by teK-- » Wed Feb 17, 2010 6:49 pm
Whether a car is black or white or pink, some form of paint sealant or wax is going to preserve its life and improve its presentation. The problem with black is that it shows swirl marks very easily. Swirl marks are often caused by incorrect and over zealous use of power buffers, but also more commonly by automated carwashes, self-serve car washes (if you use the brush), and even if the car is cleaned by hand and the incorrect materials or technique is used.
Those $10 car washes where they wash your car by hand are a definite no no in my books. The amount of time they are limited to per car, plus the price, mean the job is rushed, using poor materials with no rinsing inbetween panels, and generally poor quality products. Send your black car there once I guarantee you it will come back with light scratches all over the clear coat
The only way to go is to buy the correct products and learn how to do it yourself, or send it to a premium car detailer who would charge around $30-$40 for a basic wash of the exterior and vacuum of interior, but they will take the car not to scratch up your paint.
MY04 2.5i Safety 5MT Sedan
"Project Locomotive"
..: JDM Subaru-AVO-Whiteline-Bilstein-Swift Springs-Cusco-Rallitek-GT Brakes-Remsa-K4RT30Y-Blitz-Philips-Défi-STI-Sabelt-Redline-Alpine-Polk Audio-Kenwood-Dynamat :..