Best Car Color to Polish

whovous · #1 06-13-2009, 07:55 AM

I am in the early stages of thinking about a new MINI. It is very important that my new car be shiny. My current MINI is a BRG, and while the color buffs up very deep, it just never gets the kind of shine that some of the flashier colors provide.

So, if shine is the objective, what color should I get? Some notes: The car will be an S, it might be a Clubman, and it won't be a JCW. I think those are all the limits on the color universe for me.

**Gil-galad** · #2 06-13-2009, 08:09 AM

I'm certainly no expert, but I believe the sharpness/quality of shine can be similar for all colors -- it's just a measure of the quality of the finish and the skill of the detailer.

As far as the depth of finish goes, even though I'm a PW guy I have to confess that the deepest finishes always seems to be on the CR MINIs.

IMHO.

rrcaniglia · #3 06-13-2009, 08:13 AM

Yeah, I think CPR is a true classic with a deep shine.

Yo'sDad · #4 06-13-2009, 08:13 AM

I agree, they all can shine, and BRG should shine up just fine, what have your previous techniques to get shine been?

YD

**ronnie948** · #5 06-13-2009, 08:21 AM

I don't think anything looks as good as a black car if you claybar it and keep it pristine with a product like "ZAINO" Dark blue or a dark green would still be a good choice.
Ronnie948

whovous · #6 06-13-2009, 10:39 AM

I agree they all can shine, and that the skill of the detailer is paramount, but I do not agree that all cars will shine equally well. I have owned a white car before, and there is just no way to get a truly shiny finish on one. I love Pepper White; I came very close to getting PW/B when I bought my BRG; but there has never been a PW that truly shone.

As for previous techniques, you name em, I've tried em: Zaino 2, 5, 6 & 10, Prima Epic, I even have some ancient Meguiar's Yellow #26 paste left. I have the Porter Cable kit from Detailer's Paradise. I probably have bits and pieces of a few dozen other products as well.

I have made my BRG look very good - at least as shiny as any other BRG I've seen. But I just don't think BRG truly shines. Heck, when I took delivery on the car, I instructed the dealer not to wax it, and I claybarred it within a week or so of receiving it. Well treated, BRG looks a mile deep, which is nice, but I also want the reflective shine to be a hazard to your eyesight on a sunny day. I have never seen that happen with BRG. I have seen a real shine improvement in switching from Zaino to Epic - though the Zaino shine might have more depth.

Black is the logical color for a high gloss shine, but I am not sure I can keep a black car clean enough. I've seen too many Astro Blacks that looked dirty before their owner finished drying them. I confess I really have not seen many back MINIs since Astro Black was replaced, so maybe that should be more of an option for me.

**OctaneGuy** · #7 06-13-2009, 11:16 AM

The answer is simple. If shine is your objective, any color other than white/pepper white will reflect. However, "shine" is only one aspect of the paint. The color richness is also a factor.

Take a black car with Zaino and it's so reflective it looks white. There is no richness, just a mirror like reflection.

White will reflect too, under the right circumstances! Take a dark room like a garage or out in the parking lot at night under a street lamp.

The other factor to consider is..what color paint is easiest to maintain?

Black is the best color for shine and richness but it's the most difficult to maintain and the moment you've stopped maintaining it, i.e. drive..it will be covered in dust or dirt. Metallic black is easier to maintain than a non metallic black but still when it's dirty, it shows.

Red when not maintained starts to look orange or pink.

Silver is like white..looks good all the time regardless of how you maintain it and lacks the shine/richness of red or black.

Blue is an excellent compromise. It doesn't change color when it's dirty like Red does..yet it shows both richness and shine.

This is my Jet Black MCS with a layer of dust on it..you can see it on the passenger side door...I had washed it about 30 minutes prior to taking the photo.

When I sold my Indi Blue Cooper it looked like below. Blue was so much easier to care for than black. I loved this color.

Even after a 100 mile fun run through the canyons it still looked great

Although Chili Red looks great too!

Pepperwhite can be shiny too in the right light

Quote:

Originally Posted by whovous

I am in the early stages of thinking about a new MINI. It is very important that my new car be shiny. My current MINI is a BRG, and while the color buffs up very deep, it just never gets the kind of shine that some of the flashier colors provide.

So, if shine is the objective, what color should I get? Some notes: The car will be an S, it might be a Clubman, and it won't be a JCW. I think those are all the limits on the color universe for me.

whovous · #8 06-13-2009, 03:10 PM

I was hoping you'd reply, OG. You've given me a much better vocabulary for thinking about this problem. You've also convinced me, not that it took much work, to cross black off of my possible color list. It is the showiest color, but only until you drive it.

Chili Red gives an incredibly rich shine. I wish the other red was available with the S as well.

We are leaning strongly toward a Clubman, which means Hot Chocolate is another option for us. I've only ever seen the color under showroom lights. What do you think of HC's wax-worthiness?

rwwilsonjr · #9 06-13-2009, 04:31 PM

"It was a beautiful day.
The sun beat down.
I had the radio on.
I was driving"

I don't know if this is what TP had in mind but for me there's nothing much prettier on a clear crisp Fall day than a red car...polished and proud.

**OctaneGuy** · #10 06-13-2009, 05:43 PM

I had a Hot Chocolate clubman in my shop today. The NAM member just left. We went over the car showing him the best way to wash and maintain his paint. The paint looked pretty good. The black bumper and roof had some light swirls that Jet Black always shows, but it's a great color. He left me drive it to lunch and I enjoyed it! I could see myself owning one someday. He had two booster seats in back.

We didn't do much in terms of polishing. Just washed with Mystique, clayed the bonnet and applied Banana Gloss. We used less than 5 gallons of distilled water to wash it. 2.5 gallons in a 3 gallon bucket and 2.5 gallons in the Nomad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whovous

I was hoping you'd reply, OG. You've given me a much better vocabulary for thinking about this problem. You've also convinced me, not that it took much work, to cross black off of my possible color list. It is the showiest color, but only until you drive it.

Chili Red gives an incredibly rich shine. I wish the other red was available with the S as well.

We are leaning strongly toward a Clubman, which means Hot Chocolate is another option for us. I've only ever seen the color under showroom lights. What do you think of HC's wax-worthiness?

rrcaniglia · #11 06-13-2009, 07:28 PM

Bannana Gloss is a recommended product, I take it?

**OctaneGuy** · #12 06-13-2009, 08:28 PM

Well, it's a very easy to use product that improves your paint dramatically without machine polishing. Clay the paint, and use BG, and a minute later, wipe it off, and you're done.

Both the Clubman owner and another customer with an '06 Vert bought some BG today after seeing how easy it was to improve their A pillars. I showed the Clubman owner how much better polishing could be, or doing a combo polishing and BG application.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrcaniglia

Bannana Gloss is a recommended product, I take it?

rrcaniglia · #13 06-13-2009, 08:58 PM

In less than a month, I'll have a new CPR MINI with bonnet stipes.

Do I need to wait some period before doing this, or can I apply BG as soon as I get home? If so, will I need to clay her before application, or just make sure the road dust is gone?

**OctaneGuy** · #14 06-13-2009, 09:24 PM

We are pretty off topic off the OP's thread...you really should start a new thread.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrcaniglia

In less than a month, I'll have a new CPR MINI with bonnet stipes.

Do I need to wait some period before doing this, or can I apply BG as soon as I get home? If so, will I need to clay her before application, or just make sure the road dust is gone?

rrcaniglia · #15 06-13-2009, 09:27 PM

P.S. Do you use something before the Banana Gloss, like Hydro?

markfm · #16 06-13-2009, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

I had a Hot Chocolate clubman in my shop today. The NAM member just left. We went over the car showing him the best way to wash and maintain his paint. The paint looked pretty good. The black bumper and roof had some light swirls that Jet Black always shows, but it's a great color. He left me drive it to lunch and I enjoyed it! I could see myself owning one someday. He had two booster seats in back.

We didn't do much in terms of polishing. Just washed with Mystique, clayed the bonnet and applied Banana Gloss. We used less than 5 gallons of distilled water to wash it. 2.5 gallons in a 3 gallon bucket and 2.5 gallons in the Nomad.

Hey OG,

Who is that handsome devil you have washing cars at your place??

Yes, I just completed the 4th pillar of MC ownership, I made my MINI hajj to OG's joint to learn what to do and not to do with my new MINI -- something every able-bodied MINI owner should do at least once in their lifetime.

The meeting got off to a rocky start when I used my finger to wipe the dust off my jet black bumper. OG gasped in horror.

I thought he was going to confiscate my keys and place my clubman in protective custody. My careless action had just caused swirls, he explained. I gulped hard. Like Harry Potter discovering "The Grim" in his tea leaves.

Actually, it was all good after that. I discovered I was using too little mystique in my wash bucket and not enough pressure on the clay bar. Plus, OG showed my an effective technique for getting bug goo off the paint, without the use of a fingernail.

Distilled water and the Nomad pressure washer is the SHIZZLE! 5 or 6 gallons is all it takes to wash and rinse one Mini. Anything that resembles water spots (which is probably left-over detergent that dried in the sun) wipes right off.

Also fun to see his PW/BW in action, including the world-famous BW bottling facility.

We spent most of our time on basic maintenance but touched on some polishing near the end. At some point, I will plan a return for a PC, grip, pads, and Swirl.

Thanks again for the training, OG!

rrcaniglia · #17 06-14-2009, 06:43 AM

Like your license plate.

whovous · #18 06-14-2009, 06:47 AM

So, OG, where would you rate Hot Chocolate on the shine curve? Your order seems to be Black, Red, Blue, and then the rest. Is HC anywhere near as good as blue?

DavidJS · #19 06-14-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markfm

Hey OG,

Also fun to see his PW/BW in action, including the world-famous BW bottling facility.

Thanks again for the training, OG!

Speaking of that, where is PW in the development cycle? I'm interested in seeing it available!

Doesnotcompute · #20 06-14-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whovous

You've also convinced me, not that it took much work, to cross black off of my possible color list. It is the showiest color,\

Noooo!

Black (in any form) is The One True Colour!

kenchan · #21 06-14-2009, 08:36 PM

Too bad MINI doesn't offer IB/B combo like my car as it is a test of your detailing abilities.

2 of the hardest colors to maintain, yet the most beautiful and rewarding when done right.

If you want just shiny and protection, use Griot's Paint Sealant. Hardly my preference on my hobby cars, but it does well on my dd's which are silver and taffeta white as they are always covered by the elements (24/7 kept outdoors).

**OctaneGuy** · #22 06-14-2009, 09:33 PM

Ask me over here
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...h-remover.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidJS

Speaking of that, where is PW in the development cycle? I'm interested in seeing it available!

umberto · #23 06-15-2009, 06:17 AM

OK, dumb (really dumb as I know there is a list someplace but I could not find the color list) question, but what is CPR ?

mine is CR and I use zaino(for now) and top it with Hydro which leaves the Zaino shininess but adds depth or richness

whovous · #24 06-15-2009, 07:01 AM

I think CPR is a particularly heart stopping shine on a Chili Red MINI.

rwwilsonjr · #25 06-15-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by umberto

OK, dumb (really dumb as I know there is a list someplace but I could not find the color list) question, but what is CPR ?

mine is CR and I use zaino(for now) and top it with Hydro which leaves the Zaino shininess but adds depth or richness

Maybe CPR stands for Chili Pepper Red? I too use Zaino which I bought prior to aquiring my Mini. It's good stuff and seems to hold up in the heat and rain of south Alabama summers. Lot of enthusiam for Epic heare and I plan on trying it just to see how it compares. The only thing I've found that compares to Zaino in terms of longevity (not shine) is Collinite.