Suggestions for Silver Metallic Paint?

Rob Tomlin

Rob Tomlin

Lotus Exige S
First post here. This looks like a great forum!

I am getting ready to detail my Silver 'Twin Turbo '93 RX-7 in preparation of selling it (in favor of a more practical sports car, the RX-8).

I have been a long time fan of Zaino, and have plenty of it on hand that I plan on using. However, I would like to hear people opinions on what steps and products would be recommended in prep for the Zaino Z2.

The paint is in overall good condition, but it does have some light swirl marks in it.

I will clay the car first, but then what?

1) Clay
2) Cleaner/Swirl remover (opinions here please)
3) polish (opinions here as well)
4) Zaino
5) Topper (not sure I want to do this, since my experience has always been that Carnauba wax actually slightly dulls the finish compared to Zaino).

Thanks for any help you can give.
 
Welcome, I'm a noobie too.

I suggest Menzerna products, either Intensive Polish (IP) or Final Polish II (FPII). They can be applied by hand or with a PC but a PC will give excellent results.

I'd start with the FPII and then determine if you need something more like IP.
 
I was wondering the same thing about Silver Metallic cars.

I plan to use the following on my 2001 Lincoln LS:

SSR1
PP
EX

or

SSR1
PP
EX-P
Nattys

Any suggestions???

SideSHot.JPG
 
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Being a newbie, I am still struggling with some of these acronyms (and yes, I have found and printed the Acronym Table on this site).

Can someone tell me what "EX-P" stands for?

It seems like both Poorboys and Menzerna are popular here. Any preferences between these two?
 
My favorite combo for silver metallic is PwC, EX-P (x2), Natty's.

EX-P is a sealant made by Poorboy's World. They also make a sealant with carnauba named EX (without the "-P").
 
What I have on now: 2-3 Coats of UPP or 1AIO/1Pizazz layer. Gotta layer that carnauba more!
 
Thanks for the recommendations, keep them coming.

So, you guys that top with Carnauba don't think it slightly "dulls" the finish left by the polymer based protectant (like Zaino etc.)?
 
Woob said:
What I have on now: 2-3 Coats of UPP or 1AIO/1Pizazz layer. Gotta layer that carnauba more!
Click to expand...

Do you have any pics of AIO with Pizazz?

Anyone use Pizazz on top of AIO and EXP?
 
maybe UPP would be good. ive heard thats its super slick, and ive also heard that its really great on silver. AIO is always a good polish. jw, do you have ZFX with the Z2?
 
mtodde said:
Do you have any pics of AIO with Pizazz?

Anyone use Pizazz on top of AIO and EXP?
Click to expand...

No I don't. Jurry is still out if I like the new look. However Weather sucks here right now so I can't say much. I do have to say that compared to UPP, it seems the paint is more alive and the gloss feels different for sure. UPP is ultra slick, metallic paint SHINES, and its gloss is very different.

Look at Topoftheline.com's page and you will find it there. 1 Good thing about pizazz is you get a freaking load of wax (its at least 40% bigger than the Trade Secret container)
 
I just ordered some EXP and bird sh*t remover & a MF kit from Poorboys...

Next month I may try the Pizzaz.

Are you using any type of QD with EXP?
 
mtodde said:
I just ordered some EXP and bird sh*t remover & a MF kit from Poorboys...

Next month I may try the Pizzaz.

Are you using any type of QD with EXP?
Click to expand...
If I don't have a carnauba topper, I will use a custom mix of S&W and Meg's Final Detail as a QD spray. If I use a topper, I will periodically refresh it with QD+, but still use the S&W/FD mix for regular maintenance.
 
I did my polishing with Poorboys SSR1 and then used Zaino (Z1 then Z2). I didn't have any major swirls so I can't comment on what I used for swirl removal (although I have heard Z5 doens't do much for swirls even though it is kind of geared towards that). I reallyliked the look the SSR1 gave and it was easy to use and buff. I topped my Zaino with S100 and really liked the added wetness, but it looked fine without it too.
 
Use any paint cleaner/polish you want prior to the "Z". However, if the cleaners/polishes contain any oils, silicones, waxes, or other fillers, you will want to remove them before you start applying Zaino. The are some water based polishes like Poorboy's products that do not contain oils, silicones and waxes that will inhibit the "Z" from bonding.
 
Sounds to me like the Poorboy's products are the way to go prior to using the Z, so that's what I will probably go with.

I'm still curious about this "topping" with Carnauba wax that seems so popular here. It just seems to go against so much of what I had learned before (dulling the shine compared to Z alone). It would also prevent additional layers of Z once the Carnauba is applied.
 
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