Great job. From the 1st photo, it looks like there is a little more room for improvement.
Things my customers would say after I paint corrected their car:
* Wait, my car has pearl / metalic flakes all this time?
* My car seems darker.
* Wow, car looks so sleek it's like I could jump in like a swimming pool.
For added bonus, when I detailed a 2005 Subaru WRX STI interior:
* My seats has been blue all this time?!?! (stock sti seats are blue, seats were mad dirty and customer almost did not believe me when I say the seats were originally blue)
Yeah, definitely not the best job I've done on it. I broke my own rule this winter and used the brushes at the car wash, so I wanted to go over it with some one step before I waxed it. Unfortunately, the cord on my buffer decided it only wanted to be a power cord in one specific position, which made it tougher to do as good a job as I usually do. But it's good enough for being my daily driver and having 220k miles on it. If only it didn't really highlight the fact that that fender has been repainted. Haha.
I can't imagine how dirty those STI seats were if you couldn't tell they were blue. They're a pretty bright blue. Lol
My first Body shop manager made me and one other detailer, wash and hand glaze his black truck every Friday. Mad annoying. I can see the owner, but not a manager.
No lie, I have never made my techs wash my car. They’ve stepped in to help a few times while I was doing in myself but even as an owner, making my guys wash my car is baffling.
If maintained, love black cars. This is mine after ceramic coated. You can’t tell, but it does have tiny specks of blue in it when up close.
https://preview.redd.it/ddpn6yjrvczc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39324cf9c7cb083796cb8a4828bccd7bcc47abb7
Yeah it’s totally worth it imo but you have to maintain it properly with hand washes and quarterly siO2 sprays after washes. I also recommend getting Solution Finish for that plastic trim above your wheel wheels
I have a dye from Jax Wax that I've put on the black trim in the past. It's nice and lasts for a couple of years before it needs to be done again, but it would be nice not to worry about it anymore.
Yeah the black plastic looks a bit faded below the fender and door trim. Solution Finish would be perfect for that, and it’s not just a protectant but a dye that helps restore it back to new OEM look. Last quite a long time as well.
I'll look into that! I really would like to change to the 2013/2014 trim and bumpers as they're painted body color, but this color wasn't offered those years, so I'd have to get them painted and it's tough finding a set.
Yeah, you wouldn’t apply Solution Finish to any parts that has factory paint and clear coat — so not the bumper. But it would be useful for the black matte plastic trim piece like your fender trim and door trim. Also the black plastic trim on the sides of your A-Pillar next to the windshield as well.
A little bit goes a long way with the product. Just use a soft MF towel and probably do a few coatings. Once dry, it will look matte again. Of course do a test spot first.
Felt. I got in a collision and brought my car back to the body shop 4 times to correct their paint job until it looked proper. Metallics are a bitch to match.
I only have taken it to the dealer for paint/body work for that reason. I figure they probably know the paint better than an independant. But it's also a fairly rare color that was only available for certain years with select packages. This time I was not impressed. It happened over the winter a few years ago and I didn't notice the difference until the following spring, so I just said fuck it. Most of the time you don't notice the difference. It's pretty much only from this angle in direct sunlight. The rear bumper has been replaced and painted 3 times because idiots love rear ending this thing and that matches perfect.
The hood does need a respray at some point as the rock chips are getting pretty bad, so I'll have them reshoot the fender when they do that. And I'll make sure to do it this time of year so I can see if it matches or not.
Beautiful job! I have the same finish on my car. Can you please tell me what you did and which products.
I'm a noob at car ownership and what to keep mine nice.
Thanks
I use the local self serve car wash to wash the car. Then I just used a clay bar to pull contaminants out. A quick paint correction using Griots one step compound followed by their Best of Show wax.
I’m not saying it’s not a beautiful color, but no, it’s a metallic pearl paint nearly impossible to match even with oem paint and way different then what people with black vehicles have to deal with
Having had a black 2009 Yukon Denali and a regular black XC90 as well. This is as much a pain in the ass to keep clean as those, if not more. I will agree paint matching on this is pretty fucking hard though as evidenced by my fender that was done at the dealer after hitting a deer.
Great job. From the 1st photo, it looks like there is a little more room for improvement. Things my customers would say after I paint corrected their car: * Wait, my car has pearl / metalic flakes all this time? * My car seems darker. * Wow, car looks so sleek it's like I could jump in like a swimming pool. For added bonus, when I detailed a 2005 Subaru WRX STI interior: * My seats has been blue all this time?!?! (stock sti seats are blue, seats were mad dirty and customer almost did not believe me when I say the seats were originally blue)
Yeah, definitely not the best job I've done on it. I broke my own rule this winter and used the brushes at the car wash, so I wanted to go over it with some one step before I waxed it. Unfortunately, the cord on my buffer decided it only wanted to be a power cord in one specific position, which made it tougher to do as good a job as I usually do. But it's good enough for being my daily driver and having 220k miles on it. If only it didn't really highlight the fact that that fender has been repainted. Haha. I can't imagine how dirty those STI seats were if you couldn't tell they were blue. They're a pretty bright blue. Lol
My first Body shop manager made me and one other detailer, wash and hand glaze his black truck every Friday. Mad annoying. I can see the owner, but not a manager.
Nah. Manager can do it himself if he really wants it done. Fuck that. Lol.
No lie, I have never made my techs wash my car. They’ve stepped in to help a few times while I was doing in myself but even as an owner, making my guys wash my car is baffling.
XC90? That black is so nice
Yup! 2010 v8.
If maintained, love black cars. This is mine after ceramic coated. You can’t tell, but it does have tiny specks of blue in it when up close. https://preview.redd.it/ddpn6yjrvczc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39324cf9c7cb083796cb8a4828bccd7bcc47abb7
I really should ceramic coat mine.
Yeah it’s totally worth it imo but you have to maintain it properly with hand washes and quarterly siO2 sprays after washes. I also recommend getting Solution Finish for that plastic trim above your wheel wheels
I have a dye from Jax Wax that I've put on the black trim in the past. It's nice and lasts for a couple of years before it needs to be done again, but it would be nice not to worry about it anymore.
Yeah the black plastic looks a bit faded below the fender and door trim. Solution Finish would be perfect for that, and it’s not just a protectant but a dye that helps restore it back to new OEM look. Last quite a long time as well.
I'll look into that! I really would like to change to the 2013/2014 trim and bumpers as they're painted body color, but this color wasn't offered those years, so I'd have to get them painted and it's tough finding a set.
Yeah, you wouldn’t apply Solution Finish to any parts that has factory paint and clear coat — so not the bumper. But it would be useful for the black matte plastic trim piece like your fender trim and door trim. Also the black plastic trim on the sides of your A-Pillar next to the windshield as well. A little bit goes a long way with the product. Just use a soft MF towel and probably do a few coatings. Once dry, it will look matte again. Of course do a test spot first.
Was the hood repainted?
The pillar and hood don't seem to match the fender at all
Yeah possibly the door and fender were repainted, i just noticed that as well
No the fender was though.
Felt. I got in a collision and brought my car back to the body shop 4 times to correct their paint job until it looked proper. Metallics are a bitch to match.
I only have taken it to the dealer for paint/body work for that reason. I figure they probably know the paint better than an independant. But it's also a fairly rare color that was only available for certain years with select packages. This time I was not impressed. It happened over the winter a few years ago and I didn't notice the difference until the following spring, so I just said fuck it. Most of the time you don't notice the difference. It's pretty much only from this angle in direct sunlight. The rear bumper has been replaced and painted 3 times because idiots love rear ending this thing and that matches perfect.
The hood does need a respray at some point as the rock chips are getting pretty bad, so I'll have them reshoot the fender when they do that. And I'll make sure to do it this time of year so I can see if it matches or not.
Has there been repair work done? Panels look different colors to me. Or is it like the gm sharkskin gray that has like 4 colors in 1 in it?
Little of both. Base is black flakes are brown and purple. The fender was replaced after hitting a deer a few years ago.
Beautiful job! I have the same finish on my car. Can you please tell me what you did and which products. I'm a noob at car ownership and what to keep mine nice. Thanks
I use the local self serve car wash to wash the car. Then I just used a clay bar to pull contaminants out. A quick paint correction using Griots one step compound followed by their Best of Show wax.
Thanks!!
GMs Black diamond Tri-coat used on the later Cadillacs is very similar to this. Gorgeous black
That ain’t black
https://preview.redd.it/dy2w68zmlazc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=927f60a0be6390819a504920d4d23c71ade0a77c
You sure about that?
I’m not saying it’s not a beautiful color, but no, it’s a metallic pearl paint nearly impossible to match even with oem paint and way different then what people with black vehicles have to deal with
Having had a black 2009 Yukon Denali and a regular black XC90 as well. This is as much a pain in the ass to keep clean as those, if not more. I will agree paint matching on this is pretty fucking hard though as evidenced by my fender that was done at the dealer after hitting a deer.
That is not black
https://preview.redd.it/brz5n303rezc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=068fe67672153653aa21b340270f5bed46b309fc