To those of you who have a black colored Prius.... are you still happy with the color? If yes, why? If no, why not and what other color would you rather have?
I've had 2 black cars now and will be getting black once my 06' comes in. I hand wash weekly and use only Griot's Garage products on it. Always looked great, nothing beats a clean black car. They're the hardest to maintain though so you have to be willing to put in the extra bit of time and effort of you want it staying nice.
I love the looks of the black Prius, but it must be nearly impossible to keep it looking clean if you actually use it. Do you think Black paint is too difficult to keep clean would have been a good choice. How did this same poll turn out on PriusOnline?
I have a black Prius and I noticed swirls in the paint the first time I went through the automatic car wash. It turns out it was the guy with the brush causing it, so now I just ask him to only brush the windows and bumpers. Its actually not that hard to keep clean, even out here where we get well over 100 inches of rain a year it stays clean (enough) for about a week. Funny, I saw this same poll on PriusOnline too.
Is a black prius harder to keep clean than another color? No. Why? Because your silver or white prius after 3 days of use is just as dirty as my black, its just that the dirt is much more noticeable on my prius than on yours. The phrasing is where the problem is......"harder to keep clean". It would be more accurately stated, "shows dirt more readily" or something to that effect, which means if I want my black prius to look clean, as well as actually be clean, I am forced by the visibility of the dirt to wash it regularly, whereas that silver prius will appear clean for a longer period of time without a wash, but that does not mean that it is clean. Its definitely dirty. The benefits of a black car then is that it gets you off your buns and out taking car of the paint on your car, which a silver owner aught to be doing as well, even though the car appears clean. Or perhaps the question would be better asked in this way: "Will a black prius show dirt build up and cause me to seriously consider washing my car at least once a week?" A. Yes Conversely: "Will a silver prius allow me to become lazy about keeping my car clean because it does not show dirt build up as much as other colors such as black?" A. Yes
The benefits of a black car then is that it gets you off your buns and out taking car of the paint on your car, which a silver owner aught to be doing as well, even though the car appears clean. Ok, now you've got me concerned. Is there any actual damage to the paint these days if you don't wash the car regularly? Seriosuly - I've owned a car made out of blue plastic for the past 12 years. I've never had to care for one with actual paint on it -Ken
Okay, you caught me... I put this same poll on priusonline too. And, the results are about the same here as there. So far....
I guess it's safe to assume that infrequent washing will be bad for the paint, but I think the post above is more concerned on how the guy washing his black prius was making swirls. I currently have a 2 year old black camry. I only brought it to the car wash once. I tend to be paranoid about the grime being toughened on the surface, and then if I bring it to a carwash, the guys will just soap and scrub it immediately, scratching the paint somewhat. My normal cleaning cycle is to hose the panel I am going to clean for at least two minutes, and then use a sponge with soap. But I tend to use very little pressure and I let the water break down the dirt, instead of rubbing it off with the sponge. Longer wash times, but no swirls for two years.
my black shiny stealth prius (everything is black, wheels, windows, exterior visors, logos) shows that i am a nut. and a proud one. a slave to my color. goin' slow and mean. but not dull. or not.
This is my second black car. My previous car was black (with a tan interior too) and after ten years wasn't that bad except for the scratches from the dogs eager for a ride. They've passed on. The current dog wouldn't dream of putting a paw on the car. Or at least I thought it wasn't that bad until I learned about swirls, oxidation and other ickies. I attended the Meguiar's seminar with the Orange County Prius Club and PriusClub San Diego and learned a lot about taking care of my car. And I bought a lot of products. I don't think its so much what you use as how you use it and how you take care of your car. Any color can be a hobby. Having a black car will force me to take better care of it. If it was silver I might not wash it more than twice a year. And all of that abuse will certainly effect the paint. I was my car a few times a month, not weekly but more than once. Only now I wash it correctly, I clay it when needed, I wax to protect the paint. And I just invested in a dual-action polisher. No matter what color you have, if you want your car to look nice you need to take care of it. I think black is classic. And it makes my car look 20 pounds lighter.
