Blackfire - a disappointment (so far)
11-01-2002, 02:22 PM
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Blackfire - a disappointment (so far)
Purchased the Blackfire kit and decided to attack my wife's '96 Mazda 626 (56k miles - dark green) before touching my Super Black 350.
The 626 had a bad case of grit, so I clay barred with Mother's kit
first, with Showtime as the lubricant. Then just sponged (damp) off the crap that was generated, and buffed with cloth towel.
On the hood, I then used Blackfire polish (applied with a machine polisher), and removed / buffed by hand. I then added 2 coats of Blackfire paint protector (applied and removed by hand). Didn't use the gloss spray since someone on this forum had said that it
didn't change the appearance.
On the doors, fenders, trunk, rear spoiler, and bumpers, I just added a coat of cheap Mother's carnauba cleaner/wax (paste),
over the top of the previously buffed out Mother's Showtime.
On the roof, I didn't add either Blackfire or the carnauba wax.
To me the results looked all the same. To my wife, the hood looked the least attractive. Blackfire added a lot of extra work &
cost ($67 w/ shipping) without adding additional gloss - a disappointment indeed.
It remains to be seen if the Blackfire (or carnauba wax) has any redeeming qualities, like durability.
The 626 had a bad case of grit, so I clay barred with Mother's kit
first, with Showtime as the lubricant. Then just sponged (damp) off the crap that was generated, and buffed with cloth towel.
On the hood, I then used Blackfire polish (applied with a machine polisher), and removed / buffed by hand. I then added 2 coats of Blackfire paint protector (applied and removed by hand). Didn't use the gloss spray since someone on this forum had said that it
didn't change the appearance.
On the doors, fenders, trunk, rear spoiler, and bumpers, I just added a coat of cheap Mother's carnauba cleaner/wax (paste),
over the top of the previously buffed out Mother's Showtime.
On the roof, I didn't add either Blackfire or the carnauba wax.
To me the results looked all the same. To my wife, the hood looked the least attractive. Blackfire added a lot of extra work &
cost ($67 w/ shipping) without adding additional gloss - a disappointment indeed.
It remains to be seen if the Blackfire (or carnauba wax) has any redeeming qualities, like durability.
11-01-2002, 03:46 PM
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Wow, I totally disagree. (I'm not denying you a right to an opinion, but I had a good experience). 
The clay bar made a huge difference in the finish of my truck, and both the polish and protectant made the finish slick as grease and gave my aging black paint some incredible depth and smoothness it hasn't had in years.
Did you clay bar the car in small chunks? I did about a half-a-body panel at a time, and found that to be enough time for the lubricant to stay wet, and still get the gunk out of the paint.
Did you use just a smidgen of polish on each body panel? One thing I found was that you really don't need a lot of Blackfire to cover some good surface area of your car.
Anyhow, better luck with the Z if you end up using Blackfire on it. I was really pleased with the results, and will be happy to help you if you have any questions.
The clay bar made a huge difference in the finish of my truck, and both the polish and protectant made the finish slick as grease and gave my aging black paint some incredible depth and smoothness it hasn't had in years.
Did you clay bar the car in small chunks? I did about a half-a-body panel at a time, and found that to be enough time for the lubricant to stay wet, and still get the gunk out of the paint.
Did you use just a smidgen of polish on each body panel? One thing I found was that you really don't need a lot of Blackfire to cover some good surface area of your car.
Anyhow, better luck with the Z if you end up using Blackfire on it. I was really pleased with the results, and will be happy to help you if you have any questions.
11-01-2002, 04:01 PM
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I think that all the waxes look the same. Just use whatever wax gets you excited. I personally like Zymol because it is easy to use, smells good, and makes me think it is worthy because it is so damn expensive.
11-01-2002, 05:38 PM
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NSANY;
(a) The clay bar worked fine - did the car in small sections and couldn't believe the amount of brownish-color "gunk" that it removed. The clay bar and Showtime lubricant made a hugh difference (improvement) in the paint's appearance - hasn't looked that good in years. The Blackfire added little (if any)
additional improvement.
(b) Used a lot of polish, even tho the instructions & various posters said a nickel (or smaller) sized amount was all that was needed. It seemed to soak into the polisher's bonnet and not go onto the paint. Same with protector - soaked into the sponge.
(c) I've read that BF adds water sheeting action to reduce water
spots, makes for easy re-washing, and increases durability - that all remains to be seen.
(d) I won't mess with the 350 for a while - the dealer added some kind of polymer sealant (made by CAL-TEX, under the name "ResistAll"), as part of the dealer prep pkg, and the car looks pretty good right now. Hate to spent all that time and energy and have it come out the same (or worse). It does have
some grit (after only 350 miles?), so will be doing the clay bar thing sometime down the road. This will probably strip what ever sealant is on there, and will have to be replaced with something.
(a) The clay bar worked fine - did the car in small sections and couldn't believe the amount of brownish-color "gunk" that it removed. The clay bar and Showtime lubricant made a hugh difference (improvement) in the paint's appearance - hasn't looked that good in years. The Blackfire added little (if any)
additional improvement.
(b) Used a lot of polish, even tho the instructions & various posters said a nickel (or smaller) sized amount was all that was needed. It seemed to soak into the polisher's bonnet and not go onto the paint. Same with protector - soaked into the sponge.
(c) I've read that BF adds water sheeting action to reduce water
spots, makes for easy re-washing, and increases durability - that all remains to be seen.
(d) I won't mess with the 350 for a while - the dealer added some kind of polymer sealant (made by CAL-TEX, under the name "ResistAll"), as part of the dealer prep pkg, and the car looks pretty good right now. Hate to spent all that time and energy and have it come out the same (or worse). It does have
some grit (after only 350 miles?), so will be doing the clay bar thing sometime down the road. This will probably strip what ever sealant is on there, and will have to be replaced with something.
11-02-2002, 04:04 PM
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I liked the way Blackfire worked on my CS. My car is shiny, it's easy to wash, and after a month the water still beads as if it were just waxed. I washed it this morning.
If you look through the Blackfire Q&A, you will see pictures of my car right after I finished.
If you look through the Blackfire Q&A, you will see pictures of my car right after I finished.
11-03-2002, 08:54 AM
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Blackfire
After reading Brad's series on detailing, I followed his advice and went the Blackfire route. As soon as I got my car from the dealer, I did the "ABC" treatment, followed by Blackfire Polish and three coats of "All Finish Paint Protection". According to Brad, the Blackfire gives a better shine than Zaino (sorry Dr. Bonz...), but may not last quite as long. All I can say is the car gleams like a mirror! Wow! While I believe Zaino is a fine product, I'm very happy with the Blackfire, especially its ease of application compared with Zaino.
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11-03-2002, 10:36 AM
#8
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Re: Blackfire
Originally posted by gpsailor
All I can say is the car gleams like a mirror! Wow! While I believe Zaino is a fine product, I'm very happy with the Blackfire, especially its ease of application compared with Zaino.
All I can say is the car gleams like a mirror! Wow! While I believe Zaino is a fine product, I'm very happy with the Blackfire, especially its ease of application compared with Zaino.
11-04-2002, 06:48 AM
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May I say holy crap! I finally got a chance to detail my Z this weekend with the new Blackfire products. WOW, WOW, WOW!!!
After I finished preping the surface I went to work. I applied two coats of polish. This stuff is 10x easier to work with than zanio. The polish spread very nicely over the surface and took no effort at all removing it with the microfiber towels. As for the Paint Protection. I'm breathless.
I only did one coat of the wax with a grey polishing pad w/ the 7424. You guys are right a little goes a very long ways! After I finish I back it out of the garage and took a spin. My car looks F**king Awesome!!!!! I even went to the dealership on sunday with a camera to take a picture of my Z beside the other two 350Z's on the lot. When I pulled up two salesmen walk out as like they were drawn to my like zombies! I am a very pleased person. I'm also very pleased that I did it by myself. Way to go CMA.
After I finished preping the surface I went to work. I applied two coats of polish. This stuff is 10x easier to work with than zanio. The polish spread very nicely over the surface and took no effort at all removing it with the microfiber towels. As for the Paint Protection. I'm breathless.
I only did one coat of the wax with a grey polishing pad w/ the 7424. You guys are right a little goes a very long ways! After I finish I back it out of the garage and took a spin. My car looks F**king Awesome!!!!! I even went to the dealership on sunday with a camera to take a picture of my Z beside the other two 350Z's on the lot. When I pulled up two salesmen walk out as like they were drawn to my like zombies! I am a very pleased person. I'm also very pleased that I did it by myself. Way to go CMA.
11-04-2002, 11:44 AM
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I hoped you guys would like Blackfire. Wait untill you get three coats on there, then it looks breathtaking. I have yet to try the new formula too which has better shine/slickness durability.
11-04-2002, 03:33 PM
#13
If it gets any easier to apply than Zaino, I can stay in the house and watch the ballgame while the car shines itself up
I'll take you guy's word on the Blackfire, it sounds like great stuff, but Zaino isn't very hard to apply.
If I had to trade off a bit of shine for some durability, I'll stick with Zaino. My current black vehicles shine great, and Zaino lasts a pretty long time compared to other stuff I've used over the years.
Next time I buy stuff, I may think about Blackfire, though. We'll see.
I'll take you guy's word on the Blackfire, it sounds like great stuff, but Zaino isn't very hard to apply.
If I had to trade off a bit of shine for some durability, I'll stick with Zaino. My current black vehicles shine great, and Zaino lasts a pretty long time compared to other stuff I've used over the years.
Next time I buy stuff, I may think about Blackfire, though. We'll see.
11-05-2002, 04:30 AM
#15
Originally posted by TRACK350z
zymol is best!
zymol is best!
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