I collect my new SD4 in about a week. I was going for Orkney Grey, but as detailed elsewhere this has now changed to Buckingham Blue, partly because my order kept being put back and I have sourced one from another dealer.

We are happy with the choice of Buckingham Blue with Almond as we like the contrast. Orkney is a nice colour but a little bland with the black interior and we decided to get away from years and years of silver cars (well a sort of grey) when the opportunity presented itself to change the colour. However, I am aware that a big downside to such a dark colour is the need to keep it clean and particularly without inflicting swirls and scratches. I have seen comments on other Land Rover forums such as: "Buckingham Blue looked fantastic in the showroom so I bought one, but it's a nightmare to keep clean".

I know there are two camps on here - either strongly pro or anti black (and Buckingham Blue, although not black, can look as dark in certain light conditions). I don't want to start another heated debate about how brilliant or awful black cars are, I just want useful advice about how best to protect/clean my new acquisition. I know there are other threads on here on this subject, but I have searched to little effect. Any advice greatly appreciated as always.

simples!

Don’t use a car wash
Wash regularly using two bucket method and a microfibre wash mit (clean and soapy and then one to swill your wash mit)
Wash wheels / under arches first, change water and then wash car starting from the top
Never used a dropped sponge / wash mit
Dry using a microfibre blanket - dont use one of those awful squegeis
Polish and apply wax a least twice a year. Poorboys blackhole is a good polish for black cars. I then use Collinite as its durable (although sometimes I use hydrawax if I cant be bothered)
Dont let your kids wash it!!!
Dont drive through bushes

Follow this and your car will look wonderful - well at least best it can not being Black  Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints

Captain Worm wrote:

simples!

Wash wheels / under arches first, change water and then wash car starting from the top

I disagree slightly, always start at the top and work down but wash the wheels last, as all the brake dust will turn the sponge/wash mit black and then be spread all over your car, no matter how much you rinse it out. I keep a second sponge just for the wheels.

Don’t use a drive-through car wash, and take care if you use a garage forecourt pressure wash/steam cleaner. I found scratches on my car where the hose had inadvertently caught the bodywork.
I use a black turtlewax polish (that I've had a few years) about every three months.

It looks great just after a good wash & polish, unfortunately it gets dirty quick. Poke it, Poke it, make it do it again!!

Gone - 2008 Freel2 HSE Santorini Black
Hello - 2010 RRS TDV6 3.0 HSE Santorini Black

russben wrote:

Captain Worm wrote:

simples!

Wash wheels / under arches first, change water and then wash car starting from the top

I disagree slightly, always start at the top and work down but wash the wheels last, as all the brake dust will turn the sponge/wash mit black and then be spread all over your car, no matter how much you rinse it out. I keep a second sponge just for the wheels.

i always clean my wheels first, dry them,(wax them if needed) and then onto the car starting top to bottom

car is less dirty at the top, and due to this thing called gravity the soap/water solution will go downwards, so if you started at the bottom, your dirty water will deposit grit/dirt on the lower half again

final rinse on high pressure, then low pressure open hose, then dry the car (and the wheels again)

treat plastics and tyres with dressing, clean windows stand back and think thats a good 3 hours spent  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

3 hours??? Some people have way too much time on their hands.

My method:
Rinse car with powerwasher on low pressure soap, use car shampoo and bucket & sponge all over car, powerwash off on high pressure, spray wheels with wheel cleaner, sponge wheels, pressure wash wheels on high pressure, pressure wash car again on high pressure, stand back & admire. 30 minutes well spent.

And then it rains.  Poke it, Poke it, make it do it again!!

Gone - 2008 Freel2 HSE Santorini Black
Hello - 2010 RRS TDV6 3.0 HSE Santorini Black

LIfe's too short - 5 mins in the cheapest carwash. - 2007(57) XS Auto, Rimini Red, Alpaca Leather.
- GCS Hawke - Sports, BRG, Vulcan 2.1 inj'. My toy - built it myself in 2001.

I go through the car wash:

First it get a light misty rain on it.
The a person high-pressure cleans it with lots of soap and sprays the wheel with what I think is somthing special for it.
Then I go into the street where a heavy rain with soaps is dropped on the car.
Then A high pressure stream cleans the lower side of the car.
Then I go through some veritcal rollers.
Then I go through some vertical hanging strips with again lots of soap on them.
Then vertical rollers.
Then the car is blown dry with big overhead blowers.
Then blown with a vertical stip of wind alongside the car.
Then finaly some vertical microfiber strips that dryes it a last time.

I've gone trough that street at least 15 times now and I always get compliments of how the car looks new.
So a good car wash does do a good job.

This car wash is updated regularly using the latest techniques so none of that old crap car washes that prabably will hurt your car.

Takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

zone30 wrote:

I go through the car wash:

First it get a light misty rain on it.
The a person high-pressure cleans it with lots of soap and sprays the wheel with what I think is somthing special for it.
Then I go into the street where a heavy rain with soaps is dropped on the car.
Then A high pressure stream cleans the lower side of the car.
Then I go through some veritcal rollers.
Then I go through some vertical hanging strips with again lots of soap on them.
Then vertical rollers.
Then the car is blown dry with big overhead blowers.
Then blown with a vertical stip of wind alongside the car.
Then finaly some vertical microfiber strips that dryes it a last time.

Takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

What about that Showroom Shine stuff they advertise on Sky TV? brings your car back to showroom condition in 8 minutes just after driving through a quarry and without using a drop of water?

russben wrote:

3 hours??? Some people have way too much time on their hands.

each to there own, 3 hours is a quick wash, i've been know to take all day (7-8 hours) washing and claying then another full day polishing it

It looks good at the end though , but i look knackered  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I did the full SP on mine not long ago, clayed it - the works... My mates just ribbed me and told me to get a life - its a Land Rover  Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints

Here is another at least a full day and more.. i use clay/swirl remover/glaze/canuba wax....all by hand...AND NEVER USE A CAR WASH.AS IT WRECKS YOUR PAINTWORK.

I thought it was only me that could spend all day cleaning the car glad to see i'm not alone.

I have been known to take all day to do my motor. But silver is easy to do. I took two days of cleaning my java black 110 defender once tho, that roof was massive.

I also used auto glym deep gloss shine on it. I could always get it more shiny than the new ones coming out of the dealers! Can't beat autoglym!

I have never washed mine in all 15 months of ownership. I always take it to the local polish car wash. My reason for this is firstly I can't be bothered to do it myself (and I don't care what others think of that) and secondly, I know for a fact that if I put that much effort in to clean it then I would be mega stressed out if the weather was crap afterwards or if it got even a minor scratch. Lastly, I go off roading a fair bit and it picks up superficial scratches etc anyway.

In any case, despite my lack of care for the paintwork it still looks great and doesn't show scratches very much. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey