Caring for black paint

Lets say I am interested in caring for the exterior of my black 360 AND it's my first black car. Where do you suggest I go to learn some skills/techiques to remove small scratches and keep her looking her best. I have some light scratches in a few isolated places, like the top of the two front fenders from who knows what and I want to attack them myself but I don't want to muck it up. Is there an idiots guide out there? Presently I have almost no swirl marks that are detectable on the car and I want to keep it that way. Any recommendations for a new-b?

 

black is one of those colors you have to stay in front of...every flaw gets amplified.

wax early, wax often.

 

Clear bra the car. Not cheap but worth the peace of mind.

 

I am fine with this but wax just didn't do it so I made the thread. I may need some skills to get to the place where I can wax poetic twice a day to keep the level up but the car is not ready for that yet.

I could be convinced to do this but I want a feel for the necessity given the roads I travel and the frequency. What is "not cheap" in samolians for instance? I know what a good repaint is for the front half of the car.

 

black is very hard...ask me how i know...especially if it's a driver.

if it's a garage queen...life is simpler...but even dust will settle on the car...and if you wipe it off...you will scratch the clearcoat. if you cover the car...you will invariably scratch the clearcoat unless the car is freshly washed.

imo, older fcar paint clearcoat is very soft...swirls will happen over time even if using two bucket wash technique/air blower/lightest of touch with the best microfiber towels/qd spray...as well as marring and rids (random isolated deep scratches).

these are in the clearcoat and the only way to remove is through compounding followed by polishing...typically with a dual action buffer and the appropriate pad. they are most obvious in sunlight or under led light.

having put 15K miles on my 04 nero 575 in just over a year...i recently decided to have the car completely wrapped in xpel ultimate paint film. the film is 'self healing' so little scratches fade away on their own. and it's very slippery stuff so things tend to slide off.

what a world of difference as far as ease of care.

yes...no quite as clear/pretty as bare paint...but ask yourself (if it's a driver)...would you rather have your car looking 95% almost all the time or 100% five percent of the time.

the new paint films are quite a bit better than older films. optical clarity/puncture resistance/yellowing etc.

finding a great detailer who can correct any paint issues prior to the film install...as well as a experienced paint film installer is crucial. my guys were awesome. they even put satin film on the lower bumper lips to match the finish.

i think she looks pretty good for 42K miles...
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That looks great! I could live with that. So what amount of care are you putting into your routine since the wrap? You still wash and wax right? Are you able to not worry about all the extra details, like the virginity of the wash products? Is it now like washing the family van? I am curious.

 

Kevin, I have two black vehicles and know first hand the effort needed to keep them looking good. I am going to give you the best advice I have and after 20yrs of dealing with black it is this, you need to give Esoteric a call and get yourself a Rupes dual action polisher, Todd the owner is a sponsor here and can put together the system you need. I have tried many products and have found the ones he uses to be the best for ease of use and quality of finish. A 360 is a big investment and the equipment is not cheap but you will save a ton of time. As far as general advice for black it is to always use light pressure when washing, drying or when removing polish and wax by hand. Also dirt is the enemy so try to keep wash water and mitts clean at all times as a lot of damage can be caused very quickly if what your using gets contaminated with grit. When working by hand use straight motions not circular. Get yourself a work light stand and place it behind you as you work in your garage. It will let you see exactly what you are doing when working the paint. I can go on for hours at great detail and don't mind. Too bad you can't see the cars I have done in person as the paint is just pure reflection. There is no need to be afraid of black but it is unforgiving if you don't know what your doing. Let me know if you want specific info on what exactly what I'm using and how.

 

I have three black cars and I am not sure how that happened. When they are clean they look great but keeping them clean is always a challenge (pollen season now).

Keeping them well cared for and looking good is not much different than any other car but they do show minor defects more readily. It sounds like you have two questions: how to keep the car looking good and how to repair the paint on the front fenders.

The new paints are much more durable and easier to care for. My '79 Nero 308's paint is way softer and it seems a stiff breeze can effect the paint.

First, get a good random orbital polisher (Porter Cable, Griot's Garage, etc.). I have one from Griot's and it not only makes the work faster but also does a better job than one can by hand.

You should also get a selection of foam pads. At the least you will need a couple Orange ones for various grades of polish and then one to apply wax. Again Esoteric or Griot's are good sources.

I also recommend a 6" Nanoskin pad. This replaces the need to use clay to thoroughly clean the paint. This is fast and in my experience does a great job.

Next, you will need detailing spray (for lubricating the Nanoskin), one or more polishes, and wax. My guess is you will need a #3 and #2 for polishes. If you paint is in really great condition a #1 is probably good for areas other than the fenders

I am sure you can find many, many recommendations on polishes and waxes. I recently tried the Griot's products and have no complaints. The best advice is to get good quality products and you can not go wrong.

Others have mentioned good lighting and this is an area where I need to improve my garage. Good light will result in a better job.

Just like any other paint, you want to get it as clean as possible before polishing and waxing. A good wash and dry will get the big stuff off and then follow that with the Nanoskin (or clay if that is your preference).

Next, you need to polish out the minor imperfections. Again, just like any other paint, you want to remove as little paint as possible to remove the minor scratches. The challenge is black is more revealing so you need to be more complete.

I would start with the fenders first. Actually, I would start with my daily driver first to get used to the tools and results. Remember, different paints are different so what you experience on one car may be a little different. Start with #3 polish and polish the fender, wipe and view the result. If there are still minor scratches, repeat until it is as smooth as you prefer. Next, move up to the #2 (or #1 if the car is in near perfect condition).

You should now have a masterpiece. A perfect shine.

Time for wax. My experience with wax on black cars had lead me to believe that wax makes a bigger difference than I thought. In the past I have had good results with carnuba waxes but I recently tried the Griot's liquid wax and am very happy with the result. Again, others will have their preference.

There is nothing really special about this but black is more sensitive. It shows scratches more readily and I have found different waxes result in different results.

Your patience will be rewarded! Take your time and enjoy, it will look great and you will know you can keep it looking that way.

 

Thanks guys this is good medicine. I have a griots dual action but if I decide that I am comfortable doing this type of upkeep I will look seriously at the Rupes.

Here's my story so far.
I had some light scratches on the tops of the two front fenders so I thought I would try some cleaner wax by hand to buff them out on one side. Well they came out, but I ended up hazing an area around the work! (and made the fender look way worse, about a 1 ft x 6 in area) I was using circular motions with a terry wax applicator and Zymol Cleaner Wax)

I was going to give up at this point and just find a detailer to take over since my heart was pounding out of my chest at what I had done! Literally beads of sweat coming down my forehead! Not pleasant!

I talked myself into trying again to fix my error by using a light touch with a very fine polish so the plan became.

-Tape off the offending area.
-Clean paint with diluted soap on Microfiber Cloth (MC)
-Rinse with water and fresh MC
-Light clay application with plenty of clay lube. (I didn't really like working with the clay, I didn't feel as though I was doing anything and even though I kept it lubed it still left residue on the car in a couple of spots)
-Clean off residue with pre-wax cleaner
-Application of Menzerna 4000 polish with a blue (extra soft foam pad) using Griots Polisher.
(spread it around on speed 3 and then went to 5 and covered the area with light pressure, One pass horizontal and one pass vertical to cover area) I was really nervous doing this so I limited my passes thinking that I could always do it again if I saw any improvement at all. I did see improvement but has sort of created a couple of new hazy areas toward the edge of my work area. I was thinking that I had had enough stress for the day and was going to quit and get the phone book open but then I decided that I would see the plan through to wax and see what it looked like.
-I cleaned of the polish with a cleaner. It looked good but not perfect by any measure.
-Applied Menzerna PL Sealer by hand with a foam applicator using linear and circular motions.
- Buffed out with MC
It looked pretty darn good at this point. I was able to breath normal again and the stress was going away.

I applied some Griots best in show wax a little while later and it looks awesome. But it was a journey.

I welcome any comments about what I did. Looking back the most uncomfortable part was using the polisher with the 4000. I was just terrified that I would mess something up so I may not have made enough passes to achieve the best results.

Here's the questions I have...
Should I have been worried?
If I had used 4500 would there be less cause to worry?
Should I go back and do it again with 4500?
How good should the finish look after polishing with a fine polish like I used?
If I like what I see and feel should I attack the other fender?

 

Sounds like you know to be careful but are being way to careful! Don't sweat it and realize with the pad your using it is not very aggressive. If the scratches are not very deep keep working the area until they are gone don't use wax to hide things. Once the wax is gone the paint looks bad again. I'ts good your using a dual action polisher. The polishes from Scholls and Sonax are unbelievable. I also use microfiber buffing pads made by Maguires and foam pads for finishing yellow and white Rupes. Give Todd a call, you will thank me. I just finished doing a Cougar and the owners jaw droped after seeing the paint after only compounding. If you talk to Todd, ast about 22PLE. That stuff is crazy!

 

Kevin, glad to hear you stayed with it. I know it can be a little nerve racking but the reward is in having done it. This is also a skill you will use again assuming you drive your car.

My experience with hand polishing has not been great. It never seems to come out quite as clean as I would like. The dual action polisher delivers fine results.

Like I said, it pays to be cautious and patient. You can go with a finer polish, it will just take longer as you will have to polish, examine the area, and polish more until it is smooth. At the same time, the risk of damage is less as you are removing a just a little paint.

It sounds like no harm was done and that you improved it. Be patient and keep at it. If you are comfortable you can go with a coarser polish to speed things up.

There are some good videos on YouTube about detailing etc. too. They may help build your confidence.

Good luck and post up some pics when you are done.

 

Thanks for keeping me positive.
I bought some of the 22PLE and would love to do the car with it at some point in the near future. I did look at some videos online before attacking the fender. I will try and view a bunch more before I dig in again.
Thanks for the help and info.

 

I've always found great advice from Autogeek. Also, you might want to check for a detail clinic around you. For example, Adam's polishes holds detail clinics from time to time in the N/E. No idea what would be in you area though.

Hope that helps some...

 

I'm doing full paint correction now on my Black 355. Lot's a swirl scratches.

See this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355/408492-my-exterior-adventure.html

 

You're not showing enough details to help this beginner ! LOL
You are showing me, Look how bad it was and now look how good it is! LOL
Something tells me there are a couple of steps in between!

 

Kevin,

Take a look at the video's here and give Todd a call to chat: Esoteric Car Care - Auto Detailing and Car Care Products!

This is pretty easy to do if you take your time. The only thing that scares me (and I'm still scared) is dropping the DA polisher on the car...