Basic New Car Care?

[bkkchris]

Just picked up my 2013 S4 Phantom Black from the dealership a few days ago. Probably wont get to it for another 4 or 5 days but want to do a basic new car wash/sealant. Its a lease but having never had a black car before I want to do what I can early to protect the finish as much as possible and keep the black looking great!

I tend to get my cars hand washed a few times a month and keep it clean weekly with Prima Slick.

Was thinking of Einszett Glanz Wax, but wondering what to wash/prep with first and if I need to finish with anything after? And for the black trim/rubber was thinking an ip clean and then Wolfs Trim Coat.

Suggestions?

[helix139]

Black is going to require a lot of upkeep and proper technique to avoid swirls. I'd advise taking it to a pro for the first time and having any imperfections corrected before sealing. Proper prep is really key to a good finish.

If you'd like to do it yourself, though, and here are the steps:

You'll want to start by washing and decontaminating the paint. Wash it with something like 1Z W99, and follow it up with Aquartz Iron Cut or Wolf's decon gel to remove any iron deposits in the paint from shipping. You'll then want to clay the car. Alternatively, if you have an orbital buffer you can use the nanoskin autoscrub. I'd stick to using the fine version. After the car is decontaminated, you'll want to inspect it under proper lighting and attack any imperfections with an abrasive compound (Such as Meguiar's M105/205) and/or polish (depending on severity) using an orbital buffer with the appropriate pad. You'll then want to hit the car with a light finishing polish (such as Menzerna SF4500), again using the appropriate pad. Following each compounding or polishing step, wipe the car down with a diluted Isopropyl alcohol mixture to remove oils and excess polish residue. You can then hit the car with your sealant/wax of choice. Einszett Glanz is indeed a good choice. Additional choices of synthetic sealants are Menzerna Powerlock, Blackfire Wet Diamond, or Zaino Z2. Alternatively, you can opt for nano coatings such as Aquartz, Wolf's body wrap or hard body, or Opticoat.

If any of the above steps are new to you, you should take it to a pro for the initial new car prep.

You can do the in-between maintenance yourself, just use proper wash technique, good microfiber towels, and a quality ph-neutral car shampoo (Adam's is a good one). oh, and Wolf's Trim Coat is a great choice for the trim. Just make sure to do an IPA wipedown first. You'll also want to keep plenty of Sonax wheel cleaner around and Armor All wheel protectant.

[ENV²]

^couldnt have said it better myself

[FLASHMSTRC]

Well said, nice reply helix139!

[AVier]

Helix hit it right on the head. I just tried DoDo Juice Blue Velevet & Hard Candy waxes on my black a4 (in addition to all the other steps above) and it turned out great. You can layer them over glanz wax. Just put the hard wax over the softer wax if you go that route.

[bkkchris]

Thanks! Great advice. Def think I'm going to have it professionally done the first time.

[Khaavren]

wipe the car down with a diluted Isopropyl alcohol mixture to remove oils...
Just make sure to do an IPA wipedown first.

What is the proper dilution of IPA to water?

[helix139]

What is the proper dilution of IPA to water?

get 91% IPA and cut it 50/50 with distilled water and you should be fine. Obviously, if you are using a less concentrated IPA, then add less water. It should be used after every polishing step to remove excess polish and oils and allow you to better inspect the surface to make sure you've corrected everything