black cars

[dbonevaz]

I just purchased a black lexus ls 460l and a black GTR. This is the first time I have ever owned black cars and am getting frustrated by the scratches that I see. What products do I use for the regular washing of the car and what materials do I buy for the drying.And after the car is washed the next day it has dust and I would like to clean it in the best way. I tried using a soft tshirt the day after the car wash and it scratched the back of the GTR and I was furious. Please help me out.
DB

[Murr1525]

Re: black cars

Best read some of these first:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How To Remove a Bird Dropping Etching by Hand using M105 Ultra Cut Compound

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: black cars

Get rid of that soft t-shirt, soft cotton diapers, terry cloth towels. As you found out the hard way, cloth not intended for automotive finishes is going to leave scratches and swirls. You need to invest in microfiber towels (Meguiars Supreme Shine x2020 is a good one!) for touch up and polishing your paint. There is much to learn for the proper care and treatment of dark painted vehicles (I drive a navy blue sedan) and understand that all paint colors are subject to swirling and scratching, but darker cars show it more prominently because they provide greater contrast as the light refracts back through the clear coat finish.

Check out the links posted by Murr above, starting with the proper way to wash your car (seriously, you might think you can't improve on washing a car, but you'd be surprised). Practice patience, gather up materials and supplies to start caring for your finish properly, and don't jump the gun and start improvising on proper materials or techniques. Your car might have to get a little dusty as you hold off and learn, but that's what many of us went through when we first joined the site.

And don't worry, if you can't feel depth under those scratches and swirls, they're not permanent and you should be able to remove them (not hide, not cover up, but remove) with the right products, tools, and techniques.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: black cars

One thing you might consider is bringing your car to one of our Thursday Night "Open Garage" classes where we can show you a few tricks.

There's also our Saturday classes which are a formal car care class from 8:00 to 3:00pm


Saturday Classes for 2009
All Saturday Classes are Open Classes, any Registered Member can attend by signing up for a class by replying to the sign-up thread.

2009 Saturday Class Schedule



Thursday Night "Open Classes" for 2009
2009 Thursday Night "Open Garage" Schedule

[Mike Phillips]

Re: black cars

What are you currently using for a car wax or paint sealant?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: black cars

After you choose a direction to go as far as product to use, you'll want to do this...


TEST SPOT

Doing A Test-Spot

Before going over the entire car, see if you can make just one small section look good, that is apply the product you're planning on using over the entire car to just one small section about a foot squared or so. Work it in and then wipe it off, then apply the polish, work it in but not as much as the compound because now you're not trying to remove paint, just spread the product out, then immediately wipe it off, then apply the wax and let it fully dry and then wipe it off.

Now inspect our results. Make sure you can make one small section look GREAT before going over then entire car. If you can't make one small section look GREAT you won't be able to make the entire car look GREAT.

Make sense?

It should look like this,




And if you're having any problems, the post back here after the test section and we'll help you tweak your technique to insure you get it right.

[akimel]

Re: black cars

Dbonevaz, as the detailing wag has said, "Black is a full-time job." I have learned the hard way that I need to minimize the number of "touches" to the paint surface and that when I do find it necessary to touch the surface, as when I am washing it, I need to use the best towels I can get. I have tried towels from several different manufacturers and have found Meguiar's Supreme Shine microfiber towels to be up there with the best.

I recommend that you adopt a regular regimen for the care of your car. Check out this article: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen. It is particularly important for you to learn how to wash your car properly. See this video:



Black cars are a challenge, a curse and a blessing. Be gentle with your black car. It will reward you with the depth and beauty of its shine.

Read the articles cited above and attend one of Meguiar's classes, if it is possible. And ditch the t-shirt!

Good luck!

Cheers,
Al

[H.E.D]

Re: black cars

^great video.thanks. so how about mobile car washing? sometimes their is no shade, takes too long to setup,and got to be fast.sorry if i'm stealing the thread.just wondering.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: black cars

^great video.thanks. so how about mobile car washing? sometimes their is no shade, takes too long to setup,and got to be fast.sorry if i'm stealing the thread.just wondering.

Canopy. Figure a 10' X 20'.

[Blueline]

Re: black cars

I just purchased a black lexus

Welcome to the love/hate relationship of black vehicle ownership. I have a black vehicle and a silver one. I am sure the silver has swirls/scratches, but they cannot be seen, unless one is really looking for them. On black, they will jump out at you. They will appear magically for no reason. You will get a tiny scratch and there is no reason on the planet why or how it it got there. Such is black.

It takes 10 minutes or less to wash the silver car, but at least 30 or more to wash the black.... It has it's own wash mits, MF drying towels, etc. etc. and so far, the paint is excellent. The silver car gets washed with a sponge, and sometimes I wipe the water off with a regular household squeegie. Five feet away, both cars shine and look great.

I will never own ....I should say, I will never let a black car own me again. This is my last.
Good luck with yours. Lots of great people and information here to keep your new Lexus looking good.

[MrCLRider]

Re: black cars

GTR?? Skyline??

[akimel]

Re: black cars

^great video.thanks. so how about mobile car washing? sometimes their is no shade, takes too long to setup,and got to be fast.sorry if i'm stealing the thread.just wondering.

Some mobile dealers use Optimum No Rinse for these situations. ScottWax is a successful mobile detailer who uses ONR on a regular basis (check out YouTube for his ONR videos). He claims he can safely wash and dry a car in 20-25 minutes.

[H.E.D]

Re: black cars

^ i check it out i think it works well on cars that are taken care of, but I'm talking about you know the guys that drive up to and office and start washing cars,some of those daily driver cars are pretty dirty.In my last job they would do that and man does guys were fast.For me i don't think I would be able to profit out of that. Just my opinion.