Detailing silver

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booya620

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Hey everyone,
Quick question what products/techniques do you prefer for silver cars. Here's what I do/ use tell me where I go wrong or if you can offer product advice.
1. Wash (2 bucket method)
2. Clay if needed using Megs claybar
3. Optimum compound II with orange pad on a DA (if needed)
4. Optimum polish II white pad on DA
5. Optimum poli-seal black or blue pad
6. Poli-seal again by hand
7. Nuba wax by hand (any suggestions? Pinnacle?)
8. After 24 hours spray detail as needed to maintain shine

Man, it took alot of time just to write this. Anyway to cut steps? Any product suggestions.

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For a nuba wax - have a look at Autoglym HD. I love how it makes my silver grey BWW sparkle.
 
I like Natty's Red on my Titanium Silver BMW. Heard great things about metallics and MaxWax.

Fuzion is fantastic too if you are looking for a higher end wax.
 
What is your reasoning in applying poli-seal first by machine then by hand? And really why even bother with an AIO since you are polishing it out anyway?
 
Maybe he wants to opti seal after poli seal.. I must say skip the poli seal by hand wait 1 hour and then put another opti seal.. Wait another hour and another opti seal.. Your car will look fantastic already
 
:welcome: To Autogeek!!


  • Wash - I like Duragloss 901 and Meguiar's makes some nice ones as well
  • Clay - Claying the finish is an important step to achieving your goal
  • Compound - Depending on the actual condition of the finish you may not need to compound. Mask off a section and start finer. You can always go to something more aggressive if you need too.
  • IPA Wipe - Do an IPA wash to remove any debris, oils, or left over contaminants.
  • Sealant - There are several quality sealants to choose from. I like Menzerna Power-Lock Paint Sealant. Wolfgang and Poorboy's World are great choices as well. Apply with a DA polisher using a red or blue pad.
  • Wax - There are many waxes to choose from and silver is one of those colors that looks great with many. I've found that Collinite 845 makes silver look wet after it's applied and continues to protect for several months. Apply with a DA polisher using a red pad.
  • Detailing - In between waxing I like Optimum Spray Wax or Pinnacle Souverän Liquid Spray Wax will keep it looking great
 
Nattys red is THE BEST looking wax that I've seen on metallic silver. Flake pops like mad. It's also pretty cheap. Doesn't last very long though. My dads car got about a month out of it parked outside.

I'll also second that I don't see the point of applying poliseal after polishing if you're going to have a dedicated polish and wax it anyway. Doubly so for applying poliseal by machine and then again by hand.
 
if you want to keep it optimum themed...

after you polish, if the finish is really corrected then you don't need poli-seal. it lays down a protective sealant and can't hurt, but...IMO you get way more robust and complete coverage from using a standalone sealant like opti-seal.

if i had to make a guess why he's applying by machine and hand, it is because machine doesn't hit all the spots. but that's a guess.

another reason why i'd just go to opti-seal - you can apply by hand with a soft foam pad to any nook and cranny you want and it's optimally protected.

ideally you can put as many coats of opti-seal as you want. i have no way to quantify, but i'd say if you apply 3-4 coats with cure time inbetween, there is probably no need for more after that.

there are two silver metallic cars i detail a lot. my own mazda, obv, and a f360. i use the same LSP for both - opti-seal. there is something about a perfectly refined finish with a few coats of sealant. i probably should try one of the popular paste waxes (with low solvents, of course) on top of the opti-seal to see what the difference really would be, to me.

if you feel optimum spray wax offers a different look than just the sealant, you can use the spray wax afterward. i've done that but for some reason or another optimum spray wax, at least the bottle i've had, is not easy to use. sounds crazy but it's true. weird because everything else he makes is SO easy to use.
 
Rob T said:
:iagree: that you agreed with me agreeing with you! :props:
Click to expand...

:iagree: oh forget it, I forgot what we are agreeing about so I no longer agree :)

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Ok wow alot of responses in a day! Thanks everyone. I redo the poliseal by hand to hit the spots I may have missed by hand since that's my only paint sealer. I know my whole process was a little messed up. That's why I came here for advice, and thanks everyone for giving some great advice.
I really need to read through this thread again and filter through the info. I've never heard of ipa wipes some searching to do. I'll post back once I have a chance to digest everything here.
 
Oh yeah and don't care if it optimum branded products. I'd like to diversify my product lines. Btw so should I polish with a dedicated polish the use a dedicated sealer ( 1 coat or 2?) followed by a wax. The truck's driven year around and the wife gets the garage so I don't know if that changes anything.
 
so figured out ipa isopro alcohol. I put some on a MF and wipe the car down? I've heard of using it for paint prep when painting a car but not for detailing, but it make sense though, pulls off old wax and contaminants.
 
My DD is metallic silver/grey and I had really great results with Menzerna polishes (intensive and Micro mostly) followed with KSG and WGDGPS or just the Wolfgang by itself. Reflections at night look like glass!
 
So bought some stuff last night based off people's input mixed with reading other threads.
Here's what I got:
1 MEN-APO88P - 16 oz. Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Seala 24.99
1 DG-902 - 128 oz. Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate #902 26.99
1 CO-845 - Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 16oz. 14.99
1 OPT-100 - 17 oz. Optimum Car Wax 14.99
1 MO-156300 - Mothers Genuine Lambswool Wash Mitt 9.99
1 GG-1010B - The Grit Guard Insert Blue 9.99
1 303-30340 - 16 oz. 303 Aerospace Protectant 12.99

Can't wait to try it out! I did find a thread on IPA that was great. I may actually try mineral spirits, I've used it straight on cars before doing bed lining so it think it should work well
 
booya620 said:
So bought some stuff last night based off people's input mixed with reading other threads.
Here's what I got:
1 MEN-APO88P - 16 oz. Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Seala 24.99
1 DG-902 - 128 oz. Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate #902 26.99
1 CO-845 - Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 16oz. 14.99
1 OPT-100 - 17 oz. Optimum Car Wax 14.99
1 MO-156300 - Mothers Genuine Lambswool Wash Mitt 9.99
1 GG-1010B - The Grit Guard Insert Blue 9.99
1 303-30340 - 16 oz. 303 Aerospace Protectant 12.99

Can't wait to try it out! I did find a thread on IPA that was great. I may actually try mineral spirits, I've used it straight on cars before doing bed lining so it think it should work well
Click to expand...

The red grit guard inserts work better than the blue ones....:laughing: (j/k)

I assume you will apply the Power Lock, then the Collinite, and then maintain with the Optimum wax?
 
Bunky said:
The red grit guard inserts work better than the blue ones....:laughing: (j/k)

I assume you will apply the Power Lock, then the Collinite, and then maintain with the Optimum wax?
Click to expand...

Damn! I afraid blue wasn't as good. Lol
You correct. The first time I do this I'll wash, clay, ipa, polish, seal, and then wax with collinite. Optimum will be to maintain protection between details.


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