I'm thinking about purchasing a NHB gen3 TL.. Probably 2006-2008... The only thing that is holding me back on getting this color is the fact that it's hard to keep clean. But once it's cleaned and washed.. man, it looks sexy!

For those that own or owned Black color cars. What are your tips & secrets on keeping the car looking fresh? Any different techniques? Products?

Thanks!

 

garage, or street?

 

Clean as you go.

 

buy a different color

as you said looks amazing when clean, but does not hide jack shit

 

Wash it every week with proper technique and quality products, use good LSP and accept the fact that if you look closely, you will ALWAYS be able to find faults. Be "Zen" about it...

 

Yep...a black TL is high risk/High reward.

Like stogie said. Wash regularly, using good products and technique. Look around this (wash & wax) forum there is a ton of info on here.

 

Black paint is not a colour, its a part-time job (Anon)

 

dont drive it and keep it covered....

 

X2 ... ^ thats the only way

 

Resist the urge to QD it or wipe the dust off.

 

Tips? Leave it in your garage and drive around in another car

I just bought a black TSX and literally a minute after waxing my car it was covered in pollen.. You just have to accept the fact that black shows everything, but it still is the best color IMO

I may get a foam gun or cannon to use in between waxings. Should make it easier to keep it cleaner without having to always do in depth washing/waxing.

 

Thats not going to help at all . All the cannon/gun does is squirt foam all over it .. you still have to wash & dry it.

You don't have to wax all the time .. Use a good sealant and it will last a few months.

 

At the black = work comments. Fact is that every car is the same when it comes to how dirty/clean they are. You just can't notice it as easily on other colors...but it's still there.

Like I said black = high risk/HIGH REWARD.

 

I thought the purpose of the foam gun was to help lift dirt from the surface before contacting the paint with a wash mit, therby reducing the risk of scratching/swirls.

 

I'll never buy another black car! (Interior or exterior). Too hot and hard to keep clean.

 

don't use a brush when you was it, it creates scratches.

 

It won't lift it ... what it may do is soften the bond of the dirt.

I tried one for a while and gave up on it. Unless you have total shade and a cool time of the day the foam tends to dry on the car.

I have yet to swirl my cars by washing and drying .. You just need the proper mitt and drying towels and wash the dirt off don't scrub.

 

This will help to keep the car less swirly, but it'll also help keep the car looking dirty.

 

True .. but what would you prefer .. a car that looks a little dusty occasionally or eventually one that looks like crap even when clean?

 

Providing the wash concentrate used contains a surfactant, the above is correct

 

Actually, he prefers to pay me once a year, lol.

 

I know it won't wash it, but it's mainly just to get the pollen off my car, which is really pointless anyway. Using a foam gun has to accomplish more than just spraying the car down with water from a hose.

 

Quality Products and Proper Technique...

 

Is this listed on the bottle? Examples please.

 

Optimum (inc ONR)

Check the MSDS for Sodium laureth sulphate, or sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) a foaming agent, Dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid

Surfactants in detergents

Notice that surfactants actually reduce the surface tension of water by a factor of three or more. A detergent is an effective cleaning product because it contains one or more surfactants. Because of their chemical makeup, the surfactants used in detergents can be engineered to perform well under a variety of conditions. Such surfactants are less sensitive than soap to the hardness minerals in water and most will not form a film.

Detergent surfactants were developed in response to a shortage of animal and vegetable fats and oils during World War I and World War II. In addition, a substance that was resistant to hard water was needed to make cleaning more effective. At that time, petroleum was found to be a plentiful source for the manufacture of these surfactants.

Surfactants are common to both washing-up liquids and car care products; namely Sodium laureth sulphate, or sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) a foaming agent, Dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid (neutralised with Sodium Hydroxide, Triethanolamine or Isopropanolamine).

Detergent surfactants are made from a variety of petrochemicals (derived from petroleum) and/or oleo chemicals (derived from fats and oils). Petrochemicals and Oleo chemicals like the fatty acids used in soap making, both petroleum and fats and oils contain hydrocarbon chains that are repelled by water but attracted to oil and grease in soils.

These hydrocarbon chain sources are used to make the water-hating end of the surfactant molecule. Other Chemicals, such as sulphur trioxide, sulphuric acid and ethylene oxide, are used to produce the water-loving end of the surfactant molecule.

All surfactants have the following features: they make the removal of dirt easier by reducing the surface tension between the water and the paint surface, they produce foam, and this foam suspends dirt and stops it from being re-deposited.

 

I don't think ONR is suited for a foam gun. As it doesn't suds