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Mine certainly has it's share of rock chips and imperfections because I do take it out on the back roads and flog it, but I don't want to add swirl marks to it if I can avoid it.
Just like everything else on every car forum; everyone has a different way of doing it, and maybe it is the best way... for them.
I actually enjoy washing my car. I pop open a beer, put on some rock music and wipe the car down. It's a weekend ritual.
Actually, yes, I have. I had a double bypass almost a year ago, I'm less than two years from retirement, and so I use things like 'worrying' about the care and maintenance of my Corvette as a diversion.
This has nothing to do with priorities - I put my boots on every morning, go do my job to the best of my ability, take care of my personal and financial obligations, and when adversity strikes, I handle it the best way I know how.
If this doesn't matter to you, then why on earth are you in here trying to **** in our cornflakes? Do you give this speech to people talking about football games?
This thread isn't just about washing a car it's about washing a " Black" car without scratching it. If you have never had a nice black car you just don't know. And yes washing a black car is different than washing another color car.
You aren't a mind reader after all.
I have lost count of the cars and colors of cars I've owned in 62 years.
I didn't check your profile but I'll take chance and say I was probably washing my black car before you were born or at least driving.
I think I'm going to order the optimum rinseless car wash stuff and give that a try.
What are you all doing with the microfiber towels you use for the rinseless car wash after you're done? washing them in the washer and dryer?
has anyone used this product? I've done it once, seemed to work good.
I think I'm going to order the optimum rinseless car wash stuff and give that a try.
What are you all doing with the microfiber towels you use for the rinseless car wash after you're done? washing them in the washer and dryer?
has anyone used this product? I've done it once, seemed to work good. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P2MZLJQ..._G7GgzbR65CPG1
was them completely seperate from anything else, with either microfiber wash, or free and clear laundry detergent....no fabric softners at all, no dryer sheets either
was them completely seperate from anything else, with either microfiber wash, or free and clear laundry detergent....no fabric softners at all, no dryer sheets either
okay that's what I've been doing, so that's good. I wash the micro fibers with the wash mitts. I've only used tide laundry detergent though. No dryer sheets.
Black is no harder to keep clean/swirl free than any other color. On my 7th black car(2 vettes, 2 daily drivers, & 3 wife's daily drivers). Sure you get chips here & there but no scratches or swirl marks. I just took the swirls out of my wife's new 2017 Jetta with Zaino Z5 swirl remover. I keep the cars looking great with Zaino Z2 Polish. The 4 daily drivers each had well over 100k miles & the paint looked better than most cars with 25k miles. You can bet my next daily driver I get in a year or two will be black!
Anyone else ever feel like they almost don't want to wash the car because they're afraid of scratches and imperfections?
i use the 2 bucket method. I also use the foam blaster for minimized touching. I don't dry with a microfiber towel I usually use a rubber squeegee made for quick drying. But I always see scratches here and there, albeit light.
makes me so frustrated! especially on a black car.
I assume this car is fairly new to you. I felt that same way for about the first 10 days and it had rained on most of them. Then I got the initial stone chip and mud bath storm and I remembered why I bought a Vette. We all have our reasons and mine wasn't to keep it pristine.
I wish you the best on keeping your's the way you want it.
I think I'm going to order the optimum rinseless car wash stuff and give that a try.
What are you all doing with the microfiber towels you use for the rinseless car wash after you're done? washing them in the washer and dryer?
has anyone used this product? I've done it once, seemed to work good.
We have three black vehicles: the C6 which lives in the garage except when it's tearing up pavement, my wife's DD, and our 4x4 truck, which lives outside - rain, sun, or snow and ice.
CG After Wash is okay, but if the car is already clean and you're using good MF towels, I'm not sure it's doing much for you. I typically follow a wash or waterless wash with detailer anyway.
At the end of the day, while black cars SHOW dirt/scratches easier, they can stay clean and looking clean, if taken care of well. I don't wash our cars all that often. I do have a small army of quality MF towels and I keep them functioning well by washing them separate with a product designed to get them clean and protect the fibers.
For those that use waterless wash, I have found using a liter/quart sized pump sprayer a useful tool. A few pumps and it makes it much easier to really mist the car evenly and hit the whole vehicle, without wearing out my hand from spraying. Some use buckets and that can work well, too, with lots of MF clothes. The reality it really comes down to the condition of the car and the skill of the one doing the cleaning. It's near impossible to wash the car and never add minor scratches, but depending on how you approach the protection side of things, it's possible to fill in the minor stuff, then cover with protection that provides depth. Additionally, if you have the tools/skills to do paint correction (technically clear coat correction), then that is an option, as needed.
We didn't intentionally aim to be a black vehicle family, but now it's the only color for us. And that suits us just fine.
I have a black car, and it gets swirls just from breathing to close to it.
My Carlisle Blue GS gets sprayed down at the self service car wash, and dried with a blue waffle chamois. I don't see any light scratches or swirls in the paint.
I bought a years supply of blue microfiber towels that I use one time only when I use a detail spray to get it cleaner.
I have a black car, and it gets swirls just from breathing to close to it.
My Carlisle Blue GS gets sprayed down at the self service car wash, and dried with a blue waffle chamois. I don't see any light scratches or swirls in the paint.
I bought a years supply of blue microfiber towels that I use one time only when I use a detail spray to get it cleaner.
I didn't say keeping a black car looking good was easy. And I didn't say I have perfect looking cars. I can say that a work colleague admired the condition of my wife's DD (a metallic black car, 110K+, that sees dry hot desert heat, rain, snow and ice and sits out in all of it during the day) enough that when they got a new car, they asked what I do to keep it that way. I took the time to share a strategy knowing full well they wouldn't invest the time I choose to, to keep it clean, compared to letting it get dirty, then use the more drastic and damage-inviting options that can be used.
Last three points: Almost no car is perfectly swirl, micro-scratch free. Most of the cars I see in shows have these minor defects in the clear coat. IF a car is enjoyed, then it's hard not to get "love marks". It's why some that show cars, keep them in a garage. To me, what a waste. I like a great looking car as much as the next guy, but a great car is about the experience of driving it. As one company motto puts it: "Drive + Protect".
Not all MF towels are created equal. I'm not tied to a particular brand, but I have found good ones and not so good ones and price isn't always an indicator for which is which. Also, for those that take their detailing more seriously, there really are several kinds and weights of MF towels, and sizes, relative to their use. I realize few aspire to be a professional detailer, so may have no interest in this granularity. I respect that. I aim to be a professional for my vehicles, each of which is quite different, though all black. But, it's like anything else. Most of us own a saw or three, but a real craftsman has a half dozen or more, each with a variety of blades, designed for the different kinds of wood and the different kinds of cutting they do. Working with auto paint (technically the clear coat) really isn't that much different, except that the understanding of how to take care of it has really bloomed in the last couple of decades and the options (tools and supplies) have really expanded as well. And, as in all things, there is a lot of junk out there, sold with all kinds of marketing, so it can be a challenge to settle on the good stuff.
Last point - for simplicity and expense, pick a system and run with it. I say system because most brands design their products to complement and work/support each other. For example, I think Mequiar's is one of the better brands out there, and you can easily get their stuff at Walmart, or on Amazon. I prefer their professional line of products, but they are only sold by the gallon. That said, it's far cheaper that way (if you think of the cost per application), but it does mean needing to store a gallon jug and have a separate spray bottle, for application. But, it allows me to use a great product, at a reasonable price, and we get to drive cars that are fun or functional, and still look great. None of ours are show cars, but they turn heads wherever they go.
You should just wash it and not worry about the scratches. When enough of them are there, do paint correction and move on. If you better protection, get it sealed with one of the newfangled magic coatings. There are plenty out there all claiming to be the best.
Just be thankful you can still correct those scratches. After 130,000 miles, mostly from interstate driving, and 10 years of parking lot UV exposure, my front bumper is showing stress cracks in the paint all over the place. No fixing that without a repaint, but it is good to know what the factory paint and front urethane bumper can handle.
You should just wash it and not worry about the scratches.
This can only be done so many times before you have no clear coat left. Not very efficient; best method is to correct it once, then stop doing what was causing the scratches to begin with.
This can only be done so many times before you have no clear coat left. Not very efficient; best method is to correct it once, then stop doing what was causing the scratches to begin with.
I see I am going to be disagreeing with a few folks tonight.
No cleaning method is going to eliminate introducing 100% of micro-swirls, so my advice is to do the least damage for your driving and cleaning habits. Let me know what those are when you find them. glen e has done a good job documenting a cleaning method, but even that is not perfect.
I'm not **** about cleaning methods or products, and I go through touchless washes all the time.
Don't paint correct too often. The factory clear-coat on a C6 is pretty hard, BTW, and can withstand a lot of polishing, but if you are doing this too often, you are doing more harm than good, IMO . I've done four or five of them in 12 years, and still have plenty of clear coat on the original pieces.
The white doesn't POP like a red or black car. But it sure hides a lot. My cars a weekend driver and I drive the heck outta it. If it wasn't for all the brake dust I wound was it as much.
Have any of you that get hung up over such things ever experienced any real adversity, hardship, or sorrow in your life? While I like my stuff to stay nice, I'm sure glad my priorities have been straightened out for me due to bigger occasions presenting themselves that really actually matter.
I am inclined to agree. Who among Corvette enthusiasts does not want to keep their pride and joy looking as good as possible? I know I take a great deal of pleasure doting on mine. But keep it in perspective! Driving it and enjoying the performance is more important than keeping the paint pristine, in my opinion. Some get more pleasure keeping them spotless with very low miles, others of us would rather get them out on the road. One perspective does not insult the other.
I didn't say keeping a black car looking good was easy. And I didn't say I have perfect looking cars. I can say that a work colleague admired the condition of my wife's DD (a metallic black car, 110K+, that sees dry hot desert heat, rain, snow and ice and sits out in all of it during the day) enough that when they got a new car, they asked what I do to keep it that way. I took the time to share a strategy knowing full well they wouldn't invest the time I choose to, to keep it clean, compared to letting it get dirty, then use the more drastic and damage-inviting options that can be used.
Last three points: Almost no car is perfectly swirl, micro-scratch free. Most of the cars I see in shows have these minor defects in the clear coat. IF a car is enjoyed, then it's hard not to get "love marks". It's why some that show cars, keep them in a garage. To me, what a waste. I like a great looking car as much as the next guy, but a great car is about the experience of driving it. As one company motto puts it: "Drive + Protect".
Not all MF towels are created equal. I'm not tied to a particular brand, but I have found good ones and not so good ones and price isn't always an indicator for which is which. Also, for those that take their detailing more seriously, there really are several kinds and weights of MF towels, and sizes, relative to their use. I realize few aspire to be a professional detailer, so may have no interest in this granularity. I respect that. I aim to be a professional for my vehicles, each of which is quite different, though all black. But, it's like anything else. Most of us own a saw or three, but a real craftsman has a half dozen or more, each with a variety of blades, designed for the different kinds of wood and the different kinds of cutting they do. Working with auto paint (technically the clear coat) really isn't that much different, except that the understanding of how to take care of it has really bloomed in the last couple of decades and the options (tools and supplies) have really expanded as well. And, as in all things, there is a lot of junk out there, sold with all kinds of marketing, so it can be a challenge to settle on the good stuff.
Last point - for simplicity and expense, pick a system and run with it. I say system because most brands design their products to complement and work/support each other. For example, I think Mequiar's is one of the better brands out there, and you can easily get their stuff at Walmart, or on Amazon. I prefer their professional line of products, but they are only sold by the gallon. That said, it's far cheaper that way (if you think of the cost per application), but it does mean needing to store a gallon jug and have a separate spray bottle, for application. But, it allows me to use a great product, at a reasonable price, and we get to drive cars that are fun or functional, and still look great. None of ours are show cars, but they turn heads wherever they go.
05-15-2017, 03:44 PM
