Polishing a black car
Author
Discussion

RP64

Original Poster:

76 posts

107 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
quotequote all
What is actually achievable at home with some detailing clay, a basic machine polisher and some meguiars compound then polish and then liquid wax? Can a lot of scratches be removed and a black car made to look close to show room condition?

Wills2

27,547 posts

195 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
quotequote all

Yes it can, a DAS 6 Pro DA machine plus a decent polishing compound will give good results, watch some videos first loads out there.

Radec

5,275 posts

67 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
quotequote all
As above, yeah it can.
Lot of amateur detailers use da polishers as they are more forgiving than rotary for the beginner.

Good compound and pads and most importantly technique will get you very good results.

Watch videos on YouTube (search junkman2000, he has a lot of videos with tips and tricks on detailing) and head over to the detailing world forum.

If you do get some kit to go it alone, I'd say get a few beat up panels from the scrappy to practise on first.

The hard part with black is once you have got it looking decent, keeping it that way is hard work.

Turn7

25,093 posts

241 months

Saturday 9th July 2022
quotequote all
Is it not worth getting a quality pro paint correction/sealnt and then maintaining from there?

I ask as a Black car owner for my sins......

somouk

1,425 posts

218 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
quotequote all
It all depends on how much time you have.

Getting a pro is the expensive but less time option.

If you have a load of time, the right kit and like spending time getting the car right then polishing yourself is a cheaper way of doing it.

The car will almost certainly need maintaining in some way with it being black paint, even the best wash processes will introduce marring at least over time so being able to quickly just polish it back up and then protect it again helps a lot.

Insert Coin

1,965 posts

63 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
quotequote all
When I first started amateur detailing I managed to go through the clear coat and down to the metal in just a few seconds with a rotary and an aggressive pad.

Slow and steady with a DA and check your work frequently!

I prefer all-in-one products these days, rather than multiple stages, something like Rupes Uno Protect is easy to work with, easy to remove and gives a great finish.

Good quality plush microfibre cloths and a set of hex or lakeside pads.

On black paint I use a damp cloth to wipe away streaks, but never wash or paint correction in the sun, especially a black/dark car.



Edited by Insert Coin on Sunday 10th July 09:21

Belle427

11,072 posts

253 months

Sunday 10th July 2022
quotequote all
Providing the scratches are not deep and a good compound used then I’d say yes quite easily.