Cleaning Black Ridge

Hey all,

I just joined since I am hoping to get a Ridge soon. My company is thinking about getting me a Pilot but I'm lobbying for a Ridgeline since I want to get the wife a Pilot. I had one for an overnight test drive the other day and loved it. I think it will be an excellent compliment to having a Pilot.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a black Ridge and was wondering about keeping it clean. I've never been a fanatic cleaner of vehicles. I have 2 little ones and just don't have the time to devote to detailing my vehicles. I'm more of a car wash kind of person or a Mr Clean AutoDry.

My question is, will my current methods work with a black Ridge or am I likely to be a little disappointed in it's appearance? I'd love to hear from both those that are into detailing and those like myself who like the quick approach.

Thanks in advance

Ridge In The Ville

I have a black ridge and the Mr Clean system works great...no spotting. If you don't want to spend a lot of time making it look clean, you'd probably be better off with the primer, err silver color.

I have a black ridge and the Mr Clean system works great...no spotting. If you don't want to spend a lot of time making it look clean, you'd probably be better off with the primer, err silver color.
If you want your Ridgeline to look great all the time with little time invested, go with SILVER!! I do clean mine regualrly and I have the time to devote to it but the few times I had to "let her go', I was glad I had SILVER. NOT to mention it's Honda's choice of color. Please do a search on "color my world" for poll results of this subject. :)

Funny swampi..very funny. You're gonna scare the nice man away!! :D

I have a black one and it does require work if you want it always looking good. I love washing my cars so its not a problem. But everything will show, fingerprints on the doors, dust, water spots, etc. Silver would be good as it hides alot but a clean black Ridge is hot. :cool:

Thanks for the reply.

I really don't want a silver Ridge (no offense to those that have one. My wife wants to get her Pilot in silver.). I think the black looks real sharp and tough. I'm also considering the red and the blue. I'm not into white vehicles and I'll be getting out of a green Expedition so that rules out the green.

Any other comments or comments on cleaning the red and the blue?

Ridge In The Ville

i think black should be reserved for us fanatics.....

And I use the term "fanatics" in the best possible way. :) I wish I had the time (and energy) to devote to keeping my vehicle clean.

Ridge In The Ville

Definitely SILVER!! Not only is it more a company car it is also the safest for your 2 little ones!! ;) And BTW, get the RTL for the gray leather seats, and heated front seats. Besides, the SILVER is cooler in the summer. :)

Oh my, it is another color war!

By the way, Red generally does well with not looking too bad unless you really let it go then all bets are off. I would take pictures of my car but it is wet right now from the massive amounts of rain we have had in the NE this last week. Actually I guess that is more I don't want to take my camera out to take pictures in the rain. I really think that if you want to hide a lot of sins and not get primer gray that you should consider the green since most dirt seems to be a close match and it gives it that sort of camo feel.

Personally the Blue was my second choice, I really liked it on the showroom floor but it also looked like it would get dirty pretty fast, not sure. In fact the first Ridgeline I had held was Blue, but it was a demo car and my wife veto'ed buying a demo.

It really sucks to clean...but nothing looks better than when it is clean.

I had a white truck before....pretty much looked clean all of the time...hides dirt well...believe it or not

NOT to mention it's Honda's choice of color.


It may be a buyer's choice as opposed to Honda's choice! (see your own signature post, JC! :p )

Given the fact we are going to new color vehicles at work (black) I've noticed how dirty they get real quick.....Black only looks good when clean!! So consider another color - Blue or Red!!! -( there, got my two cents in...)

Black definately! Mr. Clean Autodry Pro series with a fresh rinse cartridge, and you are all set. Simply wash, spray, and put it away in the garage to dry spot free. The issue here is you will need to wash it much more frequently, but then it will look better than any other color, too. You got to pay to play when it comes to black.

I never heard of a ROC member who doesn't shine their baby. Ah that's right, you haven't got it yet. This too will change. :D

You are probably right. My habits will change once I get it and want that beauty always clean. My main reason for the post was to see what would happen without wanting to really get into it. You have all been wonderful with your suggestions.

I think I'm leaning away from Black. I don't think I deserve that color. :) Maybe it's time for me to go back to a red vehicle. I like the beige interior that red and black have. The beige makes a nice contrast to the other color on the seats, IMO.

Glad to hear Mr Clean does such a good job. If it does that good on black I'm sure it will do wonderful on the others too.

RidgeInTheVille

As long as you didn't drive in the rain, a quick hose down daily before driving off makes the truck look great between washes. :cool:

Dear RidgeInTheVille,

You already want the black, you said it yourself. So buy the black and keep it clean however is easiest for you. It's like buying the house that isn't all brick. You know you are gonna have to paint it every so often, but you want it so bad, and you lust after it, that you go ahead and buy what you desire. Upkeep be damned! Enjoy the ride!

Good Luck and keep us posted.

Black is the only choice in my book! Mr. Clean works great.
I have been driving mine in the rain for the past week in SC and it still looks great. In my opinion, white looks alot worse when dirty. The red, blue, and green are just OK and the silver is............ask Ladyridge about this one; it's her territory.
The black looks absolutely stunning and awesome all the time!

Blue actually handles the dirt quite well. My dark blue Accord, on the other hand, does not.

I have the blue and think it looks great! It's not bad when dirty, and looks real good when clean. Here's a picture in the garage (it's night - but it's clean)

Downsides of the metal flake colors like red or blue - it's going to be hard to cover up those little dings in the bumpers and hood from rock chips or whatever. You know your gonna get them. The honda paint is pretty close but since it's metal flake paint, getting an exact match is tough. When I picked mine up the dealer service dept had marred the front bumper doing the right foglight and we drove around found the touch up guy on the lot. He said I could use the touch up paint - but it would not be a perfect match due to the variations in the metal flake during application. He said a custom spray was the only way. It was windy that day but the dealer said I could come back during a calm day and they would take care of it. I ended up using touch up paint cause the dealers about 130 miles away.

He did say that white and silver were the two colors you could use the touch up paint and get a near perfect match. My wife has a white Odyssey and you gotta get pretty close to tell there is touch up paint on the hood. I've had a couple of red metal flake vehicles (GMC, Mercury) and getting the red paint to match is hard. My experience has been too dark or too pinkish.

One picture of the foglight shows where I have touched it up - when it's a small ding it hides pretty well.

Another picture where I backed into a stone wall, with one brick set facing out so it stuck out further than the wall. The small ding looks OK but the larger ding (about the size of 3 pencil erasers side to side) still needs a little more work.

I keep telling myself it's a truck after all and dings are gonna happen.

Long post - hope it helps, but it might be more info than you were looking for. Of course if I was totally practical I would have gotten white, but I couldn't resist the blue.

I have a black one, (and I can't wait to see the responses to this), and I think it looks good dirty too!! I don't have a lot of time to wash my vehicles and to be honest, it makes you appreciate it more when it's clean.

I take mine to a Turtle Wax shop and hound the kids to make it perfect, (cause I'm lazy). :D

Thanks all for the comments. I thought i had my mind made up and then saw some more posts.

Thanks for the pics blueridge33. The touchup issue is not one I had considered. My wife currently has a Bonneville in a similar blue color and I know what you mean about touchups with metallic paint.

RidgeInTheVille

I wish the Ridgeline was available in the Graphite Pearl like the Accord is. One of our salesmen has it and it's really nice looking.

Go with the Blue. It hides dirt almost as well as the silver. Red looks like a baby fire engine.

I have a black one, (and I can't wait to see the responses to this), and I think it looks good dirty too!! I don't have a lot of time to wash my vehicles and to be honest, it makes you appreciate it more when it's clean.

I take mine to a Turtle Wax shop and hound the kids to make it perfect, (cause I'm lazy). :D

I agree with Rehabguy, I think the black looks good dirty and it's obviously the coolest color when it's clean. If you want black, do what SmokeyMtnRidger says and just get it, you won't be sorry.

Plus the black ones are the fastest!

Plus the black ones are the fastest!

PHHHTT!
Bring your Black beauty to Cleveland and we'll run the 1/4 mile baby!! :D

PHHHTT!
Bring your Black beauty to Cleveland and we'll run the 1/4 mile baby!! :D

I knew I'd get you on that one :D

I'm waiting to hear from a buddy of mine about making the trip to Cleveland (the wife needs to stay home with the kids and their gazillion weekend activities.) If he can make it, I'm in.

black just looks so much better. I have mine washed once a week and use a duster in between. also getting ready to spoil my RL with a full detail. :)

Hey Big Baller,

What are you going to use on it when you detail it?

RidgeInTheVille

taking it to a detail shop. having outside done and under the hood. all for around $180 , I think that's a good price a well worth it. :cool:

Ahhhhhhh. I was thinking you were doing it as opposed to taking it to the spa. :)

Black beauty needs to be spoiled. After all it's been good to me. :)

Rushed Mr SmokyMtnRidger through dinner, told him he could have dessert later, and had him meet me out at the truck. We were planning on commencing on washing it. (I had been letting ;) the hubby drive it this week so I wanted it back all clean and spiffy). I get out there and take a gander at the beloved truck, it is GORGEOUS and didn't need a thing done to it. A week of driving 80 miles round trip to work plus wherever else hubster went in it and it looked so fine that we were able forego the wash. We spent our time on the front porch talking. Doesn't get any better than that!

Rushed Mr SmokyMtnRidger through dinner, told him he could have dessert later, and had him meet me out at the truck. We were planning on commencing on washing it. (I had been letting ;) the hubby drive it this week so I wanted it back all clean and spiffy). I get out there and take a gander at the beloved truck, it is GORGEOUS and didn't need a thing done to it. A week of driving 80 miles round trip to work plus wherever else hubster went in it and it looked so fine that we were able forego the wash. We spent our time on the front porch talking. Doesn't get any better than that!

You talk to your spouse? I should try that! :p

RED RED RED... THINK RED RED RED!!!

It is a great color for a truck, even a better color for 2 trucks ;).

This is my second red car, and I always wanted to go back to a red car some day. My first car was arrest-me-red (every person who drove it but me got a ticket in it).

Just for the record-the black wouldn't be easy to touch up either, it has lots of blue flakes in it. BUT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BLACK ONES ARE THE FASTEST!

I own a black Ridgeline. It is more diffcult to keep clean than the other colors, but when it is clean it is by far the best looking color. I use a California Car Duster to keep it looking good. This fantastic product was developed for the hot rod market and is used extensively to remove dust during car shows. It won't take off mud, but for dust it works like magic. I got mine at Pep Boys but they're available many places.

I clean simply with 409. Works great. I'v also protested the seats with some aquired diluted commercial carpet protector. The Japnese thought of everything.

Personal experience with my NBP Element is one reason i am not getting a NBP ridgeline. Like others have said.......When it is "clean" it is the sharpest color out there.....but also like others and myself say "wait about 10 minutes, it'll be dirty again".

Anyway, i use the mr. clean autodry on my NBP Element and it works great. The ionized water spot free rinse is priceless.

Go with Silver, stays cleaner longer even though Black looks best for the first five minutes after a cleaning!

Enjoy the truck,
RidgeLI

I agree with the california duster.. I use mine everymorning for about 3 minutes before climbing in.
And it will not scratch the paint.

Black is the best color - everything else looks like 1990's commuter rides (LOL!). Mine is black, it does look good "dirty", but with an occaisional Mr Clean washing and using the California duster daily it still looks sharp.... Below is a dirty photo of it...

Joe

If you do not have a lot of time or do want to spend it on cleaning and polishing get primer:D or white. These are eaiser to keep clean and do show the dirt as quickly as a dark color.

Black...definitely black.....:cool:

If you feel guilty buying a black one, then consider that in the sunlight it actually appears a midnight BLUE!:eek:

Either way though, it's a truck - they always look good with a little dirt, it means that you use it.

Clean trucks are nice to look at and go well on the paved road. Dirty trucks are just as nice to look at and go everywhere else!:D

Black is the best color - everything else looks like 1990's commuter rides (LOL!). Mine is black, it does look good "dirty", but with an occaisional Mr Clean washing and using the California duster daily it still looks sharp.... Below is a dirty photo of it...

Joe

Here's my dirty girl..

i currently have a NBP Element and personally i would never get black again. I love the NBP but i have limited time to clean it anymore. The wife and i have a new baby:D So, trading in the E on a Billet Silver or Steele blue RL.

PS. i only use meguires #26 car polish.....no swirls at all....if you have time go over it again with #7 glaze.

I guess if I get black, I'll need to employ my girls (13 and 10) to keep it clean. :)

One question about black. In the "old" days, black was known for fading noticeably as it got older. Is that the case now? Since my car will almost always either be sitting outside while I'm at work on in the driveway at home, I'd hate to get a color that looks faded and used up a few years down the road.

NIGHTHAWK BLACK WITH ALL HONDA OPTIONS, IN FT. LAUDERDALE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS KEEP A GOOD COAT OF WAX ON YOUR BABY.IT WILL KEEP IT FROM FADING, MAKE'S IT EASY TO KEEP IT CLEAN, AND LOOKING BETTER THAN ANY OTHER COLOR:cool:

Definitely black. I hauled a load of black dirt home last night (in my 7 week old black RTL) and guess what? Any black dirt spilled on the outside didn't show. ;)

One other thing, I washed it the night before FOR THE FIRST TIME! Me bad I know but I'm not real anal about keeping my vehicles as clean as I should but I have 2X6 year olds so who has the time? It looked great even when dirty throughout those 7 weeks ...

And finally, 800lbs. of black dirt which is about 1/2 yard (there was room for more), barely made her squat! SWEET!!! Who ever said this wasn't a TRUCK??? It's every bit a 1/2 ton truck ... Beats my '97 Chevy Silverado hands down.

:D

I just picked my Ridgeline up on Friday, and man, let me tell you, Black is the ONLY color. It does require some effort, but when it's clean, it certainly turns the heads. The color brings the lines of the truck into a nice contrast and makes the work worth it. Drive On!

I found a product called "Wax it Dry" and it works great. Just wash it and then when you dry it off squirt some on the towel. It mixes with the water and really helps in the drying process. You may not need to, but sometimes I have to go over a spot with a dry towel. I was amazed how easy it is and really looks good. I use it every time I wash my truck. I am on the highway a lot with my Ridgeline and the front can get pretty nasty. The bugs come of really easy so the wax does hold up.

Just when you think you did a good job of washing your truck I suggest calling the kids over in the neighborhood. It's amazing how much they see at their eye level. They pretty much told me I missed alot of spots and they were right. Be prepared to take some criticism they can be brutal.:D

I found a product called "Wax it Dry" and it works great. Just wash it and then when you dry it off squirt some on the towel. It mixes with the water and really helps in the drying process. You may not need to, but sometimes I have to go over a spot with a dry towel. I was amazed how easy it is and really looks good. I use it every time I wash my truck. I am on the highway a lot with my Ridgeline and the front can get pretty nasty. The bugs come of really easy so the wax does hold up.

If you're talking about Eagle One Wax As U Dry (WAUD), yes it's a great spray wax. Only one caution. If you're using a microfiber towel, WAUD will ruin it-it doesn't seem to want to wash out. I did finally get it out of my waffle weaves after soaking them in Charlie's for a couple days. Best way I've found to do it is to use a quality waffle weave to remove all but about the last 10% of the water, and then switch to a toss-away 16" x 16" for final drying / WAUD application.

I wish the Ridgeline was available in the Graphite Pearl like the Accord is. One of our salesmen has it and it's really nice looking.
I just traded in my 03 Accord Coupe Graphite Pearl. I loved that color, it always to looked clean, and when it was washed and waxed it looked amazing, no other color out there like it. The blue Accord coupe looks really good also. I use Final Detail (spray wax) on my Red Rock Pearl Ridgeline and on my Wife's 06 Civic Atomic Blue and use Final Detail's Tire Gel (the best I have ever used, and no tire sling all over your wheels), it looks great and keeps a good shine on your tires for about 2 weeks.

How's this for a shine!:cool:
A little Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax and a bottle of Sam Adams goes a long way.
Nothing beats black when it's waxed.
10147

Black is the best when it is clean. I have owned 6 black cars over the years. The best wax I found was black color wax. It left no white residue covered any little scratches and gave my cars that deep clean look. These days with two kids soccer baseball basketball and cub scouts. White works fine for now. My wife drives a black pilot that takes plenty of time to keep clean. If you have the time black looks great for about an hour after you spend 2-3 cleaning it.

How's this for a shine!:cool:
A little Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax and a bottle of Sam Adams goes a long way.
Nothing beats black when it's waxed.
BLACK-IDTY BLACK, NOW DONT TALK BACK!

Just washed/waxed my black beauty. This is it's first wax (going on 3 months of ownership). I'm a little disappointed in the finished product ... I used F21 Car Polish by Turtle Wax. Went on easy, but came off very hard. Perhaps I left it on too long in some places? The directions say 5-10 minutes but since I was doing it by myself, I left it on a bit longer and although it came off easy enough, there are plenty of swirls. :mad:

I saw a few different products/recommendations in earlier posts which I might give a try. In the mean time, what's the best way to get it shining again with no swirls??? I rubbed for awhile with a micro-fiber towel (several actually to be sure they were clean) and it helped but you can still see the swirls!

But man this baby shines!

:)

I also have a black ridge. Yes it takes alot of effort to keep it clean. I am currently using Pinnacle car wax. It is easy on and easy off. Plus It does not leave the white residue left over from most sillcone based products. Their products are expensive, but the finishish is second to none. I have used Mothers, Griotts and most 3M products but nothing compares to the depth of shine. The crystal mist spray is great inbetween waxes. Hope this help, PS two years of Auto body repair at the local community college does wonders for your appriecation of car finishes. Hope this helps.

Bob

brushless car wash with rain-x sealant wax...not bad really.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/gomalley/06ridge003.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/gomalley/06ridge002.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/gomalley/06ridge001.jpg

Powder Coat those rims with glossy black and get evil! :mad: J/K!

Excellent shine!

I had to come up with a plan when I bought my black Ridgeline (lazy/busy guy with little free time). I run through my local Goo Goo car wash on the way home every Friday. It costs me $5/week and about 10 minutes. I hand dry all the areas that aren't dried by the car wash. I realize that this is not the best care for the finish, but I concluded that keeping it clean more of the time was a better idea for the finish than hand washing less frequently.

Fellow owners: I have to say that the Mr. Clean Auto Dry system is the most superior wash I've seen to date. It cleans thoroughly and the dry is complete and spot free. The Black Ridgeline is without the sharpest, ( I'm biased ) , but also the most difficult to keep clean, this system allows all us to keep it looking very sharp and it turns a lot of heads. I take my truck to the beach a lot and the dust from the parking lot really isn't a problem, but a lot of people want to know how I like my Ridgeline, I just tell them I love it. So all you Black Ridgeline Owners, DRIVE ON and show your truck proudly.
mikeyjay

It just seems like if you settle for something other than Black, your just settling for "second best".

as said here before" dirt happens" even a black ridge dirty is better than a clean silver (gulp) (sorry silver heads) but Wife has Pilot in Nimbus Grey pretty sharp color too if not black:)

as said here before" dirt happens" even a black ridge dirty is better than a clean silver (gulp) (sorry silver heads) but Wife has Pilot in Nimbus Grey pretty sharp color too if not black:)

Black truck? Been there... done that... won't go back again!
Okay, so it was a Silverado...
And a black vehicle does look better than any other when it's shiny.
But keeping it clean???
It's a full time job. And I'm far too busy. Maybe when I retire. I'll get a box of cleaning supplies and spend summers in the driveway. But then there's winter... and the salt... maybe I'll spend winters in Florida like the other retirees.
Then I might own a black Ridgeline.
Until then... it's anything but!
Loving the Green (no longer available... sorry folks).

But then there's winter... and the salt... maybe I'll spend winters in Florida like the other retirees.
Then I might own a black Ridgeline.

Well, don't stay there when the Love Bugs arrive! I switched from black (GMC) to white (Ridgeline) in part due to the bug guts. At least on white you can see what to clean!

I don't have nearly the time to spend on my vehicles as I used to, but I haven't found it that hard to keep my black RL clean, at least to my standards. I'm not like some people that worry and fret when a few specks of dust get on their truck, and they think it has to be perfect all the time, but mine gets washed on average around once a week. When I'm too busy to give it a hand washing, we have a brushless auto car wash nearby that I take her through, and it does a decent job. I agree with one of the other fellows in that when I retire (6 more years), I will likely have the cleanest vehicles around. :)

Try this,www.lloydscleaner.com

OK, I'm retired. And I love detailing autos. What better color could I want than Formal Black?? Nothing looks better when it's clean. Unfortunately, nothing looks worse when it's dirty. So I just keep it clean. Just gives me more of a reason to spend time with my Ridgeline! (As if I need more of a reason.)
Tom