Guys, this is golden. Black vehicles are THE BIGGEST PITA in the world to keep clean. The ONLY reason I went with it cuz there wasn't anything else and I keep my cars spotless. But I tell you what, that thing OWNS me. :rofl
Forty years ago, while I was still in high school, our next door neighbor owned a car dealership and I got a job there as a lot boy. Park cars, unlock the keys out of them, gas 'em, jump 'em, and wash 'em. The detail shop was connected to the used car lot and there were a couple 'a pro's there and I literally learned how to fine-detail a car at a VERY young age.
So here are some gems that will make it easy (easier :mrgreen
to keep your black truck shiny.
First, you have to keep up with it. This isnt' like almost any other color, white, silver, gold, pretty much any light color is a cakewalk. Black shows EVERY darned spec of dust, water spot, finger print.
Get a car duster. They call 'em California Car Dusters for a reason. It's dusty here and we like our cars clean. (Maybe they make them here. Ha ha)
Dust it off every night when you get home.
Quick detailer - get the one from Mother's or Maguires, or any of the sprays they call instant shine or quick detailer. Have it and an old cotton t-shirt for a quick touch up. You gotta do this almost every day though cuz if the dirt builds up or gets caked on there you're gonna ruin your paint and it will just cake up with the dirt. If it's really dirty you gotta wash it. It also won't work if your wax gets stripped off or worn out. My show cars just NEVER got washed, only quick detailed and waxed.
Get any birdshit off there IMMEDIATELY. The acid will etch into the paint very quickly.
Get one of the German made microfiber drying cloths - synthetic chamois. But there's only one of these that is worth a darn - they're those gold colored ones they demo at the home shows that pickup ten times its weight in water. That's the one. yep. Can post a link if you need a source.
On a light color you can dry it with the chamois after a wash and you're good to go. Black? No way. You gotta quick detail it after you dry to get the spots off.
Washing - DO NOT USE LIQUID DISH SOAP. It is WAY too caustic - it will pull ALL of the wax and sealants out of the paint. Get high quality car wash soap and either a wool mitt or a boar-hair brush. The latter are about $75 so don't think you're getting the same thing with a cheap POS from the auto parts store for $12.
303 Aerospace Protectant. This stuff is an absolute miracle. Apply to any rubber, vinyl, or plastic material for spf40 protection, no silicone oil (like armorall) and it will look like new again, protect the surface, and give a nice low-sheen lusture. Really good for tires.
Apply synthetic wax. Carnuba is great for a show car but it's not durable enough for a driver. It shines great but wears off quickly. You want a polymer synthetic sealant wax and do the hood at least every couple of months. The rest of it can get by once or twice a year, but the hood and roof take a beating from all the weather, especially sun and dirt, industrial fallout, etc.
I know, we should probly have a detail thread, but hey, these are the black rigs and we poor suckers have it REALLY bad. :mrgreen: