My Six Rules for Detailing a Black Car

[Sleeper-6]

Rule #7 - Do not buy a black car unless you can keep it in the garage and not drive it every day

Rule #8 - Properly done black is incredable, attempting to maintain it will put you in the loony bin.

This is coming from a guy that owns a black 87 Buick that someone did a lousy job of repainting before I bought it. It drives me nuts.

[Todd@RUPES]

Great rules and a great thread. Thanks for sharing!

[Nth Degree]

Rule #7 - Do not buy a black car unless you can keep it in the garage and not drive it every day

Rule #8 - Properly done black is incredable, attempting to maintain it will put you in the loony bin.

This is coming from a guy that owns a black 87 Buick that someone did a lousy job of repainting before I bought it. It drives me nuts.

Is that a Grand National? If so it would be worth it for a good paint job. My mom had one of those and I loved to drive it. May look for a good deal on one soon.

[davidmelis]

Dear David & Friends

This reads like a great outline for an ebook. Within each rule I`d like to see suggested products and techniques for using those products.

What about lighter colors? How does one make silver and white absolutely drip?

Hi Jaddie,

Thanks for your kind words. I wanted to get back to you to answer your question about silver and white. Keep in mind that I am not a professional detailer and have not tried virtually every product like some of the studs on this forum; however, I have had some experience with silver and white and I will give you my opinion for what it is worth, if anything:

Silver - I have mixed feelings about this. Is your Honda or your Lexus the silver vehicle? Is there metallic in the paint? Would you consider it a darker grey or a very light and bright silver? Let me know.

White - Again it depends on if there is a metallic in the paint and how warm of a white it is. In my experience with white there are 3 things I keep in mind:

1) Make sure the paint is very polished. That is correct what you can but shine the rest. Are you in the Porter Cable family yet? If not, even an Over the counter abrasive like Meguiars Ultimate Compound and a good foam pad will help you to clean that clear coat which will lighten and whiten your white.

2) Two coats of a very bright sealant, followed by 1 or 2 coats of a quality "candy looking" wax. For over the counter - I have found that Mother`s Pure Carnauba is very bright. For a better one for the money do P21S or Pinnacles liquid Sovereign, or..... you are going to get 200 opinions on which wax. The two coats of sealant beneath it is what is going to enhance your polished paint.

3) The wash is VERY important. You can wither mute your white with a inferior cars wash or you can brighten it. My experience is that Oprimum`s car wash leaves a sealant looking shine that has great clarity and brightness. For over the counter - Mother`s Car Wash (the non-carnauba) has nice crystalines in it that leaves a bright paint.

In conclusion. Be encouraged! The fact that you are a forum member here and you care enough about your Honda and Lexus to talk to others about them tells me that those cars likely look better than 95% of the equivalant models on the road. So, keep up the good work.

I`ll try to get to the rest of the questions latter tonight or tomorrow.

Happy Detailing!!!!

[davidmelis]

Thankyou David!

What LSP`s do you like on black?

I use Souveran or M#26 when I am feeling poorer.

[Midnight1700]

Rule ?: When we do a high end detail on a dark colored vehicle, we always "GROUND" the chassis immediately following the washing and before polishing. Dust loves static electricity and by grounding the chassis you help eliminate it. This little step will reduce the amount of dust on the paint surfaces. Many quality paint shops do the same thing to help reduce the dust that gets in/on the paint.

[davidmelis]

i have one problem with rule no. 1.... i don`t have a garage, only a carport. whats the alternative.

Well, a carport is better than nothing since it will help you be in the shade. If you are correcting or polishing with a machine or by hand I would say do not compromise. Ask to borrow a friend`s garage. You can do so in exchange for detailing their car also.

When i have been stuck outdoors I study the panel I am working on often. I have a few dedicated "long-haired" microfibers to periodically whip off any dust or pollen.

Also, I tend to use "safer" products outdoors. For example, Mother`s FX is one of the easiest folly-proof products out there. The Mother`s Shine is not my favorite (it is deep and glows, but has a little of a cheap look to me) but it will do the job in cleaning and waxing in one step.

Happy detailing!

[SP4449]

Hi David,

Definitely required reading. Great thread. Thank you for posting.

I have a black 911 Carrera on order. Stupid me! I`m thinking of having them repaint the car "white" at the port so the paint will have time to dry before it gets to Nebraska.

Actually I`m pretty excited about black on black. My first black car 8 years ago had a beige interior so this is something new for me. And yes, I know what to expect. I decided to retire just so I`d have time to take care of the black paint, wheels, exhaust, etc. . .

Jim

[davidmelis]

Hi David,

Definitely required reading. Great thread. Thank you for posting.

I have a black 911 Carrera on order. Stupid me! I`m thinking of having them repaint the car "white" at the port so the paint will have time to dry before it gets to Nebraska.

Actually I`m pretty excited about black on black. My first black car 8 years ago had a beige interior so this is something new for me. And yes, I know what to expect. I decided to retire just so I`d have time to take care of the black paint, wheels, exhaust, etc. . .

Jim

You are hilarious. Congratulations on your new Porsche. I think the current 911 looks better than the last several generations. As a hobbyist, I would pay you to be able to detail your car!

Happy retirement!

[Roadrunner STi]

I`ve been away from the forums for a bit due to other commitments but this thread was a fantastic 1st read back. Thank you so much for sharing.

As others have mentioned, I to am curious of you have any specific product recomendation with regards to your steps and black cars?

[davidmelis]

I`ve been away from the forums for a bit due to other commitments but this thread was a fantastic 1st read back. Thank you so much for sharing.

As others have mentioned, I to am curious of you have any specific product recomendation with regards to your steps and black cars?

Hi Roadrunner. Welcome back! I hesitated to give specific product names in the article because everyone has their own opinion and preference. After trying several through the years I have settled on what makes me happy. First a polish with 105 and 205. Then #7. Of course it doesn`t stick well but it is very DEEP. I then use Souveran or M26. Last time I put 3 coats of M26 then Mothers Sealer Glaze (no crystalines so it darkens and fills!). Then a couple more coats of wax. I am about to try Wolfgang Glaze 3.0 for the first time.

What do you use on you Vette and your Hyundai?

[Roadrunner STi]

They Hyundai is a daily beater car so I realize being ocd is not worth the hassle... The ZO6 on the other hand is a new addition to the garage and I`m looking for that deep wet mirror look. I never really thought of products having a specific effect on black unless it mentioned it in the name such as Poorboys Blackhole or the Turtle wax black car polish and carnauba wax that I have and use on the Hyundai. It does the job but don`t feel it will give me the look I want on the ZO6.

Thanks a lot for the recommendations!! I really appreciate it.

[Hoytman]

I`ve been a Mothers Car Wash user for a long time. I love the smell. However, our dark blue Regal that usually sees the Mothers got its first bath with Duragloss 901 and I couldn`t believe my eyes.

This Regal is getting ready to get some correction work done, and a sealant or possibly opti-coat. It hasn`t been waxed in a long time...too long, but the Duragloss...well...I just couldn`t believe what I was seeing.

Both Mothers Car Wash and Duragloss 901 will be staying in my arsenal. I will be adding Ultima Car Wash soon.

[Bunky]

I`ve been a Mothers Car Wash user for a long time. I love the smell. However, our dark blue Regal that usually sees the Mothers got its first bath with Duragloss 901 and I couldn`t believe my eyes.

This Regal is getting ready to get some correction work done, and a sealant or possibly opti-coat. It hasn`t been waxed in a long time...too long, but the Duragloss...well...I just couldn`t believe what I was seeing.

Both Mothers Car Wash and Duragloss 901 will be staying in my arsenal. I will be adding Ultima Car Wash soon.

Are you saying 901 left a glossy shine?

[Hoytman]

Yes. I should have clarified that. The shine was just so much more than I expected from my usual washes with other products.