Show car finish or when is enough enough?

[DRamsey]

When is good enough, good enough? I can’t help but be amazed by Mike Phillips show car detailing. The paint on those cars looks like it’s going to drip off the car. So, I decided to see how far I could take my daily driver. I bought Blackfire polish and sealant, as well as Chemical Guys Blacklight and Pete’s 53. I polished the car with Blackfire polish with a Porter Cable and I was very pleased with the result. I applied Blacklight and the gloss seemed to improve. Candidly, I wasn’t impressed with Blacklight Wet Diamond. I think Wolfgang is far superior; anyway, the Blacklight Wet Diamond came out of the bottle like it was a mistake. It was like the ingredients didn’t mix, so I’m not sure if there was something wrong with the product or not? Then I applied Pete’s 53 over the top. My car looked good, not great, there is good gloss and depth, but the paint doesn’t look like it’s going to run off the car. I don’t know if it’s my technique, products, equipment or patience, but now I’m wondering when is good enough, good enough?

[vman]

Did you shake the bottle? Its common for waxes and sealants to separate over time. Try shaking the bottle really well and then check the consistency. If theyre still the same, there might be something wrong with it.

[snowking724]

Depending on the condition of the paint, it may need more than the Blackfire Polish + Seal. That product is an AIO(all in one) so it's not going to give you dripping show car results unless the vehicle is already in really great condition. Read up some more and look into a 2 or even 3 step polishing of the vehicle. And to answer your last question, enough is enough when you're happy with you results.

[DRamsey]

"enough is enough when you're happy with you results" I came to this conclusion too and I completely agree.

[CM8 6MT]

"enough is enough when you're happy with you results" I came to this conclusion too and I completely agree.

I would suggest "better" products but thats just my opinion. The fun about detailing that I find is that im always trying to push my cars maximum gloss & shine to its fullest potential.

Experiment with different products and work on your technique/pads to get the best out of your paint. Sure good enough is "good" enough, and it might very well look good...but can you make it look GREAT?

[weekendwarrior]

Blackfire wasn't good or Blacklight? Blackfire WD polish and sealant BEFORE Blacklight is kinda a mistake WD is an AIO sealant, Blacklight is more of a glaze although they don't market it that way except on CG UK website, it should go on BEFORE a sealant.

I used Blacklight, shake it and it squeezes out purple paste like and smells great, like grape.

Did you claybar it first? Does it need it? How about swirls? IF you have alot that will still be there and impact the final product, although Blacklight may cover them a bit Blacklight also helped on my one car with metallic paint.

Next time ditch AIO product if you want showroom, wash and clay bar first, swirl remove next, finish polish after that, wash 2nd time to remove oils, apply Blacklight then your wax , or better yet a spritz sealant like V7 over the blacklight, 2 coats of V7.