Bought new car - black. What to buy, etc

Y

Young_Stallion

New member
Just put money down on my 2003 Cobra 10th Anniversary - Black Coupe.





I have a few weeks to put together an aersonal to keep this ultra black paint looking mint all the time. It is only driven in nice weather.



I was planning Klasse and Cleak Kote or P21s or something like that.



The car has been sitting out in the snow and paint is pretty rough. I told them not to touch the paint but what will I need to do to it to make it mint the day I get it and keep it looking perfect?



Should I invest in the 3M invincia shield? Can you wax over it, etc? How does it look on black?
 
Young_Stallion said:
Just put money down on my 2003 Cobra 10th Anniversary - Black Coupe.





I have a few weeks to put together an aersonal to keep this ultra black paint looking mint all the time. It is only driven in nice weather.



I was planning Klasse and Cleak Kote or P21s or something like that.



The car has been sitting out in the snow and paint is pretty rough. I told them not to touch the paint but what will I need to do to it to make it mint the day I get it and keep it looking perfect?



Should I invest in the 3M invincia shield? Can you wax over it, etc? How does it look on black?
Click to expand...



Congrats on the new '03...I wish you much luck with it. My car gets #7 followed by #26 and I love this combo on black.



I test drove an '03 this past summer and the paint was also horrible. Not washed, the idiot dealer was closing the hood with the palms of his hands and he put his coffee on the trunk?? WTF!!
 
Make sure you have lots of patience and understanding first. Black looks awesome for about 15 minutes after you're done detailing and then it starts to pick up swirls from anything. ;)



I like using Klasse on my car and I currently have #26 on. I don't like #26 too much but its durability is awesome and I love the mirror look of Klasse.



Enjoy your car.
 
On my wife's Black Mustang I use Blackfire products. BF really stands out on black. For the winter months I am using 1Z products but come spring I will probably switch back to BF.
 
Congratulations on that new Cobra!



I would suggest only using products similar to those used by professionals; such as those offered by Meguiars.



I would not recommend enthusiast type products. And I would certainly not use clay on your brand new 'black' Cobra. That could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.



When you're working with 'black' it's very important to use special care when polishing and waxing. Here are a few suggestions on how to apply polish and wax to your new 'black' Cobra:



APPLICATOR AND POLISHING CLOTHS

The most important thing to remember when polishing and waxing is 'all cloths must be clean and remain clean at all times'. Sounds simple enough, but worth remembering.



APPLICATION OF POLISH AND WAX

Dampen the applicator cloth, and put a small amount of the liquid product directly on the applicator cloth. Never put polish or wax directly on the surface of your Cobra. Use a gentle circular polishing motion. Always apply an even pressure when polishing and waxing; especially with 'black'. The applicator cloth should have just enough dampness to allow the cloth to glide smoothly. You’ll need to add polish or wax to the cloth, as necessary, to insure even coverage.

Remember, do only one section at a time, until you see how easily the polish or wax comes off. Then proceed accordingly.



REMOVAL OF POLISH AND WAX

Use two clean towels to remove the polish or wax. Place one towel in the palm of each hand. Proceed to apply the towels to the dried polish or wax. Begin removing the polish or wax with a gentle circular motion. Do not apply too much pressure in any one area; especially when working with 'black'. It's best to change towel surfaces by flipping from one side to the other. If the polish or wax comes off relatively easy; then you can do a larger section.

However, if the polish or wax is hard to remove: then you’ll want to stay with

doing small sections.



AVOIDING SURFACE DAMAGE

I would suggest never using a buffer; especially on your 'black' Cobra. Buffing can easily damage the clear coat finish and often leave harsh swirl marks; especially on 'black. An inexperienced operator could easily cause further damage such as;

burning the paint, caused by too fast a buffing speed scratching the paint, caused by dirt or other contaminants

wearing away the paint; caused by buffing edges and curves too aggressively.



In summary,

It's best to polish and wax your new car by hand. And always remember to keep all cloths clean at all times.



Just some helpful thoughts...



__________________

FRANK CANNA



Old Post 12-23-2003 07:06 AM
 
You should, without a doubt, clay a brand new vehicle. I just worked on my folks brand new BMW and it needed clay because I felt little specks and roughness in the paint. After clay, it was smooth as glass



Also, without a doubt, you can use a PC on a brand new vehicle. Just use a little common sense and be mindful of the abrasiveness of your pad / product combination. I used a PC on my folks new BMW because there were dealer induced holagram effects on part of the roof and front driver door. I used Menzerna Intensive Polish with a new polishing pad, followed by Meguiars Hand Polish by hand, followed with Blitz by hand.



If you're nervous about scratches or swirls, be sure to use new clay, applicators, pads and MF's.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Congratulations on that new Cobra!



I would suggest only using products similar to those used by professionals; such as those offered by Meguiars.



I would not recommend enthusiast type products. And I would certainly not use clay on your brand new 'black' Cobra. That could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.





I would suggest never using a buffer; especially on your 'black' Cobra. Buffing can easily damage the clear coat finish and often leave harsh swirl marks; especially on 'black. In summary,

It's best to polish and wax your new car by hand.
Click to expand...



Why no clay? Why only professional products? Why no buffer?
 
Greg said:
Why no clay? Why only professional products? Why no buffer?
Click to expand...



I was wondering the same thing :nixweiss

I have 3 black cars and use these items with great success.



If he is not going to drive in bad weather the maintenance of a black finish is a snap using the correct products and tools ( including clay and PC), proper washing technique and a lot of patience. :wavey
 
blkZ28Conv said:
I was wondering the same thing :nixweiss

I have 3 black cars and use these items with great success.



If he is not going to drive in bad weather the maintenance of a black finish is a snap using the correct products and tools ( including clay and PC), proper washing technique and a lot of patience. :wavey
Click to expand...



Totally agree 100%, Edwin. It's kind of disheartening for me to see someone shying away from perfectly safe tools and techniques that can truly make a car look its best just because someone said they are bad. Anyone who says an enthusiast product such as Souveran, S100, Klasse, Zaino, etc aren't as good as professional products need a reality check because professionals use these all the time with fantastic results.
 
blkZ28Conv said:
I was wondering the same thing :nixweiss

I have 3 black cars and use these items with great success.



If he is not going to drive in bad weather the maintenance of a black finish is a snap using the correct products and tools ( including clay and PC), proper washing technique and a lot of patience. :wavey
Click to expand...





blkz28 what are you recomending as proper washing technique, products and tools?





I want the reflective and deep wet look so that is why I wanted Klasse/Zaino and then top with a Carnuba.



I love detailing my car so time and patience is not a problem. Finding right methods and tools for black as well as some washing, drying...maintenance tips for black is what i need.
 
Greg said:
Why no clay? Why only professional products? Why no buffer?
Click to expand...



Maybe it would be best to read the thread over on the 'Detailing' board;

'Clayed my car and have SERIOUS problem!'

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31166



Unless someone has the experience, knowledge and skill level I will almost always reccomend no clay, no buffer and only the use of professional products.



Now this may not be very popular and may be a problem to some, however, as a detailing professional; it's the best advice I have to offer.
 
Yes, and no....I would clay, without a doubt, its essential to remove that new car crap that accumulates.....As for orbital buffing, im not sure i could bring myself to do that on my new car, if i have never done it before, especially black, especially with a new Cobra. I think i would want to see product results prior to me using them. Im a little confused with franks defenition of "professional" though. Is Blackfire considered Professional ?

Im sure that Cobra would look ooohhh ssooo goooood with a couple layers of BF on it.......
 
I've used clay for four years or so, probably 2 or 3 times per year, and I never had a problem like that with my black car. I haven't seen numerous other posts about the same type of thing. I'm sure there are many other experienced detailers on this board that have used clay for many years with no problems like that one.



With clay, it seems to be easy to make sure that you're using it safely...make sure to really soak both the clay and the panel with some sort of QD, and you should have plenty of lubrication. Also, check the clay every few strokes and see if you can see anything embedded in the clay. If you can, pick out what you're able to and then fold the clay, make a new flat surface, check it before laying it down, and start again. Seems to work fine for many of us...



Also, can you specify what you mean by "professional products"? Like Meguiars products that say "Professional" on the front? What about some of the more popular products on this board, like Klasse AIO and S100 wax? Do you consider those "professional"? Just thought it might be a good idea to specify exactly what you're recommending.



Alex
 
Hi Young_Stallion,

First - Never wash a hot vehicle or in direct sunlight



A good washing technique involves the usage of plenty of pre-wash wet down and rinse and a good auto shampoo ( I prefer Zaino Z7, 1Z Perls, Gold Class, and I plan to try Meg 00). Whatever shampoo you decide to use make sure that it has good-excellent lubricity ( as I found out, suds are less important the slimeness - 1Z :xyxthumbs).

The next important tool and plan is the 2 bucket method. One bucket with your washing solution and one with clean water. The second clean water bucket it for dislodging any particulate matter that should have immigrated into your washing mit/towel that you just wiped off the completely panel. The second bucket may have to be changed a couple of times during a wash ( that's where patience can be put on trial :) ).

Wash Mit, very important and the item that will most likely cause the damage to your paint. A high quality mit/towel is essential. I prefer a natural fiber mit/towel. I presently use a DF microfiber Towel ( very soft, deep pile, allows immigration of dirt into itself, releases said dirt upon dipping in rinse bucket and hold a great deal of soapy water. I just got a really nice MF wash mit that I will try next spring when I take the black Z28 out of hibernation.

Always wash top to bottom - top/hood/truck/ upper side panels/ lower side panels, etc.

Use a separate mit/towel for wheels/tire/ fender wheel/ underchassis and alway do last unless you are going to change your wash and rinse water before proceeding do wash your paint.

Rinse completed panel well and periodically re-rinse until you are finish washing remainder of vehicle and ready to dry. This avoids water spotting.

Next potential area of concern is the final drying. Again use a high drying towel. There are many excellent products - Waffle-weave Microfibers, synthetic chamois ( takes a little practice with the blotting technique, and of course the old stand-by, a 100% high quality cotton towel.

I am sure there are points I missed that I hope fellow Autopian's will chime in and fill the blanks or post the thread that outlines what I just illustrated.

A great, no excellent resource for detailing procedures ( including the proper washing technique) is DavidB's e-book on detailing. A great reference and starting point for the basics for the perfect shine and car appearance maintenance.

Hope this helps
 
If you've never used a porter cable before, I probably would'nt on blk. Either have a professional do it, or better yet just use a good hand polish yourself. But I would absolutely-positively-without a doubtely:nixweiss use a clay bar. Don't be scared, just use plenty of lube. Meguiars QD is actually really good because it's real sticky. Do it, you'll be glad you did:)
 
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