Good lord I bought a black car because it looked cool, but does anyone have some professional cleaning/detailing tips for a black car? :?

I only wash mine with a good quality sheepskin mitt. This ensures I don't marr the surface when washing(more common than you think). Then dry with a good quality microfiber drying towel. Once again, prevents swirls, scratches, marring. Clay the surface to get the surface contaminents off. Apply a good wax or sealer of your choice. Keep it washed(never take it to the brush washes!!) and keep it protected. The detailing is really no different than any other car, you just can't get away with as much with black. If the paint gets swirled/marred, do your research and buff it with a rotary(more experience required, more correction also), or a PC orbital(less correction, less experience needed). Check out this site. Check back when your done reading. http://autopia.org/
Grant

Welcome to the land or Black car cleaning. Hope you love cleaning your car and trying to keep it clean.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, a well kept black (or other dark colors) looks way better than any light colored car even if it'* dirty. I have found that if you properly polish the car to remove swirls and majority of scratches, and keep it properly waxed it will still look great even with some road grime. I washed mine over a week ago, and have driven through rain at least every other day since then, and with all the grime it still shines. The main problem with black cars is that they show swirls and scratches so much more, so if you don't keep the paint in good shape the paint just looks dull if it gets at all dirty.

B2 had the right advice though. Take care when washing, use a good soft sheepskin or sponge. Use two buckets when washing, one to dunk the mitt into after washing to rinse the dirt out. Polish the paint to a deep shine, and put a couple coats of your favorite wax/sealant on top. And make sure you keep it protected with wax. Don't wax it, let the wax degrade so it'* gone, and rewax it six months later. If you keep it protected well it helps keep dirt from clinging to the paint, and also makes it much easier to clean when washing.

I don't know of any professional tips but I do know some I learned from experience and one is never use paste or solid wax on a black car. If you do, you're asking for work
Soap is another detriment to the shine, it needs to be strong enough to cut any dirt and leave the minimum amount of residue.
A pure liquid synthetic wax or conditioner that would rinse clean without soap would be my choice, something that holds a shine for a couple of weeks and won't wash off

This recent thread may help

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=87850

just washing a black car usually isn't enough and it will start to look
bad after a while

Why would it matter if it'* a paste wax? All you need to do is make sure the car is protected with wax. Sure, some are less desirable than others and don't leave a slick surface, but to make a general assumption like that isn't right. I recently read a good discussion on waxes versus sealants, and the waxes actually come out the winner for slickness and ease of washing among some seasoned detailers.

Well...its not a matter of HOW, its more a matter of how OFTEN. I remember with my Ciera, I could drive that thing for ONE day in PERFECT weather and by the end of the day, it would look like crap again

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