alright, for those of u who dont know, i've got an 01 mustang in black, my problem is kepein my baby clean between washes, and i dont have the time to wash her more than once every 2 weeks, so im wondeirng what the best was/wax combo would be to keep her lookin clena for as long as possible....any input here will be much appriciated...thanks...

 

As a black Mustang owner, I can relate. I am a really good detailer and I think I can give you some sound advice.

Since the car sounds like a dd and you are short on time, I would definately suggest that you stick with polymers. They will hold-up better and the car will stay cleaner longer. Also, teflon based products are great too.

1 - Wash the car really well using some dish soap or a good cleaner such as Maguires. (don't use the dish soap between waxes, only when starting from scratch)

2 - Use Maguires Step 1 paint cleaner, followed by the Step 2 paint sealer. Simply follow the instructions. Use a nice micro-fiber towel for buffing and a good micro-fiber applicator if you can find one.

3 - Now, instead of buying Maguires Strep 3, use two coats of Tech Wax from Maguires.

4 - The car will now look amazing.

5 - In between waxes, you have a few options. The easiest is to dry the car with some Eagle One Wax as You Dry. Or, you guy use the Maguires NXT Booster Wax, but it is harder to apply. The Eagle one takes no additional time beyond just drying the car.

6 - Teflon based products will last longer than the NXT, but may not look quite as good.

I have many other methods, but this seems like a good option for you.

 

i just had her washed today, so im going to probably wash her again this weekend and try your method...thanks a ton man, i love my car,but black just looks bad when it's ugly, thanks again

 

If you really want to make it "pop" when you are done. Put a coat or two of the best carnuba you can find over the top of the NXT. I use P21S. The stuff goes on like butter and leaves no residue because it is the purest grade of carnuba you can get. The surface of the car will be soo slick, you won't be able to lean on it and the black will be deep, like a gelcoat.

P21S is pricey at $35 a can, and is imported from Germany, but worth every penny. It is not very durable, however, which is why I suggested putting it on top of the NXT (which I have done) if you decide to use at all.

You can buy it from autopia.org

 

damn, that sounds nice, i'll look around for the best carnuba wax i cna find, it will take alot of time to put it all on but it will look freakin sexy when it's done...oh random question, how often should i wax my car? obviously everytime i wash it would be a bit excessive...and i heared using wax too often can acctually mess up ur paint or clear coat or sumthin...

 

Black is tough. My 2002 F150 4x4 is black, Its hard as hell to keep clean and 2 times as much area to clean than my mustang. I usually end up taking it to the good car wash which is $16, with the hand drying and vacuuming and quick detailing.

My Gt stays in the garage, this is the first white mustang ive owned. White is easy as can be to keep clean. Even with a little road dirt it doesnt show. Hose it off and go.

 

If your car is clean and you use clean rags and a wax with NO cleaners in it, there is zero risk of damaging or removing the clear coat.

Everytime you run something over the surface of the paint, there is a chance of a scratch, it's just a matter of being smart.

My car gets put away for the winter. Here is what I did before the spring:

1 - Wash with dish soap
2 - Claybar entire car
3 - Use Sonus Paint Cleaner and buff to a shine
4 - Use one coat Klasse AIO cleaner and acrylic sealant
5 - One coat of Klasse Acrylic Glaze on entire car including glass. Buff till your arms fall off.
6 - P21S. The first 3 - 4 coats I wait for it to dry and then buff. Then the next 3-4 coats get buffed while wet, one small section at a time. Each full coat only takes about 15 minutes. On my hood, I have about 10 coats of the P21S.

So in all, it's a 16 step process. The car simply looks wet! The shine is absolutely silly.

Depending on my mood, once I start driving the car, I will wash it about 2 - 4 times per month. I will use maguires quick detailer after washing and hit it with a coat of P21S if time permits. I use the quick detailer to help dry the car and because it is carnuba to help maintain the 8 coats of carnuba that I applied over the winter (lol).

You should re-wax your car whenever it stops beading (if you use carnuba) or sheeting (if you use polymers). That is a sign that the product has worn-off. Also, rub your finger across the paint. it should glide across the surface and not make a squeaking sound.

 

mine is silver, not easy to see when dirty. Darn pollen has droped on my car though, **** me off. now i got yellow on her

 

I have some spots on my hood of my Black truck, spots and in deep. I tested trying to get them out with polishing compound, and even fired up the 10" buffer, I cant seem to get these spots out. Ill post some pics tomorrow if anyone has any ideas on what to do.. I dont have a clue what these little specs are.

 

if they are just specs on the surface of ur car, not the acctuall paint, then u may just ahve some hard to clean off dirt....dang i cant wait to go buy all this stuff and make my baby shine, but that will have to wait till the weekend at the earliest...thanks guys

 

That could be a lot of things, even acid rain damage. You may have to just live with it.

If you can find a small spot on the surface of the car. Use some paint cleaner on the spot to get the wax off or even some wax remover. Then hit that small spot with some diluted vinegar. They might be hard water spots, and the vinegar is a weak acid which might get rid of them. Give that a try. It should not hurt the paint at all and will still take lot of elbow grease.

The best way to eliminate hard water sports or acid rain spots is through prevention. Maintaining a good coat of wax is the best defence.

BTW, my car is 5 years old and have 55 k on it. The paint is far from perfect. Making the black a nice deep color and having that thing "pop" will go a long way towards not seeing these other issues.

 

is it really THAT bad for the paint to just have your car washed at a car wash?

 

I think it depends on the wash.

 

what do you mean, cause i REALLY dont wanna harm my baby but i just never have time to wash it myself , but if the car wash scratches the paint then obviously ill MAKE time to wash her

 

A clean car wash is fine, and dirty one is not. Here is my golden rule:

Avoid coin operated washes if you plan on using the brush. I fyou are gonna use your own sponge, then that is fine.

No gas station washes.

Touchless washes that just spray water and don't actually touch the car are fine.

Any place that is expensive and you see a lot of high-end cars go through may be a safe bet.

I can hand wach my car from start to finnish including drying in about 15 minutes.

 

so u say no gas station car washes, but the place i got my car washed last time has a "touchless" carwash system, the only time anyone touches ur car is to get the wheels, and dry it off...is this ok? im goin to assume so, since they ususally do a good job, and alot of people i kno take their cars there....but i just wanna make sure...

 

I was mostly referring to those ones that are $5.00 with a tank of gas. Use your best judgement and you will be fine. Keep in mind that everytime something rubs the surface of the car, you risk scratches.

 

yeah the wash i get costs 8.95 normally...that's the least xpensive one too, they go up to like 30 or 40 bucks....

 

I clayed and waxed mine today. Nice and smooth.
:icon_flow

 

For longevity...I say go with NXT. Here's an example, followed by details:




Now for the details.

These pictures were taken 3 weeks ago. NXT wax was applied in October of last year, 10,000 miles were put on the car since then, daily-driven, on Ohio winter roads (salt, slush, and just about any other stuff you can think of). There are a total of 105,000 miles on the car. These results are after NOTHING but a hand wash with Meguiars deep crystal car wash and using a microfiber towel to dry....nothing else. I hadn't clayed or anything yet. To give you an idea of the grime that was on there, there's this pic from my brake install:



Not the greatest pic...but it gives you the idea of how grimy it can get....I spray it once a week in the winter...but it doesn't help much on these roads.


I gotta say...I've never seen the car look better after a long, cold winter and just a hand wash :glasses2:

 

Mike you are the man....I cant wait to get the new body parts, get it painted, and have it actually start looking good!

 

Just like anything else...maintaining it is all in the prep work...did you see this thread over on the depot that I posted?

Once you do all that crap...maintenance is a snap...wash, dry, quick detail

 

only a six pack? You might be older than me, but you have a lot to learn...then again, that might be why your car looks better than mine, but I usually get a good view of the under carriage after I fall over! J/K I dont mix my car with alcohol unless I dont plan on going anywhere

 

Zaino or Klasse AIO

 

The secret to everything is attention to detail. Just spraying some tire wet in the wheel wells sets the car off that much more from the rest. Door jambs too. Here's the engine...remember this number...105,000 miles

 

my engine bay wont look that good though....the paint is all screwed up and I am not pulling the motor to paint it again! Although, the entire engine is either flat black or Mystic, so it has a little bling to it

Besides, I am putting a lift off hood on the car, so I wont be popping it to show it off

 

You can get rid of 1/3 of those and still have the same or better results.

 

Yeah I know...thats why I only do it once a year. :thumbsup:

That whole process just ensures me that the car has a good, clean base to start from, then, like I said, its all just maintenance for the rest of the year. Some of the steps were revised after I posted that over there...like the #7 and then NXT. NXT takes #7 off, as it has some detergents in it. I just use regular polish now instead. If anything, I can put the #7 on after if I would happen to take it to a "show" type event. :sunny:

 

I keep my car clean, when I can. It's red, and these texan birds just love to take a big shat on it. Damn cockits.

 

Phantom, does the word Brawley ring a bell ot you?