Torey3

Ive never had a black car and have some cleaning questions. Can I use the soft cloth carwashes without scratching? Can I use towels to dry without scratching? Any other advice would be very helpful. So far Ive been washing by hand and drying with a shammy, but will not always have that option.

Thanks,
Torey

Guest0001

try the detailing forum or pm Alboston

brabus c

i would not use a shammy either... i would use micro fiber towels... taking care of a black car is really difficult because you will see swirls... i have a silver car and this is what i do to take care of my paint i wash with car soap etc.. but when drying the car i use a leaf blower to air dry then i use a micro fiber towel to pick up the rest of the water...theres a lot more stuff that can be done to take care of your paint but too long to write...easier to read about it

Junbug

Black car is so hard to take care of (I`ve had four black before my current pewter - really not by choice, but it just happened that way), but there's nothing gratifying than a shiny black car after a careful car wash.

MB///HRV

Do yourself a favor and get some nice waffle microfiber towels. There is even a microfiber wash mitt that I haven't used but I hear works great. Swirls will always happen. Everytime you wash and dry your car swirls will be created. From my experience, micofiber won't stop swirls from ocurring but it will help alot to reduce them (compred to chamois, terry towels etc.) It won't be easy to maintain the black but it will definitly be worth it!

IluvS500

Is it safe to use maybe a pressure washer to clean the car. Also they have those washes that you hook up to your garden hose and you never have to touch the car. Would those prevent swirls. I hear some people use leave blowers to dry their cars, I dont know if thats a good idea though because it will blow dirt onto your freshly washed paints.

RJC

Pressure washers can cause small pitting. Do not use commercial car washes, they have harsh detergents use recycled water and the hanging "no touch" pads are loaded with dirt from the 100+ cars that passed through before yours. Wash your car yourself (or have it hand washed) washing/drying in the direction of the way air flows over the car in order to avoid swirls, use a good quality car shampoo/wash and always work from the top down, keep rinsing/ringing the wash towel well between panels . Wash it when it's not hot to the touch and be careful to never spray cold water directly onto hot brakes...it may warp the rotors. I would be very careful with leaf blowers as they can cause dirt from the ground to be picked up and land back on your car. In order to keep your black car nice there are no short cuts but it's well worth it if done right.

IluvS500

what is pitting?

davis449

We already had the arguement about the recycled water and high pressure hoses at car washes and no one could prove either side of the argument. Your car's going to get swirls, it happens and I used to own a black car. What I do at regular do-it-yourself car wash is to use the high pressure hose with the "soap" setting at an angle at a distance from the car so you're not directly focusing it on the paint and then use a wash mit to get rid of the dirt (keep rinsing the dirt out of it with the hose as you do this) with very light pressure so as not to rub the cantaminants into the paint. This works real well only if you have a good wax job. I take mine to a professional every 6 months and drop $70 for a complete hand wash and detail. I also quick wax every month to keep the coat fresh. I've never had any problems with this method or any "pitting". Just use your head and don't use the car wash brush. Also, I would advise against taking it through any "Laser Washes" or so-called "touchless" places cuase they use hars chemicals in their soap to get the stuff off of your car, plus they strip wax.

coloboardin

This is how we usually go about washing a black car at the dealer, we power wash it, dry it with a shammy, blow the cracks with an air hose, then wax it.

I can't beleive you guys would use a leaf blower. Using a micro fiber rag to dry your car is just a waste of money, use a shammy there is nothing you can do to prevent swirls. Save the micro fiber rag to wipe off the wax. No matter what you do you will eventually have to learn or go and get your car buffed to remove swirls.

coloboardin

This is how we usually go about washing a black car at the dealer, we power wash it, dry it with a shammy, blow the cracks with an air hose, then wax it.

I can't beleive you guys would use a leaf blower. Using a micro fiber rag to dry your car is just a waste of money, use a shammy there is nothing you can do to prevent swirls. Save the micro fiber rag to wipe off the wax. No matter what you do you will eventually have to learn or go and get your car buffed to remove swirls.

brabus c

whats wrong with using a leaf blower.....dealers would be the last place i would expect to wash the car really well considering the fact they dont want to waste time and money doing that... i use a leaf blower and micro towels as well as other products because taking care of paint is not easy..also if you READ enough sites on Detailing a car you would understand...but it is true that there is no way to prevent swirls, but there are a lot of ways to minimize them... also i would not recomend going to get your car buffed too often because that will wear your clear coat down....NOT A WASTE OF MONEY if you want to take care of your car....

coloboardin

A leaf blower can throw so much crap at your car, at least use an air hose because it is just straight air nothing gets in the compressor and nothing will shoot out and damage your paint. I am a detailer for Merc-Benz and saying that we dont wast time and money, your wrong we spend hundreds of dollars a week to keep our supply up with the best possible product out there (in gross). True you dont want to buff your car too often, but you do want to get it done every 6 or so months. I have been a detailer for Merc-Benz for 4 years and I know what I'm talking about. I've seen it all!

Kar don

you can prevent swirls if you are willing to take the time to wash it with care. My C320 has virtually no swirl marks and has been that was since i bought it back in may 2003. A dealership is the last place I would bring my black car to get cleaned. They will always say swirls can't be prevented, A) so they spend less time washing the cars, and B) so they can sell the customers on getting a full detail job (which usually but tons of buffer marks in the finish due to inexperienced "detailers").

Kar don

A leaf blower is OK for your paint as long as you use a screen or something on it. I personally do not see a need for one. An air compressoris not the best either, condensation can get in the lines and so can dirt if the system is not maintained. And if this happens it will damage the finish much worse than any leaf blower.

brabus c

paying for your car to get detailed at Mercedes and having your car washed there are TWO different things.... i wash my car outside and i blow my car inside...dont think theres that much crap in there....and getting your car buffed every 6 months still or so sounds like a lot to me.... i know your surpose to wax your car around that time...but buffing? how long will the clear coat last you going at that rate....

coloboardin

Air hose is the best you can use, if you have an air hose you will notice that you usually have to pull a trigger or something like that to open the valve and let air come out, therefore the valve keeps condensation and dirt out of the hoses. Still a leaf blower is only a filter stopping particles, compressors are the cleanest ways to despense air. As for taking you car to a dealer you need to find a good merc dealer with experienced guys.

brabus c

i dont doubt that air hose is the best.. i would like one actually...but for my house i dont use air tools so getting a compressor is likely... and as for the Dealerships out over here the majority of them use machine wash..and the place that uses hand wash they dont really do a great job just because their job is just to make it look presentable and move on to the next car...the only person that would BABY the car and pay close attention to the car is either the owner, or someone they have paid to do so.... guess which one i am

davis449

My Merc dealer SUCKS at washing cars.

coloboardin

Well since you wash your own car only thing I can say to anyone else is look around for a good detail shop (if you want your car shinned up). There are some amazing guys out there that can really shine up a car! For those of you in colorado come to Glauser Merc, this guy I work with is what I would consider one of the best in the state!

Kar don

I honestly see no issues with a leaf blower, but i do not feel the need to use one. It is no different then driving your car (air blowing across the paint with no filters) and I do not get swirls from driving my car, so I am not sure what you mean. I don't expect any rocks to be hitting the car either unless your neighbor is throwing rocks into the leaf blower inlet.

coloboardin

I know when you drive crap gets thrown up on your car, all I'm saying is if you can prevent it then do it. I never said you could get swirls from driving, the swirl issue was brought up by the shammys and micro-fiber rags.

brabus c

DAMN NEIGHBORSSS!!!! hahahaha