I love the brilliant black, but I am having the hardest time keeping it clean. Even after I spend an hour<br>washing/cleaning, the results are disappointing. The only time it looks great is when the dealer washes it, but then it lasts<br>for a couple of days till I drive through water of any sort.<p>Any suggestions will be appreciated.<p>Thanks<br>

Paint it silver like my 1998 A4 and you will not have these problems. I had black cars for years and I washed them every week. Dry the car with a good chamois. Good luck!

This is what I do on my black A4 and black BMW 3 series... take a bucket with water and car wash soap. Take a hose, rinse off the car, get as much crud off as possible. Then use a sponge with the soapy water and scrub that baby clean one section at a time. MAKE SURE IT IS NOT HOT OR SUNNY OUT!!! Then remove the nozzle from your hose and let water run over your entire car and sheet off. Take an artificial chamois and start drying. Chase the chamois with a soft terrycloth towel. The chamois will remove most of the water and the towel will wipe away the little droplets that remain and keep water spots from happening. Then wax and admire :)<p>Mike

You have to love to keep a car clean to own a black car. if you do not like cleaning your auto then do NOT buy another black car. I happen to like them.

I wash mine by hand every week. In between hand washings, I run it through a touchless wash with no wax. I found one that has wide and low tire rails that won't touch my R28's. I pre-paid for 40 washes for $100.<p>Frank Maassen 98.5 30 valve QMS (black

Besides lotsa washing, good set of lint-free drying cloths ( I like synthetic chamois ), get the good detail stuff - Meguiar's Quik Detail, Clear Coat Protectant, Final Inspection ( the best ). Sixty miles a day, I'm washing three times a week, AT LEAST.. ! Once a month, polish and wax, I use Meguiars # 2 & 3, I think.<p>Donnie ( big forearms, lots o' rags )<br>

I used to have a black car, when it's clean, the shine goes out and grabs you. After washing the car, use a leaf blower to blow off the water and you won't have much drying to do. Especially useful around panel seams and door edges where water gets trapped and drips after you're done. Invest in one and you won't regret it. Plus it is useful in the fall when you need to blow away the leaves on your lawn. :-)<p>Wong from North<br>98 A4 1.8TqMS Tropic Green<br>

<br>Try washing your car every week in Maine in the middle of January!

<br>nt: YOU CAN'T?SO DON"T TRY UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY ANAL

I've had mine for about 3 to 4 months now. Like others, I wash it almost every week. The wheels need washing anyway. I used to use car wash soap and the bucket techique. Based upon some advice on this forum I now don't use any soap. I just spray down the car and then use one of those hand wool mitts to lightly wipe it down with a constant flow of water from the hose. I find that I almost never need to use the soap and bucket technique. I use a separate mitt for the wheels and I do need some kind of cleaner for those. <p>I use 2 large 100% cotton towels I bought at a discount store to dry. I have an artificial chamois (Absorber) and don't like it. It's easier and faster to just lay a towel across the top of the car and drag it gently from front to back. The Absorber leaves streaks. It is also smooth, I'm afraid of dirt getting under there and causing micro scratches. I use the Absorber to touch up and at times to dry the sides. The Absorber is convienent though in that you can just put it back in it's plastic case when through.<p>Don't bother with polish but you will need to wax. I polished mine with the Meguairs #7 polish and didn't notice any difference except for the swirl marks I introduced. The car is new, it was already shiny, it didn't need polishing. I'm sure it makes a difference when the paint starts to fade but don't bother when your car is new. It's alot of work for little to no return. I use the Meguiar's #26 yellow wax and I am happy with it.<p>I also have the California Car duster. It's pretty good at removing a light coat of dust.<p>Hope some of this helps. I'm always open to new ideas so welcome any counterpoints or further advice.<p>Good Luck!<br>Mark (98.5 black 2.8 QMS)

I use to wash my Black A4 every week. But now that I'm back in school w/hardly any free time, I've only been able to wash the car about once a month.<p>What I do to keep it looking clean is that I brush the car w/the Calif. Car Duster every night. This helps keep the car looking clean. It obviously isn't as good as washing it, but it's a whole lot better than nothing.

I also wash my brilliant black A4 three times a week, (and sometimes more often, depending on the weather) and my friends make fun of me. I guess they just don't appreciate the work it takes to keep a black car clean. <p>Jake<br>(BTW, I'm in high school so I don't really have anything better to do during the week than wash my car. HaHaHa!!!)

is the touchless wash any good (touchless = wash with high pressure water pistol ??), no damage to paint ?<p>and why no wax ?<p>I'm asking this because I'm considering the same thing since I don't have time to handwash my A4 anymore.

There are some new automatic car washes that don't use brushes. You just drive in, it gives you a high pressure wash, then you drive out. You never leave the car. I think this is what he is refering to.<p>Mark