Favorite Wax/Polish Combo on Dark Cars

P

pingable

New member
I'm taking delivery on my Audi Ming Blue A6 2.7 next week. The Ming Blue is a VERY dark blue, almost black.



What is your favorite wax/polish combo on dark colored cars. I've seen pictures of the "Z" stuff and I don't like it. Too mirrorish for my taste. I'm leaning towards the following



-Blackfire Polish/Blackfire All Finish

2 or 3 coats topped off with a coat of Pinnacle Souvaren



-My current setup which is P21S Gloss, followed by Blitz or P21S Wax.
 
If durability is not a concern then Souveran is one of my favorite carnubas.



My second choice for a topper, at least one with more durability is Blitz, which you are already aquainted with.



Frankly, your choice of a base is not going to be that critical. Just be sure it's durable. And prep and clay the surface beforehand.



:up
 
If you don't mind asking, why isn't base critical. Even though the top coat is the "sacrifical coat" taking up all the environmental guck, I thould I would combine the "best of both world"s



Polymer - Blackfire for it's durability and color

The caranuba for the deeper color that I prefer.
 
No one here has convinced me that Blackfire is any better than Zaino or Klasse - in fact, the reviews seem to indicate it's not quite as good...at least that's the impression I have gotten. Zaino seems to get the top spot.
 
But from what i've heard, Blackfire has the deep richness of a carnuba, which Zaino doesn't have. Even though Blackfire supposidly attracks large amounts of dust and only lasts about 3 months, it seems to be the best looking polymer on dark cars.
 
I've owned a couple black cars and my current one is dark green. On these colors there's nothing like a great carnauba to add a depth you cannot get with lighter colors.



I've used Pinnacle Souveran with awesome results. You can use PPCL or a SMR or a glaze prior to waxing for swirl removal/filling.



No color looks as incredible when detailed properly than black.
 
Bret....you've got to take that pic of your neighbor's truck off from under your name because I can't read posts now without falling into a fit of laughter! :D



Chef,



most carnuba fans here favor Souveran as the best of the best for gloss and depth (I haven't tried it yet myself but if the gurus of Autopia say so, I believe them) . P21s and Blitz seem to be a close second with Blitz being the longest lasting. I'm waiting on a delivery of Liquid Souveran and P21s (still need to call Tim to order the P21s) and I can't wait to compare them both to Meg's #26. Also, check the Platinum reviews, sounds like good stuff!



Congrats on the new ride, best of luck with it!
 
Has anyone used any any of the following and what was the result versus a straight Zaino......I just remembered the threads about Blackfire and dust.



Zaino - 2+ coats and a coat of Blitz Wax



Zaino - 2+ coats and a coat of P21S Wax



I am aware that I cannot add more "Z" after the Wax has applied but what I am trying to achieve is to get the durability of Z and the gloss/depth of caranuba.



I just might try the Z instead, with 5 coats and then the caranuba.
 
No matter what you decice to use, make sure that you tell the dealer that you DON'T WANT THE CAR PREPPED BY THEIR DETAILER. Nine times out of ten, they'll mess it up.



Tell them that YOU want to remove the shipping plastic covers, not them. This way you can inspect the car before they have time to touch up any small nicks or blems. Renegotiate with them if there are any blems right there and then--don't let them say, "We'll take care of that, no problem." Yes, dealers will paint an entire hood if they have to without disclosing it to the customer.



That's a beatiful color, BTW...I've seen it in person here. One of Audi's nicest colors to date.



Aloha,

Keoni



PS. Short story: I was at my local Mercedes dealer a few weeks ago, and when I got out of my car, I smelled paint fumes. I immediately moved my car WAY outside the building, then ventured on in to see what was causing the smell. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes--the airbrush/touchup guy was in the main lobby area spraying an entire bumper on a BRAND NEW 2002 ML using cardboard as a mask--while it was still attached to the car!

:shocked

The worst part about this was that this vehicle was parked in a lot of at least 20 new MBs, as well as all the dealer's customers' cars (including mine before I moved it)! Yikes!! Anyway, that really freaked me out. I felt pretty bad for all the beautiful cars in the garage that got bombarded with overspray (Brilliant Silver, to be exact ;-).
 
And some people insist that the "dealer" do everything.???

Most dealership body shops (not all) are at best inferior. First comes the service department, second parts, third sales and fourth the body shop.
 
In my experience, polishing with either Meguiars Swirl Free Polish or Hand Polish then following with Pinnacle Souveran looks best on dark colors.



Example:



AcuraTL.jpg




I took this picture 5 weeks after I waxed it with Souveran. I had just washed it and QDed with Clearkote's Quikshine.
 
Souveran should last a while on a garage queen 8-12 weeks (the ML I did it on was still going strong after 8 weeks, QD's 2-3 times a week with OG Show Off (I had lots of free time on my hands, manged to gain 25 pounds in those 8 weeks too (muscle that is)!) . Daily driver on the other hand, Blitz would be a better choice. I would guess every 2-4 week's you'll have to reapply the Souveran, depending on the conditions.



for a dark/black car, Pinnacle PCL, Meguiar's #7, then Souveran.



Jason
 
bigboyhf said:
Nice looking car! But what's that dripping under the hood?



H
Click to expand...



That is where my Accord was parked. The a/c dripped water all over the pavement. I had to move mine back to pull the Acura out for the picture.
 
chefwong said:
How long has Souvern lasted on that Acura of yours. I've heard that stuff does not last long at all.....
Click to expand...



Originally posted by Scottwax

I took this picture 5 weeks after I waxed it with Souveran.
Click to expand...



It was still beading like crazy. Admittedly, the owner keeps it garaged, but I have other customers who have now had 1 coat of Souveran on their cars for 8 weeks now and they are all still beading nicely. My own car has several coats and during our recent rains and my trip to Houston and back, I didn't wash my car for 2 weeks and even yesterday when it rained in the afternoon, on a filthy car, water was still beading in tight small beads. A quick wash yesterday in the early evening (the rain had finally gone away for a while, I hope!) and it still looked incredibly wet and has decent slickness to it.
 
I have 2 black cars. One with Zaino and one with carnuaba (P21S).

The carnuaba car is a Lexus LS400 and the Zaino'd car is the Z28.

Comparison of depth of color - Z28. Reflectivity - Z28 . Trueness to color - Z28. Durabilty, ease of maintenace and dust/dirt accumulation - hands down Z28. Overall winner in appearance of finish - Z28.

The myth about lack of depth with Zaino is just that, a myth. If one uses a combination of Z2 and Z5 ( applied separately) at a ratio of Z5/Z2 of about 3-4/1 and always making the final coat Z2 depth is not a problem.

If one starts with a paint finish that has no depth ( should not be your case chefwong with new car :nixweiss) the depth will not be deminished by Zaino. Only protected. Carnuaba bases products are great in adding depth to a poorly prep (polished) surface and sometimes tinting and optical alterations of color appearance is good. Durability is not an issue for me because of the temperate climate and cars stored indoors. Appearance is and I personally after 30+ years of carcare have not found anything as pleasing as Zaino.

As everyone here at Autopia will tell you the finish appearance is a very personal judgement.

Carnuaba over Zaino - :nono. I have tried this experiment twice with undesirable results. No increase in depth, finish is not as smooth and dust accumulation increased slightly.

Can not comment on BF but many here who desire a carnuaba topper go with Klasse and I have seen some fantastic results.

By the way chefwong, Welcome to Autopia. As you see we have many opinions, methods, goals, and product reviews. Weed though and start forming your own and give us some of your insight.:wavey
 
I like carnuba either P21s or Souvern or Blitz Great finish and it lasts long also.with either of these 3 you cant go wrong
 
I have to agree about depth of Zaino. When I first used it, I just used Z2 and got a very reflective shine with minimal depth. When I used it last, I used ZFX and did 5 coats Z5 and topped with Z2. Much more depth and I think Z is now my favorite after trying just about every other combo....



H
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top