Chemical Guys 'Black'

[reflexboy]

Has anyone used this? I need to know it's the dogs danglies before I part with £70:

https://www.chemicalguysuk.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BLKWX

 

[Rosso1]

I don't personally see the need to spend £70 on paint wax.
There are very many other waxes are a fraction of that cost that will do a fantastic job for instance DoDo Juice for black cars i find this works well in the summer were as a better lasting wax is Collinite if your looking for good winter protection's.
I am sure you can find as good a product at at least half of the price of the wax you have looked at.

 

[Flackadder]

That is a lot of money. But if you divide the amount of applications with the cost.......!!

 

[TripleD]

Seems most reviews are aimed at show wax rather than providing decent protection, so probably not worth the £70 price tag.

 

[reflexboy]

Thanks for the comments all. After having clayed and DA Polished the car previously, I normally just use AG SRP topped with AG HD Wax which leave a nice glossy finish and lasts pretty well too. I'm not overly concerned about the longevity of protection as I tend to wax about one a month. I'm looking to see if this product would give it an extra glossy, wet look, better than I currently have.

 

[TripleD]

Might be worth looking at the Blackfire wet over Ice kit, it's suppose to give a good finish: Blackfire Wet Ice Over Fire Kit | Blackfire Car Care & Detailing Products

My plan once I've picked the car up is to use the WerkStat Acrylic kit to build up some layers, topped with some AF Desire wax and AF Toughcoat, should be good enough for a fair few months protection, then using Gyeon Bathe+ and Wet Coat when washing should keep it looking good.
Mainly because I have these already, but I'm looking at Blackfire for when it runs out.

Not branched into the DA polishers yet as I'm too scared I'll completely f*** up the paint. Which one do you have, what pads do you use?

 

[reflexboy]

Might be worth looking at the Blackfire wet over Ice kit, it's suppose to give a good finish: Blackfire Wet Ice Over Fire Kit | Blackfire Car Care & Detailing Products

My plan once I've picked the car up is to use the WerkStat Acrylic kit to build up some layers, topped with some AF Desire wax and AF Toughcoat, should be good enough for a fair few months protection, then using Gyeon Bathe+ and Wet Coat when washing should keep it looking good.
Mainly because I have these already, but I'm looking at Blackfire for when it runs out.

Not branched into the DA polishers yet as I'm too scared I'll completely f*** up the paint. Which one do you have, what pads do you use?

You have to try really hard to mess up the paint with a DA. I have a Clean Your Car DAS-6 and use mainly Menzerna Pads and Menzerna different grade polishes. I have recently tried the Hex Logic pads but have noticed no difference. You'll never get a super doper shine without a DA in my eyes.

 

[Toobad]

Well that certainly explains why the Chemical Guys marketing department earn the big money! It is a polymer sealant doing what polymer sealants do. You could achieve the same thing for £20 using something like this:

Soft99 Fusso Coat Dark

There is always going to be an element of "the Emperor's new clothes" with any product. If I had dropped £70 on a paint protector I think I may be persuaded it really is the best thing since sliced bread. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If it has brought you that warm glow of satisfaction then it has done its job and was worth every penny. Well that's what I keep telling myself as I stare at the advert for this badboy:

Zymol Vintage Glaze

 

[flango]

You have to try really hard to mess up the paint with a DA. I have a Clean Your Car DAS-6 and use mainly Menzerna Pads and Menzerna different grade polishes. I have recently tried the Hex Logic pads but have noticed no difference. You'll never get a super doper shine without a DA in my eyes.

Totally agree i use menzerna on MB nothing better although now im competent with a DA I've switched to a rotary same finish but lots quicker

 

[MDMerc]

Well that certainly explains why the Chemical Guys marketing department earn the big money! It is a polymer sealant doing what polymer sealants do. You could achieve the same thing for £20 using something like this:



Soft99 Fusso Coat Dark



There is always going to be an element of "the Emperor's new clothes" with any product. If I had dropped £70 on a paint protector I think I may be persuaded it really is the best thing since sliced bread. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If it has brought you that warm glow of satisfaction then it has done its job and was worth every penny. Well that's what I keep telling myself as I stare at the advert for this badboy:



Zymol Vintage Glaze

Vintage is a lovely product but reality is Glasur does everything Vintage does for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Toobad]

I think Chemical Guys "Black" is being pitched as what economists call a "veblen good". The more expensive the item, the more desirable it is. That is certainly true for Zymol Vintage Glaze. To detect the improvement over a £95 pot of Zymol Glasur would indeed require an expert eye. Moving up to the £100 premium treatments definitely brings a certain indulgent feelgood sense of satisfaction. Another contender punching way above its weight in the premium sector is Pinnacle's Souveran. This £76 wax gives stunning results especially on dark coloured paint.

I opted for Blackfire's Wet Ice Over Fire kit mentioned in an earlier post. The Wet Diamond Paint Protection combined with the Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Wax produces immense flake pop and a finish with incredible depth and warmth.. The marketing talks of a dripping wet finish and the tagline is "Create whiplash"

Wet Ice Over Fire Kit

Here's the finished product:

 

[brucemillar]

Is that a non enhanced photo? It looks like a chromed image.

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[Toobad]

That's just a resized JPG straight out of my Nikon D600 full frame dSLR taken with a 24-105mm F4 Sigma lens. The shade of the Hyacinth Red paint changes depending on the colour temperature of the daylight at different times of the day. Obviously maximum reflectivity presents better on darker paint so I waited until late afternoon when the paint was showing more burgundy tones. Perhaps the 12 hours of machine polishing, 2 coats of sealant and 7 coats of ivory carnauba wax contribute to the reflectivity too.

 

[Toobad]

Carnauba wax just loves red paint and I actually enjoy topping it up every month. If you prefer minimal maintenance with insane sterile gloss and beading/sheeting properties then perhaps you would be better suited to one of the newer glass coatings which use SiO2 nanotechnology. As always the secret is in the polishing stage before applying your protection. Remember the old adage - Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Here's a few more examples of the depth and warmth of Blackfire's carnauba creating that whiplash effect:

"Dripping Wet Paint"

 

[brucemillar]

That's just a resized JPG straight out of my Nikon D600 full frame dSLR taken with a 24-105mm F4 Sigma lens. The shade of the Hyacinth Red paint changes depending on the colour temperature of the daylight at different times of the day. Obviously maximum reflectivity presents better on darker paint so I waited until late afternoon when the paint was showing more burgundy tones. Perhaps the 12 hours of machine polishing, 2 coats of sealant and 7 coats of ivory carnauba wax contribute to the reflectivity too.

Then I salute both you and your waxing efforts (no bikini line). That is a stunning finish (regardless of colour). Well done and thank you for posting.

 

[TripleD]

That's just a resized JPG straight out of my Nikon D600 full frame dSLR taken with a 24-105mm F4 Sigma lens. The shade of the Hyacinth Red paint changes depending on the colour temperature of the daylight at different times of the day. Obviously maximum reflectivity presents better on darker paint so I waited until late afternoon when the paint was showing more burgundy tones. Perhaps the 12 hours of machine polishing, 2 coats of sealant and 7 coats of ivory carnauba wax contribute to the reflectivity too.

12 hours

But looks stunning! What machine polisher/pads did you use?

 

[Toobad]

I don't want to hijack reflex boy's thread but hopefully the conversation still remains relevant to his quest for the ultimate gloss finish.

I did a 2-stage polish using a Dual Action DAS6 Pro+ with a 15mm throw and 900W motor. Unfortunately Mercedes uses one of the hardest clearcoats on the planet and my intention was to knock back some of the orange peel which seems to come free with most new cars these days. Always mindful of the fact you can't put back what you've taken off and coupled with Mercedes reputation for not applying the thickest of clearcoats, I decided to stay away from denim or velvet polishing pads.

I really rate Scholl Concepts products when it comes to dealing with hard paint so, after doing the usual decontamination rituals, my weapons of choice for the 2-stage polish were as follows:

• Scholl Concepts 5.5" dual layer white Spider pad because it is a very firm pad which allows you to lean in quite heavily whilst the power of the DAS6 Pro+ 900W motor doesn't stop rotation.
  
• Scholl Concepts S3 Gold XXL polish. This is a modern auto-reducing polish in so much as the longer you work the polish the abrasive particles transition from coarse to fine allowing you to go from maximum cut to high gloss all in one go. It is beautifully oily and has zero splatter
  
• Lake Country 5.5" black CCS Smart pad which is a mildly abrasive dimpled foam pad ideal for retaining reservoirs of polish. This is the 2nd or "gilding the lily" polishing stage just to bring out that ultimate crispness of the paint.
  
• Scholl Concepts S40 finishing polish applied at Speed 4 with very lttle pressure on the black pad for that final burnishing/jewelling finish.
  
• Lake Country 6.5" flat gold Concours pad at Speed 1 for applying Blackfire's Wet Diamond Paint Protector.
  
• Hand foam applicator for applying Blackfire's Midnight Sun Ivory Carnauba Wax.

 

[whitenemesis]

Pretty sure I read somewhere that Chemical Guys Hex-Logic - Green Heavy Polishing Pads were MB workshop preferred pads because of the very hard paint finish?

 

[reflexboy]

I don't want to hijack reflex boy's thread but hopefully the conversation still remains relevant to his quest for the ultimate gloss finish.

[/LIST]

You crack on-I'm enjoying the read and the advice-You are a very, very bad influence because you are now the direct cause of me wanting to buy more detailing products!!

 

[Toobad]

@ whitenemesis - Well you are kind of right in so much as it is the standardised green coloured pad that is used for OEM correction at Mercedes. The actual pad of choice is actually a Lake Country CCS Smart Pad which, whilst coloured pink, is of the same abrasion level as a conventional green pad.

Mercedes OEM Polishing Pad

Incidentally, the OEM polish of choice is supplied by the German manufacturer, Menzerna. It was because I was going for orange peel reduction (caused by the forced drying of water-based paints in low bake ovens on the production line) that I had to go with something a tad more aggressive than that used for OEM corrective work.