^ does that just make it look freshly waxed all the time?

 

Black Sucks to maintain. This is my second Black car and I swore I would never do it again after the first, but it was too good of a deal to pass up



My first G was LR and I miss the color:



Black looks amazing when clean but its a lot of work. I dust it EVERYDAY and go over it with quick detailer 2x a week and spray quick wax every 2 months. Never take it our in the rain and rarely if temps are below 65 degrees. I haven't washed it in probably 6+ months and it look showroom with this routine. I also have a spare "beater" car to drive. Just not sure most would want to spend the time or have the ability (I live in Southern California) to keep it looking nice.

 

My issue with color changes is that it's never really "properly" done unless the inside of the door jambs, trunk AND the engine bay are resprayed as well....and that involves pulling the engine.

IMHO changing a vehicles color decreases it's value if not properly done like above, and to be honest I rarely see color changed vehicles pull the engine to spray the bay. What good is it to do a show-car quality paint job only to pop the hood and see the engine surrounded by a completely different color?

Also, as the owner of TWO black cars....never again. Unless you have the time to devote to detailing the car frequently, they always look dirty. Silver is a very neutral color and even with a few flaws and dirt, still looks pretty clean. Plus i find silver to be a much more sharper color.

I'll never own another black car again. Too much work

 

Excessive wiping is bad. you want to touch it as little as possible. when my car is dirty i let it be till its time to wash it. I aim to wash once a week or according to forecast.

 

Hey everyone, thanks again for all the comments. Great perspectives all around that really give me something to think about. I may keep it silver, since I am technically getting a new front and rear bumper, as well as sideskirts. So, I would look like a different car anyway. Now referring to resale value....I'm way beyond that now. Car already has 200K plus miles and the built engine is 30K miles in. I don't see any plan to resell this car.

Also, I realized that some ideas seem good, but it wouldn't make sense to do a wrap or dip at this time. Reason being, I have to get the damage repaired first. Because of that, about 70% of the car has to be repainted anyway. This is also the reason that I am getting the new parts, which will save on repair costs, but add to installation cost. Either route about 70% needs to be repainted. Due to this situation of having to repaint anyway, is the reason I'm looking at changing the color. To add a wrap or dip after that would be much more expensive.

 

If you go with black, have a sealant applied like optimum gloss coat. My G gets minor blemishes in the paint every time I turn around. My truck is black also, purchased new, and had the sealant applied. Paint looks perfect 2 & 1/2 years later....no swirls or scratches.

Black is beautiful, but you have to put in a lot of time to keep it looking clean.

 

Can anyone supply more info or links on the plastidip or wrap process. I'm in a bad need of a new paint job and not concerned with long term as car will be going to son when he turns 16. Just trying to make the car look sharp so he can get a few more years out of it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

https://www.dipyourcar.com/

 

If it was really dirty, I wouldn't do this. If just dusty from the day, I use a car duster (mop looking thing). Macguire's Quick Detail and a microfiber cloth 2x a week and that process plus with Macguire's qwik spray wax 1x month. The paint is in great condition, no swirls which is rare for a 12 year old car, especially black.