syrAMG

To all Black paint car owners;

Black is truly one of the most sexiest & stealth look you can get on a car
but if you don't keep the paint properly maintained, you'll end up having a scratch nightmare.

my question is, what do you guys/ladies do to keep your ride looking piano black perfect?

and if your car had been a victim to scratches, what was your remedy?

-please be specific when answering if possible-
thanks

hyukki

I can't do much to keep the car clean as well as I want to because I live in an apartment.

I wax a bit more often than other people since the car is sitting under the harsh weather and contaminents. After waxing, if it gets dusty/dirty, I use the quick detailer and wipe the whole car down with microfiber towels. My car ususally isn't piano black perfect, I learned to just deal with it, just until I move into a house or something.

My car has a few scratches/dings and a whole crap load of chips on the front bumper. Because of Nissan's weak paint, my car looks like a mess. I'm gonna have to repaint the front bumper in the future. If it's minor scratches like the ones near the door handle made by your nails, you can use Scratch-X or some mild abrasive to get those scratches out.

-Edit- I don't drive a W204 but hey, black is black.

tanktube67

washed and waxed every week

emps

Started with a wash, clay, Klasse AIO, then 3 layers of Klasse SG. I do this at the start of spring and then the fall. In between, two bucket washes another layer of SG and top with a carnuba wax like P21S. Did this with the M3 and did one AIO/SG layer on the w204 so far. I just bought some Menzerna Nano Polish and Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint to try out on the w204 for the spring. If it's too clod out, use some poorboy's spray and wipe to clean off light dirt.

And a topic like this is sure to bring out the smartasses that will tell you you should have bought a different color than Black, be warned. My Jet Black M3 and Black w204 kept clean look great.

chilledbenz

Bought Obsidian Black...ha ha

uhear

The best thing I ever did to keep my black paint fresh and scratch free was to buy a white C350. I have had way to many black cars and if you plan on them being daily drivers - just learn to make friends with those pesky little blemishes.

Call out for a smart *** - I'll raise my hand. No offense meant.

Derspeed

Black reflects light more uniformly than other colors. Therefore, imperfections are easier to see.

I gave up on black cars years ago. I happen to detail cars (a hobby for some years now) and used to show a black one. The paint was 5 years old, and people always asked if I just had it repainted. I also drove it daily in Minnesota and Ohio winters.

Here's what I did and it worked for me:

1. Wash with car wash soap and a chenille mit.

2. Since the car is new, you probably won't need to clay or machine buff it. Doing that too much is a mistake.

3. If you just want quick and easy, use Meguiar's cleaner wax to eliminate swirls and fine scratches. Apply and remove it by hand. After that, use a random orbital polisher with a lambs wool bonnet to go over the entire car until the swirls and wax residue are gone. Or...use the microfiber bonnets. Those things are amazing at getting rid of streaks and swirls. For the next wax job, use Meguiar's Gold Class.

I know some people hate store-bought waxes. I have used just about every wax from every source and have found, for a weekend wash and wax, some of the stuff at the store works very well. Even the new Ice by Turtle Wax is good. It is very easy use.

Hope that helps.

syrAMG

Fantastic info!

I will try the Meguiar's cleaner wax

question; have you or anyone try Meguiar's Scratch X?
does that really work?

thanks for all your posts
my car is palladium silver however the owners who have a black car probably takes the most care of their paint; that why I had to post calling out for black paint owners.

emps

Our cars have the Mercedes Nano Particle clear coat. You need a polish strong enough to remove the scratches. Menzerna Nano Polish is what Mercedes uses at their plants and is available at online stores and will be more effective than stuff you can buy from Target.

Here's some info on it. http://autogeek.net/menzerna-of-germany.html

Derspeed

[QUOTE=syrAMG;2639699]

question; have you or anyone try Meguiar's Scratch X?
does that really work?
QUOTE]

I would stay away from any type of "scratch remover."

emps, I made reference to store products because thay are safe for the driveway detailer. I actually had some scuffs in my passenger fender that the dealership detailer was kind enough to leave, and the Meguire's cleaner wax took them out. The paint on these cars is awesome.

Thanks for the link. It's good stuff.

emps

[QUOTE=Derspeed;2639814]yeah, the nano polish is for taking out scratches and spider webbing on the car. Megs would be good for scuffs, but probably won't get into scratches and webbing because of our nano particle clearcoats being stronger than other cars clears. Every type of car paint job is different so it depends on the make and model. So finding the right mix of polish and glaze/wax for your car takes some time. I used Klasse on the w204 because I had it handy from the M3, but I wanted to switch to Menzerna for the w204 and see how that works out. I'm **** when it comes to detailing my cars

PoaMike

Baby oil... Just get a few big sized bottles from cosco/bj's and just poor it all over. Biggest thing is to use your bare hands to slowly message the paint. Thank Me Later!*



*Not responsible for any damage to you or the car if you actually lack the amount of intelligence to try such a stunt. Would be pretty tho

Derspeed

[QUOTE=emps;2640006]Me too. It's a debilitating sickness called obsessive compulsive car detailing disorder (OCCDD) .

PoaMike

^ All joking aside, there is a product called 'quickwash' and this is the exact one I use. Here

Works amazing and looks great after a quick spray and wipe down with the towel looks like fresh wax. Takes off water marks and streaks as long as you "Dust" the car before so no pollen streaks. I live in FL so the yellow'ish dust is the worst.

Derspeed

Kind of like their Wax as You Dry product.

I used to get Wizard products at wholesale prices when I detailing. They have this stuff called Mist and Shine. It is one of my favorite quick detailing products.

shaunpaulinc

http://www.autoanything.com/car-care/69A1526A0A0.aspx

This stuff has keept all my black cars, looking better than new for years. It is pricey, but worth it. I can show u pictures of the range and c with it on it, and you can defiently notice a difference. It makes rain really bounce off, make removing dirt, even heavy dirt, such as that nasty red dirt off of PCH pacific coast highway, in malibu.. I can get home and just spray it off with a high pressure hose. No soap needed, of course, I do eventually wash it. thats my 2cents.

Have a good 1
Shaun

360_iti

On top of the above, garage your car. Exposing your black paint to the sun will expedite clear coat damage. There's little you can do when driving, but try to park in the shade as much as you can. It's great if you have your own garage at home, but if not, try to use the covered parking. Especially in the area where you live where freeze and thaw cycles occur frequently.

syrAMG

can I use this product by hand? or do I need to get a buffer?
please post pics if you have any!

Have you tried the Zymol Glasur Glaze or Zymol Concours Glaze before?

I was thinking about Zymol Glasur Glaze because its "formulated" for porsche and since they are german, I thought same type of paint?!?

I remember zymol with their $30,000+ carnuba featured in 5th gear.


also Eagle One Wet Wipe N' Shine I'll give that a shot as well
thanks

thanks for the info!