Does any Prius have a shiny new car look?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mid jersey, Jul 28, 2012.

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  1. LulzChicken

    LulzChicken Prius Enthusiast

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    That. Is. Amazing.
     
    #21 LulzChicken, Jul 29, 2012
  2. mid jersey

    mid jersey Junior Member

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    Thanks for the Collinite and Pinnacle pointers, DP200248721!

    After going through this thread, it seems to me that any shiny Prius with the wet look associated with a high quality finish is the result of the owner taking extraordinary care in buffing/waxing/polishing, rather the native factory color. Unfortunately, thanks to street parking I lack the ability to hand wash and pamper my car.

    Can anyone recommend a good detailer in Monmouth county, NJ?
     
    #22 mid jersey, Jul 29, 2012
  3. 13Plug

    13Plug Active Member

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    I used Collinite paste wax on my red Prius, it's awesome, I'll use only it from now on. It lasts like crazy and has a great shine.
     
    #23 13Plug, Jul 29, 2012
  4. DP200248721

    DP200248721 Active Member

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    Thanks Buddy, I wanted a blizzard pearl like yours but I already own 2 white cars haha.


    Your welcome, hope u can give that car a nice shine, silver can look amazing when done right..

    Rob
     
    #24 DP200248721, Jul 30, 2012
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  5. Erikon

    Erikon Active Member

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    You really don't have to take extraordinary steps, I often just run mine through a touch free car wash, follow up with some spray on Meguires detailing wax, looks great!
     
    #25 Erikon, Jul 30, 2012
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  6. DP200248721

    DP200248721 Active Member

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    Granted, but personally I won't have my car go through an auto-wash, the risk of swirling/marring my paint is just too great, lol. To each their own though.

    PS~ Here are some pics of my foam cannon in action on a coworker's car I'm cleaning today, been sitting for 6 months due to a deployment. Sorry no afters since I'm working on it right now. Enjoy

    Before:
    [​IMG]

    During Foam Cannon Soak:
    [​IMG]
     
    #26 DP200248721, Jul 30, 2012
  7. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i will 2nd that on my 3 year 3 month old 2010... still shiny blue
     
    #27 DaveinOlyWA, Jul 30, 2012
  8. Erikon

    Erikon Active Member

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    The car wash I go through just uses spray jets, no brushes. I would never use the brush kind, let alone the kid waiting to wipe it dry with gritty rags!
     
    #28 Erikon, Jul 30, 2012
  9. LulzChicken

    LulzChicken Prius Enthusiast

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    That foam cannon seems great! I'm going to give that a try sometime.
     
    #29 LulzChicken, Jul 31, 2012
  10. DP200248721

    DP200248721 Active Member

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    It's great man, since it gets so hot here in CA it really speeds up the process of washing.. Though I run de-ionized water and a 10'x20 canopy to avoid water spots as much as possible. Especially when I'm working on an exotic Lol

    Rob
     
    #30 DP200248721, Jul 31, 2012
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  11. drew935

    drew935 Member

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    Here's one that I did. Unfortunately, it doesn't look this clean anymore as the owner went to a carwash place once and now it looks bad. But it will be wrapped with his for commercial use.

    Auto Salon Works
     
    #31 drew935, Aug 7, 2012
  12. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    I'll admit, didn't read the whole thread but yes, it does have a shiny new car look (my car, 2012 Plug-in Prius):

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]







    And here is my 2006 which I sold for my 2010. I'd say pretty new looking.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]



    I'd post my 2010 but Blizzard Pearl is a hard color to show just how 'new' looking it can still look after 2 1/2 years.
     
    #32 Paradox, Aug 7, 2012
  13. mid jersey

    mid jersey Junior Member

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    Good to see a shiny Prius without any special detailing, even though this is one of the bold colors which shine well! Still waiting to hear about a shiny, undetailed Silver Prius.
     
    #33 mid jersey, Aug 8, 2012
  14. Jon S

    Jon S Member

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    The silver paint used by Toyota is pretty crappy... My old silver VW Passat had a lot better sheen to it. Toyota paint jobs has a lot of "orange peel" on it. It is not as smooth as Hondas or Nissan. Plus the clearcoat used by other companies have a very plasticky look to them, like it was saran-wrapped. I polish and wax my car every week using all types of products (Zaino, Optimum, Zymol, P21S, Collinite, Mother's and Blackfire) over the years.

    I just tried the new Turtle Ice wax (the reformulated dirt repellant formula) and must admit it gives an excellent shine and a super slick finish. I can't comment on its durability because I wax weekly (usually generic waxes like Meguiars, Turtle and Mother's don't stand up in durability)
     
    #34 Jon S, Aug 28, 2012
  15. drew935

    drew935 Member

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    My wife's prius hood before from all of those free dealer washes she liked :rolleyes:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    and after
    [​IMG]
     
    #35 drew935, Aug 28, 2012
  16. mid jersey

    mid jersey Junior Member

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    Actually, having looked closer at passing cars the last few weeks, I've concluded that any silver colored car is not going to be as glossy as a red, blue or black car. Maybe the Toyota silver color is not as great as those of other manufacturers but I've seen even new silver Mercs looking very ordinary.
     
    #36 mid jersey, Sep 1, 2012
  17. mid jersey

    mid jersey Junior Member

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    That's awesome! Did you just buff, or do something more?
     
    #37 mid jersey, Sep 1, 2012
  18. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    I've achieved that using some fine machine polish followed by a coat or two of Zaino. You could just use stuff like glaze to begin with, but that just temporarily fills them in. Polishing first and then sealing or waxing is best. I prefer sealants now, they last way longer than most waxes.
     
    #38 Paradox, Sep 1, 2012
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  19. drew935

    drew935 Member

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    Yes, I have a few buffers and used my Griot's DA to correct it.
    Zaino is ok. There are better products than that like Auto Finesse and Chemical Guys, just to name a couple ;)
     
    #39 drew935, Sep 4, 2012
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2014
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