Dark Car Colors, How Do You Do It

[Bambino Don]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

water spots are etches in the clear coat and the way light reflects on it it appears as being just a stain. You'll need an abrasive polish to round out the edges of the etching. Try an agressive polish like Werkstatt Prime Strong. If polishes don't do it move onto a dedicated swirl remover. The key is to start with a lighter abrasive like a Poorboys SSR1 and then see if the spot is gone. If not go up to SSR2. If that doesn't work eiter go to next level. Once the spot is gone you have "clean up" by finishing with the SSR1 again. If the gradual steps don't work either go for the big guns and get out the Menzerma Intensive Polish or Optimum Compound.
This can be time consuming by hand but if you have an orbital buffer like a Cyclo or PC its a quick job.

I went a checked out your linked websites and your car must be immaculate. I wax my car once a week on a friday, should i up that to more to achieve a better build up.??

My friend uses poorboys products on his MK2 vw Golf GTi but it is such a hardship to do by hand (i.e) remove the polish, that i use Autoglymn products on my box s. im happy enough with the finish I used to use Maguires but wasnt happy.
If i wanted the optimum finish without the use of a machine polisher, Should i realy invest in poorboys. is there a clear differance??? what is the deal with ''S100 Carnauba Wax''
What highlights the silver the best.???

sorry for all these questions but litle beats an immaculte car that is beyond clean.

James

[Frodo]

Assuming you still want responses on your questions...

Quote: "If i wanted the optimum finish without the use of a machine polisher, Should i realy invest in poorboys. is there a clear differance???"

Poorboys is the first and only swirl remover I've used. (I am new at exterior detailing, but have figured a few things.) Used SSR 2.5 on my old 'beater car' '96 Camry and it worked well. I was, however, using my (recently purchased PC 7424)---basically practice for ultimately using it on the Boxster. The directions on the SSR 2.5 indicate it can be used as a one-step swirl remover/polish, but if I had to do it again I'd probably get some of the SSR 1 to finish off that step. (Or some Menzerna Final Polish.) Like I said, though, it came out pretty well. I think without a random orbital, though, it would have been a hellava lot of work. Recommendation: get a PC (or whichever brand you favor)---they're not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Quote: "what is the deal with S100 Carnauba Wax"

Not sure exactly what you're asking. I got some S100 recently and used it on the Box. Very nice stuff. If the paint is cleaned and buffed up nicely before applying the S100, it comes out beautiful. It's actually pretty fun to apply and remove, but don't let it dry too long because it can become more work to remove. (If that happens, you can spray it with a little QD to make it easier to remove.) It's my understanding that the S100 is more or less the same stuff as P21S wax, but like half as much. It's available at a lot of Harley Davidson dealerships. Being carnauba, it won't last anywhere near as long as an acrylic, but I like the look of it. My Box is garaged and doesn't spend a lot of time in the rain and sun, so it lasts a pretty long time for me. I top it off from time to time with some Werkstatt's Carnauba Jet (which is even harder to remove if you let it dry, but is a very good product).

Quote: "What highlights the silver the best.??? "

Dunno. Hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, Right?

[Perfectlap]

Bambino Don,
if you are waxing your car once a weak you are doing it far too often.
Waxing should be limited to once a month, a little less frequently if you are using an acrylic paste wax. I use FK1 High Temp 1000P and I think I can easily get two months out of it. If you want to maintain the highest possible shine after a wash use a quick detail spray like Aqua Wax from duragloss.com, or z8 from Zaino or 1Z Lackfinish. I follow this up with a once over of FK1 425 which creates a teflon like barrier.

For a silver car I'm not really big on the carnauba waxes like S100 and P21s.
I think those waxes are better for reds and blacks. Carnaubas are used to add depth and you don't really get that with silver.