Calling all owners of black GTIs

[oatz]

Do you find the paint scratches really easily? And if so, is it easy to buff out using certain products?

Any real world experience would be great as I'm looking at a car which has a few visible, light scratches over the bodywork and just want to know whether it's the inherent nature of black cars (haven't owned one before) or whether it's infact not a particularly well look after example?

Many thanks once again!

[bobotheclown]

yes i have found the paint scratches easily, but no idea how to remove them.

[ifti]

I have a black car at the mo, which is why Im looking for a silver or grey GTI!
Black looks the dogs nuts when its polished up, but it gets dirty easy, and you can see every little mark, such as stone chips etc. Also you can easily see swirl marks if not washed properly. Sometimes the swirls are really obvious as well - you dont even have to get close to notice!

[pany]

Is it flat black or diamond black metallic?

I have diamond black and it isn't any worse than other colours for marking, but it can be easier to see in certain lights.

The "two bucket method" for washing, where you use a bucket for the car shampoo and a clean bucket of water for rinsing the wash mitt in between cleaning the car helps. A wash mitt is much better than a sponge for reducing scratches.

If you already have scratches, autoglym super resin polish is good for masking them. It has quite a high filler content, so fills the scratches making them harder to see. traditional polishes will remove a very small amount of the clear coat and can get a much better finish, but they take a lot of elbow grease. Electrical polishing machines help, but the cheap ones are next to useless and the expensive ones can damage the paintwork even more if used incorrectly.

[pitch3110]

There are several products on the market that will 'fill' fine washing swirls.

Really bad ones, I would suggest megs scratchex, if by hand is your only option.

Other wise if you use a good cleaner, then polish & finish with wax & you will loose swirling & hollograms. Megs 3 stage is good for the money.

For proper results a DA machine polisher like the megs 220 will bring the paint up like new.

Over Christmas I attacked the passenger doors on my 30 month old A4 (metalic Phantom Black) & the results were amazing.

I have some pics on the PC at home which I will post later.

[Cass]

The clearcoat used by VW is quite hard but because the car is black, you do see swirls and scratches more easily then lighter colours such as silver and solid colours like red or white.

Agree with the 2 bucket method of washing and use a quality wash mit. Rinse well and get plenty of suds on the bodywork. Never, ever use a car wash

Despite carefull washing and polishing/waxing, my car suffered the dreaded swirls and after 2 years of ownership, I decided to get the paint clearcoat levelled by a professional detailer. What a difference it made to the finish and the depth of shine. I would not recommend tackling your own pride and joy with a machine polisher - leave it to the experts

Several months on, despite being so carefull, I again have some very minor scratches which have have reappeared due to washing. Nothing major, but some attentive polishing will do the trick.

Black is a fabulous colour when properly polished up, but like every car on the road, you will get some scratches and swirls when washing. They seem to be more prevalent this time of the year, when (at last) the sun's rays do pop through
Cass

[stealthwolf]

Black gets dirty easy, and you can see every little mark, such as stone chips etc. Also you can easily see swirl marks if not washed properly.

+1. A black car looks the nuts when clean but keeping it clean is a busy job. I'd seriously say you'd need to clean it once a week to keep it looking good. If you hate cleaning cars, go for silver. A mate has never bothered washing his car - he let's the rain do it - but it never looks dirty whereas the black always look dirty unless it's just been cleaned.

[oatz]

That's the trouble, silver is maintenance free but my last three cars have been silver and I really fancy a change. Grey was my next choice but is quite hard to come by at the moment....

[Edition30]

Depends how well it is looked after from day one. I have always prewashed mine to remove any excess grit and then used a wash mitt with grit guards. Still no swirl marks to this day. Looks mint when its cleaned up.

[dan_apps]

^why i didnt go for black + white looks better whenits just been cleaned!