jasonn5

Just bought my first black car because it just knocked my socks off with the red calipers and the 19 and 20 inch wheels and the two tone, red and black interior. Anyway how do you keep the darn things clean. This will be kept in a garage and covered. Would like to keep the new looking appearance.. Thanks..Mike

Rooster OG

Keeping it in a garage and covered should do the trick!

alamo1974

Black is Beautiful when it's clean.

fsvoboda

A black car is not transportation, it is an emotional commitment. If you're one of those guys who gets pleasure out of sprucing up the finish after every drive and admiring the result, you and black will do fine. You've already got a lot of what you need in garage space and a cover. Drive your C7, garage it, touch it up, cover it, and enjoy.

If you're like me and will wash your car four or five times a year whether it needs it or not, you need to go with silver or Shark Gray, colors that are not going to show dirt.

Neither is better, just different approaches to enjoying your car. There are threads here discussing care products that will give you plenty of tips.

Leadrope

Don't worry about it, no one can tell how pristine it is when it's moving. Drive it like you stole it and practice cleaning it later. You can always hire it done if it bugs you that much! Did I mention Drive It, they drive the same clean or not "show car" clean. I enjoy my Black 15 in it's just detailed glory or "I really need to wash it but rather be driving Glory. Either way it still knocks my socks of as well.

Glen e

Before we get 100 posts on how black is terrible to own, its not bad these days. Investigate getting a COATING. Expensive but really does make black swirl and dirt free. No harder to care for than any other color. Google " Cquartz"

Virtual Geezer

Maintaining a black automotive finish is not just a hobby, but a career -- and for some, a spiritual dilemma only a beer exorcism can cure.

Brubie

I just got a new black daily driver and like Glen said I put a coating on it. Did all the prep work per Glen's threads and then put a coating of Chemical Guys carbon flex C9 coating on it that I got from Autogeek's. I put it on the glass and grill too. Gave me an outstanding shine and bugs come right off. It's supposed to last 3 years. If it still looks this way after a year I'll be using it on the C7.

Glen e

Kudos to you, glad to see someone who just gave it a bit of thought and did it DIY. It certainly is not hard to learn. All those who want to whine about black being hard to care for simply don't know what's avail these days, and choose to live in the 1990's.....

rcooper

I had a black C5 in '98 and once I get the paint prepped right and used Meguire's products that were available in '98 the car looked great. It was garage kept, never covered as it was a daily driver, but with a good protective coating the paint looked great all the time. It got washed once a week and touch up with polishing about every 3 months.
With the new products it is much easier to do and keep looking new.
I suggest using Glen e's detail thread, lots of good info there that will make your baby stay fresh.
Enjoy the car and DRIVE it...a lot!

dvilin

No need to stress over it. Just put a coat of wax on it, get a California Duster for light dust, keep it covered as you state and you will be fine. No real need to buy any special products as they will do nothing as far as keeping your Vette clean which is your objective.

crawfish333

I have owned two black Corvettes. I like to use Carnauba wax on mine, but some here prefer sealers because they last longer. The most imortant thing (IMHO) with a black Corvette is avoid water spots at all cost. This means never washing the car on a really hot day, especially if you have hard water. (this would probably seldom be a problem in San Jose) Preventing swirl marks is also extremely important. They are amplified on a black car. They are hard to get rid of even with buffing, so the best thing to do is avoid creating them. To prevent them you must always use a clean drying cloth and you should use a soft washing mitt (I use lamb skin) and use the 2 bucket system when washing. I recommend you review the detailing videos at the Adams site. They have some excellent videos that are good regardless of what kind of products you use. I use some Adams products but also buy some stuff from Auto Geeks, (mainly Sovereign Wax) There is also a lot of helpful information on the "Car Care Discussion" side of the forum under the General Corvette tab.

Good luck and welcome to the dark side.

killshots

I had a black C6 vert for a few months. It had to be perfect all the time and I couldn't take it, so I traded it for a yellow Stingray. It's wonderful not having to try to keep a black car clean. The only advice I can offer is on something you should NOT do...

You'll hear guys talking about both covers and "dry" cleaning methods, such as dusters, etc. The ONLY time you should ever put a cover on your car is immediately after it has been thoroughly cleaned. And IMHO, no "dry" cleaning methods should ever be used, whether your car is black or not. Unless a car has just been thoroughly cleaned, it is covered in dust. What is dust? Very small rocks. Throw a cover on your dusty car or wipe it with a dry duster, and you're just grinding very small rocks into your paint. Would you wipe down your dusty black car with a dry towel? Many colors are forgiving but darker colors won't tolerate this treatment. Good luck.

ronkh57

Coated over a year ago (and 16k+ of mileage on coating). Gets washed or rinseless every week or two...


























So that should say that Glen DOES know what he's talking about and dispel any preconceived notions...

glava2876

Black is tough, but for me, I enjoy Saturday mornings spent detailing my cars -some like to golf or have other sane hobbies.
I'm triple crazy; Black 15 Z51 with black rims, black 15 Denali crew cab, with factory black 22" rims & my wife's black 2011 SRX -she is the one that started this all
I have a garage, do use a California duster for light dust, use Meguiar's Spray detailer and Spray wax weekly and hand wax with Carnauba Wax 2-3 times a year-with the 'long term" SRX, so far so good.
I have separate wash mitts for the upper and lower parts of the vehicles and use a synthetic drying towel.
Though the Corvette will be sleeping all winter, the Denali and SRX play in the snow -we get 120" of snow each year and people still ask my wife if she just got a new car.

ronkh57

Coat it
Forget it

dbdave

My experience with black (I've had lots) is the less you touch the surface with anything, the less you will have to do any correction. That goes for covering, washing, opening and closing doors, cleaning bugs, detailing. The more the surface is touched, the more chance of visible damage.

Covering the car all the time is pointless. On and off with the cover is just asking for scratches.

The sealant is a must.

The car duster, when used cautiously and by following the instructions, is a must. The less washing you can do, the better.

A little less looking for every scratch and defect will help you in the long run. Drive it! It will look very good to most people in most situations. If you're in a show, give it your best! Don't go nuts worrying over things most people won't notice.

ronkh57

I have to disagree wit most of this post...... except no need to stress over it. The rest of the post can cause problems.

Car covers = possible scratches putting it on and taking it off, trap moisture, make a great home for critters and give a false sense of security.

California dusters = micro marring (fact) you're dragging the dust dirt over the car, and the probability of knocking it with the handle is great.

Easiest way not to stress over it, is COAT IT.

crawfish333

I will say this about the California Dusters. I bought one when I lived in Louisiana and I thought it was useless and bad for the paint because of what you are talking about. When I moved to the San Joaquim Valley in California it was quite the opposite. In the dry climate (without humidity) I could very lightly run the mop over my car and it would literally pull the dust particles up because of static electricity. I barely touched the surface of the car. In humid climates, it does not work well at all. (Hence the name California Duster?) Out there with the drought, hand washing a car must be kept to a minimum, so this can be a plausible alternative. Most of the time in California, it is only dust on the car anyway.

In Fort Worth I would never use a California Duster, but we are not currently in a drought situation and humidity is higher here. Just another prospective.

ronkh57

Static or waxed fibers. Either way, still dragging dirt/dust over surface of car.