How much of a pain is it, really????

[jamesisel]

Jerez Black. I really like this color. I have never had a black car before so all I know about them is what I have read on this post. I am borderline OCD and will be cleaning my M3 very often so once a week, maybe more often, won't bother me . So... to all the jerez and jet black owners...how hard is it to keep your car looking clean? Do you regret your choice because of how often you have to clean it? How often do you wash your M?

[f10mmmmm]

I've had black cars in the past (S2K, G35) and if you wash it once a week or more, and you don't use proper wash techniques, you'll get swirl marks and it will show under direct sunlight..etc. But if you detail it throughly every quarter or 6 months, the deep gloss and the "wet" look of a black car can't be beat. I got AW because I don't have the time or the energy to devote THAT much time to my cars anymore.

[Ken37.73]

Jet black is my vote. No half measures .....

[Gearhead999s]

I love my Jerez Black and have no regrets about getting it.for sure it is more work to keep looking great but when clean it is well worth it.My wifes E93 in Space Gray is almost maintence free in comparsion however.

[Dr. T]

My S2000 is black. To a guy with major OCD...........never again. Especially not if it's going to be a daily driver. The S2000 is a garage queen, always covered, never seen rain. Still a major PIA to keep it up to my standards.

[f10mmmmm]

Originally Posted by Dr. T

My S2000 is black. To a guy with major OCD...........never again. Especially not if it's going to be a daily driver. The S2000 is a garage queen, always covered, never seen rain. Still a major PIA to keep it up to my standards.

I agree. When I had my S2K in Black, I labored almost every weekend to keep it spotless. I called it my pro bono 2nd job. My wife used to call it something else............

[SmokeyJoe]

Originally Posted by jamesisel

Jerez Black. I really like this color. I have never had a black car before so all I know about them is what I have read on this post. I am borderline OCD and will be cleaning my M3 very often so once a week, maybe more often, won't bother me . So... to all the jerez and jet black owners...how hard is it to keep your car looking clean? Do you regret your choice because of how often you have to clean it? How often do you wash your M?

I love my Jarez Black, but it is high maintenance. I wish I had gone with my second choice which was SSG. Oh well, off to wash the beast again.

[Hellride]

I have jet black. No regrets here. I wash it weekly and it is parked outside as I do not have a garage. I just LOVE the way it looks and it stays relatively clean through the weekend until about midweek, before it really needs to get back to the wash. I stretch it to Saturday morning and all good again.

I did get a paint sealant, and I do live in Southern CA - so YMMV if it rains a lot.

[Blake]

i've owned pretty much all black cars. they're inherently hard to keep clean. but the trade-off is that when it's clean, nothing looks better. i wash my car often so it doesn't bug me much. i've gone as far as to have a car wash budget. i don't regret my color choice at all, most people i know that love black cars don't really ever consider another color. once you go black, you never go back. i enjoy jerez black, but my original order was for jet black. metallic black is a tough choice, it looks great but if you scratch the paint, the whole panel has to be repainted. that's the only downside for me.

as for cleanliness, wax it once a week like i do and you'll be fine

[Radiation Joe]

I had jet black.

My technique was to:

1 - Detail it every 6 months, strip, clay, polish, carnuba wax (not one of the synthetics)

2 - At least once a week run it through a touchless car wash. This left a film on the car which was very obnoxious.

3 - Used a spray detailer with microfiber after the wash to bring the shine back. Only took about 15 minutes.

[Dascamel]

Heh, get used to washing your car carefully every 1-2 weeks. Bare minimum seal the car every six months after the whole deal of wash, clay, polish, seal.
If taken care of it looks great, but take a close at black cars on the road. You'll notice very quickly how bad some of the cars look.

[kronzprinz]

there's no substitute... just don't go washing it carelessly every weekend as if you were washing dishes... the 6 month detail is a good idea. i have a friend (kinda like this guy, http://www.miracledetail.co.uk/) that does it every weekend for me and it looks better than new.

[apw2607]

Use to have that Carbon Back on the E46 M3. Said to myself ... never again. Just too much hassle.

[valeram]

Had a Jet Black S4 and definitely (if it is clean) the best color BUT (BUT) the hardest to maintain. If you have the time (hand wash weekly and wax at least every quarter) then by all means.

[lebreeze]

I love my jerez. Its my DD and it is a lot of work. I wash it twice a week and detail about every 3 months. I have some minor swirls but nothing crazy. There is something about black it just looks so mean

[Damage Inc]

Black is a PIA but so worth it, nothings better than a black car. Put some zaino on and its easier to keep clean.

[montreal red]

my old 328 e90 was a jet black it was a pain to keep clean but i still like black so my next one is going to be jerez. black looks really deep and glossy when its clean. seriously, if youre so concerned bout keeping the car looking clean 100% of the time, then get a silver/space gray car...

[jamesisel]

I'm coming over to the dark side!

Thanks everyone!!

[jeff.m3]

I just picked up my Jerez Black M3 last week. I originally wanted white but the dealer could only find a Jerez Black one for me with the options I wanted. My last few cars went from black to white to black to white, etc. To be honest, I do not have a single regret.

With the sunlight during the day and headlights at night bouncing off the car, I already know how much extra work detailing the exterior will be (i.e. smears, spider swirls, etc.), but in my opinion, when dark cars are cleaned and detailed properly, they look gorgeous!

[HEY32G]

Originally Posted by jamesisel

I'm coming over to the dark side!

Thanks everyone!!

Don't do it!! Here's why:
1) it shows every bit of dust, so even if you just washed it you get in, look at the hood, and you see dust.

2) you can't dry it with a towel because you'll get swirl marks, so you're forced to either buy a powerful leaf blower or drive it dry, and that doesn't work that well.

3) when you wash it you have to be very careful, once again any harsh rubbing with a non perfectly clean towel/mit, you'll give it swirl marks. Nothing ruins my ocd day more than swirl marks!!

4) you finish washing it and then some moron leaves their sprinkler system on and you have to drive through the water means you have to start all over again.

It is a major pia! This is my fifth and LAST black car. It's just not worth the trouble to me, and you can never really get it looking perfect unless you spend hours on it, and even then that pefection is a fleeting moment because something always happens to get it dirty.

I admit black is my favorite color for cars, but it's just not worth the hassle. My bext car is an e92 M3, and it will be ALPINE WHITE!

[torredresen]

Jerez black is a phenomanal colour man, no regrets at all taking it... And cleaning it every week is morge than enough...
Make it a habbit on sunday morning

[aus]

I had a X5 with Black Sapphire, it wasn't a big deal. Just make sure to have a coat of some long lasting sythetic sealant like Klasse on twice a year. That truck was pretty much always washed at a car wash and I didn't have any problems with swirls.

Jet Black is a pain to keep nice because it swirles really easily.