Does the best polish to use vary by car color?

[tupsliats]

Well, that`s pretty much the question.

Why do I ask? I`ve seen it mentioned a couple of times that Zaino on a red car may look pinkish. I`ve got a red car, so this concerns me. The other is black, but the red one is my main concern. I`m ready to step up from Meguires and I`m torn between Zaino & Blackfire. I`m leaning towards BF due to those comments.



BTW, do I need to use the cleaner wax again so soon? 2 weeks ago, hope to be using one of these systems within a few weeks.



I`ve been reading here for a while trying to catch on before asking anything--great site! Almost an information overload though. Many searches, many searches...and those friggin abbreviations! LOL!;)

[bigpoppa]

I think so. On black for example, I don`t like Zaino. I prefer something like Pinnacle Souveran, Meguiars Gold Class or Mothers California Gold paste. Zaino is too shiny on black IMHO. Don`t get me wrong, it looks good, but carnauba is better.



On red and white I prefer Zaino, hands down. Nothing is cooler than a white car that is too bright to look at in sunlight. :cool:

[imported_ThreeSixT]

Some people here think so...both of my cars are dark so I wouldn`t have any amplification on this from personal experience. Good luck. :xyxthumbs

[imported_Intel486]

You have polish and wax mixed up.



A product like Zaino and Blackfire are waxes and not polishes.

[nate010753]

Welcome to Autopia :wavey





I use Blackfire on my black accord. I bought both the polish and the paint sealant. Great combo and it only gets better when you wash it. If you want you can top it with a carnuba wax like S100 lots of people here use that combo I will be topping with S100 this spring. But it looks great. No experience with Zaino so I can`t compare them for you but you won`t be dissappointed with Blackfire`s results.



Here is a link to help you with those acronyms. It will take you like 10 min to recongnize what they all stand for



http://www.autopia.org/acronyms.php



good luck

[tupsliats]

Thanks for the welcomes! I got tired of flipping back to the abbreviations, so last night I printed that page out. I know, I`m a geek. :rolleyes:

I know both of these systems are great, I just don`t want to put it on my 12 year old car (a little faded already) and have it come out pink. It`s a really bright red, not a dark burgundy type color, so it`ll be kind of conspicuous if it turns out funky looking. :eek:

[imported_memnuts]

I have used both Zaino and Blackfire. Zaino will not make your car pink. Because of the reflectivity of the Zaino finish it may not appear as "deep" a red at certain angles and light conditions. A good example is on a bright sunny day the reflection off the hood would be that of the sky which may give the hood a pinkisk appearing hue. My experience with Zaino on black on a similiar day gave a greyish silvery appearance. With Blackfire, which is a more carnauba-like appearing sealant the color bleaching is gone. Reflectivity is still excellent and the depth can not be beat. There is nothing wrong with either sealant`s appearances and I may change back to Zaino just for something to do next year. I think this speaks volumes for both products. The bottom line is that your final finish appearance is mostly dependent on you paint`s condition. If it is pinkisk from oxidation prior to sealant application, it will be pinkish after sealant application. Obtain the hue you desire prior ( polishing and paint cleansers) to sealing and either product will give a beautiful appearance with very subtle differences between the Zaino and Blackfire. Experiment with both and really prep well.

Welcome to Autopia and since you have crossed over to the darkside, the question is not Zaino or Blackfire but which one should I try first. :D :wavey

[billrouleau]

If your car is 12 years old and faded, I would definately recommend polishing/removing oxidation BEFORE sealing. You may be disappointed with the results otherwise. There is a WEALTH of info about polishing, cleaning, and sealing on Autopia. Do a quick search and I`m sure you will find many tips and pictures to help you along your way.



BTW. Welcome! :wavey

[tupsliats]

Well, not badly faded or oxidized, it has been well taken care of (bought it about 4 mos ago). Just need to get the dullness out of it. I do want to do it right though. I`ve been searching but it`s hard to pin down just what to do. I did see a recent post that sounded like my situation though.



This is the thread that got me thinking:

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17488&highlight=blackfire

[Brad B]

One thing you have to understand about Zaino, it`s more optically clear than any other manuafacturer can claim. So the color you see is the color of your actual paint, nothing else. It won`t "turn" your car any color at all. Other waxes are tinting your finish in one way or another.



So if you want your car to have a "golden hue" or "yellowinsh tint" use a carnuba because, as you can see by looking in the can, you are laying down a colored topping on the paint finish.



Other waxes and sealants can tint the surface as well. Also, less or more reflective waxes as well as time of day and ambient light sources will all affect the color you see in your paint finish.

[mrdetailer]

My Blaze Red Mazda that has orange overtones as well looks fabulous with Blackfire. It deepens the color and brings out the red more. Blackfire has the clear reflections of sealants, but depth of a carnauba. It also tops with carnaubas very well. If you have any oxidation on the finish you want a gentle protectant. Blackfire meets this criteria. On my oxidized vehicle no color comes up when the BF Paint Protectant is applied. It`s the only liquid I`ve used that doesn`t bring up color.

[shaf]

Originally posted by RedSled91SC

Well, not badly faded or oxidized, it has been well taken care of (bought it about 4 mos ago). Just need to get the dullness out of it.... If you`re complaining about "dullness" in the paint, then it could still probably use a good polishing session before applying whichever product you pick. Like blkZ28Conv said, prep is everything. Oxidation doesn`t have to be glaringly obvious to be present, and red has been known to oxidize more readily than other colours.



I wouldn`t sweat it too much about the different looks in products since the difference is probably subtle. Every product has fans with different coloured cars that say it looks great, so you can probably just go with whatever product most appeals to you for other reasons (application, price, durability, etc, etc.).

[F 355]

Hi RedSled :wavey



I’m the guy who did the comparison. No-your car won’t go pink - unless your better half just went to work for May Kay and forgot to tell you about the new company paint job :D



Both products are good but the bottom line is what You prefer and what looks good to You. Zaino has probably the highest optical characteristics and produces a very brilliant, reflective shine - some have said, and I tend to agree, they can look sterile and simply “shinnyâ€�. Sometimes, under certain light conditions, it seems to change the hue of the color. The BF has, IMHO, more depth and richness that emulates carnauba - but that’s just me…



If you budget can afford it test both products. Regardless of which one you choose, if you don’t like the look you can always add a carnauba on top to get the best of both worlds. If you don’t like the topper, no big deal…a little dawn soap will take it off and will not remove the Zaino or BF underneath it.



I did my car in Z, did not like it, added P21 topper and that seems to be the ticket for now. However, next week I’m doing it all over again with Menzerna & Klasse (there is no end to this stuff)



Side Bar - This weekend is the largest Ferrari Concourse event in the country and happens to be in Palm Beach - got tickets and going to hit every car to see what they use to form a poll of my own.



Anyway - RedSled make sure you prep the car very well first - then decide which you like. This is a great forum and you can’t go wrong with advice that the members will give you. Post a quick thread when your done to tell us how it went…



:cool:

[tupsliats]

I really appreciate the help guys. I`m new to the "multi-layering" idea, but I intend to fully explore it. I`m sure I`ll get around to trying all of these eventually. I`m looking for that big dramatic improvement from basic wash/wax, you know? Looking for the right recipe, want to be sure I do this in the right order and with the best products.

[jeromet]

Zaino made my red car look more like orange. BF gave the deep red look I was after.