Is Smoky Granite Mica as difficult as black??

[imported_beachwolverine]

I just bought a 2007 Lexus ES350 in Smoky Granite Mica - kind of a darkish metalic grey. I love the color but would like to know from the experts if it is going to be close to Black in difficulty to take care of - swirl marks, etc. Or will it be much easier. If Silver is the easiest say 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 and Black is a 10, where would you place Smoky Granite Mica?



Thanks for your advice - I`ve learned a lot from this site and am amazed at the level of detail (no pun intended) that many of you go through.



Scott

[tod071]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on the new ES. Beautiful color I might add. If it wasn`t for the year-end discounts on the 07s, I would have chosen SGM for my GSh. But, I ended up with, yes, Silver (Mercury Metallic).



Anyway, back to your question, no SGM is not as hard as Black. Lexus/Toyota black is still a single stage paint, yours has a clear coat. Of course, because the color won`t hide imperfections as well as silver, it still is a dark color that will show dirtiness, light scratches, etc.



Some waxes I`d recommend to bring those metallic flakes out (I have a neptune blue mica RXh as well) would be CG Pete`s 53 or Pinnacle SSII.



Good luck and lets see some pics.

[cgage]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on the new ES. Beautiful color I might add. If it wasn`t for the year-end discounts on the 07s, I would have chosen SGM for my GSh. But, I ended up with, yes, Silver (Mercury Metallic).



Anyway, back to your question, no SGM is not as hard as Black. Lexus/Toyota black is still a single stage paint, yours has a clear coat. Of course, because the color won`t hide imperfections as well as silver, it still is a dark color that will show dirtiness, light scratches, etc.



Some waxes I`d recommend to bring those metallic flakes out (I have a neptune blue mica RXh as well) would be CG Pete`s 53 or Pinnacle SSII.



Good luck and lets see some pics.



My apologies for the off topic post but i just did an 02 LS 430 in flat black that had a clearcoat. The only part of the car that was SS were the painted pieces between the front and rear windows.



My pads would know :)

[Bigpikle]

I have a Honda in Cosmic Grey which is a dark grey pearl and it is simple to maintain and hides marks very well. Only with the Brinkman can you see the slightest marks, and its 4 yrs old and hasnt had the high standards I employ now through all its life...



The jeffs stuff looks great on it, as does Victoria Concours if you like a wetter look. Will put Ultima PGP over the Jeffs this weekend and see how that goes....

[imported_themightytimmah]

The metallics are quite a bit easier than straight black - I`d put you between a 6.5 and 8 on that scale, depending on paint hardness.

[dfwgixxer]

My friend has a IS350 same color. It is easier to take care of than black and looks really good cleaned up. Here are a few pics of it after being washed with ONR and topped with Aqua Wax and that is it.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/dfwgixxer/Truck/15fa55ce.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/dfwgixxer/Truck/e4430e25.jpg

[red4.8]

That IS350 is sexy..

[imported_beachwolverine]

Thanks everyone for the replies - I appreciate them.

[hybridhauler]

Congrats on the new ES. We have an ES350 UL which is SMG in color. It is a lot easier to maintain than Black. I recently used the Klasse twins and topped that with DP Max Wax. Absolutely stunning. The flakes looked like they were about to jump off the car.





http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u285/hybridhauler/KristensBirthdayDebateCamp005.jpg





http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u285/hybridhauler/KristensBirthdayDebateCamp002.jpg

[imported_beachwolverine]

Thanks Hybrid, those pics are awsome. I`m just learning here, but thought it interesting to put a wax on after the sealant. I looked up DP MAx Wax and they recommend it for just that purpose - so much to learn... Thanks again.

[hybridhauler]

Max Wax has become my go to wax for heavy metalic paints. I have a Light Almond Dodge Ram (light gold) and the MW is the only thing that I have found that really makes the flakes pop. The metalic in the LA color is very small and really difficult to exploit. I love it