New Black SUV

L

lrwagner

Black 2007 Honda CR-V
Hi,

:help:

I'm a new member who lives in Maryland and I just purchased a 2007 black Honda CR-V. This is my first black car and I'm concerned about keeping the paint and finish looking nice. However, I don't want to put much time into taking care of it. To give you an example, I usually washed my blue 2002 minivan about once a month. I would handwash it 4 times a year and the rest of the time it went through a carwash. I've never waxed it or used any other products on it. It is kept in a garage most of the time (I'm a work-at-home mom).

Since I bought my new CR-V two weeks ago, I've run it through the touchless car wash twice. This time of year the pollen is brutal on a black car. I've vacuumed the carpet twice. I also used a California Duster to help remove some of the pollen two times in between the washes.

I was hoping I might get some advice as to what I can do to keep it looking nice, but without a huge investment of my time. I have no intention of becoming a detailer. I just want it to look clean and shiny without doing any damage to the finish in the process. Any suggestions as to what I should do and what products I should buy would be greatly appreciated!
 
You might want to hire a detailer then. :D

Seriously, staying on top of a black SUV is no easy task.

Any kind of automated wash is generally going to be a little harsh on a black finish. Touchless washes use harsher chemicals in general which is not good for your finish, and friction tunnel washes have the potential to harm as well because the "brushes" are rubbing against the finish.

Either a detail shop or a gentle washing method is the key. We have a how-to listed on our store-

Detailing How To -

These articles are written with people just like you in mind.

There are quite a few quick detailing type spray waxes that are proving to be easy and with good results.

Spray Wax & Quick Detail Products - Car Care Products

Troy
 
Phew...I feel for ya man. I just bought my first ever 'black' SUV, a 2006 Mercury Mariner, last year and holy cow has it been a learning experience for me.

I 'ALWAYS' washed my cars at least once a week, often times 2 or 3, but now...with the black...2 times a week is a must...and sometimes more.

I have found a little tip that has saved me some time though recently. I continually stay on top of it with my California Car Duster and then once I hit it with that, I hit it with some Poorboys Spray and Gloss (any quick detailer would work though) and that really makes it look like new again. Big time saver!!!

I will say this...having a black car is not a good choice if you really want it to look perfect without putting much time into it. My wife thinks I'm crazy with all the time I spend on this car now...and she thought I was anal before.:rofl

Welcome to DC and don't be shy...there are a ton of really great people here that are very helpful.

:bigups
 
I'd agree with Troy that you might really want to consider hiring a detailer if you don't want to put the time into doing it yourself. I love my black paint, but it is a pain to keep looking the way I like it.
 
Thanks for your very helpful response, Troy. Yes, I will probably hire someone to do the detailing for me. I can handle washing it and using a quick detailing spray to keep it looking nice and clean. How often will I need to hire a detailer to do waxing and whatever other "maintenance" work should be done? I don't wash my car outside during the winter since it is pretty cold here in Maryland. I've been using a carwash that I trust for years. It uses brushes, but I've never noticed any scratches or damage to my medium blue minivan. What do you suggest for the cold winter months?

I have just purchased some supplies that I didn't have so that I can begin caring for my new car. Here's what I've bought so far:

2 5-gallon wash buckets
2 grit guards
1 microfiber chenille wash mitt
2 Sonus drying towels
2 Sonus buffing towels
2 Sonus polishing towels
1 Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash
1 Stoner More Shine Less Time

The only other thing I need to get is a detailing spray. Any recommendations?

I see your business is in Sarasota. Over spring break, we stayed at a condo on Longboat Key. There was a very helpful person detailing a Mercedes who was kind enough to help me remove some heavy items from my trunk. I would imagine you probably have plenty of customers there!
 
"I will say this...having a black car is not a good choice if you really want it to look perfect without putting much time into it."

I bought the black Honda CR-V because I thought it was the sportiest looking one. Plus the black paint blends in with the black cladding on the bottom of the SUV. I guess I didn't realize how time consuming it was going to be to keep it clean. My husband has a practical silver 2005 BMW, which is very easy to keep clean. My neighbors are going to be seeing a lot more of me out in the driveway washing my new SUV!
 
lrwagner said:
"I will say this...having a black car is not a good choice if you really want it to look perfect without putting much time into it."

I bought the black Honda CR-V because I thought it was the sportiest looking one. Plus the black paint blends in with the black cladding on the bottom of the SUV. I guess I didn't realize how time consuming it was going to be to keep it clean. My husband has a practical silver 2005 BMW, which is very easy to keep clean. My neighbors are going to be seeing a lot more of me out in the driveway washing my new SUV!
Click to expand...

I agree...black definately looks sporty and is an awesome color...just a pain in the neck to keep clean. Good luck with it...but most importantly...have fun learning in the process!

I was so discouraged when I first got the black car, but now I like it. I will say this...I'll probably never buy black again unless I have a garage to keep it in and never drive it on bad weather days.:surrender
 
Luckily we have a garage to keep it in. The winter months are going to be the hardest, especially when it snows and the road salt is a real mess!
 
If you hand wash your vehicle at least once every two weeks and use a wax booster during the wash, I think you could probably get away with hiring a detailer every three months. You could have him/her do a thorough wash and wax on the odd trips and do a full detail on the even trips.

For a detailing spray, I like PB's S&W or S&G. There are a lot of others to choose from, but those are the ones I use most often. For a wax booster, I've heard great things about Aquawax. I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet though. Using a product like that when you wash your car will extend the life of the wax that is already on the vehicle.
 
Spray and Wash is more targeted at cleaning than anything. Spray and Gloss has some cleaning abilities, but is more targeted at leaving a high gloss shine.
 
"For a wax booster, I've heard great things about Aquawax."

Would I need to use the Aquawax in addition to the detailer spray? I'm a bit confused about the purpose of the different products. Sorry, I'm a newbie to all of this car detailing stuff.
 
You'd want to use the Aquawax on a clean car. It adds a light layer of wax to your finish. I'm not postitive, but I don't think it has any cleaning abilities. The detailing sprays are for vehicles with light dust/dirt and can be used instead of a traditional wash. The best way I've found to learn about all of this stuff is to use the search feature and read as much as possible. There is a bunch of great information on this site.
 
Okay, now I understand. The detailer spray is for use between washes. I would use the Duragloss Aquawash after washing the car to prolong the life of the wax. Thanks Audiboy!
 
lrwagner said:
I see your business is in Sarasota. Over spring break, we stayed at a condo on Longboat Key. There was a very helpful person detailing a Mercedes who was kind enough to help me remove some heavy items from my trunk. I would imagine you probably have plenty of customers there!
Click to expand...

I rarely go out to Longboat Key. It is beautiful though.

My customer base is Siesta Key and within Sarasota County. Longboat Key has a lot of cheap detailers out there, that and it is a bit far for me to drive are the two main reasons why I don't bother going out there much.

Troy
 
ughhh so you don't want ot put any time into it, but want a nice finish? Not going to happen? What else in life works/looks good without putting much time into it? Nothing... Even hand washing will induce swirls, car washs are just blah.
 
I have 3 Black vehicles and if you want them to look good and not put much work into it you will need to find someone to keep it clean for you.
I will not ever take mine to a tunnel wash that is a NO-NO with a Black vehicle.
Their is a product that is easy to use and it will last for a year.
Duragloss 105 is the most durable LSP that you can find. Once a month use their AW to boost it and it will last even longer.
 
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