Normally i'm a freak about keeping the car clean.
But now that i have my first Black car.. .I am starting to wonder what I can do to keep it looking good. Normally, I use standard auto soap with a sponge.. and dry it with a chamois. Not sure what wax to use either... anyone have some good tips to keeping a black car looking good?

 

Mines torch red, almost as hard as black.

Wash it every week, I'd ditch the sponge for a pair of good car mits, one for the lower half of the car, one for the top half. Use the sponge on your rims. Use a clean bucket of good car wash soap for the bottom, then the top - the two mitts/ two buckets method works good for eliminating all those scratches that'll show like mad on your black car.

I bought a mr clean auto-dry, it works, but frankly water from an open garden hose sheets right off a waxed car, just pat up the last bits with your chamois. Get some microfiber towels and detailing spray for in-between waxes, and a good wax for your regular waxes (once a month or so, whenever it needs it). Everyone has their own wax favorites, personally i like meguires NXT because it's easy to apply, lasts long, and makes my car shine real nice. If I leave it to cure overnight, the next day I can follow with a pure carnuba (not a cleaner wax) that'll really deepen the shine to car show quality.

Just make sure you wash it once a week, dont give the dirt a chance to set in. If you cant do a proper wash, at least a pay n spray booth.

 

Good luck with the black. I had a black EXPLORER years ago and it gave me fits. The biggest killer to the surface of a dark colored car is rain followed by sun. If you get a shower or thunderstorm, try and dry the rain water off the paint prior to the sun coming out. Hot sun can etch the water spots into your paint. NUMBER 5 MEGUIARS followed by NUMBER 26 MEGUIARS is a good combination for longterm protection. NXT is fine for in between waxings. Our silver MUSTANG is garaged and NXT lasts a good while when it is garaged. I did my ESCAPE, which sits outside, and the NXT doesn't seem to last very long.

 

The nxt lasts a lot longer than it beads water for.. It's not a wax, it's a synthetic, so they add stuff to make it bead water since that's what all the old timers raised on carnuba expect. Wipe your finger along the paint, if it squeaks, it's gone.

A lot of people say it doesn't last that long, but in fact, it really does.

But like I said before, everybody has their own waxing thing going on. Just find what works for you, your time, budget, etc and use it. 45 seconds of the "wax" setting at the pay n spray is better than nothing at all.

 

nxt

get a microfiber applicator pad..works even better

 

I used the Klasse paint sealant as soon as I got my 05 and it still looks excellent 6 months later. I also use the souveran signature series wax. The Klasse worked extremely well on my daughters 03 that was minimally maintained for 2 1/2 years.
Before washing I blast the dirt and grit really well with the hose to knock off as much crud as possible. I use a 20" x 20" microfiber towel and fold it in half twice and soak it once in a bucket of meguiars california ?? car wash.. I use 1/4 for the roof, 1/4 for the hood and 1/4 for the trunk. I turn it inside out and do the same thing for the sides and bumpers. I have washed my car about 25 times and cannot see any scratches or swirl marks.

 

If you guys are looking for a wax that looks awesome on black paint it is Poorboys Natty's blue. It can be applied in the sun and has no residue. It is made with Brazilian carnuba that is the highest grade carnuba. Also putting on a glaze before the wax will make the paint looks so much wetter. Check out my website at www.obsessivedetail.com for products and descriptions.

 

I just got the Mr Clean car wash kit , $18 at walmart. THe kit attaches to your garden hose. It has a rinse , soap , and de-ionized rinse . With this kit you no longer need to dry the car. After you wash the car , you spray the de-ionized water out of the nozzle and the car dries spotless like a dishwasher. Works really good on Black .

 

I mentioned the mr clean, I got one, it works. But it takes forever to rinse the car off, it feels like you're spraypainting it off. Water from an open hose just sheets off and it takes 2 minutes to pat up the leftover drops. Plus, if you want to wax, you probably dont want to wait for the mr clean rinse to dry.

I like the mr clean as a soap dispenser though, sometimes I'll have it in one hand, my washmit on the other.

As for wax blah blah everybody has their favorite. Typing the marketting crap from the back of the bottle into a forum post doesn't make it magic. Almost all carnuba comes from brazil, btw. Maybe my eyesight is going, but I really can't tell one wax from the next. I like NXT because it's easy to apply, if it dries you dont have to buff for 3 weeks to get it off.

 

At work, one of our customers started making us use de-ionized water to wash their parts and it actually left noticeable stains on them. I forget if they were titanium or magnesium, but they were unpainted and looked ugly afterwards.