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      11-04-2012, 01:20 PM   #1
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Calling all Le Mans Blue owners!

Hi guys, thank you for indulging me if you will, and please forgive me if this topic has already been covered and/or beaten to death.

I'm hoping to join the "M club" very soon by submitting my order on a 2013 E92, and trying to finalize my color decisions. I would really appreciate the insight of you guys out there who have your M in Le Mans Blue.

At first, I was convinced I wanted mine in white--preferably MW. But, I haven't been able to shake this attraction I have for blue. In all the pics I have seen here on the forums, LMB just looks absolutely stunning. I want to own my M3 for a long time, so I'm worried about getting it in a color that I don't enjoy, on down the line.

Some questions I have for those of you who own LMB are:

- Do you have any regrets whatsoever, with your color choice? If so, what do you wish you'd done differently?

- With the LMB exterior, what was your interior color(s) choice, and how do you feel about your decision now, if awhile down the line in your ownership?

- Is the LMB easy to care for? I've seen posts that indicate that it shows up swirls fairly easily. Does it compare favorably to caring for, say, black (if you have that experience)? What about white?

- What do others think of your color choice? Do you get compliments, etc.? (Shallow, I know, but hey, it matters to me--at least a little... )

Once again, thank you for your help, and stay safe out there!
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      11-04-2012, 01:46 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blitzboy76 View Post
Hi guys, thank you for indulging me if you will, and please forgive me if this topic has already been covered and/or beaten to death.

I'm hoping to join the "M club" very soon by submitting my order on a 2013 E92, and trying to finalize my color decisions. I would really appreciate the insight of you guys out there who have your M in Le Mans Blue.

At first, I was convinced I wanted mine in white--preferably MW. But, I haven't been able to shake this attraction I have for blue. In all the pics I have seen here on the forums, LMB just looks absolutely stunning. I want to own my M3 for a long time, so I'm worried about getting it in a color that I don't enjoy, on down the line.

Some questions I have for those of you who own LMB are:

< snipped >

Once again, thank you for your help, and stay safe out there!

- Do you have any regrets whatsoever, with your color choice? If so, what do you wish you'd done differently?
A: Absolutely not. I had been interested in Melbourne Red Metallic, but it's a schizophrenic color that changes hue depending on the light source. The LMB color is the same color regardless of morning, evening, shade, etc. The LBM is gorgeous. Some people do not like the chrome trim "bright" but I think it looks good on the LBM. If I had chosen a white color, or red, I'd have done the black trim or a vinyl overlay to make it black.

- With the LMB exterior, what was your interior color(s) choice, and how do you feel about your decision now, if awhile down the line in your ownership?
A: Interior selected was Bamboo Beige Novillo. It works well against scuffs, and because it's a convertible, it's a lighter color that doesn't suck up as much sun radiation (heat).

- Is the LMB easy to care for? I've seen posts that indicate that it shows up swirls fairly easily. Does it compare favorably to caring for, say, black (if you have that experience)? What about white?
A: As far as I know (other than at the VDC) it has only had hand-washing, and zero automatic brushes, etc. I've had it hand-washed 37 times and they use a microfibre cloth to dry it. You just have to be sure that they are not wiping the cloth on it when the paint surface is completely dry or the cloth not a little damp. I can't detect any scratches or swirls. I personally hand-waxed it once, and it's still awesome.
However: the car sits lower to the ground than other vehicles I've had, and it is a magnet for road pebbles and debris and my only regret is that I did not get a lower front and front-of-hood clear bra installed. But I think that's a good idea regardless of paint color.


- What do others think of your color choice? Do you get compliments, etc.? (Shallow, I know, but hey, it matters to me--at least a little... )
A: I was at a grocery store yesterday, backing up with the top down, and a woman in her 50's had just parked her car, and she walked over to my driver's side and said: "That's a really beautiful car." That made my whole day.


.
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      11-04-2012, 01:54 PM   #3
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1) No regrets. Would not have done anything differently. I was deciding between lemans and interlagos but wasn't a fan of how interlagos has a purple hue in the shade. I was shopping for a true blue

2) silver/black

3) I just took delivery. Have washed it just once, so too soon to tell.

4) I'm not concerned with what others think. I buy and mod for myself.
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      11-04-2012, 02:01 PM   #4
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lemans blue is pretty but i didn't like that its also available on 1 series and E9X 3 series cars. there are 100,000,000 white m3's it seems now. i suggest looking at interlagos blue. i picked up a used one last summer. that color is different in ever shade and i don't think i would tire of it soon. plus at least for now its unique to the M3. there really is no bad color for this car. if its a keeper why not special order a color. Mystic Blue was nice on the E46. very deep.
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      11-04-2012, 05:38 PM   #5
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1. No regrets whatsoever. If I had to order my car again, I'd buy the EXACT same spec.

2. I went with black leather and brushed aluminum trim. Aluminum may be considered by some to be old or last decade, but I think it provides excellent contrast with a black interior. I don't think I'll get tired of it anytime soon, at least not as long as I have a car like the M3. If I were getting a more luxurious car (or even if I were getting this car) and I wanted something a bit less flashy, I'd probably switch to Deep Sea Blue or (even better) Tanzanite Blue. But on the "Classy vs. Sporty" spectrum, Le Mans is definitely closer to Sporty, but not too far off the midpoint so there's plenty of class to be had. Pics of my car here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...73&postcount=1

3. Haven't had any problems caring for it at all.

4. I get compliments on the color CONSTANTLY, from people of both genders, all age groups, and all levels of car enthusiasm. People have walked out of their way to come over to my car and tell me how much they like the color, sometimes even saying that they like this particular shade of blue as opposed to just liking blue cars -- and that includes BMW enthusiasts who can tell it apart from Interlagos (aka "blurple").

As for people saying to get Interlagos because Le Mans is available on non-M cars, don't worry about that. First of all, it's only available with the M Sport package, which itself hasn't been available for very long. But I see lots and lots of BMWs every day (including at CCA meets) and in the 1.5 years I've had my car, I've only seen TWO other Le Mans BMWs, one M3 and one 335i. Every other time I've seen a blue BMW model that Le Mans is/was available on, the blue actually on that car has been either Interlagos or Montego.

Bottom line: MW is a great color too and probably one of the more interesting whites I've seen -- but it's still boring and common white. Le Mans definitely has some pop, so if you just want an attractive yet stealthy color, MW may be for you. But if you want something that will stand out somewhat but not enough to be gaudy, get LMB. When it's clean and out in the sun... Check out the first couple pages of the official Le Mans thread if you need any further convincing: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182199
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      11-04-2012, 05:55 PM   #6
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From a clean look point of view I prefer the AW (had the LMB for a short period). Blue is nice when clean and roads are dry.

Blue always shows every sop of dirt while white is more forgiving. IMHO
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      11-04-2012, 06:20 PM   #7
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1)No regrets
2)Bamboo Beige/ Brushed Aluminum - no regrets
3)Have had white cars, red cars, silver cars, dark blue cars and now LMB. LMB is not all that much different when it comes to keeping it clean. Then again, I'm kinda picky about keeping my car clean.
4)Yes, people have commented positively on the color.

P.S. Get the 6 speed with no nav.
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      11-04-2012, 06:34 PM   #8
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- Do you have any regrets whatsoever, with your color choice?
NO

- With the LMB exterior, what was your interior color(s) choice?
Black
Happy

- Is the LMB easy to care for?
Yes, but I work hard at it.

- What do others think of your color choice?
A guy today said to me "what color blue is that? Very nice!"
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      11-04-2012, 07:04 PM   #9
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LMB ftw!
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      11-04-2012, 07:32 PM   #10
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1) No regrets. My other color choice would have been Monte Carlo Blue, but they weren't taking individual paint orders for e90's when I ordered.

2) Bamboo beige (non-extended) with carbon leather.

3) I'm not obsessive about washing/swirls/etc. so I can't comment.

4) After a few simple mods (Edition grilles, IND painted side gills), I think the car looks great. The other day, a parking attendant just kept repeating, "Damn, look at that car!" over and over again. It was pretty funny.
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      11-04-2012, 10:06 PM   #11
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I really agonized over the color choice for my E93M3. Really wanted to like Melbourne Red but as others have noted, it's a color that can't decide what shade of red it really is, and unfortunately, none of them were really pleasing to my eye. Same for Silverstone. Settled on Le Mans Blue with Bamboo leather and Anthracite trim, which has a subtle fleck in it that picks up the color of the seats. It's a wonderful combination that gets a lot of comments. LOTS more than my '08 Space Gray 'vert with Coral interior ever did.

It's easy to care for, for a dark color. I have a black car, too, and I'll never repeat that car care nightmare choice again. It also shows the lines of the bodywork really well, and also lets the trim stand out the right amount.

The attached picture was during my ED trip, on a sunny day near the Tuscan town of Vignamaggio. Beautiful day, beautiful spot, beautiful car.

Good luck with your decision.
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      11-05-2012, 12:51 AM   #12
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1) No regrets because I like blue, so it was just a matter of selecting the right shade of blue for myself (yourself)

2) Black interior with carbon black trim- my previous 3 series was sapphire black exterior matched to beige interior, so it was a nice change of scenery. However, I do think beige or silver are great alternatives... And if you are really brave, RED...

3) I live in a city that rains 8 days a week, so the trunk area gets dirty fast. But I enjoy washing and detailing my car, so it's not a biggie for me. Relatively speaking though, my sapphire black 3 series was probably only slightly worse.

4) People do compliment the colour every now and then, so it won't go unnoticed for sure. But if you really want to grab attention, fiery orange... hands down... I love that colour, but cannot ever own one as a dd because it's too gaudy...
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      11-05-2012, 03:16 AM   #13
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Won't regret!
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      11-05-2012, 03:36 AM   #14
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Blue is the best colour for sure, looks nice as
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      11-05-2012, 08:10 AM   #15
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that blue is in my top three my color combo is aw and carbon black leather trim but that blue with a gray int would be awsome but prob not as a daily driver i think you should get int trim depending on daily usage or not
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      11-05-2012, 03:35 PM   #16
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When I first bought my car I was told it was IB. After I got it, I found out it was LMB (looking under hood at the VIN Sticker). I love the color. It is a deep rich color and I have no regrets either way. I have a black Novillo interior with Carbon Black Trim. Yes, the paint swirls fairly easily and God help you if you need body work. It will probably be hard to match as the years go by. But, it is a great color. I love washing it and seeing it nice and clean.
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      11-05-2012, 04:23 PM   #17
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I have loved LeMans since the E39 M5 had it, and have wanted a car with it ever since then.
Its a great color, with lots of depth and metallic that looks marvelous in any lighting.
I get plenty of compliments, from all types.
I got Oyster with my LeMans exterior, but if I was getting an M would go for Bamboo, or Champagne.
I dont see it anymore difficult to maintain than my Alpine E90, or Black Sapphire E90, Or Silver Gray E86M.
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      11-05-2012, 04:57 PM   #18
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Wow. Thanks so much, everybody, for your feedback. I find that this color truly excites me, when I think about ordering it. Since most of my previous cars were either black or white, I am going to go for something different this time. I believe I've yet to read of anyone here on m3post that just flat doesn't like the color, even if they maybe prefer something else. Friends and family all say go for it, so that's settled, then! Now I feel like I could almost flip a coin between interiors--between the black and the beige. I KNOW I don't have the cojones to go Superman!

I saw beige in person a couple months ago, on my test drive, and it's really classy-looking. But then I just think that black looks amazing with blue--wheels, interior, grills, everything. So that's where I'm at, now. My current vehicle is black/black. So again, a bit of a change may be in order. Anyway, thanks again, guys (and girls--I know you're out there)!

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      11-05-2012, 07:32 PM   #19
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I too was between beige and black interiors. I chose beige partly because my previous car had a black interior and I just wanted a change. If you go with a black interior, consider doing the aluminum trim just to break up the sea of black on the inside. One issue with the beige interior is that it will show wear more than the black. However, the beige does look luxurious and warm.
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      11-05-2012, 09:34 PM   #20
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If you're considering an individual interior, I think the platinum would look stunning with LeMans.

My LeMans:
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      11-05-2012, 11:13 PM   #21
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The wife and I like Lemans Blue so much we got her 135 in the same color.



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      11-06-2012, 06:55 AM   #22
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Really awesome pics, guys. Thank you for helping me confirm my choice! How do you all feel about the CF roof, against the LMB?
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