Meguiars Water Magnet

[biglou]

please elaborate, i will be acquiring a black shelby soon. it will not be a daily driver, so washing is not an issue. my current ride is a dark green bullitt and i only use meguiar's ultimate detail. is there something more i should know about caring for a black car?

[JoeT]

please elaborate, i will be acquiring a black shelby soon. it will not be a daily driver, so washing is not an issue. my current ride is a dark green bullitt and i only use meguiar's ultimate detail. is there something more i should know about caring for a black car?

Good luck with the Black Shelby, yes it looks freaking awesome when clean, but you need to clean it everyday! I know this because I have a black Mercedes and its is dirty nearly every minute, its nearly dirty seconds after I wipe it down!

[biglou]

thanks Joe, i will carry my micro towel and Meguiar's detail wherever i go.

[JoeT]

The Microfiber actually makes scratches in the clear coat. I spent 5 hours yesterday cleaning the Mercedes, it looked like a brand new car, even used some Meguiars Showtime polish to fill in some of the clearcoat scratches and then my wife drove the car and hit that dust storm, when she came home I was pissed the car looked like I never even cleaned it. So I used a damp microfiber to clean the car off, using even the super thick microfibers and still caused more scratches in the clearcoat. They will go away when I buff again but in the meantime I see it and it drives me nutty. Frankly once I dont have this Mercedes anymore I will never own another black car again!

A beautiful black diamond but my worst freaking nightmare.

[biglou]

my gt500 will not be a daily driver and i am the one that drives it to car shows only in good weather. so hopefully only a California Duster will be needed after it is detailed and polished.

[JoeT]

Have fun my friend you've never owned black. Even the California Duster will scratch the clearcoat on black. I'm trying to help you out! I'm surprised no one else has chimed in about black. Its your hobby, but you'll spend forever chasing swirls and fine scratches.

[Wills.WinAndWhl]

The Microfiber actually makes scratches in the clear coat. I spent 5 hours yesterday cleaning the Mercedes, it looked like a brand new car, even used some Meguiars Showtime polish to fill in some of the clearcoat scratches and then my wife drove the car and hit that dust storm, when she came home I was pissed the car looked like I never even cleaned it. So I used a damp microfiber to clean the car off, using even the super thick microfibers and still caused more scratches in the clearcoat. They will go away when I buff again but in the meantime I see it and it drives me nutty. Frankly once I dont have this Mercedes anymore I will never own another black car again!

A beautiful black diamond but my worst freaking nightmare.

Ever consider having the swirls (clear coat scratches) buffed out? Fillers work for a quick fix but like you said, the swirls come right back. Also even using a super soft MF thats just damp can still scratch (as you noted lol). Have to AT LEASE use a detail spray, but even that can scratch since you are after all simply dragging the dirt over the paint...and with black...it tells on you.
Someone above mentioned Optimum No Rinse, and i agree...totally will change your view of washing and keeping the car clean. Have you tried it? I do mobile detailing and for me this stuff has made life easier for sure. In terms of speed, efficiency and being easy to use its a must have and I recommend it to all my customers (especially in Az where a day or two after you wash it it'll have a nice coat of dust on it again no matter what!)