hdryder05 Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 So being the type A guy I am, washing, waxing, detailing has become a norm for me. However, it has come to my attention that some say having a black or dark paint is some what a variable in choosing the right kind of wax/polish. Is this true? Any ideas/input? On that note, what do you all use to make your ride shine like a new one? What gives your paint that deep look, like you could almost reach into it, up to your elbow? Who has used Zaino?? I've been hearing more from the vette boys about this one. What about 5 Star Shine?? Is this all it's cut out to be? Any experience with this bad boy of shine? Thanks again, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 You should do a search, there is a ton of info about wax, polish, cleaner, polymers, sealers, etc. This is a personal preference if you ask me. Some people like myself do not mind a four step process, wash, cleaner, polish and wax a few times a year, its an all day process but it pays off because I constantly get compliments. A couple of times a year I work on my interior by steam cleaning the carpets and using Lexol on my seats. Don't forget the black plastic on your car, and the weatherstiping and windows. Polish in my humble opinion is a necessary step as it 'feeds' the paint and makes the paint deep and liquidy. There are those who prefer a single step process There are those who prefer a wax that is disbursed during the wash And there are those who prefer Zaino type products, I would love to try Zaino one day and have researched it, but right now I am a Meguiars guy 100%, its more work at times but my car is a head turner when I do it. They do have quicker products however than their multi-step products. But I love all their products: <a href="http://www.meguiars.com/" target="_blank">http://www.meguiars.com/</a> This topic is a lot like oil, you will get a lot of opinions. Do a search you should find a lot. You will find info on Zaino also. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 I think polish or wax is much like oil. Everyone has his or her favorite and will sear it is the "best". In the end, they all do the same thing, both oil and wax. I have started using Meguiars NXT and have been very happy with it. http://www.meguiars.com/?liquid-car-waxes/...ration-Tech-Wax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 I think polish or wax is much like oil. Everyone has his or her favorite and will sear it is the "best". In the end, they all do the same thing, both oil and wax. I have started using Meguiars NXT and have been very happy with it. http://www.meguiars.com/?liquid-car-waxes/...ration-Tech-Wax I have used NXT and also like it alot. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I agree with the comments above, including the FACT that this topic is very much like an oil topic, laden with subjective analysis. One reference to dark paint colors in your post, if my memory serves me correctly, was in connection with "clay bar" type cleaning products. This product, though EXTREMELY effective in removing surface grime and deposits, tends to cause micro scratches on the paint surface which are MUCH more visible on dark paint colors. If you have diamond white or light paint, use it by all means! Therefore your main objective is to keep the surface of your paint scratch free by whatever means necesarry. This means DEFINITELY no car wash machines with the spinning brushes If you hand wash your dark colored car and the surface is in great shape, you have an advantage. A very clean, dark, scratch free surface looks MUCH better after a wax than a light colored finish does. I tried NXT and liked it very much, I am now using Eagle 1 spray wax (Nano Wax) and like it as well. It may be a little better, but until the "shine detector" is invented, nobody will really know. Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I use Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 I tryed the new ICE and I like it, easy to apply and take off, although I have a white Cadi, so don't know how it would work on dark colors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 I think color & make do make somewhat of a difference... The ICE was good on the Pearl White Eldorado... I think the Meguiars NXT is doing better on the Escalade, to be honest. Meguiars step 3 pure carbauba is better on my bike, by far.... or a product called Harley Glaze, while expensive, gives a truly unbelievable gloss, and yes, there are people who buy a number of those little bottles, and wax their trucks with it, so... The ICE, interestingly enough, but an UNREAL finish on my girlfriend's Ford Escape... Fabulous. By the way, there is such a device called a "Glossmeter", which we had several of at the paint factory I used to work at... Basically projects a light down at an angle onto the surface being measured, picks up what reflects back into the meter, and measures the gloss on a 0 to 100 scale, 0 being no reflectivity or gloss (like a piece of sandpaper might measure 1 or 2) and 100 being a mirror perfect reflection.... Super Glossy black paint tends to show up as 95 or so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 7, 2008 Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 By the way, there is such a device called a "Glossmeter", which we had several of at the paint factory I used to work at... Basically projects a light down at an angle onto the surface being measured, picks up what reflects back into the meter, and measures the gloss on a 0 to 100 scale, 0 being no reflectivity or gloss (like a piece of sandpaper might measure 1 or 2) and 100 being a mirror perfect reflection.... Super Glossy black paint tends to show up as 95 or so.... Sounds like we have a winner! Willing to test a few wax jobs? I bet we can line up a few volunteers! Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 7, 2008 Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 BTW, why would the paint being black make a difference? Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted August 7, 2008 Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 I was just using the black as an example.... Although some of the highest readings I ever saw were pure dark glossy blacks.... I don't work there anymore, so, someone would have to buy one of these meters... Which didn't used to be cheap... It's sort of a moot point anyway... any reading in the 90's was very glossy. Even on the same Q-Panel (sample panel), moving the meter around might yield a 98 vs a 97.3.... It's all real glossy. I was more or less just throwing it out there for general information, that such a thing exists... I'm not sure there are any pure dead flat surfaces on a modern car truck, or SUV.... So the only way to really do a side by side comparison for all the marbles would be for, a hypothetical example, 2 Eldorado Touring Coupes to be placed side by side, and a certain exact spot on the trunk lid (nearly flat) to be agreed upon in advance as the "test location", and then meter both cars.... Or a fairer test might be to pick 5 identical spots on both cars, meter all 5, and take an average.... but again, if you meter the door, your reading wouldn't be a "fair" representation of the true gloss, because the curvature of the door would cause the number to be much lower.... But car vs car, in the same spot, a higher number would indicate higher gloss... Let's just suppose I sprayed a door with paint, and then from the same touch-up gun, at the same time, same batch, same spraybooth, same everything, I spray 3 Q-Panels, Dead flat pieces of metal used by QC Departments.... To the eye, both will appear very glossy, and identical. However, the meter will read the Q-panels as higher in gloss than the door, because the curvature of the door is scattering the reflection (slightly), and "fooling" the meter.... The gloss meter, to be honest, is far more useful in medium gloss situations.... If you give me a painted sample from your production floor, lets say, and you want it matched. Let's suppose it's like a semi-glossy part, that reads 60 on a gloss meter. So, you can match the color, but for it to really look right, the gloss has to be right..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 Sounds like we're back to the subjective tests for this kind of comparison. The differences in the gloss provided by a certain kind of wax is really too small to measure. Seems to me that we need to leave the final decision up to the human eye and brain. OK, how about this: If the wax smells good to you when you apply it, it's the one you should use! I'm not making light of your response. I really didn't fully realize the number of variables involved in determining gloss. Thanks for pointing them out to us. Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babydon Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 After watching the videos on Meguiar's I went out and bought the Smoothing Clay - I already had the other stuff. I have a Pearl 01 STS so I wasn't expecting too much difference. Deep Crystal Car Wash>Ultimate Quick Detailer>Scratch X>Smoothing Clay>NXT Tech Wax. For the wheels I used generic foam tire cleaner, Armourall's Extreme Wet Tire gel and a chrome polisher for the rims. 4 hours later - WOW... I could see the reflection of my house on my car, the garage, bricks etc showed up pretty well. ( this was at night btw) The best part was how smooth my car felt, like it just came out of the showroom. I can't believe my car is 8 years old. No way could you put anything on my car, it would just slip off, the finish was that smooth. I went for a cruise and put my hand out the window along the door, my hand would not stop touching the car - the smoothing clay definitely makes a difference. I highly recommend the smoothing clay. For what it does, it is soooo cheap. ($25) Plus it comes with a nice micro fibre towel, small cleaning wax bottle, big Quick Detailer bottle and 2 clay bars. That plus the NXT wax is a killer combo - I'd love to see the affect on a black STS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 I have a Black 1995 STS and just got done detailing the inside. I'm looking for something to do the outside with. I might try your same exact procedure, what was the total cost for everything? WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Be very careful Lothos, Black will show the tiny swirl marks left in the surface (on the clear coat) whereas Light or Pearl White will not! Try a little on an inconspicuous spot first, before you do the whole car. I did use the clay bar on my '99 Diamond White STS with great results, but maybe THIS is why black or dark paint is used as the standard for shine comparisons. Black will show every little surface scratch or imperfection possible, in the right light. I'm talking right down to the minute scratches caused by the "rotating brush" type automatic car washes! Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babydon Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 I have a Black 1995 STS and just got done detailing the inside. I'm looking for something to do the outside with. I might try your same exact procedure, what was the total cost for everything? The Crstal Car wash was about $8 Ultimate Quick Detailer - $13 (the Smoothing Clay comes with Quick Detailer, I dunno what the difference is ) Scratch X - $11 Smoothing Clay Kit - $25 NXT Tech Wax - $25 Total: $82 (approx) Of course you will get more than a few uses out of this bundle. Personally I don't think anybody will do a better job on your car than yourself - only thing a professional detailer will have over the average car owner is the high speed polish machines. Save a ton of $$$ and put in the labour - and it is labour, my arms were pumped after!!! lol I'll try to post pics of my baby - I'd love to see what yours will look like after as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 http://www.zymol.com Zymol. Nuff said. $30,000 for wax, lifetime refills. http://www.zymol.com/zymolsolaris.aspx But even their $49 wax is fabulous. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdryder05 Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Used the clay bar this weekend. WOW! I must say it does make an incredible difference. The wax was so much easier to apply AND remove. When I get home next time, I'm going for the NXT and really see what transpires! Who ever had this before me absolutely abused the paint, as there are many surface scratches that only a good wet sanding will fix. (winter project) I was so impressed with the clay bar, I took it to my trail blazer and man did it wake that finish up too! Was a long sticky afternoon, but well worth the time. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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