How Often Should You Wax a Black Car (Here Is Why)

You might think that things don’t show up as well on a black backdrop. Unfortunately, you’re in for a surprise. In fact, debris, dirt, pollen, scratches, abrasions, and more, show up on black cars far worse than on white cars. Waxing is one solution.

So, how often should you wax a black car? Under normal circumstances, waxing a black car twice a year is perfectly fine. However, if you park in areas where the black paint is exposed to salt or sun very often, you should up the ante to once every three months.

While black cars don’t stand up well when it comes to dirt, scratches, and abrasions, they look absolutely incredible after a solid wax job.

Black paint is probably one of the best paints to hit up with wax in terms of after-wax aesthetics.

Table of Contents

Can You Wax a Black Car More Often?

It’s certainly not going to hurt it and you’re free to wax it as often as you like. Some people wax their cars once every two weeks or so.

It’s a good look when it’s all said and done so keeping up on the wax keeps the car shining and looking nice all year long.

If you live in a dry, hot environment, such as areas in Nevada and Arizona, you may want to wax your car more often just to keep the paint protected from the relentless nature of the sun.

Wax will eventually wear away, so it doesn’t hurt to wax it more often than normal.

Benefits of Waxing a Black Car

Waxing your car doesn’t just make it shine, although that is an undeniable benefit of committing to a routine waxing.

Creates a long-lasting shine and luster
Protects the clear coat of the underlying paint
Shields the vehicle from the harmful effects of UV
Protects from salt spray near ocean dwellings and salted roads
Protects from the damaging effects of frost and snow
Smooths out and helps remove minor scratches and abrasions
Wicks away moisture
Pre-wash removes dirt and debris that wax will protect from later

Unless you work in the spray-painting business of which vehicles are a major part of the job, you may not have realized that another coat of paint sits on top of the color.

It’s a clear coat and it’s designed to not only seal the original paint job in but to protect the underlying paint.

Waxing your car adds another layer of protection over the clear coat. You don’t want to lose your clear coat because the underlying paint can’t resist environmental effects like the clear coat can.

It will also subject your vehicle to corrosion effects if any metal is ever exposed.

It’s also a good protectant against other environmental effects, such as salt, dirt, debris, snow, rain, sleet, UV, dry air, and humid air.

Of course, it’s not going to protect your car from a falling tree limb or a hail storm but it’s certainly better than nothing.

How to Care for Black Car Paint | Turtle Wax >> Check out the video below:

Why Does Everything Show Up on Black Cars?

If you wear black shirts or suits, you’ve probably noticed that everything shows up on black in a way that you thought it would with white. That’s simply because of the way that colors work.

Black is an indication that of all the colors from the sun, striking a surface, the surface is reflecting nothing back. White is the opposite. It reflects every color of the spectrum back to your eyes.

Since black reflects nothing, anything and everything that clings to it or any tiny scratch that diminishes the deepness of the black, shows up and really stands out.

If you own a nice black car, you have to stay on top of the detailing work or it will really show that you haven’t.

If you don’t wash your black car frequently, everyone will know. It will stand out in parking lots, movie theaters, red lights, convenience stores, schools, or wherever you go with the car. Inevitably, someone will scrawl the words, “wash me” on the back or sides.

Scratches, scuffs, and fading paint really show themselves when that kind of damage occurs. If a section of the door fades it will look like you got T-boned on the highway and replaced the door with another that doesn’t have a matching color.

What is the Best Type of Wax for a Black Car?

There are several different types of wax you can apply to a black car (or any car for that matter).

Carnauba Wax is a natural wax with extra hardness
Tinted waxes are typically made for black cars or cars with very dark colors
Liquid waxes are best for brand new black cars
Spray wax is best for when you want to apply wax quickly
Paste wax is best when you have neglected your car for a while
Synthetic waxes are high-performance waxes designed for vehicles in harsh environments

There are enough wax types out there to cover just about every eventuality. If you have to choose one for a black car, however, synthetic waxes are the best.

They are designed with high performance in mind and their only drawback is that they tend to be a bit more expensive than most.

If you’re looking for an excellent synthetic black wax, Meguiar’s Black Wax is simply superb for black cars. It’s a synthetic wax that is designed for anything, including all of the above-discussed environmental issues.

If you live in a harsh environment, this is the best wax to get.

It’s the best wax to get if you don’t live in a harsh environment. However, the reality is, you can use any of the types of wax mentioned in the above bullet list.

They’ll all do a good job on a black car and protect it sufficiently.

All Things Considered

You should wax a black car at least twice a year. But if you live in a harsh environment and your car is subject to a lot of different weather elements, you should consider stepping it up to once every three months.

It won’t hurt your car to wax it even more than that. Its one of those cases where the more the merrier is perfectly fine.

References

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/how-often-should-you-wax-your-car