Rules for black

[PT3]

Ok, so I've now got a black daily driver.

 

What 'RULES' do you / would you follow to minimize visible damage..?

 

Edited July 31, 2016 by PT3

[wely324]

Porsche paint tends to be on the softer side and with it being black try not to touch it, with anything!

 

...in all seriousness, use a master blaster or leaf blower to dry the car and then go back with a towel. I then use detail spray with a GWDT to finish up the drying. And try not to touch it with detail spray or any other chemicals in between washes. If it is dirty leave it be or go 2 bucket. My black Macan has a glass coating, and although it still looks so glossy, when the sun comes out the swirls become very noticeable and it is only about 1.5 years old. The car did get washed mid-winter at the dealership, which I'm sure added to the majority of the scratches there. Next time I do an after hours drop off, I'm leaving a note with my keys, "Do Not Wash, and Thank you!" 

[Ricky Bobby]

You've got the wallet. Get the master blaster and touch it as little as possible.

[hemi1300]

Absolutely love black, my last 4 vehicles have been black along with a black Harley street glide. With proper care and wash methods I haven't noticed any swirls in my paint after correction a few years ago. I always just use common sense, if the paint is more than a bit dusty/pollen covered, don't touch it unless doing a 2 bucket wash or Rinse less wash. If a dusty finish must be cleaned I will literally soak the panel with waterless or Rinseless to rinse away the dirt before a wipe down

[stripesace]

"Black is not a color. It's a full time job." - a prominent detailer

[PT3]

You've got the wallet. Get the master blaster and touch it as little as possible.

Lol... ; )

 

It's not as fat after buying 5 Porsches in under a year...!!! Eeeek! Lol.

 

I've got a leaf blower. Think I'll try to make it work.... Lol

[PT3]

Porsche paint tends to be on the softer side and with it being black try not to touch it, with anything!

 

...in all seriousness, use a master blaster or leaf blower to dry the car and then go back with a towel. I then use detail spray with a GWDT to finish up the drying. And try not to touch it with detail spray or any other chemicals in between washes. If it is dirty leave it be or go 2 bucket. My black Macan has a glass coating, and although it still looks so glossy, when the sun comes out the swirls become very noticeable and it is only about 1.5 years old. The car did get washed mid-winter at the dealership, which I'm sure added to the majority of the scratches there. Next time I do an after hours drop off, I'm leaving a note with my keys, "Do Not Wash, and Thank you!"

 

Yeah, I noticed just how soft it is!

[Mariner]

I had a black truck before my current white SUV, and it's ridiculous how much more effort you need to put in to make black look good lol. I was doing full detail washes a couple times a week. After a while while daily driving, I found myself avoiding small puddles after a rain because of the dirty water it kicks up all over your vehicle. 

 

Although at the end of the day, a clean black vehicle is the best looking vehicle, IMO.

[wely324]

Lol... ; )

 

It's not as fat after buying 5 Porsches in under a year...!!! Eeeek! Lol.

 

I've got a leaf blower. Think I'll try to make it work.... Lol

 

Leaf blower is more than adequate, I use an electric one and it works great. Gas works fine too... 5 in one year! I go about 5 years for every Porsche! Well I have only had 2 in my life, but 5 years between the two lol

[PT3]

Anyone else.....?

[GXPaycheck]

PPF. I recommend Expel.

[gabhart]

I think some very good advice has already been put out there. I have had several black cars and the same rules apply:

 

Don't touch unless absolutely necessary

Use 2 bucket wash technique without question including rinsing the washmit with a hose OFTEN

Blow dry when possible. Use lubricant (detail spray) when you can't blow dry

Clean soft microfibers ONLY when touching the paint

Expect to perform paint correction often

 

I never did waterless or rinseless washes so cant speak on those.

 

Once the paint is where you want it you could always go with a ceramic or film coating to help with protection from swirls and marring.

 

GOOD LUCK!

Edited August 5, 2016 by gabhart

[gabhart]

PPF. I recommend Expel.

 

Same thought posted about the same time. Great minds think alike!

[LT1xL82]

PPF. I recommend Expel.

Agree...PPF is a very valid approach.

 

Our Z06 is fully wrapped with Xpel Ultimate. Overall, we're happy with the PPF. Loosely quoting from a post I read, "PPF is protection, not perfection.". If you want to protect the car from some of the world's evils, it is really good stuff. If you want to subject your care to the wrath of concours judges, wrong approach.

[butters]

And try not to touch it with detail spray or any other chemicals in between washes. If it is dirty leave it be or go 2 bucket.

This is definitely key with black. Don't touch it, most particularly if it's anything but clean.

 

If I was wealthier I'd have a nicer car and it would be covered in PPF.

[rrmccabe]

My only complaint about a leaf blower is the air is unfiltered. So all the CFM of air coming out the tip is the same amount of air being sucked in from your environment.  In my location this was enough I was actually dusting a clean car depending on the time of year.

 

The master blaster was a huge improvement not only because of the air being filtered but because its easier to direct as well.

 

Sounds like you need a foam gun, two bucket wash system and a master blaster.

[Dwhite0960]

I think most things have been covered already but I'll throw a few ideas out there. I have a buddy with a black lexus that has no swirls after 7 years of daily driving and no garage to park in. He works hard on the car to keep it in this condition however. He uses 1 pad per panel when he washes, sounds like ridiculous overkill but if it's a fresh pad or mit it has no contaminates in it with the top down approach and flipping it over half way down he does not induces swirls and marring. He uses a foam cannon and adds rinseless solution to his soap in the cannon for added librication. He uses a master blaster to dry the car and besides the first wash where it had no protection a towel has never touched during drying. I would do a full correction or polish whicheber is needed initially. When the oaint is to your level of perfect put paint sealnt on and follow with a high quality wax if you want the extra depth. Do h20 g&g to keep the sealant protection optimal every few washes. After 6 months I would do a strip wash and repeat the process. When you have a good sealant put down the water and dirt come off much easier. He will spray the car with the pressure washer prior to the foam cannon to remove the major funk from the car. He then follows with a cannon and once the soap has reduced down he will spray off with the pressure washer again. At this point he re foams the car and uses the one pad/mit approach. I know it seems like overkill but it has worked very well for him over the years and to me is a proven system. He also uses a cr spotless system so after drying with the master blaster if any water happens to be present it drys with no traces left behind. He has his system perfected and can wash in 40 mins start to finish. Hope that made sense lol.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Dwhite0960

[The Guz]

Might want to consider coating it. 

[Dwhite0960]

Might want to consider coating it.

 

Coatings are good but I feel if you keep the paint sealnt up it is just as good at shedding everyday grime off with a pressure washer. The paint sealant is much more affordable, I have done 10 vehicles out of a 8oz bottle and still have some remaining. Coatings are 100+ and require certain re loaders and soaps depending on the brand. For us enthusiast that enjoy the look of wax as well the coatings don't play nice with sometimes. It's all a personal preference, i con commit a few hours a year to a complete paint sealnt job vs the coating idea myself due to loving patriot wax

[The Guz]

Coatings are good but I feel if you keep the paint sealnt up it is just as good at shedding everyday grime off with a pressure washer. The paint sealant is much more affordable, I have done 10 vehicles out of a 8oz bottle and still have some remaining. Coatings are 100+ and require certain re loaders and soaps depending on the brand. For us enthusiast that enjoy the look of wax as well the coatings don't play nice with sometimes. It's all a personal preference, i con commit a few hours a year to a complete paint sealnt job vs the coating idea myself due to loving patriot wax

 

True.  But coatings form a harder barrier that resist marring better than a sealant or wax.  Not to mention better chemical and bird dropping resistance.  Not all coatings require a "reloader" or special soaps.  Adams shampoo works great with coatings as does guard and gloss.  A coating will shed anything that is applied over it so a wax or sealant won't stay on that long.  A coated vehicle will also stay cleaner a bit longer.  This varies on the coating.  Like anything else they do require maintenance.   But that maintenance is "easier".  

 

A pressure washer doesn't completely clean or remove all dirt and grime.  Just like a foam cannon doesn't really have any benefit other than the fun factor and it looks cool to those who have no idea what is being done.  Not too mention that it is a hassle getting the pressure washer set up.  But I digress.   

 

In the long run a coating is cheaper. 

 

My brothers Harley has black paint and it is some of the softest paint.  It marrs as soon as you look at it.  It didn't matter if a wax or sealant was applied.  The coating I applied to it has helped with marring from washing. 

 

Same thing on a black 2002 Corvette that I worked on.  It had some soft paint that would marr if not touched properly.  I went with a coating for it and it has helped. 

 

I understand coatings are not for everyone.  They do have their place.  A sealant is still good for those that are not ready to move onto a coating. 

[PT3]

Wow.... This is going to be tougher than I thought! Few things:

 

Just had the entire front clip, all fender flares, pillars, door edges, rear bumper and mirrors covered with Suntek PPF. I prefer Sunteks optical quality over Xpel.

 

I rarely use the bucket wash method. I'm all about the GDWM with plenty of Rinseless and high quality Korean MF towels.

 

The other thing.... I LOVE wiping down my cars! I'll NEVER wipe while dry...and I'm careful to use clean sections of the towel.

 

All this said, I can see light swirls/scratches starting to appear. I think I'll be okay with a certain amount of them as this is my daily driver and can't be too crazy about it.

 

Either way, the black does look GORGEOUS on this truck!