Best products for detailing Black cars

[ranger7]

This is my first post, so I apologize if this question has been posted before. What would you recommend as the best products to use for detailing Black cars? I have read that Klasse leaves a sterile finish on dark colored cars, and I am interested in solid protection and a great, deep wet shine.



Also, one thing I never understood about polishing/waxing, etc. Is by hand to appy and remove in a non-circular motion, rather back and forth, so with that being the case is a polisher not a good idea? Any recommendations on a good polisher?



I`ve been working with cars since I was 15, my first job was at a full detail car wash and I became hooked then on detailing cars. It`s not how I make a living, but I am pretty good at it.



I wanted to ask the pros before I jump into detailing my new Lexus, which is very shiny and very black.





I appreciate the help.



ranger7

[Accumulator]

This is my first post, so I apologize if this question has been posted before. What would you recommend as the best products to use for detailing Black cars? I have read that Klasse leaves a sterile finish on dark colored cars, and I am interested in solid protection and a great, deep wet shine...



Welcome to Autopia!



IMO many of the differences in how various Last Step Products ("LSP"s) look are overstated; many people would never notice them. But anyhow...



Two of the most popular LSPs for black are both carnaubas- Meguiar`s #26 and Pinnacle Souveran. But some people find that Collinite waxes look good too (even though they`re not "beauty waxes") and that the durability is worth any slight difference in appearance compared to the two I mentioned previously (neither of which last all that long).



While I haven`t tried them on black, I suspect that BlackFire and 4 Star Ultimate Paint Protection (both sealants) would look mighty good too (they don`t look sterile to me on other colors). But getting/keeping black flawless enough to look good with a sealant might be a tall order.


Also, one thing I never understood about polishing/waxing, etc. Is by hand to appy and remove in a non-circular motion, rather back and forth, so with that being the case is a polisher not a good idea? Any recommendations on a good polisher?



The only reason why straight line motions could be preferable to elliptical/circular ones is that *IF* you cause a scratch it won`t show as much if it`s in a straight line (matter of viewing angles; a circular scratch will always have some portion at the optimal viewing angle). Since you shouldn`t be scratching the paint anyhow, IMO this isn`t any big deal; I use circular/elliptical motions when working by hand and as you figured, my machines don`t go in straight lines either. Is it a bit of added risk? Perhaps, but I get better/more uniform coverage working that way and I also find it more comfortable in many cases.



Good polishers for new-to-machines users: Porter Cable, Cyclo, or the new Ultimate Detailing Machine. All have their pluses and minuses, and all will be very easy to get the hang of. FWIW I do maybe 90% of my polishing/waxing/etc. by machine.

[jedovaty]

I was reading the reviews of products here, and it appears the zaino products might be good on black, too? But no idea where to get those?

[Scottwax]

Best bang for the buck on black paint would be Clearkote`s Vanilla Moose or Red Machine Glaze followed by Carnauba Moose Wax.



Sealants can look really good on black but IMO, they just don`t have the liquid depth of a good glaze and carnauba. I have a plethora of sealants on hand and I always go back to carnaubas on my own black car, even though it means I have to reapply wax every 3 months instead of every 5-6 months.

[NickelPlated.45]

I use blackfire sealant on my jet black bmw. I like the way it looks. The fact is you never know until you try it out. Experiment!

[Beason]

RMG > EX > Nattys Blue. Pretty Wet look. I have used several dozen combinations and that is still my favorite. Currently Im trying FPII > Z2pro > Souverean. Should be pretty good looking, but an expensive combo.

[ranger7]

Thanks for the suggestions. I decided to order the following:



P21S Carnauba Car Wax

Klasse All-In-One

Sonus SFX-2 Enhance Swirl

Remover

Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish

Polish

Sonus SFX Professional

Applicator, Pkg/2

Sonus Der Wunder

Applicator, Pkg/2

Sonus Carnauba Spritz



How`d I do?

[Scottwax]

Not sure why you bothered asking if you were just going to go with Klasse anyway. :think:



Klasse and P21S will make your black paint look bright and reflective, without the liquid depth of some of the other products suggested.

[ranger7]

I am going use it on my wife`s car first. I am also going to order the products suggested here for my car. To answer you question> my wife`s car is the guinea pig and I can`t find Pinnacle on this web site. So that will be seperate order.

[ZeroDfx]

I think you did just fine with your choices. There is no right/wrong here, just what you like until you experiment around and find something you like better, for whatever reason.



I`ve used the Klasse twins on my black BMW topped with S100 (P21S) and liked the look a lot. Now I`m using Menzerna polish, glaze, and sealant and like that too. I have so many chips/sandblasting on my hood, I may have to use a black carnauba to hide the white specs from the dried polish/glaze/sealant. That shouldn`t be an issue for you with a new car.



Have fun and good luck.

Nick

[PK8]

Best bang for the buck on black paint would be Clearkote`s Vanilla Moose or Red Machine Glaze followed by Carnauba Moose Wax.



Sealants can look really good on black but IMO, they just don`t have the liquid depth of a good glaze and carnauba. I have a plethora of sealants on hand and I always go back to carnaubas on my own black car, even though it means I have to reapply wax every 3 months instead of every 5-6 months.



Do you ever use a sealant between the glaze and wax? How does that affect the look and longevity of the finished product?

[MegaGoodDetaili]

I use Wolfgang deep gloss paint sealant on black. it works nicely bro, right on. Whatever you do bro rip it, rip it hard bro.

[Scottwax]

Do you ever use a sealant between the glaze and wax? How does that affect the look and longevity of the finished product?



99% of the time, I either use a sealant OR a carnauba. I only top sealants with carnaubas at a customer`s request. I don`t think it helps that much to put a sealant under a wax.

[smartxtai]

Scott, I always love your work and input to the community. I always try to follow your suggestions and comments. I currently use Meg`s NXT wax on my black car (06 Volvo S40) and while it`s been great, I always wanted to know what carnauba`s would look like on my car such as the P21S. I was wondering if you`ve ever tried Meg`s NXT Wax on black paint and if so, how it compares to carnauba`s (like the one you use on your car).

[Scottwax]

NXT is one of the best sealants on black. Doesn`t quite have the Carnauba shimmer but the majority of people won`t notice that anyway because it still looks quite good.



I used NXT on this Silverado:



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2003_Chevy_Silverado_NXT_side2.jpg



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2003_Chevy_Silverado_NXT_frontend2.jpg



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2003_Chevy_Silverado_NXT_front1.jpg