White as opposed to metallic

[hotrod]

Maybe a daft question but...

I’ve had Reflex Silver 4-Mo for 6 years now and it’s a very easy colour to keep clean, also it seems fairly durable.
I’m looking at either white (Ed 30) or Pearl Blue (R32) in my next car.

Pros and cons on these two colours... does white go flat after a year or two, do you get swirling in the blue. Silver is very common but it does buff up well.

Also as my car lives outside should I get it Life-shined, Autoglimed, etc.
Can anyone recommend a good valeter in the Bournemouth/Poole area?

Also rusty hubs... I know the GTI suffers, does the R32?

So many questions, so little time!

Cheers,
Hotrod

[T88OMM]

I have had my white Ed30 for under a week now, and it is an absolute pain in the arse to keep clean. I am a keen detailer and will not stand for any blemishes or marks on the paint. I have just spent 3 hours cleaning the car this morning and I have had to clay the whole thing to get tar, road grime etc. off the paint, but I have to say now its clean it looks amazing   If your gonna get a white ED30, which I think you should be prepared for many long cleaning sessions 

That Autoglym lifeshine thing is a massive waste of money stay away, I had it on my last car and it made now difference whatsoever

[Steve78]

White is a terrible choice for this country - if you like to keep your car clean that is.  White will show every spec of muck!  On the flip side, it encourages you to clean it at least once a week, which isn't a bad thing.

[T88OMM]

Bad choice for the country but the best colour IMO 

[telboy]

Never really been keen on white tbo, inmho as stated above it means far too many hours spent cleaning!!!!

On the other hand, steel grey, not bad at all for keeping clean!

Re good valet/car cleaners Bournemouth area, I have to say, I've tried a few and most are crxp! However, tower park tescos, autoglym team there do pretty good job, used them a few times and overall been happy, £20 for the outside, never really bother with the inside as can do this easily myself. Plus within the hour they have your car cleaned, polished and raring to go! Other than that, there are a few smaller car cleaner/valet companies, however tad pricey and if you're considering white, you may need to take out a second mortgage!!!

Oh, one last thing, avoid American car wash as for the money they really are a rip off!!! (sorry if you know them or have mates there, but I do talk from experience!)

Either way, all the best with your decision!!!

[Peskarik]

I have had my white Ed30 for under a week now, and it is an absolute pain in the arse to keep clean. I am a keen detailer and will not stand for any blemishes or marks on the paint. I have just spent 3 hours cleaning the car this morning and I have had to clay the whole thing to get tar, road grime etc. off the paint, but I have to say now its clean it looks amazing   If your gonna get a white ED30, which I think you should be prepared for many long cleaning sessions 

That Autoglym lifeshine thing is a massive waste of money stay away, I had it on my last car and it made now difference whatsoever

For particular reasons I clean seldom, no tar on the paint. I go thru machine was and dry it by hand, looks very clean! 

[Peskarik]

Yes, you see dirt obviously, but it lays nicely around the body contours. Only the back turns gray, but it is fine.
Black cars look worse with dirt on, in my opinion.

[Hurdy]

White is a lovely colour, but I think most on this forum agree that you need to put in time and effort if you decide on it.

[hotrod]

Hi Telboy, Have you heard of, or used Parc Ferme over at Ferndown. I believe they’re top end, pricey but very good.
I thought I might get them to give my new motor an initial detail/valet & Zymol protection!

Any thoughts.

Hotrod

[Golfgirl]

Well I've just bought a Candy White Ed 30 and had a Deep Blue Pearl R32 before so I have experience of both.

My Ed30 is only 9 days old and I've not washed it yet, but it is due a clean because we've had nothing but rain since I picked it up.  First impressions are that it hides the dirt better than I thought and better than everyone is making out IMO.  However, come summer time I don't know what it will be like with all the kamikaze bugs stuck to the front of it!  It's too early to tell if it shows swirl marks because I've not washed it yet.

The deep blue pearl DOES show swirl marks and does show stone chips and minor scratches rather badly too.  However, it is an amazing colour and really looks the dogs danglies when it's clean and polished. I think any metallic paint would show swirl marks and scratches but silver would hide them better than any other colour so whatever colour you change too it will show up imperfections more than your current silver one.  The deep blue pearl also showed the dirt up and I think a dirty blue one is worse than a dirty white one because people expect the white one to get dirty!  Because the blue is metallic it also loses it's shine and twinkle when it's dirty but you don't get that with the flat white paint.

Hope this helps.