C's xP was very easy to use.
I've been told that dish soap doesn't strip Zaino or other sealants but I don't know if I really believe that
It's always seemed to give me good results for that purpose. But it's been so long since my last detail I don't think there was much protectant left honestly!
I've been told that dish soap doesn't strip Zaino or other sealants but I don't know if I really believe that
It's always seemed to give me good results for that purpose. But it's been so long since my last detail I don't think there was much protectant left honestly!
05-14-2009, 04:08 PM
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Hopefully you can make that Shady Maple meet at the end of this month. It's gonna be cool to have the two groups together again!
I really like Menzerna Super Intensive Polish; it can handle everything you throw at it, and it finishes up very clean. I think you've got to be using a machine polisher to get the full result out of it though. Everybody on the forum is complaining about their black cars
05-14-2009, 05:25 PM
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JamR, what kind of durability did you get from Tropi-Care? Is your car garaged? A daily driver? At this point I'm willing to trade a little durability for shine. Also Zaino seems like it's been taking more effort to apply/remove, whereas T-C's xP was very easy to use.
I've been told that dish soap doesn't strip Zaino or other sealants but I don't know if I really believe that It's always seemed to give me good results for that purpose. But it's been so long since my last detail I don't think there was much protectant left honestly!
I've been told that dish soap doesn't strip Zaino or other sealants but I don't know if I really believe that
It's always seemed to give me good results for that purpose. But it's been so long since my last detail I don't think there was much protectant left honestly!
05-14-2009, 06:26 PM
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I stopped using it. 
