How can I keep my truck looking clean w/out washing? It's black!

H

HardcoreHehaw

New member
So my new truck is black.. my first black vehicle.. yea i hate it!

I can wash it and two days later it's filthy. I miss my white truck!!!

Anyways what can I do to help keep it clean other than washing it every 3 days?

Would one of those car dusters be ok? If yes than at what point would it not be safe to use it without scratching the paint? That thing if it's safe at all has to have limits, right?
 
Even though I use the CCD I know that I marr the vehicle when i do it. There is a way that you can have the clean look with out the use of hose,bucket, shampoo, mitts and all the mess and time that is takes to wash and dry your vehicle. It is called QEW( quick and easy wash).



It is a viable and fast way to clean your car without the fuss and muss of conventional washing. Using good techiques you can minimalized the marring. Maintain your vehicle's paint surface and drive around in a clean car. It is work. But if done on a regular basis you can be out of there with a clean vehicle in about half the time fo a regular wash and dry. I do not use QEW when the vehicle is really dirty but only when it is to much for the CCd and not enough for a full wash.



Actually as of late I have been doing it every other day and the time it takes gets less and less with practice.



There are other possibilities as well. For light cleaning Poorboy's Spray and Wipe(S&W) and Spray and Gloss(S&G) are two of many QD's that are available to meet your needs.
 
Look into Poorboy's S&W. It's just magic stuff, do a search if you're not convinced.



Have you clayed the truck yet? I've found that cars that aren't clayed tend to retain and attract dirt more than clayed ones--it really makes a huge difference. You also might want to look into an anti-static wax/sealant like Finish Kare's lineup.
 
Ah yes......Finish Kare...........My latest fascination/infatuation. I'm still waiting on my gallon of FK#425 to be delivered. It was supposed to be here yesterday. If all goes well, I just might have to invest in some of their products in the near future.
 
Good luck. Two out of my three vehicles are black, and the third is graphite, so I feel your pain. I just wash them all on one day and let the dirt pile up the other six days.

A good regimen of wax or sealant will help. Quick Detail spray and a California Duster can slow down the pain during the week.

You're in for a treat if you went from white to black. Black is ten times the work, but looks 100% better. It's worth the work. Just be very careful when washing so you dont' introduce swirls into the paint. QEW is a great product for washing in the winter. You're sig doesnt' indicate where you are from, but if it's cold out, QEW in the garage is great!
 
I also feel your pain.... I have a black lightning that I absolutely love. I think I have OCD because I can't stand for it to be dirty....seriously.....I lose sleep over it.



I use the car duster, but think it leaves smudges .....and then I have to QD the damn thing.

I think I may try the QEW.... :xyxthumbs
 
I also feel your pain, i have a nighthawk black pearl acura, acura's clear coat is notoriously gentle (to put it nicely). So i need to be extremely careful if i want to qd or ccd my car. My rule of thumb is if it has any salt or large dirt particles than it can't be qd'd or ccd'd. I will use qd if there is a very light layer of dust or very minimal dirt particles. I am incredibly anal like the rest of the autopians but one other thing i do is to spray all the larger dirt particles off with water and then qd it, i like spray n gloss. There are also alot of quality spray on waxes that would increase the shine after a quick detail.
 
getright said:
There are also alot of quality spray on waxes that would increase the shine after a quick detail.
Click to expand...

The problem I have with the wax idea is right after a wax is when my paint seems to attract the most dust. It's like the fresh, unwashed wax is a dust magnet.
 
That's just because the solvents haven't evaporated from the wax yet. Until they evaporate, the newly applied coat of wax will attract dust. Maybe try a sealant insead?
 
Black Cadillac CTS here. My last 3 new cars were black, I've gotten to the point where I watch out for the weather reports and try not wasting my time cleaning my car Sunday of the forecast is rain Monday. Welcome to the madness indeed...
 
Have you looked into Kozak Dry Wash Cloth. Its been on the market since the 1920s. It works great on dusty cars , but if the car is really dirty I wouldnt use it.
 
I wouldn't use that Kozak, it really marred up the vehicles I tested it on. Nowhere for the dirt to go (no nap) and the whole concept is flawed (IMO). Likewise, I wouldn't CCD/QD a black vehicle (actually, I don't do that to *any* vehicle). I'd either wash it properly or just leave it until you can. A marred-up black vehicle looks a lot worse than one that's just dirty.



The posters who just let their black vehicles get dirty have the right idea. Don't spend all your time trying to keep it concours-ready every day. After (..trying to remember..) about six black vehicles I decided that life is too short and switched to colors that don't need washed so often to keep looking good and that don't show flaws as readily.
 
I found THE BEST way to keep your black looking vehicle looking clean without washing is........Take a picture of it after you wash it next time and from then on you can look at the picture to see a clean vehicle :)
 
Abandon all hope ye who bought a black car ! :grinno:



Wash wipe an' wax... any other way ?? Naw... I use up a bottle of Meg' s QD a month ! (And that' s between washes every other day)
 
cwcad said:
Even though I use the CCD I know that I marr the vehicle when i do it. There is a way that you can have the clean look with out the use of hose,bucket, shampoo, mitts and all the mess and time that is takes to wash and dry your vehicle. It is called QEW( quick and easy wash).



It is a viable and fast way to clean your car without the fuss and muss of conventional washing. Using good techiques you can minimalized the marring. Maintain your vehicle's paint surface and drive around in a clean car. It is work. But if done on a regular basis you can be out of there with a clean vehicle in about half the time fo a regular wash and dry. I do not use QEW when the vehicle is really dirty but only when it is to much for the CCd and not enough for a full wash.



Actually as of late I have been doing it every other day and the time it takes gets less and less with practice.



There are other possibilities as well. For light cleaning Poorboy's Spray and Wipe(S&W) and Spray and Gloss(S&G) are two of many QD's that are available to meet your needs.
Click to expand...

I like those suggestions. I do one other thing that might help you spend less time and keep your truck looking good. When my car gets really dirty I take a spray bottle w/ QEW & warm water to a brushless car wash. Before I drive through I get out and spray the lower/dirtiest part of the car w/ the solution. It really helps keep it clean and like new (it even looks waxed) for about $4.00, and .02 cents worth of QEW. And it takes less than five minutes.
 
Well my truck will soon be lifted and i'm not sure if it will fit through the car wash.

Those touchless car washes don't take off the wax with such high pressure water?
 
I saw in somebody sig this saying, "auto car washes are like hookers, do you want to be the next one to use it?". So true, so true. Stay outta those places unless it's one where you are in control of the sprayer. Scottabir and morat have the right idea, like louie i need to chech the weather, like i'm sure not just black car owners do, to make sure it's worth the effort.
 
Whose sig is that? :lol



I wouldn't use the Kozak either. We had a couple of those at the body shop I worked at years ago, and while I was impressed by its dust-removal abilities, I know look back at it and wonder why the shop didn't just buy a couple MF towels instead. Like Accumulator said, there's nowhere for the dirt/dust to go. There's no nap.

I think the CCD or OXO duster is a better idea. I use my OXO every day on my car in the summer, but not on the lower panels. I think there's too much risk of picking up larger dirt particles on the lower parts. I dust the upper half, and QD the bottom half (bumpers & lower half of doors).



Black cars are a challenge to keep clean. It doesn't seem like you're up to the challenge! Anybody can have a decent looking black car, but to have a truly jaw-dropping one, a lot of time and effort is essential. There is a black Audi around here that just leaves my mouth hanging open everytime I see it. I really have to meet that guy sometime...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top