Black car madness

[03DubU R EX]

Well let me first off say hello to all. I`ve been reading the forums, post after post, trying to gain as many tips and tricks as possible. The wealth of info is amazing and I thank everyone for the helpful responses to questions asked.



I`ve had my 03 WRX for about a year now, loving everything about it, even the black paint, despite the pain the keeping it clean. As far as my cleaning goes, I use the 2 bucket method and wool mitts for the wash. Since I`ve had the car I`ve used Meguiars Gold Class wash shampoo and wax. I like it alright, but would like to try out some new products.



From reading I gather that I should invest in a PC and better quality towels than the ones I currently have. After that I am overwhelmed with the different products to go with, so suggestions are welcomed.



Products I am considering:

- Zaino (no idea where to start)

- Klasse All-in-One

- Sonus Gloss Shampoo

- OXO and/or Meguiars Brushes

- waffle weave MF towels (can anyone recommend good brands)

- P21S carnauba wax



As stated before, suggestions are welcomed, in fact wanted. And thanks again for the help.

[mikebai1990]

Klasse AIO is a good prewax cleaner that will do a good job of removing slight oxidation and properly prepping the paint for wax. Meguiars GC shampoo is a pretty good soap, although the wax does lack somewhat in durability.

[03DubU R EX]

Thanks Mike for the help. I wasnt sure if Meguiars GC was a good shampoo. :spot



Any thoughts on wax? Anyone wax better on black than another?

[sspeer]

You`re going to get ALOT of differnt answers LOL..



I have a black car as well. and I don`t think I`ve tried the same thing twice..and they`ve all been pretty good in the looks department...I think the major differences are in ease of use and durability..and of course prep is going to be about 90% of it.



If you want to stick with Meguiar`s and get stuff that`s OTC..I think ColorX and #26 Professional Wax would be a cost effective combo

[03DubU R EX]

Oh yeah, just reading the posts on different topics i`ve learned that a lot of different answers come up to just about any question.



Dont get me wrong, I`m not in love with Meguiars GC to the point that I only want to stick with it, I just have a bunch of it left. I dont mind ordering stuff online at all, I`m 100% open to trying new products. I`ve used quite a lot of products over the years all OTC because I didnt know about anything else. But since joining the forums, I`ve seen the light! :heelclick

[awahl63]

For OTC I`m a fan of Meguiars #26 but most of my other products I purchase online

[Scottwax]

If you want to stick with Meguiars (and are considering purchasing a PC), I`d use Meguiars #80 Speed Glaze and top with Meguiars #26 High Tech Yellow Wax. It will give you a deep, rich finish and is pretty goof-proof, even for first time PC users. If you have to do any polishing in the sun, you might also want to try Optimum Polish in place of #80 and Poorboy`s EX w/carnauba instead of 26 since has a similar deep look to #26 but a bit more durable.

[mikebai1990]

I`ve always been a fan of Collinite. If you`re looking for a high quality carnauba wax that will do well on your black finish, then Collinite 845 Liquid Insulator Wax will do the job admirably. It gives a deep shine, and will last 4-6 months.



I`ve heard really good things about the Poorboys waxes, and it would probably be smart to give those a try also.

[imported_themightytimmah]

It`s hard to argue against the Clearkote route on black - I`d take out the swirls with Poorboy`s SSR2.5 (not clearkote though), then follow with Vanilla Moose on a polishing pad, Red Moose Glaze on a finishing pad, and Carnuba Moosewax by hand. I really feel that its hard to beat the look and convenience of this combo - it`ll take out the vast majority of paint defects and hide the little ones that come with washing for a while.



It`s much easier to live with a glaze/carnuba combo than Zaino or Klasse on a black daily driver - I`ve got one myself and I almost put myself in the funny farm going the sealant route, but now mine wears Red Moose under Finish Kare Pink Wax topped with Souveran or OCW depending on how lazy I`m feeling.

[RAG]

Prep (mostly polishing) is in fact 90% of it...and the best polish for black paint is Menzerna PO106FF/PO85RD, and that`s a thread closer; the only people that will argue otherwise haven`t tried it...trust me. This polish contains abrasives particles that are superior to any other polish line, which makes more of a dirrerence in black than any other color...it`s all about the abrasives.

[imported_themightytimmah]

Prep (mostly polishing) is in fact 90% of it...and the best polish for black paint is Menzerna PO106FF/PO85RD, and that`s a thread closer; the only people that will argue otherwise haven`t tried it...trust me. This polish contains abrasives particles that are superior to any other polish line, which makes more of a dirrerence in black than any other color...it`s all about the abrasives.



Those are really rotary polishes though, I was underwhelmed by PO85RD on my Cyclo but absolutely floored when I tried it with the Makita and a finishing pad.

[Scottwax]

Prep (mostly polishing) is in fact 90% of it...and the best polish for black paint is Menzerna PO106FF/PO85RD, and that`s a thread closer; the only people that will argue otherwise haven`t tried it...trust me. This polish contains abrasives particles that are superior to any other polish line, which makes more of a dirrerence in black than any other color...it`s all about the abrasives.



Honestly, I prefer Optimum Polish or Meguiars #80 on black over 106FF because they both give better depth. If you want a super clear finish though, you can`t beat 106FF. I have solved the depth problem by mixing 70% 106FF with 30% Clearkote`s RMG.

[RAG]

Hmmm. Of course there are going to be variance in "best," but I very much like the 106FF (actually Blackfire`s version) via PC. I have found that on most black paint, the Meguiars and Optimum polishes tend to leave micro-gashing...really only noticable on black and under halogens...though when doing side by side comparisons...I can easily see the difference in gloss in direct sunlight; Poorboys is really bad in this regard. I`ve even used Optimum and #9 via PC with "glazing" pads and still tend to get this micro-marring. Menzerna is the only polish I have found that doesn`t do this. Pictures won`t show this effect...one more reason I want to hurry up an have a cross-training session...I actually got to show this effect to Sullybob the other day on a black car...I put the polishes in his hands and let him draw his own conclusions...tust me, he`s now a believer.



03DUB, I hope this helps.

[03DubU R EX]

Wow, thanks everyone for the recs. This week unfortunately I wont be able to use anything but whats left of the GC stuff because I`m waiting for orders to come in. But next week I`ll be putting the new stuff to the test. Very excited.



I just noticed that my wash is pretty low...any recs on wash? I`m thinking about ordering Optimum Car Wash, Zaino, Sonus or Poorboys.



Thanks again for all the help. :2thumbs:

[03DubU R EX]

I`ve heard really good things about Collinite from people who use it. How does 845 compare to 476? 845 better for black paint?