When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ah, black paint. Deep, rich, velvety, inky, glossy black paint. Living with black paint when you have an OCD-ish need to keep it clean can be quite the challenge:
Since 2004 I’ve had 8 or 9 black cars; it’s an addiction that’s hard to kick ‘cuz for my money, nothing looks so good as a well-kept black car. Unfortunately, like they say, “Black isn’t a color, it’s a career” and while a black car generally looks good for the first 5-10 minutes after you wash it, it’s all downhill from there.
That said, I’ve found a few things to make the task a bit less onerous and it depends largely on how much you’re willing to invest (time and $$) to keep the car at whatever your level of ‘acceptable appearance’ may be.
Quartz/Glass/Ceramic Coatings
While these are often marketed as ‘scratch resistant’, with spiffy phrases like “Diamond-Infused 10h Hardness” it’s largely an irrelevant if not outright false claim. While the coating you put on your paint may indeed be technically ‘harder’ than your clear coat the reality is that it’s such an infinitesimal difference as to be practically meaningless. The hardest coating in all the kingdom will still be measurably softer than your fingernail.
Some more info from professionals regarding coatings and scratch resistance:
- Are ceramic coatings scratch-proof?: https://youtu.be/TRt1f97miIU
What coatings do offer is great resistance to environmental contamination and excellent self-cleaning characteristics. While they are no silver bullet, “Never gonna wash my car again” solution, the best of them can indeed keep your car cleaner with less effort. And less effort means less touching of the paint which means less chance for marking up that paint. Additionally, they can provide some protection from ‘environmental incidents’ (aka ‘Bird Bombs’) which could otherwise permanently etch the surface.
Additionally, while coatings are not scratch proof, there are a few coatings that offer some ‘limited self-healing’ characteristics. Kamikaze Zipang is one that I have on 2 of our cars. Again, it’s very important to read carefully and understand the limitations of such technology. I’ve tried 20-25 coatings over the past 3 years, looking for one that offered the best protection and self-cleaning characteristics I could find, mostly with black paint in mind. Kamikaze was the best suited to my needs/desires in that area. From the US Vendors Website:
Note the words “REDUCE” as opposed to “ELIMINATE” as it’s an important distinction to consider when setting expectations. Although totally amateurish and done with a cell phone camera, a flashlight held in my mouth and a heat gun, a few paragraphs down in the notes I kept about my Zipang experience are some pics that illustrate this on a very minor level: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/gl...atings/#ZIPANG
Here’s a video where a professional explains it better than I ever could:
What does self-healing mean?: https://youtu.be/Nc0jcYC5Rn0
A few other vids from a pro explaining various other considerations of coatings:
1. 5 Common MYTHS About Ceramic Coating!: https://youtu.be/kuz2E0SUinI
2. Will I Be Disappointed with a Ceramic Coating?: https://youtu.be/Bq34xyhsgwk
Paint Protection Film/PPF
In my mind, the next step up the ladder is Paint Protection Film, aka Clear Bra and a few other names that elude me right now.
PPF *will* provide a level of protection from road debris, chips and other defects and most current films have self-healing capabilities that can help minimize defects…again with limitations. My guess is due to the film thickness (8mil, I believe) vs coating layer thickness (probably measured in microns?) deeper defects can be reduced/healed better with PPF as opposed to coatings. We recently bough a new, black Corvette for my wife which we had STEK Dynoshield applied to all painted surfaces. I’m only 6 months in with it so no long term opinions but I’ve kept some notes on the first 6 months here: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/li...ek-dynoshield/
The film also has some hydrophobic, coating-like properties built into it so self-cleaning effects will be present. Most films can be topped with a coating as well, perhaps further enhancing the coating-like benefits. Not cheap to have a whole car wrapped but if you’re gonna go big, may as well go REALLY big.
What folks smarter than I have to say about PPF:
- Should I get PPF or Ceramic Coatings on my car?: https://youtu.be/trfmpMeAp1I
So, now that the car is protected in some fashion it’s up to you to keep it looking it’s best. I’ve found that, for black paint, the best way to do that is to touch it as little as possible. While coatings/PPF and other protective strategies can make the car immeasurably easier to clean and require less cleaning, you’re still gonna have to wash it when it drops below your level of acceptable cleanliness…whatever that may mean to you individually.
For me, I do that as follows:
1. Foam car using pressure washer/foam cannon
2. 2 or 3-bucket wash with the softest sponge I know of
3. Blow dry with a dedicated air-dryer
For a foam cannon, I use the MTM PF22 and a 1.76 gpm pressure washer (2030psi). GPM is more important than all-out psi when getting good foam and if you’re running a lower GPM pressure washer, changing the orifice in the foam cannon will help. My 1.76gpm works best with the 1.1mm orifice, as do most pressure washers with similar specs.
To dry, I use a BigBoi BlowR PRO unit, makes drying the car incredibly easy, safe and effective. I’ve tried a few other methods to blow air and dry but after all is said and done, the BigBoi is, dollar for dollar, the best detailing ‘thing’ I’ve spent money on…and I’ve spent a lot of money on detailing ‘things’. Why I chose the BigBoi over other methods/brands can be found here in my notes: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/other-stuff/
Your best means of knowledge and info is your PROFESSIONAL Detailer. Social media, forums, YouTube and all is great…can get a lot of ‘possibly pertinent’ info there but a trusted, knowledgeable professional has seen and done far more than any hobbyist (like myself) ever will so it’s best to take advantage of what they can offer, especially with something like Black Paint.
I’m fortunate in that Esoteric is relatively local to me and they pick up the phone when I call, often keeping me from doing dumb things that seem like a good idea to me at the time. They are a forum sponsor here ( #Esoteric_Detail @Esoteric_Detail ) so perhaps they can chime in. While I may sometimes think I know things, at the end of the day all I really know is that there is way more I DON’T know with regards to this stuff than that which I DO know…and sometimes that’s half the fun. The other half is looking at your black car and being pleased with how it looks; while black will never be as easy to keep clean as other colors there are things you can do to make it tolerable.
My best solution to the riddle of black has been to buy an Agate Gray Metallic Cayman, coat it to the gills and then just enjoy it. Drove that thing through 200 miles of thunderstorms one weekend and it was still clean enough that I didn’t feel the need to wash it for a week or so after…it still looked great. Detail and coating application notes here: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/so...#CAYMAN_DETAIL
While black can be frustrating it’s also very rewarding and I’ve looked for the best ways to learn to live with it and enjoy it. Sometimes I ask myself whether I own the car or if it owns me and yet I still have a hard time staying away from black.
Good luck!
Great post and great advice. I have neither the time nor the patience to do all of this, not to mention a place for the supplies nor the desire to buy all of the things necessary. I admire those of you who can accomplish this, as for me, I just ran the black car through the car wash and spent a lot more time driving it.
A black car is like a second job. I gave up on both when I retired.
They DO look very nice when clean, but IMHO only on certain models. Overall I think black is overdone. Not a fan.
I find this to be true as well. While the wife's black Corvette is absolutely sinister and menacing in black, I find that I prefer the Cayman in a lighter color. Dunno why, but it is what it is.
Originally Posted by michael818
Great post and great advice. I have neither the time nor the patience to do all of this, not to mention a place for the supplies nor the desire to buy all of the things necessary. I admire those of you who can accomplish this, as for me, I just ran the black car through the car wash and spent a lot more time driving it.
Yep, was a bit of a long journey w/ no small associated expense of both time and money but I'm pretty much good to go now that things are 'set'. Even considering logistics of pressure washer/foam cannon/air dryer, i can get both cars washed and dry in about 30-40 minutes (each). Getting to this point? Hundreds of hours over 3 years.
That said, I'm probably done with black cars too; the Agate Gray is just so nice to maintain, always looks clean even when it isn't. I too am moving towards finding the joy in driving the cars instead of maintaining them.
Those of you who own a black car know what I am talking about: It is very difficult to keep these cars clean and scratch free in the same time. I have a black car and it is nearly impossible to wash the car without adding new swirl marks to it. How do you wash your black cars and how do you avoid the swirl marks/ scratches? I just got my car back from detailer, in shadow it looked great but as I brought it back home under the garage light you could see again all the swirl marks. I paid this guy 200 bucks and he was supposed to get those scratches out but he did a pretty ****ty job. Any ideas how to remove the scratches and keeping the car clean and scratch free would be appreciated.
I used to own a black 981 and absolutely loved the menacing look. I always hand washed the car using the two bucket system with dirt filter, microfibre towels etc etc but still got swirls and scratches... In the end I bought a white car. My advice is to not look too closely if you want to keep a black car, enjoy it from a bit of distance!
Agree on PPF. It is the only answer where you won't be spending hours trying to keep it perfect. I don't think it is the solution I would go with though due to the cost. Unless I was keeping the car forever.
It is still advised to let a professional service wash and wax your black car because they have the right tools and experience to do so without scratching it.
I've owned many black cars, including two three black Porsches, and it's not that hard to keep clean and (mostly) scratch free.
One thing you will have to do is alter your perception on what "scratch free" actually means. It should mean that walking up to the car, even close enough to grab the handle and get in it (as one does when they own a car they drive consistently), all you see is clean, shiny, reflective paint that is pleasing to the eye.
It does NOT mean that you move a flashlight or a reflection of the sun or fluorescent lights around and actively look for scratches and swirls. You will find them and those will drive you insane to consistently keep away- and ultimately they don't freaking matter!
I suppose black cars are love it or hate it. I LOVE THEM. Clearly. But many don't, and that's fine... but my cars have always looked fantastic and all I've done is basic maintenance (2 bucket helps but isn't 100% required as long as you're not dropping your wash mitt in a pile of dirt and keep using it) and some sort of coating. The new hotness is ceramic/graphene but back in the day carnauba seemed to work just fine.
The hilarious part though is this beautiful Macan GTS I just bought will be getting full Xpel Stealth put on it in a week or so, but that's not because I'm scared of scratches. My wife just likes the satin look.
I have used ceramic coatings and ppf on my cars for 8 years and my experience is that they both protect better than an uncoated painted surface. The latest generations of both ceramic coatings and ppf have some self-healing properties that are activated with heat. I have removed minor scratches with a heat gun. I have had several black cars but now down to only one. Ceramic only - no ppf. My ceramic shop claims that the hardness on current ceramic coating is a 9 and Porsche factory paint while harder and better than some other manufacturers in still just a 4.
Full paint correction and 100% PPF coverage. It's going to cost you, but it will save your OCD sanity.
15,000+ miles since install and honestly hasn't changed in appearance. FYI, I don't do any of the fancy two or three bucket washes. Just a simple snow foam of the car, wipe it down with a wash mitt, rinse with deionized water and dry. Easiest car to care for I've ever owned.
First time in the light after 100% PPF coverage 15,000 miles later she looks just as good!
Buy a white or silver car if you want lower maintenance. I used PPF on black to keep swirls off. Clay bars will help keep black non swirled. Always use 3 was buckets. One only for wheels, the second for fresh soapy suds, and the third for clean rinse bucket. Use grit guard in all 3 buckets. Only hand wash.
01-03-2020, 01:41 PM
