Recommended products/routine for dark metallic/pearlescent Subaru's

[Polished Bliss]

If there is an optimal colour group to work with in the world of car care, then dark metallic/pearlescent colours has to be it. Not only do such colours easily yield highly reflective, incredibly wet looking finishes with terrific clarity and depth, but they are also fairly forgiving and far easier to maintain than solid dark colours. Unsurprisingly, it is not difficult to achieve an excellent finish on such colours, and most last step products will produce good results. However, we believe it is always better to work with the characteristics of the paint rather than against them, and for this reason we recommend using a synthetic sealant basecoat topped with natural carnauba wax layers as the protective system on dark metallic/pearlescent colours. This is because the sealant basecoat cross-links to form an exceptionally smooth, highly dense surface layer that enhances reflectivity and flake pop, while the subsequent layers of natural carnauba wax maximise colour intensity and gloss. The overall effect of this two stage approach is to produce a beautifully balanced finish that enhances the look of the metallic/pearlescent flake whilst simultaneously jetting the base colour. In our opinion, there is little point paying extra for a metallic/pearlescent colour unless you are going to properly show it off in this way! Our favourite sealant and wax combination for producing optimal results on dark metallic/pearlescent colours is a basecoat of Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection topped with multiple coats of Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax. Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection delivers an intense wet looking shine with excellent reflectivity, and sharpens up the look of metallic/pearlescent colours brilliantly. Further benefits afforded by Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection include terrific ease of use and excellent durability, which makes it ideal for use as a basecoat for subsequent layers of Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax. The addition of multiple layers of Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax over a basecoat of Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection adds a rippling liquidity and intense vibrancy to dark metallic/pearlescent colours that is on par with the finish produced by bespoke high-end waxes costing thousands of pounds; it is a deeply impressive product that has few, if any, serious rivals at the same price point. If your budget is too small to stretch to the Blackfire combination outlined above, then an excellent second choice is a basecoat of Poorboys EX-P Sealant topped with multiple layers of Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax Blue. This duo delivers a rich, warm looking finish with a high level of gloss and no muting of the metallic/pearlescent flake, and offers excellent value for money. Given the above, here is the optimal routine and products we recommend for use on dark metallic/pearlescent colours (assuming all work is to be done by hand)... Wash (ideally every week) Advanced Car Wash Kit - Advanced Car Wash Kit - Polished Bliss Car Care and Detailing Kits (choosing the Blackfire shampoo) Decontaminate (once or twice a year, spring and autumn are the best times) Step 1 - Autosmart Tardis & Accessories (to remove tar spots, tree sap, etc) - Autosmart Tardis - Autosmart Car Care and Detailing Products Step 2 - Meguiars Quik Clay Kit (to remove industrial fallout, soot, etc) - Meguiars Quik Clay Kit - Meguiars Car Care and Detailing Products Polish (after claying, thus done once or twice a year) To correct swirl marks and other light to moderate defects (fine scratches and etching) on your car, we recommend a two stage process starting with Menzerna 203S in conjunction with Lake Country German CCS Light Cut Pads. Working small areas at a time using moderate pressure should enable you to correct a reasonable amount of the defects present in just 1-2 attempts per panel. Any remaining defects should then be partially hidden and the overall finish refined with Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish in conjunction with Lake Country German CCS Polishing Pads. Working small areas at a time using light pressure should enable you to partially hide any remaining defects and maximise the gloss in just a single attempt per panel. You should be aware from the outset that although this method will yield very good results, it will require a reasonable amount of elbow grease! Menzerna 203S - Menzerna 203S - Menzerna Car Care and Detailing Products Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish - Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Lake Country German CCS Pads - Lake Country German CCS Pads - Lake Country Car Care and Detailing Products Poorboys Super Thick & Plush Towels - Poorboys Super Thick & Plush Towel - Poorboys Car Care and Detailing Products Protect (apply a fresh coat at least every 3 months) Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection - Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Blackfire Ultimate LSP Applicator Pad - Blackfire Ultimate LSP Applicator Pad - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Luxury Deep Pile Buffing Towel - Deep Pile Luxury Buffing Towel - Polished Bliss Car Care and Detailing Products Of course, if you are feeling flush and want to take the quality of the final finish further, you could always add Blackfire Midnight Sun Paste Wax over the top - this will add extra wetness and gloss, and can be bought either on its own or as part of a kit, details here for the wax... Blackfire Midnight Sun Paste Wax - Blackfire Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Paste Wax - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Blackfire Ultimate LSP Applicator Pad - Blackfire Ultimate LSP Applicator Pad - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Luxury Deep Pile Buffing Towel - Deep Pile Luxury Buffing Towel - Polished Bliss Car Care and Detailing Products ...and here for the full Blackfire kit... Blackfire Wet Ice over Fire Shine Kit - Blackfire Wet Ice Over Fire Shine Kit - Blackfire Car Care and Detailing Products Here are some pictures showing the finish the above products/routine gives on dark metallic/pearlescent colours, in order to give you some idea in advance...

[chocolate_o_brian]

I know it's not a Scoob, but I spent 9 hours on Sat giving the 205 a really good clean. The paint is grpahite grey, so similar to RB5, maybe a little darker.

Did the whole clay thing without concern after a 2 bucket wash. Then attacked the bodywork by hand with the Menzerna Intensive Polish and a Lake county cutting pad. I couldn't get on with it, but think it was down to polishing in the sun with no a cloud in the sky. I didn't realise how quickly the polish was breaking down and turning to dust due to a warm panel. May I ask is Peugeot paint vastly different to Subaru paint? In the end I went over the car quickly before waxing, as it came apparent it was being covered in some tree sticky crap that fell like rain. This kinda ruined my day

I struggle to find anywhere to polish/wax the car as I have no garage Mr Bliss, so usually in direct sunlight is my only option.

Sorry to go off topic, just trying to get the best out of the products I've bought from your goodselves

[Polished Bliss]

Peugeot paint is quite similar to Subaru paint, so the process is fine, but the weather conditions would have made it hard work (as you found out). Very few products work well in sunny conditions, particularly when the paint shade is towards the darker end of the spectrum. If working outside is a must, I'd personally wait for a cloudy day - a pain I know, but it will make the process easier. That said, Intensive Polish isn't ever a joy to use; as a cutting polish it does its job well, but it does generate dust, and it does require a fair bit of effort to work properly. Not like glazing the paint at all, which is far easier in comparison.

[chocolate_o_brian]

Originally Posted by Polished Bliss

Peugeot paint is quite similar to Subaru paint, so the process is fine, but the weather conditions would have made it hard work (as you found out). Very few products work well in sunny conditions, particularly when the paint shade is towards the darker end of the spectrum. If working outside is a must, I'd personally wait for a cloudy day - a pain I know, but it will make the process easier. That said, Intensive Polish isn't ever a joy to use; as a cutting polish it does its job well, but it does generate dust, and it does require a fair bit of effort to work properly. Not like glazing the paint at all, which is far easier in comparison.

Thanks for that, much appreciated

I usually do look for cloudy days, but then you're forever worrying of rain spoiling you mid session Wish I had somewhere in shelter as I'm really up for tha challenge of correcting some of the blemishes. My assumtion of the sun drying the polish out before it was broken down must be pretty accurate then, as it did just seem to produce dust with nothing on the paintwork to show for my efforts. This was when I tried damping the pad - what a mistake that was, the polish looked like Windolene Never pull that stunt.

I've also decided to wash the car round the front of my house, rather than the back, as I swear the tree sap spoilt my efforts too, mixing with the applied polish and making it impossible to to buff off. Wish I had the confidence to try a machine polisher to be honest. I'm trying to not over complicate things with loads of different polishes and varying pads. I wanted to keep it simple so it's easily done next time, like one of your customers on a 6 monthly plan for example

[Polished Bliss]

Any mates with a dual action machine that could help you to learn? The dual action machines are easier to use than you probably think...

[chocolate_o_brian]

I think it may be a case of getting the money together and purchasing one of the Kestrel/Meguiars units from your good selves

Then a case of chancing it. I'd dearly love to make the most of my metallic paintwork, even if it isn't a patch on a modern car. I yearn for the dripping wet look and thorough shine

[kaa273]

why is doing it in the sun so bad. Is it that drys the polish to much or is it that it drys it too fast and prevents it doing its job. Also I bought a halfords polisher (a couple of years ago) that has a towel bonnet and lambs wool-like bonnet is it as good as porter cable or is it a cheap pile of crap

[Polished Bliss]

Sorry, I missed your post last month - very few polishes work well when panels are hot, as they do indeed dry out too quickly, meaning they are unable to work properly. Moreover, some product residues will also weld themselves to panels if working temperatures are too high, and this can make buffing off extremely difficult. Finally, the machine you have is a buffer, not a polisher, and thus is not comparable in performance terms to the likes of the G220 or DAS-6. Me personally, I'd either work by hand or save for a better quality unit.

[ukscooby2000]

Hi ive just spend £170 on clening gear hope it as good as thay say lol

[Polished Bliss]

It is, lol! Cheers mate, much appreciated.