How Bad is Your Black Paint?

blackie X

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I stopped worrying about all the scratches and chips long ago on my CPB. You just can't keep up with it lol.. Drive it!
Amen, life is too short to worry about the paint on a car. unless said car costs more than $70,000, then maybe wrap the whole thing in PPF.
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orio89

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I stopped worrying about all the scratches and chips long ago on my CPB. You just can't keep up with it lol.. Drive it!
I'm learning this lesson a month into driving my 2020 around. First car off the lot....the sound of little rocks/sand hitting the hood and windshield is absolutely heartbreaking
 

davemarco

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I have Ceramic Pro on the car together with XPEL PPF on the front end. I only use touchless washes with the occasional foam cannon + two bucket hand wash. I don't have any visible swirls, and outside of direct sunlight, the paint still has a mirror shine 1.5 years in. I'm sure if I took a bright light and a magnifying glass I'd see imperfections, but overall I'm impressed with how its held up with these protections in place.
 

coopermidnight

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My detailer told me that Type R’s have very soft paint to start with and in general, black cars are the worst to stay looking clean.
Not just CTRs but Hondas in general. I got mine coated as soon as I bought it :D
 

Neciovato

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if you go across ALL forums - it seems everyone talks about how the pain on their car is soft or it damages so easily - it just seems to be the one consistent regardless of the car you drive. My Nissan is the same way - it is soft and before that - in my VW - people complained about the paint. In the end-like someone said - you do your best to avoid being behind semi trucks, or gravel road etc but the car is meant to be driven and have fun in.
The only thing I would recommend is maybe some protectant like others have said but that doesn’t guarantee anything either (and it’s an added cost to get it done right).
 


Byron Sexton

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buy a touch up pen.....that's all you can do
 

CanadaCivic

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Japanese cars in general, including Honda, have very soft clearcoat. The positive thing is that it's very easy to correct, the negative obviously is it's more prone to swirls/chips. The opposite is true for German cars, for example, which typically have very hard clear coat - they scratch less easily, but are more of a pain to correct with a polish/compound.

The Type R is definitely a car worth getting PPF (ideally a full wrap) if you can afford it. I would spend money there long before I would on any other "mod" such as fancy rims or performance upgrades, but each to their own. Other than that, rocks are always going to be an issue, all you can do is try to mitigate it with your driving choices, but PPF is the only way to avoid it (almost) entirely.

If you want to keep swirls out of your paint without PPF, that is going to take some effort on your part. This goes for any car, but will obviously be much more noticeable on black:

1) Start with a clean slate. Decontaminate the car with a paint-safe iron remover (Like CarPro Iron X or 3D BDX), then give it a clay bar or clay towel. I prefer the towels because they last longer and you don't have to throw them out if you drop it. Make sure to use lots of lube ;). Honestly this doesn't take that long, you can probably do both in an hour or less and is so, so, important. If contaminants are left on the paint, every time you touch it with a wash mitt or towel, you're grinding those particles around and scratching your clearcoat causing swirls. If you want to see how bad your paint really is, after washing your car, put your hand in a plastic bag and gently run it over the paint - every little bump or rough spot you feel is brake dust, rail dust, or something else that has wedged itself into or onto your clearcoat.

2) If necessary, polish the car to remove the swirls. I really like the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions ceramic polish, it cuts Honda paint really well (and safely) and when you're done, you're left with a ceramic coating. Pretty cool stuff and minimal effort if you're going to be polishing anyway. I suggest a blue pad for your DA polisher, if you have one. YouTube is a wonderful resource if you don't already know how to use a DA (dual action) polisher, and you can buy one that will work perfectly well for "weekend warrior" usage for $100-150 or so. DO NOT polish any PPF that may be on the car already, you will probably make it look hazy.

3) This is where you apply your favorite PPF, ceramic coating, paint sealant, or combination of the two. Ceramic coatings or a quality paint sealant are going to make it much easier to do maintenance washes, and dirt and other contaminants won't stick to your car nearly as easily, which means less chance for swirls. Note that ceramic coatings themselves do almost nothing to protect against scratches or rock chips, it's more for chemical resistance (i.e. eggs, bird poop, salt, graffiti, etc.), water sheeting (easier drying), and easier maintenance washes (dirt won't stick to it easily). Ceramic coatings work great on top of PPF too.

4) Always do maintenance washes with the 2 bucket method and grit guards in the bottom of the bucket. This means one bucket to rinse the wash mitt after you have made a pass on the car, and another bucket to re-soap the mitt you just cleaned in the first bucket. Use an entirely separate bucket and mitt for rocker panels and wheels if possible. The grit guards prevent you from dipping your wash mitt into the sediment that accumulates at the bottom of each bucket, and grinding it right back into the paint.

5) Buy quality microfiber cloths/mitts and learn how to care for them. I like stuff from The Rag Company but there are several good companies out there. The key is to only touch your paint with microfiber that is 30% polyamide. Any less and you will risk micro-scratches in your paint, especially soft Honda paint. The yellow Costco towels for example are only 20% polyamide and I would only use them on top of PPF or for interiors or wheels if you want to be picky about your paint. There are lots of cheap/crappy microfibers out there so be careful. On harder clear coat, 20% is probably fine, but for Japanese cars I would always suggest 30% polyamide content (the balance will be polyester).

Caring for microfiber towels is also a very important part of preventing swirls. Always wash new towels before using them to avoid lint. The tips of the microfibers melt around 140F, so make sure you are washing them on warm or cold, and drying them on extra low or air-dry. If the tips melt (microfibers are like tiny fingers), you can't tell visually, they will micro-mar your paint and are no longer usable, at least for paint duty. I actually used an infra-red temperature gun in my dryer before I got comfortable with the settings (yes, I am that anal), but extra low should be fine. Second, use a dedicated microfiber wash that is designed specifically to dissolve things like polishes, waxes, and other car products - I like 3D Towel Kleen the best and you can buy it cheaply in 1 gallon jugs. Throw a little white vinegar in your fabric softener port as well for an extra boost to clear out any residues (or whichever setting will dispense during the rinse cycle). Add at least one extra rinse to the cycle as well, if possible. You will be amazed how soft your towels come out (they will actually get softer over time with proper care), and how clean they will stay. Never wash the towels with anything else other than other microfibers, if you wash them with clothes or cotton, they will pick up so much stuff they will probably be ruined.

Another good practice is to keep a bucket full of water and some microfiber wash solution (or your favorite all purpose cleaner) next to your workspace, and when a towel is used up, toss it in the bucket to pre-soak them while you finish your detail and it will begin breaking down the residues so they wash easier

6) Always wash your car in straight lines. A cross-hatch pattern is best for coverage as well when applying product. The reason for this is straight lines are much easier to polish out or correct than circular/swirl marks. I know most people's instincts will be to wash in circles, but try to avoid this.

If you do all of that, you will keep the vast majority of swirls out of your black car (or any car). It's not as much effort as it sounds like, but if you want to avoid swirls that is what it takes. Or buy Championship White instead :D
 

BoostedDreams

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I had hard water spots and light swirls in mine. Finally got a paint correction and ceramic coated and now I just wash it with the 2 bucket method when the sun is going down and paint is cool to the touch. The less you have to touch the paint the better. Been great since.
 


 


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