Keeping Your Black Car From Looking Like a Disaster (Mar 2026)

Never, ever wash a black car in direct sunlight. The water will evaporate in seconds, leaving nasty water spots. If you don't have a shed, do it at the crack of dawn or late in the arvo.

Clean the wheels first. If you do them last, you'll splash dirty water onto your clean paint. Use a dedicated iron remover to get rid of burnt-on brake dust.

Cover the dry car in a thick layer of snow foam. Let it dwell for 5 minutes. This lifts the loose grit so you don't drag it across the paint with your mitt.

Blast everything off. Pay attention to the wheel arches and door shuts where salt and red dust build up.

One bucket with soapy water, one with clean water. Dip in the soap, wash a panel, rinse the mitt in the clean water, repeat. Start from the roof and work down.

After washing, spray an Iron Remover (like Bowden's Wheely Clean, yeah, you can use it on paint too) over the car. If it turns purple, it's dissolving metal particles from the road.

Use a clay mitt with plenty of soapy water as lube. Gently glide it over the paint until it feels smooth as glass. (don't drop it, if you drop a clay bar, chuck it in the bin immediately)

Use a dedicated drying towel. Don't rub; just lay it flat over the panel and pat it dry. For the mirrors and badges, I honestly reckon a leaf blower is the best tool to get the trapped water out.

Use blue painter's tape to cover plastic trim, rubber seals, and badges. If you hit plastic with a polisher, it'll turn white and it's a nightmare to fix.

Don't just start buffing the whole car. Pick one spot on the bonnet. Try your least aggressive polish first. If that doesn't fix the swirls, move up to a heavier compound.

Apply 4 pea-sized drops to your pad. Work a 50x50cm area. Move the DA polisher slowly in overlapping passes. Don't push too hard, let the machine do the work.

Use an IPA wipe to remove the polishing oils. Shine a bright torch (or your phone light) on the paint. If the swirls are gone, you're winning.

Switch to a soft foam pad and a fine polish. This is what gives black paint that 'wet look' depth. It's the most satisfying part of the job.

Wipe the whole car down with IPA again. You need the surface surgically clean for the protection to bond.

Whether it's a ceramic coating or a wax, apply it thin. With ceramic, work panel by panel and buff off as soon as it 'flashes' (looks like oil on water).

Apply a UV-resistant dressing to the plastics and tyres. I like a matte finish, shiny 'wet look' tyres look a bit cheap on a classy black car, in my opinion.

Clean the windows last. Any overspray from the polish or wax will be sitting there. Use two cloths, one to clean, one to buff clear.