Uncle Sam is giving me a brand new ride. It is jet black.

I care for my Government cars just as I care for my own. I only wash and dry with microfiber. I have Griot's Clay, a PC, a Makita and a Cyclo and all of the appropriate pads. I have Mens IP and Nano, HD Cleanse, Zymol Carbon and Concours, as well as Pinnacle Soveriegn. What should I doing to, and using on, brand new black paint to get off on the right foot? If the products I own aren't the right ones, what should I be buying? Thanks in advance.

 

You seems to have all the right products. What kind of car is it; would help knowing the kind of paint that's on it? With any car, even a new one, I always perform Trinity: Clay, Polish, Wax. Since it's jet black, you're now going to be a bit more careful what grit of clay, what quality of microfiber, etc. you're going to use. You want to use the mildest clay to get the job done. I would start with Sonus Extra Fine Clay. Then polish with your HD-Cleanse using a soft microfiber pad. Finally, wax using Concours if you want or Pinnacle. You shouldn't need to use any machines for all this. The maintenance is the key. Wash using 100% NATURAL Australian sheepskin wash mitt, using a mild pH balanced soap like zymol CLear or Autowash, and dry using a waffle weave foam core microfiber drying cloth or a forced air blower like an Airmax. A deionized water filtration system like the CR Spotless would also help reduce the time you spend washing since there's no water spots to chase. As always, these are my recommendations and the products mentioned I have a vested interest in since I sell them and the results are consistently duplicated. You can always use something else as long as the technique is the same.

 

Hey Moe,

I knew you'd have the answers. It's a Ford, so if that changes any of your recommendations, please let me know. I just bought the CR system from you, seemingly right in the knick of time. I'll probably be needing a couple of new wash mits and waffle weaves.

Thanks so much for the advice.

 

Zymol DOES correct the small hairline microscratches from washing and fills the rest of the deeper imperfections making them less visible to the eye. In a real-world situation where people cannot be polishing their car every few months with a machine, HD-Cleanse is the answer. I have many clients that have cars in excellent shape and it has never been machine polished. You would be hard pressed to find anything more than a few hairline imperfections here and there.

As for the remark of waxes not lasting than two months, this does not hold true for zymol. Most of the high-end waxes from Concours up will last 3 months and up if washed and cared for properly. I know this for sure on the west coast and clients that garage their cars on the east coast say the same as well.

 

You're welcome. I don't work on too many Fords but the paint on that car should be fine. Try the concours that you have and see how it does. You may want to down step to Titanium as to not use up the Concours as a $$$ factor. Titanium is still an excellent wax and is about half the price of Cocnours. But the application is different as you apply with a foam applicator. So that speeds things up. Just a thought. Let me know when you need the mitts and towels.