I ahd my car hand washed the other day. It is a black TT. When the car is in the sun and the sun hits it, it looks like lots of tiny scratches are on the car. When the car is not in the sun - you can't tell a thing. What the hell is this and how do I get ti to go away?<p>Matt

 

Don't buy a black car <grin>. Seriously, I had a black Jetta and will never buy another black car (my TT is Silver). They look beautiful when they're clean, but that only lasts a few minutes. I used to use a coat of black wax (you know, the ColorMagic stuff or whatever), then a coat of hard wax over that. It worked OK, but was a lot of work. Good luck.

 

That is one of the drawbacks of black cars. They look sharp but are the hardest to maintain. The swirl marks show up the most on black and also any dirt/grime/pixie dust seems to be magnified. I have had three black cars in the past and went with silver for my TT because I want it to always look clean and swirl free. I went black and won't go back.

 

I, as well, hand washed my black TT last night, drying it with very plush 100% cotton towels and realized the same thing when under the lights in the garage. I am not sure if applying layers of wax on the car would help to eliminate, or at least buffer against, the appearance of the fine scratches. <p>Also, I have always held to the belief that new paint needs to breathe before applying a wax and wonder if i would do more damage than good by waxing the car when it has just over 100 miles on it. <p>If any other black TT owners have figure out a way to remedy this problem, I would love to hear their solutions. <p>Thanks

 

nt.

 

My recently departed Mercedes was my first black car and I'm also sure that it will be my last. With all due respect to black TT owners, my car was an absolute pain in the *** to keep clean. Nothing looks better than a shiny black European can, but one that is even a little bit dirty can look pretty bad.<p>I really like my TT's Nimbus Grey. It's a farily dark color, but it doesn't show dust. I know that there will be plently of disagreement, but I would recommend against choosing the color.

 

Ultrafinish 1800 6668587<br>or Meguiars gold class Clear Coat Prep<br>Then Multiple layers of ZAINO BROS polish http://www.zainobros.com/<br>Just IMHO<br>Rik

 

Hi Matt,<p>My dad used to have a black concours car and he managed to get every mark out of it. But, and it's a big but, he went to tremendous lengths to do it. The process involved several key points.<p>1. Keep all of your car cleaning equipment scrupulously clean. Use seperate spnges etc for the the sills and lower parts of the car (including wheels etc.) and the main body work.<p>2. Polish using progresively finer grades of polish and wash the car in between each polishing to remove any paint residue. He used to start by using realy fine (2400 grit) sand paper with soapy water, but don't do this as this was when the car was fresh from the paint shop! A rubbing compound (don't know what you would call this in the USA) was then used, followed by T Cut, followed by a fine metal polish (Duraglit I think) followed by many many coats of traditional hard wax (Simoniz I think). The whole process took about two months but the result was the deepest black I have ever seen on a car.<p>3. Don't use any kind of automatic or powered car wash (including the brush and pressure washer type) as they all have minute grit particles in the brushes which damage the paint.<p>Once you have achieved the desired results keep the car clean and change your sponges etc. regurlarly.<p>If you want somebody to do the work for you I suggest you get in touch with some of the classic car owners in your area - they should know who to talk to and which products to use.<p>There is one other point that basically agrees with everone else that has replied to your post - black is an absolute b*!#&%d to keep clean and looking smart. But I guess you didn't really want to hear that - did you?<p>Paul.

 

Thanks.

 

I don't think it matters too much. Here in the UK you can buy car washing sponges that are basically large yellow foam sponges. They are quite cheap so you can afford to change them regularly. One other point I should have mentioned is to wash the car over with a hose first before using the hot water with the car shampoo. Don't skimp on the polishes etc. either, you get what you pay for.<p>Also, pick your day for doing the polishing. It should be mild and dry (low humidity), and don't even bother trying in direct sunlight - all you will do is spend a long time carefully smearing the paintwork :-)<p>Hope this helps,<br>Paul.