Black car maintenance

[camaro1969]

my camaro has been a project for the last few years, and i got it painted last year, i have been working on putting it back together, and was caught in a small rain shower while it was outside, so i put it back in the garage. Now i have small dried water drops all over the car, with dust on top.. how would i go about cleaning it.. would i just wash it with a new carwash mit and soap? should i wipe it off with a micro fiber cloth?

Thanks:cheers:

[elitecustombody]

try washing it first with nice soft sponge,if the waterspots still present,use claybar to remove them then apply few coats of good wax if there are no micro scratches,otherwise you'd need to polish out the micro scratches before wax, use orbital machine to polish and wax,it keeps the swirls down to a minimum as well as saves alot of time

[camaro1969]

try washing it first with nice soft sponge,if the waterspots still present,use claybar to remove them then apply few coats of good wax if there are no micro scratches,otherwise you'd need to polish out the micro scratches before wax, use orbital machine to polish and wax,it keeps the swirls down to a minimum as well as saves alot of time

any suggestions for a good claybar? also, what wax should i use, i heard zaino is awesome for black cars

[elitecustombody]

Meguiars stuff works great ,NXT wax and blue clay bar from them should work ,I haven't tried Zaino,so I can't comment on that.

[camaro1969]

thanks for you input, ill review the stuff and post pictures after im done.:cheers:

[J2SpeedandCustom]

Zaino has a claybar that is the best I have used. On our black cars when use 2 zaino products after polishing them with 3M Ultrafina and a blue pad. We apply 3 coats of Z5, then the next day 3 coats of Z2, then the next day 3 coats of Z2. You can then maintenance the car with Z8. This process really makes a black car shine.

Plus the protecting factors of the Zaino you DO NOT wash it after it's applied. If you get mud/dirt on the car wet you hand and gently wash the debris away. Blow the paint dry and apply the Z8.

[camaro1969]

is it best to buy the zaino kit or individually?

[Ron in SoCal]

^ someone translate that for me?

[HAULNSS]

Start with the car in a cool shaded area.

Wash with two 5 gallon buckets, one for soap, one for rinse water. Use grit guards in both buckets to keep the mitt from ever touching the bottom of the bucket.

After spraying the car down to rinse off the dirt, use the mitt on one section at a time. After each section, rinse the mitt in the rinse bucket and then re-soap it in the soap bucket. Continue this method working from the top down, cleanest areas first.

After the wash, dry with an electric leaf blower or a high quality drying towel.

If the water spots are still there, then you most likely will need to do some polishing to remove them. Clay does not remove scratches, only things that are on the surface of the paint like sap or tar. To check and see if clay is needed, put your hand inside of a plastic sandwich bag and lightly run your fingertips over the paint. If it feels rough, then you should probably clay the car.

A word of caution on microfiber. They are not all the same. A good towel can have poor edging with polyester thread or may be hot melted which basically becomes a plastic edge that may scratch the paint. Inspect the seams and test the towel fibers by rubbing the towel dry on an old CD or DVD. If it scratches the disc, I wouldn't use it on the paint.

The above is the condensed, quick and dirty instructions, but it should get you started in the right direction for a swirl free car.


Good luck.:thumbsup:

I've had some experience correcting washing / drying, and other defects.....
1966 Chevelle (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=95)
1988 Porsche (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=94)
1968 Road Runner (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=93)

Randy

[elitecustombody]

^ someone translate that for me?
lol, Engrish?

[Ron in SoCal]

egg zachary...:lol:

[69x22]

I will tell you what I do. If it is dry I would go over it with a California Duster to remove and dust or dirt, then I would use Mequiers quick detail on it using either a micro fiber cloth or a 100% cotton baby diaper that has been washed a few times with fabric softener. Anytime you get back from a cruise you want to use the quick detail to remove any bugs, don't wait until the next day. Last but not least every 5 years plan on having all of the fine scratches buffed out to keep it looking new.
Black is beautiful but a pain to take care of, I have 3 black vehicles.

[Vegas69]

Drive it like you stole it... :D

[LowchevyII]

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/2006-acura-tl-in-nighthawk-black-pearl-part-1/

really good tutorial. a bit overkill for your needs but none the less impressive

[Blake Foster]

Start with the car in a cool shaded area.

Wash with two 5 gallon buckets, one for soap, one for rinse water. Use grit guards in both buckets to keep the mitt from ever touching the bottom of the bucket.

After spraying the car down to rinse off the dirt, use the mitt on one section at a time. After each section, rinse the mitt in the rinse bucket and then re-soap it in the soap bucket. Continue this method working from the top down, cleanest areas first.

After the wash, dry with an electric leaf blower or a high quality drying towel.

If the water spots are still there, then you most likely will need to do some polishing to remove them. Clay does not remove scratches, only things that are on the surface of the paint like sap or tar. To check and see if clay is needed, put your hand inside of a plastic sandwich bag and lightly run your fingertips over the paint. If it feels rough, then you should probably clay the car.

A word of caution on microfiber. They are not all the same. A good towel can have poor edging with polyester thread or may be hot melted which basically becomes a plastic edge that may scratch the paint. Inspect the seams and test the towel fibers by rubbing the towel dry on an old CD or DVD. If it scratches the disc, I wouldn't use it on the paint.

The above is the condensed, quick and dirty instructions, but it should get you started in the right direction for a swirl free car.


Good luck.:thumbsup:

I've had some experience correcting washing / drying, and other defects.....
1966 Chevelle (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=95)
1988 Porsche (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=94)
1968 Road Runner (http://mnzaino.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=93)

Randy

WOW i you could probably paint it white in the same amount of time and not ever have to worry about polishing it lol.

as good as the black looks on my Nova i hate the maintance