I've owned black cars in the past. Black is a fantastic colour, when clean, but it quickly shows the dirt, dust, and rainspots. Trying to maintain that showroom finish is a constant battle, requiring more than the occasional wash and rinse. Detailing is needed which, if done properly, is not cheap in terms of money and time.

February

New Snow Foam

Giving the highly recommended Bilt Hamber Touch-Less Snow Foam a try.

Second clean of the year

Using the Bilt Hamber Touch Less snow foam was a breeze with the jet wash, and it really seemed to shift the dirt. Car was absolutely filthy - should have taken a 'before' photo.

January

Only a couple of short local trips and the car was filthy.

Finally, the hosepipe thawed and the last of the Turtle Wax Snow Foam was put to good use.

2024

Dealership

Prior to collecting the car the dealer applied a coating of Gen-3, not cheap, fortunately included as part of the deal.
The aim now was to preserve the showroom finish.

The rest of the year

New to detailing, it's been a bit of a learning curve; the biggest challenge is one of choosing the correct products for the job.

Various products have been used throughout the year, some purchased for use on the previous Mercedes.

• Meguiar's Ultimate Car Wash
• Turtle Wax Snow Foam
• Kärcher FJ6 Foam Nozzle
• Bilt Hamber Auto Wash Car Shampoo
• SOFT99 Fusso Coat Wax Dark
• Koch Chemie Fse spray
• No.1 Super Ceramic Hybrid Si02 Wax Spray Coating
• Glart 43PP microfibre hand polishing sponge
• Meguiar's G1116EU Quik Clay Bar Starter Kit
• Autoglym Car Glass Polish

I'm not endorsing any of these products by using them, just part of my quest for the perfect product (photographers will know what I mean when I say GAS [1]).
The Alfa Romeo Owners' Club magazine has an excellent detailing section.