Hello all,
Picked up a georgous 02 coupe w16k, garaged, never seen rain.
ITS BLACK! yes, black is beautiful but what a pain.
1st black car, 3rd vette (73 & 82).
Im using a new ultratech cover w 3 under straps which retain pretty
tight. A brand new Ca*CarDuster, gently w care. No rain driving.
Orig GM paint. Did the scratchex (meg) treatment 2x w/ now 3x of
Xymoil liquid. All new meg yellow microfibers, even w/ meg pro
last touch detail spray (great stuff).
I see scratches, I think im seeing more scratches, in sun.
6' away in average light it looks like a mirror.
Is this typical for factory paint?

Also hi-polish 5spokes- tried hand polish, mothers, blue magic seemed
to do the best. Factory clear coat? rag doesnt turn black......
Wheel wax?

Any and all varying opinions apprecieated- I'm not trying to steal
your secrets, just trying to avoid costly mistakes on my behalf.

Car in garage for winter.

Thanks,
Mark

 

I have used the same products on my finish as my polished wheels.
PC 7424 MIP/orange pad, ZPC/orange pad, ZPC/white pad, then Z sealants.
A rotary, IN THE RIGHT HANDS, can accomplish amazing things.
Finding someone with a rotary may be your best bet to get you to where you want to be, then maintain from there.

 

If it looks like a mirror from 6' away then you have better than average paint.

I would probably just claybar it then your choice:

Carnuba (Im partial to P21S)

or

Polymer (I use Zaino)


Id be careful with the wheels, I see you are aware by the "rag doesnt get black" comment. Might want to avoid "polishes" if they are clear coated. Just treat them like the rest of the car (wax em). When you wash it, just spray the wheels with Windex after you wet the car down and let it sit until you hose it off. Works like a charm.

Thing about black is, if you wipe it when its dirty at all, you are putting little scratches in whatever you have on the car (the wax or the polymer). No real way around it. The duster is probably best if you have to, but I usualy just give it a quick wash (nothing special, just Mothers very diluted, you dont need a lot of soap, but you do need a lot of water (lets the dirt drop down to where you arent reapplying it to the surface of the car) use a 5 gal pail if you have one) whenever it gets dusty. An exception might be if you splatter a lotta bugs across the front and dont have time to wash it when you put it away. Id make sure I hit it with the quick detailer spray and at least get the bugs off (the insides of a bug must be acidic, cause they do eat into the surface it you leave em there).

If you have hard water like me (well water, probably more minerals than water in my well) you have to dry it after you washg it, or, again, water spots that your gonna have to use scratch-ex to remove.

But then again, I have the time. If it was a daily driver, what are ya gonna do, gotta drive it its gonna get dirty, thats what its for

Inside, Mothers (again) leather cleaner/conditioner (the only leather surfaces are the center, just the part that touches you, on the seats, the steering wheel cover and the door pulls, the rest is vinyl, but nothing you put on leather will hurt vinyl so have at it).
Low shine Armor all is your friend. Use whatever cleaner you want (I use Simple Green) on everything then spray a small amount of the LS Armor all (like 1 - 2 sprays) on the rag and wipe it down, follow with buff with dry cloth to even it out. Again, less is more.

Regarding the weatherstripping, some people use Back to Black, or Silicone grease. Ive done a fair amount of reading on it. Seems the only thing recommended by the manufacturer is "Silicone based non solvent die electric grease". You can find Silicone, you can find die electric grease, but you should try to make sure you get it without the solvent. One application is supposed to good for a few years, and will also take away any little creeks or squeeks you hear when driving.

Ya, black is a pain (some say a religion) but I cant get over how good it looks when its clean (for all of the ten minutes it stays clean that is) Enjoy :-)

 

Welcome to the world of BLACK. The more mirror finish you get the more you can see any scratch.I think I need a repaint and people would look at you as being crazy which is where black will take you!!There is no prettier color IMHO

 

I'm a Meguirs NXT man myself.

Theres a whole section of the Forum that covers Car Care. Take a look there and you'll find some great advice.

 

love my triple black vert but it is a monster to keep sparkling!!!

 

I think that Zaino #5 will take care of most of your scratches. Good luck.