New Paint Job. What to use to establish/maintain a showcar finish?

[se93]

Happy Holidays to all!

I got my car back from the body shop earlier this week and could use some help as to what products i need to use on my newly painted vehicle. My cars finish is a dark green metallic color. This car is mostly for auto show exhibitions and occasional daily driving use. What do i need to do/use to get that optimum show car gloss and keep it that way?

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

[Accumulator]

Sounds like a great color, I really like dark green metallics.

While the paint is curing I use Meguiar's #5. It's safe for fresh paint, nonabrasive, and about as user-friendly as products get. If you get any marring that you want to correct you could use #80, but I'd only use an abrasive product like that if you need it. Once the paint is cured (30-90 days) then you can try any LSP you like. Which one you end up liking will depend on what you want to emphasize, the dark/deep look or the metallic "pop" look.

[se93]

Thanks for your reply. I am an avid fan of the Geneva Green pearl paint on my Honda Accord. It has gold toned metallic flaking and i would love to see the flaking pop out like diamonds but at the same time i also love the deep glossy look of the paint as well.

[se93]

Any difference between Meguiars #5 and #7?

[Accumulator]

#5 is easier to use, #7 looks a little better. Since you have to reapply after every wash, I almost always just go with the #5. After the paint has cured, you might consider using #7 sealed under a LSP, but until then I'd just go with the #5. This is all just personal preference (#3/#5/#7/#81/Deep Crystal Step #2 are all *very* similar), but I find the #5 *that* much easier to use, and I've used #7 since the 1970s.

IMO if you want to drive it while the paint's curing, you oughta use something *very* user-friendly so you won't mind redoing it at every wash. You don't want to be tempted to a) not redo it and/or b) not wash it too often because of the pain of having to redo it.