I’m so frustrated!

[Danielsand]

A good ceramic coating will make it easier to wash. Mine has ppf and ceramic coating. It cleans up nice. Black is a tough color to keep clean. Pollen season just is what it is. My vehicles are never clean that time of year.

I was wondering whatever happened to The Blue Man Group after they left Vegas. Now I know.

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[ATLien]

Black Wildtrak with leather interior here. Not shy about getting it dirty. It hauls dogs, pulls travel baseball duty, Fishing trips, camping, and light off roading trips. But it usually looks like it never leaves pavement. I don't use any ceramics or protective wraps either. Just elbow grease, Wax, quick detailer, Leather protectant, etc. Black can be kept clean, just a little more work.

 

[CV428]

There are many factors... At the end of the day, it's a vehicle and it's meant to be driven... but here's some insight that may help:

1) Storage and parking
Outdoors = good luck to you, especially with darker colors. Even in a garage, any condensation or residual moisture from the last drive will result in surface contaminants collecting and sticking to the surface when the moisture evaporates. The condition of garage door seals makes a huge difference in contaminants as well. Older garage door seals get hard, inflexible, and don't seal well, so dirt, pollen, rain, etc blow in and settle on your paint. You'd be surprised at the difference new seals make.

Where you park away from home also has a major impact. Lawn crews love to sling clippings and trimmer trash at the side of your vehicle. They just love it for some reason- it's like a sport to them, especially the guy with the backpack blower sandblasting everyone's paint. I pick the safest spot possible any time I park anywhere- we're talking nosebleed section with the worst, most neglected landscaping and fewest oil slicks. If there's no safe spot, I'd rather walk 1/2 mi than park up front in the door-ding or sandblasting zone.

2) Paint coating / sealant / wax
Ceramics/graphene coatings are great, but they aren't a magic bullet. I had water spots on a graphene coated surface within the first month, and I am meticulous with detailing practices. The less water buildup, the less dirt gets glued to your paint (as explained above). Dirt also has an easier time sticking to dirt, so the longer you go between maintenance washes, the worse it gets. Not all products are the same for hydrophobic properties- this is why some coatings and sprays seem to attract dirt vs others that look cleaner for longer (including interior products, dust sticks to some vs others). The shape of your vehicle and the parking angle also have a major effect on how much water pools and where.

3) Geography and proximity to businesses/projects that generate FOD
I live 3.5 miles from a quarry. Dust carries. I also have a line of arborvitae that throw pollen like you wouldn't believe. People start mowing their dirt in March and it throws a ridiculous amount of dirt into the air. These are things most people do not consider. When the SC/NC fires were going on, the ashes carried 50+ miles and landed all over cars. Construction sites, road work, dump truck traffic... all factors.

Artillery fungus is another culprit. If you find little black spots on your paint that you have to scrape off, it could be artillery fungus from mulch. Insects also crap on cars as much as birds. We had a lady-beetle infestation years ago, and those things peppered vehicles with little concrete turds that didn't come off easily.

4) Driving habits
Much of the surface contamination on vehicles is a combination of brake dust, tire rubber particles, and exhaust particles. This is why an iron decontaminant is so revealing. Leave a longer following distance and let those particles settle. Plus, most drivers are distracted and constantly running off the road these days- their tires kick up more dirt and it slings on your vehicle. Where you drive and the following distance have a huge impact. Busier roads will always result in more surface contaminants.

I'm not as obsessive as I used to be when I was younger, and man was I bad about it. 20+ years ago, it was a Friday after-work tradition to get an iced coffee and detail my vehicles. The older I get, the less it bothers me if I don't have absolutely perfect paint. Life happens, things get dirty. Unless your vehicle looks like it is covered in 1/2" of mud, I promise you, nobody else on the road is noticing or cares, and their opinion shouldn't matter to you anyways.

 

[ABorges]

I’m so frustrated that my Raptor keeps looking dirty after I clean it.

This is my daily so I can’t stand it always looking filthy.

The seats inside are part leather and material that I’m nervous of getting dirty or stained

What do you guys do to keep your Broncos pristine since they are so expensive .

Also might change from SAVSQCH to SAVsBBR as my vanity plate.

I used the California Duster for many years on my black trucks. It works great, doesn't scratch the paint, and takes the dust right off. I've been to a lot of car shows, and people use these on their high-end cars.

 

[CV428]

I used the California Duster for many years on my black trucks. It works great, doesn't scratch the paint, and takes the dust right off. I've been to a lot of car shows, and people use these on their high-end cars.

My Mach 1 has wet-sanded jet black paint. One speck of pollen is visible on it from across the garage- it's as beautiful as it is annoying. I use a Ryobi 18v blower to knock off dust that has settled first, and then I gently wipe it down with a California car duster. I haven't seen any scratches form from using it correctly- I only let the weight of the yarn ends to contact the paint. Anything else gets instant detailer spray.

I've had some people pitch an absolute fit when they saw me using the CCD instead of whatever overly complicated technique they saw in a Tiktok video. My CCD is 20 years old and doesn't scratch anything as long as I use air first.

When you really think about it, it's a factor of the contaminant material, shape and force. If paint was as fragile as many of us think it is, it'd be worn off the vehicle like talc within a month of driving.

 

[JC2DR]

As an owner of a black Bronco, I can say that they all get dirty. You just know when to clean yours. The best part though…there’s nothing like that shine on the black.

 

[Way2Fast]

I once owned a Black CTS-V in 2003. Had it two years. I swore I would NEVER own a black car again.

 

[Boostedblues]

I was wondering whatever happened to The Blue Man Group after they left Vegas. Now I know.

3 of 4 vehicle i own are blue

 

[Scedwin]

Yep, welcome to black. My initial test drive was a black one, but after 15 years of owning a black vehicle in Colorado which the roads and sun have completely pitted and torched I asked "what other colors do you have?" My rep said he had the same badsquatch in iconic silver. "Sold" I said.

 

[adam1991]

Am I crazy or does my Bronco look better the dirtier it gets??

I've heard people talk about being married to their hobbies...

 

[eljefe512]

Have you tried meditation?
Finding a way to get past it might be the best option. I've just come to terms that my Eruption Green can't be clean all the time, especially with the top off.

 

[BluebroncoNC]

Have not fixed trail scratches on driver fender from a trail run... Wear it with pride!

 

[BroncoChallenger]

LOL! I have two other black cars, and my girlfriend also has a black car. There was no way I was getting black again for my Bronco.

As I said in another thread. Black isn't a color, it's a relationship. It's clean for about 10 minutes until the dust settles on it. Pollen season is even more maddening.

The Cactus Grey of my Bronco does a nice job of hiding the dirt. The Ceramic infused PPF I had applied helps too.

Yeah my Power Wagon was black. It was gorgeous when it was clean. But every spec of dirt showed on it.

 

[5GENIDN]

I bought a black 1994 4Runner back in the day. It looked really nice-until the next day after a wash. It's hard to keep vehicles clean in Oregon with all the rain.

That was my last black vehicle.

That location appears to be the snake river canyon...

 

[Calm horse]

Maybe I should stop wiping my ass, what's the point if it just gets dirty again tomorrow.

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