BLACKFIRE... <insert dramatic drum roll here> ;)

I have used several Qd's on the new Blackfire formulation. All with excellent results. They are all non-carnuaba based:

Blackfire's QD's

Zaino's Z6

Duragloss FC (#921 - Fast Clean & Shine)



These are all compatible with BF2 and need not be removed (washed off), like

a carnuaba-based product would require.

As mentioned before that the BF2 depth,wetness, and gloss has not deteriorated by sitting in the garage. Daily Qd'ing to enhanced the appearance of the finish is not necessary to maintain the ultimate Blackfire results. Great for those light cleaning episodes. Great stuff:xyxthumbs



Thanks Aurora 4.0. All my comments apply to hand-application. :wavey
 
This one's a quick update. I washed the car today with the Blackfire shampoo. It works fine and the car looks like I just applied the BF, and it's as slick as can be. However, the car was like that before I washed it. In fact, there was a surprising amount of dirt on the car. It was surprising because it still had tons of shine and reflection. The car had been through several rain storms and it hasn't been washed in weeks. But it still looked great. The sides, especially behind the wheel wells, looked dirty, and there was that rain film at the front of the hood and around body seams, but the top and upper sides of the car still looked very clean (although they weren't). The protectant really shines even when dirty.



The shampoo doesn't feel harsh at all to me. It is quite gentle yet effective. It makes a lot of suds (not tons, though) in the bucket, but not a lot on the car. When I hosed the car down, it was beading like crazy. Then, when you run the soapy sponge over it, it just gets sheety. It doesn't really leave suds on the car. But, it feels plenty slick and comfortable going over the paint. I like it, but I like Gold Class better for the suds. I then tried the QD just to try it. It smells great and works well. It is fairly thick, so a little goes a long way. Again, though, I can't really say how well it worked because the BF finish was still looking amazing. It did a good job on water spots, and it brought back a nice glow when I tried it on my wife's Klasse SG'd car. I'm still very impressed and completely satisfied with Blackfire. If I had it to do again, I might just use Gold Class shampoo and get an extra QD, but the BF shampoo is good. Plus, in the winter it might do the finish good to use the shampoo and the QD if there is a freak warm day.
 
My new Blackfire just arrived, but the temperature is 25 Degrees outside. Should be around 57. Definitely can't put it on this weekend. Pray for warmth.
 
After reading all the "glowing" reviews, I purchased the Blackfire kit. I decided to attack my wife's '96 Mazda 626 (56k miles - dark green) before touching my '03 Super Black 350Z.



The 626 had a bad case of grit, so I clay barred with Mother's kit

first, with Showtime as the lubricant. Then just sponged (damp) off the crap that was generated, and buffed with cloth towel.



On the hood, I then used Blackfire polish (applied with a machine polisher), and removed / buffed by hand. I then added 2 coats of Blackfire paint protector (applied and removed by hand). Didn't use the gloss spray since someone on this forum had said that it

didn't change the appearance.



On the doors, fenders, trunk, rear spoiler, and bumpers, I just added a coat of cheap Mother's carnauba cleaner/wax (paste),

over the top of the previously buffed out Mother's Showtime.



On the roof, I didn't add either Blackfire or the carnauba wax.



To me the results looked good, but all the same. To my wife, the hood looked the least attractive - less shine/deep gloss. Blackfire added a lot of extra work & cost ($67 w/ shipping) without adding any additional gloss - a big disappointment indeed.



It remains to be seen if the Blackfire (or the carnauba wax) has any redeeming qualities, like durability, easy re-wash, sheeting, etc.
 
ztom, Welcome to Autopia.



Good review. Nevertheless I see a few flaws. Sounds as though the 626 needed a little more intensive prep prior to the Blackfire Polish and Protectant. Remember the BF polish is very mild polish and will not rejuveniate a neglected or old surface. It is mainly for light oxidation and very minor swirls. The finish gloss, slickness, color trueness and satisfaction factor should all be present prior to applying the sealant (Protectant). Sealants, be it Zaino, Bf, Platium, etc, are protectants. They will not perform miracles on a ill-prep surface. If anything they will make a bad finish appear worst because they do not cover-up flaws very well if at all.

Try prepping the hood or trunk with a slightly more aggressive paint cleaner ( Perfect-It II or even Meguiar's Paint Cleaner). work the paint until you are satisfied with its appearance. Re-apply the BF polish and than protectant. You could possibly skip the polish and just apply protectant.

Sorry to hear that you may have wasted a whole detailing session but there are no short cuts to a fantastic finish. A pig in a suit is still a pig.;)



On your 03 Z I would just use a good paint cleanser and apply the BF protectant. You should have no need to use the polish.

Post an up-date as soon as you properly prep the 626 and applied a few coats of protectant on the Z. .:wavey
 
Yes, what BlkZ28 said. Mother's cleaner/wax will probably have much stronger cleaning ability than the Blackfire GEP. It is a very light polish. I've never used Mother's, but Meguiar's cleaner/wax will do a pretty amazing job on oxidized paint. GEP will not. So like BlkZ28 said, you will probably need to do some surface prep first to have a nice finish to apply the BF to. Also, clay will not remove oxidation. It just removes crud that's stuck to the paint. Heck, if you don't want to buy more products, use the cleaner/wax all over to remove any oxidation, make sure to then strip off the wax it leaves, then try the GEP and protectant. I can recommend Meguiar's Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner too, as I think it's an excellent cleaner that isn't abrasive (but maybe you don't want recommendations from me anymore :o).



Also, I would say that you will notice the "glow" much more on vertical panels than on horizontal ones. Once you get the hood cleaned, it should have more of a deep, wet look with sharp reflections. The glow is really noticeable when you step back away from the car, thus you mainly see it on vertical panels. Also, if your paint isn't metallic, it may not "glow" as much but just look really deep and reflective. Give it a few days too. It looks different in the shade than in bright sun. And it definitely looks different before you pull it out of the garage and after you pull it out.



I sure hope that this will yield results you are pleased with. I'd hate to think you bought it because of my review and hate it. But I really do think you'll be able to get good results from it once you prep the surface. Please let us know how it goes by posting your updates here, or at least PM me.



Also, I'd have to differ from BlkZ28 about the 350Z. I'd say use the GEP and forego a cleaner because I'd think the surface would be clean already. The GEP should add a little gloss, and also lay the best foundation for the protectant. But that's just an opinion. :)
 
rightlane said:
Aurora40 : let see from your first post until now about a month?
Click to expand...



It has been 5 weeks since I put the initial 2 coats of the original Blackfire on. Then, 2 weeks later I put on 2 more coats of the new Blackfire. So the latest coat has been on there for 3 weeks. I know, that's not a long time, but it still looks and feels like the day I applied it, so that's at least a good sign (better than if it didn't look or feel like it did the day I applied it).
 
Aurora40 - It wasn't your review that led me to try Blackfire, as I only found this site recently. Many "glowing" reviews on my350Z.com led me to try it.



Thanks to you both for your suggestions. One other suggestion (from the other site) was that Mother's Showtime may contain

carnauba, and Blackfire (like Zaino) cannot be applied over carnauba - perhaps I should have stripped the Showtime (by rewashing with Dawn?) after clay barring, before using Blackfire.

Fortunately I only did the hood with Blackfire, so there wasn't a

large wasted effort (or product).



Thanks again for your help. Will update this thread after I try again (after it stops raining here in S. TX).
 
I just applied Blackfire to my neighbor's very dark green Hyundai and the reflections were amazing. However, I stripped the Wax, used S100 Paint Cleansing Lotion (CMA recommends Meguiars Machine Glaze), then the Blackfire Paint Cleansing Lotion and finally the Paint Protectant. It was visibly different than when he brought it in.



Hood surfaces are the most abused horizontal surface. Try the roof or trunk and see if it looks better there.



Will Blackfire look noticably different than a Carnauba on a well prepared surface. No, not if done at the same time. If the carnauba was put on a month before then you start to notice the differences.



Remember Blackfire's designed to Mimic Carnaubas. On the 2 cars I've tried it on, Blackfire has more clarity in than even P21S. Looks even richer a few weeks later.
 
Here's what is my extrapolitaion based on I've seen by CMA on how Blackfire should be applied, for the Ultimate Look.



1. Use a wax remover to clean off the old wax.



2. Use a claybar to remove embedded pollultants. They of course recommend Pinnacle clay bar, but Mothers, or Clay Magic are excellent.



3. Use a glaze as an undercoat. CMA recommends Meguiar's Machine Glaze. But I used S100 Gloss Enhancing Polish on a new dark green Hyundai 2 weeks ago with fantastic results.



4. Top the glaze with either Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish, or Klasse All In One. I couldn't believe the difference when I put the Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish over the S100 polish. The reflection got amazingly clear. Definitely better than just using the Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish alone like I did on 2 other cars.



5. Use Blackfire Paint Protectant applied by a foam polishing pad orbital. It works the protectant in better. 2 coats a week apart give a deeper shine.



6. Top with an excellent Carnauba as an optional step. They recommend their own Pinnacle of course, but I've found P21S/S100 to be an excellent topper over Blackfire.



Personally I'm skipping that step for now. It looks too good to even worry about it.
 
Just a small question. Why is that AIO is applied after the glaze? My understanding is that AIO would remove it because it is a cleaner.
 
JustinTRW said:
Just a small question. Why is that AIO is applied after the glaze? My understanding is that AIO would remove it because it is a cleaner.
Click to expand...



GEPC is pretty much like PPCL. Its just a mild swirl reducer and paint cleaner. It doesn't leave a whole lot down for protection. AIO doesn't do much for swirls so GEPC is actually a good thing to use first. Actually, if you were going to use GEPC then you could probably skip the whole AIO step since you just cleaned your paint.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
GEPC is pretty much like PPCL. Its just a mild swirl reducer and paint cleaner. It doesn't leave a whole lot down for protection. AIO doesn't do much for swirls so GEPC is actually a good thing to use first. Actually, if you were going to use GEPC then you could probably skip the whole AIO step since you just cleaned your paint.
Click to expand...



My Source material comes from Terry at



http://properautocare.com/refshinkit.html



Concerning the 2 polishes, he said:



- Using No. 3 Machine Glaze and following with BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish might appear redundant as both products perform the same function. That said, whenever I skip one of these polishing steps, I'm never satisfied with the results. Likewise, I've tried using BLACKFIRE Gloss Polish first, followed by No. 3 Machine Glaze and didn't get the same results. Both of these polishes stand alone on their merits but using Gloss Polish over Machine Glaze creates a synergy where the sum of both polishes is greater than either polish alone



On the dark green car I tried it on, there was a visible change after I put on the Blackfire Gloss-Enhancing Polish after the S100 Gloss Enhancing Cleaner.



I mentioned Klass All In One as a possibility in place of the Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish is based on this quote from Terry Freiberg in the Blackfire Evaluations Topic.



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15188



This product [Blackfire Paint Protectant] wants to stick to just about anything. You can use it directly on the paint or over any polish or one-step, cleaner/protectant like Klasse All-In-One. About the only thing it will not stick to is carnauba wax.





My Neighbor just topped his Blackfire treatment with a Carnauba and it looks fabulous.
 
We've had a mild winter so far. So with winter storms still at bay I decided to apply a P21S topper to the roof and hood of my Mazda. I left the trunk with Blackfire. I also put P21S on my white Subaru.



I'm a little paranoid about getting protection for winter, otherwise I wouldn't have put on a topper. The Blackfire II has been performing admirably. It beads well and looks great after 3 weeks.



The P21S applied and removed smoothly. Since it was 48 degrees outside I applied it to the roof and hood completely before I started to buff it off. It still removed easily. If there is a wax that compliments Blackfire this is it. P21S has the same clarity of reflection and brilliance that Blackfire has. My garage reflected beautifully off of the hood. Even intricate details from the trunk of the Black Walnut tree beside my driveway reflected off of the roof. It also seemed to have more depth than with the Blackfire alone. I liked the difference.



But the most in interesting comment was from one of my wife's friends. She said "Did you get a new paint job? It's so hard to keep a true red looking good."



I was actually more impressed with its performance on the Subaru. It looked like the white car was dunked in liquid shine.



Blackfire looks really good without a carnauba, but if you want to add some extra punch P21S does a good job on both light and dark cars.
 
Sounds good MrDetailer! My Souveran topper seems to be holding up well so far. I do miss being able to spray on the BF QD, though. Fortunately Crystal Mist smells as good and goes on as easily. What I'm wondering is how I will be able to tell when the Souveran wears off and it's just Blackfire on there again. I guess if I get a chance over the winter I'll just reapply the Souveran, and come summer I'll just strip it all off and start over again. Then I can try using a glaze prior to the BF GEP. Last time I used SFP first, but something like #7 or Hand Polish will probably add more pop to the color.
 
Aurora40 said:
Sounds good MrDetailer! My Souveran topper seems to be holding up well so far. I do miss being able to spray on the BF QD, though. Fortunately Crystal Mist smells as good and goes on as easily. What I'm wondering is how I will be able to tell when the Souveran wears off and it's just Blackfire on there again. I guess if I get a chance over the winter I'll just reapply the Souveran, and come summer I'll just strip it all off and start over again. Then I can try using a glaze prior to the BF GEP. Last time I used SFP first, but something like #7 or Hand Polish will probably add more pop to the color.
Click to expand...



I didn't get BF Quick Detailer, so I'm glad to have the Carnauba topper on because I only have carnauba compatible quick detailer. A lot of it since I got it on sale last spring.



Since the new Blackfire Paint Protectant also beads it will be interesting to know when to top again. Of course between now and the later part of February, the weather will be the largest determiner of when I can get a replacement topper on.



I don't know why a conventional glaze before BF GEP works so well, but it had incredible results when I tried it.
 
mrdetailer said:
My Source material comes from Terry at



http://properautocare.com/refshinkit.html



Concerning the 2 polishes, he said:



- Using No. 3 Machine Glaze and following with BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish might appear redundant as both products perform the same function. That said, whenever I skip one of these polishing steps, I'm never satisfied with the results. Likewise, I've tried using BLACKFIRE Gloss Polish first, followed by No. 3 Machine Glaze and didn't get the same results. Both of these polishes stand alone on their merits but using Gloss Polish over Machine Glaze creates a synergy where the sum of both polishes is greater than either polish alone



On the dark green car I tried it on, there was a visible change after I put on the Blackfire Gloss-Enhancing Polish after the S100 Gloss Enhancing Cleaner.
Click to expand...



I hope I'm not missing something painfully obvious (it wouldn't be the first time:rolleyes: ), but are you saying that the S100 Gloss Enhancing Cleaner can be used in place of the Meg's #3, and then the BF2 goes on after that? Thanks for any clarification:cool:
 
DP-Jedi said:
I hope I'm not missing something painfully obvious (it wouldn't be the first time:rolleyes: ), but are you saying that the S100 Gloss Enhancing Cleaner can be used in place of the Meg's #3, and then the BF2 goes on after that? Thanks for any clarification:cool:
Click to expand...



Exactly. And it looks great too.
 
I'm a bit dissappointed in BF2. After 2 weeks (3 Washes) in the Buffalo winter it was looking kind of dull. I put on another coat after washing it well. I don't understand all the hype about this product. It doesn't shine THAT well. If you prep your paint well for a wax, it will be smooth, so that's no test. Water cohesion? IE beading: 2 weeks and it was back to sheeting. I don't mean to offend anybody, but I think this product is overrated.



Maybe I'm doing something wrong.



Or maybe it's the lovely black 85k mile paint. Although it doesn't look any different than after a regular eagle one wax. Oh well, I learned.
 
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