First Brand New Black Car - What products to get for my occasion?

[KiaStinger]

Hi everyone, I hope someone can help me out as I’m heaving a huge headache just thinking about it. It is kinda funny that I have a headache about detailing my car and keeping it clean. I guess that is one of the better headaches to have huh? LOL


After I ask my question, I hope someone can just give me a list of products that I need to purchase and tell me when to use it.


Onto the question…


I’m from Toronto, and I have a 2020 Black Kia Stinger. When I picked it up it was super shiny. Unfortunately on the first night I left it outside and it rained. The next day I saw all the rain beads/drops on my car and didn’t think much of it. The car was on the driveway the whole day, and in the evening I saw all the white water spots all over the car. It looks so ugly! Makes me super sad.


A few other background information. Toronto has full 4 seasons. This car is used as a daily driver. My garage is small and doesn’t have a drain, which means I can’t have much water dripping from the car besides the snow/rain as it will flow into the driveway and freeze everything during winter as it gets to -30C. This means I also don’t feel like wax or ceramic coating should be put on the car since it’ll go away the moment I take it to a touchless automatic car wash, which I will take 100%


So here is one long question, perhaps divided into few smaller questions.


1. What should be my procedure after it has rained, while the car was parked? After the rain has stopped. Please if possible specify which product, and what order.


2. What should be my procedure if I’m driving to work and it starts to rain, I park my car and work, and home back home. Please if possible specify which product, and what order.


3. During winter I will need to take it to a touches automatic car wash 100% because of all the salt underneath the car. What should be my procedure to when I take the car home from the automatic car wash to the garage? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.




4. What can I do once a week that takes an hour or less that will keep my black rich, and glossy for the longest time possible? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.


5. Continuing from question #4, what can I do once a month to further protect my car colour and keep that rich black that was given to me when I picked it up from the lot? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.


6. And finally, adding to question #4 and #5, what quarterly, or bi-yearly, or yearly, procedure I need to do to further keep my car colour that rich black that I got it from day 1? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.




After these 6 questions are answered with what products to use, and what order to use them in, I thin the headache will go away and I can enjoy my car lol.

[Murr1525]

Re: First Brand New Black Car - What products to get for my occasion?

A few other background information. Toronto has full 4 seasons. This car is used as a daily driver. My garage is small and doesn’t have a drain, which means I can’t have much water dripping from the car besides the snow/rain as it will flow into the driveway and freeze everything during winter as it gets to -30C. This means I also don’t feel like wax or ceramic coating should be put on the car since it’ll go away the moment I take it to a touchless automatic car wash, which I will take 100%

1. What should be my procedure after it has rained, while the car was parked? After the rain has stopped. Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

While the weather is nice, and the car just has light dust, you could use something like the Hybrid Ceramic Detailer to wipe down/dry. If it is a bit dirtier, then you can look at a Ult. Wash and Wax, or the pro line version if you will be using a lot.

2. What should be my procedure if I’m driving to work and it starts to rain, I park my car and work, and home back home. Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

Same idea as above... as the weather gets worse, you'll just have to look at it being messy at some point.

3. During winter I will need to take it to a touches automatic car wash 100% because of all the salt underneath the car. What should be my procedure to when I take the car home from the automatic car wash to the garage? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

Same as above...

4. What can I do once a week that takes an hour or less that will keep my black rich, and glossy for the longest time possible? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

Same as above... though if you are going to get the surface nice and clean, you could choose to follow up with a spray wax like the Ult. Quick Wax for extra protection. Although the Hybrid Ceramic Detailer does offer some as well, esp if you used the Hybrid Ceramic wax as a base.

5. Continuing from question #4, what can I do once a month to further protect my car colour and keep that rich black that was given to me when I picked it up from the lot? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

If you are doing the above, once a month may not be needed. But every couple months, 2-3 times a year, you can do a deeper detailing. Esp in the spring...

So you would look at things like:

Wash - Gold Class Soap
Clay - One of the clay kits.
Clean - You could use the Ult. Polish. Or the 3-in-1 Wax if you wanted a cleaner/wax.
Wax - The Hybrid Ceramic Wax is the best lasting of the consumer line at the moment, so probably best for you. 2 coats is usually considered good.. or at least one if you used the cleaner/wax.

And adding any tar removers, iron removers.. stronger cleaner if needed... and wheels, tires, glass, interior...

6. And finally, adding to question #4 and #5, what quarterly, or bi-yearly, or yearly, procedure I need to do to further keep my car colour that rich black that I got it from day 1? Please if possible specify which product, and what order.

Same as above.

Its not really an exact time frame kind of thing... just do a detail, then maintain as long as possible. Try and get one in as late into November as possible, even a warm day in winter, and try and maintain till spring.

Just want to be carefull if you cant get it real clean, then dont mess too much with it so you dont drag dirt around.

[wifpd4]

Re: First Brand New Black Car - What products to get for my occasion?

Murr1525’s list is as always excellent advice. Our first black car was kept in very small unheated garage. You’d pull in head first, clean one side and the rear. Back in and clean the other side and front end. I finally gave up and went to, a hopefully heated bay, at a drive-in manual bay. Clean the car and stay in the bay to do drying and spray detailing. I would take a 5-gallon bucket and screw on lid and fill it with hot water. Then mix in Gold Class soap at the bay to wash the car after a rinse.

There is no denying winter is heck on a black car in the dead of winter. Salt, salt brine, ice and snow just make it white when car washes are closed and you can’t work in your garage. You have little chance but to get a great, long lasting wax/sealant on it and maintain it before dead of winter hits.

Again, follow Murr1525’s advice.

[Jim-in-Maryland]

Re: First Brand New Black Car - What products to get for my occasion?

KiaStinger...

The winters here in Maryland are clearly nothing like what you experience (though we do get a lot of salt and sand on the roads after snow) so I can't offer you any help there, but I can offer some guidance based on my experiences with a black vehicle.

I'm on my forth black car (2017 Infiniti QX60) and after struggling to keep my vehicles swirl free (with all kinds of waxes, sealants, cleaners, and techniques) I finally found a combination that works really well for me.

The QX60 is garage kept and driven daily. I wash it about every 3 weeks or so with a high quality car wash (usually Meguiars). After every wash, I blow dry the car (about 75%) with a leaf blower and then very gently dry the car with a high quality microfiber towel and Meguiars X-Press (D156) Spray Wax. I spray the wax on everything... paint, windows, lights, chrome, and black trim. If you've never used a spray wax as a drying agent you'll be amazed at how wonderful it makes your finish shine.

I've introduced this product to friends who use automated car washes, and they now carry a bottle of X-Press and a towel in the car, and immediately park somewhere after the car wash and apply the X-Press. It only takes a few minutes or so.

Also, about 3 or 4 times a year, I'll wash & dry the SUV (without the X-Press) and then gently apply a coating of Meguiars Ultimate Fast Finish (G18309). This is another amazing product.

So bottom line I never rub anything on the surface of the SUV, just a very light touch while drying with the X-Press Spray Wax, and an occasional hit with Ultimate Fast Finish. The black finish is beautiful, with a deep shine, and it really pops. I have absolutely zero swirl.

BTW - I just bought a new pickup truck and sent an email directly to Meguiars describing my regimen. I told them I wanted maximum protection for the paint since the truck will not be in a garage and asked what Meguiars products I should use. The Meguiars technician confirmed my current approach and product selection to be great for protecting the paint and he suggested I use the same process and products on the truck.

And finally.... X-Press Spray Wax is wonderful on sliding glass doors and home windows in general. I wash with any window cleaner and then apply/buff a quick spray of X-Press. They door glass never looked better, with no streaks, and they seem to stay clean longer.

Good luck... and more importantly STAY WARM !!!

Regards... Jim

[Kbuzbee]

Re: First Brand New Black Car - What products to get for my occasion?

Good luck, but don’t stress