Got my car back from the body shop. They repaired crash damage and carried out a paint recall. Car looks really good. What the hell do I do to keep it that way? Like the title says the paint is black. Last black car I had was almost 15 years ago and that was not for long.

Wash it regularly and put a good coat of wax on it a couple times a year.

Sell it.

And that is all you need to know about detailing.

Wash it every 3 hours.

That's about how long mine stays clean, even on a clear sunny day.

Be extremely anal about wash methods is the main thing IMO.  It's cared for the same as any other paint color it's just that swirls and other imperfections are much more noticeable.  Minimize touching it, be anal about what touches it (i.e. that any wash mitt or microfiber towel touching the paint is CLEAN), wash it yourself using the two bucket method (plus a third for wheels), or if you pay someone make sure they do the same, that they're picky about using clean towels etc. Don't take it to commercial car washes.  Or, just don't let imperfections bother you.

I love black but will probably never own another black car again, just isn't worth it imo.

I like Ammo NYCs videos for wash/detail methods, most of which is applicable if you don't use his stuff.

I wouldn't buy another black car, thought about a color change on the Z a few times.

Welp I bought 2 buckets, some Grit Guards, microfiber gloves/sponges and some other shit. I will probably give it a go tomorrow night, though I know I am going to get killed by pollen over the next few weeks. We also have a leafblower so drying should be a breeze (ha ha).

Leafblower??

Going to be water spot city.

Quote from: Lebowski on March 19, 2016, 07:12:16 PM
Or, just don't let imperfections bother you.

The best method. I wash the 944 like two or three times a year, wax once, and wash my SUV once every... uh...

Quote from: FlatBlackCaddy on March 20, 2016, 02:31:36 PM
Leafblower??

Going to be water spot city.

Blow drying is awesome though because you can get the water out of all the cracks and crevices like the side mirrors, glued on trim, bumpers, etc.  Gotta go back and do some spray detailing when you're done, but you'll avoid those annoying water spot runs you get when you drive shortly after washing if that's the case.

I'd reverse my shopvac and blow-dry the A4 fairly frequently..the less touching of the paint (drying via squeegee or microfiber) the better. Also convenient when it's really humid and a customer's car just doesn't wanna dry enough before I'm ready to wax it after doing the interior or if I'm not doing the interior at all and just want it dry every Now so I'm not picking up water in my buffing pad all over the place.

chamois ftw