Washing & Caring Tips for Black Paint

[ghaines]

I'm just a weekend warrior that has used this forum over the years to "perfect" my game-plan and to get me out of tough spots on my black Acura MDX & black Toyota Sequoia. The one thing that I feel as though I have perfected is the art of caring for black paint. As anyone knows that has a black car/truck/suv, it has a life of it's own and it's never perfect. Here are a couple of tips/tricks Ive picked up over the years as I've cared for my temperamental black paint:

Washing Technique:
The double bucket w/ Grit Guards technique is a must! I even have a 3rd bucket w/ Grit Guard that I use for wheels, running boards & wheel-wells to keep grit away from my dedicated wash buckets. I have dedicated MF sponge and MF handled brush for the wheels that don't ever touch the paint or my dedicated wash buckets. I do the wheels first. Once they're done I move on to the paint. I always wash in the shade with a cool paint surface. I start high on the horizontal surfaces and work down the the vertical sections (i.e. fenders). I Keep light pressure on the MEG MF Wash Mitt. I always do two passes on each section flipping the mitt over to the clean side after each pass. I also turn the nylon cuff inside the mitt so it never makes contact with the paint. Once each section is done, I rigorously rub the mitt agains the Girt Guard in the clean/fresh water on both sides, ring-out and then repeat in the soapy water. I never wash in a circular pattern, rather, I always use back and forth strokes. I really try to keep the pressure on the mitt to minimum. The 2nd pass gets anything you missed...

Drying techniques:
I use my gas powered leaf blower to blow off most of the standing water. It quickly gets rid of 80% of the water. It's also makes quick work of tires, rims , mirrors & running boards. One very important tip... USE EAR PLUGS! When you lift the blower above your shoulders you're putting the engine/exhaust right at ear level. I try to minimize the use of drying towels for three reasons. First, I have big cars and it will take up to 8 MF Megs Magnet towels to do my Sequoia. Secondly, no matter how good your MF drying towels are, they can introduce swirl marks in soft black paint like is on my Acura MDX. To keep swirls away, I lay the towels on the pain and pat-dry, keeping the "wiping" to a minimum. Third, minimizing the use of towels keeps the laundry to a minimum. I have have two dedicated piles of MF towels. The one's I use for the paint & other towels that I use for non-paint surfaces. Once dried, I use UQD with plush MF towels using very light pressure.

Between Wash Care:
I have tried many products and techniques to rid the dust and extend my time between washes. The fact of the matter is that everything you do in between washes can introduce swirl marks. UQD is a fantastic product to make the black paint pop after you've waxed or right after you've washed/dried your black paint. But in my experience, I would not suggest using it in between washes to remove dust on black paint. The lubrication in this product is great, but we're talking about black paint which will show swirls even with the greatest care doing this type of wipe-down. Once I wash/dry & UQD'ed my cars, I don't touch the paint till the next wash (and yes... I've tried the California Duster too. It too can leave marks or wax residue on/in the paint).

My friends & family think I'm crazy going to these steps, but when you buy a black vehicle, you're signing-up for a different level of care in return for a finish that beats any other color when it's clean and looking it's best in the sun.

I hope my experience helps the other weekend-warriors out there. If anyone has any other tips or tricks, I'm all ears!!!

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/ima...es/hotrod2.gif

G

[dc2_]

i dont own a black car but my cars paint is really really dark deep purple .ppl even confuse it for black.

and it swirls very easy

to wash i make sure my washing mitt is super clean also using a 2 bucket method.

drying i use some drying towel found at a detailing store
i been wanting to get the water magnet from meguiars

and as for the QD.
well lets say i wash my car monday..ill use QD wed,friday,sat,mon again
basically everyother day but i only drive my car about 5 days a week the rest its garaged...i use a microfiber towel folded into four ways...im very careful thou,any slight dirt i see on the towel i immediately flip it or use a new one.

i put a few swirls on my rear bumper cus once i waited too long and i used QD on it(3-4 days)(only cuz the rear bumper gets dirty faster then anything else)

i learned my lesson lol

[wifpd4]

G,

Thanks for the excellent overview of your techniques used to maintain your vehicles.

The one thing I thought was missing:

Do you use a sky hook or a cherry picker to get the top of that Sequoia?

It must look very impressive, that is a lot of square footage of black. You need to post some photos to show us the finished product. Are they daily drivers? If so, winter must drive you nuts.

[rapport25]

G,

Thanks for the excellent overview of your techniques used to maintain your vehicles.

The one thing I thought was missing:

Do you use a sky hook or a cherry picker to get the top of that Sequoia?

It must look very impressive, that is a lot of square footage of black. You need to post some photos to show us the finished product. Are they daily drivers? If so, winter must drive you nuts.

It does for me. My black pearl would get cleaned 3 time a week. Now its winter the most it sees is once a week hate winter!!!!

[ghaines]

G,

Thanks for the excellent overview of your techniques used to maintain your vehicles.

The one thing I thought was missing:

Do you use a sky hook or a cherry picker to get the top of that Sequoia?

It must look very impressive, that is a lot of square footage of black. You need to post some photos to show us the finished product. Are they daily drivers? If so, winter must drive you nuts.

No question a step ladder is part of my routine. Yes, both cars are daily drivers. When winter comes, I double-down and with A FULL detail on both using sealer and wax to build a barrier for these Cleveland winters. I just focus on good washing technique during the once a week bath. When winter breaks I get after it with another full detail. One things for sure, automatic car washes get no business from me. I'll try to post pics in the spring.
G

[ghaines]

I have a new black car to show off. I keep telling myself that silver would be so much easier, but I keep getting suckered into black b/c it looks so darn good when you're done. The key is setting proper expectations for yourself. There's just no way to have a perfect finish unless it's a garaged/non-daily driver. For me, it's the challenge of doing what I can to make it look its best & better than any other black car on the road. This is a 2012 535i xdrive. The pictures below represent the first full detail @ 5K miles.


Products/Technigue:
1. Two bucket/grit-guard using Gold Class Car Wash
2. Third bucket/grit-guard for wheels, close to the ground fenders & wheel wells
3. Megs Clay
4. G110 v2 D/A M205 softbuff 2.0 polishing pad (speed: 4)
5. G110 v2 D/A M205 softbuff 2.0 finishing pad (speed: 4)
6. G110 v2 D/A Rejex softbuff 2.0 finishing pad (x2 waiting 12 hrs between coats)
7. UQD


I use Rejex b/c of the longevity of the product and the ability to use it on my clearbra. That said, the key to a great black finish is M205. In my 20+ years taking car of cars, it's the best product I've used for polishing/jeweling and minor corrections. It's fantastic at removing light swirls and bringing out the best in your finish. If you need more correction, obviously, M105 is my go-too. No question in my mind that M105/M205 is the best 1-2 combo on the market.


I hope you enjoy...

[ghaines]

Let's try this again... Pictures below.

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[Mark Kleis]

That looks absolutely fantastic - great work!

[Blackwolf_Oz]

How sexy!!

[Ct2911]

hi Ghaines,
i was wondering did you ultimate polish for your car? if not what kind of surface prep did you do?
i have a black car too, brand new but i dont think its looking good like yours .
i took this picture but it was when the sun was going down. do you have any tips for a wet glossy look?

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