TripleBlack14

First Mustang, first convertible, first black car.

I'm a bit of a nut job when it comes to keeping a clean car. But black is a different animal.

What products would you recommend? I don't have a buffer, so it'll be elbow grease for me. I'm concerned about swirls and scratches.

What drying methods and materials are best?

How about tires....best product for an even, glossy shine?

Thanks in advance

Tom

rmurer

Best advice i can give you is buy a different color...

seriously though this will probably get moved to the car care section.

But I have a black car so ill give you my list of stuff i do.

When washing
- 2 buckets one for soap and one for rinsing both with grit guards.
-start from the top down, sections at a time, washing and drying as I go.
-dont wash in direct sun.
-drying i used a squeegee and a couple large microfiber towels that i keep clean.

I would definitely invest in a rotary buffer, that plus some polish/swirl remover will make the paint pop. Then get some decent wax which you can find a list of and put a couple layers on and you should be good to go.

I keep detailing spray and some MF towels in my car to get those random bird droppings off quickly.

TripleBlack14

Sorry...I zigged before I zagged. Didn't realize there was a place for this kind of question.

Rookie mistake.

AlsCobra

Buy a buffer. Porter Cable or Griots DA polishers seem to be the favorites around here. There's a really good thread or two on these boards about detailing and some really good advice from a few pros. Two buckets with grit guards, electric leaf blower, waffle weave microfiber drying towel is a good start. Caring for a black car really sucks. It's a labor of love and I just recently gave up on the battle. I won't own any more gloss black cars. I just don't have that kind of free time available. Watch lots of YouTube vids and ask lots of questions. Pay real money for better products. Good luck.

commishbob

This is my first black car and it is a pain to keep looking good but I love it and wouldn't change a thing. Here is one tip (I mean besides the waffle weave towels...those are terrific!):

Take the nozzle off your hose and let the water cascade over your car to rinse off the suds. You'll be surprised at how much water just slides off by itself using that trick and it leaves you a lot less to dry off with the towel. And someone mentioned the leaf blower. I found that I was able to dry the car so quickly and thoroughly with the cascading water/towel method that I only use the blower to blow the water out of the grille.

roadracingmustang

I have 3 black Fords. I don't go looking for them, they just seem to find ME.

I don't use any buckets for washing. I rinse, rinse, and rinse again to get as much dirt off as I can before I touch it. Then I use a liquid fertilizer spreader filled with car wash soap to suds it down. This has a quick disconnect fitting so I can pull it off and rinse frequently. I do sections at a a time to prevent any of it from drying on the car. I just use a standard car wash sponge to wipe the soaped areas with. I wash the whole upper body and do the rocker panels last to keep from transferring any dirt to the sponge but I still rinse it out good and reuse it for subsequent washing. After it's washed I use a silicone blade to get as much water off as I can before drying then finish up with plush black terry towels.

My 13 GT was pre swirled from the dealer I bought it from but it doesn't show except in certain light conditions. I also live on a dirt road so I have a couple of hundred yards to drive on that. When conditions are dry like they have been my rear end is orange about 2 days after cleaning so sometimes you just have to get over it and get on with life. If you only drive on paved roads and have a garage to keep it in you will be ahead of the game.

It has often been said the only way to prevent swirls in a black car is not to own one so there you go. This has proven to be the case with all of mine.

White2010

First off, never wash your car with a sponge. Get a good soft wash mitt and use that. You need two buckets to wash your car, one for the wheels and one for the paint. Wash your wheels with a separate bucket and use a separate wash mitt. This prevents brake dust particles from getting on the wash mitt and then scratching the paint as you wash the car.

Never dry your car with a chamois, always use microfiber towels instead. A chamois is a sure way to end up with swirls in your paint.

Always use a good quality soap. Cheap soap is cheap for a reason.

Always be sure to use water based dressing on your tires. Believe it or not Armor All is water based.

Never apply dressing to your interior panels like the dash or doors. This will just shorten the lifespan of your interior parts and cause them to crack. Just clean them with a good cleaner and leave them the natural luster.

Greengirl

We have had a few black ones, you definitely should get a buffer, you can get them cheap actually at Princess Auto or Canadian Tire, a place like that, and yes a soft wash mitt or microfiber cloth. You are doing it right to rinse rinse rinse but look into the "Mother's Milk" brand of products, they cost a bit more than Arourall but well worth the result!!!

=HYPERDRIVE=

If you want good advice for detailing , go to the autogeek forums. Its all the best information you will ever need about car care.

White2010

The best information for how to care for and clean your car is at this website.
http://www.ammonyc.com/

Or you can visit the drive clean channel on youtube.