The best way to work around this is to get something like Optimum No Rinse and use a 2 bucket cleaning method. ONR is one of the most amazing car care products ever invented. It uses fancy polymers to make it unnecessary to rinse the car before drying. Using ONR it only takes about 10-15 minutes to go from dirty to towel dried on a decently waxed car. This will let you wash it to your hearts content and not have a car wash become a half day job. You can also avoid getting most swirls in the paint by simply going with the two bucket method. Make one bucket your wash solution water and the other your rinse water. When washing the car simply go from the car (using a plush microfiber) to the rinse bucket (to get rid most of the sediment from the microfiber), and then wring the microfiber out and go to the wash solution bucket. Although it is more work, this simple method will work wonders in keeping your paint in great condition by minimizing the amount of dirt that is pulled over the surface of the paint.

Other pointers that are especially helpful with a black car are:
-never use all of the wash solution. If you make 3-4 gallons do not use it all. The last gallon or so will be full of crap that could leave scratchs your car's paint.
-If you are especially **** (or careful ) purchase some screens for both buckets. The screens are made for 5 gal buckets and allow the dirt and grime to settle to the bottom of the bucket and stay there.
-Durring times where the car is not dirty, but simply dusty, use a Swiffer feather duster to get rid of the junk that has settled on top of the paint.

Following these rules you can keep even a black car looking good most all of the time.
Hope this helps-Ryan

 

Metallic black, like Basalt Black is a lot easier to keep looking good but it's still work. I'm pretty **** and clean it every few days even if it doesn't really 'need' it. Having the right equipment really helps too.

After years of silver or grey I'm happy to go back to black for a while.

 

Find an Atlas Grey. Much easier to keep looking good, and I'm constantly asked about my 'black' car.

 

I have found that any dusting over black always results in swirls.

 

Yep, I don't touch my black car with anything, just let the dust settle and washed it every week or every other week. On other color cars, dust sweeper is fine.

 

Need I say more? Sure it takes a bit more time, but nothing looks better after it's been washed/detailed.

 

Black is a contrast, not a colour!

Seriously, it is either perfect when done right. Or, it is a complete mess if done wrong.

I won't have it any other way! Love black cars!

 

I would be careful using a power washer for the initial "wet down". If you look at dirt particles under a microscope, they are as jagged as the rocky mountains! Some very sharp edges. If you use a fine mist to gently wet and dissolve those sharp edges, you won't cause the spider web fine scratches in the paint. Also, a power washer can force water into places that a more gentler wash would not. Just don't use at full psi.
In Concouring I used to use Diatomacious Earth for heavy polishing. DE is very "sharp" dirt and will scratch the heck out of paint if not used properly.


But if you haven't experienced any problems yet.....go for it!

 

Thanks to everyone giving their experiences with black! Obviously a beautiful 'color' but it is a little scary how fragile it seems to be!

 

The garden hose water pressure(low) leaves so much debris on the car even after hosing it down...which is why I decided to use very low PSi/GPM pressure washer.....1500 PSI max.It doesn't have enough pressure to peel mud off of my truck BUT works GREAT on the less dirty Porsche.NO issues thus far!



Stacy

 

All the primary colors tend to be hard to take care of. Black and Red are difficult and tend to show swirls very easily. White does not show much but there is a difference between a well cared for white car and an expertly cared for white car.

I have owned black, red, and silver. Silver is very easy to keep clean looking while black is by far the hardest. The trick is to touch your paint as little as possible. And when you do, always do so with a wet soft medium like a micro fiber towel.

Jason

 

Hmmm.... I must admit that I do not have a black car at the moment, but I have in the past. I found that something with a static charge would help to lift off the dust. The other reason that I chose to use a Swiffer was that it was disposable and only about $.50. Usually it was a use it once and then toss. Most of the time it was only a bit of pollen that I was looking to get rid of and this did the trick. If anything was stuck to the paint at all I would only wash the car. Might not have hurt that I also took the Flex polisher to it about every 6 months though

 

Not really fragile, just get's dirty easy and requires a bit more maintenance. Not good as a daily driver.

 

.......its so bad every car i own is black!
I think i need therapy....................

 

I own a black P-car, daily driver and I live in the Northwest....I wouldn't buy any other color. I probably wash my car 2-3 times a week, but its is so worth it. Black is so tough looking...it is made for Porsches. I also use a California Duster when I get pollen and a light dust. I got the car with some light scratches and it needs a professional detail (I have been wanting to buy a Flex polisher, but......). I can say I have not made the scratches/swirls worse since I use the 2 bucket method.

As **** as we all are about our P-cars (on this board, all the mods, washing by hand, and some DIY - not because we cannot afford it but because we don't want someone touching our baby) the maintenance on a black car comes with the territory and I wouldn't have it any other way!