Do You Find that SILVER Cars Just Aren`t Worth the Trouble?

[H2290]

I haven`t done any serious detailing but just by looking around and at two of my cars (both silver) I have to ask; Do any of you guys find that silver cars just aren`t worth all of the trouble that a black or red car is? It just doesn`t seem like they have the POP that other colors have.

[AutoCadillac]

This thread had a lot of good information regarding silver.



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68599&highlight=silver

[racingbeat]

actually I take the opposite view. Black and dark colored cars are not worth it because they`ll just get dirty in 30 minutes.



That POP isn`t as dramatic but in certain lighiting conditions its still eye candy.

I suggest you try these three in this order



Prime

Acrylic Jett

Aqua Wax

FK 425

http://www.jeffswerkstatt.com/index2.php

http://www.fk1usa.com/products-consumer.htm

http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=272





I used all but prime on this

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/789000-789999/789415_73_full.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/Craigster/werks9.jpg

[VroomVroom]

Making any paint look its best is the goal, but I think I hear what you`re saying...and it depends on the color. The brilliant finishes on German cars look downright stunning when well maintained, in my opinion. Here`s a well-neglected C-class I detailed last year...



http://www.lownote.org/carpics/07.jpg



My wife`s old silver birch truck, on the other hand, was a nightmare. I finally settled on Poorboys EX & NB, but was never completely pleased.

[awahl63]

This vette turned out well



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74819

[toolfanatic]

`04 BMW 330Ci Silver Grey Metallic Until i clayed the paint and rewaxed there was no POP. Now, it looks fantastic. I can`t stop staring at the finish when it`s freshly cleaned. Black and White painted cars are most definitely NOT worth the hassle. Black looks outrageously good when polished to perfection. (rarely if ever see that) White shows every speck of dirt and you must use a liquid cleaner or spend a week claying. IMO silver is a good compromise between light and dark shade to get the benefits of both. Scratches are pretty well masked by the light color and there`s a good amount of POP from being relatively dark. There aren`t too many colors than i know of that can pull that off.

[DETAILKING]

Luv Silver....



Having owned a few silver cars, I feel your pain in the shine catagory. Here are a few tips for silver.



1. I would stick with the synthetic sealants. They offer more reflection than the carnuba blends and that is what you are after with silver. If you like the added depth with carnuba stick with that....bottom line, don`t be afraid to experiment.



2. Polish and wax Your wheels.





3. Keep the black trim dressed. The blacker it is the better contrast you will have with the paint and the silver will "pop" out more. Don`t be afraid to go a little more glossy on the tires too with silver. If you use Matte style products, use 2 coats. Also dress the wheel wells for even more contrast.



4. Apply your sealant to the windows, yes this wil add reflectivity and add to the overall detailed look of the car.



5. Keep any Chrome Trim sparkling - use a QD on it after washing and routinely.



A silver car done right will appear very BRIGHT in direct sunlight, look reflective at dusk, and glow at night.

[imported_Picus]

The more I detail silver cars the more I appreciate them. A nice silver with a lot of flake can look absolutely stunning when done right.

[Mcthings]

One thing I have found with silver cars are that they hide dirt very easily. My brother in law didn`t wash his car for almost 2 months and it is parked outside 24/7. Besides the silver wheels being black, the car didn`t actually seem as nasty as it was.

[H2290]

Well, I posted this question thinking it may help me and others with silver cars and it really has. As far as how good at looks at night I have to agree. This is my car with just a standard wash under some nice lighting (thanks Bally`s)



http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/8564/dsc0570ef4.th.jpg (http://img376.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0570ef4.jpg)

[Accumulator]

When I spent many, many hours on the S8 (many with the rotary) I got a great look that I`ve never seen before, and I`ve had silver Audis since forever. The metallic pop was literally blinding in bright sunlight. Takes an incredible amount of work and self-discipline though, you can spend literally *hours* inspecting it for stuff that nobody else will ever see (eliminate all the tiny, light-refracting marring that "nobody sees on silver"). I didn`t spot the "wow,that`s different" look until about the fourth time I burnished it with 1Z Pro MP, and that was *after* I had it as close to perfect as I can get paint. I was playing around trying to improve on the finish Menzerna FP gave me and after a lot of work it just looked better.



Heh heh, it was such a big job that I haven`t redone that car in over two years :o



Last week I had it parked next to a silver Lexus and I dunno if you could ever get the Lexus paint to look all that great. It looked like pewter or like it was tarnished, while the S8 looked like new platinum, if that makes any sense.

[velobard]

Accumulator, for all I`ve heard about your S8, I`ve never seen pictures of it. How `bout it?!? :getdown

[awahl63]

+1 of pictures...

[toyemp]

I feel H2290`s pain too. After having only black cars for the last 10 years (around 20 cars total), I bought my first silver car a couple weeks ago -- a Silverstone 350Z. First day I had the car, I used PO85RD, Prime, and AJ x 3 on it.



Did it look nice? yes.



Do I get the same satisfaction at the end compared to when I work on my black cars -- absolutely not.



On one hand, I have some regrets with my color decision, but I will admit it does have some pluses (hiding dirt, etc) but the extra work that black cars take to maintain never bothered me. I always looked forward to it because it just gave me more reason to work on the cars.



Just my 2 cents.... :nixweiss

[TSXWench]

I can get my silver looking pretty good with the Duragloss stuff.



http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h236/tsxwench/tsx032.jpg