I did a big detail on the car this weekend even though it was pouring off and on all weekend. Got the car washed early and then went to town in the garage. The weather went from awesome sun to pouring buckets and back again all weekend so I didn't have time to take a lot of pics but here are a few from the driveway... I hope to take some better ones tomorrow.

I used all Blackfire products. Polished with Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish, Sealed with Blackfire Wet Diamond and then finished it off with Blackfire Midnight Sun carnuba wax. I'm very very happy.

 

Beautiful!
Im really sad about lava red gettin discontinued because the factory in japan got wiped out. Its a stunning color

 

The car looks great, and i love the color

 

Just putting this out there.. The factory didnt get wiped out. It was within the Radiation Zone for the Nuke Plant. Thats why it was shut down. They just couldnt make the Metallic pigment (Xirilac) for a short period. Its been back in full swing for a while. Ford just decided to end the paint run and use up what they had in stock.

 

Nice work Jay. It's fun to have a special car like ours. But I also know what that work does to my body - it's not easy (yet it does make future washings easier for awhile).

Enjoy

 

Looking good! I like Blackfire products a lot. I haven't had a chance to finish the correction on my Kona Blue yet, but it's on the list of things to do!

 

Thanks for the comments. This was a long couple of days but well worth it.

I'm definitely worn out. :-) My back was a little upset with me last night but not too terribly bad. I do look forward to the easier cleanings!

The paint looks amazing and even FEELS amazing to the touch. I truly could not be happier with the entire line of Blackfire products.

 

jaybertx, you sound like an expert on this, so perhaps you can direct me. It's been years since I've had anything but a kidmover that warranted special care (last was a dual carb 260Z). Finally got the Mustang of my dreams, just a plain stock 2012 Kona Blue 6spd. I LOVE it. Anyway, only have about 1000 miles on it. Have washed it several times with MacGueir's and it works great. Is there somewhere I can get good instruction on how to further "finish" my vehicle? It's so good looking after the wash that it's hard to think that it needs something more, but I know it does. What comes after the wash? (In the old days it was just some turle wax and elbow grease.) Any quick thoughts?

 

Those have to be the best pics of Lava Red I've seen! That second pic really captured it well. Nice job! BF makes some good stuff. I've been using it on my Kona and love it.

 

That color would look great on the 13

 

http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php...ailedimage.com

 

I'm far from an expert. I just enjoy a good detail every once in a while. I've had dark (black, dark blue and now lava red) cars since 2002 so it's something that I've been messing around with in detail since then. The internet is your friend. A lot of people get REALLY into it and experiment with different brands of product, machines, etc etc. I don't really have time for all of that so I'll research brands and then give their line of products a try. Prior to Blackfire I was a Meguiar's guy but decided to give BF a try and there's no going back. It does an amazing job and is really really easy to wipe on and wipe off.

I would definitely recommend going to youtube and searching for claybar and starting there. Even if the car is brand new the clay will make a huge difference. If I had to pick one product to use after that it would be the Blackfire Wet Diamond. It's awesome stuff. This time I chose to top it with their Midnight Sun carnuba wax and that is what really made the metallic flake "pop".

Let me know if I can do anything else to help.

 

Thanks a lot. One quick question. You recommend claybar even though your car is brand new? (I guess you can pick up a lot even in the first 500 miles) What frequency will you claybar? polish? wax?, or will you do all of them at the same time, say every 6 months or year? (hope I'm not being a pest, but I really want to treat this guy well)

 

Yep. There is no wax on the car now and its got all kinds of overspray and crap from the factory. I just claybared mine yesterday. First time was 2 weeks after I bought it. For me it all depends on how much I drive it and wash it.

 

Got it, thanks, that makes sense. Let's see if I've got the order right -- 1. wash and dry with microfiber, 2. claybar, 3. polish, 4. sealant, 5. wax. Can't believe I'm getting excited about 8 hours of hard work, but I am. Love the Lava red, by the way, but my Kona blue turns eyes too.

 

It's definitely a labor of love. Since the car is fairly new, you can probably skip the polish step and just use the Wet Ice over Fire kit:

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-midnight-sun-kit.html

Not cheap but well worth it. Being in Florida and the fact that it's a daily driver for me, I will do a big detail like that probably twice per year. Other than that I play it by ear. It's pretty easy to tell when the car needs to be redone because quick detailer will be harder to wipe off and water will not bead/sheet of nearly as well. As a general rule I will wash/seal about every six weeks. The carnuba wax is new to me but I'll continue to use it as well whenever I seal it.

 

Thanks! You guys are great. My family should be so nice to me!

 

Wash, claybar, wash again.. then on to the wax portion.

No real need to dry it after the first wash, your going to be spraying the car down with detail spray to use the claybar (to make it slick) then wiping it off with a towl. Taking the time to dry it after the first wash is a waste of time and any water spots will come off with the claybar/wipedown. After that your gonna need to wash it again to get the detail spray off..

 

Greg: We're on a roll. Thanks for the wash,claybar wash. That was going to be one of my questions.
Two more related questions. What is best to use on the black plastic bumper material? Also, what is best on the black plastic dashboard material. In the old days Armorall was all I ever used, but I figure technology has improved much since the 80's! With all this information, my Saturday is going to be long, but fun. Thanks in advance. Dave (psulefty)

 

For the exterior black pieces I like to use 303 Aerospace Protectant and for the interior I REALLY like 1Z Cockpit Premium. It leaves a beautiful matte finish that doesn't attract dust -- makes the interior look better than new. Stoner's Invisible Glass for the glass/mirrors.