Best decision ever? Verdant Green

[Lucaboy]

One of the best car decisions I have ever made was buying the Emira. It’s a joy to drive and an even greater one to look at.

My personal opinion was blue, red and yellow are all outstanding choices but for me a bit to bold. The verdant green is a stunning colour, almost black in dim lights and a sparkle of green that is distinctive when it catches sunlight. However, the paint is soft and I think due to aerodynamics a dirt sponge, it is a bloody nightmare to keep clean. I am therefore very worried about over washing and causing swirls.

Does anyone who owns the same colour have any top tips on retaining the finish or is PPF the only answer

 

[Nick in Sydney]

I loved Verdant Green, but after seeing the swirls and micro scratches on an Emira at the dealer, I decided that it would be too hard to keep looking good and my OCD would drive me mad.

Suspect PPF is your best option. I'd make sure it gets a good stage 1 polish before wrapping.

 

[netsinah]

Like any dark coloured vehicle, it’ll readily show dust/dirt and require more frequent cleaning to look ++good. Consider talking to an experienced/reputable detailer on what to use/do, to clean effectively w/o causing swirls. It takes extra effort/time, but it’s doable: after properly washing it down with proper cleaning solution and rinsing (all touchless), you use proper clean microfibre cloths (the Costco cloths are OK), carefully folded after each use to expose up to eight sides of each cloth, and folded after showing ANY sign of dirt, moving the cloth slowly and in one direction on each paint area. You do this while spraying on a good cleaning solution: removing it while wet with the microfibre cloth, then quickly drying it with a dry microfibre cloth. It’s best to have this explained while you imitate what the detailer does, so you learn correct technique.

If ++fussy, you do this on PPF/ceramic as well, since you can mar the PPF/ceramic surface too if you’re not careful. The goal is to avoid pressing dirt/grit/dust on the paint surface with the cloth, which is what causes swirls.

You can wash the microfibre cloths after use, but don’t throw them in a drier after, since that will “melt” the fibres and harden them, creating an abrasive surface when used again. Err on the side of caution and discard any suspect cloth right away, instead of reusing it.

If fussy, consider taking your car to a detailer before cleaning it yourself. Your dealer may have already created swirls or the car came with factory paint flaws, and with paint correction (a whole new subject) the detailer can fix them, so you’re off to a good start with your own cleaning. You can do your own paint correction, but again there are proper steps to follow and I’d rather leave that up to a detailer.

I gained more respect over the years and after several vehicles (some of them black) for what GOOD detailers do, to earn their money.

There are likely other ways, but that was what I was taught by my detailer. I suspect there are YouTube instructional videos about both cleaning and paint correction. Good luck!

 

[virtualmacho]

It will depend on your tolerance of swirls. Full PPF works for me.

 

[Beachbum]

Just drive the damn thing !!!
The moment you start to drive it, its dirty again anyway

 

[virtualmacho]

All too true!

 

[Lucaboy]

Like any dark coloured vehicle, it’ll readily show dust/dirt and require more frequent cleaning to look ++good. Consider talking to an experienced/reputable detailer on what to use/do, to clean effectively w/o causing swirls. It takes extra effort/time, but it’s doable: after properly washing it down with proper cleaning solution and rinsing (all touchless), you use proper clean microfibre cloths (the Costco cloths are OK), carefully folded after each use to expose up to eight sides of each cloth, and folded after showing ANY sign of dirt, moving the cloth slowly and in one direction on each paint area. You do this while spraying on a good cleaning solution: removing it while wet with the microfibre cloth, then quickly drying it with a dry microfibre cloth. It’s best to have this explained while you imitate what the detailer does, so you learn correct technique.

If ++fussy, you do this on PPF/ceramic as well, since you can mar the PPF/ceramic surface too if you’re not careful. The goal is to avoid pressing dirt/grit/dust on the paint surface with the cloth, which is what causes swirls.

You can wash the microfibre cloths after use, but don’t throw them in a drier after, since that will “melt” the fibres and harden them, creating an abrasive surface when used again. Err on the side of caution and discard any suspect cloth right away, instead of reusing it.

If fussy, consider taking your car to a detailer before cleaning it yourself. Your dealer may have already created swirls or the car came with factory paint flaws, and with paint correction (a whole new subject) the detailer can fix them, so you’re off to a good start with your own cleaning. You can do your own paint correction, but again there are proper steps to follow and I’d rather leave that up to a detailer.

I gained more respect over the years and after several vehicles (some of them black) for what GOOD detailers do, to earn their money.

There are likely other ways, but that was what I was taught by my detailer. I suspect there are YouTube instructional videos about both cleaning and paint correction. Good luck!

Great and detailed explanation. Thanks for this

 

[djprov431]

I also own (as of 11/2) own his most awesome color -- and coming from a matte colored Mercedes, this is a joy (I'll never own matte again). I gave the car it's first wash yesterday using my foam gun, microfiber wash mit, and microfiber drying towels (after using leaf blower to get most of the water off). Not a single swirl. I didn't PPF my AMG and don't plan to PPF the Emia either - and trust me, I'm OCD. Try to enjoy it more and not let things that are easy to control ruin the experience for you. I most certainly agree that the dark color shows the dirt, I noticed more so in the rear vent area behind the tires.....oh well, she's still a looker!