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I just picked up a 2012 Lexus ISF. The previous owner took really good care of the car, garage kept and it only has 21k miles. I was wondering if those with obsidian paint could chime in with tips on how to keep the notorious obsidian paint swirl/scratch free as possible. My current car is silver and this is my first time owning a black car. I'm fully aware of the work ahead of me to keep the paint pristine as possible.
What are some products that you use for washing and drying? I currently use a 'water blade' which is essentially a flexible strip of plastic to wipe the car down for drying. My concern with using the blade on obsidian paint is that it will leave streaks on the black paint or even light scratches. I'm very close to buying an electric air blower to use for drying instead of the blade. For washing I use a standard Autozone car wash mitt.
I've had really good results using the Eagle One Nano car wash soap. It seems to fill in light scratches after a few uses.
Chemical guys offer some awesome drying microfiber towels. I also use their Wash N Gloss soap which I love.
Usually when I dry whether it's black or any other dark color I use a spray detailer. I spray on while the panel I'm working on is wet and then I dry off. With awesome drying towels and SD it keeps the swirls away longest for me.
edit: I've used blowers several times with good results.
Chemical guys offer some awesome drying microfiber towels. I also use their Wash N Gloss soap which I love.
Usually when I dry whether it's black or any other dark color I use a spray detailer. I spray on while the panel I'm working on is wet and then I dry off. With awesome drying towels and SD it keeps the swirls away longest for me.
edit: I've used blowers several times with good results.
I do detailing as a hobby and taking care of a black car is the same as other cars except the results just show a lot more. I recommend to not use the blade and replace with waffle weave drying towels or air dry (leaf blower). Less touching the better.
Follow the two bucket method as often as you can. If you use car washes, use only touchless (for any paint).
I don't know much about the water blade but i do not recall people using it much in the auto detailing world. For mitts & drying towels, you should definitely check out The Rag Company, esp if you use a reddit code combined with some holiday deals they have bomb pricing for quality you can feel. I live and swear by TRC's microfiber towels.
They have a wide range of knowledge when it comes to auto detailing and their rags all have different utilities whether you want a microfiber towel for your glass, exterior panels, or drying. They also have almost every preference you want it in; edgeless towels, XYZ gram / sq meter, color, material, and even down to the origin of the towel whether it's from Korea or China. I'd recommend a foam gun off Amazon for prerinses to lift off dirt without any initial scrubbing too. Car soap can be just any generic main brand one that has plenty of R&D behind it like Meguiar's gold class shampoo for like under 10$ a gallon.
The main point you want to make sure you understand about washing your car correctly is using the correct methods when it comes to washing and drying because that is where most swirls/holograms are introduced. The tools you use are only as good as how you use them.
You could always read a ton of great info on Reddit / autodetailing if you are ever confused or want to learn a few things on preventing damage to your paint when washing.
Chemical guys offer some awesome drying microfiber towels. I also use their Wash N Gloss soap which I love.
Usually when I dry whether it's black or any other dark color I use a spray detailer. I spray on while the panel I'm working on is wet and then I dry off. With awesome drying towels and SD it keeps the swirls away longest for me.
edit: I've used blowers several times with good results.
Same here chemical guys product.
Use a blower to dry and finish up with detail spray.
I tried using "dry and wax" spray immediately after car wash for additional lubrication and then using that silicon blade to cut down my drying time. Then I dry it with microfiber towels and wax it or spot compound as needed, and move onto the wheels which should dry by now and the interiors. It's been looking ok. This method takes me about 1.5-2.5 hrs.
I have 4 cars and I wash and detail them on average once a week, so you can imagine it's takes up a lot of my precious time. I figured I have to work smarter.
So I bought one of those twin 4hp air blasters. While it's pretty strong, it still takes a while to dry the car because the blowing area is still pretty small and you still need to wipe and dry the crevices and details. And I noticed the drying time is too slow, in dry CA by the time you are done you start getting dried water spots in other parts of the car which is incredible hard to get rid of. Of course you can use pure distilled water (avoid water spots) to wash the car but to me that takes up too much storage space and getting that much water supply cost time and money as well. This method takes me about 1.5-2 hrs.
So I am currently trying waterless applications. You can buy them in gallons so it's cheaper. And 100 towels from ebay or something. I spray these waterless car wash and then just wipe them off. Spray more for the heavily dirty areas, and less on clean ones. There's different formulas that you can buy, you can buy just for car wash and then wax later, or buy the combination ones that's good for both, kinda like a instant detailer. Make sure to use good quality microfiber and use little pressure, switch out the towels once they start getting old, use them on the wheels, engine bay and interiors instead .Use separate foam cleaners for the wheels, brushes etc.
So far that has been working well for me and kept carwashing time to a reasonable level, even though my wife still complains i spend more time with the cars than her. What do I know..I am no expert in detailing. But this solution so far is the easiest, cheapest, fastest for me and there's no worsening of any swirls. I am sure the pros out there have better methods, but I have limited time and I dont trust normal cheap car washes. Takes about 30 min for a quick touchup every 3 days or after every drive, 45-60min for a dirtier wash. Then do a conventional wash every 3 months to get rid of hidden dirt inside the panels, wheel wells, trunk and hood linings etc. and vacuum out the leaves in radiators and intakes. I would send it out to detail once 12 to 18 months for paint correction or sealant if needed.
Of course the best is to use clear xpel or nano fusion car bras, then u really just need to spray and wipe off without worry. Takes 15 min for the whole car. But the clear bras can cost 3k and up for the whole car, and 500 and up for the front end for a decent job....so it's pretty pricey. I obviously cant afford to do it on all the cars, so I only do it on a couple of front ends.
I personally use Blackfire products for the prepwork with electric air drying to minimize using a microfiber to touch the newly clean paint, 2 coats of P21S 100% carnauba wax, and after letting that cure, a layer of 22PLE. It lasts me about 6 months, so essentially 2x a year. Chemical guys quick detailer for whenever I need a quick wipe down.
Maintaining Obsidian isn't easy by any means, but reading on new methods and products available, especially to bring out the deep, rich color of a black car, definitely helps in keeping it as close to pristine as possible.
I recommend Chemical Guys also, most comprehensive online store for detailing for all levels. They even have a University for detailing, paint correction etc. Almost everything I've ever used on their site has worked extremely well. From clay bars, DA tools down to the interior fragrance selection. It's a detailers' nirvana. I've owned several (30 to be exact) cars/trucks/SUV's. & like others in the forum, detailing is my hobby, a semi-expensive one (jet seal haha). Last thing, they have several tutorials on most of the products...a sort of how to use; if you will.. oh & Have fun!
03-17-16, 01:20 PM
Tips for washing/drying obsidian paint
I'd recommend a foam gun off Amazon for prerinses to lift off dirt without any initial scrubbing too. Car soap can be just any generic main brand one that has plenty of R&D behind it like Meguiar's gold class shampoo for like under 10$ a gallon.
