Black cars look the best, but they are a pain in the a** to keep clean and looking great. After a few months, they starting looking bad. What's a good way to protect the car from Day 1? Is there a product out there that will protect it from swirl marks, bird poo, hard water spots, etc?

I have heard great things about Zaino but never used it. I would want a pro to do it for me to avoid any problems. Anyone know of someone in Los Angeles?

If not, I guess its silver for me but I dont want to...

 

I currently own a black FJ right now, before that was a black Civic coupe. Black looks the BEST.......when it's clean. You're right, the problem is, it's a BI%c# to keep it looking that way.

So when I finally order my G, I'm trying to stay away from (but not rule out) OB. My top choices right now is Blue Slate and Platinum Graphite. But then again, OB is soo damn sexy.

I think the key to keep black cars looking good is either hard work (do it yourself) or money (detail, professional car washing). Sure, part of it is what cleaners/wax you use, but it'll most depend on how you drive it, where you park it / who parks next to you and the overall environment where you live.

just my .02

 

The only way to not get swirlmarks on a black car is to never wash and dry it!

From day 1, never dry or polish the car in swirl motions.

Always apply wax front to back on the top surfaces and up and down on the sides of the car. Remove the same way. This causes the swirls that will form to be linear and in line with the light that hits your car instead of nasty circular.

Use only very soft all cotton towels.


Remember, the first time you take a short-cut, you are going to pay for it!!!


Good luck.

 

if you drive through auto car washes.. hand the keys over to most anyone (dealer/etc) to wash, etc forget it. just accept that you'll have swirls. see who does good detailing in the area and best of luck to you.

if however, youre willing to put in the work, understand that most swirls can come at any time, but most often are probably caused by washing.

use a genuine sheepskin wash mitt + normal car wash soap.
use adequate amounts of soap.
to dry, use either a waffle weave microfiber towel (wipe only in the direction that air flows over the car) OR a leaf blower (if funny, read the opening line)

there are a number of good waxes/polishes... one combo is vanilla moose wax -> EX-P. ANother is klasse all in one.. vanilla moose wax.. etc you should have a layer of wax on at all times.

check out autopia.org to learn more. good luck

 

thats why im going with the IP over OB i know to many of my friends that have black swirlss in there car!! its looks soo ughh!! but im going to go with the IP and then go dark on tints should look just as nice

 

Just tried Zaino for the first time on my OB a few days ago....I wasn't impressed. Klasse Products are far easier and less time consuming to use and do just as good of a job.

I hit the whole car with my Porter Cable Buffer and some Sonus SFX-2 swirl remover the first week I had it. The car wash lackys at the Dealership had already put it through the swirl-o-matic....If you don't have a Porter Cable, get one....completely worth every penny. (www.autopia.org)

Right now it looks perfect....but I haven't driven it in 4 days, and have still been hitting it with the California Duster every 2 days.....

Here's the results of Sonus SFX-2 then 3 applied with a PC, then Zaino #2 and #5 applied by hand and allowed to dry for 48 hous (Even with their "fast-cure" solution, it took that long to dry all the way in moist Seattle...the pics below were taken the first day it hadn't rained in a week....).

 

Here are a couple of articles that should clear up your questions on the topic avoiding swirls:

How do swirl marks appear and how to prevent them
Circular vs. Straight Line Applications

As previously stated, most imperfections appear after using improper washing and drying techniques and from not using paint safe wash products and tools.

If you have any questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

 

i haven't dry my car yet after i wash,i just use mr. clean auto dry system,it work for me with no water spots and no swirl marks,maybe because my car color is LP,its worth a try.

 

I've used the CRspotless water filtration system at the end of each wash to reduce the amount of wiping. With how difficult it is to maintain black cars, it gets tempting to just find a good detailer to take care of it all.

 

I picked it up finally!

Only had it for half a day and its at service, but would appreciate the help.

Anyone know of a dependable detailer in Southern California?

 

On my STi I use Mr. Clean Auto Dry System.

I have a very soft mit for washing the car, but i never have to dry. In my opinion most of your scratches will come from drying. The Mr. Clean Auto Dry System uses filtered water so you dont have to dry your car and I have never once gotten water marks on the car.

 

I tried the mr. Clean for the first time 3 weeks ago. Brand new filter.

Left etched water spots all over the car. Had to break out the PC and SFX-3 to remove them.

It seems people have very mixed results with the Mr. Clean.
I have gone to a regime of buying a couple of gallons of distilled water to rinse the car with, then let air dry. Works much better for me.

Now if distilled water only fixed 40" cracks across the windshield caused by a redneck in a truck with no mudflaps.

 

LMAO, I used to be a mr clean freak. Never again. IF you like to polish and wax your car, mr clean will remove your 50+ coats of polish. I threw the crap away after I bought my 04 I35 three years ago. I just wash using a very good soap-wax wash, and then blow dry with my 233mph toro blower lol. When I finish, I park in the garage and remove any water spots with meguiars detailing spray and polish with Black Fire. I have about 10 coats of the Black Fire Gloss enhancing polish on my car.

Just remember, once you ever wash or wax your car you will get swirls. It just depends on how you cut down on making more visible. I use www.properautocare.com products. Black-Fire or Zaino are probably two of the best products out there. However, they are not in stores and cost $$$.

 

IMO, most of the scratches comes from improper washing habits. Not using the correct type of wash mitt (like a 100% sheepskin mitt), and also not using a two bucket system. If you don't have the proper washing habits, more than likely you're just pushing the dirt around on your car, and thus creating minor scratches.

 

I like to use my leaf blower to dry my car. Works great but my neighbors that don't care about their cars look at my kinda funny.