I will never buy another black car again...

[Nighthawk07]

It's sooo hard to keep it looking good. After about 1.5 years and almost 30k miles on my black FG2, my paint looks like absolute crap. I have hard water spots all over that wont' go away, swirls galore, and tons of rock chips on my hood/bumper (I know thats not really anything to do with it being black). I try to take very good care of my car as well, and am OCD when I wash it, use nothing but microfibers and all the best products, wax it like ever other month.

Anyways, what I'm wondering is what's my best bet to get it looking good again? Should i take it to a professional and have it machine buffed and polished? I'm about ready to give up on it, so any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[inyong1988]

do you keep your car in the garage or no?

[I Vtec, do you?]

Go buy a DA polisher and do it yourself. Just a light polishing should make your paint pop again.

[NitrousG35]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk07

It's sooo hard to keep it looking good. After about 1.5 years and almost 30k miles on my black FG2, my paint looks like absolute crap. I have hard water spots all over that wont' go away, swirls galore, and tons of rock chips on my hood/bumper (I know thats not really anything to do with it being black). I try to take very good care of my car as well, and am OCD when I wash it, use nothing but microfibers and all the best products, wax it like ever other month.

Anyways, what I'm wondering is what's my best bet to get it looking good again? Should i take it to a professional and have it machine buffed and polished? I'm about ready to give up on it, so any help is appreciated. Thanks.

I agree with I VTEC, do you? Get yourself a Porter Cable or a DA polisher. It is very easy to learn to use them. With the proper polishing compound and pads, your paint will look great again.

I would clay first and get the surface as smooth as possible. Then polish away until the swirls and water spots are gone. Use Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze to nourish the paint and to hide any tiny scratches or swirls. Use a good sealant and then your wax.

If you don't want to buy a buffer, you could try Scratch X first by hand on the car and see how it looks. That stuff is amazing.

The rock chips can't be fixed. That is why I got 3M clear bra installed when I bought my car.

I have an '03 black G35 that looks almost new because I have kept it polished, glazed, sealed and waxed. No rock chips either.

Hope this helps. Maybe Rasky will chime in too.

[Tiznonay]

I've got a NHBP too, and I know exactly what you mean, its a terrible chore to keep it looking good. I've tried many different products, and the best results I have gotten are with Eagle One Nanowax. Gets rid of the swirl marks and the spiderweb-scratches or whatever you call them. Only bad thing is that like 3 or 4 days after you wax it, all the swirls and scratches come back. Its barely worth the effort.

[Johnold]

you need to machine polish it. Just use a good polymer wax like NXT 2.0 and and keep a wax coat on the paint. When it gets dusty, just take a microfiber rag and LIGHTLY and I mean LIGHTLY wipe off the dust as if you're dusting. As long as there is wax on the paint, it'll come off easily without scratching.

Or like I said, you just need to machine polish it. I knew this aswell when I bought my NHBP Si. I'm cool with it as I'ma detailer and know what to do in order to make it look great again.

[ryryninja]

sigh.. the hardships of owning a black beauty

[Johnold]

Originally Posted by ryryninja

sigh.. the hardships of owning a black beauty

but I HIGHLY gave into it. I'm not worried. It could be worse.

It makes it more fun to wash it again. The ONLY and MAIN reason why my car gets as dirty as it does AT ALL is cause I park it outside and it's always under a tree. I don't care about dust. It looks like crap after a day of parking it under that damn tree. it's all good though cause one day, i'll own my own house WITH a garage to keep my black beauty clean. I don't do anything in life to get my ride dirty except for parking it under the tree at my apt.

I can't wait.

[helweg07si-sedan]

Amen to that I live in Seattle and it is a full time job to keep my car clean. I am thinking about trading it in on a white one.

[Nighthawk07]

I used to garage it nightly, but then my garage became a little crowded so now it sits outside.

I'm kind of afraid to try and machine polish it myself, I'm contemplating paying a buddy of mine to do it (he used to detail high end cars).

[brazilianguy]

i gave up on mine
it just looks gray now lol

[lowerlevel]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk07

I used to garage it nightly, but then my garage became a little crowded so now it sits outside.

I'm kind of afraid to try and machine polish it myself, I'm contemplating paying a buddy of mine to do it (he used to detail high end cars).

lol thats no reason to leave ur baby outside.. good luck with the paint!

[Dizzle0420]

I would def recommend claying it then buffing out all the scratches

[maiku]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk07

I used to garage it nightly, but then my garage became a little crowded so now it sits outside.

I'm kind of afraid to try and machine polish it myself, I'm contemplating paying a buddy of mine to do it (he used to detail high end cars).

If you want a proven pro to do it, you know where to find me.
Sounds like it's time for a garage sale. :)

[eXTCspeed]

Originally Posted by lowerlevel

lol thats no reason to leave ur baby outside.. good luck with the paint!

Haha. I have the same dilemma with my NBP FG2. Crowded garage full of crap = cars stay outside. Half crowded garage full of crap = Lexus sleeps inside, no love for Civic.

[nismo1982]

I just recently bought a NHBP and the only part that's hard to keep up is the glass. The least you can do to protect it is to make sure you have wax on it. When i bought the car, i just glaze it and applied a coat of NXT 2.0. If you keep up witht he min. maintance work, you shouldn't have any problem with the paint.

[nayilsi]

my nhbp has parmanent insect spots on it.....

[NitrousG35]

Originally Posted by Johnold

you need to machine polish it. Just use a good polymer wax like NXT 2.0 and and keep a wax coat on the paint. When it gets dusty, just take a microfiber rag and LIGHTLY and I mean LIGHTLY wipe off the dust as if you're dusting. As long as there is wax on the paint, it'll come off easily without scratching.

Or like I said, you just need to machine polish it. I knew this aswell when I bought my NHBP Si. I'm cool with it as I'ma detailer and know what to do in order to make it look great again.

John, I would just say that wiping a car that is dusty is something I fastidiously avoid. I used to wipe off my G35 with a California duster. I used light pressure and put the most delicious swirls and scratches into the paint.

My Porter Cable and the right polishes took care of that, but I made a vow to myself that if my Si is dusty, I will just wash it instead. The temptation is there to wipe away the dust, but then I remember the scratches and swirls in my G35, so I take my microfiber towel away from the paint.

The best thing is to use quick detailer, spraying the panel liberally with the detailer, then using a good mf towel to gently wipe everything away. This leaves a good shine, has antistatic qualities and safely removes the dust.

[Johnold]

Originally Posted by NitrousG35

John, I would just say that wiping a car that is dusty is something I fastidiously avoid. I used to wipe off my G35 with a California duster. I used light pressure and put the most delicious swirls and scratches into the paint.

My Porter Cable and the right polishes took care of that, but I made a vow to myself that if my Si is dusty, I will just wash it instead. The temptation is there to wipe away the dust, but then I remember the scratches and swirls in my G35, so I take my microfiber towel away from the paint.

The best thing is to use quick detailer, spraying the panel liberally with the detailer, then using a good mf towel to gently wipe everything away. This leaves a good shine, has antistatic qualities and safely removes the dust.

I was talking about wiping down your paintjob IF it's got wax on it. And I mean light dust, not sand or heavy or hard grit on your paint. You need wax on your paintjob to wipe off the dust without scratching.

[No.11]

One of my former coworkers had a black car and she would wipe it off with some fuzzy mop thing every time she exited her car and then again when she was about to leave in it again. Too much maintenance for my taste.