The thing I love about silver cars in general is that they are low maintenance - more or less always look clean. The thing I don't like about them is that they never look more than just clean. Difficult to make them stand out or get that deep, wet glossy look.

I have done a lot of research on the topic and have placed an order for the following:

- Werkstat Prime:Strong
- Werkstat Acrylic Jett:Trigger
- Natty's RED Paste Wax

I have a 2009 G37 in Liquid Platinum. The paint I would say is in excellent condition. I plan on purchasing the Porter Cable as well in the near future but can't commit the money right now.

My plan of attack is:

1) Wash with dish detergent to strip wax/sealants
2) Clay bar
3) Wash with Maguiar's
4) Dry
5) Werkstat Prime:Strong
6) Werkstat Acrylic Jett:Trigger x 2-3 layers
7) Natty's RED Paste Wax

Any other suggestions?

Namely, I struggle with my windows turning to crap immediately after a rain. Any way to protect them a bit better?

 

Bro Im not sure what exactly your trying to do by working so hard...I use Maguiar's too though my car is black. I use their new products with the nano in it. It gives my car the glossy wet look hands down! I mean no swirl marks and too I know this is a Pain I wax mine 3 coats every Sat morning in my garage...they have a 3 step I found it at a local body shop that uses it to polish their cars they just fixed. its about a $60 investment though it shines like crazy...I'm heading to my garage to start...I like the Glossy wet look... but if your trying to change the tint from it..Bro go get a House of color Clear with a tint to it and take it to a body shop and they can make what color your looking for to stand out... as for the window issue just use RainX on them to clear all the hard water stains then wax the crap out of them with a polisher! but note tape off the Rubber! you dont want that to get burned while polishing! been there done that! So go find the kit do a Google search for body shops that sell their products...It's worked for me...and I love how this new stuff works from them...easy on easy off with a I just poured water on the car look! Really!

 

Ohh and lastly you never mention how you apply... hand or polisher? Hand works but not to get the wet look...Wax's work for that shine is heat! get yourself a Nice polisher roughly $150 like mine and go to town...just dont burn your paint or use it on the bumper! its plastic and melts! Heat is good!!!

 

People always ask how I keep my light colored cars looking good so long and why the color seems to pop more than others.
Nothing special, just frequent care.
I use a cleaner wax twice a year and regular carnauba 4-6 times a year. Washing regularly helps.

 

Hey man, appreciate the response. But honestly, you are comparing apples to asphalt. I specified silver/liquid platinum because light colored cars are known to be an extreme challenge when detailing. There is nothing easier than a black car - although black cars look dirty quicker. That's the trade off. If I had a black car, I would not be on this forum posting this. I would have bought a polisher long ago, would two stage polish, apply a few coats of wax and call it a day and enjoy the reflection (for a day).

 

Honestly it won't be easy to make it pop without a polisher. I detailed a LP G just a couple of weeks ago and the owner was thrilled with the results. The vast majority of the improvement came from polishing. I know that's not what you want to hear, but in my experience there's absolutely no substitute for abrasive machine polishing. After wash and clay I used Meguiar's 105 on a white pad with a Flex. It really brought out the shine and his car was not in bad condition. Finished it with Dodo Juice Supernatural and it was stunning.

Good luck with your detail. Post photos of your results.

 

BB, does the GS color require as much work as LP to make it stand out?

 

That's hard to say. If you do the same thing on GS as you do LP it'll look just as good. I work equally hard on every detail on every color. I spent the better part of 3 days detailing Betty this week for a photoshoot. Lol. But LP pops more IMO when it's done well because of the color. It looks slightly deeper and wetter than GS when you do it right. That's strictly my subjective opinion. But it's pretty close. Every color is slightly different but a well done detail job (which is 75% surface prep) makes any car look fantastic. That's why I always stress that buying a polisher and practicing till you're good should be a requirement not an option. I can prep and polish a car with no LSP and it will look better than a poorly prepped covered with 2 coats of $3000 wax every time.

 

A porter cable will really help you a lot when you finally get one.

 

True. Then when you buy a Flex you'll almost want to throw the PC away.