First Wash

[Agent M79]

I washed my MM for the first time today. It’s been a week since I got it from the dealer.

It is an easy car to clean at least when compared to the Mustang. The Mustang had more annoying nooks and crannies than a case of English muffins. The MM is smooth by comparison. The hardest part was the front and that wasn’t even that bad.

But… it’s a big car. It took longer than I expected but next time I’ll be able to shave more time out of the process with experience. After it’s waxed up good it’ll probably go even faster.

I have a leaf blower but it’s the kind that attaches to my weedeater so it’s a little awkward to get above waste high. I’ll look into a cheapie blower this week.

The lines of the MM are so simple and clean. I love it.

I haven’t eyeballed any thin spots on the paint yet. There are a couple of blems that look like they will be worked out with some clay.

I specified the car to not be order with the front license plate bracket but I am thinking it came with one and the dealer removed it. I think this because there are four evenly spaced small dimples centered to the middle of the front bumper.

My Zaino kit will be here next week so I’ll get to wash it once again before doing the full Zaino treatment.

Some tips/tricks I picked up as a direct result of my association with mm.net:

1) Zaino
2) Use cotton baby diapers instead of expensive cotton towels
3) Leafblower to dry car
4) Watch out for drip problems and drainage problems around doors and trunk lid
5) Look for thin spots in paint


Some things I’ll be doing as soon as I can:

1) Tint!
2) Front & Rear Badge Removal (Got any DTR paint Zack?)
3) Wheel locks
4) Better Wiper Blades


Thanks everyone!


http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/109604_DTR_MM_Right_Front_Whee l.jpg

[deerejoe]

AgentM79:

Interesting note regarding the baby diapers in lieu of Canon or Fieldcrest towels as specified by Sal Zaino.

Have you asked Sal his advice re: the diapers??
He seems real determined we use the towels, etc...........

[Agent M79]

Deerejoe,

Yes Zaino is pretty adamant about the towels, huh?

I did not call him to ask. I was in chat with cruzer and some others last Wednesday night and cruzer I think was the first to tell me to use diapers. Said that he had for 50 years without any problems and they are *much* cheaper than the Cannon\Fieldcrest towels but are true 100% cotton just as they are.

Do you think there could be a problem here? Didn't appear to be but this is a single wash.

[Marauderman]

As long as it is soft and cotton..you should be alright....remember
in the long run--you may want to keep this one rather than turn her in---remember..it really grows on you==regargless of it's color...Tom--don't you agree?......Tom

[Marauderman]

And another thing my .02 worth--I never use ANY soap or detergent=just plain old water and a clean soft cloth for wahing --thats all you need..it keeps the color from being introduced to ay harmful , wax removing agents..anyway---- I've nevernmused anything but water an a clean cloth..to me to us anyother wil harem your clearcoat A

[Marauderman]

See what happens when I missed out on being given a new key board in Ennis........Tomn

[dok]

Won't be able to use Cannon/Fieldcrest towels much longer anyway. The Company that manufactured them went bankrupt and closed their doors last month. They were headquartered in Kannapolis which is about 5 miles from where I live (for LL3, Kannapolis is Dale's home town). 4,500 people lost their jobs in a town of 25,000.

My bumper also has the 4 dimples. I think that's done at the factory.

[dok]

Originally posted by marauderman
See what happens when I missed out on being given a new key board in Ennis........Tomn

Tom

You should have gone for the new keyboard. You even spelled Tom wrong. :lol:

[GA_DakotaR/T]

Don't know if you guys already know/do this, but if you use 2 buckets, one with plain water and the other with your car washing soap, it will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce any swirl or scratches on your paint, especially on black paint. What I mean is rinse your cloth/mitt in the plain water first, then go to your other bucket to get the soap............wash a section on your car, then go back and rinse your cloth/mitt in the plain water bucket again before dipping it back in the soap water. This gets all if not most of the dirt and crap off of your cloth and out from your soap water. I do this on my wife's 2000 graphite Camry as well as on my graphite Dakota R/T.................and it works in virtually eliminating any scratches or swirl marks (unfortunately I did not hear of this when my wife first got her Camry----it already has some "slight" swirling on her paint already, not bad though, phew!!). And when you dump your bucket of soapy water, notice how much cleaner it is!!!!!

And I also use the leafblower drying method too. If your car has been previously waxed, the water will just fly off!!!!

[RCSignals]

The dimples on the bumper are normal. They are there as guides to drill holes to mount the license bracket. Unless there are actual holes in the bumper, your car never had the bracket installed.

[Agent M79]

Making it true earlier than usual (1:30am), RC just taught me something new today.

The dimples as guides makes sense.

On my wife's Honda (there's that "H" word) the front plate bracket was attached not through the bumper but by a mounting underneath the bumper.

When removed, there was accumulated dirt in a discernable pattern that after a few washes came clean. I assumed the dimples in the MM were a more serious version of that.

Thanks for the info, RC!

[Agent M79]

I wrote Sal Zaino in regards to using cotton diapers vs the cotton bath towel and here is the unedited dialog:

> Mr. Zaino,
>
> Thank you for your incredibly informative site.
>
> I am a member of www.mercurymarauder.net which is where I first
> learned of your products and their excellent reputation. Once I
> confirmed that others had used your products and had given them high
> praise, I order the kit and a few other items and anxiously await
> their arrival and application.
>
> I had read of your preference for the Cannon and Fieldcrest towels and
> the poses a bit of a dilemma for me.
>
> While everyone I've spoken to tells me that Zaino products are best in
> class, more than one person with far more time and experience in
> prepping show cars than me has told me that cotton cloth diapers are
> far more inexpensive than the towels and there is no discernable
> difference in their performance with Zaino products.
>
> Would you share your opinion with me on this? And would you mind if I
> copied your unedited response on the topic back to the group?

Sure no problem...


Cotton baby diapers are fine. As long as they are Gerber or equivalent 100% Cotton Made in USA. Watch out for diapers that are Made in Russia. Do not use them....they will scratch...

I prefer 100% Cotton Towels(Made in the USA) Cannon or Fieldcrest name brand. Towels have a soft nap and are more forgiving than diapers if you pick up dirt or particulates. The nap will help not let any dirt particulates, scratch your paint. The diapers are not as friendly....

I always use 100% Made in the USA. High quality, Brand
name towels. Example Cannon or Filedcrest. I always use Bath towels. Make sure you cut the stitching off the edge of the towel. Most other Brand name towels I've analyzed are not 100% Cotton but a blend of cotton and polyester. Even though they say 100% Cotton they are not. Sorry...

Auto store towels and packaged towels are not 100% cotton, although they say 100% cotton they are NOT!!! The cotton material is from overseas and is not federally regulated. It is usually 60% cotton and a 40% blend of polyester and nylon. This will definetly scratch the paint finish. If a towel says made in Pakistan or Bangladesh, etc, throw it out.



Most of the towels K-Mart, Walmart or Auto stores sells are not the high quality Cannon towels. But a lower quality towel. Sorry that I am so anal, but I

only want the best for your paint.

I go to a Bath and Linen shop in any Mall or Department store. That's where you'll find the Cannon or Fieldcrest Brand.

The Large White Cannon or Fieldcrest cost about $10 to $16.00 each. Well worth the investment. They should last about a year. If the towels are $6.00 something is wrong!

You must use only white. Not colored towels.....

Only use Liquid detergent such as All or Tide, etc. Do not use Bleach, Powdered Detergents or any kind of fabric softner. They will leave a chemical residue in the towels which will transfer to your paint finish and also cause tiny swirls and scratches..

Make sure to run rinse cycle twice to remove all detergent.

You should cut the selvages(borders) off the perimeter of the towels. This selvage contains nylon and polyester stitching that could possibly scratch your paint finish. The towels will fray a little once this is done. But it's better to play it safe.

Drying the towels on high heat will make them hold a static charge. I use the regular heat setting and remove them a little damp and let them air dry. You can fluff the towel real good when it's dry to make it softer.

As the towels get older they will lose there nap and absorbency and will have to be replaced.

Hope this helps.


Thank You,
Sal Zaino
(732)833-8800
http://www.zainobros.com

[jgc61sr2002]

Sal is the man. He knows what is best for the finish of your Marauder. Agent79 thanks for posting.:D

[Agent M79]

I emailed Sal back but haven't received a reply in regards to a towel source. He may not be able to throw his hat in the ring since it would endorse a particular source.

Here is a link that I think may have the towels he has specified:

http://www.cannontowels.com/towelsframe.htm

About half way down the page are Fieldcrest/Cannon towels (Item #3) that *sound* like what he specifies.

If anyone here knows if these are correct, please let me know.

They are irregulars so they are a lot cheaper but they must be purchased in bulk. For Item #3, they ship 48 to the case. I have no opposition to purchasing them and busting them into lots of 6 or 12 and selling them to members at cost. I'd likely retain 12 for myself.

So if someone who knows better can verify these are correct, let me know!

[John F. Russo]

Agent M79

I'm determining the best way to remove the front grill badge(logo). I've spoken to my body shop guy and we're evaluating the situation.

It's not easy and will cost me about a few hundred dollars.
My objective is to make the grill behind the badge look like the rest of the grill.

Since the badge actually causes a depression in two of the "ribs"
of the grill (made of plastic. What kind?), one has to cut the plastic out between the grill and then fill in (What material is best to use?) the depression which will be one "rib" width only. But will the filled in "rib" be strong enough? THis is what Logan and Zach did.

The other method is to buy a second grill and remove the full ribs adjacent to the badge depression and glue each end to existing car grill after the "ribs" are removed from the existing grill attached to the badge. Are lengths of the ribs adjacent to the badge long enough so that than can be glued at each end to the existing grill. This presumes that a very strong glue is available.

This is my dilemmI'm determining the best way to remove the front grill badge(logo). I've spoken to my body shop guy and we're evaluating the situation.

It's not easy and will cost me about a few hundred dollars.
My objective is to make the grill behind the badge look like the rest of the grill.

Since the badge actually causes a depression in two of the "ribs"
of the grill (made of plastic. What kind?), one has to cut the plastic out between the grill and then fill in (What material is best to use?). The depression which will be one "rib" width only. But will the filled in "rib" be strong enough? This is what Logan and Zach did.

The other method is to buy a second grill and remove the full ribs adjacent to the badge depression and glue each end to existing car grill after the "ribs" are removed from the existing grill attached to the badge. Are lengths of the ribs adjacent to the badge long enough so that than can be glued at each end to the existing grill. This presumes that a very strong glue is available.

Which will result in the strongest grill and be the least expensive way?

_________
2003 Blue 300B (Canadian) (traction control, mini spare, trunked 6 disc
CD changer,clock-in-the-radio, heated front seats, hood light)
Born 12/10/02
10,000 miles
Stock transmission (upgraded with Performance Automatic
clutches and band after stock tranny failed in 8,800 miles)
Wheel locks (Ford)
Mileage: 18 mpg at a steady speed of 80 mph
Kenny Brown: 6th “signature series” conversion (450 hp) 3/28/03
Dead pedal
Badgeless front grill (trying to achieve)
Baer front brakes 14 in. two piston, vented rotors
MMX Driveshaft
4.10 gears
Vortech supercharger (7 to 8 psig boost)
Pirelli P-Zero Asymmetric
FordChip
One coil of each front stock spring removed to produce
the “same” effect as an Eibach spring

[John F. Russo]

Agent M79

Before I sent the above message to you, I should have done a search on the subject.

Go to the thread called, Anyone ever find a badgeless grill thread" (Just put those words in the search box-upper left hand corner of the home page- and you should find the thread. Zach has done this and was offering the service to others.

[Macon Marauder]

Good info on the towels, etc. but I have to comment on the color.

Agent, that is one beautiful Marauder you have there friend! The close up of the front fender just knocks me out for some reason.

I still love mine, but you really have me thinking...

[Agent M79]

Macon,

Well... I dunno if it's good info yet...

Sal Zaino says: They should be fine, but buy one or two and try them first...

But I can't buy 1 or 2.. I gotta buy 48 of them.


I love the Dark Toreador Red. In bright direct light it is a deep metallic, in ok light it's a medium burgundy, and at night, it's very dark cherry. Very neat.