Magnetic Black 370z owners please help
 

I just bought a 2009 370z one month ago. I have never had a black car, always silvers, but I loved the way the 370 looks in black. Are there any special cleaning , waxing, protecting products geared toward black paint.
I found a turtle wax detailing spray for black that works really well but is there anything else out there. It sure is hard to keep up with the pollen , bug spatteres, bird droppings, etc with this color. I have a couple of small bug hits that I can't seem to get out and its driving me nuts. Thanks

Same situation here...luckily i found a local detailer who is willing to take care of all the issues you brought up for a small fee on a monthly basis...just picked up my car 2 days ago and it looks better then new...black is such a bitch to take care of my friend...best of luck

With mine, I find that you have to keep it waxed, period. Then its a matter of always keeping it clean. I realize I may be stating the obvious but it is true. My investment in a California Duster for 20 bucks has been invaluable in helping keep my Z looking good. It takes just a few seconds to lift all the pollen and dust off and keeps your car looking great! Black does look awesome when clean.

Black cars = another part time Job.

Zaino or adams period. you will never achieve a shine like them from off the shelf. google Zaino and adams is a forum sponser. also good info from the junkman on here about how to detail a car.

:bowrofl: So true...but its so dang sexy!!!

Get some Adams and call it a day!! They are very user friendly, spend less time detailing and more time on the road. Its hard on a black car to begin with... but its worth it!

So true...but its so dang sexy!!![/QUOTE]


:iagree:

:iagree: Zaino ftw

I have a Black Cherry Z. Bug guts are a definite problem. 24 hours on the nose of the car and the remains will etch the clear coat, even if sealed and waxed. Then it's clay bar followed by some time with the Porter Cable/Adams polishes (SSR -> SWH -> FMP). Often, I can skip the SSR.

I don't know anything about Zaino's, but Adam's rocks and the Porter Cable with some kind of machine polishing set is a must if you have a dark car.

^^^Agree!

Agreed, keeping it clean and waxed is super important. The longer stuff, including water spots, is on the car, the harder they are to get off. Its like they melt into the paint. It is important that you wash very gently with good technique to avoid swirls which really show in the black.

You may want to give yourself a fresh start by claying the car and using Dawn to take off the old wax. I use only Zaino products (not saying that they are the best out there, but they work for me). Your bugs might come off with Zaino All in One. If not, use their Z-PC or similar.

Do check the sticky posts, lots of good data.

Water spots are an issue especially on black, and especially on the hood which gets super hot. If water dries on the hood, wash within a day or two. I left some on for 6 days and they were extremely difficult to remove.

This is my program/ suggestions:

Never wash the car in the sun. I wash my car inside my garage.

Start with lots of water. This should take off most of the dirt so scrubbing is unnecessary. Never scrub. While spraying water, I use my hand to gently wipe the dirt off the rocker panels. The car is mostly clean at that point. Use a grit guard.

Try to never let anything, except microfiber during washing or waxing, touch the paint.

Dry with a leaf blower & compressed air if you have it. Then microfiber.
Slide a folded paper towel inside the mirrors to get the water out, otherwise the mirror water will blow onto the car. Use a vac to suck the water out of the weep holes at the bottoms of the doors.

Let me know if any questions, I'll try to help.

I really found Junkman's video series helpful in understanding the entire concept of paint correction and maintenance, dealing with dust, bugs, scratches, swirls, and water spots. There are three different categories of paint problems, magnified on a black or dark car....dust/pollen, bugs/waterspots, and paint swirls. All three categories are going to happen, and in the cases of the latter two, a machine will often be required to correct.

Dust and pollen responds well to a California Duster, but when a bug corpse etches the clear coat, scrubbing with soap will often not only not solve the clear coat problem but it will add the problems of paint scratching, micro-marring, and swirling from the scrubbing done to try to clean it up. I don't even try to do it by hand anymore, I wash it and then go right to the Porter Cable. I was put in mind of this yesterday as I was trying to address some really horrible bug staining on the front exposure of my Black Cherry Z. It took me about 45 minutes, addressed the bug staining AND the inevitable micro-marring and swirling that occurs on a car that hasn't been polished in 6 months and is especially visable on a dark-colored car.

^^ Good write up. I use a similar method when I wash mine, never letting anything but microfiber towels/pads touch the car. I really like the Zaino snow white towels. When I dry/apply product, I apply top of the car to bottom. On the top surfaces, dry/apply in a horizontal manner (just like the wind would move over the car). On the vertical surfaces, apply top to bottom. I always wipe in a single direction. If dust/dirt is still present after you wash, wiping in a circular motion will move the particles around in a circle - creating the swirls you see in the clear coat. Circular swirls are visible from 360*. Vertical/horizontal scratches can only be seen from 2 angles.

Another tip - NEVER touch/wipe the paint if there is dust on the car. Not even with a single finger. This will scratch your clear coat. I cringe when I see people wiping down their cars when they're dirty.

Where do you live? I'm a car detailer with a lot of experience. I just bought an 09 silver 370z. Doesn't have the depth of black paint, but MUCH easier to maintain.