Black Daily Driven Car

G

GS4_Fiend

New member
How do you guys take care of your Black DD Car?



-How often do you wash it?

-How often do you clay it?

-How often do you wax it?

-Which product would last up to a month and would still look good?

-Which product(s) do you guys use?



Thanks for the help.
 
I live on a dirt road so as you can imagine my car has a lot of dust after a day or two of driving.



-I wash once a week



-I clay the car when it needs to be clayed if you wash the car every week keep the paint clean with a good coat of wax claying might only need to be done once a year you need to feel it with your hand. Wash your car then dry it then wash your hand rub your hand across a part of your car it should feel smooth not like sandpaper if it is smooth you are good to go.



- I Wax once every 4-6 weeks in the summer time all depends on when the wax is gone. ( Do a rubbing alcohol test.) In the winter i put a coat on every month or so but my car sits in the garage so it is only exposed when i am out and about.





For Wax I Use

NXT 2.0 - (Summer Wax) hides light scratches swirls very well great product and super easy to use



DP Max Wax - great carnauba wax at a even better price makes metal flakes POP!



Collnite 845 - (Winter Wax) This stuff looks good and last forever not the easiest to use though



All of these waxes are good last more then a month and still look good but remember the wax protects the work you put into the paint such as polishing ETC...



Good Luck With Your Black Car



Remember though black is not a color it is a part time job. But is is worth keeping it up.



Hope this helps
 
ONR wash once a week. (garage kept. Only driven few days if the week)

Once a month it gets full presoak via Megs GC/foam cannon followed ONR wash.



Wheels get fresh OPT Wheel Gel every two weeks



Dodo Juice Purple Haze every three months.



Polish/sealant every may and November.
 
ONR/DP Rinseless once every 1 or 2 weeks usually followed with a spray wax

QD when needed



clay in spring and clay in fall prior to full details
 
I guess my Carbon Metallic YukonXL qualifies as "black", but it's been a while since I had a straight-black dd. Biggest diff seems to be that the insepction is tougher because of the metallic.



Anyhow, I never treated my black/white/silver/whatever vehicles differently because of their color. Wash it when it's dirty eough, clay it when it's contaminated, polish it when it's marred, wax it before it needs waxing.



Clearcoat is clearcoat. If silver looks less scratched up than black it's because the inspection isn't all that demanding ;)



And no, I never bothered with the "but black looks dusty" issue. Never touch the paint unless you're washing it, and don't spend all your life washing the car.



LSPs that last a *month*?!? Heh heh mine had better last longer than that! 476S, layered KSG, FK1000P. Even the #16 on my wife's car lasts a few months. I'll use less durable stuff on the garage queens, but a month isn't asking much.
 
I have 3 black vehicles, but here's what I do:



- Wash weekly (perhaps twice a week if I can find the time or it rains for a day and is going to be nice for the remainder of the week).



- Clay 2-3 times a year, only when doing a more complete detail with polishing. For just a wash/wax, I don't clay.



- Light polishes as needed, usually 2-3 times per year. Sealant applied at this time too (OPT/Jetseal in the winter, FMJ in the summer).



- Waxed monthly. Dodo Juice Purple Haze on the BMWs, Natty's Blue on the F350. PB Wheel Wax applied roughly every month too.
 
My daily driver is a (mostly) black colored garaged motorcycle.



I have yet to hit it with a hose (other than cleaning the wheels). I QD it at least once a week, and I wax it twice a month. Before I found this site, I had been using Megs GC, NXT, or NXT2.0. It currently has a coat of NXT2.0 paste on it, but once that wears off I'm going to try out my new tin of 476S. I lube the chain at least once a week, and clean the chain every two weeks.



She's due for an engine detailing, I've yet to decide how to tackle that.
 
Accumulator said:
And no, I never bothered with the "but black looks dusty" issue. Never touch the paint unless you're washing it, and don't spend all your life washing the car.
Click to expand...



Great advice! I'm new to this obsession and I'm trying not to sweat the small stuff. I too have a black daily driver and although it's slightly dusty I'm not touching it. From what I understand washing is usually the major cause of swirls. Therefore, I'm washing only once or twice a month or when it's really needed. Besides, my slightly dusty car looks cleaner than most of the cars on the road.
 
My daily driver BMW is black, not garage kept, and driven an average of 1400 miles per month. It gets dirty pretty quickly.



My process is:

Wash every 2 weeks

Clay and polish usually once a year, maybe more if needed

Wax every 4-8 weeks with Collinite 845, Aquawax every couple washes

KSG on wheels every couple washes

Aquapel on windshield once a year
 
Recently I spent some time with my black car washing, quick clay (didn't really need it), IPA, Spray Nine strip, and a rewash. Then I tried JW Prime for the first time. :hairpull I'm still trying to get the feel for it (I hear there is a learning curve.) DWG then OS for LSP. Now, in the sun it looks great! But under the Brinkmann and recently acquired Bayco 1500W twin halogen tripod, there are tons of problems.:wall I wanted to get some fresh protection on it as I'm leaving it outside while my wife and I go to Oahu for 2 weeks. (I should drop by the Pakshak!)



My answer for the OP is: not enough

Funny thing is I use the same technique for detailing my wife's car and wash it as frequently as I do my black car. Her car (metallic bronze) you'd think I know what I'm doing. My car, is beating me.



With the Brinkmann, new halogens, JW Prime, and recent attempt at detailing my black car, I'm starting to question why I'm even posting here. :hide: In fact, I'll probably go back into lurker mode, or at least just complement the pros with "Great detail!" "Wow, dripping wet!" etc etc. Otherwise, I have no business giving advice to anyone.:sadwavey:
 
snowskate said:
I'm starting to question why I'm even posting here. :hide: In fact, I'll probably go back into lurker mode, or at least just complement the pros with "Great detail!" "Wow, dripping wet!" etc etc. Otherwise, I have no business giving advice to anyone.:sadwavey:
Click to expand...



Don't feel bad brother. I feel the same way 90% of the time. I'll think I finally got the inside on a decent product, and then I see a new thread talking about an even better one :hairpull Case in point: I just got a tin of Collinite 476S for my black truck, but after reading this thread, dodo juice seems to be all the rage for black cars :wall



/off topic You live on the east coast, why you flying all the way to Oahu? How far are the Canaries from the east coast? Granted I'm spoiled, Hawaii being a mere 5 hours away. Plus I've spent a lot of time in Spain, and would go back there any chance I could.
 
I bought my first black car in May, a Black Sapphire Metallic Volvo C30 R-design. I usually park outside but have been in the garage of late and hope I get to stay there for the winter.



While the weather is good, I do an ONR wash every week plus OID (Optimum Instant Detailer). In May, I waxed with Clearkote Carnuba Moose Wax, buffing off with Optimum (spray) Car Wax per ScottWax's suggestion. I put collinite 476s on the wheels.



I just did my semi-annual detail which inlcudes wash, clay, polish if necesary. I was pleased that I didn't find significant marring - or at least none that bothered me- so I just polished with a grey pad and the new optimum finish polish, then applied 3 coats of Optiseal (allowing time to cure in between.) I expect to top it with a few layers of carnuba moose wax or 476s over the coming weeks. It won't get waxed again until probably April. (the garage is unheated.)



Over the winter, I'll visit the touchless wash sparingly but as often as necessary to keep the car reasonably clean. While it saddens me to see my car dirty, I'm trying to follow Accumulator's wise advice and not spend my life washing my car. I know I'll never reach the standards that some others here routinely achieve, but that's OK. My car still looks better than most on the road and it makes me smile everytime I see it - even when it is dusty.



Try no to worry too much about it. Remember, it's your daily driver, not a show car. It can look great even if it's not perfect.
 
My cars not black but i have to wash every saturday bcus on friday the neighbors landcapers come and blow their sand around, it leaves sand all over the windows, and the tire dressing gets all sandy. I always mow on thursday, right before the neighbors' landscapers come, and the other day before i wash the car. Its a silver car, its a dd but we barely use it. Its like an errand car, idk. Havent clayed it, just polish like 4 times a year and thats it. Ill clay it soon though, its almost 6 years old. Got some black specs on the trunk lid.
 
ThrillHo said:
Don't feel bad brother. I feel the same way 90% of the time. I'll think I finally got the inside on a decent product, and then I see a new thread talking about an even better one :hairpull Case in point: I just got a tin of Collinite 476S for my black truck, but after reading this thread, dodo juice seems to be all the rage for black cars :wall
Click to expand...

I know the feeling too. It's really personal preference and what other people have tried. None of the products you read about people using here are "bad". I have yet to try 476S first hand, so for all I know it could be better than Purple Haze on black.



You'll go nuts at this place looking for the "best" product. Read some opinions, see what others are saying and give it a shot. The only way you'll find out what's best for you is to try! :)
 
Thanks for your personal experience responses. Now I would like to share mines.



-Wash car every week. Max is 2 weeks. I wash at a bay area with high pressure gun with functions.

-So far I only clayed once.

-I wax my car every single time I wash my car. It's a really PITA until I found out about Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax. So easy to use.

-The products I used are: KSG with 4 coats per panel. Lately been using Poorboy's Black Hole w/ Natty's Blue. Works like a dream. Very deep gloss + wet look and an eye popper.

-I do feel like I'm washing my car too much but if I don't wash it, it makes me feel like the car is dirty from the dust that accumulates onto the paint and might etch into the paint. Which makes me worried.

-Since I already applied the PBH + NB. And everytime I wash, I use the Meguiar's UDW. How long you think my PBH and NB would last until I would have to apply them again?



TIA
 
@GSR Fiend: I think that using UQW will extend the protection for quite awhile, especially if you are applying every week. I did a full detail on my DD truck (using UC, SwirlX and finishing it with PB's Polish w/ Sealant in April). It is the second week in September and I have only been using ONR washes or QD and then applying a spray wax (Turtle Wax Express Shine; seriously only $4 at a dollar store and pretty durable. I'm not a big TW fanboy but I have to say this spray wax is a great value and a rather pleasant surprise). I have not tried UQW but heard good things about it.



I'll probably do a full detail in early October (before the weather truly changes in Maryland) and use Collinite as my winter wax.
 
i had a 99 wrangler as a DD, black....sold it and now am driving an 09 frontier..black.



since the camaro gets the garage...my truck is out on the driveway..



1. wash it at least once a week

2. clay 2-4 times a year

3. polish 1-2 times per year / menzerna products / vanilla moose glaze

4. carnauba moose / wolf gang concours

5. wax 3-4 times a year....minimum of 3 times.



seems to be going well, i use a leaf blower to dry, so it keeps the marring down.
 
It looks like all of us enjoys washing their car weekly. I feel like it's a job. LOL. Now who on here doesn't wash there car every week. This one would be interesting.
 
Well, I have a black S430 that's a daily driver. For the first few months I had it, I did do the weekly wash but I probably should have done twice a week washes if I wanted to keep it really clean. Now, I've kinda given up on maintaining the beautiful deep black look.



I'm in South Florida and the daily afternoon rain is a killer on black. You end up with those grey spots. Add the dust that accumulates and your car looses its shine quickly.



If you have the money, what I would suggest is those deionized water rinse machines. You can quickly soak the car after rain or after it starts to look dusty without having to take out the towels to dry. With this method, I "think" I will be able to get away with twice a month washes.
 
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