Starting my first wash
 

On my BLACK car. What do i use? What rags or mitts? Is zipwax good? I've been using it on my '04 but that seemed to work for a short while. I dont want to mess up my paint even though i briefly been using just a water wash to keep pollen off and use rag to dry. Suggestions?

Thanks
Mark

I would suggest a 2 bucket wash with grit guards. I know it sounds weird, but take a look at Adams polishes...washing your car with just a sponge or other means will put swirls all over it...especially black. I never really paid attn until I stumbled across that forum....then I took a look at my paint and saw swirls everywhere .... Makes a big difference.

I didnt think this stuff could be this exp for some of it, wow.

Your paint is worth thousands, so spending a few hundred to have the supplies you need to take proper care of it is preventative maintenance and is quite cheap in the long run. A lot of what you need like Grit Guards, buckets, hose nozzles, wheel brushes, sealant, wheel cleaner (in bulk such as a 5L jug of Sonax Full Effect) are things that will last a long time (2-3 years) if not longer.

I can't explain the feeling of looking at someone's expensive wheels that are ruined because they used the wrong type of cleaner or no wheel cleaner at all.

All the wheel brushes you need + 2 years of wheel cleaner=the cost of having a single wheel refinished.