FASTFJR

I've never owned a dark colored car before. I'll be acquiring a Saab 9-3 convertible in black. I'm looking for suggestions on what to use on the paint finish. Former owner has no idea, he has always had it professionally detailed since new

Thanks

spraynet 1

IMO....any good wax, or polish will due. Can't go wrong with any "Mcguires product". (Spelling)

Brashanic

McGuire gold liquid.

MAS1981

There are some "black waxes" on the market but they are basically a wax with some black dyes and oils in them.

Your best bet is to clay bar, lightly polish out any swirls and then use a quality wax. I tried the black waxes and they protect no better than a standard wax but make more of a mess.

I recommend chemical guys. I use their light clay bar, then all in one polish and sealant with a white pad, then finally butter wax with a black pad.

Spend the time to correct the paint once and going forward use a two bucket method to wash and blow dry.

bellsisland

I would clay bar it, then apply ultima paint guard plus

http://www.autogeek.net/ultima-paint-guard-plus.html

Jimm

Read Autogeek.com. So much info, you will go,crazy

FASTFJR

Thanks for the info, I'm a huge fan of Ulitma Paint Guard, I just did both our cars last weekend. I was not sure how it would look / act on black

budbrande

Dark colored vehicles require a little more effort to maintain a spotless swirl free appearance. It isn't impossible if you take the time and do it right. Having owned several dark colored cars here are a few simple tricks I learned along the way to keep the finish looking like new.

Here is a list of a few things I would recommend for your car cleaning inventory.

1. Inexpensive electric pressure washer.
2. Clay Bar and Spray Detailer
3. Meguiar's DA Polishing System (Drill attachment style is fine)
4. Meguiar's Scratch X
5. Any good quality wax. (Meguiar's Ultimate is easy to apply and remove.)
6. Microfiber Towels, Polishing Cloth, Foam applicator pads for wax

When washing the car I like to use an electric pressure washer to go over the vehicle before ever touching it with a microfiber wash cloth. This helps to remove debris that may be stuck to the vehicle surface and lessen the risk of debris getting stuck in the cloth and scratching the finish. For contaminants and debris that are stuck to the vehicle a clay bar makes for easier and safe removal. You never want to use serious scrubbing power on a painted surface as that is how you develop scratches in the finish. Also try and wash the vehicle in a shaded location and do not allow water to dry on the surface as you are washing even it that means wetting the entire vehicle down again.

Once the vehicle is clean, dry it off. I prefer using an Absorber extra large drying towel. Prior to use take it to the sink and wet it then wring it out. Again, no hard rubbing. Lay it on the surface and pull it across. On the sides of the vehicle you can rub gently in an up and down motion but gentle is the key.

Once dry feel the surface lightly with your hand for any contaminants you may have missed. Use Spray Detailer and the Clay bar to remove anything remaining on the surface. Carefully look over the surface for any scratches or swirl marks. The Meguiar's DA polisher and Scratch X can be used to remove most imperfections in the finish. Meguiar's makes a compound polishing pad for the DA system but I would not recommend it as the plain polishing pad does just fine with less risk of surface damage. Again, there is no reason to use excessive pressure, let the tool do the work.

After getting the surface cleaned and prepped you are now ready to wax. When applying wax to the surface use a back and forth stroke and do not go in circles. This reduces the risk of swirl marks. On top surfaces go front to back and on the sides go up and down. No need for excessive force when applying wax. Let it dry and buff it off. Do sections one at a time. I always start on the roof, hood, trunk, and then work my way down each side doing one section at a time.

To maintain the vehicle I have a California Car Duster and "gently" dust the vehicle off each day. Again, I don't use any force when doing this. Once it rains, the vehicle gets washed as in step one. One word of caution with the California Car Duster. Once it starts getting soiled and dirty looking I toss it in the trash and get another one. I average about two years out of one before it gets thrown away. Some people claim they will scratch the surface but I have never had one scratch my vehicle. Then again, I don't keep using them for five years either!

Anyway, I realize this was more that you were asking but I figured I would throw it out there. On a side note another good line of care care products is Zaino. You can achieve great results with their system but it is a lot of work in the beginning because you must strip the existing wax or polish off of the vehicle before using their product. I don't mind because I enjoy cleaning my vehicle but is isn't for everyone.

Fatherof4

I have a 2016 BLACK GMC 2500 HD. Liquid NuFinish in a bottle. Use it on all veh and boats.

bellsisland

I recently did a little test I waxed the front half of my truck with 3m boat wax, the back half with mequires nxt.

The 3m is till beading great after a couple of months, the meguires nxt not so much.

FASTFJR

Great info! Thanks guys!

mikefloyd

For black vehicles, and I've owned a bunch, I only use Meguiars Black Wax Paste and a good random orbital polisher and finish with a microfiber. Will not leave swirl marks.

http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-black-wax.html

slr

Zaino products are absolutely amazing. A little pricey but results that will make people look at your vehicle. Check his website.

DirtBusters

Poorboys World Products Black hole glaze topped with their EX P sealant. You will not go wrong here.

JoCo34

The only way is to ceramic coat it. I had my black ZL-1 done,absolutely perfect. No maintenance, rinse, blow it with a blower and go. 5 year warranty.

kmoose

The last truck I bought was black and I sold it after 5 months due to the paint maintenance. It was the most beautiful vehicle I ever owned and the dirtiest 1 day later. If I was forced to own a black truck again I would have it LineXed.

Fish'nFool

BLACK FIRE WET DIAMOND

But first polish it to get rid of the swirls.

woopass

Rejex on everything!

jrolin1

I use Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax on my black car. Works great and is long lasting. That is also the last black car I will buy. Nothing looks better than a clean polished black car. Nothing gets dirtier faster than a clean black car.

SirFer

Ceramic coating all the way for a black/dark car.

I always had black or dark colored cars and have tried basically every wax out there and none of them seemed to last well.

Ultima Paint Guard + was what I had the best luck with, but that still had to be re-applied.

I've had my last two cars ceramic coated and the difference is incredible. No more wax, and over a year later water still beads right off. My detailer told me that the best way to wash it is to park it in the rain for a bit then go drive it to dry it off and it works.