Yes,its a pain,but when its clean and shiney nothing looks better! I use microfiber towels and Zymol to keep mine looking good. If you have swirl marks,get some 3m finish restorer from the auto parts store and use microfiber towels with it to prep it for the wax finish of your choice.http://www.1969boss429.com

 

Meguire's black gold wax is what i use and so far its the best i've used

 

just wondering, what is claybar? i plan on painting my car black and wanna know what i can do (besides keep it in the garage) to keep the shine on it.

 

Crash,

Clay Bar, or clay, in car-care-speak is a pure poly clay-like material that you use to remove surface contaminants. Detailers have been using it for many years.

It's fairly new to consumers, relatively speaking, and Mothers Polish was really the one to successfully bring it to market in their Clay Bar Paint Saving System.

Pretty much any car will benefit from claying once or twice a year... if you've washed your car and you feel little bumps, upon close examination you'll probably see that it's stuck-on and embedded fallout, brake dust, rail dust, pollen and other things that eventually eat into your paint and damage it. Even a new car will benefit from being clayed.

If you go here http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/ and scroll down to the Clay video, you'll get a real good idea as to how it works.... real easy, and it usually takes no more than about 30 minutes to an hour.

Follow with the included cleaner wax, or use your favorite polish and wax products.

 

Thanx a million jim. very helpful. i'm def going to invest stock in this product!

 

Crash,

Clay Bar, or clay, in car-care-speak is a pure poly clay-like material that you use to remove surface contaminants. Detailers have been using it for many years.

It's fairly new to consumers, relatively speaking, and Mothers Polish was really the one to successfully bring it to market in their Clay Bar Paint Saving System.

Pretty much any car will benefit from claying once or twice a year... if you've washed your car and you feel little bumps, upon close examination you'll probably see that it's stuck-on and embedded fallout, brake dust, rail dust, pollen and other things that eventually eat into your paint and damage it. Even a new car will benefit from being clayed.

If you go here http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/ and scroll down to the Clay video, you'll get a real good idea as to how it works.... real easy, and it usually takes no more than about 30 minutes to an hour.

Follow with the included cleaner wax, or use your favorite polish and wax products.

 

Crystal,

You never explained what you're doing for washing routine, but I can tell you that you should be using a quality car wash (I prefer Mothers, but any premium wash is better than dish soap), use a lambswool mitt, and dry with quality microfiber towels.

Maybe this sounds elementary, but in my position, I talk to people all the time who use dish soap (which removes dirt, but also removes wax). I also hear about people who have finish problems, and often they're either taking it to a car wash with brushes, or they use a chamois to dry -- they are a common cause for minor scratches called spiderwebbing, and they also can remove wax.

That said, the proper supplies really can make the job easier, as well as lengthening the time between waxes.

- J

 

Right now, I use Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash. I do use wool car mitt whenever washing a vehicle. I use clean terry cloth towels to dry them off. It just seems like every time that car is washed, there is a new scratch or nick that I haven't seen before. Never again will my mother get a white or black car.

One more thing that I noticed about the car. It has a lot of water spots from rain on the trunk and spoiler. What can be done about those? Vinegar and water? If so, what's the ratio to safely use it?

 

Crystal,

I am getting now that by scratches you mean from road debris or someone passing by and rubbed up against you or some sort of individual scratch -- just that you see all of them?

Or are you also talking spiderwebbing, where it looks like someone took a scouring pad to your paint over the whole surface.

Or both?

If you've got spiderwebbing issues, to help reduce them in the future, try a waffle-weave microfiber instead of the cotton. You can buy them now at most auto parts stores. There are a couple of recommended ways to use them... you can fold it in about half for an average one and just drape it across one of the horizontal surfaces (like the hood) and just pull it towards you to absorb the water, working a section at a time... that way there's no pressure that may be accidently rubbing something across your paint. An alternative, if you have the patience, is to fold it about 3 or 4 times and hold it on two sides and "blot" your paint dry. And then use it in a reguar fashion, or a smaller towel, for areas where it's not convenient "drape" or "blot."

For the scratches, just having some cleaner wax handy for touch-ups might help... and advance to a scratch remover if necessary.

Use a separate wash mitt for the wheels, or do the wheels and lower panels last so you're not transferring dirt from below -- always work from the top down.

For water spots, assuming you've tried cleaner wax, white vinegar may help and there's no need to dilute... let soak with a light cloth or paper towel to hold the vinegar to the surface. If that doesn't help try a a clay bar, followed by the cleaner wax. If that doesn't help, go to a straight polish or a scratch remover. (I'm recommending you try least-aggressive first.) If it's acid rain etching, you'll probably only be able to reduce the visibility a little, as some of your clearcoat is damaged in that case.

Tip: keep a microfiber in your car so after you wash, you can wipe up after your first stop... or raise the trunk and hood to get water to drain from crevices.

If you keep up on the waxing, you will have less surface problems, and then it's easier to care for.

 

I have a black Chevy Colorado. For one, its the last GM produt I buy, and for two last balck car I will own. Hard as hell to keep clean. Everything shows up on the color. To bad cause black looks so nice too.
My conclusion: BLACK IS WACK YO!