PortlandRL

Oi...black cars. They are impossible to clean and keep clean. I splurged on two of our cars this weekend, the RL included. I got a pack of three microfiber wash mitts that don't swirl or scratch the paint as well as a cheap, standard-fare mitt for the wheels.

This was my first experience with clay bar and I got it from Meguiar's in a whole kit that included two clay bars, the lubricant spray (Quik-Detail), and a soft microfiber cloth to wipe off the excess spray. Even though we've only had our RL since December and it is ALWAYS garaged, I got an amazing amount of gunk off with that clay bar especially the hood, roof, and trunk.

Then with the polish and our buffer, the paint looks real deep and is smooth as glass. Very impressive results. Don't want to take it out of the garage because I know the birds are just waiting for it to leave....

TampaRLX-SH

Black is amazing when polished and for the 11 seconds afterward. Even the OBP on my RL is dark enough I find myself chasing lint and dust in the final detail.

I have found using a quick detail spray after every wash really keeps the wax holding up slick and glossy. Further, the dirt tends to rinse off easily. I also believe it leaves just enough barrier to prevent normal dirt and grime from swirling the paint as we wash...it just glides off. Its worth the extra 15 minutes after each wash as opposed to claying off build up more than once a year. I am pleased with the lack of swirls on my RL. But it seems the best protection is to use good quality cloths and be sure not to pick up any grit or sand you can grind into the finish.

I clayed my RL when it was new and will do again after the summer heat and rain. But I do the front and rear facias periodically as both seem to be magnets for debris, bugs and road grime.

I love black cars...when someone else maintains them!

PortlandRL

Ha ha....more like 5 seconds. It hasn't left the garage and I'm still finding fall-out on it. Where is this coming from????

TampaRLX-SH

dandruff?


*ducking*

vluu

I have a black RL as well. It's a love and hate relationship! When it's clean... I "love" it and just like you guys said, after a few seconds.... you "hate" the fact you have a black car. Well, I've had my car since Nov. 2006 and have not done a real "detail" clean on my RL yet. I wanted use the clay bar and saw this new "Ice" product by Turtlewax. It was called Liquid Clay Bar....thought it would be easier to use and the traditional clay bar. To make a long story short, it did remove a lot of the crap that was on the car, but after applying it, the only way to remove it, was to rewash the car again. So, basically I had to wash the car twice...what a pain! I wouldn't recommend using this to anyone, but the "Ice" wax that I used afterwards was great! Left an incredible shine and was very easy to apply and remove. It went on clear and came off the same way. This is really the reason I wanted to try this product.

Anyway....I feel everyone's pain when they mention they have a black or dark colored car.

vluu

Here are a few pics after the Ice Clay Bar and Ice Synthetic Wax. Total time out there.... about 4 hours.

TampaRLX-SH

Did ya ever notice that it is the shiny cars taking up 3 parking spaces?

Maybe there is a market for a wax or polish that positively charges the car's finish to repel dust and lint?

Maybe we can get Inatech on the job? (I love "Office Space"...I have 3 RED Boston Swingline Staplers!)

vluu

Yeah, my car is the one parked about 20 yards from any other in the parking lot at work.

If you could invent a wax/polish that could do what you mentioned....you would be super rich. Until then... my "California Duster" is my best friend after a wash and wax. It can really strench out the shine for a week or so.

Mike_TX

Dang, Vluu!!! That looks great. I might have to get some of that Ice wax!

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PortlandRL

Since we're showing off how perfect we can get our black and blue cars looking...here is the result of nearly 12 hours of work spread over two days. I know. I have no life. I would have taken it somewhere nice but it's my dad's car and he's out of town so I know the mileage has been logged. I like living....

One thing I will say is that you can definitely tell if you've clayed one section and not polished it because it has a smoky haze on the paint that really shows up in the sun.

PortlandRL

Oh yes...just remembered. For those of you wanting to get your door sills looking nice, leather cleaner works a treat. Hides the scuffs and scratches beautifully. Also did a wonderful job removing the 'oops' kick marks on the inner door panel.

jftjr

And that's exactly why I bought Lakeshore Silver.

Beautiful job on the cars, fellas. No way I have time for that kind of labor anymore, though.

IMHO, there'd be a hell of a lot less kickmarks on the inner door panels if the freakin' doors stayed open.... since they close shut on the slightest of inclines (and they're heavy, causing large amounts of shin damage...) they're always being kicked open.

Oh, and TampaRL... you just have to ask yourself... "IS THIS GOOD FOR THE COMPANY?" Yeah. Okay. Ummm.... yeah. Why don't you just, um, go ahead, and take care of that, mmmkay? Yeah. And I'll see that you get another copy of that memo.

TampaRLX-SH

Indeed silver, charcoal, beige , pearl white colors hide more dust lint and superficial scratches. I originally wanted Meteor Silver for that reason but Opulent Blue Pearl was available for the deal I got. I love it, except for the dark color syndrome!

Similarly I am thrilled with the Taupe interior. Virtually no dust / lint shows on the leather. Still I have my microfiber cloth in the console for stoplight dash dusting.

And the company manual says I may play my radio at an acceptable level between 9am and 11am.

vluu

Same thing here. My first choice was Silver...then Gray.... and last choice was Black. Well, I ended up with the black b/c of the deal as well. There are times I just regret it going with the black, but honestly..... you just have to love a clean sparkling black or dark colored car. It will just really turn some heads! Although, this is my second black car I have owned, it will definitely be my last! Last time was when I was single and 24 years old... and didn't have a life. Now married with 2 kids, I can't spend 4-5 hours on the weekends with my car...although, I would love to... but not fair to the family. Time is so precious! Next car will be a light color for easy maintenance!

TampaRLX-SH

Two Kids vluu? Sounds like there are two personal detail specialists in your future! Ya know, it is never too early to start training them. One benefit of the short ones is they can do wheels and lower body panels without the knee strain.

vluu

One is 3 years old and the other is 3 months. I don't think the 3 month will be doing any detailing anytime soon. As for the other one... she wants to get out there with daddy when I'm doing the detailing. Only thing, last time she was trying to help...instead of using a sponge to clean the car, she was whacking my RL front bumper with the tire brush. So.... not a good idea? I think I'll leave the RL detailing to just me... but she can definitely help with mom's mini-van. Just kidding!

vluu

Dude... that's some serious cleaning! I think my max for some old cars was around 10 hours. You must be single with no kids..... enjoy your "I have no life"! It's really 'no life" when you are married and have kids. Btw, nice work on your car!

PortlandRL

I used to work detail for a Land Rover dealer and notice things others probably would never even pick up on. I finally gave up.

"O...Okay...that's the last straw. I....I....I'll burn the building down."

TampaRLX-SH

Did you ever scratch your head and wonder why a Range Rover is getting a full bling detail and it has a brush guard on the front? Do you think it would ever need to fend off more than a doomed insect on a highway or fend off a drunk falling out a 'be-seen' club?

And can I tak to your about your pieces of flair? Fifteen pieces is the minimum, but you see Bobby over there? He has over 30 pieces of flair.

Time for some pizza shooters.

PortlandRL

Actually most of the detail work I did was for delivery prep. Most of the cars that got accessories (Land Rover 'kit' items) did so after purchase. That's most of them. Regardless though, I doubt most of them will go much farther "off-road" than a gravel driveway out in the boonies although I've seen what they can do and they're very impressive off-road machines.

Now...about your TPS reports. You see we're putting the cover sheets on all TPS reports now before they go out so if you could do that for us that would be greeaat. Mmmkay? Thanks.

gdevine

Costco carries the Turtle wax ice polish in a kit for around $18. It is so easy to apply and really does have great results. Then they have a product enclosed in the kit, Ice detailer, to apply between major polishings.

2005rl

Bought the Ice Detailer the other day cause I was running low on Zaino. Tried it on a small 4" spot. Didn't like the non slippery "feel" of the surface after. Used up the last of Zaino Bros. I guess the feel I'm looking for would be if you slid a micro fiber cloth down the hood. Would it slide all the way off or would it stop half way?

For Trade: one bottle of Ice for one bottle of Zaino.

vluu

Yeah, that's where I bought mine. Comes with a nice microfiber towel and application sponge too. Great deal!

vluu

I have never used Zaino before..but I hear it's one of the best! Maybe I'll try it in 6 months when I have to do this all over again. I really gave Ice wax a try b/c of the ease of applying and removing it. Still, I'm satisfied with my results.