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Black Car Wax: How to Protect Your Black Car
If you have a black car with minor scratches, a good quality black car wax will allow you to quickly and easily remove the scratches, and restore the brilliance and shine to your paint job. Colored car waxes will also restore brilliance to a fading paint job, but only if the paint is oxidized. If it has gotten to where it is beginning to crack, a rubbing compound will be required instead of a wax. One important item to note is that colored car waxes can’t completely replace a high quality rubbing or polishing compound. Also of note are the facts that colored wax won’t restore the color and shine if your paint has been neglected,and has begun to craze (a condition of fading, cracking and discoloration) and that if the scratches have gone through to the primer, you’re going to have to either buy a bottle of touchup paint, or take your car to a paint shop and have the paint touched up. There are three main brands of black car wax on the market. These are made by Meguiar’s, Turtle Wax and a relative newcomer, Dodo’s Juice. The following paragraphs contain information some simple application instructions.
Step 1: Wash and Dry
The first step of any quality detail job is a quality wash and dry. Use a high quality cleaner designed specifically for the type of paint your car has (acrylic, lacquer, latex, polyurethane). Use a chamois to dry it when finished washing and rinsing.
Step 2: Application
Apply the wax by hand. Most manufacturers recommend using a terry cloth or cheese cloth towel during application. Get it damp and scoop or squeeze out a small amount of the wax. Apply it in an overlapping circular motion in a small area. Place medium pressure while you’re applying to wax to max sure it is fully worked into any defects in the paint. This step should be done in a garage, unless the temperature outside is below about 85 degrees. In no instance should waxing be done in the direct sunlight if the temperature is above 90 degrees. Also, if the temperature is below 65 or 70 degrees, wait until the next day to ensure proper drying of the wax.
Step 3: Allow to Dry and Buff
After the wax is applied, it must be allowed to dry to a glaze before buffing it out. Typically, if you work on one fender and door at a time, by the time you finish applying the wax to the door, you can move back to the fender and begin buffing out. Remember, though, that the wax must be fully dried (but not over dry). Deciding on the right amount of time for drying will depend on environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. Always use a clean and lint free cloth, such as terry or cheese cloth, when buffing out black car wax. Also remember to use a clean rag or cloth once the one you’re using becomes saturated with the wax.
Step 4: Shine
If the wax removal buffing doesn’t bring out the brilliant shine you desire (known as “the wet look”), you can usually buff a high shine into your paint using a high quality lamb’s wool buffing pad. Again, use circular motions and apply moderate pressure.
For years, Turtle Wax, by default, made the best black car wax, due to the fact that they were the only ones on the market. Due to its overall popularity in the industry, most people are going to tell you that Meguiar’s makes the best black car wax now.
