The Gods are in the Detailers. (Thanks, Larry.)

Warning: I scratch easily.

Let me start by saying owning a black car is difficult. It's nearly impossible to keep it clean without scratching the surface. In the 90s, I owned a black Mercedes sedan, a handsome W114 280 (Paint Code 040) that gave us years of faithful service back and forth to the East End of Long Island on weekends. Mostly though, we were in the City and it wasn't possible to fuss over it like my Cabriolet which is always a mere stone's throw (or stone chip) away. Maybe being so close isn't such a good thing though.

You see, every time you drag a piece of cloth over the surface of the paint, you run the risk of dragging a speck of dirt across it as well. Dirt is sharp and it scratches. This wouldn't be obvious on a white or even a silver car, but on a dark car like mine, it spells trouble. Black is a striking, masculine, unmistakably strong color, but it also has a mirror finish that reflects back all its imperfections, particularly under fluorescent lighting.

If there's enough wax on the car, the damage can be minimized, or sometimes even corrected. And that's where people like Larry Kosilla come in. Larry's ultra high-end detailing service called Ammo NYC in White Plains, NY is one of the leading detailers in the New York metropolitan area. I've never met Larry, but I feel like I know him. His youtube videos are remarkably helpful and highly produced.

Weekend warriors like myself will find Larry's videos invaluable and full of wisdom like his video on how to find the right orbital polisher.

Larry certainly knows paint and finding the right tools of the trade, but you've got to figure he also knows the right vendors. That was my thought process when I called him to see who he recommends to restore the proper machine finish to my factory 15" 8-slot alloy wheels. Naturally, Larry was happy to help and gave a glowing endorsement of Proformance Industries in New Rochelle, NY. I'm going to chronicle the experience in detail here, so stay tuned for more on this subject. And thanks very much to Larry Kosilla for sharing so much of your knowledge with fellow enthusiasts.