Hey new here

R

Rissa

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Just bought a new black car, and I want to make sure it looks its best at all times. I usually have all day on the weekends to take care of it, so what do you recommend I use? I had a silver car before this and it was much easier to keep clean. Should I do it myself, or consider going to a professional? And if the second option is better, anyone in the Orange County, CA area that details? Thanks in advance. :)
 
I really don't want to scare you away but you've really got your work cut out for you. Basically, keeping a black car looking its best at all times is going to require a grueling amount of work. When you say "looking its best at all times" I assume you want the paint finish to be flawless. It can be done but keeping it that way is the hard part. If the car is driven daily, it will be nearly impossible. If you want someone else to take care of it for you, it will cost you. Black is a "compromise" color. Taken care of properly, it will still look better than 90% of black cars on the road, but will be far from perfect.

Good luck.
 
Hey there, what kind of car did you purchase??



If the paint it looking good since it's new, you shouldn't have to do much. I would do a very thorough wash, then clay the car to get rid of any surface contaminents from rail dust and sitting around on the lot (assuming you didn't custom order something...).



A nice glaze will help add some depth to the color. Finally, I would add a sealant, which should add 3-6 months of protection. Follow up with a nice carnauba wax and your car will be set. Washing it properly will ensure that the paint will look great for months to come with minimal work needed!
 
I believe someone on here has a signature along the lines of "black isn't a colour, it's a career".



I'd say before you do anything you need to read everything you can about the correct washing technique. All the glazes, waxes & sealants in the world will be wasted if you end up swirling your paint each time you wash it.



As for the DIY or pro approach, that's down to you. Personally I went the DIY route, made some mistakes, discovered some wonderful things & am still refining my work 3 years later. There is a lot to learn & it can take over your life but nothing beats having the best car in the car park & knowing it's all down to you.
 
:welcome to Autopia, Rissa!



There’s an in-between option too, learning to do minimally-invasive maintenance yourself and taking it to a pro occasionally.



With a black daily driver, you’ll get at least some marring over time no matter how well you take care of it. But if you only have to take it to a pro once in a while the cost is very reasonable.



Since you’re in OC I’d highly recommend signing up for a Meguiar’s Thursday night open garage and/or Saturday class.





PC
 
Black is a beautiful when it's clean (for oh, maybe three minutes after you wash it!)



I have three of 'em. I can tell you that black is not the color to own if you're obsessive w/ meticulous finishes. They can however reward you as quoted here:



Macko said:
There is a lot to learn & it can take over your life but nothing beats having the best car in the car park & knowing it's all down to you.
Click to expand...



Truer advice has never been given on this board:



Macko said:
I'd say before you do anything you need to read everything you can about the correct washing technique. All the glazes, waxes & sealants in the world will be wasted if you end up swirling your paint each time you wash it.
Click to expand...



Washing techniques for my black cars:



Work tires, wheels and wheelwells first using dedicated equipment.



Remove grit (if present) w/ a pressure washer then switch to 3/4" hose w/ a hose end sprayer and car wash solution and spray down car.



Rinse with a firemans nozzle.



Use two 5 gal. buckets, one w/ two grit guards (stacked) for rinsing mitts and the other w/ 2 gals. quality car wash.



Starting on top panels, spray w/ hose end nozzle and car wash solution (provides additional lubrication for wash) use a quality wash mitt and glide the wash media along the panels in a straight line motion, rinsing the mitt between panels w/ firemans nozzle and medium pressure/dispersion.



Dunk mitt into rinse bucket and agitate well then dunk into wash solution in second bucket.



Move to the other two top panels, gliding and rinsing mitt as you go then rinse the top portions completely w/ nozzle.



Get a second mitt and do the upper half of the side panels and trunk areas using same car wash solution/rinsing of mitt etc.



Get a third mitt and repeat process for lower half of car reserving the lower bumpers, behind wheels and below doors areas for a grout sponge.



Rinse all again and use electric leaf blower to remove about 80% of the water, then use quality mf to finish drying, starting w/ windows then lightly going over spots.



This process seems time consuming (and is compared to slam dunk wash jobs) but with time and quick connects it speeds up and there is no grit in my rinse and wash solution buckets, in fact, I save the remaining wash solution to do wheels/tires next wash:heelclick.
 
Welcome! I have been reading around this forum for a while now. It seems that Black cars come out the best, but needs alot of work. It seems that you may be getting into the wash per week habit as weekly washing seems to be recommended for keeping the car at its best.



There is a how-to link at the very top of this page. When I was first here I read all those articles and learned a heck of a lot. They are very informative.



Have fun!
 
trippinbillies4 said:
Hey there, what kind of car did you purchase??



If the paint it looking good since it's new, you shouldn't have to do much. I would do a very thorough wash, then clay the car to get rid of any surface contaminents from rail dust and sitting around on the lot (assuming you didn't custom order something...).



A nice glaze will help add some depth to the color. Finally, I would add a sealant, which should add 3-6 months of protection. Follow up with a nice carnauba wax and your car will be set. Washing it properly will ensure that the paint will look great for months to come with minimal work needed!
Click to expand...



Thanks guys, I got an '08 cobalt ss/tc. I love it, so far the paint looks good, I know the basics in washing a car, good soap,microfiber towels, never let anything touch the floor, I do it in shade when it's not super hot outside. I usually park in the shade too, avoid trees, and use my California duster A LOT. I really do want to get to waxing it, but I don't want to screw anything up.
 
the other pc said:
:welcome to Autopia, Rissa!



There’s an in-between option too, learning to do minimally-invasive maintenance yourself and taking it to a pro occasionally.



With a black daily driver, you’ll get at least some marring over time no matter how well you take care of it. But if you only have to take it to a pro once in a while the cost is very reasonable.



Since you’re in OC I’d highly recommend signing up for a Meguiar’s Thursday night open garage and/or Saturday class.





PC
Click to expand...



Sounds good, I'd probably do the in between technique, sounds the most reasonable. Where do they offer these classes?
 
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