Best methods to taking care of black/dark paint?

[Firsttexan]

Black or dark color are a labor of love,but when clean and shiny there is nothing better

Ya, all 15 minutes of it.

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[JuicySmollet]

Ya, all 15 minutes of it.

 

[-RAC-]

15 minutes tops.

 

[charlied]

OK, I'll be the guinea pig...what is an "absorber" Charlie?

Sorry for the late reply. It's basically a sponge towel. Google absorber towel. They are amazing. I can dry my whole car in less than 2 min with one. It's super absorbent.

 

[Mustangfreek]

Bump for a couple questions..

Ok, I see the cheap polishers for 60-80 bux ( which Amazon brand is top rated , 75 bux) and the keep going back to the chemical Guys buffer or the griots?

Any pad recommendations?

I need to make a decent little order I guess, buffer, towels, compound, pads..

 

[DFB5.0]

Bump for a couple questions..

Ok, I see the cheap polishers for 60-80 bux ( which Amazon brand is top rated , 75 bux) and the keep going back to the chemical Guys buffer or the griots?

Any pad recommendations?

I need to make a decent little order I guess, buffer, towels, compound, pads..

I would probably lean towards the Griots machines if you cant stretch to a Rupes or Flex. These seem to be a good sweet spot for performance vs price vs ease of use, similar to that of Shine Mate machines for the Australian market.

Griots G9 has a smaller 9mm -
G9 Random Orbital Polisher - Griot's Garage (griotsgarage.com)

The Griots G15 would be where I would start from as it has a larger 15mm throw for improved efficiency -
G15 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher - Griot's Garage (griotsgarage.com)

If end up wanting to spend that little bit more, the Rupes Duetto would be a really good choice for it user friendly design and 12mm throw -
RUPES LHR 12E Duetto Random Orbital Polisher (autogeek.net)

In terms of pad, choose your machine first, then size the pads up from there. Aim for a fine finishing pad, medium cut pad and heavy duty cut pad. Order at least 4 - 5 of each to have enough to swap out them out regularly.

Simplest option would be to go with the Griots system, either ordered individually or in kit form.
Pads & Accessories (griotsgarage.com)
Enthusiast Pad System Kit (griotsgarage.com)

Lake Country CCS pads are where I started out and are very beginner friendly.
Dual Action CCS 5.5 Inch Foam Pad Kit (autogeek.net)

Hope that helps.

 

[MakoShark]

Sonax Perfect Finish is considered a One-Step, as is Scholl S20 Black. Both of these should cut and then finish down in one step. I'm not sure if Ford black paint is soft, so you may need to play with a couple of pad combinations to achieve the result you want.

If Perfect Finish or S20 don't have enough cut, then you may need to step up to Meguiar's M105, Sonax Cutmax or Scholl S2 Black. You would then need to use Perfect Finish or Meguiar's M205 to clean up after the cutting phase.

This.

I absolutely fell in love with Scholl Concepts products. S20 cuts really deep. For light swirls from washing S30+ and S40 with orange pad are sufficient.

Also what others said: Use a lot of water, start with wheels, then soak up your car with water and rinse the hardest debris, then use a foam cannon, rinse with water, then wash it with microfiber mitt (two bucket method is best), wash it once again and dry it with high grs microfiber towel or blower.

When washing, always check your paint with fingertips if there is some other debris (iron, tar, sap, glue...) and use appropriate products. Once per 6 months to once a year I recommend claying the car. After drying the car don't forget to apply protection. Wax or carnauba wax is traditional method, but Griots Garage 3-in-1 ceramic wax detailer lasts about 3-6 months and is much cheaper than full ceramic coating. It all depends how much love do you want to dedicate your car. I wash once per week if it was rainy during the week and once every other week if it was sunny and the car is just dusty.

Little swirls happen from time to time, but if you take care of your car and have the paint sealed after washing routinely, it will prevent you from washing swirls to some point. Not washing you car at all may be much worse for the paint than washing it every week. You can get mineral buildup from water spots and the paint can get damaged from bird poop, acidic rain etc. Just what others already said.

 

[Mustangfreek]

Thanks!

Have some rupes pads in my Amazon cart already along with some sonax

surprised no mention of them

 

[kilobravo]

FWIW, I only use Rupes pads. :-)

 

[ay1820]

I have a love-hate relationship with black cars. I keep saying never again, then I keep buying another one

The true secret to enjoying a black car is to recognize that you cannot keep it totally flawless unless you keep it in the garage. If you want to enjoy driving your black or dark colored car on a somewhat regular basis, then learn to embrace a few minor defects as badges of honor to a car that sees real world use. I am not saying just give up, what I am saying is that I bought my car so I could drive it, not to just look at it, and a car that gets driven gets dirty and picks up flaws.

Following the suggestions others have already made will help you keep those flaws to a minimum, and most importantly, help keep you from making things worse or introducing self inflected damage. It's a lot of work, but as several others have said, it is a labor of love.

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