How to get metallic black clearcoat point to 'pop' more?!

[Icarus]

I've got a 2014 Chrysler 300 with Phantom Black Pearl metallic paint (PXT). I've got it looking pretty good with Sonax compound and their polish and have been using Meguiars Ultimate wax on it (and last year tried Sonax PNS, though I wasn't sold on this one, so put Megs on it again this spring.) But I want to get it to pop more (look shinier/glossier.) With the metallic in it it always looks dusty, especially not in direct sunlight...

I'm guessing this is the nature of the paint and probably not a lot I can do, but figured I ask for any suggestions or ideas?
Thanks

Edit: title should be paint, not point!

 

[glen e]

Start searching for coatings that put a candy gloss to the paint… Ultima paint guard plus is one of them as a sealant, it can be wiped on, and several coatings put a candy finish on the car. gyeon Cancoat does candy gloss pretty good.

 

[Rsurfer]

I've got a 2014 Chrysler 300 with Phantom Black Pearl metallic paint (PXT). I've got it looking pretty good with Sonax compound and their polish and have been using Meguiars Ultimate wax on it (and last year tried Sonax PNS, though I wasn't sold on this one, so put Megs on it again this spring.) But I want to get it to pop more (look shinier/glossier.) With the metallic in it it always looks dusty, especially not in direct sunlight...

I'm guessing this is the nature of the paint and probably not a lot I can do, but figured I ask for any suggestions or ideas?
Thanks

Edit: title should be paint, not point!

Do the front fender with Sonax Perfect Finish and see if there's a difference between the fender and the untouched hood. Final looks of paint is 90% from polishing and not using LSP.

 

[Icarus]

Do the front fender with Sonax Perfect Finish and see if there's a difference between the fender and the untouched hood. Final looks of paint is 90% from polishing and not using LSP.

I was using Meguiars Ultimate line for the first couple years I had the car and then went the Sonax last year. I liked the results much better with the Sonax stuff, though was much harder to clean up. I used Cutmax and then Profiline EX 04-06 and have tried both Megs UPW and Sonax PNS now...

glen e, I've seen a few cars done with that and they looked 'plasticy' if that makes sense, not candy gloss...

Don't know why I'm not getting notifications of these replies but keep em coming please

 

[Rsurfer]

I was using Meguiars Ultimate line for the first couple years I had the car and then went the Sonax last year. I liked the results much better with the Sonax stuff, though was much harder to clean up. I used Cutmax and then Profiline EX 04-06 and have tried both Megs UPW and Sonax PNS now...

glen e, I've seen a few cars done with that and they looked 'plasticy' if that makes sense, not candy gloss...

Don't know why I'm not getting notifications of these replies but keep em coming please

Your question was how do you get your paint to look shiner/glossier and my answer was that it's all in the polishing and not what you protect it with.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

The previous posts are true about polishing and you should inspect when with a light if you haven’t been. You may not be finishing down well enough.

That being said I had a Mustang in Ford Shadow Black. It look flat from away but had the lightest metallic in it that kinda mad it look “dusty” far away.

When I got the finish I want I used CQuK 3.0 topped with CanCoat and it looked like I had just “plugged”my paint in.

Most of your clarity and depth will come from your polish but what you top it with can make a night and day difference.


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[Desertnate]

Agree with the polishing to get the paint really looking good, but I'd also say your LSP can play a part.

My previous two cars were black metallic; a VW GTI and a BMW 435. The metallic flake in the VW was really small and there wasn't that much of it. The BMW also had small flakes, but the quantity in the paint was much higher.

I found with the VW, it took a product like Gyeon CanCoat to make the flake really pop. Some products like Collinite 845, looked great by did seem to mute the flake and make the car look dusty. The BMW looked good in CQuartz UK and Wolfgang SiO2 Paint sealant. I think the Wolfgang was actually a little more "transparent". CQUK in my eyes looks really glossy, but tends to darken the surface a bit, which mutes the flake and leads to the "dusty" appearance. I recently applied Gyeon Pure Evo to my blue perl car and it looks like it was dipped in liquid glass and left to dry. It might be another good option.

 

[Icarus]

What are people using to attach pics here? I wish the email notifications worked!

 

[Icarus]

Your question was how do you get your paint to look shiner/glossier and my answer was that it's all in the polishing and not what you protect it with.

Yah I understand I think. So maybe some more polishing, or another step with an even finer polish/pad.

I do try to inspect it well with the sun at as many angles as I can, sometimes use a light, though this year it stayed sunny enough till I was done.

This car has a heavier flake in it then many I've seen OEM. I'ts silver too which doesn't help make the 'dusty' look any better unless the sun is really shining on it...

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Years ago, I'm talking 6-8 years, I worked on my neighbours black metallic Audi Q7. I washed and clayed it, then polished it with something from Menzerna, I can't remember what grade. Next was some Dodo Juice Blue Velvet, which really made it pop, and the gloss was amazing, he was very happy. Most of the products mentioned above weren't available back then. I just spent an hour going through a hard drive looking for the photos I took, cause we all know there's no proof without the pictures, but no luck, they must be on another drive.

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[luckydawg]

You need to finish down better, wether that is your polish, pad, or technique, thats where the difference will be made up.
I have good results with CarPro gloss pad & reflect for a finishing polish on a free spinning random orbital.

Also there are a few LSP's out there that will give the appearance of darker paint-- a darkening effect.

 

[Icarus]

I gave it another polish today with the Sonax 04-06 and another coat of Meguairs Ultimate Wax. It's a bit better, hopefully it lasts till the fall and I'll put PNS on it for the winter... *shrugs

 

[Icarus]

Did a light polish on it this weekend and a coat of PNS. Using white B&S Euro polishing pads and the Sonax 04-06. Still not popping as much as I'd like. Might buy some new stuff over the winter to try out in the spring, though I'm probably just being to picky...

 

[2black1s]

Paint it straight black!

Just kidding, but I've never liked any black metallic for all of the reasons mentioned in this thread. The only thing black metallic has going for it in my eyes is that it doesn't show defects and dirt as much as straight black.

 

[Lance Mark]

Paint it straight black!

Just kidding, but I've never liked any black metallic for all of the reasons mentioned in this thread. The only thing black metallic has going for it in my eyes is that it doesn't show defects and dirt as much as straight black.

my bike is a combo of two metallic paints, Deep Slate Candy and Arctic Black.....and my next bike, will not be black, or anything close

I've done a lot of black, and what I tell folks is this...."I literally just did the final buff.....enjoy because it will look good for about 20 minutes."

but for that 20 minutes....it'll sparkle

 

[noorth]

Did a light polish on it this weekend and a coat of PNS. Using white B&S Euro polishing pads and the Sonax 04-06. Still not popping as much as I'd like. Might buy some new stuff over the winter to try out in the spring, though I'm probably just being to picky...

Microfiber pad? Have you tried something like gyeon primer?

Edit: The euro white are course foam pads? Have you tried something softer?

Esoteric put a video out close to a year ago about the B&S red euro cell i think its called. Its a closed cell pad. They stated - for them- it's one of the best finishing pads on the most difficult paints to finish.

Esoteric seem very selective over their product line. For instance the recommended microfiber cutting pad is from megs, the polishing pad rupes and the red b&S eurocell for anything the rupes yellow can't finish out on. Worth a try maybe.

 

[dcjredline]

Do the front fender with Sonax Perfect Finish and see if there's a difference between the fender and the untouched hood. Final looks of paint is 90% from polishing and not using LSP.

EXACTLY! The prep is way more a factor in the look of the paint. Thats total BS that one sealant looks so much better than the rest. Id challenge anyone to pick out PNS or Ultima in a line up!!!!

 

[2011 302]

Polished with pa Invincible primer ,topped with viking coat.

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[dlc95]

Some of the vehicles that come through the shop are wildly varying in finish texture.

The Ford mustangs are really terrible for whatever reason, and regardless of the polish, pad, or tool they just don't want to "pop". These Mustangs and s9me other vehicles also exhibit strange behavior with coatings too. Usually when I apply the coating and wipe it off, it's incredibly slick once applied, but some of these other paint systems still feel grabby and somewhat "rough" (even after ironx, clay, and machine polishing) after wipe off. Obviously you can still feel a difference between the coated and bare paint, it's just not as stark a contrast with those "tighter" finishes.

Now, I'm just guessing here but in my mind it could be from just having "larger pores" in the paint itself. The irregularity in the level of the surface isn't going to help with the gloss or the texture.

Outside of wet sanding (I wouldn't even dream of it on a factory clear), I would give a good coating a shot, especially one that likes to be layered, because that first coat can sink into the microscopic pores, essentially evening out the surface, and the second coat will sit on top of that - possibly. Remember this is all just theoretical scenarios running through my head.

If I was personally faced with that situation I'd do two coats of your coating of choice, use their topper and see how it goes.

My favorite coatings are Optimun Gloss Coat, CarPro Gliss, Lite, and UK 3.0. Cquartz UK 3.0 likes to be layered, and Cory Caruth even talks about my theoretical assessment (he actually confirmed it for me) I mentioned above in their instructional video on how to install UK.

You might also get away with a sealant or wax to do that, but they just don't create the same film build that a coating can. Plus, you get all the boosted performance characteristics of a coating. If you like messing around with pure finishing waxes and sealants (I'm looking at you Optimun Car Wax and Opti Seal) Optimun Gloss Coat (2 layers) might be the way to go, because they state that it's perfectly fine to do so, even if it's shed from the surface in about a week.

As far as polishing, most of the cars I do are finished with an orange LC HDO, or Yellow Buff and Shine, and 3D ONE or 3D AAT502. Rarely do I need a black HDO, or AAT502 even. Eventually I'll probably be moving to the HDO CCS line, not that it matters here.

 

[Icarus]

Microfiber pad? Have you tried something like gyeon primer?

Edit: The euro white are course foam pads? Have you tried something softer?

Esoteric put a video out close to a year ago about the B&S red euro cell i think its called. Its a closed cell pad. They stated - for them- it's one of the best finishing pads on the most difficult paints to finish.

Esoteric seem very selective over their product line. For instance the recommended microfiber cutting pad is from megs, the polishing pad rupes and the red b&S eurocell for anything the rupes yellow can't finish out on. Worth a try maybe.

I used these: Foam Pads 6" European Foam - 6515HWG - Buff and Shine Mfg.

Supposed to be foam polishing pads.

The pads I used for compounding were Meguiars microfiber...