Do You Find that SILVER Cars Just Aren't Worth the Trouble?

[golfdude]

I feel that most of the time, silver is not worth all the work and hastles....I prefer deep reflections. BUT, a nice silver with BIG flake is a definite win/win combination that CAN be worth the effort. Take for examaple G35stilez (i think that's how u spell his sn)...a few weeks ago he detailed a TL and I think it looked incredible! The metallic flake just POPPED!!

 

[Accumulator]

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.

That’s right, I find time for the things I like to do and I don’t make time for things of lesser interest to me. Some day I’ll be posting pics but it’s not a priority for me now. And if somebody doesn’t like how I prioritize my life that’s just tough.



I've posted before about professionals (e.g., among others, Brian Demrovsky at EuroCar Service/ECS Tuning (330) 825-6601; Paul Cusato at Growler Restorations/ Chief Judge JCO (216) 881-7990) who can verify that I walk my talk (and not just in the area of detailing). Here at Autopia, people from newbies to pros (e.g., ebpcivicsi) tell me that they find my posts valuable, and that’s all the vindication I need.



If somebody’s experiences/opinions differ from mine, I hope they post about it so we can discuss it and perhaps all learn something. But if somebody merely finds me off-putting or otherwise thinks I'm full of it, then perhaps they oughta just ignore my posts.

 

[stilez]

Silver is a fun color, IMO.



I used to hate it, but now, I use each case as a chance to make something excel. One of my better pieces of work to date was this Mazda 3, which was clayed, polished with CK RMG, a quick Z6 wipedown, and a layer of ZFX'd Z2 Pro.

 

[Z K]

Here's my "Apex Silver" with Prime Acrylic and Souveran.

I liked the Souveran but switched to Acrylic Jett as it is more durable and looks nice in its own way.

 

[Cassman]

I recently detailed my neighbor's '03 silver Pontiac Grand Prix. It looked pretty bad before the work. I only spent about 2 hours on the paint, using Meg's #80. I followed with NXT liquid and Collinite wax because I know he won't take care of it. The silver flakes were definitely popping. I did a friend's Silver Jetta recently. Much different: After I was done, using #80 with NXT topper, the car looked almost white in certain light because of the much finer metallic flakes. I much preferred the Pontiac's paint and type of flake. So, with my very very limited experience, I think it just depends on the particular silver you are dealing with.

 

[a.k.a. Patrick]

I absolutely love detailing silver!

I love to see the metalflake pop with just a cleaning.........I find the less you use on the silver, the brighter the pop. Clean with a paint cleaner for ultimate pop or use a polish for swirl issues. Then seal with a Poly, just my preference......

 

[velobard]

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.

Camera snob, huh? Well, I still have my Canon A-1 I bought new in 1981 while I was living in Hawaii, but I lost my F-1 in the divorce. I've had a few other decent cameras, but I really enjoy my A-1. Yes, I realize "auto-everything" isn't your thing, but I can enjoy tweaking things with it, and it's really been fun when i've had the opportunity to spend time in the darkroom burning and dodging to get a shot just right. My dad still has a couple Speed-graphics, including the one he bought for $200 when he got home from WW2 and used to put himself through college.



Anyway, considering this is on the market, what's your excuse for not going digital?

http://www.leica-camera.us/photography/r_system/digital-modul-r/

After all, for true camera snobs, money is no object, right?

 

[Accumulator]

OK, while we're threadjacking



Velobard- I gave serious thought to getting the DMR for my wife's R8 (I shoot an R6) but that thing's a brick as it is. And new Lecia prices *do* give me pause Luckily for my bank balance, she has no interest in the DMR.



I'm reluctantly leaning towards autofocus (tried a Contax N1, not accurate enough) so I can capture the younger dog. Sigh...I suspect a Nikon/Canon DSLR is in my future.



Heh heh, I shot a Pentax Spotmatic for around 30 years, so I know about getting attached to a camera. I too have a scad of family photog stuff dating back a ways.



MMM...Speed Graphics....tasty Shades of WeeGee.

 

[Woob]

I absolutely love detailing silver!

I love to see the metalflake pop with just a cleaning.........I find the less you use on the silver, the brighter the pop. Clean with a paint cleaner for ultimate pop or use a polish for swirl issues. Then seal with a Poly, just my preference......

Let me guess, UPP



Silver is hard, but when your lazy it looks Alright :woot2:



Planning to do BF Finishing Polish / UPC / UPP x 3 / Paste Glaz x 3



Otherwise I gotta waste all my Waxes/Sealants for Zaino!

 

[Accumulator]

SilvaBimma- That oughta work out very well! I'd see how it is after the UPP and give some thought to whether you really want to top it or not. I decided to stop at UPP on the S8 as I didn't want any more (of anything) between my eyes and the paint (same as Patrick has decided). The UPP might not be Zaino, but it sure seems like a nice clear LSP, doesn't mute the flakes.

 

[Scottwax]

After owning a black car for the last two years, my next one will be silver. I can make it pop and glow and with less work than black.

 

[pocon1]

let's face it, silver is a dull color. When you look at all of the work laid out on this thread and consider that some skilled people cannot make silver exciting, it is just a lousy color. Sure, it is easy to maintain, but not a single car posted was exciting. Scottwax's comes the closest, but it is also a nice Porsche, so anything looks good on that. Every picture was at an extreme angle. I can make my white or silver car reflect at an extreme angle. It's just foolin yourself to say it pops.

 

[Woob]

SilvaBimma- That oughta work out very well! I'd see how it is after the UPP and give some thought to whether you really want to top it or not. I decided to stop at UPP on the S8 as I didn't want any more (of anything) between my eyes and the paint (same as Patrick has decided). The UPP might not be Zaino, but it sure seems like a nice clear LSP, doesn't mute the flakes.

I'll take pictures once I get time to start a thorough work on the car, doesn't help that the week always gets some warning of rain . I also have Pizzazz/Natty's along with PG which to me would all show different gloss and depth.



Silver Appearance = Purely Lighting IMO. Don't forget that there are TONS of different Silver shades (Titanium, Steel Grey, Etc)



Otherwise Silver is great for Lazy people :woot2:

 

[ndtechie05]

I use Zaino. Here is my car after Wash,clay, Z-5 x2, Z-2, Z-6 and Z8

 

[Scottwax]

Straight on, no angle:

Not too extreme here:

 

[imported_Picus]

I like detailing silver; easier and I really enjoy the results. Not as dramatic as black, but just as pleasing in a subtle way.

 

[imported_SilverStallion]

I love Metallic Silver and the results it yields...

Gotta love pop!



~Darren

 

[RX8_MD]

I traded my 04 Silver Mazda RX-8 for an 06 RX-8.

Yes, Black does have a certain wow factor for a few minutes after they're waxed.

I'll admit that I miss the "lower" maintenance with the Silver color...



One thing to remember is that silver and gray paint have a stealth function... They're harder

to see by other drivers because they blend into the blacktop. I was almost hit several times

by inattentive drivers when the sun was low on the horizon.



Would I go back to Silver if I had the option? Yup!

 

[kpagel]

I like some of the tips given in the thread. I used to really like Zaino on my silver truck, but that was before I really got into detailing. I recently detailed my dad's silver Mercedes GL450 and was pretty disappointed with the results. I used AIO and P21S. I need to do some experimenting, but I know I can get it looking really nice.

 

[imported_themightytimmah]

Silver can definetly be worthwhile, it's not as stunning as black but you can definetly see the difference. Plus *bad* scratches can be taken out pretty easily, unlike a dark color. Here's one I did for a buddy, sorry for the bad after pics but he was in a hurry to sell so we had to drive it through the rain, WW towel off and then take photos under gas station lights so he could get it up on ebay that night.



Before:

Spot wetsanding

HT EC

FPII

FK2180

DG AW

No beading whatsoever before, this is what the beads looked like after