Advice on Washing a black car.

Althought the softness aspect really plays a part in all car finishes, make sure all of your products have ample lubricity and the tools you use are safe for the clearcoat. Black is the great revealer.

 

I've been using a Karcher 1750 electric pressure washer. Depending on what adapter your foam cannon has, you may have to modify things to make them work with your pressure washer. Plenty of people use gas pressure washers with foam cannons, so maybe someone can chime in about that.

What foam cannon did you get? I imported 2 from the UK a few years back, so I don't know what's really available here.

Black is the great revealer of defects in paint. If you own a black vehicle, it's a part time job. It's also the most rewarding thing to look at after putting time into it though!

The best advice I've ever gotten is that the less you touch the paint, the less can go wrong with it. ONR being the only total exception. Don't press down hard to remove things, rather, let the chemicals do the work for you.

 

I purchased a Cam Spray rather than a Foan Cannon. So, we'll see.

 

ok buy 10 uber sponges..use one for the bottom and rinse the hell out of it checking to make sure no grit got stuck.. make sure you do a two bucket system or be super super careful with a one bucket and make sure you have grit guards.. next use a good shampoo i like p21s a lot..it is awesome for cleaning and not removing wax.. i really like swissvax also.. use p21s gel on the wheels with a swissvax wheel brush and dress tires with swissvax pneu.. use a sealant and a nuba for extra protection.. and make sure you never run out of protection and never take the car to a car wash..esp a machine wash or you will have swirl marks like none other.. as a towel use a waffle weave..i really love detailer's domain blue WW towels.. also i am a big fan of chemical guys baby blue towels. they are my key to no marks when drying also using a quick detailer can help since it adds lubricity.

oh and nice car i have a 335 coupe in Sparkling Graphite.. dinan tune and LOVE the car!!!! best car i have ever owned by far!!! at almost 17000 miles i have had 1 non maintenence issue..a faulty bulb holder..the car is bullet proof and i have had the tune for over half the life of the vehicle!! can't say enough positive things about it..30mpg highway even with the tune actually 33-34 4.2 0-60..awesome handling.. my combined highway and city is 24.. but now i really could care less so it is at 18!!

it's my baby..the main thing that started me going all nuts and buying like 4-5k in detail supplies!! the total package cannot be beat in my eyes. esp for a 40k car 42k with the tune.. though i had to get every option and then some..wish they offered a discount if you buy near all or all the options..it was even in the latest roundel.. which is an awesome mag you have to have if your a bmw nut..become a cca member asap..next car you can get 500 off 1000 i think for a few models except a 1 series.

congrats on the new car!!! treat he well and do an oil change at 1200 miles..i know it isn't included in the maintenance but it is worth it..i change my oil every 7500 and i use royal purple..i saw no benefits with red line though it was thought to be superior. both are excellent though..sorry i love my baby just giving you some tips!! any q's feel free to pm me.

 

Lots of good points here. P21S soap is THE slickest soap I've ever tried. Well worth the money. As for washing medium, I would take a good quality lambswool mitt over a sponge ( especially with your paint ) just in case you get some grit trapped it can still be moved away from the paint until you rinse it out. I've got a few I just got from the UK if you want to try one. Two bucket method with grit guards for sure. When doing final rinse, take the nozzle off and let the water flow freely. This will sheet almost all the water off for you. You can still use a leaf blower if you wish or fold your drying towel and blot, don't wipe, any remaining water. And yes, the foam cannons work with your Pwasher. Just remove whatever attachment it comes with and attach the appropriate quick connect and your good to go. PM me if you want some pics of my set up.

 

Lots of good suggestions so far. What I like to use to wash my black car is CG CWG 1oz with 4 gallons of water AND 1oz of ONR. Wash normally with 2 bucket/2 grit guards using lambs wool mitt or natural sea wool sponge. I really like the CWG on its own, but adding the ONR adds even more lubricity imo. It also helps to encapsulate the dirt and lift into the wash medium. This is half the amount of ONR you would use for a std ONR wash. I also spray the rockers, and any soiled areas with ONR QD strength. I still foam the car with CWG as well! If the car is extra extra dirty, I will add some ONR along with the CWG into the foam sprayer and let it soak for 5 minutes or so.

May seem like overkill, but I haven't any trouble yet. I will blow some of the water off with compressed air from an air compressor followed by drying with Waffle weave MF.

You could probably do any of a 100 different combos/products listed in your thread, but I think the bottom line is just take your time! Pay careful attention to soiled areas and don't try to rush. You'll be rewarded with a wash free of marring and swirls!