Dont use car washes.
Get you a handle spray for your hose at your house with a filter.
Dry it with a microfiber towel.
WAX it to protect from further washes for a good while.
Then when you get some marks just use some instant detail to get those marks off EASY.

Also.. clay bar it once or twice a year. Clay bars can get rid of minor water spots.
They also have products you can buy just to get rid of water spots if they are hard ones.

With a black car you need a wax that LASTS.
Collinite 845 is a GREAT long lasting wax that is easy to apply and rub.

 

Ther are a lot of "how to" videos out ther on the web which explain various methods. I felt the same way with mine and just do the best I can. There's just no way to keep it looking spotless 24x7. My car had a fair amount of swirl marks when I first go it, so I went over the entire car with swirl remover and a porter cable 7424 orbital buffer. Then I applied a sealer and Pinnacle Souverian Carnuba wax which is expensive, but awesome shine. Since then I simply wash it with a microfiber mit and pinnacle car wash products. I use a leaf blower to blow off most of the water and go over the car with Adams detail spray and microfiber towels. The Adams detail spray is liquid gold in my opinion - great stuff. I also wax it probably every 5-6 weeks since the wax doesn't last quite as long as others. The Pinnacle Souverian wax is so easy to put on and wipe off I don't mind doing it. I assume once a year I'll need to strip her down with a clay bar or Nano Skin and some sealer, and then start the process again. I also wash my wheels first with a separate set of microfiber clothes and replace the water before washing the car. The key is to get a good swirl free base to start with and then take the proper measures to avoid further damage.

 

Two bucket method < dried with micro cloths "dont worry too much about spots" move the car back an forth a few feet, open and close doors/trunk/hood a few times < windows/dash/seats/vac. < spray wax entire car "removes remander of spots". IMO dont use old towels to dry as you can swirl your paint and will be buffing it out every 6 months.
micro duster "without! added cleaners" to just go over the car daily to remove daily dust

Then just drive like ALWAYS scoping the road for puddles and @#$@#%@#^%$^ when city sprinklers create a road river. .

 

You might as well give up.

I love the way my car looks when it's clean, but it's a pain in the ***. I will never buy a black car again.

 

I never use the car wash, but my wife does and you should see her car.

Didn't think about filtered water. That should eliminate a lot of the spots. <- Thanks for the idea.

I did a lot of reading into a clay bar and not sure if I am ready to try to tackle that one yet. Maybe when it's cooler outside I will attempt.

I just bought that black kit from turtle wax. It's like a 3 stage process. LOL Not happening today.

 

Hate that damn water after it's clean that creeps up.

Thanks for the pointers. I bought it new so no swirls, YET. With 2 kids and six days a week working I would never have time to do that much waxing. I bet your car is sharp.

Black won't happen again

 

If a black car is a part-time job, then I have a full-time job between my Mustang and my wife's M35.

With good products and technique, it isn't a big deal to keep a black car clean. Granted, dark colors does show dust and swirls more easily than a white or silver car. But giving up on a dark colored car because it's hard to keep clean is just crazy talk.

I've tried two bucket method, foam gun, etc. I've found that as long as you are using plenty of water and good soap (current favorite is Chemical Guys EXTREME BodyWash & Synthetic Wax/Gloss Enhancer), and keeping the wash pad clean and use MINIMUM pressure, all the methods are about the same. Use lots of water to pre-rinse the car, then lay on the soap and let the soap loosen up the dirt before using the wash pad to finish the job.

Rinse the soap off the car, then take off the nozzle and rinse the car again to let the water sheet off.

Drying is where most of the swirls get on the car. Use a good microfiber towel (Chemical Guys Monster Microfiber or Adam's Great White, etc.) and use as little pressure as possible to dry the car. The goal is to remove all the water, but don't worry about getting it perfect. I've seen people scrubbing the heck out of the paint trying to get every streak off the paint, or even worse, use the drying towel to "wash" a spot that they missed. Shake/snap the towel frequently and just get the car dry with minimum pressure. I have access to compressed air and that help a lot in getting all the water out of the gaps.

Once the car is dry, I then use a quick detailer (Chemical Guys V7 or Finish Kare #425) to wipe down the whole car to get rid of all the streaking and to give it a slick finish. Again, the trick is to use minimum pressure with the QD with good quality microfiber towels.

FC

 

Yep, seems you all are doing the same thing. I just wash with some cheapo turle wax wash from Auto store and dry with blower than microfiber towel. I have been doing exactly what you just said; scrubbing the spots out.

A lot of good advice here, thanks all. Some good techniques have been covered and the car should be looking better than new soon.

 

I always wash in the shade, I will park close to my garage just to keep the sun off. You have to be quick when you go and towel dry or I use a shami. Once you get a nice coat of wax on there you can use a california duster, its a real soft duster which wipes the dust off the car. But I only use that when I have a good coat of wax cuz the paint is real slippery then. I also use Meguires quick detailer

 

After having 4 black Mustangs I vow to never have another black car, I'm OCD about keeping my vehicle clean and spotless and black is awesome for the first 30 minutes after you've washed it. I love the color I have now, I can go way longer between washes, it just doesnt shoe the dust, spots, paint nicks, bug guts and road grime like black does.