Deep, Glossy Shine

[bretfraz]

It's hard to say what you'd need to do to your truck to match the other one without us seeing them in person, side-by-side. Maybe the other truck had been repainted very well. Maybe it had been color sanded and buffed to perfection. Maybe the factory paint job is better.

Dark colors display a deep gloss better than light colors, same with solid colors instead of metallics. You say you have a "Marine Corps" green. Is it dark green metallic? If so, Ford calls it Dark Highland Green (one of their most famous colors). That color theoretically should be able to shine up very nicely if polished to perfection. What could hold it back is orange peel, swirl marks, oxidation, buffer marks, or any number of surface defects.

This is a hard question to answer accurately without evaluating the truck personally. I wish I could be of more help.

 

[davefr]

You skipped some critical steps between Clay and Wax. Clay will remove surface dirt and wax will protect the surface but you did nothing to polish your finish.

After Claying, I would have polished the vehicle and removed swirl marks and other minor surface hazing. Meguires DACP or Swirl remover would work. It's easier with a PC DA polisher but you can use it by hand.

Now I'd go over it with a much finer polish like Klasse AIO.

Now you can top it with a sealant and/or wax.

There's nothing magical about Zaino. It just forces you to go thru the entire process of preparing the surface which is 75% of the job.

Professional detailers respect Zaino but there are lots of other equal and/or superior products.

Go to www.autopia.org and attend their "univeristy" forum.

 

[Meistersinger]

Thanks Guys, guess I will have to run out and get some decent polish for next time. I didn't notice any significant swirl marks on the finish, but it certainly can't hurt to throw the polish on. I was really impressed with the claying of the truck. Amazing how slippery it is now. Everyday I come out to my truck an just run my hand down it now, enjoying the finish!

Oh Bret, I believe the color is actually Estate Green. Its an olive tinted green.

 

[Meistersinger]

Ok guys, I rarely post, but I read daily. So here it goes.

I have what I call a 'Marine Corps' Green 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. I love the truck! It gets washed weekly, but this weekend was the first time I have tried clay barring it. Never heard about that before reading these forums. So, my brother and I handwashed the truck, clay barred it, and waxed using Black Magic liquid wax. A good wax, but I wouldn't consider it top tier after reading these forums.

Now, I was very proud of my truck. Looked great, nice gloss, slicker than snot when you ran your hand down it. (Claybars are amazing!) However, I went to the park later that day and someone parked a deep red 2005 version of my truck next to me that had such a deep gloss to the truck, I was immediately jealous. I mean, mine looked great to me, until I looked at his. I don't know if it was the color of his truck that made it such a remarkable difference or if he was using Zaino.

Is there anyway I can make my truck look the same without spending a fortune?

 

[vad]

quote:

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Originally posted by davefr:
Professional detailers respect Zaino but there are lots of other equal and/or superior products.

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Sorry, I don't have time to go through their forums.
I would be curious to know what those products would be.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

quote:

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Originally posted by vad:

quote:

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Originally posted by davefr:
Professional detailers respect Zaino but there are lots of other equal and/or superior products.

---

Sorry, I don't have time to go through their forums.
I would be curious to know what those products would be.

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SOME of them would be Klasse All in One, Klasse Sealant Glaze, Four Stars UPP, Pinnacle Souveran Paste, Poorboy's World products, Optimum products,and Menzerna just to name a few off the top of my head. After being a member of Autopia for a year I've learned that prep is more important than the name products that you use, assuming that you used the right product to accomplish the right task of course.