To all my Firesand Orange (or dark metallic color) owners,

When I first got the vehicle, at first look I could tell it’s a burnt orange, be that in sunlight, shade or dark. When I asked anyone who looked at the car first time, they would say something along the lines of burnt orange or sunset orange.

Recently I got my car single staged polished and ceramic coated (along with ppf on key areas). I’ve noticed the shade of the car has gone down one notch, where it looks more like orange in sunlight, little burnt in shade. It’s certainly more glossy than before but I don’t think that gloss would bring down the shade of orange. When I ask anyone now looking at the car first time, they say ‘orange’. Anyone who has looked at the car before, they can’t tell the difference and say “I think it looks the same”.

I read in one of the forums how it’s tricky to polish single stage paint (I’m not sure if Ftype are single stage, but if they are, sounds like it could happen): https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-your-detailing-questions-/128429-single-stage-paint-got-lighter-after-correcting.html

Has anyone else had this experience? Am I just seeing it wrong?

 

Not sure about the colour change, but ceramic coating seems to make it much harder to get a good a polish/shine. Mine is black, and I had it coated - wish I hadn't to be honest. Also seems to collect/attract dust like mad.

 

Yes, it changes given the wax used. Mine looks darker burnt orange with some waxes and a brighter orange with other waxes. Also given how is light hitting the paint, it can look brighter or darker.

 

F Type paint is two stage paint -- your polishing did not change the color of the paint.

While I'm sure its technically possible for a wax / ceramic to cause the a "tint" effect, I'd suspect what you are noticing is the lack of micro scratches / swirls which is bringing out more of the underlying color / flake and making it appear more "bright".

 

My 9.5 year old Stratus Grey looks brand new. I don't feel comfortable with a polisher so I do it by hand with various Chemical Guys products.

 

Had my 2016 Firesand S graphene coated...the paint appears to be like a "flop" effect...for me, it changes in depth and intensity of colour from various viewing angles..my graphene coating didn't change the colour at all IMHO...for me the difference of this beautiful colour between light and shade is "significant"...

 

Sometimes the paint correction done before the coating was applied will might make a difference. See this article https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/p...oating-review/

I was going to get the pomponazzi on mine after reading the review, but in the end decided to stick to what I knew.

 

The firesand orange color definitely changes based on how light is falling on the car. In direct sunlight (no clouds) it can look like a standard orange. Even to the point of looking a bit faded. But then when it's overcast, or the car in in the shade, the color pops and looks extremely vibrant. Overall an amazing color.

 

Thanks for confirming!

I appreciate everyone’s comment. I do see it being standard orange in good light / sun light and burnt in shade or cloudy days. It used to be consistent and as many of you have said, could be due to wax used previously and/or car having slight swirls (which I couldn’t see much of). The polishing certainly brought out the orange.

The orange (burnt or not), certainly pops & stands the car out of the pack in a parking lot.

Any product you recommend over a ceramic coat (carpro UK quarts pro) that will make it deeper and darker? Currently I have Hydro2 or Reload in the hopper but I know it will make it glossy/shiny. By the way, loving how the bugs come off so easily with this type of coating.

 

You won't make it darker any more. Ceramic+reload is the dark as you get. Your only option is to put more layers of the ceramic - ask how many layers do you have and ask what is the maximum recommended. Don't expect a dramatic difference tho.

 

I have a firesand orange 2014. What year is yours?

I was told it's a 3-stage paint by a high-end shop that re-shot my front bumper to get rid of some chip damage from previous owner doing highway driving.

The factory paint also has pearl in it so it will appear as different shades and color when viewed at different angles and lighting.

If they did a complete detail which also means they stripped the old wax off and then did the correction and polish the color will appear different as layers of wax will do a slight color change.

look at the nose of my car then pan to the side and hood it changes. If you walk around the car or change the viewing angle the nose and will look the same. it does this all around the car. Firesand is not a solid color it's a metallic pearl. at least for the early years unless you they changed the formular. Paint color can also be dependent on how well the car was taken care of and if it lives outside vs garaged. Heavy sun can change the color. Not sure micro scratches would make a huge color difference.

BTW very rare color, I was told that by the dealer last week when i had mine in for an oil change.

 

Beautiful color ;-). Mine is 17. The front side lips and hood vents are matched in color on 17. I think the old glaze or wax had a role to play in making it look one shade darker in shade or sunlight (pretty consistent). Because of the pearl paint, as you described, I think I’m getting to see different shades in different lightening now. Sounds like the detailer cleaned it good lol.

 

If you use Meguire's Black Wax, it gives the Firesand a more of a burnt orange shade. I have a couple of black cars and thought I'd try it on my Firesand R. It looked good, but I like the look better after using Turtle Wax Ice Seal-N-Shine followed by Meguire's Ultimate Quick Detailer.

 

I use Wolfgang fuzion. Very easy to use. I wipe on a section at a time and wipe right off. I can wax my whole car in 10 minutes. a little goes a long way.

I also like polish angel orange amber for my car.

 

If you are seeing the flip flop of orange-yellow even gold he must have got the all the old wax off and now you have a fresh start!

Btw the shop that did my bumper checked my whole car for paint thickness. They do this to make sure there was not any paint work already done anywhere on the car.
and if they hit it with machine they know how thick the clear is, so they don't burn thru the clear.

That an important thing to know before any type of paint correction. Allows you to choose correct pad and product.

 

After examining the car, the detailer informed me that it did not require any paint correction. Instead, he performed a single-stage polish to eliminate any previous residue before applying the PPF and ceramic. Initially, I was not impressed as the car looked lighter under the bright light. However, after allowing it to cure for a few days, it seemed to regain its former glory, at least in less bright light. Perhaps it is simply my perception, but the results are good. It's unfortunate that I cannot apply wax on the ceramic because it would affect its performance. I wish there was a silica sealant that could make it appear one-notch darker.

 

I can't speak to the firesand color or ceramic coating, but PPF can change the shade. I've noticed this on cars that have only the front half PPF'ed - the front & back can look different in certain lighting.

 

I can't seem to distinguish any noticeable difference between the areas with PPF and those without it on firesand orange. I used SunTek and I hear it's clearer than Xpel

 

I have Expel Ultimate on my hood, fenders, bumper, running boards and front/back of the rear wheel arches. I don't see a difference in color between PPF and non-PPF

-PPF areas

 

Now that’s what I call burnt orange, that too under sunlight. Looking good! Thats how mine used to look in sunlight before the clean up. I’m convinced it’s the magic of the type of wax you use and not polishing that eats into the metallic particles of the paint.