To the people owning a black Benz.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
The real trick is to keep your car free of swirls in the first place. We have a process called Auto Armor in SA. I always have my paint done new & then only wash the car with their washing material & dry with a decent Chamois. You never need to polish the Auto Armour sealant - nothing sticks to it & bird crap etc just hoses off. It is a good idea to have it redone every 3 - 4 years. My car is just over 5 years old & there is not a single swirl in the paint. I always make the dealer do a body check when I go for service & I won't let them wash it. They just shake their head when they do the check - They can't believe the car has no clearcoat swirls. Modern paints are frequently damaged by polishing.
The car is garaged.
The car is garaged.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Apr 5, 2009 at 07:04 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,929
Likes: 5
From: Tampa, Florida
06 SL65 / 97 993tt /11 Suburban/ 2012 GTR (AMG è la mia Famiglia la Bestia è la mia protezione)
The real trick is to keep your car free of swirls in the first place. We have a process called Auto Armor in SA. I always have my paint done new & then only wash the car with their washing material & dry with a decent Chamois. You never need to polish the Auto Armour sealant - nothing sticks to it & bird crap etc just hoses off. It is a good idea to have it redone every 3 - 4 years. My car is just over 5 years old & there is not a single swirl in the paint. I always make the dealer do a body check when I go for service & I won't let them wash it. They just shake their head when they do the check - They can't believe the car has no clearcoat swirls.
The car is garaged.
The car is garaged.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,929
Likes: 5
From: Tampa, Florida
06 SL65 / 97 993tt /11 Suburban/ 2012 GTR (AMG è la mia Famiglia la Bestia è la mia protezione)
+ infinity...They have washed my wife's C300 still dripping and then they drove across what must have been used wash puddle so there were splash marks on the rear lower fender...it was cleaner before it got there.
Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 226
Likes: 6
From: Northern CA
CLK55 AMG, SL55 AMG, C55 AMG
Besides great products (Menzerna stuff, Adams Polishes, and Klasse work great on black), also make sure to use good microfiber towels or polished cotton with a high thread-count for product removal to reduce the chance of hairline scratches in a black finish.
I have seen more people spend time and money applying expensive waxes/sealants only to remove them with a cheap terrycloth towel or whatever happens to be lying around. Seems counterproductive, and on black it does not take much to create spiderwebs when you use a crappy towel for removal
I used to use good quality polished cotton diapers on all of my show cars until microfiber towels were invented, and although the diapers worked great there is no comparison to microfiber products.
I too am just slightly **** (wife has a more descriptive and graphic term for my obsession), when it comes to my black finish, but if prepped and polished correctly, nothing beats the shine and depth you get from black paint!
I have seen more people spend time and money applying expensive waxes/sealants only to remove them with a cheap terrycloth towel or whatever happens to be lying around. Seems counterproductive, and on black it does not take much to create spiderwebs when you use a crappy towel for removal
I used to use good quality polished cotton diapers on all of my show cars until microfiber towels were invented, and although the diapers worked great there is no comparison to microfiber products.
I too am just slightly **** (wife has a more descriptive and graphic term for my obsession), when it comes to my black finish, but if prepped and polished correctly, nothing beats the shine and depth you get from black paint!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 11
From: SF Bay Area, CA
2006 E55 and 2002 E320
+1
This car look like it has 70k miles on it?
That was after a wash and wax (by me).
I have tons of expensive tools (including but not limited to an in-line water de-ionizer, in-line water softener, dual action polisher, etc.) and waxes and cleaning materials. And I'm still not happy and need to do it more often.
Black is a pain, but when it's clean, it looks awesome.
This car look like it has 70k miles on it?
That was after a wash and wax (by me).
I have tons of expensive tools (including but not limited to an in-line water de-ionizer, in-line water softener, dual action polisher, etc.) and waxes and cleaning materials. And I'm still not happy and need to do it more often.
Black is a pain, but when it's clean, it looks awesome.
