99LS400BLK

i have a black car......and of course you all know it is impossible to keep clean. I have many swirls in the paint that i cant seem to get rid of. ive tried turtle wax scratch and swirl remover. ive also tried meguires wax. the wax helped a little (not much). but the turtle was didnt do anything? do you guys have any recomendations??

lkirchner

You are correct black is a PITA. I have 2 black cars and find that I truly have to work my backside off to keep them nice. I have had great results using the Menzerna polishes applied witha Porter Cable orbital buffer. I then follw with a good coat of carnuba wax. Both of my cars are relatively swirl free.
The real secret of having a black car look good is how you care for it on an ongoing basis. When you wash the car you should use what they refer to as the 2 bucket method. One bucket contains the car wash solution and the other has clear water. Using a good wash mit starting from the top of the car, after you have hosed it down, wash one panel at a time, rinse the mit in the clear water to get rid of any dirt particles that may have become lodged in the mit. Continue until the entier car is washed and then dry with a good waffel micro fiber towel. This should all take place in the shade. In between washings you can dust the car, if it has not been exposed to rain, with a good carduster. I prefer the OXO duster over the regaular California car duster. This should be followed by a quick cleaning with a detail spray removed with a micro fiber cloth.

When I tell people that this is how I keep my black cars looking good they just give me a look like I have three heads. If you do not follow this regimen you will end up with a scratchy, swirled black car.

The maintenanmce on a black car is a pain. In fact I probably spend twice the amount of time on one black vehicle than I do on a silver AND white car.

Good Luck

superpats

Listen to Lou he knows what he's talking about. I followed his advice on the Menzerna polishes and they work great with the porta cable, seal it up with your favorite wax (I use the Menzerna FMJ followed by #16) and you should be swirl free for a few months. I'm actually due for this treatment again (last done in May) I'm stil beading water nicely but some of the swirls have come back. He also notes how important it is to care for your car in between polishing and waxing. It is so easy to put swirls or scratches right back into your paint if you don't use clean microfiber towels or if you wash in the sun. It definitely takes a different breed to care for a black vehicle, but when they're freshly detailed nothing looks better.

HarrierAWD

Use only 100% cotton and 100% cotton base towels when you wax. Many towels are labeled 100% cotton, but its base is polyester. It will give you hairline scratches and swirl marks. Make sure it says 100% cotton base on its label. Usually it's only made in U.S.A. and priced over $15 (bath towel.) JCPenney sells a good one for $10. Be sure to cut off its label before using it.

Don't bother with those terry cotton cloth at Walmart & Target. They are made of low quality cotton and are not soft enough. A real good cotton towel feels like baby's butt.

99LS400BLK

how about those terry cloths they sell at kragen? are those any good?

whoster

MICROfiber!!


terry towels are too coarse...


it's the MICROFIBER that'll keep your car swirl-free.

99LS400BLK

where do you find microfiber towels

jfelbab

There are a couple ways to get rid of swirls. I'd suggest you also clay the paint prior to using either.

You can use an aggressive polish like Meguiar's ScratchX if you are doing this by hand or move to Megs #80 or even #83 if you have a PC. This approach grinds off some paint and polishes out the defects.

The second way is to use a glaze. A glaze contains oils and fillers which hide swirls. A glaze will leave your paint very wet looking but it will not cover up bad scratches. It will also evaporate over time so you will need to re-glaze as the swirls become visible again. I would suggest Meguiar's #81 or #7 if you choose this route.

I'd give it two coats of Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax, 24 hours apart, after using either approach. I'd also highly recommend maintaining the finish using Meguiar's NXT Spray booster wax after every other wash. This will keep the paint sealed and slow the evaporation of the glaze. The NXT booster product only takes about 20-30 minutes depending on your vehicle size.

Regardless which approach you use you should consider changing your cleaning process to avoid causing swirls in the first place. It is much easier to prevent swirls than to remove them. Wash your car with a quality car wash at the proper dilution. Use a new sheepskin wash mitt and a two bucket wash method. Soap in one bucket and rinse water for the mitt in another. Rinse your mitt after each panel then load it up in the soap bucket and move on to the next panel. Buy a grit-guard for your soap bucket.

Use a waffle-weave microfiber drying towel to dry you car. Meguiar's make one called the "Water Magnet" that absorbs much better than a chamois and is much less prone to swirl your paint.

Uee microfiber application pads or foam pads for product application and high quality microfiber towels for product removal These do work much better than cotton toweling. Don't use cheap general purpose microfiber towels on your paint. Do remove any tags on the towels before use. Wash your mf towels by hand in some Woolite after use. Don't wash them with any other fabric or they will collect lint.

This process works very well for me.

whoster

autosupply stores...


Autozone seems to have a smaller selection in comparison to PepBoys..


detailedimage.com carries them.

jucee187

maintenance is key.. here are some pics of my black shine.. i dont think you can 100% eliminate swirls if your car is a daily driver.. I have some swirls on my car...

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=166033

Meguiars have great products... I also use Zaino and eagle one Nanowax

toy4two

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....ighlight=black