Hi, happy RLers!!
I am going to buy RL before July 4th for sure and want to get a black/ebony non-tech.
But my brother told me that he won't buy a black car ever (he got a black C230) and my wife says that I won't be able to keep it clean after a while.
I never had any black car before and was wondering if it is really a hassle to keep it clean.
Any regrets or advice?

 

There is nothing more beautiful than a clean black car. But you have to be dedicated to keeping it looking that way.

 

Granted, "black is beautiful", but black is a bear to keep clean, plus in the summer who cannot touch any part of the exterior without burning your hand. I would suggest "the other black"--white!!!

 

A white car is just as much work to keep clean as a black car... only when you finish working real hard to clean your white car, it just looks white... whereas a black car looks stunning.

Yes, black cars are a lot of work. Want a color that doesn't show dirt? Try one of the silvers -- Lakeshore is great (that's what I have) and really doesn't show much dirt at all. I wash the car when the wheels get dirty....

 

The swirls kill my black acura rl. Silver is the best low maintenance color, but there is some sort of intimidating factor with a shinny black RL.

 

Silver and shades thereof are definitely the easiest to keep clean and the coolest to the touch on hot days.

Black does look awesome when it's clean- problem is that it takes a great deal of work to make that happen. Scratches and small dings- not to mention larger dings stand out and scream "look at me". A lttle dust and it looks awful in my opinion.

White does not show scratches- I have a big white vehicle- MDX. Mud absolutely stands out, but dust not so much.

I'd buy a black car if I was willing to wash it twice a week- too much effort. I buy cars on how I like the interior- that's what I look at most of the time anyway!

 

I have a black '05 RL and with Z-2 PRO Show Car Polish for Clear Coated Car Finish, I have had no problem keeping it clean. It looks better then when I bought it.

 

I have owned several white cars....

Camry
Blazer
Pathfinder
Acura Vigor
Acura TL
Two Toyota Land Cruisers

I have never owned black, but the closest I've come is an Emerald Green for another Pathfinder we've owned along with a Mazda MX-6, and of course my RL's Carbon Grey.

White hides light dirt very well, along with light scratches, swirl marks and other minor imperfections. You don't notice water spots as much after a rain, even if it was dusty prior to it. On the other hand, no matter how much wax you put on it, you don't get that deep "wet" look that you get with a dark color. The problem is that an hour after you clean a dark colored car, you can already notice the fine layer of dust.

Bottom line is that dark colors jump out more when they're well maintained, so you either have to devote the time to it or just resign yourself to the fact that the only time the car will look REALLY good is for a short duration after you just wash it.

 

If you'll be parking your car indoors, have access to a hose and premium wax, and have time to wash and wax the car regularly, then theres nothing better than black. Whatever you do, do not drive your black car through a car wash!! That's the absolute worst thing you could do to it.

I had just detailed my sisters brilliant black 2002 A4 and even though she washed it regularly, there were tons of swirl marks and clear coat irregularities from bird droppings, tree sap and hard water.

After compound, clay bar, and a full zaino treatment the car looked great from afar, but when you got really close up, you could still see the swirls and clearcoat imperfections.

 

I only buy black cars with black interiors. Zaino keeps them FLAWLESS all the time.
Silver tones are for LAZY folks who don't care about keeping their cars MAINTAINED.
All my neighbors with silver vehicles are basically "couch potatoes" by nature.....
No pun intended.....

 

I just traded in my black CL S for a 06 tech silver RL. I don't miss the black..silver always looks clean

 

bwollen:

Not when I come with my white glove........as I/you said "silver LOOKS clean" but not when I inspect it..........

No pun but I'm a clean freak.......

FAB backwards=Black Acura Freak

 

Holy generalization Batman!

I am a freak as well, my car is rarely dirty and is regularly waxed and polished. With that said, not everyone feels that way. Not everyone has access to a garage, and if you don't, it's not always realistic that people will be washing their cars every day.

Just because people can't or don't want to spend every waking moment detailing their cars, doesn't make them couch potatoes.

 

My neighbors have a garage, a drive way, plenty of time and wash thier silver cars "once" a year because they are COUCH POTATOES BY NATURE.....If one buys a $32K plus auto then they should have it garaged and not parked on the streets, esp a 50K plus auto........I lived in SF for 11 years and kept my cars ZAINO clean condition even though I was living in an apartment and living in the fast lane......its no excuse...
Besides its excellent excercise !

My quote in ending:
Its easier to clean a clean car rather than a dirty one...........

 

True. But not I know many people who are far from lazy who do not share my passion for have a meticulously clean car.

They just have different priorities.

 

I finally bought a black car last year, an 05 MDX. It looks good but the towel marks on the hood are very annoying. I actually went and spent over $200 on a buffer and polishes and it looks better but not perfect. After I wash it I am constantly chasing water marks with Quick detailer. Last black car for me. My 05 C. Silver RL looks great and it is easy to care for.

Good luck.

 

I think there's some truth in what's been said. I've owned several silver vehicles and they always look pretty clean. But they don't tend to look that much better even right after you clean them. On the other hand, a dark car shows the dirt more easily but I think it looks much better when it is clean. It does take some effort, but I prefer the darker colors. I've got an Opulent Blue Pearl paintjob and I think it looks fantastic when clean. But you don't get fantastic for free.

 

Mine is Black pearl w/ ebony interior. It looks great when washed and waxed. But I do get frustrated w/the water marks too. Especially the drip from the side mirrors

That said, I had an 02 CL Type S that was Black Pearl/Ebony Interior also that I traded in for my 05RL.

Still - I would not haver it any other way!

 

Saying someone who buys a silver car and/or doesn't spend hours washing/waxing/etc their car is lazy is totally retarded. Not everyone is a car freak and needs their hunk of metal to be shiny and stuff all the time. Many people have far better things to do with their time.

My RL is obulent blue and I don't wash it every few days and when I do wash it I dont spend hours on it. Why? Because I don't give a shit if it has some swirl marks or whatever. It isn't because I am lazy...it is because it is a piece of metal that I enjoy driving not sitting outside of it and jerking off to how shiny it is. I also do not need to try and impress strangers with how badass my car looks.

All the respect to those who are the opposite of me but don't rag on people if they aren't car cleaning nuts like you especially when you don't know wtf they do with their time.

As for black cars...I love black cars and other dark coloured cars like forest green and dark grey and dark blue, etc. I am not a fan of white cars. I find them to just be "blah" but to each their own. Oh and silver cars look good and as stated, they don't easily show dirt.

 

Yeah, thanks for telling me exactly what I *should* do with my weekends because I bought a nice car. Maybe some of us have to, you know, work for a living to afford these things (and maybe do some work around the house, and maybe spend some time with our families, and perhaps engage in some recreational activities) and maybe having a perfect, spotless car without a single swirl mark at all times just isn't a priority.

Please, spare me the lecture. I've spent plenty of time with a clay bar and polish going over my car... it's just that I don't feel the need to do that more than about every three months... not every single freakin' weekend. And I don't know where you are, but around here, we're only allowed to use the hose every other day.

In between, I'm happy to let the local touchless car wash take care of my car, and they do a really good job.

 

I'm a neat freak, but I only wash it about once-a-week, Zaino it 3-6 times a year, and just clay it once a year (each spring). I squeeze in an extra coat of Zaino Z-2 whenever I have time. Here are some photos.

Celestial Silver w/tints and 3M ClearBra on front and rear.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...e&conn_speed=1

Randy

 

Very clean silver car Randy! I'm not alone!

 

I have a Black car and do not park it in the garage. I wash it once a week and it generally looks great. I use one of those California duster deals on the car to remove any dust between washings. I don't have any swirl marks or have trouble with water spots. I have also had a white Acura and found it was just as hard to keep clean. I also didn't notice a difference in temperature between a black and white car when sitting in the sun, they are both freakin hot! This is my second black RL, and I also currently have another Black car and a silver car. The two black ones look much better than any other color IMO.

I have done a full Zanio detail after about 6 months of ownership and believe it looks better now than when I bought it. The paint is very smooth and looks great. Although a wax does protect the car I will always remove tree sap, bird crap and other similar items as soon as I notice them on the car as they can work there way through the best of waxes. I just use a wet paper towel and lightly wipe the spot off. I almost never wash my car more than one a week and will often wash every other week during the summer when there is no rain.

If you are the type that is only going to wash the car once a month, I would definitely go with a silver or similar color.

 

I love black cars. Nothing better than a clean black car. I just sold a Black 2001 BMW 740iL (great car - repair bills ridiculous) and bought a Nighthawk Black Pearl 2006 RL w/ Parchment.

I park it in the garage. I wash it about once a week and it looks great. I also a California Car Duster (wouldn’t be without one) It does an excellent job of keeping the dust off between washings.

On my BMW I did a full Zanio detail and it looked great. It also makes it much easier to keep clean between washings. Zanio is awesome. I never wash my car more than one a week and will often wash it every other week when it doesn’t rain.