Just got my first black car

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chilow

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Hi all,

I've been reading up on this forum about maintaining and detailing. I just purchased my first black car and want to keep it looking as swirl free as possible. I have never detailed a car before. I plan on purchasing the foammaster foam gun, DP soap formula, some microfiber towels, meguiars rubbing compound and meguiars quick spray wax.

Would it be sufficient to do the following:
1.) wash car using foam gun
2.) rinse car thoroughly
3.) dry car using microfiber
4.) use the rubbing compound to take away swirl marks
5.) spray on quik wax
 
yes... my pickup is black with a ton of metal flake... the flake helps hide the swirls i've found... most people on here will tell you that a black vehicle is a second full-time job, and boy did i find out the hard way...

to tell you the truth, and i'm sure others will chime in too, but for my black truck this is how i wash and take care of it.

2 bucket wash
dry with MF guzzlers (once a month i will use Duragloss Aquawax while drying)

in the spring i will clay the paint, then polish to remove any swirls, and apply a good quality wax or sealant.

in the fall i don't worry about removing swirls and i'm just focused on laying down a good coating of wax for the winter months.

i've found that with the two bucket method, and not rubing hard with the MF's when drying, i haven't gotten many swirls at all...

EXCEPT for the time i went camping and my truck got very dusty... i wasn't thinking and tried to use a quick detailer to lift the dust off the paint... yea... lets just say i had a TON of swirls to remove.... i never had to use a rubbing compound... a good polish worked for me... but i will never use a QD other than to get bird bombs off the paint these days.... i'll stick to traditional washes, as i know i won't be swirling the paint with them.
 
I would Opti-Coat it for long-term scratch resistance. Or maybe CQuartz.
 
If you bought it from a dealership, more likely than not, they have applied some glaze to hide the imperfections. I know for sure that was true with my Black Nissan Altima I purchased early this year.

IMO, the routine you mentioned above is generally OK if you do it gently and don't add more swirls. More likely than not, when the glaze wears off, you will discover some swirls & imperfections that you will want to remove by following duck's advice above. Once a year or so, you may want to do a full detail and apply fresh sealant, especially if you live in colder place with snowy winters.

p.s. get a random orbit buffer (PC XP, Megs G110v2, or GG6) - you won't regret it.
 
to which Meguiars rubbing compound are you referring, my good sir?

(my best Bob impression) :D
 
embolism said:
to which Meguiars rubbing compound are you referring, my good sir?

(my best Bob impression) :D
Click to expand...

I believe it's called "clear coat safe rubbing or polishing compound" I saw a video on YouTube and it looked like it works well. It comes in a small black circular container and it had a yellow circle applicator pad.
 
Welcome to the worst color ever club. I bought a black nissan frontier last fall and keeping it clean, let alone swirl free is becoming losing battle. I picked up a DA polisher and its awesome! I suggest you get one. As for wash/dry I use two bucket method with grit guards then pay dry with waffle weave towels.

I still find new swirls, but there really is only so much you can do with a daily driver!
 
never used that one before but should be fine if you have isolated problem areas. If you have swirls all over then you'll have popeye forearms in no time...
 
i have a black A6 and it is more than a full time job
 
bigez said:
I would Opti-Coat it for long-term scratch resistance. Or maybe CQuartz.
Click to expand...

Im with this guy. Get a porter cable, polish it out once and opti coat it. If you use the foam gun to wash it with and a soft wash media, it will definitely reduce or eliminate the chance of adding swirls. i hope your new car is not a subaru or a honda because those black paints are the worst.
 
Save yourself the the hassle and buy the polisher now. You will end up getting one if you have stumbled on to this site.
 
Another vote for a da polisher, coming from a full time black truck owner/detailer

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
SON1C said:
why ^
Click to expand...
The reason is that with most Honda, Nissan, and Porsche paints, it is "softer", meaning it is more pliable and able to scratch easier. Especially because it is black, it will show many more imperfections than a silver or white. I would suggest to be very careful with it if it is one of the above manufacturers.

EDIT: I have a Honda, it's a pain in the butt!
 
someone recently said that OC doesn't look good on black. Can't remember the thread now...

Anyone have any opinions?
 
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