New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

[Phil 2]

Need advice from forum members on best options for reviving the gold pearlescent luster on my 2006 DTS. Intend doing the 5 step process. Bodywork has minor dings and some visible swirls. Caddy has been garaged from new, washed most weeks by hand and finished with a spray quick/fast wax. The bag test shows it needs claying and a cleaner wax treatment. Have RO buffer with foam, terry cloth, microfiber and acrylic wool bonnets but holding off on other purchases. Need your advice on which of these to use with what product. I like the AIO White Wax but worry it may dull the Pearl luster, what are your thoughts. Thanks.

[Joe Dragon]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Welcome. If you clay the paint first it'll give you a better idea of what to use next. White wax has good cleaning qualities but not as strong as other things. It shouldn't dull the paint; I'd probably use the foam or MF polishing pads with it. Do a test area first to see if it's what you want. Ultimate Polish is a good alternative. Considering the car is 10 yrs. old I'd proceed carefully, meaning not to work too aggressively with the buffer. After polishing I'd use a sealant with a foam finishing pad, probably will give better protection in your city compared to a carnuba. That pearlescent is beautiful when it's clean.

[Phil 2]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Thanks for your reply Joe. What should I expect to see after claying? possibly more swirls and minor scratch marks? Assume this would determine choice of cleaner wax, gentle or medium cut. Synthetic opposed to Carnauba wax makes sense also the foam over terry. Thanks

[Joe Dragon]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Yeah after claying you'll see the naked paint with all the imperfections but you'll also see the potential for a beautiful finish. One of the standing traditions is to use the least aggressive product first, so do a small test area to see if that's acceptable then move on from there. This is where small sample sizes of products are helpful instead of buying a pint of this or that and have them sit on the shelf. If you don't have much you might want to check out the for sale section of the forum, maybe pick up a few ounces of things from the sellers. Most of us have been where you are and are helpful. If you want to you can also post some close-up pics of the car to get some opinions from the folks here as to what to do.

[Phil 2]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Thanks, Joe, I have some coupons coming from Pep Boys which I've earmarked for materials and products etc; prefer to support local business where possible for a couple of $s more.

[Nick Winn]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Sorry I missed this. If your looking for a quick clay & cleaner wax process, our White Wax can do wonders to brighten up a light colored car like your DTS. To be honest random orbital machines typically lack the torque needed to keep the pad spinning & also the various bonnets that are provided are not ideal either. Below is a article which explains the differences in paint polishing tools if needed:

Guide to the different types of paint polishing tools

- Nick

[Phil 2]

Re: New Member. White Gold Pearlescent finish.

Nick, thanks for the link it explains the limitations of the Random Orbitals buffers against Dual Action machines very well.
I realize at 2800 opm my RO will not remove much in the way of swirls and scratches, the car being white makes these hard to see anyway. The DTS as you know has large mainly flat surfaces, it is a lot to cover by hand and the RO is my only tool so I'm limited in that respect.
My main concern is to revive the pearl silver like flecks that give the car a slight glitter appearance in the sun. I read elsewhere someone with a similar car finish that the White Wax he used did nothing to revive the luster, it had the opposite effect tending to dull the pearl. Unfortunately, he did not state the make of the White Wax used and I see there are at least two or more other makes of White Wax. I hoped that another member of this forum with personal experience using your White Wax on a similar finish vehicle could advise.
Thanks, Phil 2