[wicked1]

i had good luck w/ meguiars scratchx 2.0 on my girlfriends car. I repaired a bunch of paint chips, sanded them out up to 3000 grit which left the car looking.. sanded. Then buffed w/ the meguiars scratchx 2.0, and that stuff left them perfect and shiny. Ended up going over her entire car w/ it. Her car was 7 years old, and looks as good as new, now.
I don't know how relatively aggressive the stuff is, though. It's definitely a step above a cleaner, but I think it's still fairly mild/fine.

 

[VTEC Mini]

Ah the penalties for owning a black car, but I still love the color.
Anyone have a preferred brand/product for removing light scratches?

-Hoi

I have merged these two threads together. I hope you can find the answer you are looking for!:thumbsup::hi5:

 

[Kenny Carwash]

I would be very wary of using a waterless cleaning product. I live in an apartment with it's own integral parking garage, so the idea was very appealing to me but I did some research and what you have to bear in mind is that you're essentially rubbing dirt particles around on your paint. It'll be fine to begin with, but after a couple of years it's very likely you'll end up with visible swirls all over the car.

 

[wicked1]

Optimum has a rinse-less system. You use two buckets full of water. One clean, one dirty. Get the sponge wet in the clean, wipe down, rinse it in the dirty, wring it out, dip in clean, make another swipe of the car, repeat.
I got some to try for the winter.. Quick washes in the garage on cold days, etc.

I use a waterless style cleaner for in between washes, just to get light dust or specific spots off the car. But, I agree it's kind of scary for long term use.

 

[bizzybear]

I would be very wary of using a waterless cleaning product. I live in an apartment with it's own integral parking garage, so the idea was very appealing to me but I did some research and what you have to bear in mind is that you're essentially rubbing dirt particles around on your paint. It'll be fine to begin with, but after a couple of years it's very likely you'll end up with visible swirls all over the car.

this is what "google" research proves - you can find the good and the bad about ANYTHING on there... i listen to the experts when it comes to anything i do... so if i have a guy that details cars for a living, i'll take his advice over someone that works at McDonalds on how to properly clean my car...

the waterless car wash system i posted above needs to be used with a GOOD clean microfiber towel ONLY... if you use any other kind of rag, then you can expect to just be rubbing in the dirt into the paint...

the product i mentioned is exclusively used by Barrett Jackson Auctions, Jay Leno, and some other top names in the auto world, to name a couple...

 

[bassplayrr]

this is what "google" research proves - you can find the good and the bad about ANYTHING on there... i listen to the experts when it comes to anything i do... so if i have a guy that details cars for a living, i'll take his advice over someone that works at McDonalds on how to properly clean my car...

the waterless car wash system i posted above needs to be used with a GOOD clean microfiber towel ONLY... if you use any other kind of rag, then you can expect to just be rubbing in the dirt into the paint...

the product i mentioned is exclusively used by Barrett Jackson Auctions, Jay Leno, and some other top names in the auto world, to name a couple...

What he said.

Using the proper method and products and in conjunction with a regular detail, a good rinse-less car wash can be perfectly safe for your paint.

 

[Kenny Carwash]

I was specifically looking at the Mantis product that is the only one I've seen advertised in the UK so far. I bought a pack of their microfibre cloths, which seem pretty good, but I'm conscious that they would get dirty very quickly. You could wash them afterwards, but won't they be holding a lot of dirt by the time you get to the end of the car?

I was also put off by Mantis' choice of endorsee: the Suzuki UK Rally Team. I worked for the Peugeot British Rally Team in the 90s and I know how little rally teams care about the condition of their bodywork long-term!

So, in the end I bought the Mantis cloths but stopped short of buying the spray itself. I've had a look at the Optimum product that wicked1 mentioned and I like the sound of it: Optimum No Rinse "Wash & Shine"

From the description it sounds like you could get away with using one bucket of water, but I might use two just to be on the safe side.

 

[lucky7]

Personally I know how to keep my car looking new for long time. It's the other drivers in parking lots and flying rocks on the freeway into my windshield that will make it tough to keep up. It doesn't help having a Black car either. My car has been in the driveway for barely a week and already a cracked windshield and a scratch on my front drivers side bumper. Believe me I'm as anal as they come as far as parking away from other cars and keeping my cars clean all the time but you can't do much about door dings, knicks, and other calamities that happen from other drivers....:angry: So much for keeping my car looking new. :sadwavey:

 

[wicked1]

I made a friend of a PDR guy, so my dent issues are solved .
Basically, I'm working on his home and business computers for free, and whenever I need some PDR, he'll do it.
I got 2 dents in my roof, parked under an oak tree over the weekend! These cars have some thin metal. And, it will happen again. That entire part of the city is planted w/ oak trees along all of the streets.

 

[bassplayrr]

I bought a pack of their microfibre cloths, which seem pretty good, but I'm conscious that they would get dirty very quickly. You could wash them afterwards, but won't they be holding a lot of dirt by the time you get to the end of the car?

I use Optimum and I wash my microfiber cloths by hand after each wash (sometimes every other wash for the drying microfiber). You can absolutely get away with one bucket if your car isn't too dirty. If you've got salt or lots of road grime a second rinse bucket is a good idea. Also, if your car gets exceptionally dirty many users will spray down the area with a bug-sprayer filled with the solution prior to wiping it down, just to make sure there is plenty of the solution on the panel before the cloth touches the paint.

ANYTHING that touches your paint will cause minor swirling over time, however minute. However, ONR seems to have caused less swirling than my old standard method of a rinse/sponge/rinse/chamois. I wash my car with ONR once a week and with a little bit quick detail spray from time-to-time I have no swirls in my black paint. Overall, I'd say my paint still looks 98% as good after a ONR wash/spray wax as it did just after a full detail several weeks back.

I detailed cars professionally for a detailing company my Dad owned while I was in highschool and college. I would have scoffed at the idea of a rinsless car wash at the time. ONR has made me a convert, however. I can't see ever going back.

 

[Scotty001]

Up here in the PACNORWEST Puget Sound area, too much rain to try and detail all the time. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind detailing it and then driving it in the rain he next day.

I find that a trip to the carwash once every couple of weeks, a quick detail spray on wax (meguiars?) afterwards along with the obligatory wheel shine and then take it to your local detailer twice a year for a good outside/inside detail works fairly well.

Scott

 

[wicked1]

The secret I used for all my old cars (which were just about all black) was to wash and wax them only once a year.. If even that often (I just didn't care about cars, is the real reason)
That one time a year I cleaned them, though, they sure did shine, and were swirl free.

Sadly we all pretty much damage the paint ourselves while washing. Since I've been into this car I've been washing it weekly.. As gently as possible, cleanest softest towels/best soaps I can afford. I've waxed it twice (well, sealed, then waxed on top.. winter protection type thing) and again, followed all the rules, gentle, if any rags/pads/sponges touch the ground, they go in the trash (or wash). But still. I see tons of scratches in my paint that only I could have put there while washing. I mean, they are all minor and no one else sees them. But if I crouch and look at just the right angle, they're there.

So, I think an argument could be made that less care is actually better. But, then you're driving a dirty car all the time.

 

[Elfen]

So, I think an argument could be made that less care is actually better. But, then you're driving a dirty car all the time.

Exactly my philosophy up in Vermont! I figured a good thick coat of dirt all over protected from salt and small stones. Mud season usually did the trick. Called it the custom Vermont paint job! P:

 

[Scotty001]

Exactly my philosophy up in Vermont! I figured a good thick coat of dirt all over protected from salt and small stones. Mud season usually did the trick. Called it the custom Vermont paint job! P:

And it is "green". Think the drop off point would be if small plants start growing on the hood or in the wheel wells. Takes it to the too much green level. But, other than that, I like it = Custom Vermont Paint Job and Detail"

Scott

 

[hoisumguo]

How is everyone (if at all) keeping the engine area clean? Lot of dismantling and cleaning?

I'm trying to keep it a little cleaner than my X5 which got a mouse who chewed through one of my break lines and other insulation for nest making before getting toasted...

-Hoi

 

[Veonik]

How is everyone (if at all) keeping the engine area clean? Lot of dismantling and cleaning?

I'm trying to keep it a little cleaner than my X5 which got a mouse who chewed through one of my break lines and other insulation for nest making before getting toasted...

-Hoi

I am also interested in tips for this. The best I've done is to keep the engine bay as clean as possible at all times, but eventually (my last car) the dirt builds up.

 

[borcth]

I'm investing in a nose mask to protect the front end on my long drives to school and work. Plus it will cover up the ****ty job the body shop had done. I think it will look good on a black car. Plus it will be a tight fit and only covers the bottom portion. So it shudnt even be that noticible imo. On another color, prolly not so much. I'm just so tired of scrubbing bugs off the paint and fixing paint chips too. Sure I could get a clear bra thing, but thats just too expensive and idk if i want saran wrap all over my car. Once i finish school, ill go back and fix the bumper right. But for now, this is an easy fix and it will get me by for now.

 

[hoisumguo]

:yeahthat:

i'm gonna use a new product i came across called Croftgate... it's a "green" waterless carwash polymer that really cleans the car and is especially good for black cars b/c it doesn't allow dust to stick to the car and it prevents fingerprints too... really amazing stuff you have to see it to believe it :cheer:

I just got the sample pack for CroftGate cleaning products and I have to say they are really amazing. I'm not too keen on the tire cleaner as it has a matte finish, but I really like the wash and the shine on my black zed. I still need to try the interior cleaner, but will be definitely adding the waterless carwash and gloss to my arsenal. Great recommendation Bizzy thanx! :thumbsup:

-Hoi

 

[bizzybear]

I just got the sample pack for CroftGate cleaning products and I have to say they are really amazing. I'm not too keen on the tire cleaner as it has a matte finish, but I really like the wash and the shine on my black zed. I still need to try the interior cleaner, but will be definitely adding the waterless carwash and gloss to my arsenal. Great recommendation Bizzy thanx! :thumbsup:

-Hoi

glad i could help... i know the 1st official distributor in the nation... he just opened a detail shop nearby and when i went there i was blown away at the quality of the stuff... it is on the higher end of the prices... but that's what you pay for good quality product that is also the only FDA approved "green" product...

as for the tire shine... if you spray it on and let it set by itself, it leaves a very glossy/shiny finish... to get the nice black matte finish you have to spray it on and wipe off... i love it b/c i prefer the matte finish but i can get either finish with one product... the other important thing about it is it doesn't dry-rot the tires or cause premature wear on the rubber... it actually protects the tires and keeps them fresh looking at the same time...

lmk if you need some more, i might be able to talk with him to get you a better deal... he wholesales to dealers (independent shops to sell the product) and sells some in his shop... so he mostly does high volume sales rather than retail... but if u get a bunch he might be able to hook it up...


btw, post up some ics:

 

[hoisumguo]

Sorry bizzy was still uploading

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/wheels-tires-discussion/2926-wedsport-sa55m-gunmetal.html#post26573