volstang12

new guy here. i recently purchased an 05 black gt and chrome bullits to put on and am needing some washing and detailing advice. this is the first car i've owned that i actually want to keep looking good. i drove an old ranger during high school and college so i wasn't real worried about detailing. other than washing and waxing what else needs to be done? what products do i need to use that aren't really expensive?

timmbo

Welcome. If you don't want to invest in any buffing equipment or supplies have the car professionally buffed to have all the swirls removed first. Apply a good wax. The best is the cheapest and I've tried everything over the last 20+ years. Get Meguiars cleaner/wax in the burgundy colored bottle. It's cheap and blows the high dollar stuff away. Buff dry with microfiber towels. When washing use warm water and either Meguiars car wash or Turtle wax Ice wash. Wash from top to bottom rinsing your microfiber often. Do not push hard on the surface either. The soap should loosen the dirt. Rinse throughly and blow dry the car with a leaf blower. I use a MetroVac. Why? Because clean water beads can hold dirt particles so wiping dry will drag them over the surface causing scratches. Once blown dry get a bottle of Turtle Wax's Black quick detail spray. AWESOME stuff. If you follow this to the letter you will have no swirls and my car is living proof.

If you want to invest on keeping your finish showroom I recommend the Porter Cable 7424XP orbital polisher. That combined with 3M Finesse It II will remove swirls should you get any. Then change to a polishing pad and buff in your Meguiars Cleaner Wax.

kevinmalec

Black is definitely a hard color to keep clean! I wash the wheels first, with an old rag and soapy water. When complete, I empty the bucket and wash out thoroughly to make sure to get out any dirt/grit. Once the bucket is thoroughly cleaned out, I add car soap and use the auto mittens to wash the car. I use one mit for the top half of car and use the other mit for the lower half of car. To avoid spots, I recommend washing in the shade and dry the car off with an absorbent towel immediately after the car is washed. I also use Turtle Wax brand "black polish", which makes the black shine! I use a hand held buffer/polisher and then wipe off with a cloth towel. Once everything is dry, I use vinlyex on the vinyl part of the side mirrors and the vinyl side rockers. I also vinylex the trim around the windows. Lastly, I spray black magic on my tires and rub down with a paper towel to avoid streaks. Everybody has their own methods.

volstang12

Thanks for your responses. I really don't want to pay a professional to do it. Do I really need to buy a polisher or is elbow grease enough? What kind of products do you use to clean and wax your wheels?

kevinmalec

No problem! No, a polisher is not needed, however it definitely speeds up the process. ;-)
I use dish detergant to clean my wheels and then I spray Eagle One nanowax on them.

ResQman

Welcome to your part-time job...keeping your Black car clean. Welcome to the forum.

Lifter583

I love my Black cars..but a lot of attention is needed...I never drive them in wet or bad weather...I give them a double wax job in the spring... then constant dusting as needed...I always use Meguires Ultimate Quick Wax or Detailer before each trip out of the garage...Mothers "Back to Black" as needed on the trim...last year I didnt ever touch one with water...keeps the finish smooth and always highly polished!!

Roy_R

https://mustangforums.com/forum/2005...ed-so-far.html

O'Connor

check out http://www.croftgateusa.com/ that is the best waterless car wash on the market and it work very well on a black car... they go to Mustang Week and demo the product and stand by it 100%... if you do it right, it works wonders... took about 30 minutes and I had my black mustang that had 3 months of road salt and grime on it spot less... from top to bottom, front to back, wheels and tires... very good product

JAMAMAN

I wash regularly my car using cold water and car wash soap and not dish wash soap. I start from the top and work my way to the bottom. Reason being is that, you don't want to contaminate any of the clean areas after rinsing. Then while its wet, i put on this spray stuff from Walmart called "Wash and Wax". It comes in a blue bottle. It allows you to put on wax while the car is wet. It costs like 6 bucks or something. I like to get my car wash and wax done quick cause I dont have a million years to wax using my bare hands. Black is hard to clean but it looks the best when its clear or at night. Bottom line, is that look after your car cleaning wise and stay well behind dump trucks on the road so you dont get stone chips. If you use warm water, you will melt your wax and you will have to reapply again the wax. Dont be too **** and drive the car like you stole it. I use to work at a detailing shop for years when i was a kid and thats where i learned all lot of this info