Hi, my Superb is finished in Amythyst Purple, neither light or dark. I was looking at a couple of pics I took the day I got it from the dealer two years ago and it really shone.

 

It still looks good, but not as good.

 

What would you recommend to bring back the wow factor?

 

many thanks, Andy

Working by hand or DA/Rotary?

Sorry, by hand the old fashioned way

Assuming it's the one in your avatar? I'd suggest without going mental that a decent clean followed by a coat of poorboys black hole and then a couple of coats of dodo juice purple haze would probably be a good bet. You can add a claying stage in there if needs be but up to you! Sure others will say different but that's my take.

Polishing by hand is very hard work, but if your up for it then Gtechniq P1 is good. Otherwise you can "cheat" & cover the swirls with a glaze.

If your purely thinking of a wax to make it shine, & asuming you know what you are doing with prep, then as per your question I agree a wax like purple haze by dodo juice or try some authentic premium by soft 99 sold by nippon shine.

Myself and a few others have been very pleased with the results from this product.

Agree with Northern Monkey. GTechniq P1 for removal or I would use Auto Finesse Tripple to mask and fill the swirls

From the little bits that I 've picked up your prep work will be as important as the lsp you choose. This is what I would do, but that's just me

snowfoam

rinse

detox shampoo

rinse

ironx at least the bottom half of the car to neutralise any ferrous particals

rinse

dry

tardis tar remover

rinse

Clay with farecla clay mit using really suddsy shampoo as a lube

rinse

dry

prep paint with farecla paint restorer/ dodo juice lime prime/lime prime light or AG high dev cleaner etc. IIRC the first 2 have micro abrasives in the other 2 don't

rinse and dry.

you're now ready to apply a sealer or wax of your choice! Probably a good quality sealant topped up with authentic then maintained with a good detailing spray like sonax BSD will do you proud.

P1 is the best polish for hand application.

 

Depends what is in your current arsenal, and then your budget? For ease of accessibility (ie Halfords) something like P1 or SRP, then a layer of AutoGlym Ultra Deep Shine topped with AG HD Wax.

 

If you're OK with the prep then PB Blackhole (as kiscix suggests) then a Dodo Juice wax over the top.

you could be very surprised just what impact a good paint cleaner will have on a colour like that. AG SRP is a good cleaner as well as offering a little abrasive but more importantly it does help fill light swirls. You also need to be realistic about what can be done purely by hand and also what can ultimately be done with that colour - its unlikely to be 'deep' and depending on the light, photos dont always give an accurate reflection of what you see.

 

Good challenge if you're up for hand polishing the super barge!

Thanks for all your advice. Looks like I have to formulate a plan. I don't have any swirls or things like that it just needs to be cheered up a bit. I have not done anything with clay or other fancy things. I think I will do a bit or research based on all of your suggestions. Time I have and the cost does not bother me. It's just a challenge really.

Oh yes, and a Superb is a bit like painting the Forth road bridge.

you'll have swirls there unless its been meticulously detailed since new - and typically most new cars come with a nice set of dealer installed swirls anyway! Its just hard to see them on lighter colours and you'll need a bright light source to pick them out. The problem is that although they are hard to see, they cause the surface to lose the gloss finish - exactly like you describe.

I was very pleased with Fusso99 for gloss finish, and I believe its good at filling light swirls too, not that I have any

 

 

Beads nicely too

I was very pleased with Fusso99 for gloss finish, and I believe its good at filling light swirls too, not that I have any

 

 

Beads nicely too

That looks very impressive! I have race blue too so was wondering did you get the petrol like streaks when you applied it that some have experienced and what sort of applicator did you use? How long did you leave it before buffing, did you apply a 2nd coat and when and what was the weather like when you did it. Thanks Ade.

Hi Zee. All that polishing can be hard work, especially on the Forth as you so rightly say. The best results I ever got we're also the easiest, interested?? There's a waterless car washing product called showroom shine by Greased Lightning, used to be on the TV but now I think it's internet purchase only. We'll I was given a bottle by my brother, tried it once and cringed the whole time I was wiping muck off with it. Needless to say only used it once. Then a friend said he used it as a polish after washing his car normally as it was dead easy to apply and remove. He was right, super fast job. The results are also FANTASTIC. Only caveat is do NOT spray onto plastics as it can leave them a bit white. When working near plastics spray onto a cloth and apply thus to paintwork only. Works we'll on windows too! Just another option to consider!

That looks very impressive! I have race blue too so was wondering did you get the petrol like streaks when you applied it that some have experienced and what sort of applicator did you use? How long did you leave it before buffing, did you apply a 2nd coat and when and what was the weather like when you did it. Thanks Ade.

 

No streaks for me.I don't know if it was luck or the fact I was applying very little product as I knew it wasn't good to go to heavy with it.

I used a sponge wax applicator (but not the one supplied with the polish as it felt to course).

It was sunny and hot when I did it, and It was a little "grabby" to apply, so I spritzed the applicator with de-ionized water frequently and it went on really well.

I didn't leave it on long ... around a minute or 2 before buffing off.

Couldn't agree more. As you say, just make sure the car is washed first.

The only thing that I find needs to be omitted is the windscreen...because of the wax.

Easiest way I know to end up with a shiny and protected car.

But don't let the experts on here read this...they'll hurt themselves laughing!

Hi Zee. All that polishing can be hard work, especially on the Forth as you so rightly say. The best results I ever got we're also the easiest, interested?? There's a waterless car washing product called showroom shine by Greased Lightning, used to be on the TV but now I think it's internet purchase only. We'll I was given a bottle by my brother, tried it once and cringed the whole time I was wiping muck off with it. Needless to say only used it once. Then a friend said he used it as a polish after washing his car normally as it was dead easy to apply and remove. He was right, super fast job. The results are also FANTASTIC. Only caveat is do NOT spray onto plastics as it can leave them a bit white. When working near plastics spray onto a cloth and apply thus to paintwork only. Works we'll on windows too! Just another option to consider!

Apologies for iPad auto punctuating "well" as "we'll" in the above post. Have also found for subsequent washing after polishing use a good combination wash and wax (I use Turtlewax version) and ALWAYS chamois the car down after. This helps clean the paint surface and shines the wax content so that the car maintains its polished look for much longer. Otherwise it looks flat again after a couple of washes.

Couldn't agree more. As you say, just make sure the car is washed first.

The only thing that I find needs to be omitted is the windscreen...because of the wax.

Easiest way I know to end up with a shiny and protected car.

But don't let the experts on here read this...they'll hurt themselves laughing!

Couldn't agree more. As you say, just make sure the car is washed first.

The only thing that I find needs to be omitted is the windscreen...because of the wax.

Easiest way I know to end up with a shiny and protected car.

But don't let the experts on here read this...they'll hurt themselves laughing!

Yeah, obviously there are more professional products and practises (and people!) which can get another 5 or so percent but it probably requires another 200 or 300 percent of effort (and maybe expense) which is fine for those who enjoy doing it but I like getting the whole thing done inside and out in 2 or 3 hours.

Oh and would do the whole car with tar remover after washing to get the black spots off before polishing.

If showroom shine works for you then fair play. I've used it but not as a waterless wash and it's a pretty good temp quick wax.

By the way it's available at boyes if anyone wants to try it.

But I have to say there are much cheaper and better alternatives to even this product. Try muc off quick QD + wax it's the same kind of thing.

Megs quick wax is also very similar in my opinion.

As for the fusso good choice but I was one of the minority who had the petrol coloured streaking, mine didn't get resolved by a second coat. But it did help when I applied a coat of authentic premium.

How strange just been to boyes and picked up this little bargain.

Contains the Megs quick wax I mentioned in above post.

I used P1 yesterday by hand to get one very fine scratch of a door panel - First time I've used it.

Took a while and a few applications to remove completely. A whole car would take some doing, even for light correction.

If you have lots of swirls you wish to remove a machine polish is the way forward! Or loads of spare hours and massive arms!

P1 is the best polish for hand application.

 

Depends what is in your current arsenal, and then your budget? For ease of accessibility (ie Halfords) something like P1 or SRP, then a layer of AutoGlym Ultra Deep Shine topped with AG HD Wax.

 

If you're OK with the prep then PB Blackhole (as kiscix suggests) then a Dodo Juice wax over the top.

As said at the beginning of this post, I am not out to win any concourse prizes, had enough of that in my Saab days with my 96 V4.

 

Gave my wifes car a good wash, its about the same age as mine, then AG Ultra Deep Shine and High Definition wax. Good enough for me. Will try it on my car now.

 

Thanks to everybody who has given advice. If I pick up a classic, which I may well do as a project. I now have all the info I require in this thread.

 

Not quite sure I can go down the hanging of the bodyshell by ropes from the garage roof again while I strip of all the underside goo before a full respray. It's been many years since I embarked on that. But who knows, I have the time. Just don't know what to buy.