A Detailer's Color Preference
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
A Detailer's Color Preference
Right now Scott the Detailer is doing the whole she-bang (wash, claybar, polish) + Opti-Guard Pro. When we started he mentioned that a detailer would never get a car in black.
My question to all the detailers out there:
What color is your car and what color is the best for ease of maintenance?
My question to all the detailers out there:
What color is your car and what color is the best for ease of maintenance?
#2
Auto Detailing Master
iTrader: (2)
Mine is smokey granite mica... Aka metallic charcoal grey. To me it is the perfect compromise for a detailer that loves darker, glossy paint but doesn't want to deal with the hassle of a black car.
Best for ease of maintenance would have to be silver.
Worst is a non-metallic black (like obsidian).
Best for ease of maintenance would have to be silver.
Worst is a non-metallic black (like obsidian).
#3
Guess I'm kinda funny. I detail as a hobby and prefer to work on a black car and I've owned two obsidian black cars. Granted a bear to take care of, but that moment when you wipe off your polishing compound with a microfiber towel and reveal that highly reflective, deep black finish is worth the effort. Well maybe not worth all the effort
I dislike white and prefer no one bring me one, but agree with Zach, silver is a winner. Must admit, right now my obsidian is some form of grey/whitish covered with salt.
I dislike white and prefer no one bring me one, but agree with Zach, silver is a winner. Must admit, right now my obsidian is some form of grey/whitish covered with salt.
#4
Pit Crew
iTrader: (8)
I will never own a solid black car, but a good compromise is BMW's black sapphire. I find that color/clear to be very forgiving.
Alternatively, it'd have to be a white similar to Audi's Ibis white. Which also comes with its set of bads - fallout shows like no other...
Ideally, matte black, but I don't anticipate being a (typically) exotic car owner any time soon
Alternatively, it'd have to be a white similar to Audi's Ibis white. Which also comes with its set of bads - fallout shows like no other...
Ideally, matte black, but I don't anticipate being a (typically) exotic car owner any time soon
#5
I too share Zach's feeling on this one. After owning 2 jet black BMWs, never again. I think it may be fun for someone who details their own car or a professional with only a weekend/show car, but for someone like myself who's dealing with headaches daily at work, last thing I want is to see swirl marks at home!
I too like something like the dark grey Zach has, but ultimately a silver/grey Audi is something that can probably take washing with dirty water and a terry cloth without swirl marks.
Ivan @ DI
I too like something like the dark grey Zach has, but ultimately a silver/grey Audi is something that can probably take washing with dirty water and a terry cloth without swirl marks.
Ivan @ DI
#6
ditto, two black cars and never again. Too much work. Awesome look immediately after a detail but an hour later the dust has begun to pile up. (Arrrgh) My current RX is nebula grey pearl. A charcoal grayish color.
#7
Auto Detailing Master
iTrader: (2)
Yup, I am really happy with my smokey granite mica.
Does it look "as good" as perfect black paint... no... but it is a breeze to maintain in comparison.
Both photos were taken at least 1 year since the car was last polished... under the right light there are some minor water spots and defects, however the metallic flake really hides most of it. I have no problem admitting that I do not follow an absolutely perfect wash routine.. sure I always use the 3 bucket method and/or GDWM, but am certainly not nearly as careful as I am with customer cars. When I have time to clean my own car it is usually very limited amount of time, so I polish it and coat it once every 1.5-2 years and the rest is simply quick maintenance washes followed by a coat of hydro2 or reload from time to time
Does it look "as good" as perfect black paint... no... but it is a breeze to maintain in comparison.
Both photos were taken at least 1 year since the car was last polished... under the right light there are some minor water spots and defects, however the metallic flake really hides most of it. I have no problem admitting that I do not follow an absolutely perfect wash routine.. sure I always use the 3 bucket method and/or GDWM, but am certainly not nearly as careful as I am with customer cars. When I have time to clean my own car it is usually very limited amount of time, so I polish it and coat it once every 1.5-2 years and the rest is simply quick maintenance washes followed by a coat of hydro2 or reload from time to time
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#8
Royale with cheese
iTrader: (3)
Mine is smokey granite mica... Aka metallic charcoal grey. To me it is the perfect compromise for a detailer that loves darker, glossy paint but doesn't want to deal with the hassle of a black car.
Best for ease of maintenance would have to be silver.
Worst is a non-metallic black (like obsidian).
Best for ease of maintenance would have to be silver.
Worst is a non-metallic black (like obsidian).
Silver, it's low maintenance but next to impossible to get the deep wet look.
#12
White tends to make seeing the imperfections you want to remove pretty difficult. Black amplifies the paint flaws making them easy to see. While polishing, use of a swirl-finder light or moving the car in and out of the sun can help finding and removing the swirls and paint imperfections. While the imperfections are much harder to see on white, they are reducing the perfect mirror-like reflectivity you are after.
I've also found that white is usually best treated with a sealant. They, as a group, tend to yield higher reflectivity than the warmer glow typical of a carnauba wax or wax blend.
Last edited by jfelbab; 03-16-14 at 06:54 AM.
#15