# is it worth polishing silver car



## Mandzhalas (Mar 28, 2010)

i recently bought 2002 e39 silver bmw.inspected paint under hallogen light,and found lots and lots of swirls.got my trusty das-6 out.Started with medium pad and medium cut polish.10 pases,inspect.nothing.then used mequiars 105 and most agresive hexlogic pad i have.10 passes.and it barely removed any swirls
my god bmw paint is hard! i tought volvo paint was hard,but bmw just in different league!anyways made another 10-15 passes and swirls were removed

then it got me thinking... visually polished section does not stand out from the rest of the paint.you could only see difference under halogen.
Is it really worth spending 2 days to polish car just to know its swirls free,and looks 5% shinier?
i mean i polished black cars,and it really stands out when its done.but silver its just not worth hassle imo


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

In a word - Yes!
Silver and Yellow are both colours where the hours of polishing may not quite yield the same effect as a black car for example but you will see a difference nonetheless.

I spent 3 days on a yellow car last week & despite the paintwork not being in bad condition, having machined half the bonnet it was easy to see the difference - the pre-corrected side looked a dull, washed out yellow as opposed to the bright, sharp yellow of the corrected side.


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## Jasoon (Jun 23, 2006)

Ive just started doing my E46 Silver BMW with a DA for the first time and while its not a massive really stand out difference there is a subtle difference....

My BMW has been well polished and clayed not too long ago but im happy with the finish im getting with the DA and dodo juice lime prime.... so i would say its well worth the time it will take to do it all....


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## Doc943 (Mar 27, 2011)

Confirmed - silver is a b*tch!


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

After


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## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

defo polish silver,any colour can be seen better after a decent polish/wax sealant,gives it a new lease of life and protection,i have silver :thumb:


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

make your own mind up is it worth it ?


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## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

suspal said:


> make your own mind up is it worth it ?


nice :thumb:


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Polishing isn't all about the visual effect, a smooth as silk paintwork will be far easier to maintain.


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## Method Man (Aug 28, 2009)

S63 said:


> Polishing isn't all about the visual effect, a smooth as silk paintwork will be far easier to maintain.


Agreed.

I had a silver Vectra (best car I've had so far) and used to polish by hand two or three times a year. Even after I'd done 100,000 miles in it, it looked in excellent condition and was easy to keep it that way.It got me a couple of hundred pounds more on a p/ex as well. Dealer said it was the cleanest car he'd seen for its age and mileage.


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

As other have said, keep going it is worth it in the end


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## Dift (May 22, 2011)

Oh hell yes!

Akoya Silver is an stunning colour on Audis.

I spent an hour alone on the boot of the family wagon to see how good you could make silver shine. Using my Roberlo polishes I got it as good as I could.

The paint on the car is in excellent condition, and has only had a light polish previously. I've had many comments on how shiney it is... But now, the boot is incredible.

It's topped with Reload only as I had to remove the CQuartz during the polish.

The picture speaks for itself I think... Just goes to show how taking your time and not rushing the polishing stage makes such a huge difference.


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## Doc943 (Mar 27, 2011)

M4D YN said:


> nice :thumb:


Nice 

Mine did okay but still wish for maximum bling!


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Look into the microfibre polishing pads on hard paints  (im no expert on them but no doubt someone on here is)


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Of course you need to polish it buddy! Can get some great effects from silver cars.


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Definetly worth it mate silver does reward with good prep especially wetsanding.


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

As above, with silver its more about the quality and depth of the reflection rather than just the wow factor of a reflection I think.


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

Nah not really


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

visually you dont seem to get the stunning results you would see on a black car but after spending the day doimg my silver Mazda i'd say it was definately worth it


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Dan, do you have a picture of your silver Mazda? I'm guessing its the same silver as mine! 2nd car of the 3 I posted?


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Guitarjon said:


> Dan, do you have a picture of your silver Mazda? I'm guessing its the same silver as mine! 2nd car of the 3 I posted?


Here you go so me pice below plus a link to my thread

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=304527&highlight=mazda


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Ah yours is the newer silver. Slightly darker than mine. Cool looking car. Love the scoop is it a 6?


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Might be darker due to fading light. Mine is a 3 mk2 which is the only one with a scoop


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Oh yeah silly me...


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

Silver is such a difficult colour to yield big gains from but these three in the post here do prove it is such a worthwhile result.


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## jonnyboyctr (Nov 7, 2012)

I would definatly say it is worth the effort. Just spent the last week hand polishing my bonnet and front wings. Admitantly there is only a small difference but it just adds that little bit of depth and clarity. Put a couple of layers of chem guys blacklight on to slightly darken the sliver toped by a nice wax and ooh la la, looks a good un! :argie:


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## svended (Oct 7, 2011)

No malice to the OP, but silly question to ask on a detailing forum where people have been known to polish Sky+ boxes, taps, shower screens, breakfast counters, etc... 
If you don't polish them out, granted no one else will see them, but you will know they are there, and that's the worst.


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## pulsar-dobby (Aug 3, 2006)

It is worth it in the end as the reflections become crystal clear. It will look so much newer than other cars too.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I think most people have a love/hate relationship with silver..... it never gets that dirty looking but the flip side is that is never really shows hours and hours of work like black would.... so it's always a compromise.... but should it be polished..... and can it look good...

I think so...










:thumb:


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## RyanSpencer (Apr 27, 2013)

*The Guru*

It is defo worth polishing it, although silver, white and light coloured cars benefit far more from having a paint sealant. Regards the Guru.


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## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Defo worth polishing silver this is done with just AG Srp nothing else. Can't wait to have the time to give it a good wax


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## Wilco (Apr 22, 2010)

I'd say so yeah. As said you won't get the same results as polishing black but you can still get a great finish on it. Af triple followed by Black Magic Detail Genesis wax left me with a finish I'm very happy with.


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## Mixman (Dec 18, 2007)

Polished and finished with AF Rejuvenate and Illusion


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

It s worth it mate , my last 2 rides are silver .


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