Black car - what to use

[euan]

Yes, sorry it's another what product thread!

For my sins, I'm very likely to be picking up a new car next weekend and it's black. Now, I've always avoided black as it looks so much like hard work to keep clean and swirl free but there you go.

I used up the last of my AG shampoo last week and have a little bit of Super Resin polish left so I'm looking for some advice as to what products I should be looking at to get it looking awesome and keep it that way!

So, I need some more shampoo (I'll finish the Megs NXT I have first), wax/polish and wheel cleaner and sealant - what do people recommend for black?

I might also get some glass cleaner but looking at the products people recommend on here there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to which is best?

Cheers!

[KenL]

A black car is not any more difficult to keep looking good, I don't think.

I am on my second metallic black car and as long as you handwash weekly they are easy to keep looking good.

If the car is second hand, you should clay bar it then polish to get a good base to work on. I like the look of Poor Boy's Black Hole to get the paint looking good and then top with any wax of your choice.

What car have you bought Euan?

[Craig]

I always use the AG Bodywork Shampoo. Jude has a Black Civic and it gets washed with the 2 Bucket Method and I use AG Super Resin to polish it. I also use the Ultra Deep Shine also by AG and it really brings up the shine in the car. There will be better more expensive products, but it's good enough for Jude's daily driver. :rolleyes::yes nod::D

[Crombers]

Will I go first ............................ :D
...................................or just get my coat :yes nod:

[euan]

Hmm, that Poor Boys stuff looks interesting, I'll need to try and find some more details of it.

So is AG stuff actually any good? I've been using Megs for ages and only had a tiny bit left in the bottle when i finished mine and the car wasn't really that dirty in the first place so it was hard to tell if it was actually decent or not.

I also remember someone mentioned Dodo Juice made products for darker cars, are they any good?



What car have you bought Euan?

Full details to come if I go for it, but it has this badge on the back:

http://images.pistonheads.com/aimg/1225/1225369-7.jpg

[KenL]

Car should be nice!

AG stuff is OK but SRP & EGP are a pain on the MINI trim - should be OK on a car with less plastic.

I do think there are much easier products to use than SRP though. Lots of powdery residue if I remember correctly.

[doogz__]

I usually use S100 wax on the Audi, but the last time i done it, i used some Green Dodo juice (the original one) and it came up very well indeed. That was after a wash with meg's gold class shampoo, a meg's clay barring and a coat of autoglym super resin polish, which is my usual effort.

[Smitty]

Green Dodo juice

Rainforest Rub by any chance?

I can't recoomend that stuff any more highly.....it's terrifc and lasts for ages! :smilewinkgrin:

[doogz__]

Yeah that's the stuff.

Although apparently the purple one (Purple Haze?) is also very good on black cars. Tried it on my mates purple-ish Mk2 golf, but his paintwork is fairly sh*gged, so it never came out all that brilliantly

[euan]

How easy is the dodo juice to use?

Also...can someone clarify the sealant v wax thing for me? I see great reports about the Finish Kare 1000 sealant, but can you use that and something like Dodo Juice? If so, what order?

[doogz__]

Very easy. It's a solid, not a liquid as the name suggests, but it's not too hard to work in.

2nd part of your question...No idea!

[Smitty]

Dodo juice is simple - just rub on with a foam applicator pad, and wipe down with a Micro Fibre. Takes me about 30-45 mins to do the whole car.

The reason I use Rainforest Rub is because it is suitable for all colours - so it's fine for both the roof and the silver body work. There is a thread on detailing world stating which waxes are best for certain colours - can't find it though :argh:

[KenL]

Collinite wax is the same as is P21S (S100) - wax on wax off. No real rubbing buffing required.

Check out my thread in this forum for results with Black Hole + Collinite.

Collinite wax lasts AGES, much longer than P21S.

[Sheilz]

A bit off topic - I'm a bit suspicious of using sponge applicators for wax and stuff. I was finding some tiny swirl marks on Dougall so last couple of times I topped up his coat I just used my hands to massage wax over the car and inbetween top ups with a spray wax so not using sponges. I reckoned the sponges were to blame for the marks. It figures if sponges are a no no for washing then no no for waxing

[Smitty]

A bit off topic - I'm a bit suspicious of using sponge applicators for wax and stuff. I was finding some tiny swirl marks on Dougall so last couple of times I topped up his coat I just used my hands to massage wax over the car and inbetween top ups with a spray wax so not using sponges. I reckoned the sponges were to blame for the marks. It figures if sponges are a no no for washing then no no for waxing

Applicator sponges are fine for wax if the car is spotless/free of dirt particles before hand.

Before I apply my wax, I give a it a good spray with some Detailer Spray and wipe off with a microfibre (in striaght lines :rolleyes:) to remove any little bits that have settled on the car since it was washed or polished.

[euan]

Check out my thread in this forum for results with Black Hole + Collinite.



That does look very good - I'm sold!

So, my shopping list is:

Considering Duragloss 901 for shampoo, seems to get decent write ups
Black Hole
Collinite/Dodo Juice wax - can't decide which but I don't think I'll go wrong with either.
Poor Boys wheel sealant
New washmit (going to try and use two - one for the top of the car and one for the bottom)
New waffle weave towel for drying (Sonus one looks decent?)
Some more microfibre cloths

Are grit guards worth it? I already do the two bucket method but don't use a grit guard in it, seems a bit overkill.

Anything I've missed?

[Smitty]

Seems about spot on mate - you can sometims over do it with products!!

You'll defo need some Window Cleaner though, as clean windows really set a car off. Is use Autoglym Fast Glass - and don't have a bad word to say about it.

How about some tryre dressing too, to finish off the wheels?

[euan]

You'll defo need some Window Cleaner though, as clean windows really set a car off. Is use Autoglym Fast Glass - and don't have a bad word to say about it.

How about some tryre dressing too, to finish off the wheels?

Clean the windows? I think I've only ever done mine once!

Will add something to the order though.

[euan]

So, order came this morning and I'm a bit excited. Will need to give my wives Polo (which is black) the clean of it's life tomorrow to try them all out!

I bought everything I put above, but instead of Dodo Juice/Colinite I'm going to try this stuff:

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,52,toView_402.html

Will let you know how it goes.

[Smitty]

Im pretty sure that wax will do the job too!

Remember the before and after pictures so we can analyse your skills ;) :p

[KenL]

Is it a wax or sealant?

Is there any difference in the job they do other than a wax containing natural substances (e.g. carnauba wax)?

[Scottie]

So, order came this morning and I'm a bit excited. Will need to give my wives Polo (which is black) the clean of it's life tomorrow to try them all out!

I bought everything I put above, but instead of Dodo Juice/Colinite I'm going to try this stuff:

http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,52,toView_402.html

Will let you know how it goes.

guys rave about this product over on detailing world.

You might consider adding the meguiars last touch product to your range as a drying aid gives you more lube when drying the car creating less swirls. Then a wee finish with FK425 :thumbs up:

[euan]

Is it a wax or sealant?

Is there any difference in the job they do other than a wax containing natural substances (e.g. carnauba wax)?

It's a sealant, but I'm new to this so no real idea what the difference is! It's not natural, and apparently you don't get the depth you get with a wax, however it goes on a treat and the finish is pretty good.

I tried them out tonight on my wifes Polo and I forgot to take before shots, but these should give you an idea.

It had a wash with Duragloss 901, dried and then a layer of the black hole applied. Finally, I used the Finish Kare stuff - it's going to last years...

What do you reckon?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3954295358_c21c6fa023.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3953514675_d6db53ea37.jpg

[euan]

Dammit, just seen where I missed a bit!

[Craig]

very nice. :thumbs up:

[audrey]

Looking well shiney :thumbs up:

[GCA3N]

good work:thumbs up:

[KenL]

Very nice