[Ani0404]

Originally Posted by TorqueTwist

Black is Beautiful, Period. It has to be treated with utmost care to have it looking that way.
Every day it takes about 40 Min’s to clean my car and on a Sunday, I take about 3 to 4 hrs to clean the entire car.

I am happy yet envious to see that you cater 40 minutes every day to clean your car. But I am afraid if others have the luxury of such time or access to basic facilities like a water tap connection near parking. I own a black safari and I am posted in one of the most polluted towns in India with no access of a shaded parking zone or a water connection downstairs. The traffic sense out here is in a shit state with no responsibility. People are drunk once the clock hits 1800hrs and ram into parked vehicles beside the road. Had 2 such encounters in 3 weeks where people have hit my car parked aside.
I feel so bad looking at my vehicle especially after I spent about 10K last month getting all the exterior scratches removed and now I am left with a huge dent on the tailgate plus broken bumper and lots of scratches. I am just wondering what would be the future like in this case.
I seriously feel it's a boon to have access to basic facilities like an electric supply, running water connection and of course a little more time.

[TorqueTwist]

Originally Posted by Ani0404

I am happy yet envious to see that you cater 40 minutes every day to clean your car. But I am afraid if others have the luxury of such time or access to basic facilities like a water tap connection near parking. I own a black safari and I am posted in one of the most polluted towns in India with no access of a shaded parking zone or a water connection downstairs. .

I usually start cleaning my car at 6am and wind it off by 6:40 after which spend about 45 min's exercising, have my coffee with a news paper in hand and then get ready to head to my bank.. I have a shaded parking at my flat and cellar parking at my bank and hence am lucky to keep my car shining and safe..

[JozfGT]

The only possible way to maintain a black car is to regularly wash,wax and polish if required. Never let a scratch or dent to fall on it since the whole beauty will be lost with the smallest of scratch.
However , if maintained well, there is no other color as royal ad the jet black
( That is purely my personal opinion. )

[iamitp]

Hello everyone,
After scouring the 'Paint protection Film' and 'Ceramic Coating - is it really useful?' threads, I realised that I'm still as confused as when I started reading. Hence posting a new thread to seek your views and tips. I hope this discussion will also be helpful for other car owners, especially of a black coloured vehicle, who want to protect and keep their car looking new but don's want to spend much effort on maintenance or take another loan for detailing their ride.

Background info:
I'm expecting the delivery of my new Creta 2020 1.4 DCT SX (O) in Phantom Black within 3 weeks. The car will be parked outside my house and my office building, sometimes under the shade of a tree but mostly not. I am not confident about my commitment with a car cover. I am lazy and don't foresee assiduously putting on and taking off the car cover every night. I don't want to wash the car myself and neither engage any local labour. I would ideally get it washed once in a fortnight at a professional car wash/detailer and use the Jopasu Duster as and when needed. The vehicle would be mostly run in Delhi NCR and less than 100 km per week.

Requirements:

1. I want to keep/improve upon the gloss and shine of the factory black paint.
2. I want to protect the car from damage due to heat, sunlight, bird droppings, tree sap, dust-laden winds, scratches from branches and bushes sticking out on the road, damage from colony kids, monkeys in my office complex who frequently leave their dirty hand-marks, bodily fluids and even faeces on the bonnet/roof, beggars scratching/banging the doors & windows at traffic signals, chips from gravel, loose stones on the road and scuff marks & light scratches from bikers and other vehicles while navigating narrow lanes.
3. I want an economical, low-maintenance and long-term solution which provides all of the above.

Based on my research, I have the following options:

1. Paint protection film (PPF) for the whole car, with ceramic coating on the interior console and infotainment/MID screen - this seems to be the most expensive but desirable option.
2. Ceramic Coating (CC) for most of the car and PPF for high-risk areas like door handles, bumper, upper portion of bonnet, door edges. etc. - I am not very keen on CC due to its lack of protection against scratches, durability and the need to replenish it every year.
3. Nothing at all. Repaint the car when it gets dull - Any inputs on quality (vis-a-vis factory finish) and cost of such a repaint (vis-a-vis cost of PPF) would be appreciated.

Some other questions in my mind:

1. Which PPF to go for? I understand that Xpel Ultimate is the best in the market, but how would it compare to Avery Dennisson (regular), Sunteck, 3M Venture Shield and others? I would prefer a PPF which self-heals in Delhi weather and doesn't hot-air or hot-water application to be effective.
2. If I do end up damaging my car enough to warrant denting & re-painting, will I need to replace the PPF or can it be re-applied? Is there any brand offering a warranty cover for re-applications in such cases?
3. Should I get the windshields and windows covered in PPF or sun-film? I would ideally like some protection against scratches as well heat/water/dust.
4. Any suggested PPF installers in Delhi NCR? And tips to bring down the cost with them? I discovered that T&R Autoworks and Autoworks in Delhi and House of Polish in Gurgaon are listed as official Xpel installers

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Hi, please see if you find some pointers in this thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...oured-car.html (Tips for Maintainence of a black coloured car)

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Hi, please see if you find some pointers in this thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...oured-car.html (Tips for Maintainence of a black coloured car)

Thanks but forgot to mention in the thread starter that I also read through this in my research.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Thanks but forgot to mention in the thread starter that I also read through this in my research.

Hi @iamitp, what did you decide on and how has it fared? I'm in a similar situation as you with a black sonet and unable to decide after going through that and all other threads on the forum.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Aconite

Hi @iamitp, what did you decide on and how has it fared? I'm in a similar situation as you with a black sonet and unable to decide after going through that and all other threads on the forum.

The Ceramic paint has not held up that well, I can see plenty of spider webbing. Using a heavy-duty cover (even microfiber) could have contributed to them. I think a PPF would have been ideal, but way too expensive. In hindsight, black cars are not practical for the hot and dusty Indian roads - they look great in the West where the elements are much tamer.

My suggestion to you would be to find a train-able car cleaner and teach him a Turtle Wax routine. Else hit an economical but good detailer on a weekly basis, depending on your usage/parking.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by iamitp

The Ceramic paint has not held up that well, I can see plenty of spider webbing. Using a heavy-duty cover (even microfiber) could have contributed to them. I think a PPF would have been ideal, but way too expensive. In hindsight, black cars are not practical for the hot and dusty Indian roads - they look great in the West where the elements are much tamer.

What was your routine with the ceramic coating, and did you go all ceramic route or did you get ppf on high-risk areas?

I have not yet received my car, still have the flexibility of changing color and want to settle on a somewhat assuring routine before deciding on black.

Originally Posted by iamitp

My suggestion to you would be to find a train-able car cleaner and teach him a Turtle Wax routine. Else hit an economical but good detailer on a weekly basis, depending on your usage/parking.

Since, both of us are in NCR, can you recommend any places for fortnightly/monthly visits?

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Aconite

What was your routine with the ceramic coating, and did you go all ceramic route,

Yes, I went with the All Ceramic route. Only stuck to self cleaning and detailing. Covered with microfibre linked cover.

I think it is impossible to prevent micro scratches due to the dust and harsh climate in NCR.

Same reason I would suggest you to get a dual tone or lighter colour. The Black looks great for 5 mins after detailing and then a visible layer of dust settles.

I usually go to Autozone in Select Citywalk due to convenience. They use Turtle wax products and you can also get some redemption vouchers from the mall loyalty program.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by iamitp

The Ceramic paint has not held up that well, I can see plenty of spider webbing. Using a heavy-duty cover (even microfiber) could have contributed to them. I think a PPF would have been ideal, but way too expensive. In hindsight, black cars are not practical for the hot and dusty Indian roads - they look great in the West where the elements are much tamer.

Yes, using a car cover (no matter how soft) will cause surface abrasion and micro marring be it ceramic coated or not. PPF will suffer from the same micro marring and loss of gloss as a coating if it is not cared for properly, self healing is only for a finite amount of time and generally lasts under a year from application.

Will disagree with the second part, heat has got absolutely nothing to do with paint marring and abrasion. Dust yes, but only if it’s removed using poor wash technique. Most of india doesn’t get snow and as a result our roads aren’t laced with salt solution to prevent ice buildup. That salt is very corrosive to car paint and it’s an issue in cold countries.

For reference here’s my black Amaze after a wash, 9 years old now. Note: I haven’t done any paint correction (in the last couple of years at least), just taken these shots after a foam wash. Neither is my car coated (I do use a sealant every other month). Your paint will remain glossy as long as you don’t abuse it by inflicting swirls into the clearcoat, it can be ruined in 1-2 days (by giving it to your daily cleaner) or maintained for over a decade by washing safely.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by AJ56

g as you don’t abuse it by inflicting swirls into the clearcoat, it can be ruined in 1-2 days (by giving it to your daily cleaner) or maintained for over a decade by washing safely.

Sweet looking Amaze. By the harsh climate of NCR, I meant extreme temperatures which deter self cleaning, which unless you have trained car washing staff or enough money to detail every other day or an air conditioned garage, is a must for keeping the black paint glossy.

There’s a reason why it is so rare to see a black car as glossy as yours, except the chauffeur driven luxury cars which enjoy the above mentioned pampering.

Also, no matter how glossy anyone’s black car looks under the detailing tubelights, it takes 5 mins of real world for you to clearly see that fine layer of dust on the bonnet.

Is it possible to keep one’s black car looking like new? Yes. However, the question is would I recommend it to anyone who isn’t willing to put in the massive amount of effort for it? No

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Sweet looking Amaze. By the harsh climate of NCR, I meant extreme temperatures which deter self cleaning, which unless you have trained car washing staff or enough money to detail every other day or an air conditioned garage, is a must for keeping the black paint glossy.

There’s a reason why it is so rare to see a black car as glossy as yours, except the chauffeur driven luxury cars which enjoy the above mentioned pampering.

Also, no matter how glossy anyone’s black car looks under the detailing tubelights, it takes 5 mins of real world for you to clearly see that fine layer of dust on the bonnet.

Again, I had none of those (parked in the open since day 1, still do) before I got into the detailing business, and my paint still looked like this. It’s a matter of educating yourself on proper wash technique and having basic equipment like a pressure washer and air blower that’s it. You need only wash/rinse once every 3-4 days and it takes under 15 mins for a no contact rinse, but you have to know what you’re doing.

Ironically chauffeur driven luxury cars have the worst paint condition we see as detailers since they are abused on a daily basis by the driver not knowing how to clean without inflicting swirls and deeper scuffs into the paintwork. Generally the best maintained cars are those not washed on a daily basis and not given to society cleaners/drivers for cleaning.

Not five minutes but about an hour to notice very fine dust, and more like 24-36 hours to see any significant amount of dust, assuming it’s left in the open. Garaged cars take much longer to get dirty, but glossy paint is still very much visible even on a car that’s left out for a week. The difference is night and day.

Here’s a shot showing both cars, both are the exact same shade of Honda Crystal Black Pearl, one is washed by the driver and all swirled up, the other isn’t. Both haven’t been washed in over 2 days and you can see for yourself despite the fine layer of dust which looks better.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Again, I had none of those (parked in the open since day 1, still do) before I got into the detailing business, and my paint still looked like this.

I do admire your efforts and they really do a show in the quality of your paint. I have been following the same practice as yours of self-cleaning the car, and not outsourcing it to the watchman. However, even if one does discount the effort spent on detailing one’s car, which is subjective to one’s own schedule and interests, this method leaves my car looking dirty 5/7 days a week.

Sure, it is glossier than the car next door which is wiped every day but the compromise is that it does actually look ‘cleaner’ than mine, which is glossier, on 5/7 days.

As an enthusiast, yes I do care, but to the rest of my family, I keep my car dirty for days just so that I can either spend an hour or money on detailing it.

In my effort-to-reward ratio, this is suboptimal, and I am never buying an all-black car again, at least in the NCR. Also, I forgot to mention car heating factor in the scorching Delhi summer.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by iamitp

this method leaves my car looking dirty 5/7 days a week.

Sure, it is glossier than the car next door which is wiped every day but the compromise is that it does actually look ‘cleaner’ than mine, which is glossier, on 5/7 days.

There are ways around it, you need not drive a dirty car for the remaining 5 days in a week-

1) get a cordless pressure washer + cordless leaf blower (Black and Decker/Dewalt are good options), they are battery powered and do not need a 220V outlet to use, it’ll take 10-15 mins for a quick rinse and air dry, no wiping needed and it’s much less tiring.

2) find a roadside carwash, have them pressure wash and blow dry the car every 2-3 days as it gets dusty, don’t let them wipe the paintwork and you’ll be swirl free. Make sure the pressure washer used doesn’t exceed 130 bar/2000 psi.