Who likes What ?
- Thread starter Gerhard
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Accumulator
Well-known member
First remove any marring. Then burnish with 1Z Pro MP until satisfied/sick of doing it. Top with UPP.
That's the best regimen I've come up with, but the 1Z Pro MP has been discontinued. Something from Menzerna would probably work at least as well, but FP didn't when I tried it. The idea is to use something that's just *barely* functionally abrasive (far too mild for correction, I'm not talking about that type of abrasion).
When I did the S8 this way it looked a *lot* better than the just unwrapped new silver Audis up at my dealer. Literally blinding metallic "pop" in direct sunlight, you simply couldn't look directly at it without shades.
But IMO the single biggest thing about getting silver to look great is to eliminate the kind of marring that's oh so *very* hard to see. The stuff that's invisible under fluorescents and not even too noticeable under halogens. I have to use high-wattage incandescents in an otherwise dark room to see the sort of micromarring I'm talking about. When I did the S8 I spend at least as much time inspecting as I did polishing, and I spent many hours at it over the course of a few days.
That's the best regimen I've come up with, but the 1Z Pro MP has been discontinued. Something from Menzerna would probably work at least as well, but FP didn't when I tried it. The idea is to use something that's just *barely* functionally abrasive (far too mild for correction, I'm not talking about that type of abrasion).
When I did the S8 this way it looked a *lot* better than the just unwrapped new silver Audis up at my dealer. Literally blinding metallic "pop" in direct sunlight, you simply couldn't look directly at it without shades.
But IMO the single biggest thing about getting silver to look great is to eliminate the kind of marring that's oh so *very* hard to see. The stuff that's invisible under fluorescents and not even too noticeable under halogens. I have to use high-wattage incandescents in an otherwise dark room to see the sort of micromarring I'm talking about. When I did the S8 I spend at least as much time inspecting as I did polishing, and I spent many hours at it over the course of a few days.
Bill D
Hooked For Life
Accumulator said:
That sounds real familar.
It's yet another curious habit I've formed but boy is rewarding! 
Bill D
Hooked For Life
I hope Accumulator doesn't mind if I take a stab at the questions.
Marring refers to little, random isolated scratches in the paint most visible in bright light. Spider-web appearing defects in the paint are also typical marring detailers seek to eliminate.
Burnishing refers to using a light polish to maximize the brilliance of the paint after all the initial paint correction/defect removal has been successfully completed, often by a rotary polisher. The burnishing can be done with a PC or a Cyclo but might a bit difficult to replicate the same results by hand. Burnishing works particularly well with dark colors.
The Professional version of 1z ( Einzett) Metallic Polish is a little hard to come by. It is a light polish, one that can be used in the burnishing process. It might be necessary to do some Googling to find a vendor who carries it.
I would wait the 24 hours,as with most sealants, before layering additional coats.
Marring refers to little, random isolated scratches in the paint most visible in bright light. Spider-web appearing defects in the paint are also typical marring detailers seek to eliminate.
Burnishing refers to using a light polish to maximize the brilliance of the paint after all the initial paint correction/defect removal has been successfully completed, often by a rotary polisher. The burnishing can be done with a PC or a Cyclo but might a bit difficult to replicate the same results by hand. Burnishing works particularly well with dark colors.
The Professional version of 1z ( Einzett) Metallic Polish is a little hard to come by. It is a light polish, one that can be used in the burnishing process. It might be necessary to do some Googling to find a vendor who carries it.
I would wait the 24 hours,as with most sealants, before layering additional coats.
Bill D
Hooked For Life
I'm not 100% positive as IIRC, the 1z MP does have some wax in it ,there's a slight chance the UPP may not bond optimally, but do wait on Accumulator/someone who knows for sure.
If it is totally fine to use those two, then yes, you can proceed to UPP (the Last Step Product). The waiting is going to come after applying it--to cure before you buff it off and again, 24 hours before applying another coat.
If it is totally fine to use those two, then yes, you can proceed to UPP (the Last Step Product). The waiting is going to come after applying it--to cure before you buff it off and again, 24 hours before applying another coat.
I have a silver lexus GS and after trying most products out there I can safely say "don't expect any dramatic results on a silver car". Unless of course the paint is just trashed and you bring it back to life. I have tried most of the products using both a PC & a rotary while I do get it to look and feel nice, we're not looking to get the same results you would with a darker colored car.
I have had the best luck with two makers: (1) poorboys products (2) chemical guys products. I've done the AIO, meguiars, 3M and one or two more I may have missed but the best results have come from the 2 mentioned. NOW that being said I was talking swirl removing, polishing ect. When it comes to my final application...the WAX I like Mother's Pure Carnuba (calif gold) and MEG's #16.
Hope this helps
I have had the best luck with two makers: (1) poorboys products (2) chemical guys products. I've done the AIO, meguiars, 3M and one or two more I may have missed but the best results have come from the 2 mentioned. NOW that being said I was talking swirl removing, polishing ect. When it comes to my final application...the WAX I like Mother's Pure Carnuba (calif gold) and MEG's #16.
Hope this helps
Bill D
Hooked For Life
If the green Excel pad is the least agressive, I'd say no more than 1000RPM. Although I go ahead and just use my Cyclo for the burnishing.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Asonyexec- Yeah, it *is* really hard to do something impressive with silver. Considering the literally hundreds of times I've detailed silver over the last ~30 years, my recent successes were a huge surprise. But then I seldom spent that much time on the job before either (note that it was pretty good when I started too, looked fine under fluorescents), so maybe that's what I needed to do :nixweiss And some silvers are just more impressive than others; my Mazda MPV and the WRX before it simply don't have the potential that the Audis do, or at least I never got 'em to look as good.
DANO- Heh heh, Bill D can speak for me any time, and if I have a different opinion I'll say so any how
What Bill D said about using a Cyclo/PC for the burnishing. Once the finish is basically marring-free I quit using the rotary. Just my (and Bill's) approach though, others are more rotary-centric.
As I got imperfect bonding when applying UPP over 1Z consumer MP, I'd probably go with one of these approaches if using products that're commonly available today:
Use the 1Z consumer MP and put a different LSP on it, one that isn't too finicky about what it's applied over. Not sure what the faves are these days, I'd use (the also discontinued, notice a trend here ) Meguiar's #16.
Or use a different polish and put the UPP over top of that. I let UPP set up for anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours before I buff it off and I then wait until the next day to add more. Or I just wait until the next wash and refresh it then.
Or you could *try* the MP/UPP combo and see if it works better for you than it did for me. It wasn't *bad* for me, but I had to let the UPP set up for an awfully long time and I thought I could still detect just a little smearing. Seemed much better after the first wash and it sure looked good then. And it was *super* slick (this was on the car during the deer incident, after which I couldn't get tape to stick for the field-expedient repairs until I used some alcohol-based window cleaner on the area in question).
DANO- Heh heh, Bill D can speak for me any time, and if I have a different opinion I'll say so any how
What Bill D said about using a Cyclo/PC for the burnishing. Once the finish is basically marring-free I quit using the rotary. Just my (and Bill's) approach though, others are more rotary-centric.
As I got imperfect bonding when applying UPP over 1Z consumer MP, I'd probably go with one of these approaches if using products that're commonly available today:
Use the 1Z consumer MP and put a different LSP on it, one that isn't too finicky about what it's applied over. Not sure what the faves are these days, I'd use (the also discontinued, notice a trend here
) Meguiar's #16. Or use a different polish and put the UPP over top of that. I let UPP set up for anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours before I buff it off and I then wait until the next day to add more. Or I just wait until the next wash and refresh it then.
Or you could *try* the MP/UPP combo and see if it works better for you than it did for me. It wasn't *bad* for me, but I had to let the UPP set up for an awfully long time and I thought I could still detect just a little smearing. Seemed much better after the first wash and it sure looked good then. And it was *super* slick (this was on the car during the deer incident, after which I couldn't get tape to stick for the field-expedient repairs until I used some alcohol-based window cleaner on the area in question).
DrSauekraut
CIXELSYD
Accumulator – I wholeheartedly agree with your combo on silver, however my variation still favors using GW prior to No. 16. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again . . . I’m not sure what it is about 1Z polishes that makes silver (and other metallics for that matter) look SO good. Simply put, the flakes just pop from finish with incredible intensity :xyxthumbs
Accumulator
Well-known member
DANO- Never tried Zaino myself, but Brad B. uses it on silver vehicles and they sure look nice.