Why do silver cars lose their luster?

[diverse]

I have bought many silver cars and have always been curious as to why they lose their shine faster than lets say a red car.

what is it that causes them to seem to dull faster then their more pigmented brethren?

[MiniD]

Interesting...my silver ZHP had the nicest paint of any car I have owned. Although I took great care of the paint, I was always impressed with the shine.

[KevinC]

http://076dd0a50e0c1255009e-bd4b8aabaca29897bc751dfaf75b290c.r40.cf1.rackcdn.c om/images/files/000/002/314/original/original.jpg

http://www.kcphotodump.net/Cars/BMW-330Ci/i-mr25Cbj/0/X2/330I_29-X2.jpg

[cakM3]

I have bought many silver cars and have always been curious as to why they lose their shine faster than lets say a red car.

what is it that causes them to seem to dull faster then their more pigmented brethren?

Not sure why you're having issues with your paint....my TiAg ///M hasn't lost any of it's luster and still get's looks whenever I take it out for a drive...perhaps you're not using the right stuff when cleaning/waxing your car? Not sure what the problem is...

I mean here's how my car looks like and I haven't "waxed" my ///M in over two months now...looks like it still has it's lusture :thumbsup
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/83cd3e0b-fa84-4d2b-a04e-eda4a48e06b9_zps2f624681.jpg

[diverse]

when I say I bought silver cars when I bought them they were already dull

I was a used car dealer and purchased many a silver car that needed restoration
most of the time they wouldn't come back as nice as the reds, black, and blue cars.

From what I was told the black and blue pigments that are in the silvers get faded by the sun.
which is why depending on the age of the car when doing color matching I was instructed to reduce the amount of blue and black the formulae called for when mixing silvers.

if you keep your car waxed and protected perhaps you avoid this effect.

[cakM3]

when I say I bought silver cars when I bought them they were already dull

I was a used car dealer and purchased many a silver car that needed restoration
most of the time they wouldn't come back as nice as the reds, black, and blue cars.

From what I was told the black and blue pigments that are in the silvers get faded by the sun.
which is why depending on the age of the car when doing color matching I was instructed to reduce the amount of blue and black the formulae called for when mixing silvers.

if you keep your car waxed and protected perhaps you avoid this effect.

I think it comes down to how well taken care of the car was in a detailing sense. If the previous owner was detail oriented then the silver paint would still retain it's lusture. I see this between various owners up here in New England where I live. I'm gussing in sunnier regions the fade on the paint is more dramatic.

[KevinC]

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

[diverse]

that was posted as a white car trick only.
still funny though

[ELCID86]

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

+1 ;-)


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[KevinC]

that was posted as a white car trick only.
still funny though

I thought those threads were a bad joke. I mean, let's think about this - if it "works" on a white car, but apparently looks horrendous on a dark car, as if, you know, you SANDED your clear coat off, or "polished" it with an abrasive cleaner (which no doubt has all kinds of other harsh shiite in it that can't be good for ANY color paint), then how can it be a good idea at all?

[Newjack]

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

+2

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[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:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g135/1nFeCt1oN/DSC_0101_zps35d81dcb.jpg

[diverse]

Not too old, but still used:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g135/1nFeCt1oN/DSC_0101_zps35d81dcb.jpg

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-131730-131732-Scuff-Stuff-Cleaner-And-Surface-Prep-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.

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/384741_2525284619662_683612727_n.jpg

[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

Sent from my GS3.

[ELCID86]

Your posts are so hard to read.
+1, moving on...

[cakM3]

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 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 as using this product but with a sponge instead of a scouring pad...
http://www.sgcardetail.com/Presta-131730-131732-Scuff-Stuff-Cleaner-And-Surface-Prep-Prodview.html

This product was used at the shop instead of using 600 grit sand paper. To sand a car we used that sand paper with a scotch scouring pad
and approximated 600 sandpaper surface.

600-800 grit is reserved for paint prep (preparing a car for paint)

1000 grit is a finishing cut and is reserved for quickly knocking down orange peel yielding a smooth flat surface

1,500 grit removes the scratches from the 1000 grit

2000 grit or heavy polish will remove the scratches from the 1,500 grit

3000 grit 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 grit 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 grit 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 restoring painted surfaces.

Soap and water, wax and sometimes even polish won't 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 $3,000 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, 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 and I will explore it, figure out why it worked, and investigate especially if it is supposedly something that can save me money time and effort.

so once again wet sand.

I made some corrections to your discussion post to hopefully clear some things up for people reading in this thread. The information you provided pointed out some interesting insights and I thank you for this! :thumbsup

Now I have some things to think about and that is a good thing!!! :)

[DetailersDomain]

I have bought many silver cars and have always been curious as to why they lose their shine faster than lets say a red car.

what is it that causes them to seem to dull faster then their more pigmented brethren?

how have you been caring for the car?

[cakM3]

Never thought Ajax would be used on car paints....like I said, a lot of interesting points were brought up by "diverse" in his explanation and I appreciate it. :)

Name's Charlie by the way (see my sig)...:thumbsup

[diverse]

When I bought them they were already dull I was a car dealer buying and selling cars
when I got a silver car even though it was only 8-10 years old the paint luster was like that of a 15 year old car.
like look at this Bmw I am considering buying look how dull it is. YES IT IS A 16 year old car but I would very often come across 7 year old cars that looked this dull


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/35664683_2X_zpse3510691.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/35664683_2X_zpse3510691.jpg.html)

Or this one that is just 10 years old
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/14070114_1X_zps00dcf894.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/14070114_1X_zps00dcf894.jpg.html)

compared to this
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/13216424_2X_zps64543a87.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/13216424_2X_zps64543a87.jpg.html)

or this

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/31617843_1X_zps9886cdaf.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/31617843_1X_zps9886cdaf.jpg.html)

[diverse]

Thank you so much Wise guy

that was way cool of you dude.

I apologize to everyone for my posts being so difficult to read..

I think my mistake was thinking I was writing to professional body men
even many professional detailers will only wet sand when there are very pronounced scratches. and they need to just do spots
but to tackle a whole car in the interest of getting a show paint job.
is beyond most people.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read I only wished I could have communicated more effectively

Peace

[DetailersDomain]

When I bought them they were already dull I was a car dealer buying and selling cars
when I got a silver car even though it was only 8-10 years old the paint luster was like that of a 15 year old car.
like look at this Bmw I am considering buying look how dull it is.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/35664683_2X_zpse3510691.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/35664683_2X_zpse3510691.jpg.html)

machine polishing - compound and polishing will bring it back to life, the car there doesn't look like it was taken care of.

here is a silver car I owned and sold a few years ago it was a 2002.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/2002%20996%20TT/IMG_8976.jpg

another silver car I owed 2003 Audi RS6 with about 75k on it.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/depth1.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/post1.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/post2.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/post6.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/side2.jpg

[diverse]

Sweet.

[ELCID86]

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

Who said that?

[diverse]

My Bad I thought Monk3y was showing me a bucket of water and soap but I realize he was showing me the finish on his car.

oops

I was getting beat up in this thread. I was just swinging at anything that moved.

My apologies to anyone I offended

[cakM3]

My Bad I thought Monk3y was showing me a bucket of water and soap but I realize he was showing me the finish on his car.

oops

I was getting beat up in this thread. I was just swinging at anything that moved.
My apologies to anyone I offended

Steven,

Kyle does amazing work detailing his cars :thumbsup

Steven, it's perfectly natural to go out swinging when you think you're being slammed by everyone but here on this forum we don't attack anyone. Rather, we try to be supportive and provide constructive feedback even though one might take it as an attack....keep in mind this is never the intent over here :thumbsup

[diverse]

yeah he got that shine right .

[diverse]

This is the car I am waiting on being delivered from Tulsa via car max payed 17k for her. I am worried that I wont be able to get that glossy wet look

I am hoping that the dull appearance is because the photos were taken during an over cast day.
Some detailers swear by poor boys or pinnacle ssII wax for silver metallic something about the clarity helps the metallic come out more
they also praised meguires 26 well
She is supposed to arrive next week.
I wont be using AJAX :)


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e147/Steven_Maduro/photo2_zps75dbb94a.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Steven_Maduro/media/photo2_zps75dbb94a.jpg.html)

[Pip]

I think with some tlc you'll be able to get a good shine. I have to work on mine as well. Right now it needs a full detail to bring it up to my level. I have been focused on maintenance and some fun before doing more than a wax.

[ELCID86]

I wont be using AJAX :)



+1 ;-]

I bet she will clean up very nicely. Perhaps a little paint correction, but it may not even need that. I know you are excited to see it in person.

[gmurphy]

Put some Dodo Juice on it and she will look brand new :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

I haven't seen diverse around for a while.

[kayger12]

I haven't seen diverse around for a while.

He's no longer with us.

[Newjack]

He's no longer with us.

http://media0.giphy.com/media/GCLlQnV7wzKLu/giphy.gif