Not familiar with paint, I just know when i get my charger painted I want the deepest, darkest, wet black possible. Is that something that is achieved through the type of clear coat, the paint or both? What do i ask the painter to do to get the outcome i want?

Chrysler px8 black is about the deepest black there is. It's hard to beat single stage for a deep finish. I think with base/clear it will depend on using the best clear you can, and how many coats you lay down.

The only way your going to get a "wet" look is BC/CC, I'd recommend either Dupont Chroma Premier BC/CC Black base 99K or Chroma Premier's Super Jet Black base G9900S with Chroma Premier "High Glamour Clear" or HOK's (House of Kolor) S2-25 JET BLACK basecoat with House of Kolor urethane Kosmic Klear

The HOK is probably your best choice, base is about $200 gallon, and the Kosmic Klear is about $150 gallon

Prep/finish is key to the finish your looking for, for a wet look black finish, I finish block/wet sand the primer base to 600 grit, no sealer finish, just basecoat color choice, and several coats of clear...I usually wait 3-4 weeks to cut/wet sand the clear coat, I start lightly with 800 grit, then 1000, then 1200, then 1500, then 2000,....and finish with 2500 grit and sometimes 3000 grit paper, no compounding, just polish


Customer's car with Dupount Chroma Premier BC/CC... Black basecoat 99K and Chroma Premier High Gloss Glamour clear


Mike

In my limited experience, I found the best coverage to be Sikkens. I tried Omni plus, then DuPont chromabase, and the sikkens covered in less coats. Doesn't help with the 'wet' look, so follow the instructions above. He's got a full recipe sorted out.

Thanks for replies. I have yet to see a single stage paint I was happy with. I like the depth the clear coat adds. Ive seen some older cadillacs with b/c that look so black that you could dive in and swim in the body panels, thats the look I want.

nice pictures dayclona

>90% of the black cars I see at car shows and >99% of the black cars I see on the street have poorly executed polishing jobs done on them.

The bottom line is, it doesn't matter how great of a job you put into paint and body work, if you don't know how to polish the finish and then not damage it when cleaning it; it will never look like you can swim in it. Swirls suck!

I consider myself blessed that I encountered a true self taught genius when it comes to polishing and maintaining paint finishes. After intensive training and listening to the lessons he teaches, I am actually able to not mess up his amazing polishing work when cleaning my car on a regular basis.

It is a skill that can be taught, but as he kindly reminds me, you have to be teachable. (Here's a shot of it 18 months after he polished it with no wax on it...)

I go one step farther and say you should not wax black paint, it will discolor over time.

I'm guilty of rarely waxing my car, but I've never seen that. The modern waxes can really make your car look great for a while. They help hide a lot of micro swirls etc. I think it really depends on which carnauba or hybrid wax you use. Carnauba wax is essentially gone in a 6 weeks to a few months, hybrids last upwards of 6 to 8 months and paint sealants can last over a year. There are even specialty waxes that add color to enhance black or dark colored cars.

If you are one of those folks who still wash your car with water, dish washing soap will strip wax in one one or two washings.

So this thread is very timely. I just got my back from being painted, I put swirl marks in it, I guess from drying it. I use microfiber towels and very little soap/water to wash and dry.

The first wax job i used this Megiuiars #26 yellow wax. It helped a lot.
http://www.detailing.com/store/meguiars-...CFcUlgQodF_YBAQ

I also picked up some #7show car glaze
http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m0716-show-car-glaze-16oz/

Am I on the right track? What is the proper way to maintain new BC/CC paint?

"If you are one of those guys that wash your car with water..."

What else are you supposed to use? Milk? Virgin tears?
Driving on the street means that you can and will pick up all sorts of crud. I see these guys using spray bottles and a soft cloth to "wash" their cars, but I can't see that stuff taking off road tar or chewing gum, let alone a stream of wheel bearing grease squirted out of a Chevy brake rotor on the turd next to you.

Back when PPG used to have a tent at the Mopar Nats, I asked the same question.
The PPG guy said I could used a tinted coat of clear and black over a base coat of black, then top with straight clear. basically A tri coat or candy effect.
I wound up using PPG DBC 9700 and 2021. I am happy with results.

LOL, use hard tap water, TSP and Commet to get that stuff off, and be sure to let it air dry in the sun.

New paint is soft, and off-gases and shrinks for quite a while. Some guys color sand their cars and then polish them to a very high gloss. Once polished, you have to decide whether to use carnauba wax, a hybrid product or a glaze/sealant.

Cleaning your car is another series of choices. Are you going to wash it, or wipe it down? Do you have access to deionized water, or do you only have hard tap water? Are you patient and methodical or do you want to do a quick and easy job?

Learning how not to scratch your car up between polishing's is somewhat of a learned art. Not everyone is teachable. Just go to a local car show and try to find a car that hasn't been swirl marked up by an unlearned enthusiast. I see less than a half dozen cars a year without swirl marks, unless I go to Pebble Beach.

ps: I wash my '68 with a terry cloth towel and Comet in the green can. Been doing light colored cars like that for over 30 years. It even says it won't scratch delicate surfaces after all. It works wonders on light colored cars. Use it in the shade working is small sections including glass, chrome, plastic and rubber and rinse well. You will be amazed. It makes my car look like someone buffed it for hours.

I thought I was the only one that used Comet! most people would look at me like I had 3 heads, when I suggested using Comet as a "poor man's compounding" to freshen up paint,.... same here been using it for years, I'll work a panel at at a time by wetting the panel, then sprinkle on the Comet heavy, work it up to a heavy creamy texture, long straight cleaning strokes, light pressure following the vehicles lines, no circular motion, lots of soft Terry cloths (basically one for each panel) and lots of rinse


Now the "secret" is out!...lol!

I tried it once on a dark maroon car.....it photo chemically reacted and ruined what was already a bad finish. I always sprinkle the stuff onto a wet rag and wash away years of oxidation, greasy hand prints and all sorts of other hard to remove stains etc. You might want to test in a small inconspicuous area before committing to the entire car.

Learn about detailing clay or Nanoskin like products. Never polish, seal or wax finish before first preparing by removing all particles that have adhered to it.

Don't cheap out on your microfiber cloths and in particular with your spray on quick detailer products. I have found Pinnacle Crystal to be perfect for my needs. Expensive, I buy by the gallon, so net is cheaper than buying lesser products by the pint. Most such products have no replenishment of protective sealers or waxes that the solvents in the quick detailerd strip off. These sealers/waxes protect your finish when drying after wash or wiping down with detailer. No wax the friction causes scratching and holographic swirls we all hate.

Use a quality waffle weave microfiber cloth for drying if you do wash car with water, and never do that without using a quality car detergent,,,lubricates finish. Use a quality microfiber wash mitt and keep it throughly clean.

Check out the Spotless Water System for rinsing after washing.

Purchase a 'quality' orbital buffer and learn to use it along with only top quality polishes,,,I use the Menzerna line,,,there are others.

I had no idea it took so much work to keep the paint in good shape