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.
Do You Find that SILVER Cars Just Aren't Worth the Trouble?
- Thread starter H2290
- Start date
AutoCadillac
New member
This thread had a lot of good information regarding silver.
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68599&highlight=silver
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68599&highlight=silver
racingbeat
New member
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
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
VroomVroom
New member
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...
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.
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.
toolfanatic
New member
'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
New member
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.
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
New member
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.
Accumulator
Well-known member
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
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.
Heh heh, it was such a big job that I haven't redone that car in over two years
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.
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
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
New member
I can get my silver looking pretty good with the Duragloss stuff.
Accumulator
Well-known member
velobard & awahl63- Yeah....I really gotta do something about getting pics posted some time. The time it'd take me to figure out how to scan/upload/etc. the few slides I have of the S8 is something I can't spare right now. The only pics I have of it are post-deer incident anyhow, it looks kinda cool in a Ronin sort of way 
Heh heh, I doubt it'd look all that impressive if I took pics today, not having been redone in about 26 months I really should've taken some shots of it when I had it looking nice, but I was so ticked off about the quality of the deer-incident repairs that it never occurred to me. The really impressive look sorta faded out over the first year or so and then it stabilized at the "nice, but not incredible" level; it really needs a light polishing instead of just the clay/LSP work but with all the M3/RX-7/XJS work to be done, the Audis are the least of my concerns.
Wonder how well that great appearance (circa 2004) would've showed up on internet quality pics :think: Hard enough for me to see really great work when I'm looking at prints or slides on a light table.
Heh heh, I doubt it'd look all that impressive if I took pics today, not having been redone in about 26 months
I really should've taken some shots of it when I had it looking nice, but I was so ticked off about the quality of the deer-incident repairs that it never occurred to me. The really impressive look sorta faded out over the first year or so and then it stabilized at the "nice, but not incredible" level; it really needs a light polishing instead of just the clay/LSP work but with all the M3/RX-7/XJS work to be done, the Audis are the least of my concerns.Wonder how well that great appearance (circa 2004) would've showed up on internet quality pics :think: Hard enough for me to see really great work when I'm looking at prints or slides on a light table.
Accumulator; with the price of digital cameras now days...for $150-200 you can get a great digital camera and be able to upload pictures onto your computer...onto photobucket..and resize withing 10 minutes for 10 pics I bet 
I would love to see pics of your cars...shop...and crib haha I'm going to sign you up for MTV cribs just so I can see your rides :getdown
-Back on topic..I think it depends mostly on the paint, flake, etc... My girlfriend has a silver honda civic - and while I can get it looking nice and bright and make the flake pop...it doesnt look like some of the silver cars posted on here just because of the color/lack of flake in the paint compared to newer models...With proper prep, silver *can* look good, you're never going to get the reflections and depth like you do with darker colors, but the trade off is always having a "clean" looking car
I would love to see pics of your cars...shop...and crib haha I'm going to sign you up for MTV cribs just so I can see your rides :getdown-Back on topic..I think it depends mostly on the paint, flake, etc... My girlfriend has a silver honda civic - and while I can get it looking nice and bright and make the flake pop...it doesnt look like some of the silver cars posted on here just because of the color/lack of flake in the paint compared to newer models...With proper prep, silver *can* look good, you're never going to get the reflections and depth like you do with darker colors, but the trade off is always having a "clean" looking car
Accumulator
Well-known member
Joshua312 said:
Heh heh, I'm kinda a camera snob; when you're used to manual-everything stuff like Leicas the affordable digitals don't appeal. Even the high-end ones are just so....plastic. I go to the store to buy one and just can't bring myself to do it.
Back closer to on-topic, exposing for silver is kinda tough. If you over-expose it a bit to show the flake some people claim you're "cheating", but if you don't compensate you can get a dull gray depending on your light meter. I've gotten to where if somebody *says* their silver looks great I take their word for it; I really don't see it that well in pics. Maybe I need to recalibrate my monitor :nixweiss
I've gotten a silver Altima to look really flakey and bright using PwC + FX Synwax and ZPC + Z5 + Z2. Both combos are my "go-to's" on any silver car.
I've found that the reflectiveness of sealants usually show off silver the best. Something about a bright, flakey surface just makes a silver car looks so much better.
I've found that the reflectiveness of sealants usually show off silver the best. Something about a bright, flakey surface just makes a silver car looks so much better.
I have a white and silver car and I will hopefully never buy those colors again. They are very boring colors. There is nothing you can do with them, and I have yet to see a picture here of either color that pops or is exciting. And I have done my research here.
Accumulator: You have a lot of posts and a lot of comments about everything. Time to back it up. Post some pics. You say you don't have time but you have time for 10,000 posts. Thats right, I'm calling you out. Post some pics.
Accumulator: You have a lot of posts and a lot of comments about everything. Time to back it up. Post some pics. You say you don't have time but you have time for 10,000 posts. Thats right, I'm calling you out. Post some pics.