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Black AV Owners

You may be onto something fellas:

I owned an Onyx black 2002 GMC Sierra April-August (totalled). The paint on it seemed very thin much like you described. If I had dirt on my T-shirt when reaching into the bed, it would get scratched! I picked up my Av 9 days ago and must report that the paint appears to be much more durable. So far. I've washed it, waxed it, detailed it, used it with my dogs, and it truly seems thicker. It may just be the luck of the draw (but not an Avy issue only).

This is my 4th black truck and I wouldn't trade it for anything. :love:
 
This is my 4th black truck and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

My second black vehicle, and I agree!!

Sometimes it bothers me... Like when I'm trying to dry it without getting streaks, and when I notice a scratch or something. But the majority of the time I love it :love:
Wash it 5-6 times /month though...
 
The paints are pretty much the same except color....The new paint formulations to meet EPA requirements stink compared to years ago....In the next few years the paints will be a bit better as technology catches up and they have a new formulation for the clear coats.....

You guys with black will notice more swirls and scratches is all.....

I have like 2 swirl marks on my Pewter truck but I bet you cannot find them >:D
 
Just an update about the damage to my truck , I just got it painted and the insurance co. for the people that di the job is picking up the tab. I originally thought that the job would be $5000 but it was a wopping $11870
(that is Can $)
They replaced some of the cladding , th push bar , mirrors, running boards, windshield .
I just picked it up yesterday so I need to clean it to see the job they did . So far I am verry happy with the dealer that painted it , they treated it with care and seems like they are bending over backwards for me . I bought a bug deflector and he even installed it for me for free( christmas present)
I should go wash the beast and see how it is . The finish looks great but I know there is 1 or 2 dust spots .
the good thing is I now have more mills of paint and the paint is warrentied for life.
As a bonus the insurance Co. let me keep all the old parts too. >:D
 
I have an 03 with heavy swirl marks from my local dealer repainting it.  they waxed it 12 haurs after repainting causing the swirl marks and claim all black vehicles look this way and refuse to correct it.  What can I do to correct this?
 

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I hate to say it, but I'm learning more and more never to take my Av to the dealer for anything! :8: I've yet to find a Chevy dealer that gives a damn about me, my Chevy related problems, the perception of negativity they give to the Chevy brand, or the bloated and unwarranted costs for their services. Love my truck. Hate the service thats been associated with it. I've had much better luck with some of the local shops around here.

Having said that, personally I'd take your swirl marks to a detailing shop and have them buffed out. All black vehicles dont look this way. They can but generally dont. I know a lot of folks on these boards use one of the clay bar systems to detail their own paint too, so you may also want too search on that topic.

-voodoo
 
Jaxpa1 said:
I have an 03 with heavy swirl marks from my local dealer repainting it.? they waxed it 12 haurs after repainting causing the swirl marks and claim all black vehicles look this way and refuse to correct it.? What can I do to correct this?

I would be pissed! :8:? Make them repaint it!

Your dealer should fix your paint.? No way should they have waxed after only 12 hours! :eek:

? ?:B: John in Oregon? :B:
 
New to the forum... don't have an Avy yet. Waiting for the right deal (hopefully within the next 2 weeks).  I currently own a white corvette, and a red ranger.  I will be getting a black avy.  I am meticulous on the products I use inside and outside of my vehicles.  The quality of product is important (I am a huge Zaino fan due to the fact is has NO abrasives.)  Most waxes that say no abrasives still do have abrasives in them.  If you have a "wax" that removes light swirls or scratches... odds are, it has abrasives.  This is not to say that using it will make your car look awful, but a good test is to get inside your garage and use a florescent light to see how many swirls your car does have.  Make sure to use only the best on what you put on your car.

Often times so many people get caught up on what to put on their car, that they use hundreds of dollars in products, and buff it with a 2 dollar hand-me-down towel.  Remember that what you USE to apply is what causes the most swirls.  Most 100% cotton towels are made in foriegn countries, and still contain traces of polyester.  Make sure to use 100% Cotton made in USA towels such as Cannon or Fieldcrest, and even those have polyester in the stitching around the sides.  This means when you buy the $8 towel, to cut the edging off  :E:


If you are gonna spend thousands on your car, might as well make it look like a million.

Andy
 
HEEEEELLLPPPPP......

Well I have learned that obviously I don't know jack sh** about detailing a vehicle.? I applied a coat of Meguires Swirl Remover and Speed Glaze (the professional type) to the AV sunday.? ?To top it off I went over the AV with Meguires final Inspection. In the light,? it was kinda hazy outside on Sunday, in the garage, and from a distance it looked absolutely beautiful. Well today was a very sunny day and I get my Av out going to the Post office, and I see all of these horrible swirl and haze marks along the side and the back of the vehicle.? I'm sure they are on the hood too, I just couldn't get at the right angle.? From a distance it still looks ok, but at the right angle it's like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhh :E:

I don't know what I've done wrong but my paint looks screwed up.? ?I even tried taking a towel to it an it won't wipe off.? I use micro fiber towels on sunday, and they appeared to be clean and soft.

Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.
 
Also will it damage the paint the longer I leave it in this condition and would it help if I just washed it with dawn to remove all the wax, just in case I over applied any wax?

I'm really stressing here........
 
blackbeauty said:
Also will it damage the paint the longer I leave it in this condition and would it help if I just washed it with dawn to remove all the wax, just in case I over applied any wax?

I'm really stressing here........

I Hope you find this helpful.......

I've been watching your posts agonizing over the swirls in the black paint. Short of repainting there is no product anywhere that will eliminate them........... That being said, I have a possible plan for you that should work. First, strip the car of all the junk with a really good Dawn dishwashing wash (heavy-duty sponge, lots of water, and rinse and dry very well). Next, claybar everything in sight. Now for the tricky part. You already know I'm a Zaino freak, but it works and I stick by it. In your honor today I bought a bottle of the Z-PC Fusion swirl eliminator, but I haven't used it yet because none of my rides warrant it (next spring Ruby will get the treatment - 4 years without a garage is enough of a wait). I did this next step to my wife's Jeep Liberty just to see if the theory works, and it appears to. Sal Zaino says (on www.zainobros.com) that it's wasteful to apply Z-5 (the swirl mark reducer) with a machine because it spits the stuff and you use more than necessary. Well, my Porter-Cable 7424 is a dual-action ORBITAL (there's the key word), so it in essence leaves no swirl marks. I applied a coat of Z-5 at a slow speed (#2 = about 1800 rpm), let it cure for an hour, then wheeled it off with a terry pad at #4 ( about 2750 rpm)..... The results were hard to tell at night, but the next afternoon I was happier than a pig in mud. I'm attaching a pic for you to see the result......
I don't know if this will be as effective by hand, but this took no special skill  - I'm just an enthusiast, not a pro detailer (but I'd be willing to put my work up against some just for the giggles), so this could work for you. Worst case scenario is to bite the bullet, get it done by a pro, and then maintain the heck out of it.......
It's your ride........

Jake
 

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Thanks Jake,

You can't imagine how my heart dropped when I walked out the post office and saw all of these swirly reflections from a good 20 ft away.  With the sun shinning directly on it, it was damn obvious even far away.  I'm still curious if I use too much wax...I'm praying that has something to do with it, and not that I've ruined my paint job.

I'm going to order some Zaino.  I've tried my supply of mothers and and meguires and neither have done any justice.  Did you use the Z-FX with the Z5? I've been looking at the porter-cable 7424, what applicators did you use when applying?  Does hot or cold water matter when stripping the wax?  I will go through the tips on the Zaino site as well.  I really had no clue I had hosed up my paint that bad until my service tech mentioned it to me the last time I took my truck to the dealer, well today it was blatantly obvious something wasn't right.


That reflection looks great by the way.
Hopefully I'll be able to bring it back to life, or find a pro that can.
 
blackbeauty said:
I'm going to order some Zaino. I've tried my supply of mothers and and meguires and neither have done any justice. Did you use the Z-FX with the Z5? I've been looking at the porter-cable 7424, what applicators did you use when applying? Does hot or cold water matter when stripping the wax?

Here's my personal experience, FWIW...

No ZFX with the Z5. The Z2 needs it to speed up the curing time, but I've never used ZFX with Z5 and I haven't seen any ill effects from using it straight out of the bottle.

The PC7424 is a splendid piece of equipment. I haven't had a chance to go to Autopia and order all the high-priced foam wheels of different grades because I need to save up a small fortune to do so. Out of the box the PC comes with a 6" foam pad and nothing else. In (don't laugh) Sears tool section they carry a house brand of 5-6" bonnets:wax applicator(P/N 910617), terry covers for buffing, and a lambs-wool pad for dry buffing (I don't have the P/N's for the last two - I threw away the inserts). These were less than $10.00 for each package and the wax bonnets were 4 to a pack, while the terry covers were 2 each. They may not be the best brand name, but they do the job well.

Dawn washing around here means whatever temperature the water in the hose comes out - in other words, hot or cold doesn't make a difference - but make sure you FLOOD the Av when rinsing, because Dawn eliminates grease.....as well as wax, and polish (including Zaino), so it probably wouldn't hurt to take an extra step and use a car wash soap after the Dawn wash....that way you'll be sure it's clean and ready for claying........

Don't skip the claybar step. You'll hear it from others around here: Clay is the best kept secret for a superior shine and finish, wheather you use a sealant or a wax. It's not abrasive, so it won't do a thing for swirls, but it'll seal up all those rusty holes in your clear coat that you don't even know you have and allow whatever you use to follow it up with work that much more effectively.

Hope this hasn't been too long-winded or boring, but I love seeing a shiny Av no matter who it belongs to, and I can respect the time and effort that goes in to keeping it that way.

Jake


 
No this is not long winded or boring at all.  I want to thank you for taking the time to post this info.  This is truly one of the reasons that I enjoy this forum and the people that are on it.

I clayed the av about a month ago with the mothers kit. Amazingly there wasn't much gunk on the AV unless I wasn't doing something right.  I mean there's not some secret way to applying it is there?  Spray on the mist and wipe from side to side, folding over the clay every few minutes. The worst areas was behind the rear fender, the tailgate, and the chrome bumper trim in the front.  Is it worth it to do it again?  I suppose the one mistake I made was that I didn't wash the truck after I clayed it, I just sprayed it with detail mist and wiped it down.  I don't know if that has any negative connotations.

Also I dawn the AV before I applied the meguires on Sunday.  I was shocked at how clean and reflective the paint was before I applied the swirl remover and speed glaze.  Perhaps it was just because of the lack of sunshine that day.  I use the regular blue dawn ultra.  I've never used a sponge on the AV, I always used a mit, but it looks like I'll be investing in a big yellow sponge this weekend.  Also perhaps the meguires products are meant to be used in tandem.  I'm just stretching for clues now....... :dunno:

I will try the Zaino by hand when I receive it.  If that doesn't work then I'll either purchase the porter-cable or take it to a pro. Either way thanks for you helpful info, and wish me luck.

Hopefully I can get her to shine again.

Oh, what is the orange peel affect that I've read about on some forums?
 
:help:
One thing to mention about the clay technique (and any washing, waxing,sealing, etc,)....
Always stroke in the direction the wind would go over the vehicle,ie: front to back, never side to side. I had a big argument with my dentist about this (not the brightest thing I could've done on the day I got my bridge installed.... :E:) He's a disciple of the Old School Porsche Germans-make good-everything-else-is-crap mantra, and he finally agreed that side to side is bad simply because the dust and dirt we drive through every day will embed itself in the ridges formed by the wax buildup - sure it sounds far-fetched, but logically, unless you do handbrake turns for most of your commute you normally drive in a forward motion drilling holes in the wind. Taken to the extreme, this would automatically create swirl marks because the wind is hitting the wax at a 90 degree angle rather than grooving along with it. Like others have stated here don't do ANY circular motions when washing, rubbingout, drying, or polishing, - it just adds to the problem. Always go front to back (and, yeah, my tailgate gets the side-to side simply because it's easier and doesn't get as much wax on the cladding, but I do my kid's Tahoe up and down because he's got the barn doors on it).

A wash mitt is fine - I just suggested the sponge because of the water factor - you need to virtually deluge the surface to get rid of any remaining Dawn, and a sponge will help in that regard. A microfiber mitt holds almost as much water anyway, so stick with whatever you're comfortable with.

A washdown after claying will remove any clay film that might remain on your paint. Remember the addage "95% preparation - 5% whatever...."...If you've prepped the surface correctly you should only need one ounce of Z5 (or Z2) to do two coats on a cladded Av (I've never done a nekkid one). The sealant should glide on easily. Also, don't use too much - it's too expensive to do that, and it's doesn't help or make it better. A filmy or slightly cloudy appearance is best.....that's also why two coats works better, in case you missed anything the first time around.....

Orange peel is the perfect description for a paint condition that came that way. You didn't cause it or make it worse. AFAIK it's caused by an underapplication of the color coat allowing some of the primer to appear to "wrinkle" the color in certain areas, and it wasn't corrected by the time the clear was shot over it. Bad mixing, moisture in the sprayer, lazy robots, anything can cause it.  If you can't find it, great.......

Man, my digits are sore.....gotta stop typing now and get a cold Mike's out of the fridge....then I won't be able to type at all.....but I'll feel great.

Later.

Jake
 
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