Best products for Black Car

[belbo]

I have just got a 2013 VW Passat TDI, black in color. My previous car was a silver jetta. It was fairly easy to keep looking good. This black passat, although gorgeous, is of course going to be more difficult to keep looking nice.

I had a lot of Jeff's workstadt products for the jetta because I read they worked well on silver and I thought they were great but it's almost gone. So I was looking for opinions on what works well for black cars.

[Mike Phillips]

Great question... recenty wrote an article on this topic...

"Black is not a color, it's a full time job" (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/57621-black-not-color-s-full-time-job.html)



Here's the deal, any products that work on black paint will work great on any paint color. Keep in mind, the majority of all "new" cars have a clear coat so you're never really working on a "color" of paint, but the clear paint on top of the colored paint.

Black just shows everything. Thus the logic behind what I typed above, if a product works on black it will work on any color. If a product doesn't work on black it isn't going to work on any color.


I try to document all my work and the pads, productgs and tools I use. Here's a couple of very well documented threads using cars with black paint.


Video & Pictures: 2012 Black Camaro Convertible - Blackfire Show Car Makeover! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/53703-video-pictures-2012-black-camaro-convertible-blackfire-show-car-makeover.html)


Before

Dull, hazy, filled with swirls and scratches and the clearcoat was no where near clear.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1516/2012CamaroFin019.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1516/2012CamaroFin017.jpg



After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1516/2012CamaroFin003.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1516/2012CamaroFin007.jpg




1959 Chevrolet El Camino - Extreme Makeover (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/44228-1959-chevrolet-el-camino-extreme-makeover-modeled-christina.html)


Before

Inspecting the paint
After wiping the exterior down using Detailer's Pro Series Waterless Wash it was time to inspect the paint for swirls using artificial lights...

The entire finish looks like this...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino011.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino012.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino032.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino033.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino034.jpg



After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino085.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino102.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino090.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1339/1959ElCamino083.jpg




2004 Chevy SSR - Extreme Makeover by Blackfire (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/44035-2004-chevy-ssr-extreme-makeover-blackfire-modeled-tasha.html)

Before

Here's how it looked when it arrived... notice how dull and lifeless the paint is...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR001.jpg


The paint literally looked like it was washed with a scotch brite pad...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR002.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR012.jpg



After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR085.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR086.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1314/ChevySSR087.jpg





1994 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/sign-up-open-garage-classes/40652-1994-porsche-964-turbo-3-6-modeled-janna-amy.html)

Before

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW24.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW25.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW27.jpg


After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW44.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW45.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW46.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW47.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1257/94PorscheCTW48.jpg


:xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

More...


1977 Can Am Corvette (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/41292-1977-can-am-corvette-modeled-amy-janna-pictures-video.html)

Before
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1256/GoldCoastCorvetteClub020.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1256/GoldCoastCorvetteClub021.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1256/GoldCoastCorvetteClub022.jpg


After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette067.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette009.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette010.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette013.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette014.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1261/CanAmCorvette072.jpg



Live Broadcast Video - 1965 Plymouth Valiant - Extreme Makeover (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/49293-live-broadcast-video-1965-plymouth-valiant-extreme-makeover.html)


Before

Holograms everywhere on the hood and everywhere throughout the paint...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth007.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth013.jpg

Far shot of the passenger side with the sun reveling the swirls in the vertical panels like the B-Pillar...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth015.jpg

Ouch! Kind of hurts your eyes to look at this...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth017.jpg


After

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth078.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth079.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth081.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth075.jpg


:xyxthumbs:

[jcedorjr]

Welcome to AGO! I have a Black GLI and have become partial to the Blackfire line. The Gloss Enhancing Polish is more of a paint cleaner but does an awesome job cleaning off the old wax and prepping the paint for a coat of sealant or wax. Also just used the SRC Polish and loved it, did a great job of cleaning up some fine scratches and both of these polishes with a coat of All Season Paint Protection sealant look amazing. I've also topped the sealant with the Detailer Pro Max Wax which gave my metallic's a great pop, just doesn't last as long as some others. Black is a lot of work but looks amazing when it's clean. A great wax for looks and durability is Collinite 845.

[belbo]

Thanks for the responses so far. I'm kinda new to this level of maintenance. I have never polished a car, or used clay or anything of that nature, only washed and applied sealant. My car is new so it shouldn't need anything much at the moment other than wash and wax or sealant I guess.

Mike those jobs are incredible!

[RohrC]

As mentioned, I have used the Blackfire products and had great results. I did find it was a lot of work to ensure it looked great.

Since then, I have switched over to Opti-Coat on both my daily and for my toy (both are from the VW/Audi). I realize that many folks don't throw anything on Opti-Coat, but I certainly enjoy it and have had great luck with it.

I use the Opti-Coat for the hardness, not for all the other benefits that it offers. My toy has approx. 95% defect free and was polished last April. I drove it about 3,000miles.

My daily, sits outside 24/7 and is still absolutely incredible. I did throw GTechniq EXO on that one, on top of OOC.

That is about two months old now and still looks great, no marring, water marks or the like. I'll be the first to admit that it isn't a true testiment to either products, given the short time frame, but I run the car through a touchless car wash and people actually think I just waxed it.

Hope I helped!

Enjoy your new 'dub!

[lokerola]

From my own experience of owning a black car for 2 years it's critical to maintain it properly with correct methods.

So here are my .02 cents

1. Do not use a "duster" type of product. I was crazy for the first six months trying to keep dust off the car and put some small scratches in the clear coat using a duster. Was it the duster or was it my technique? Who knows, maybe both. In any case, I would stay away from these with a black car.

2. Boars hair wash brush is another item I feel put scratches in the paint. Was it the technique or the tool? Who knows - but with a black car why take the chance?

3. Super clean towels. All my MF towels looked great out of the dryer and that's how I used them. Then one day I noticed a very, very small piece of dirt (a tiny piece or wood, or bark) was lodged in the MF. It was so small you could hardly see it. But that could have contributed to the very fine scratches in the paint. Then I inspected by other MF towels and low and behold - there was a lot of embedded little dirt that didn't come out even after a wash. As you know with a black car, any scratch or imperfection will show up, so I spent the afternoon with a pair of tweezers pulling embedded stuff out of my MF. Every few washes I go through this process.

4. Actual products? Most everything I've bought here works. Poorboys black hole glaze on top of a properly polished paint looks fantastic.

To recap - baby that paint (but don't over-maintain it,) only use the cleanest and softest towels, and deal with the fact you're living with the toughest color to keep looking perfect! Good luck!

[Mike Phillips]

From my own experience of owning a black car for 2 years it's critical to maintain it properly with correct methods.

So here are my .02 cents

To recap - baby that paint (but don't over-maintain it,) only use the cleanest and softest towels, and deal with the fact you're living with the toughest color to keep looking perfect!





Very good info...


:dblthumb2:

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks for the responses so far. I'm kinda new to this level of maintenance. I have never polished a car, or used clay or anything of that nature, only washed and applied sealant.



The Porter Cable "style" of DA Polisher is the easiest type of tool to both learn and master. It's also going to be a huge help if you do ever need to polish swirls out of a black finish as clear coat paints in general are hard to work on by hand...

I have lots of articles on the topic of how to use the PC style of DA Polisher in my article list here,


Articles by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html)


I wrote this to get the idea across that it's not that hard to learn how to use the PC style of DA Polisher...

It's not that hard... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/55512-s-not-hard.html)


Note these people are not just "learning" on daily drivers aka new cars, they're learning on someone's "toys" or Special Interest Vehicles. More risk for me, more fun for them...



In the below live broadcast I show a 15 year old boy how to machine polish

Live Broadcast Video - 1965 Plymouth Valiant - Extreme Makeover (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/49293-live-broadcast-video-1965-plymouth-valiant-extreme-makeover.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1436/1965Plymouth034.jpg




And in this one I show a 21 year old girl how to machine polish

Video & Pictures: 1965 Fastback Mustang - Gtechniq EXO Show Car Makeover! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/53807-video-pictures-1965-fastback-mustang-gtechniq-exo-show-car-makeover.html)

Trista working with the rest of the team to machine polish this 1965 Mustang Fastback 2+2
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1511/TristaBuffingFortheFirstTime001.jpg


Trista removing swirls on a show car...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1511/TristaBuffingFortheFirstTime002.jpg



And in this one I show a 80 year old man and a young lady and here boyfriend how to machine polish for their first time...

Video and Pictures - Two 1967 Camaro's - Show Car Makeovers! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/51175-video-pictures-1967-camaro-ss-1941-plymouth-coupe-show-car-makeovers.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1465/CamaroNight001.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1465/CamaroNight002.jpg


PLUS you have everyone on this forum to help you along the way...






My car is new so it shouldn't need anything much at the moment other than wash and wax or sealant I guess.



I'll post a link to an article I wrote recently...





Mike those jobs are incredible!



Team effort and thank you...


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Take a minute or two to read through this article and watch the videos, it will show you everything you want to do to get started on the right path...

How To Detail Your Brand New Car by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/54451-how-detail-your-brand-new-car-mike-phillips.html)




:)

[cartman57]

If you have a spouse or significant other, explain to them this IS your new partner, this way they won't get jealous when you spend more time cleaning the car than you do with them.

Seriously, the articles posted by Mike Phillips are well written, read, watch the videos, read some more. Practice on small areas or get a junk yard panel.
There will always be someone to help you on this forum if you have questions.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new full time job.

[waderw24]

Folks - I've read through this post several times and have a quick question.

I own 2 black SUV's, a 2005 4Runner and a 2012 Tahoe. I have never used a polisher on either one. The 4Runner has medium-high level swirls and some scratches, the Tahoe has low swirls and one scratch (grrrrr)....with all the recent hype about Menzerna FG400 I've been leaning towards purchasing that along with a sealant (not sure which) however in this post it seems the BlackFire products produced great results as well.

My question, with FG400 out now should I go with BlackFire or should I give the FG400 a shot? I would like to minimize the number of products I have to use if possible however I'm still looking to get the 'close to perfect' paint finish. I am however planning on sealing both with the BlackFire Crystal Seal Paint Sealant.

...and yes, I am crazy for owning 2 black SUV's!!! :laughing:

Thanks for your help.