Ok here goes with an overview of the Zymol Vehicle Enhancement System. Back to basics for starters:
1. Paint
Modern vehicle paint consists of three layers. Firstly the primer, then the colour and then a clear top coat. Any paint will without protection oxidise and get contaminated by all the nasty things on our roads and in our atmosphere including salt, acid rain, tar, rubber, dust, etc. Unprotected a clear coat will wear away within 24 months. In bright sun conditions many colours will fade just as quick; red, white and yellow are particularly prone to fading. So it is essential that any paint is protected and ‘fed’ to maintain its finish.
2. Swirls
In addition to surface contamination clear coats are often subject to micro abrasion usually through inadequate cleaning methods. Using a sponge with a bucket is often an inadequate method! Normal sponges can trap dirt on the surface and when wiped over the surface can cause these micro abrasions. You can only imagine what an auto car wash can do! These abrasions appear on the surface as thin lines known as ‘swirls’ because they follow the lines of the sponge travel over the surface. Bright sun will show up swirls.
3. About Zymol
The original formula for Zymol was founded in Germany and was a hand made concoction put together for the local carriage makers. The original formula contained paraffin, lard, goose fat, beef suet and refined tree sap (montan oil). They were then replaced with highly saturated plant oils, such as banana, coconut, and cinnamon bark. Montan oil was retained, but the paraffin was replaced with Carnauba. This formulation gave a clarity and depth of shine that gave a better than new finish. Zymol ('enZYMatic emOLient') waxes are an enzyme mixture until they applied to a surface. Then the air acts as a catalyst and the wax starts a bonding process to the surface to which it is applied. The Zymöl range is totally hand crafted and made from pure carnauba and other plant based ingredients. The obvious advantage in being a natural product is that it is free from all silicones, abrasives, chalks, and petrochemical solvents. Which means there is no scratching or any dust left behind. The natural ingredients also mean that Zymöl is very friendly to the environment. It also has an extremely high Carnauba wax content of the best grade available, which is Brazilian No 1 Yellow which gives both greater protection and increased depth of shine. Zymol has natural UV barriers which can protect vehicle surfaces from oxidization and fade particularly when subject to intense sun and heat.
4. The Zymol Process
Zymol is not a range of products from which you can mix A with D and G. It is an integrated process and it is important that only Zymol products are used with each other for optimum effect. No doubt others will disagree with this but if you want the maximum lasting protection then this is true.
The Zymol process consists of three stages:
1. Washing - removing the loose dirt and road film that sits on top of your paint
2. Cleaning - removing the dead, oxidised, starved paint and foreign matter like tar, road salt and acid rain deposits that cannot be removed by washing alone
3. Feeding - providing essential oils and restoring the finish with a high gloss, durable, protective shell.
Washing utilises Zymol Auto Bathe which has no harmful petrochemicals or solvents, instead it uses tallow, coconut oil and lemon to clean. It will unlike all other wash products I know not strip off wax.
Cleaning consists of firstly Klaying with a Klay bar (bit like a piece of Blue tack) with a special lubricant. This is rubbed over the entire body surface and cleans all the major containments left on the surface. You will be amazed how much this gets off and how smooth the surface feels after it. The Zymol products are Lehm Klay and Lehm Lube.
Following Klaying it is then possible to polish (i.e abrade) the clear coat surface with a machine polisher and varying grades of cutting polish. Zymol do not have a current product for this but watch this space! Machine polishing is the process which will remove all swirls on the bodywork. However the next stage of the Zymol process is also very effective as well.
The next stage of the Zymol process is unique and is a critical stage to the success of the whole. This uses a product called HD Cleanse which is the best natural cleaner I have ever come across (I use it on my specs)! The major ingredient is Montan Oil (a natural solvent). It also contains other natural oils and smells wonderfully like chocolate! When applied to the surface it then chemically micro cleans any other residues left behind. It even chemically cleans into swirl marks and considerably reduces the impact of these even without machine polishing (although many posters on Detailing World would disagree that you can ‘detail’ a car without machine polishing). This deep cleansing is essential to ensure the final wax bonds to the surface for long lasting protection.
The final Feeding stage involves the application of a Wax to protect the final surface. Normal waxes contain typically 3-5% by volume of Carnauba Wax. Zymol waxes contain between 25 and 75% by volume of the best Brazilian No1 wax. Concours as used by Kin is 47%. Carnauba Wax once it has ‘set’ is harder than concrete. The quantities needed are also much less than other waxes and an 8oz pot can typically do over 10 applications (that’s 2 -3 years worth).
5. Maintenance
Wax being a natural product over a period of time will degenerate and need a fresh application. Properly applied with the full process this will be 3-6 months depending upon use, sunlight, rain etc. Critical however is the use of Zymol Auto Bathe as other normal washes will remove the wax due to the detergents contained in a matter of days.
Great debate rages in the detailing world as to the effectiveness of Zymol. Some of this is down to a ‘pick and choose’ approach to the product line up rather than an application of the whole process. Some of this is also down to the perceived ‘exclusivity’ of the brand in professional use due to Zymol’s licensing policy (and consequent pursuit of licence abusers). Back to back tests on the ‘day of detailing’ may also produce similar results to Zymol in appearance but it is my honest belief that the correct application of the whole process (inc maintenance) will result in the best and longest lasting finish.
Hope this all helps?
