Keeping Black Clean...

[xtC]

What is the best way I can keep my tC clean!! LoL I know its the winter and all but I want to get ready for the spring....what is the best cleaning solution for the black sand pearl?? Like what type of cloth should I use, what type of soap, tire gel, wax....?? Lemme know

[English]

At least use Zaino for the wax

[squareone]

Get a white car.

[BlkSandPrlTurbotC]

Ok here's my list I get this all at advanced auto parts

The Absorber
18 Terry Cloth Towels
Rain-X Wash&Wax Car Soap
Invisible Glass Cleaner
Never Dull(apply to muffler tip)
Meguairs Tech Wax
Meguairs Tire Spray
Meguairs Quick Detailer(after rainy days or dust)
Meguairs Wheel Cleaner(purple bottle)
Purple Power (to clean the outside wall of the tire)
A sponge
A SOFT bristle bursh to clean the rims
Baby Powder (when you apply the wax sprinkle baby powder over the wax, will give it extra smoothness!)

That's pretty much what I use to keep my
Black Sand Pearl tC clean.

By the way, keep in mind, I spend 2 hours just on the
outside of my car.

[Buzzkill]

www.zainobros.com

The Zaino website will give you excellent information on preventing or eliminating those annoying swirl marks, grease marks, and fine scratches. Their polish and seals will turn your black Tc into a mirror-on-wheels. Their finish protector will seal your car from the elements for longer than many (if not all) other finish. Before you use anything or any technique, check out their website! You won't regret it.

Good luck.

[xtC]

okay thanx everybody who responded

[LowProMofo]

Originally Posted by BlkSandPrlTurbotC

Ok here's my list I get this all at advanced auto parts

The Absorber
18 Terry Cloth Towels
Rain-X Wash&Wax Car Soap
Invisible Glass Cleaner
Never Dull(apply to muffler tip)
Meguairs Tech Wax
Meguairs Tire Spray
Meguairs Quick Detailer(after rainy days or dust)
Meguairs Wheel Cleaner(purple bottle)
Purple Power (to clean the outside wall of the tire)
A sponge
A SOFT bristle bursh to clean the rims
Baby Powder (when you apply the wax sprinkle baby powder over the wax, will give it extra smoothness!)

That's pretty much what I use to keep my
Black Sand Pearl tC clean.

By the way, keep in mind, I spend 2 hours just on the
outside of my car.

That's a good list but I would take the Absorber off of it as it will scratch the hell out of your paint. You may also want to switch to Microfiber towels bought from a company like PakShak.com instead of advanced auto parts. If you use an absorber it'll scratch! A regular wash mitt like from Wal-Mart it'll scratch! I only use Micro-Fiber towels to wash and dry my car and truck. I've seen it way too many times. It's the fine scratches and swirl marks you have to watch out for. Not trying to tell you what to do but I detail on the side and know from experience. To show you the difference between Microfiber and Terry Cloth here's magnified results of cotton vs. microfiber toweling.

I found these pictures showing a lab test of 100% cotton terry toweling (right) and a terry weave microfiber towel (left) and a freshly painted test panel.
http://autopia.org/kb/index.php?page=index_v2&id=7&c=22
So what would wash/dry with?
You guys can also check out this site for everything you need to know about washing or detailing your car the "right" way!
http://www.autopia.org/index.php
Learn more here:
http://autopia.org/kb/
Also here's a clean TC!!
http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...ighlight=Scion

[tCholleration]

as far as drying your car, because water spots can be crucial if not done correctly, i could swear by "the absorber"! that is the best drying towel everrr!! wow...and to be honest... i mostly use the same stuff as that guy said up there ^^^ ... except the whole baby powder thing.... that's something new to me (??)

[LowProMofo]

Originally Posted by tCholleration

as far as drying your car, because water spots can be crucial if not done correctly, i could swear by "the absorber"! that is the best drying towel everrr!! wow...and to be honest... i mostly use the same stuff as that guy said up there ^^^ ... except the whole baby powder thing.... that's something new to me (??)

Your just scratching your car with the absorber! You may not can notice it at first but you'll get find swirls and scratches from using it. Swirls create a haze as do scratches. Less haze more shine!

[tCtuNeR216]

only use microfiber towels to clean/wipe/wax/dry your car. I had a black car and it was a pita to keep looking nice. To prevent scrathing the black surface, I only used microfiber towels. Also, never ever use the california wiperblade to dry your car, it'll leave nasty scratchy looking streaks

[TeamMightyMiniz]

baby powder is microfine talc
talc is a mineral
I can only imagine this micromarring the finish.

I would do this... if you have cobwebs or swirls
Get it professionally detailed once. Maintain this.

Water spots are not caused by a slow hand drying the car but from minerals in the water or in rain, evaporated after sitting on the surface for an extended period of time.

If you do have water spots...
white vinegar and water will help eliminate them.

good luck and think.

[LowProMofo]

Here's some more tips fro washing and detailing:
Having a good looking car is all about the prep work. NXT, or any other wax for that matter will not magically transform your paint, it is mearly a sealer to preserve the work you have done with polishing and claying, it will add some shine, but does nothing to "fix" your paint. Your car sounds like it may be somewhat neglected but not horrible. The first step will be to wash your car with Dawn dish soap in order to remove any old wax. This step also removes some of the oils from your clear coat, but we will be replacing them later so dont worry. Dont make a habit of this step though. After the dawn I would start out with a good claying of your car. Its quite easy but time consuming. The main purpose of this step is to remove contaminants from your paint such as overspray and other undersirables. It may seem pointless, but this step is very important if you are looking to achieve top notch results. Pick up a nice clay kit, Clay Magic is what I prefer, but the zaino clay is also quality. Next you need to polish your paint. This is the step where you would be removing the swirls. I use a Porter Cable DA buffer on mine. I would really reccomend you pick up a Porter Cable, but if it's not something you are interested in then that is your choice. You can still achieve some results by hand though. I would reccomend 3M's swirl mark remover for the job. Meguiars Scratch X is also somewhat effective for a 'by hand' application. At this point you are going to want to wash your car with dawn dish soap agian to remove all the residue from polishing and claying and promote ultimate adhesion of your chosen sealer. This is the step where you choose what you want to seal with, and also where you achieve ultimate shine. If a store bought product is what you want then NXT will be your best bet, it shines well, but unless your car is garaged then it only lasts for about 2 weeks to a month. Other products you might consider are Zaino or Tropicare there are debates as to which is better so I'll stay out of all of that, read up some and pick what you think is best. After you have sealed your paint then all it comes down to is maintenance. Keep the car washed with a quality auto shampoo and maintain your layer or protection with a quick detailer and regular applications of your chosen sealer. If you do that you can effectivley avoid all the work of doing those pesky first few step on a repeated basis. Just remember, no 'wax' (and i only call it that is because that what most people mistakenly call these synthetics) will cure your paint. If you want your car to look good its all about the prep work, your 'wax' is just the final step. Hopefully I have been of some help, let me know if you have any other questions.

[LowProMofo]

Originally Posted by TeamMightyMiniz

baby powder is microfine talc
talc is a mineral
I can only imagine this micromarring the finish.

I would do this... if you have cobwebs or swirls
Get it professionally detailed once. Maintain this.

Water spots are not caused by a slow hand drying the car but from minerals in the water or in rain, evaporated after sitting on the surface for an extended period of time.

If you do have water spots...
white vinegar and water will help eliminate them.

good luck and think.

Werd on the baby powder!

[trench]

I rinse the car down everyday and wipe it no matter what. I also have a car cover.

[Lonely_Raven]

I'll post this again, there is lots of good reading here, and this is all tried and true
methods that have been winning concourse for years:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html

[crayonBOX]

if anyone has tried: Mr. Clean Wash/dry system:

i use the "dry" system part, it doesnt spray soap great or anything. but the filtered water spray is nice, minded, it takes a few minutes to 'coat' the car w/filtered water, but it's worth it, i recently washed my cadillac, and my bsp Box, both are mirror clean

[jermcruz]

you can get microfiber towels at costco, but i dunno how good they are.

[BlkSandPrlTurbotC]

Originally Posted by LowProMofo

Werd on the baby powder!

Sure laugh, but I was told by my friends dad who sells BMW's, Porche's etc.
that they use baby powder after they put on the wax.

I've used it, and I'm just amazed of how smooth it is. It's like glass

[LowProMofo]

Originally Posted by BlkSandPrlTurbotC

Sure laugh, but I was told by my friends dad who sells BMW's, Porche's etc.
that they use baby powder after they put on the wax.

I've used it, and I'm just amazed of how smooth it is. It's like glass

I'm trying to help you out man, if I wasn't I wouldn't have told you that using something like that would be scratching your paint finish. I've heard and seen people use baby powder. And I've seen the results it can have over a long period of time of using it. But NXT is a very good wax. Just be sure to "clean" your paint before you use it. Cause all it mostly does is protect. You need a cleaner and/or polish on your finish as well.

[2tone_xB]

Hmm, what I use for BSP is...

Megs. Deep Crystal Wash but after it's done, will be using Megs NXT
Megs. NXT Tech Wax
Megs. NXT Booster Wax or whatever
The Absorber, even though it's 6-7years old?
The California Duster
Microfiber towels is a must too.