370Z Black - How Difficult?
 

This may sound like a stupid question, because I know all black cars are a pain in the rear. But I had a black A4 that wasn't too difficult to take care of and then I had a black 335i that was the absolute worst, the paint was like butter. I swear I'd get swirl marks from the wind blowing on it.

So any thoughts on how the 370 black paint stacks up?

meh.. it's okay...

just search around in the detailing section - they got some great tips

I handwash only but in direct sunlight you can still see some little swirls here and there.
Personally I'm happy with my decision. A clean black Z will turn more heads than any other color imo

i love my black Z and as with any cars i buy, its usually black and this car is no exception when it comes to keeping it clean. I washed my car on Saturday and by Monday its already dirty.

for someone that has owned 6 cars so far with 3 of them being black I can say that you should do your best to avoid it. People with 370s aren't that bad off yet because the cars are still somewhat new. My 40th already has a bunch of small chips because of our soft paint and even has a clearcoat scratch here and there. They do look great clean (although not better than my 40th lol) but down the line that will matter less and less.

Washing technique is obviously important too.

^ true.

I would never get a black car if it wasn't garaged...

Thanks guys. I've had a bunch of black cars, too, and reading your comments made me realize why I'm not driving one now. Honestly, I think I'm done with black, as much as I love them when they're clean. The problem is that usually only lasts about an hour.

^ I feel the same way. My last Z was black, and I loved how it looked when it was freshly cleaned and waxed. It was a love hate relationship.

despite how hard it is to keep a black car clean, i would still get a black car. whats wrong with having a dirty car?

just got a mag black Z. i love it. even when it's dirty it still looks better than 99% of the other cars out there. the other 1% is the CLEAN mag black Z's :D

I'm sorry but I'm so distracted by your avatar I can't focus on your question :icon17:

Rofl

my Z is a weekend ride and I sometimes wish I had bought black. it does look soooo good. I wouldnt go with black for a daily driver tho.

I use mine as a daily driver and it is not that bad. It really comes down to how you take care of it. I use Zaino products and love the results. You can ask anyone that has seen my car you see little to no swirls and the car has 30k on it so far. So to answer the OP question It comes down to how you care for your car washing technique and products us use. A quality product is necessary and finding one in the local pepboys is not really where you go.

:tiphat:

I had to polish out swirls after the dealer did me the "favor" of washing it right after purchase. But since then its been swirl free.

Using quality microfiber mitts to clean and towels to dry is key. After the initial application of zaino I've just been using their Z-CS every 6 months. It doesn't need to be buffed off and apparently protects from UV just as well. I figure the less you touch the paint, the better (unnecessary QD wipedowns and buffing and such).

I wouldn't have any other color :tiphat:

One way to eliminate swirls is when u dry or wax your car, always wipe from front to back and never in a circular motion ;)

I love my black Z but living in the desert of Nevada its a real pain in the ***, even keeping it garaged because we have that awesomely fine sand/dust combo that gets everywhere....you wash your car just to see it dusty as hell a couple days later...I wash my car often. Its a labor of love.

For guys having swirl problems, you should look into this sort of resin that certain detail shops can apply. It's a sort of polish that dries rock-hard. Sorry I'm blanking on the name of it, but a friend of mine had it done on his black car, and even going through car washes, it has remained swirl-free.

Not sure how long it lasts, and it cost him $450 to put it on.. but he has been extremely reckless with washing his car for the past year and it still looks great. I wouldn't own a black car without something like that.

one word Zaino