i have a black S60. i bought it privatly and therfor, didnt get the showroom buff and shine treatment you get when you buy from a dealer......
i washed the car with turtlewax car shampoo and then dried with a chamois. i then polished it with autoglymm "ultra deep shine" as opposed to the "super resin" i ushally use. the results were o.k, but not that good considering all the effort i put in!
a few weeks later i tried T-cut balck polish, hoping this would perform better, however the results, again, were'nt great ?? it seems to have swirls in the finish that are clearly visible ?? i tried a second application, but still the swirls showed.

ive never owned a black car before and im told they are hard work to maintain but surely i can get a good deep glossy shine without turning to a power buffing polish at the cost of around £100....
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks.

Check the Meguiars (sp.?) brand. It seems that I've seen one of their products that is supposed to remove swirl marks. I've never used it, but every other Meguiars product I've used has been good.

I had a black Firebird Formula. My experience has been;

I use a high speed buffer/polisher with Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish. Then I use Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax by hand. Its a three step system, with a Deep Crystal paint cleaner being first. I have never found a need for the paint cleaner. To save time I never used step one, but you might want to use all three since its been a problem.

Not to be too long winded, but if scratches are not an issue and the car just needs a coat of wax, I use Zymol. I have found that to be an excellent product.

BTW jks2, nice spelling!!! I know I would have got it wrong and I use the product

In the immortal words of Elvis, Thank you, Thank you very much S60R. :D

I had a black Jeep liberty and had the same problem with "swirls" in the paint after waxing. I used the same product as listed above (maguires) but I got the one that was designed for "dark color cars" and it worked much better. Also, one trick that I learned was to wash and wax in the shade or in a garage and take time between the wash and the wax.

Good luck

ALWAYS wax in the shade, or a garage if u have one. Never in the sun. Thats rule #1.

o.k, so if i choose to take the option of having a machine buff job done, can anyone confirm that this will get rid of the swirls and any minor scratches....also, what are the long term effects on the paint finish ?? will it be thinned down ?? is it any less protected ??

Cant give u a definite answer without seeing the car in person. If its done right and the scratches are minor, the buffer will work. Wash and wax it regularly afterward, and the paint will be fine. Youll see that the buffer pad will start to turn the color of the paint. This is normal, the "dead" paint is coming off. It isnt any less protected. JUST REMEMBER TO KEEP THE BUFFER MOVING, DONT HOLD IT ON ONE SPOT. Youll burn thru the paint if u dont keep moving the buffer.

had the car buffed and it looks awsome.......
i then treated it with maguiars carnuba wax..... the results where outstanding............
can anyone advise how often the waxing should be done and if it should be removed.... if so how often and with what ????

:P For what this is worth to you. Wax/polish etc starts to oxidize almost immediately. Sunshine/wind/rain/weather/atmosphere/heat all play a part in deteriorating the wax/polish surface of your paint work.

Variables such as whether or not you park in a garage or carport during the night and day/leave the car in an open air car park during the day all influence how long the finish stays glossy and smooth.

Personally, I don't demand too much from a single coating of wax beyond three months exposure to the atmosphere.

Also, if you live near the sea-you might find the wax/polish whatever does not handle that type of atmosphere too well either. Hope that helps.

Cheers :thumbsup:

Im happy u got the results u wanted. Stick with Maguiars if the results were that great. Why change? Personally, I use that or Zymol.

Ditto what Auckland said :beer:

I dont remove the old wax before a new coat. But I do wax 3-4 times a year. Overkill for some since its garage kept.

Hi,
I have a little bit off-topic problem. I was caught by the hailstorm (golf ball size!), and since then I have a "very special" hood modification :-( Any suggestions what to do?
:-(((
J.

I wouldn't think anything but replacement or sand/fill/paint would correct the damage caused by a hailstorm. There is no miracle product that can fill in dimples in sheetmetal.

is it a small nick or an larger indentation....

of all things a sink plunger might work on the later ....

Barmy

If its not possible to tap it out from the inside, I think BarmyArmy has the right idea. I would check with a good auto supply store. I remember seeing contraptions with suction cups on them.

Hope that helps some :57:

:) Just a thought. If the heaven's opened up and did some landscaping on your bonnet and roof-you should be covered by your vehicle insurance policy. It might pay to check out your insurance cover.

Good Luck-and if the insurance company says it was an Act of God and therefore not covered by your insurance policy-ask them to produce the witnesses who saw him do it!! :amen:

:clap: :right: :clap: :clap: :clap: :thumbsup:
The last one suggestion - the best one!!!! Especially- about witnesses... but bevere of jehova witnesses (spelling??) nearbay... those guys had seenn probably much more... :amen: :amen: :amen:

Suction cup seems to be good idea. I asked Alfa Romeo funs for help. It cost bloody $$$ but I'll try - will post the result.
THX
J.

Meguire's Gold Class and Zymol seem to work best on black cars, IMO. Oh yeah, if you wax by hand, do not go in circles no matter what the bottles say. I saw that on Car Crazy. :)