pogo123 said:
Well said Mike. I agree with your assessment, but was wondering how (or if) flake changes things? Do you think some waxes or polishes have the ability to make the flake more obvious or reflective?
Many people here refer to flake "pop" which can be somewhat confusing.
Well, I guess I'll go against the grain and say that if the clear coat is as clear as it can be, then your eyes will be able to see the flake the easiest. Thus, it's not about some waxes making flake pop while others waxes not making flake pop, it's about does the wax make the paint the clearest, most reflective as possible, and richest in color. (Back to what I wrote and referenced above).
My personal opinion, right or wrong, is that a lot of people make too big a deal about the wax making the metallic flakes pop when [I think], it's actually a function of surface prep that determines how clear the clear coat is and thus how easy or how well your eyes can see the color coat underneath and/or anything in the color coat for example metallic flake or pearl tones, etc.
The exception would be a brand new car or a brand new paint job whereby in a perfect world the paint, (since it's brand new), should already look it's best and therefor the flake should pop with no products applied. While this sounds good on paper, (or in pixels), the truth is, even a brand new car or a brand new paint job can be made to look even better with a quality polish or wax type product.
A good wax will definitely take the results you achieved via your surface prep to a higher level with emphasis on the word,
good. But this comes back full circle to what I wrote in the linked article about the results you see on a clear coated black finish versus a clear coated white, or light colored finish.
Most of the banter about which waxes make the flake pop is posturing, because in the big picture, on a brand new paint job, or on an older paint job after the prep work has been done, the wax either creates clarity and richness or it doesn't. If it does, then the flake pops, if it doesn't, then not only is the flake muted, but the color is muted as well.
A car wax, (or anything applied to paint where the intention is to protect the finish), is not affected by bias or good intentions, it either works and works well or it doesn't.
My own thoughts...
If a wax, (or a paint protectant by any other name), makes a black finish look it's best, that is it makes the paint clear, rich in color, glossy and reflective, (whether it's a single-stage or a basecoat/clearcoat system), then that wax is also going to make a metallic finish pop. If a wax doesn't make a black finish look it's best, (as compared to waxes that do), then that wax isn't going to make the metallic flake pop as well as the wax that made black paint look it's best.
Does that make sense?
It's all about the paint and not about us.
