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How bad does a dark color really look if you don't wash it?

peetucket

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So I know black (and dark cars in general) are hard to keep clean and look as nice as they do at the dealer, but the question is, how bad does it get if you ignore it? Does anyone have any pictures of their ignored black or dark colored car? I'm thinking about a magnetic, guard or black convertible, but am not the kind of person that washes our cars very often (what with 2 small kids, job, home ownership, etc.). Currently have a red and silver car that basically get washed never, and they look good enough to me (will be getting rid of the silver).

We live in the San Francisco Bay area so it hardly rains at all over the summer, though it can rain reasonably often in the winter. The convertible will be parked outside all of the time. I don't want it to look like s**t but can live with non-perfection. What do you guys think?
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SDEcoBoost

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Forget the color...buy a Camaro. no one ever notices them so you won't have a problem :)

Just kidding...out here in Fly Over country we have about 7 months of rain, snow, snert (Snow & dirt), along with salt and various chemical sprays on the highways. Believe it or not, White seems to do best in filthy dirty conditions. Black is really bad (2 Mustangs and a SHO), the Magnetic, so far isn't too bad, but I haven't had the heart to drive her on wet, salted roads, just dry ones. Our 2015 Jeep is white and doesn't look that bad and it is the one we drive in all bad weather conditions.
 

PonyGrrrl

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Magnetic is a PITA to keep clean. I use a waterless wash and wax on mine every other day to clean and shine her up.

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PonyGrrrl

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Magnetic is a PITA to keep clean. I use a waterless wash and wax on mine every other day to clean and shine her up. Looks awful to me otherwise. It's a dust and dirt magnet but I love the color when it's clean.

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Damn it, I meant to edit my previous post not quote it.

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TheZman

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This time of year it dont matter what color you got if you live in the snow belt areas.. with all the salt on the roads a dirt. But during the summer months i found silver to be the best. Just looks cleaner for alot longer then most colors. It will be interesting how my new Guard Mustang holds up once i start driving it when the weather is nice.
 

Bay1Stang

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This time of year it dont matter what color you got if you live in the snow belt areas.. with all the salt on the roads a dirt. But during the summer months i found silver to be the best. Just looks cleaner for alot longer then most colors. It will be interesting how my new Guard Mustang holds up once i start driving it when the weather is nice.
Yeah but thank god for these random 40 degree days where the car can actually be washed. It'll be clean for a good day or two!
 

MagneticA

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I have the magnetic... looks amazing. I wash it every week, but I've been under the weather lately and not up to giving her a bath. I'll give it a few days and snap a photo. Since I live AZ, and it's my DD, you'll have an good idea of what it will look like in your area. Only dif is I garage it at night. But all day long she sits out in the dusty sun.
 

Old 5 Oh

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Yes. They do. DIB, Guard and Magnetic will all look like shades of dark, dingy gray when they are dirty. I can't stand it.
 

foghat

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My last car was black. Never again. The keeping clean issues aside, every little scratch, swirl, chip or imperfection is so much more noticeable on darker cars.

Even after washing and letting it sit for a few hours - a thin layer of dust would collect and be very noticeable in the sunlight.
 

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gofastguy

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Why buy one in a color that it will not look good when dirty? Ingot Silver and Oxford White can be your friend...
 

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CooterK

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My last stang was black, and the Civic Si I had after it was a dark blue. Both colors were a nightmare to keep clean. The blue would look dusty the second I drove it. I decided I was done with that so I went with ingot. I'm actually really happy with the color choice anyway, the only other color I think looks as good is white.
 

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So I know black (and dark cars in general) are hard to keep clean and look as nice as they do at the dealer, but the question is, how bad does it get if you ignore it? Does anyone have any pictures of their ignored black or dark colored car? I'm thinking about a magnetic, guard or black convertible, but am not the kind of person that washes our cars very often (what with 2 small kids, job, home ownership, etc.). Currently have a red and silver car that basically get washed never, and they look good enough to me (will be getting rid of the silver).

We live in the San Francisco Bay area so it hardly rains at all over the summer, though it can rain reasonably often in the winter. The convertible will be parked outside all of the time. I don't want it to look like s**t but can live with non-perfection. What do you guys think?


When I had my black Kia Soul for three years, the paint was the biggest pain in my ass. I told myself I would never own a black car. Yeah, it looks all pretty and sleek whenever it's CLEAN.

If you drive in the rain, the whole entire bottom of your car (especially where the wheels are) turns white from the road debris. Forget parking underneath a tree as pollen looks so clear on the black. Scratches tend to show up easier in the sunlight as well. Speaking of the sunlight, Florida is one of the worst places to own a black car. I can't even wash it without coming outside the next day and seeing sea mist and salt all over the paint. While I don't have any pictures to supply you seeing that I only took pics of my car while it was clean, I can definitely tell you that having an outdoor black car isn't necessarily the most visually pleasing sight after a few days.
 

Horse Face

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So I know black (and dark cars in general) are hard to keep clean and look as nice as they do at the dealer, but the question is, how bad does it get if you ignore it? Does anyone have any pictures of their ignored black or dark colored car? I'm thinking about a magnetic, guard or black convertible, but am not the kind of person that washes our cars very often (what with 2 small kids, job, home ownership, etc.). Currently have a red and silver car that basically get washed never, and they look good enough to me (will be getting rid of the silver).

We live in the San Francisco Bay area so it hardly rains at all over the summer, though it can rain reasonably often in the winter. The convertible will be parked outside all of the time. I don't want it to look like s**t but can live with non-perfection. What do you guys think?
Try an experiment - alternate wearing a pair of white underwear one day and a pair of black ones the next without washing either. After a month, turn each inside-out and see which one "shows the dirt" more.
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