Is Silver "un-poppable"?

Silver is definitely "popable". First you have to decide what you consider "pop"? Is the metallic flakes really standing out, is it high gloss, is it high reflectivity, etc. You will most likely not get the deep wet look of a well prepared black car but you should still be able to impress.



Another thought to consider…Silver does such a good job of hiding imperfections that sometimes the prep of the surface is neglected (I know I have been guilty of this). Whereas, a color like black shows everything so, people go to the extremes to prep surface. The result is the black looks better not because the color but because the effort, and attention to detail that was put into the job.



In a way silver is more difficult to get right than black as I think different products can really have a different look on silver. Experiment with different prep methods and different products to determine what you really like. Some people really like high reflectivity so products like Z really work well for them. Others like to accentuate the metallic factor and I think Glanz does a great job of that. However Z and GW look different so it is unlikely that everyone is going to like the look of both. Conversely I don’t see such a dramatic difference between the two products when used on black. YMMV
 
Yeah, different products can make silver look different. Our two Audis have the exact same silver paint, but due to different products you'd swear they have different paint codes when you see them side-by-side.



Having owned *well* over a dozen silver vehicles and tried all kinds of stuff, the best "pop" I get is with 1Z MP/WaxPolishSoft topped with UPP. Literally blinding in bright sun, but it still has a lot of depth (not so reflective that you can't really see the lines of the car). It's a very special look; I've never seen anything like it.



Of course prep is still the key, even with silver. And inspection becomes even more critical because of the way it hides flaws. Things you "can't (easily) see" will still make it look not-quite-right. When I'm doing the S8, I spend as much time inspecting (five different light sources, every angle, often with magnification) as I do working the paint. And I still miss something every time, but at least nobody else ever sees it :D
 
Klasse AIO, SG, P21S, Sonus Spritz...

POP!

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and

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It just takes a little work with the right products...and some sun glasses in the end.;)

~Darren
 
I've found Stuf Shine (Cream Carnuba) makes my Titanium Silver BMW 325 look fantastic. (Thanks Autopia gang for those first reviews that got me to try it) It definitely doesn't get that dark-color glow, like red, black, blue etc. But the reflections seem much sharper in focus, you can see more details in them. Gotta admit though, the paste on the Mustang looks great. But it's alot of hard work, isn't it?
 
It actually is not bad at all. As my vendor, Chris Pace at eshine.ca recommended, the order of product use can make or break the ease of application.

The system that I am using is easy on and easy off...no complaints in the workload at all. But then again, I love detiling my cars, and actually find it relaxing so I am a bit of an eccentric in that regard.

I guess there are a few car nuts around this site though...:)



~Darren
 
SilverStallion,

Do you use a buffer on it? I live in an apartment, and my covered parking has no electrical outlets. Don't know if I'm ready to convert, though. That Stuf is really easy on & easy off. Have you used it?
 
By playing with the lighting conditions and/or camera angles, you can capture a reflection in silver paint on camera, but you don't get the same mirror-like effect that you can with black. It's just a function of the colour, and not much else.



Otherwise, you can get silver looking very wet and glossy looking..... that might qualify as "pop" in some people's minds. :)
 
True to a point, but I believe that the reflection of the hotel in my hood below shows that very little "playing" is needed with a prepared Silver finish to produce detailed reflections...nothing will be the same as black, but you can get close...

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Just food for thought.

~Darren
 
SilverStallion said:
True to a point, but I believe that the reflection of the hotel in my hood below shows that very little "playing" is needed with a prepared Silver finish to produce detailed reflections...nothing will be the same as black, but you can get close...
Click to expand...
I did not say it was hard, you just have to do it a certain way.....
 
Satllion's relection shot is just what I was talking about. I can get my Titanium BMW so that you can tell if your shoelaces are tied by looking at the reflection in the car, when you walk by it. I just don't have the cool digital photo to show it. (Gotta get one of those cameras, but I got the BMW iPod thing, instead.)



Stallion,



How does the price of your paste compare to $14.00 for the Stuf Shine?
 
4DSC said:
By playing with the lighting conditions and/or camera angles, you can capture a reflection in silver paint on camera, but you don't get the same mirror-like effect that you can with black. It's just a function of the colour, and not much else.



Otherwise, you can get silver looking very wet and glossy looking..... that might qualify as "pop" in some people's minds. :)
Click to expand...



And sometimes the super-reflective look sorta "whites out" the silver. Accumulatorette seems to have a particular sensitivity/apptitude for noticing this :o She calls it the "white wax" effect.



But as always, if you like how your car turns out, then you're using the right stuff.
 
You can get fantastic results on silver. Like others have said though, prep is very important to get the most out of silver paintwork.



Some combos I've used with great results are: Megs no.9 and NXT. Megs Speed Glaze and Megs no.20. 1ZMP and 1Z Glanz. And of course the well known VMW and EX-P.



Last weekend I polished my dark silver with 1ZPP then went over it with VMW and topped with EX-P. This combo really does live upto it's reputation! I'd recommend anyone with a silver/grey car to try it.
 
For silver (or metallic paints in general), I think clarity is the key characteristic you want when deciding what products to use. While carnauba's will look nice, they will tend to mute metallic flakes a bit. IMHO, that's why VM and EX-P work so well together for light metallics.



My $0.02. Just re-did my SSM TL last week. Here's a pic with VM, EX-P x2. Would have looked better outside but I was in a hurry and had no time to move the car and take a bunch of shots:
 

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