Hi all,
I just bought an A4 S Line in the Phantom Black Pearl. I am interested in learning how best to wash and wax this thing? I hand wash my cars over the spring, summer and fall while banking points at Petro Canada and then use the car wash service. Is that a good idea?
Thanks!

 

Letting anyone else (let alone a commercial car wash) touch your car is always a bad idea. There are lots of resources on line (YouTube, my favorites are car cleaning guru and ChrisFix) to learn the basics of detailing. Do it yourself. Black is nothing special, but there are some waxes specifically for black. You don't really need them, "normal" wax will work just as well.

Here's a start

 

Go to a car wash and I am pretty sure that they will do an excellent job!

 

Some car washes will do a good job... But there is some interesting stuff about car washes online that are worth thinking about when your car is a significant investment to you. First off, most car washes use harsh soaps in order to release dirt without touching or minimally touching your car. It is called low PH cleaner. and it is bad for your paint, similar to the effects acid rain can have on a car after a long time of use. given unlike acid rain it is rinsed off, but something to think about. Plus also, do you think that someone paid minimally on the hour, or a machine, will do nearly as careful and good a job as you after you have done a bit of learning? Probably not.
Not to bash all car washes, as there are some that are very honest and pay their workers well and do an amazing job, but you won't know for sure unless you know someone that works there or you take your car there multiple times. Which is a risk I don't want to take. It is way easier to just do it myself and I get the peace of mind that it is done right and with care. (also saves money after you buy all the soap sponges and wax)

 

Don't use drive thru washes.. Don't use quarter washes.. Get a bucket, soap, and a nice wash mitt from any local store. You can even use dish soap. Make sure your water/soap mix gives you good suds to carry away the dirt. Wash from the top to bottom. Never use your mitt for wheels and tires. Get a brush and some general purpose cleaner (simple green, purple power, ect.) for the wheels and tires. Be VERY careful never to drop your mitt on the ground. If you do rinse VERY VERY thoroughly before continuing. After a good rinse and drying with a chamois apply a coat of wax and be careful not to get it on anything plastic. Use a microfiber cloth to remove the wax and store all cleaning products inside of your 5 gal wash bucket in an area that it wont get lots of dust and dirt exposure.

 

You can use dish soap to clean your car, unlike the old days dish soap is actually not harmful to the cars paint, as it is more PH balanced now. However, it will do exactly what it is supposed to, strip any grease or grime, and in your car's case, WAX.
Dish soap won't hurt anything, but it will strip the wax, so unless you want to strip and reapply the wax that is supposed to last a few months every time you wash, there is no problem with using dish soap. It won't do any "damage" but it may do things you don't want. Also, if you end up using a spray wax or a cheap wax that leaves white spots in chips and dings, dish soap can help get that out. So it is a helpful tool, just get quality dish soap that is PH balanced (for the most part) because the stuff that is super basic (as in base vs. Acid) can hurt the clear coat. Which is what gave dish soap a bad rap for use on cars. But things change, mostly because dish soap was harsh on your hands too, and this prompted the changes. Dawn is very good for wax stripping, I've used that before. But I can't speak for other brands.

 

Swirl marks are very hard to avoid even with every precaution. Using a car wash service of any kind other than a true professional detailer is a sure fire way to get swirl marks. Swirl marks can be initiated by both wash or drying materials. It doesn't take much to do a lot of damage.

 

Do the 2-bucket wash method to prevent paint marring and swirl marks.