Kar don

That is true. Souveran is an amazing wax and it looks like a puddle when a black car is done. I personally dislike it because it is **** for durability... I like the candy look of zaino on black.

oknish

WOW.....you guys really know what you are talking about So, Kar don, what do you mean when you say Souveran is not durable? Forgive the ignorance, I am just trying to learn as much as I can before I do my GL. TIA.

Nevada Jack

I'll pass this time since I will be trading the S in about 60 days. I'll have you do the GL when you come back to LV to get even at the tables...:-)

boxboss

Zaino (there are many others as well) is a synthetic acrylic polymer and withstands washing/rain/etc for about 6 months (with the usual 3 coat application.) Carnauba, of course, is a natural wax that lasts through about 30-45 days or regular washings/sun/rain before needing to be reapplied. There are trade-offs as Zaino is more time consuming to apply.

Some people will apply carnauba over Zaino to get the best of both worlds!

Kar don

Oknish, what I mean by not durable is that after a few rain showers, snow, or even bird sh*t that the wax protection will be stripped off. Even a lot of time in the sun will cause the wax protection to quickly evaporate. I also just love the water shedding ability of zaino. If your freshly washed car gets rained on slightly and you drive it on the highway you can just watch all the water fling off, it's a cool sight! To me the slightly longer application time of Zaino is well worth it for the benefits and the look. Souveran does smell incredible though, might go well with some ice cream.

T Class

Amazing photos..

MERCFAN

My GL 420CDI will be delivered in May in Europe. My color is Obesidian black like my S. Today I was at the delaler looking at one GL obesian and the color is not like my S. It is more black, but is beautifull.
Polishing and waxing in fact they remove microns of paint of the color. In my opinion it is allways good to avoid this jobs. Better to wash it yourself and only if you have one scratch here or there you may polish the car in that area. Never do this as routine pratice.

Nevada Jack

Kar don you have me back in the color selection mode...also, MERCFAN comment about the Alabama OB being "more black" reinforces my thinking about changing back to OB instead of white. I had a '98 W210 wagon in OB and always wished it was a little deeper black but I did not want the non-metallic black. What do you guys think...

Kar don

Nevada Jack:

Vance vs Germany (sindelfingen or bremen) Obsidian Black *should* be the same. Now keep in mind that today paint is applied differently than it was in 1998. They now use electrostatic bell type applicators which actually cause the metallic flakes to "stand up". I am not sure what type of applicators Vance had in play at that time. Also the ceramiclear truely enhances the gloss of the paint, especially noticeable on black.

Personally I love the way the GL looks in Obsidian black. I would make the switch.

boxboss

How do I say that OB would be a better choice without disparaging your choice of white? You had valid reasons for going with white so don't forget those. It really is a personal preference thing. I'm tired of light colors and OB looks so nice. The fact that it's not super metallic (and might appear dusty when it's not) and still a deep black is a plus. The more I see pictures of whites and blacks, the more I know I made the right decision for me.

How late in the game can you change colors?

oknish

NevadaJack - when I realized that my exterior would have to be black, my first choice was OB. I couldn't find it and so I got the regular black. And, yes, it is hard to keep clean vs. White but it is pleasing to the eye.

Kar don/boxboss - thanks for the info on polish and wax. Looks like I am going to go Carnuba on Zaino route Ordering Porter Cable 7424 this weekend.

Kar don

oknish, i really wouldnt recommend doing zaino and then carnuaba. Either do one or the other. The solvents in the wax (solvents are in the wax to soften the carnuaba and make it easy to apply) will degrade the zaino. Furthermore when you apply the wax over the zaino you cant really reapply zaino unless you strip off all the wax.

boxboss

I didn't want to give you the impression I endorsed carnauba over Zaino, but I see that I probably did. That's a very short term shine and you loose some benefits of both. Kar don is right, you'll have to strip off all the wax and probably your Zaino in the process to reapply Zaino. One thing about Zaino...if you start with 3 coats applied over a weekend, you can put on an additional coat every 6 weeks or so and really boost the shine and protection (if you want.) No so if you've put carnauba over it. Think of it as oil (carnauba) and water (Zaino) - they don't want to mix.

oknish

I appreciate the pointers, guys. I am thinking of going with 3 coats of Zaino to begin with. What polish do you guys recommend? I don't mind paying extra for a good polish. After all I am starting on a "Zen" path

boxboss

If your car is new and swirl free, which I'm assuming it is, you don't need to polish at all! The less polishing the better. Here's a good article about polishing from autopia.org: Overpolishing

BTW, when I mentioned getting into the Zen of detailing, I meant it as a way to take my mind off other things - a stress reliever so to speak. Relaxing and producing something I can take personal pride in. I don't see it as an obsession to get the best shine in town.





I hate golf.

Nevada Jack

Don't worry about "disparaging" my white selection...as you say color is totally subjective. I am always impressed when I see a black car that is well maintained...the highlights and sparkle really make it stand out. My last two cars have been white and had Barolo Red been available I probalby would have that as my selection. Those pics by Kar don really made me take a closer look at my decision on the color.

Since I keep my car pretty well detailed I think I can handle the black and will probably call today to make the change. As far as cut off dates, I don't know the time frame but there are still 60 days before build so I don't think there will be a problem. My sales rep knows my history on color choices so he will not be surprised when I contact him with the change...

Kar don

good choice Jack. The only issue with obsidian black is that shiny spots are more visible if the vehicle has been paint repaired at the factory. Regardless, I would still get Obsidian black.

oknish

hey boxboss - I do have some very light swirls since I did get the car washed at dealer once and at a car wash as well. But I will just "Zaino" it to begin with and see what happens. And, yes, I was wondering about polishing too since everything I read said that polishing is really running very fine abrasives over your paint. That lead me to wonder as to how good polishing is for a car.

I did get your point about Zen of detailing. Seems like a great way to take your mind of other things and just relax and, of course, have something by the end that you can take pride in. I am most definitely not looking to have the best shine in town by any mean. Rather I just believe in doing things right and doing them right the first time.

So, how do you guys wax the top of the GL? Using a small step ladder, stand on tires or ??

THANKS for a decent exchange of views and time and help given.

oknish

Nevada jack - As you said color is a personal choice so you have to get what you like. I didn't have a lot of choice but I am happy with what I got. Granted it is hard to keep clean but the chrome trims on the outside just look wonderful with Black. It has to be the contrast. Also, and maybe this is just me, but the headlights on Black look a bit more aggressive. Again could be due to the sharp contrast or maybe it's just me

Nevada Jack

As you can see from my signature, I have made the change back to Obsidian Black with Macadamia. NetStar has been updated.

oknish

Welcome to the Black side of the family

x-ALI-x

Yes, welcome on board Jack. My OB 450 is scheduled for end of April production, so it'll be 3 weeks older than yours :-).

I'm glad to see so many folks with this color...makes it easier to share expertise, experiences, and solutions.

Norris

Great choice. I will have the same. Will hope to post next week.

boxboss

I must say your new sig is better than your old. Good choice, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Nevada Jack

My build date is April 26th so we should be on the same line together...