Black paint: a blessing or a curse?

S

saab93

New member
I polish and wax my car every April and October with Klasse AIO, 1Z Einszett Glanz Wax, and topped with P21S Carnauba. The results are beautiful, just beautiful. I use Eagle One WAUD with every weekly wash.



The beading of the paint remains perfect the entire time, no complains there. The only problem however, is since its black :wall , minor minor swirls become more and more visible as time goes, especially in the summer (a lot of sun).



What should I do between my primary wax/polish to always maintain that swirl-free look?
 
I totally hear you. This is what I do (generally) with my car, a black daily driver.



April and October polish just like you (usually Menzerna FPII or Optimum Polish, Opt compound if it needs some more love). In mid/late-June I normally do a really quick polish with FPII or clearkote VM on a grey or white pad (so very light) just to take care of any swirling that's developed in the interim. I am also a big supporter of glazes on black daily drivers, so I will periodically strip the wax and apply a layer of RMG by hand then re-apply wax/sealant.



Of course I am sure I don't have to tell you that it always makes sense to try to mitigate swirls. Foam guns, leaf blowers, anti-static qd's, all very helpful.
 
Glad I'm not alone :sosad



I don't mind a quick polish between the two primary, but if I do that between April & October, wouldn't I technically be removing all the Klasse I put on in April? Between October and April, I'll live with the swirls, no way I can give her a touch up living in Pittsburgh, but April to October I am willing to do anything to keep her beautiful. So, since its June today, I will give her a light polish/wax this weekend. Thanks for the advice!



As for glazing, does is really work for you on your black car? I have a new bottle of 3M Hand Glaze. I tried it, but didn't see a noticable difference.
 
im kinda in a similar situation, i have multiple layers of klasse on the car and dont want to start over, so im going to try megs# 7 and then a wax to to seal it in
 
Expanding on what steveo3002 said, get a foamgun and work on the wash technique. It isn't easy by any means, but it is *possible* to wash without marring the paint to any significant degree.



Quit pressing the dirt against the paint and then moving it across the panels and you won't have anything worth worrying about, but yeah, it's easier said than done. Took me countless washes, paying attention to *every* thing I did at every moment, but it was worth it. These days any marring I do get isn't a surprise, I know the exact second I did something a little careless: oops, maybe I'll get lucky....nope, got a little scratch :( But I *know* what I did wrong. IMO it's all a matter of how seriously you want to treat the wash/dry process, and how well you can maintain the self-discipline necessary to do it right (I tell ya, it's sure not easy).
 
I am sure as careful as I am with washing, there are details I probably should be paying more attention to. As for drying, I would try the blow method or the running water no-gun method, but I like to use the Eagle One WAUD stuff to keep it beading well.



For the in-between light polish/wash, I was thinking about the Poorboy's Polish w/Carnauba, followed up maybe by a coat of P21S. What do you guys think?



http://store.pakshak.com/poorboys-polishwithcarnauba-12oz.html
 
saab93 said:
What should I do between my primary wax/polish to always maintain that swirl-free look?
Click to expand...



Paint the car a lighter color. Seriously, I just sold both my black cars and won't ever go back there again. Too much of a hassle besides, I just bought a white diamond '03 Escalade and it blows black away. Light colors don't have to be boring.
 
when I had a black daily driver my life sucked.



now I have a silver car and I'm whole, its zen.



Swirling in my case was usually caused by using cheap MF towels(auto store type), allowing the car to be washed by others, or washing the car improperly myself,

drying the car without first spraying a quick detailer all over car.

not claying enough (especially before rubbing on the paint with wax applicators,

quick detailing too often,

dry dusting,

not using a dedicated buffing towel.



My remedies:

No more hand car wash places

reducing quick detailing in general to once between washes

using only waffle weave towels and top notch MF towels (with silk binding)

Claying before using any polish or wax

washing at home with a sea sponge (in the direction of the wind).

never touching dry paint, ever. Wet the surface and the towel/applicator always.

Having several buffing towels and not using polishing towels for final touches.



As far as eliminating the swirls

PC is a must have for a black car owner

use the mildest swril remover that will do the job.

I use Poorboys with PC, 3M before that.

Keep the surface slick as possible with 425 or other type.
 
Aaahhh black is a blessing wheen you look at your freshly detailed car. But when you notice some blemish or flaw, it appears tenfold compared to a silver car with the same or even worse blemish / flaw... :(
 
Now that I have my wash regimen sorted out I wouldn't worry so much about marring on black, but it still shows dust/etc. so much that it'd be a royal PIA compared to other, more forgiving colors. My brief experience with the black rent-a-Suburban last year reinforced my opinion that life's just too short for me to constantly deal with it...and to think I used to swear that I'd always own black cars, live and learn.
 
After spending nearly 12 hours total on my black pickup (and not being completely satisfied), I have to say that this thread makes me feel nearly sane again! My first and certainly my last black vehicle. I've asked my wife to kick me if I try to buy another one.
 
Black can look sooooo good when done right. But I can't own a black vehicle. I would go insane trying to keep it looking perfect.
 
I have a black car as a daily driver and I go insane trying to keep it clean. But I like having a reason to use all of the chemicals and equipment I bought as a result of reading these forums. Fixing all of the marring is therapy.
 
Yeah, I can sympathize. I just spent 6 hours today on my black daily driver and I'm still not happy with how it came out. I'm between 99 and 100% sure that my next DD is going to be either metallic blue, gray or green. I'd never have anything but red or black for a sunday driver, though.
 
As the owner of TWO Sable Black daily drivers, I know what we're all talking about...even gnat feet leave marks. :)



My biggest complaint about black is that, once I've washed and clayed and cleaned and polished, the car(s) look fairly good where there are no noticeable defects - but then I apply a wax or sealant, and the heretofore invisible or unseen scratches show up because of the reflectivity inherent in the LSP, or even just the whitish residue of the wax itself (carnuba?). It gets down into the very small scratches and highlights them as if you've filled them with classroom chalk. :faint:

:hairpull



But, as some have noted, when you get black right, it looks pretty damn sharp...for a while..
 
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