Making Silver Look Impressive? Dark cars have it easy...

nappyjim said:
Quit your cryin, you cars are easier to make look clean even when they arent!!
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What lazy logic! I would prefer to obsess over appearance daily and have to work hard for it to look good. quite frankly, because either way I'm going to work hard. I'd like people (including myself) to be able to tell how much good my hard work has done.



-Evan
 
I just polished up a silver pontiac.....megs #80, topped with souveran....not super reflective like a black, no all that possible with just two step, but the wetness and depth was really amazing....dont get me wrong, there is a lot of reflectiveness going on, but not like a black car
 
Proper prep is key. Spend the most time burnishing the clear coat to perfection using your FP2 or 106FF or Z-PC.



Zaino Z2Pro x 3 topped with Z8 will produce a wet reflective "glow" in sunlight.



Poorboys EX-P(latest formulation) x 2 topped with either Nattys, Nattys Blue or Pinacle Paste Glaz(sadly discontinued) will also produce an ultra wet reflective look.



Just my experience on one of my silver garage queens.
 
General ~rant follows :o



The only time silvers and other "don't show" colors make a difference to me is when it's a vehicle that I can't correct for one reason or the other. Then, yeah sure, I appreciate that every little flaw doesn't show under all conditions. My older (non-silver) cars that can't take more correction bug me because I see all the flaws, all the time and it's nice that the '85 Jag (silver) can look OK even though its paint is pretty trashed. But with a reasonably new vehicle with enough paint to stand correction, well, I can't help but chuckle over the whole "silver doesn't show flaws" thing. Clearcoat is clearcoat ;) and if flaws are there they can be seen no matter what the color happens to be. It cracks me up when I point at marring and somebody says "nobody can see that" :rolleyes: If so, then how can I see it to point it out :chuckle:
 
I feel for you, Ahheck01. I too have a silver car. It's great that it doesn't show every little flaw, but kinda sucks it just doesn't have the impact of a finely detailed dark color.



I'm going to be trying out some FK2180 soon, followed with Pink Wax or Natty's blue. When done maybe I'll post some pics.
 
Danase said:
I have been very please with using Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection on my silver car.
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I concur. I've got a magnesium metallic which is a silver-to-light-gray and I've had great sucess with UPP & UPPS - Adds alot of reflection, glossiness and some depth. I've been meaning to put some Max Wax on top of the UPP/UPPS which should give it some wetness.



BTW, I like UPC as a surface prep more than AIO when using UPP.
 
I guess I'll chime in here with what I always say about silver.



AIO/UPPx2-3



This combo looks fantastic on any light metallic car. The paint is really brightened up and the metallic pop is really pronounced. In addition, you also get great durablity from multiple layers of sealant.
 
DP Premium Surface Shield (which I've heard is a lot like UPP) followed by DP Spray Surface Shield is makes silver look sooo wet. :drool:
 
:think: I'm an owner of nothing but black vehicles and I'm debating on anything BUT black the next time I go to purchase a vehicle. I think once you have owned one (or three in my case) you will think twice about having a dark colored vehicle that serves as daily transportation. I'm always finding myself a little envious of lighter colored vehicles simply because I can do a full exterior detail to mine and the next day it rains for 30 seconds and it looks like I never touched it to begin with.
 
Well I'm a noob, so maybe my experience isn't the what you are looking for.



I have a silver Lexus. It's a 2001 I picked up used. The previous owners didn't take care of the finish to Autopian standards. I just started to get into detailing, so I've washed it in the past with the sponge and 1 bucket method. I mention this just so you know that I do not have a perfect finish.



I was able to wash it (2 bucket) with Megs Deep Crystal, dry it, clay it, and then added 1 coat of Megs NXT paste wax. I could not beleive how shiny the car was the next day.



I drive East on my way to work and it's a good thing I wear sunglasses. I had a perfect image of the sun reflecting off my hood near the windshield. It was almost like looking at the sun off a mirror. In the parking lot, the car just reflected light and if you had the right angle it would almost blind you.



I can't get the same deepness and image reflection that a dark vehicle can because the finish reflects too much light. Only in low light situations can I see a good reflection.



I would think that it's the overall reflective power and flake pop that would separate a detailed silver car from a non detailed silver car. I'm pretty sure that people can tell.



I can't wait to see what happens after I take the PC to it and top it with some VM and Natty's paste wax.
 
WSUcommuter said:
:think: I'm an owner of nothing but black vehicles and I'm debating on anything BUT black the next time I go to purchase a vehicle...
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Heh heh, that sounds like me a few years ago. I once swore I'd only own black and red vehicles. Then I swore I'd stick with silver and white after I decided life is short. Now I'm gettig bored with looking at silver all the time :o
 
Sherman8r44 said:
DP Premium Surface Shield (which I've heard is a lot like UPP) followed by DP Spray Surface Shield is makes silver look sooo wet. :drool:
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Also reminds me of Zaino in appearance. Great product, easy to use. :)
 
I've had a lot of success on my silver cars with the Klasse twins. I find that Klasse gives the silver a deep, wet look.



mzda2.jpg
 
vaca22- Interesting to me that you posted a pic of your Mazda when praising the Klasse twins. Much as I hated how they looked on Audi silver, I've been thinking that they really do look OK on my MPV. Not quite as nice as when I topped with #16, and maybe I'm just getting used to the look, but I *have* been admiring it lately (and it's not like I go around admiring my minivan as a general rule). Might be a case of one particular paint looking good with a particular LSP, wouldn't be the first time...
 
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