Blackfire, EX, or UPP

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6speedZ

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Ok I have been trying to come up with a sealant for my E430 since I joined this site. I originally thought I had my mind made up on EX, but after reading the reviews and some of the more recent threads on other forums I am having second thoughts once again. I am now considering Blackfire and UPP as alternatives. I have read that Blackfire is not very user friendly, but overall is a great product once you learn how to use it. UPP I have read alot of great things about too.

What I am mainly looking for is a durable sealant with a great look on Black. If I used EX I would defenitely top with Nattys and If I used UPP or Blackfire I would probably top with P21S/S100 if I can and it is recommended. Which sealant should i choose? As far as Zaino recommendations go it is currently what I am using and I am now exploring other options. Please help me decide and finally put this question to rest. I am open to any suggestions on other possible sealants that look good on black and can be topped with a carnuaba, so please feel free to make them. Thanks!
 
I use EX-P and Natty's on my black A4. I love the combination because of the ease of use and the great results. I don't think you will be unhappy if you go this route. Here is a picture of my hood after I used that combination.

513bdc
 
Go with the EX and top with either Nattys, S100 (or Souveran if you really want to make it look great). The only sealants I have been using alot lately have been EX on black/dark blue/red and FMJ on lighter and brighter shades.
 
Well, if you really want to go "crazy" on your black vehicles, use any of the sealants you've mentioned, and then top with Souveran! :D

Keep in mind that after a couple of coats of "whatever" carnauba you use... the carnauba look will "overtake" the look of the sealants. The only thing you can hope for is a little extra protection from the sealant underneath.
 
To tell you the truth I had been leaning towards EX and Natty's since the begining, but the fact that is is not a true sealant like Blackfire and UPP as well as the fact that some experience spotting problems with it has me very concerned. Has anyone used Blackfire or UPP and topped it with a carnauba? If so how did it look? As for Souveran is it really that much better than P21S/S100 or Trade Secret?
 
6speedZ said:
To tell you the truth I had been leaning towards EX and Natty's since the begining, but the fact that is is not a true sealant like Blackfire and UPP as well as the fact that some experience spotting problems with it has me very concerned. Has anyone used Blackfire or UPP and topped it with a carnauba? If so how did it look? As for Souveran is it really that much better than P21S/S100 or Trade Secret?
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Didn't you ask the same question over at Autopia? :D
Like I said before, Blackfire looks awesome on black, as does FMJ. Blackfire will look more like a carnauba wax, very deep with a subtle reflection. Oh yeah, super slick. I topped Blackfire with S100 and it didn't seem to do much. IMO, neither FMJ nor Blackfire needs to be topped.
 
IMO Blackfire and Wolfgang are very similiar. The big difference to me is that BF attracts more dust, and on dark colors it's easy to streak. WG is VERY easy to work with and looks great on black.

If you want a clear reflective look, I'd go with 4* UPP/Natty's.

If you want a warmer look with good depth, I'd go with WG, or EX x 2, topped with Souvern or Pink Wax.

They all are good choices so don't pull your hair out over it. You might want to consider buying your top 2 choices and deciding on the look that you like best.
 
termigator said:
Didn't you ask the same question over at Autopia? :D
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He may have, but many of us don't post at Autopia and this thread will give him several more opinions.
Since I started using sealants, the closest thing I have to a black car is my Black Sapphire 1998 Pontiac Tran Sport mini-van. It is a very dark metallic blue that does look black in some lighting.
Meg' #9 SMR, Klasse AIO, and 4 Star UPP are what is on it in the pictures in my gallery.
I did try topping the UPP with S100 a couple of times and like termigator said, it didn't seem to add much if anything. I decided I would rather be able to add more UPP any time I wanted without having to remove the S100.
To me, that is one of the drawbacks to topping a sealant with a carnauba. No more sealant applications unless you remove the carnauba topper.

Charles
 
CharlesW said:
...I did try topping the UPP with S100 a couple of times and like termigator said, it didn't seem to add much if anything. I decided I would rather be able to add more UPP any time I wanted without having to remove the S100.
Click to expand...

I agree with Charles' assessment on topping/ not topping UPP. IMO it is one sealant which doesn't necessarily seem benefit (appearance/surface slickness) from a topper. This isn't limited to just dark colored paints as I use UPP mainly on white vehicles.

I could say the same thing about EX. In the past, I had refrained from topping EX as I was happy with the appearance after 3 coats. Howeve, I recently succumbed to the excellent buy on Meg's #26 paste and wanted a quick canvas on which to experiment. Our pewter in color Volvo 850 had a fresh (within @ 30 days) third application of EX, and it was handy. I washed and applied the #26. #26 went on like a dream (thanks to the well prepped surface), it came off with a bit more effort. The finished look was different. :D Better or worse? Just depends on your preferences.
 
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