Natural Look vs Glassy Look - Which do you prefer?

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This car is owned by the same friends who own the FX35. I had previously corrected and coated this 350z with Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 back in October 2013.

This time, it is getting detailed because some areas needed some additional attention. The owner also took advantage of this opportunity to remove the Opti-Coat 2.0 for something that is slicker and glossier.

This time, I decided to take pictures of the car both after the paint correction was done (but before coating) and also after the coating was applied. I posted both sets of pictures below and I am really curious as to what you folks think. This particular paint coating, CarPro CQuartz UK, adds a very glass-like or "glassy" look to the paint – and I am curious if you folks like this look compared to the “natural” look of the paint.

Lastly, during my last two details, I have been using 3D/HD's polishes. If you have not looked at their line, I would highly encourage you to do so. Their polishes wipe-up easily, work quickly and are priced very competitively. They are also not too oily, which makes them a great choice for a detail that will be receiving a paint coating.

Prep:

Wash – Meguiars D110 + Microfiber Madness Incredisponge
Wheels – Wheel Woolies Large + Meguiars D110, followed by Iron-X to remove the stubborn deposits. The owner did not allow me to use wheel cleaner.
Clay – Nanoskin Wash Mitt, medium grade

Paint Correction:

Correction Step:

Polishers – Rupes Bigfoot LHR21ES
Pads – Buff & Shine Orange Medium Cut Foam Pad, 6.25"
Product – HD Adapt

Note: both the pillars and the painted strip above the windshield, were hand-compounded using Meguiars M101 and a foam applicator pad. Also, after this correction step, the finish was already 90% LSP ready -- HD Adapt performed EXTREMELY well!

Finishing Step:

Polishers – Rupes Bigfoot LHR21ES and Rupes LHR75E Mini
Pads – Rupes Yellow Polishing Foam Pads, 7” and 3”
Product – HD Polish

Protection:

Pre-coating wipedown - CarPro Eraser
Paint – Two coats of CarPro CQuartz UK, 2013 edition. This was followed-up with CarPro Reload.
Wheels – Wiped down with Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer
Tires – Optimum Opti-Bond
Trim – Blackwow Pro

Time spent: 15 hours. It is still not completely done – there are a few streaks and high spots that will need to be fixed once the coating has cured.
spankme2.gif


These pictures were taken after the paint correction was done, but before the coating was applied.

DSC_0165 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0163 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0160 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0159 by thecritic89, on Flickr

Now, take a look at these pictures – these were taken after two coats of CarPro CQuartz UK were applied.

DSC_0173 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0174 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0172 by thecritic89, on Flickr

DSC_0169 by thecritic89, on Flickr

Which look do you prefer -- natural or super-duper glossy?

Happy Detailing,
The Critic
 
Exterior - Glossy, Love when a car shines.

Interior - Natural, Can't stand the greasy look on the interior.

Nice car!!
 
Unless its meant to be flat or satin paint, it should shine and be glossy.

As far as trim, interior, and rubber/leather/vinyl it should look natural and well nourished but not like you rubbed it with vegetable oil.
 
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Tires look horrid. Super slimey and nasty in the last pics.

Here is my little secret if you want the tires to look newer. Scrub them independently from washing the car. Then very lightly treat them with a rubber compound, then scrub them again. Get all but the impregnated compound off.

Paint is fine - nice after.
 
The job looks fantastic Mike, no doubt about it. It could be my monitor at work but I don't see much of a difference except in the conditions in which the photos were taken. The "natural" photos were taken more in the sun and the CQuartz photos were taken with the car more in the shade reflecting the bright areas around it so of course those will look a little more dramatic. To answer your question, though, I always prefer high gloss and shine on the finish and a more muted look on rubber, plastic, and interior surfaces. One of these days I'm going to send you a bottle of this for the beauty shots
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https://www.detailersdomain.com/Adams-Invisible-Undercarriage-Spray_p_92.html#
 
I like the glossy look, paint ought to be shiny. I also like a shiny interior and glossy tires.
 
Originally Posted By: Smoky14
Just a suggestion, detail the fender liners.


+1

Car looks awsome, amazing shine...wish I could get mine to have that wet look!

I hate the shiny stuff, natural finish on tires and interior all the way. Plus hitting the wheels wells at the same time you wash the wheels makes a big difference. And when you treat the wheel wells the tires almost look like they disappear and the rims really pop.

Why in the world does this car have a trailer hitch???
 
Originally Posted By: Picky1
Originally Posted By: Smoky14
Just a suggestion, detail the fender liners.


+1

Car looks awsome, amazing shine...wish I could get mine to have that wet look!

I hate the shiny stuff, natural finish on tires and interior all the way. Plus hitting the wheels wells at the same time you wash the wheels makes a big difference. And when you treat the wheel wells the tires almost look like they disappear and the rims really pop.

Why in the world does this car have a trailer hitch???

The product I linked to in my post was a wheel well detail spray
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Hitch is probably for a bike rack. This way nothing has to touch the finish of the car.
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Tires look horrid. Super slimey and nasty in the last pics.



+1

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks tires should be flat black and look DRY, not gooey.

The rest of it looks great. I honestly can't tell much difference in the photos, but its obvious that a lot of work went into just getting it to the "before" state.
 
You got me thinking about this because I've always preferred the glassier look, but I also like the natural look. I'd have to see it in person, but in this case, I'd lean towards the after pics.

We tend to like the artificial over the natural. Just look at how many people are now conditioned to like incorrect calibration settings for their HDTV because they walked into Best Buy and saw all the TV's set to torch mode (contrast all jacked up). LOL
 
Paint as glossy as can be.

Interior and Tires = clean -- with no shine. I don't mind matte/satin finish on tires, but hate glossy.
 
As a long time detailer, it depends on the color of the car. For black and fire engine red, a good carnuaba looks great on these to colors. Victorias Red is a product I have used and it does a beautiful job. All other colors, I prefer synthetic based products like Blackfire and Carpro Reload. Reload is a bit pricey but its the best spray on wipe off product I have tested in recent memory.
 
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I prefer the "natural" version. Maximum glossy is more popular with cars but it reaches a point where I'm not sure I can see the car anymore.
smile.gif
 
For show cars, glossy. DD, not so much. I'm after durability. Few people can really notice the difference or care to look at it on that type of level. I really like how you can correct the paint and make it look new again. To me that would be the most rewarding part of detailing.
 
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