jungy4

My familiy and I have never owned a black car before and I came across some NBP TL's that I might consider.

Is this good durable paint? I see a lot of cheaper cars with black paint and they look like crap considering they only look 4-5 years old. So what do you all do to keep this paint look good for a long time? I currently own a silver car and it's extremly easy to maintain.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

NBP paint isn't "cheap".

But, you WILL have to clean it CONSTANTLY to keep it clean.

NAiL05

its a nice paint. I like it but if you dont maintain it it will bite back at you. Plus swirls and so on will show up easier. Black paint is one of the hardest to maintain and look good. But when you get it right it sure does look good.

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

+1
It's a constant battle to keep it clean....but when it is, it looks fantastic (for about 5 minutes, before it gets dirty again!).

With that said, the quality of the Acura paintjob isn't that great, IMO.....major orange peel which is unacceptable for a factory finish on a $50K (CAD) car.

jungy4

So what do you guys do? Sounds like going thru automatic car washes twice a month won't cut it?

JwongTLS

wash the car once a week

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

I have bought about $800 worth (and counting) of detailing equipment and supplies, and I research in the "Wash & Wax" section of this forum along with other detailing forums like Autopia.org in order to maintain the best finish that I can.

For me, that means bi-annual wax stripping, claybarring, polishing and waxing....with regular washing/detailing sessions in between. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it and the results...

NCTL05

iTrader: (9)

This is true. I notice the orange peel too on mine. I is a ripple in the paint. You would expect to see yourself in the flat door panel like a mirror, but you only see yourself a little ripply.

However, I do like this color very much. It will look blue under flourescent lights.

It takes a different skillset to wash a black car.

Rule#1 Never wash the car in direct sunlight. If you have to wash it during the day then do it under cover. Best time to wash the car is during the sunset. Just enough light to see what you're doing, but not enough to cause hard to remove water spots.

Rule#2 Keep it wet. You must keep the whole car soaked until you get ready to dry it. Wash an area, rinse the area+rinse the whole car=no water spots. Especially on windows.

Rule #3 Dry it quick. Use a leather chamois to get off most of the heavy water. Then use a microfiber towel to dry it off. Do roof and windows first. Then the top of the trunk lid and spoiler and hood next. Then the front and rear bumper and sides last.

You can wash any other color car however you want and it won't matter. A black car will develop water spots quicker because the black paint absorbs the sunlight and any other heat and heats the surface so fast that it can cause the water to evaporate super fast leaving horrendous water spots that would defeat the purpose of you washing the car. This would ruin your day.

dohboy

I say if that's all you're wanting to do then avoid NBP and go for something like WDP that at least "looks" cleaner when it's not. Good luck!

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

2 bucket method, clean tires/wheels first, rinse car, clean car with car soap, first clean top, front, back, side to side, than rinse, than dry in the same order with microfiber towel. Wax if needed after. (Polish/Clay/Wax once every 6 months). Though NBP is hard to maintain, having a car that is hard to maintain will teach you a whole lot about maintaining your car in the future, and your aptitude to try to learn about anything in life.

Get the NBP, you won't be dissapointed.

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

automatic car washes are going to swirl the black paint more than a gentle hand wash. if you want to use automatic car washes go with a lighter color which won't show swirls. most all newer cars paint is pretty thin due to the companies switching to a more environmentally friendly paint formula. i love my car but the paint scratches pretty easily...i'm sure infiniti guys will tell you the same thing.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Once you have owned a black car, you'll never own another if you're fussy, or unless you want to spend a great deal of time cleaning and detailing the paint. They look fantastic when cleaned, as long as there are not swirls in the paint, but it will show every imperfection. As said before, a color like white will look great, at least to a certain degree, even when it's due for a wash/wax.

arrogantbastard

Two words: High Maintenance.
If you're a run it through the auto car wash once a month type of guy, that's not going to cut it on NBP. My 02 RSX is NBP and I can relate to all of the other posts on the maintenance. Black is also very unforgiving of any imperfections - every little ding and scratch is amplified.
The paint is beautiful when kept clean, polished, waxed, and swirl-free. There's nothing sexier than NBP for the 10 minutes that it stays clean after an 8-hour detailing session.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Also make sure the Auto Car Wash you bring it too is not a run down place. You need a good place that has a No-Touch Wash than when they dry the car make sure they use microfiber towels. Now it can be hard to find these places especially without paying the same price you would have another place, but at the end it is worth it. You could also spend an hour and $5.00 (but you also have to buy some microfiber towels) and clean your car at a self-service wash. If you ever need the help in cleaning, always check the Wash and Wax section on AZ. Good people to help you out there.

I hate cars

To address the durability question, no it is not. From what I heard, it's no worse than most other new cars including BMW. I used mine for commuting for the first 70K miles. This, I found out is much harder on the paint than city driving. My black car was starting to look grey from all of the thousands of chips on the front end. I stayed far away from diesels and rear bumpers of cars. I got the bumper, fenders, and hood repainted. I replaced the windshield and front grill too.

I don't think Acura is worse than other new cars, as the bodyshop explained it, with the newer mandated paints it's just the name of the game. My friend that bought a black IS350 at the same time with only 11,000 miles right now is having chipping problems too. Thank the EPA.

As for upkeep it's not too bad. I hand wash mine unless I don't have the time. As was stated, keep it out of direct sunlight while washing and don't let it dry. Really, rules that should be followed for any color.

CriminalKillJoy

I have never owned a black car prior to my TL...it's a pain but if you do it right, it looks beautiful after every wash. I wash mine once a week, in the dark, and only if the car is cool. It might just be the type of water we have out here in Cali, but I find that just letting the hose water run onto the car is best...or the shower mode on the hose nozzle. Never liked the jet or automatic car wash because the pressure just sounds abusive on your car. Use a soft sponge, not the same one you use for the tires either.

The secret for me is after every wash I alternate between the Meguiars Quick Was, or the Meguiars wipe and shine immediately following me drying the car. It eliminates the swirls that may be brought out when you washed the car.

It's time consuming but after it's said and done, the NBP looks beautiful against any black car I pull up to on the street.

j1n

iTrader: (1)

Stay away form auto car washes unless its touchless.

wash with a micro fiber wash mit. nothing should touch the car unless its micro fiber.

wash once a week or every other week.

also use a sealant to protect. its much better than wax and is alot easier to put on / take off than wax. i use 4 star UPP.

Also detail / paint correction once a year to get rid of small scratches and swirls.

im pretty anal about keeping the car clean.

flyromeo3

well lets just say. When I wash my NBP TL It takes me 3-4 hours.
This excludes waxing the car but, you have to keep the car consistently wet.
When I wash my S4, it takes me about an hour. Guess Yellow is easier to maintain than blk.

ross7778

I love the look of my car when it's freshly washed but that lasts about 20 minutes. I won't buy another black car again.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

Let me just say this....My NBP TL made me NEVER want to buy a Black car again.

ACE32TL

iTrader: (3)

lol, i feel the same way. This is my first and last black car.

Etohprn247

iTrader: (6)

Great color etc. Look really nice when CLEANED.
BUT AS SOON AS YOU CLEAN IT AND ALL THAT HARD WORK.



Some STUPID BIRD will find that shinyass car and SHYT ON IT. Cuz that's what birds are design to do shyt on shiny objects I swear on it!

TlYungGun9

All i can say is that i'm getting a full paint job next month!

blakura

+1, that's my method 100% this way, the car doesn't spot up while you clean the tires last like most car washers, unless you choose to completely wash and dry the car then clean the wheels and tires, but then you'd have to redry areas that get splashed from rinsing the tires.

subinf

I don't really care for Acura's paint quality. That said, it isn't hard to keep it looking very nice even after a few years.

I clay mine 3 or 4x a year.

Waveform

It takes effort to keep it looking good... This stuff makes it look great!
www.zainostore.com

T0L8

I don't find owning a NBP TL all that bad, despite it being my first black car. Wash twice monthly. Park in the sun all day, garage at night/weekends. After two years, it still looks good after a wash. It has not been waxed/polished even once. It looks dirty quicker than other colors, but it also looks a lot better than other colors when clean.

ballerjai

I don't think it's cheap paint, IMO NBP is the sexiest color, but one of the hardest to maintain. Even after a long two hour wash, you can start seeing particles sticking onto your car again.

dj5

I have had five black vehicles. Currently have the NBP TL and my wife has a NBP Honda Pilot. In order to keep a black vehicle looking nice it does take a lot more work, but when clean there is no better looking color. I hand wash each vehicle at least once a week and wax every other month. I have tried Zaino products, but I find the Meguairs NXT 2.0 works just as well. I don't know what you guys do when it take you 2-3 hours to wash; with the help of my 12 year old son, we can wash, dry, clean the windows, apply tire shine, and go over the cars with Meguairs final detail all in about an hour.

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

It may not be cheap paint, but the method of application sucks...hence the orange peel.

xtcxjigga

iTrader: (1)

great paint and looks amazing but the clear coat sucks and swirls easily. after washing the car, the way I dry is use a big m/f drying towel and spray some f/k pink (detailer) to avoid marring of the paint.

shooter

NBP looks awesome if you have the time & patience to take care of it on a regular basis ... I used to have both, but kids took my time & patience away from cars, so I defected to, well at least not WDP lol, silver color instead ...

shooter

Looking forward to the days when my kids can help me with these ... then maybe I will think about rejoining the NBP clan again ...

Yonkers914

iTrader: (1)

IT'S SIMPLE!! If you enjoying cleaning and detailing your car get black!! The easy way out=White. My old TL SSM was easy to maintain, my new TL a pain in the ass but more rewarding IMO.

Mr.President

I don't have a NBP.... I have AM..... but REGARDless of what color car you have.... if you want it to look good and paint to last long.... wash everyweek........ thats what I do and my whip looks like I bought it yesturday.....

Souljah

I love my NBP and wouldn't want it any other way. Was ONLY looking for black when I was in the market. By far the best color. Bias opinion of course.

Although I will not disagree, hard to keep her clean. But when she shines...