Why do silver cars lose their luster?

[Newjack]

My "secret" is to not wet-sand or "polish" my cars with Ajax.

+2

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[JKO_ZHP]

It may be more of the color itself than the condition of the paint. This one body shop I used to go to, the big boss told me he personally has not and never will buy a silver car because he thinks it looks dull to begin with & that it "blends in" with traffic. Unlike say interlagos blue, imola red, fern green, or even a whiter (alpine white) or darker (steel grey).
All I know is, keeping any paint shiny is the trick - just washing it won't do, wax and the occasional claying are needed to keep it looking its best.

[diverse]

when you wet sand a car with 1000 sand paper you flatten the clear a lot more than ajax would
wet sanding is a common practice with show cars.

As a prelude to polishing

[diverse]

there are so many videos on youtube demonstrating this method I am rather surprised at some of the reactions. maybe It is knee jerk reaction to something unfamiliar.

[KevinC]

there are so many videos on youtube demonstrating this method I am rather surprised at some of the reactions. maybe It is knee jerk reaction to something unfamiliar.

In the case of the wet sanding, perhaps so. Probably good advice that this should only be attempted by a pro.

In the case of the Ajax - I think it's just a bad idea, period. I know you meant no harm, so it's all good.

[M0nk3y]

Not too old, but still used:

[diverse]

Not too old, but still used:

So what are you saying that worn or oxidized paint can be corrected by soap and water?

I don't believe that is accurate.
you have to scratch the surface to with graded degrees to reveal a high gloss finish

I agree wetsanding is a tricky process. but I never suggested you touch your pride and joy with sand paper
I suggested you get an old car or even a hood from a junk yard to learn the process.

in my defense even with the Ajax which I have used and the job came out immaculate. better than most cars I have seen at that time. and I was around serious car guys during that time. it is similar to using this product but with a sponge instead of a scouring pad
http://www.sgcardetail.com/Presta-13...-Prodview.html

this product we used at the shop instead of using 600 sand paper to sand a car we used it with a scotch scouring pad
it approximated 600 sandpaper surface
600-800 is reserved for paint prep (preparing a car for paint)
1000 is a finishing cut and is reserved for quickly knocking down orange peel yielding a smooth flat surface
1,500 removes the scratches from the 1000
2000 or heavy polish will remove the scratches from the 1,50
3000 or or light polish will remove the scratches left behind by the heavy polish or 2000 grit sand paper
wax and glaze fills in the scratches left behind by the 3000 or 2000 or polsh

Yes when you polish you are scratching your paint

if you used a sponge instead I am willing to bet it would give you a 1000 or 800 finish without the risk of burning your paint
very similar to ajax.
And like ajax
it too removes orange peel and strips away old wax and prepares your surface but without burning through your clear coat.

which is the danger when wet sanding.

I get making jokes but I offered my advice and experience in all good intention.
If you want to make fun of me then please at least get the facts of my post correctly.

1 Any wet sanding or flattening of the clear whether through a scouring product like scuff stuff or ajax or 1000-3000 grit sand paper is a precursor to polishing.
2 I never advocated any beginner to step to their car with a piece of sand paper in their hand. I advocated practicing with old panels from junk yards
3. my intention was to share some methods I had come across for other people who were into detailing an restoration.
4 the Ajax trick was for cars that were A white and B badly oxidized and probably were candidates for a paint job this was just a way to possibly salvage the paint.
I was a car dealer from 1991 to about 2009 and I have restored plenty of cars. so what I am telling you was born from experience
and knowledge from my time working in a custom body shop.

One more piece of wisdom I learned while working at the shop
TAKE 300 good Body shop men and you will get 300+ methods for painting and detailing cars.
there are so many different ways to approach this thing

Soap and water, wax and sometimes even polish wont
correct badly oxidized paint. or badly weathered paint. more extreme measures must sometimes be taken
Most people automatically assume you need to paint. this method may just do what you need.
at the very least you may just need to apply clear coat instead of reshooting color.

in the case of show car applications.
if you didn't pay 10,000 for a show car finish but wanted something close the wet sanding approach that I outlined could get you very close to a show car finish.
for those of you who know what wet sanding is but never went this deep maybe it sparked an idea.

there are people who make a living just wet sanding and then polishing cars.

polish removes scratches right?
so if the scratches you make are finer than the scratches your polish is meant to address then what is the problem.

most people do not know how to wetsand
what I detailed was a method that was taught to me by shop owners who specialize in high end cars.
The method when followed yields professional results even from a novice
They let me wetsand my first lexus after only a few months at the shop.

do you think they would touch a Ferrari or lambo or Porsche with sand paper if it wasn't going to work?

removing orange peel is something that shows your paint is a custom paint job
get any custom paint book and you will see that wet sanding is advocated and taught.

if your car is already shiny and you are content
then my post is meaningless

if your paint is old worn and you are considering a paint job that could cost 3000 and still be substandard
then maybe you may want to give these techniques some FURTHER INVESTIGATION
ie videos, stop by a body shop, practice on old panels. etc.

If I could try it on my Audi which at the time was less than 8 years old
And I was floored by the PERFECT finish.
using AJAX
then you may feel you would never do it
but Bad advice I don't know
my advice was try it on some old panels ie junked cars or panels from a junkyard. and see how it comes out
how is that bad advice any lesson learned even if discarded can never be a bad thing.

Maybe I am different someone tells me something that they claim they did I will explore it figure out why it worked
investigate especially if it is supposedly something that can save me money time and effort.

so once again
wetsan

[diverse]

two videos outlining some of what I discussed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IAU21Hsa_w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl_4gs1ZsLc

[M0nk3y]

Wow, I'm so lost.

Anyways, never been wetsanded.

[Hornung418]

Your posts are so hard to read.

I've never owned a silver car, I don't really want to either. However, if a car of any color loses it's luster or shine, it is usually due to owner neglect. And taking Ajax or another detergent to try and correct the problem is silly. There are already proven methods to remove scratches and swirls as well as oxidation, that doing something different with a money saving mindset is a waste of time. Do what works and is certified for use in correcting paint.

/thread

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