ugh, I just spent hours cleaning the car, you know the whole 9 yards... from claying it to waxing, then a while on the inside...

car looked NICE... so I go to work etc. and right behind the wheel on the fender there is just dirt/mud... some mud flaps would help, but they are ugly as hell...

ugh :( this sucks :(

I guess I'm the only one who owns a black car here :D

My dads 540 is pretty bad

It happens.

IT's the price you pay for owning a black car. But then again except near high noon, a black car is the sexiest car 20 hours out of the day

I have a black 99' 528i, and I seem to always get a thin coat of light-brown dust across the entire part of the car, and I can't figure out where it's coming from. From far away you can't notice the dust, but when waling up to get into it, I can easily see it.

What wax do you guys use by the way. I bought some Mother's wax for my previous car (Ford Focus), but didn't have a chance to wax it as I traded in that car for this one, and I want to have some of the paint touched up on this car, before I wax it. Also, does that BMW touch-up solution work? What kind of scratches?

I know owning a black car is hard...
But once it you get it clean and shiny and stuff...
It's the best color out there.

I see it as a challenge haha...

-Randy

Yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with my car. Washed/Clayed/Waxed = Sex, Dirty/Swirled = embarassment

You think that's bad.

The real issue with black is:

Doing a full wash/clay/polish/wax, etc is the single most effective raindance known to man.

except near high noon, a black car is the sexiest car 20 hours out of the day

YES!!! +1!!

IT's the price you pay for owning a black car. But then again except near high noon, a black car is the sexiest car 20 hours out of the day

When you have no swirl marks a black car is the sexiest car 24 hours a day...

-Randy

as stated above, it's true it is a love/hate relationship with a black car. Even though black car can look ugly when dirty, but when they are waxed/polished they are probably the hottest color out there. BLACK BMW, I wouldn't have it any other way.

i will never buy a black car unless its a rediculously sweet deal, the black 328 is covered with swirls but most of the time you cant even see them cuz its covered with gravel dust. AVUS BLUE next time :D, that, imo, is one of the hottest colors for a newer bimmer

Black is nice:)

I dont think ill ever buy a black car again, mine looked so amazing after i cleaned it, then i would take it for a drive and it would start looking dirty again to me. I would be constantly going over with a microfiber cloth. My next car will be white, its true though that nothing looks better when detailed, but its just too much work.

I had buyer's remorse when I first bought the black m coupe then I just got into the routine of washing it 1-2 times a week and cleaning the wheels 2-3 times a week (actually makes the car look quite a bit cleaner). You just cant beat the clean black shine :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/go328/CIMG0055.jpg

You think that's bad.

The real issue with black is:

Doing a full wash/clay/polish/wax, etc is the single most effective raindance known to man.

:lol so true!!!

Black also shows small dings from rocks the worst... :(

Black is the best...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=521891
Many of the cars there are black.
My car = post #4 (Had the cold mist syndrome on top)...but not as shiny as the car in post #33

OMG that car made me love black even more...

S52Mcpe...Whenever I see pics of your car too...
so cool...

-Randy

I dont think ill ever buy a black car again, mine looked so amazing after i cleaned it, then i would take it for a drive and it would start looking dirty again to me. I would be constantly going over with a microfiber cloth. My next car will be white, its true though that nothing looks better when detailed, but its just too much work.

i will never buy a black car unless its a rediculously sweet deal, the black 328 is covered with swirls but most of the time you cant even see them cuz its covered with gravel dust. AVUS BLUE next time :D, that, imo, is one of the hottest colors for a newer bimmer

I will always buy a black car.

Black is elegant but is very high maintenance. White FTW! :buttrock

black, well cosmos, is one of the most awesome color imo. i just love how black cars look when they are properly cleaned. no other color does that for me, except this steel gray that i have at the moment becuase of the hint of purple in it. hope to own a cosmos again in the future.

My car is black. I swear its NEVER clean


BUT

If it is, Black is the most gorgeous color if shined and waxed right.

Mine's black, and as long as I use the california car duster to dust it off each afternoon/evening before the dew forms a layer dirty layer that has to be washed off, the car looks awesome. An minute of dusting saves an hour (or two) of washing and waxing.

I'll probably end up choosing silver or red for my next car though, the black's a little too much work. I have admiration for anyone who sticks with it though.

My family has 4 black and only black cars. I have to agree, i love the look of a beautiful black car.

Mine's black, and as long as I use the california car duster to dust it off each afternoon/evening before the dew forms a layer dirty layer that has to be washed off, the car looks awesome. An minute of dusting saves an hour (or two) of washing and waxing.

I'll probably end up choosing silver or red for my next car though, the black's a little too much work. I have admiration for anyone who sticks with it though.

Youve discovered one of the biggest secrets to keeping cars clean, and its NOT just black cars. I avoid those countless spots you get when water, or someone's washer overspray, whatever, hits the white car by dusting it every time before I take it out. Since I discovered that, it cuts my wash requirements tremendously.

mmmmm . . . Just polished and added 3 coats of wax by hand... its "gleaming" in the driveway.

anyways, I will ALWAYS own a black car, they are so sexy

amen.

mmmmm . . . Just polished and added 3 coats of wax by hand... its "gleaming" in the driveway.

anyways, I will ALWAYS own a black car, they are so sexy
+1



white cars very easy to maintain? NO?

Kinda on topic/ kinda not....

I spent the other day polishing/ waxing and this morning it is raining. Do you guys use a Quick Detailer? I like the idea of only having to spray it on and rub it off, but I don't want to hurt my paint. How dirty is too dirty for a QD?

Kinda on topic/ kinda not....

I spent the other day polishing/ waxing and this morning it is raining. Do you guys use a Quick Detailer? I like the idea of only having to spray it on and rub it off, but I don't want to hurt my paint. How dirty is too dirty for a QD?

Anything more than a light layer of dust is too much for a quick detailer, unless you are going to do the entire panel.

cosmos FTW
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/mtech/DSC03983.jpg

Anything more than a light layer of dust is too much for a quick detailer, unless you are going to do the entire panel.


So I guess that means that I shouldn't use it after a brief rainstorm?:(

I was planning on using it on the entire car.

cosmos FTW
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/mtech/DSC03983.jpg
thats really hot, take some more pictures

just washed recently, i waxed it last week...

results...

I know they are night pictures, but its all I got right now.... its been raining the past month here everyday, and that was the only day it didnt rain, so I took advantage of it lol... when its nice and sunny again, i'll clean it up, and take some pics again :)

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6883301#post6883301

+1



white cars very easy to maintain? NO?

Yep, that's why the vast majority of rental cars are white.

Yep, that's why the vast majority of rental cars are white.
really? I didn't know that.

Youve discovered one of the biggest secrets to keeping cars clean, and its NOT just black cars. I avoid those countless spots you get when water, or someone's washer overspray, whatever, hits the white car by dusting it every time before I take it out. Since I discovered that, it cuts my wash requirements tremendously.

yeap, i just picked on up from walmart today. 9.98 + tax, but i'm letting mine air dry out on a newspaper right now as we speak. can't wait till tomorrow to try it out. LIGHT dust, that's what it's all about.

ive got a CCD and its pretty good. cant hardly add more minor scratches than what my black finish is already covered with so im not worried about those alligations that it scratches the finish. it works well to remove gravel dust but it also id hard to use on the bottem half of your car without pressing it against the finish

So I guess that means that I shouldn't use it after a brief rainstorm?:(

I was planning on using it on the entire car.

The problem is if you don't spray down the entire panel with quick detailer, you will end up wiping a dry (and dirty) section of the car. This will cause scratches. If you do want to use a quick detailer on a "less than clean" car, you should overspray with quick detailer and only wipe down the center of the sprayed area. Then spray the adjacent area, making sure that you are overlapping sections that you are working on. Never wipe down a dirty and dry section of paint.

I like the Poorboy's spray and wipe.
http://www.autogeek.net/pbsaw16.html

FWIW, I wouldn't use a duster on a black car.. Too many swirls, or I should say too much chance of inducing swirls.

Black is easiest the best color when properly maintained and swirl free, the only problem is they show swirls easier then anyother color, so they are high maintence. You should not use quick detailer, unless its light, light dust, you should not use a duster. When you wash it, a two bucket method is mandatory, and you really should rinse out your mitt after every panel.

Arghhh the love-hate relationship of black. On a side note, owning my own detailing company, I have to keep my cars, even my daily driver perfect. (Swirl free). So whats my daily drive, a triple black GMC Jimmy. I am SO sick of taking the PC to that thing, that my next car will be silver....

You think that's bad.

The real issue with black is:

Doing a full wash/clay/polish/wax, etc is the single most effective raindance known to man.

i'm doing that to my friends car right now. started at 5-8pm, then contiurned it from 12:30am-probably 4am. .... man. This job is hard.

mmmmm . . . Just polished and added 3 coats of wax by hand... its "gleaming" in the driveway.

anyways, I will ALWAYS own a black car, they are so sexy

how long did it take you to polish and 3 coats of wax?

to really help get rid of those swirls and fine scartches Meguiars Scratch X is your friend.. I was also told to use the new synthetic wax, by a car wash owner who really knows his stuff, which works the best nowadays.

FWIW, I wouldn't use a duster on a black car.. Too many swirls, or I should say too much chance of inducing swirls.

Black is easily the best color when properly maintained and swirl free, the only problem is they show swirls easier then anyother color, so they are high maintence. You should not use quick detailer, unless its light, light dust, you should not use a duster. When you wash it, a two bucket method is mandatory, and you really should rinse out your mitt after every panel.

Arghhh the love-hate relationship of black. On a side note, owning my own detailing company, I have to keep my cars, even my daily driver perfect. (Swirl free). So whats my daily drive, a triple black GMC Jimmy. I am SO sick of taking the PC to that thing, that my next car will be silver....

Maybe because its what I wanted to hear, but thats what I was thinking. I've heard of the two bucket method, but I don't remember what it is. I've been using one bucket since I've had the car. Can you remind me?

Black is fairly nice on most cars if kept clean ;)

http://k41.pbase.com/g3/83/194383/2/58689736.IMGP1133.jpg

Black is fairly nice on most cars if kept clean ;)

http://k41.pbase.com/g3/83/194383/2/58689736.IMGP1133.jpg


Meh... I guess It's alright... If thats your thing.. :rolleyes

Once you go black, you can't go back!

Yes, black sucks. Not only is it a bitch to keep clean (my car never looks dirty even when there's a layer of dirt coating it), but everyone and their mother has a black car. Especially mercedes. Using a car duster will help though. I wash my car like once every 4-5 months and just dust it off in between.

4-5 months......are you crazy...what about the bug splatter, bird never shit on your car? rain spots? brake dust? you let that sit on your car for 4-5 months, i wouldnt let that go 4-5 weeks....hell i ussually give it just more than 4-5 days

4-5 months......are you crazy...what about the bug splatter, bird never shit on your car? rain spots? brake dust? you let that sit on your car for 4-5 months, i wouldnt let that go 4-5 weeks....hell i ussually give it just more than 4-5 days
i think 4-5 months was a bit of a hyperbole

Is it me, or does that black Porsche have some swirl marks?

Yes, black sucks. Not only is it a bitch to keep clean (my car never looks dirty even when there's a layer of dirt coating it), but everyone and their mother has a black car. Especially mercedes. Using a car duster will help though. I wash my car like once every 4-5 months and just dust it off in between.

My last previous cars were all white as I wash them once a week.. once in a blue moon 2x a week.. I decided to go with a black color as oppose cuz I was sick of that color anyway and I wanted that elegant black mirror shine that you can't get in other colors esp the light ones. Didn't mind washing it very often since I do that to my previous cars anyway and my future other cars no matter what the color is.. so WTF right? keep it clean playa :cool

If you're dedicated and use a duster (lightly I might add) with daily frequency before the dew hits the car in the evening/night, this by itself goes a long ways in keeping the car looking good. I always get compliments on my car, and people giving them have no idea it's been a few days/a week since it's been washed. For the brake dust, just use a old damp microfiber towel. 5 minutes a day saves an hour or two of time of washing and waxing. And for the bugs, after dusting it the car, I use a damp microfiber towel to gently remove the carcass/smudges. I recommend doing this when the paint is cool/car is in the shade, otherwise the paraffin wax on the duster will leave (washable) streaks on the car.

For the people who thought that it was rediculous that he could average 3 months or so without washing it, consider that he is using a car duster on a frequent basis, hardly ever drives the car, and parks the car in a garage. His color of paint makes it hard to show dirt as well.hb

So, can you (someone) explain the 2 bucket method again for me?

One bucket with soap and water, one with only water. Use the only water bucket to rinse off your wash mitt in between panels. Grit guards are a bonus, and remember to use more than one mitt.

As for the original topic; black is hard to maintain but if you know how it makes it a lot easier. I wash my car very infrequently and use waterless and rinseless washes to mitigate the need to wash and keep it looking clean all the time. Since I detail other peoples cars I pretty much need my car to look nice 24/7, and as a result I've kind of got the maintainence down to a science.

For dust, an dust repellant qd + waterless washes = your friend.

dust repellant? im intrigued, go on please

Well for a long time any anti-static claims in products were pretty much phooey, but there are a few products that seem to actually do some good in that regard now, in particular Finish Kare sealants and qd's. I've been using FK #425 (www.fk1usa.com) for awhile and while it doesn't completely eliminate dust on horizontal panels it does significantly reduce it, which makes waterless washing even easier.

You can find more info on #425 on autopia (tons of threads on it).

no matter how hard you work....the black is always better looking ......imo

IT's the price you pay for owning a black car. But then again except near high noon, a black car is the sexiest car 20 hours out of the day

really your car is sexy for 20 hours out of a day .. is it parked for 12 of those 20... cause mine is clean only until i am done waxing... then where i started first, is already dusty. you have to give me your secret..

I dont have one.. but it'd make sense to use --> car cover

I never use my car cover... Maybe I should start.. or sell it?