Black cars are a pain to clean!
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 4
From: Salem, OR
Rep Power: 0
AND what methods/steps? I have a mahogany metallic 981 that I need to baby like black! Thanks. Jon
Trending Topics
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,108
From: South Florida
Rep Power: 529
Great job!
I have a black 07 Turbo and it still glistens. I do admit that it is professionallly detailed frequently . The black is quite soft and can swirl just by looking at it !!! Yet i have found that when people see a black car they almost expect it to be dirty and if it happens to be clean it gets very noticed . I also learned that when I had a white car it shows any type of dirt as well . In fact any type of black smudge does not show on a black car but stands out on a white car .
The easist to maintain is by far silver . It even looks clean when its dirty.
I have a black 07 Turbo and it still glistens. I do admit that it is professionallly detailed frequently . The black is quite soft and can swirl just by looking at it !!! Yet i have found that when people see a black car they almost expect it to be dirty and if it happens to be clean it gets very noticed . I also learned that when I had a white car it shows any type of dirt as well . In fact any type of black smudge does not show on a black car but stands out on a white car .
The easist to maintain is by far silver . It even looks clean when its dirty.
Tricks of the Trade!
Here it is in a nutshell: the dealer's prep crew had done a horrible job cleaning the car, but I figured I'd get things under control. It turned into an uphill battle and I was reaching the point where I was seriously considering trading the car in for another color. I know that sounds ****, but at this stage of my life, I feel there isn't time for any unnecessary BS.
This is my first black car so I had to relearn many things about caring for the finish. I spent a lot of time and money over the last couple of months, and hopefully I can save my fellow forum members some grief:
I won't waste time with the products that didn't work, so I'll only list the winners:
These pads will work well with a Flex or Porter Cable orbital polisher. You'll need two of them:
One of these:
These work great:
This product is one of the easiest to apply, yet gives the best results:
Now, here is the Holy Grail. This is the key to success!
I had no idea how badly the water at my home was screwing up the finish until I got a black car. Even after using a leaf blower to dry the car, I was getting white spots and swirl marks: the hard water was even eating into the glass. It's a nightmare.
The final job:
I washed the car with Dawn dish soap to remove all the previous products.
I used a clay bar and detailing spray to remove any foreign substances from the finish.
I removed the swirls with Optimum Polish and the orange pads.
I applied the Wolfgang sealer by hand: allow it to dry for an hour before removing; it goes on and off very easily.
Maintenance:
Once you got the car to where you like it, maintaining the finish shouldn't be all that difficult.
Wash the car with a good soap like this brand:
Blow dry with an electric leaf blower (I use a Toro), or gently dry with a good quality waffle-weave towel.
Best of luck!
This is my first black car so I had to relearn many things about caring for the finish. I spent a lot of time and money over the last couple of months, and hopefully I can save my fellow forum members some grief:
I won't waste time with the products that didn't work, so I'll only list the winners:
These pads will work well with a Flex or Porter Cable orbital polisher. You'll need two of them:
One of these:
These work great:
This product is one of the easiest to apply, yet gives the best results:
Now, here is the Holy Grail. This is the key to success!
I had no idea how badly the water at my home was screwing up the finish until I got a black car. Even after using a leaf blower to dry the car, I was getting white spots and swirl marks: the hard water was even eating into the glass. It's a nightmare.
The final job:
I washed the car with Dawn dish soap to remove all the previous products.
I used a clay bar and detailing spray to remove any foreign substances from the finish.
I removed the swirls with Optimum Polish and the orange pads.
I applied the Wolfgang sealer by hand: allow it to dry for an hour before removing; it goes on and off very easily.
Maintenance:
Once you got the car to where you like it, maintaining the finish shouldn't be all that difficult.
Wash the car with a good soap like this brand:
Blow dry with an electric leaf blower (I use a Toro), or gently dry with a good quality waffle-weave towel.
Best of luck!
