AHHHH! Brilliant Black owner insanity! How do I keep it pristine? :-(
 

I literally think I'm losing my mind. Actually considering getting a new car just so that I can avoid the unending frustration associated with owning a black car that I'm trying to take care of.

I waxed it about two weeks ago after putting on a nice coat of 3M IHG. Looked great. It looked great for a week, in fact.

Then, I went away to Cape Cod and got sapped during a rain storm. Fine, so I wash it at a hand wash (one in town - water restrictions are back, no washing your own).

And I still cringe EVERY time I see my car in the direct sunlight!

What can I do to keep the black looking like the glass that I wish it could?

When my bb 99.5 got rear-ended I pushed HARD to get it totalled - then bought a silver '01 ;-)

black is the nicest looking car clean and silver is the nicest when dirty
 

I had a black car just prior to my silver. You cannot keep a black car clean. ANYTHING shows up on it. Salt shows in the winter, pollen in the spring, raindrops in the summer...

But when cleaned and waxed it looks so nice! On the other hand, I can wash and wax my silver car and I swear it doesn't look any sharper than when I started!

i feel your pain! 2wks ago i 3M IHG my brilliant black....
 

actually dish soap first, claybar, and wash again. then the 3M, 3 coats of Mothers Glaze, and 3 coats of Mother Carnuba wax. Looked amazing! but it looks ok now....then again everyone else says it looks so clean and shiny but i haven't washed it in 5days and its rained!

I think we are all just to anal about it!

It is best to get over it, that is what I try to do. I have tons of rock chips also
 

Now I hardly even drive it, my wife drives the Audi every day and I take the metro, Just Wax it a few times a year and wash it once a week, and do not look at your car in the sun.

Forgot who said it, but..."Brilliant Black is not a color, it's a hobby."

I simply use the California duster once a day and mine stay looking nice.

Try p21s paint cleaner and then some of thier concourse wax.
 

Looks great and the shine lasts for a long time.

hobby/obsession/addiction/clinical disorder - what's the difference? ;-P

"....all just too anal about it..." - good point!!
 

I've had ppl comment it looks good, when i think it looks like ****. Has your wife/gf ever bitched about her hair/makeup/whatever looking like ****, when you think it looks good?? You just roll your eyes... and so would others if we walked around crying about our paint/dirt/rain spots. Here on AW you get props for 3 coats each of mothers and carnuba. The general public would send you to a therapist.

With the water restrictions i havent washed my BB for about a month. I just dust it every couple days with the california car duster (red mop looking thing) and it works great. Car looks good from a few cars away (not great up close) but thanks to no rain, i've learned to relax about it. I really think thats the key.

even worse than sunlight is...
 

A friend has this yellow light he bought from a body shop that highlights small dents and dings. In addition to showing the above, it highlights all of the crap that you can never get off of the car, and it shows the "orange peel" effect of the paint. After that you look forward to mere sunlight. I've been letting the car stay dirty for about a month so that when I finally do clean it it looks really nice :)

Buy Silver ====> No stressing here!
 

Hey Ryan,

I am a nut with my car too and feel your pain. I owned one black car and vowed never again. Don't get me wrong, black and dark blue are amazing colors, but a bitch to maintain.

My last couple of cars have been light: silver, white, pearl white, and beige metallic. These colors do not show imperfections - especially the silver and beige metallic.

Good luck,
Keith

hehe - hey, Keith! Long time, no see. Silver is my next car, no doubt about it. =)

Zaino.

garage. i can go about 2 to 3 weeks with my car not looking too bad. it's garaged at night, and
 

i park under ground at work which helps tremendously.

a little California car duster once a week or so, and it stays clean enough to be presentable.

i used to be really anal, but it's just not worth it. granted if it rains, chances are i'll clean it as soon as possible, but normally it stays clean enough for me to live with it.

of course i'm sure I would feel differently if i had to park it out side.

Re: hehe - hey, Keith! Long time, no see. Silver is my next car, no doubt about it. =)
 

Just sent in the money for my Devils season tix =) Maybe we can meet up for some beers at the Winner's Club this season =)