flyer351

I know this thread is getting long, but the biggest thing that will help on black cars is.....

MICROFIBER towels.

My last three cars have all been black. The best thing to get rid of scratches is to never get any in the first place. Here's my general procedure.
-Wash from top to bottom with microfiber towel. (No sponges or mitts!)
-Dry with a CA Waterblade or waffled microfiber towel.
-Wash with Zaino or Meguiars
-And touched up daily with a little Meguiars quick detailer and microfiber towel. If it's only dust it can be pulled off with a CA Car Duster but if it rained you'll have to do the Meguiars QD.

A few don'ts
Never use cotton or synthetics
Never, ever use an orbital buffer. If you really get lazy, then get a random orbital buffer.
And for those who are just picking up their cars,,, Never let the detailing ppl at the dealership touch it. (not that they are bad,, they just don't have the time to care for you car like you do.)

Go here for tons of information. These ppl live to detail cars.Autopia

nynvolt

Black cars looks so sweet when they are kept clean, but it only lasts about an hour. Here's the best method I have found for keeping my Black car looking clean without washing it every other day.

I bought a "california duster". It's around $12 bucks at target and well worth the money.

Get a high quality wash and wax, can do it yourself but I'm lazy so I pay 50 bucks to have it done right.

Every day before taking off I give it a quick run over with the duster, takes maybe 5-10 minutes. Stays beautifull and clean looking for at least 2 months on a single wash/wax unless it rains.

I really like the black but when I get my 05 I'm most likely NOT going to buy black, just way too much hassle.

drizztbob

You guys are freaking me out about getting a black car!!! Does anyone have anything good to say about them????

kevinb120

I've had half a dozen black cars.........Welcome to he11

Badandy

Yes, they look great when they are clean.

kevinb120

Core tips(all the others are excellent btw):

ALWAYS wipe front to back on horizontal surfaces, whether its a duster, chamois, towel, cheezecloth, mitt, etc. Up and down on vertical ones. Of course on corners and creases you can't always do it, but when washing large paint areas never deviate.


Be VERY CAREFULL about trapped dirt in towels, mitts, etc, and content of materials touching the car. Never use a towel or mitt that has been dropped on the ground unless you thoroughly clean it. Never use cheap towels, they can have poly stitching even if it has 100% cotton on the tag. Check the tag to make sure they say it has cotton stitching. I used to have a bunch of old mits and sponges I used on wheels and lower rocker panels and under the hood, and always kept two drying towels and two mits too wash the car. And avoid 'baby diapers', modern ones are quite different from the true soft ones years ago. Use microfiber to pollish with quick detailer or glaze. Believe it or not, more damage is done from washing the car improperly then anything else.

Quick detailer is also another great product, it gets off water spots, wax and tire shine residue, etc. I would wash and dry my car, put on all dressings, drive the car around the block-then final wipe the car down with quick detailer so when you roll out, it stays cleaner looking on your way to show off ya stuff.

mustangshadow

its good to hear of all these tips...this will be my first black car and i have to say all the things i hear can kinda freak ya out , but on the other hand i currenctly own a white 98 stang and can also be a pretty big pain to keep clean I live in Florida and we all know of the storms etc. we get here so after one good rain , or one good puddle.... dirt all the way down the side and over the hood. Also though i own a 65 stang and take her to car show etc. so i have to say that the Quick detailer and a CA duster works wonders.

Badandy

If you have a white car and it is a pain to keep clean, boy are you in for something with a black car.

mustangshadow

nothing can be worse than my 65 ....i have to detail the whole engine and underside of that baby ... judges at car shows are and can be very critical

MTAS

A quick word about Zaino, Meguiar's NXT or regular carnauba based waxes on a black car. If you live in an area where it gets really hot in the summer (I'm talking FL, TX, AZ and the midwest), you'll want to steer clear of carnauba based products on a black car. Think about it - wax has a melting temperature and black paint (and other dark colors for that matter) will melt the stuff off in a matter of days. Stick with a polymer for black, doesn't matter which one. Just make sure the surface is properly prepped (clay treatment, then properly polished using a random orbital and some swirl mark remover) and you'll have a slick black car.....for at least a few days anyway until the first coat of dust hits it...lol. NO MORE BLACK FOR ME EVER!!!!!

kevinb120

I was at the local hangout the other night lookin at all the cars. I have changed to white now, its been years since I have had a white car and they by far look better under the sodium lights at night, not ONE swirl shows. Usually white can be bland, but stripes does such wonders for this car I can stripe it and have my red too with a super easy to clean package.

Badandy

MTAS- Meguiars NXT is not carnuba based. Is there another reason it wouldn't last in hot weather?

lodom

I've used most of the name brand waxes, and IMHO, Zaino is the best system for a black car. It doesn't chalk up on the surface of the car and leave wax in all the hard to get to areas. If you don't want to spend the $ on Zaino, Meguiars NXT is a close second.

aNgLiaM

dude, where do you live? that looks like a place i took my car to take pictures over by the Missouri River in Nebraska, the Scenic Overlook.

MTAS

You're correct, it's not carnauba based and it would be great on a properly prepped black car. I've used it here in FL on my black 96 GT and it is every bit as slick as Zaino and I can't tell the difference in reflectivity B) Not sure if I eluded to it being carnauba based in my previous post, but you're right - it's not!

Qrazy

My black 02 GT shows fingerprints, and I owe that to ZAINO!!!!!! (not carnuba based)....Zaino is where it is at...

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

Good luck....

Madhouse

There's no reason to be scared of black, unless you don't want to put the effort into keeping it up. And obviously, there's some extra effort, but IMHO it's worth it when your ride is looking good.

My 2000 Lightning is black, I've had it for four years, many people ask if it's brand new when they fisrt see it. I just clayed and polished it Saturday morning and it looks amazing (all Zaino products). We traded my wife's black 2001 GTP on a dark green 2004, which is nearly as challenging a color.

I can't wait for my new black Mustang - I'll take a full day and give it an initial treatment that will help me keep it gorgeous. Check out Zaino's site - it's worth the read.

http://www.zainostore.com/

B)

38special

Buy a mineral gray stang. I traded my BLACK 03 centennial gt vert in for an 05 mg GT.

Got home and washed and waxed it. Looks great.

I am no longer losing sleep to keep my car looking clean.

drizztbob

So would you recommend the $85 car kit that zaino offers on it's site? Is it worth the money?

pjcobra9t7

Here a black Cobra from the Netherlands. Indeed washing every week and waxing every few months. The only bad thing are the stone chips on the front and hood. Easier to spot on black.