[davyk31]

My sister is about to order a new E90, probably 320 D ED as a company car. She has carbon black at the moment and wants to stay with a dark colour so its either of the blacks really. Is it worth spending the extra cash to get the metallic black, which looks best etc. She isn't inot cleaning her car so can't imagine ultimate looks are really that important.

[E92BSM10]

Sapphire Black Metallic

[dghdgh]

Defo Sapphire Black Metallic but keep it clean

[rjs]

Metallic black looks the nuts... when clean

[CardinalZeus77]

Metallic Black

[davyk31]

So does the Jet BLack look so bad that it should be avoided? Can't say that I would notice if a black car was metallic or not unless it was very clean.

[Hotcoupe]

Would your sister pay the extra £610.00 for metallic?

Thats probably more relevant, seeing as she appears to be not bothered apart from the car being a dark colour.

[kaishang]

Originally Posted by davyk31

So does the Jet BLack look so bad that it should be avoided? Can't say that I would notice if a black car was metallic or not unless it was very clean.

The jet black looks blacker than the sapphire black. However it is a solid colour and does not age as well as metallic black.

[rogerxp]

I always thought my SB car hid the dirt pretty well. There's quite a lot of metalic flake in it which I thought helped. I could be just going mad & blind though .

[dxb335d]

Jet black in perfect condition looks far nicer. So hard to been pristine.

[davyk31]

She is leasing the car so monthly cost will increase because of metallic, she obviously wants to keep costs as low as possible or else spend the £610 on other options if the colour choice was not important. I reckoned that the metallic SB would be a bit easier to look after than the flat black which I'm sure looks great in top condition but without a lot of care and attention it must get very marred looking.

[MrGimlet]

Jet Black all the way. The blue/grey haze of the metallic doesn't float my boat.

[ghosty]

if she doesnt notice the difference between the two, then best spend the money on something else id say

[JLR1969]

I was in exactly the same position with my new 3 series. As it was a company car and not my own I decided to spec an upgraded stereo and heated seats instead of a metallic colour.

There are plenty of great options you can get for £600

Sports seats and steering wheel
Part leather seats and black roof lining etc etc

Who cares if it's metallic it spends most of it's time dirty and on the motorway anyway.

Far better to have a improved interior.

[Falmouthboy]

Whilst the SB looks far nicer (in the majority view), as others have said, if she isn't bothered about cleaning it I would either save the money and BIK tax or spend the money on options that will make life inside more pleasant.

If this were a private purchase I would be saying SB all the way as this will have an impact come trade in time. As it's a compant car, that doesn't concern her.

[digital01]

Actually, I think the most important factor here in choosing between JB and SB pertains to maintenance.

Both colors have their pros and cons. They are similar in shade, but very different in finish. Generally speaking, from what I've seen, the Sapphire Black usually looks better in person because its easier to maintain than the JB. The metallic paint also reflects light very well and gives it that "shimmering" look, regardless of the imperfections (swirls, etching, etc) it still looks like there is depth and reflectivity in the paint. Dont get me wrong, to the trained eye, imperfections are still quite visible, metallic paint or not.

In comparison, JB has more of a "dripping wet"/mirror look when perfected. This being said, when jet black has swirls and is not taken care of properly, not only are the scratches THAT much more visible than other paints, but overall it just looks dull, bland and dirty. However, when JB is taken care of properly (which i'll add is actually quite difficult due to how soft the paint/clear is), it has a level of clarity and reflectivity that I have not seen out of any of the other colors. It almost looks as if there is a black reflective liquid coating on the surface of your car when you achieve maximum depth and clarity in JB. I am NOT exaggerating when I say that the jet black paint is soft. It's so soft that even with me being very conscious of this daily, along with using only quality MF towels, two bucket wash, foam gun, etc during wash/wax...I still add in scratches every once in a while if I don't pay attention. Jet black is the epitome of hard work pays off. You have to baby the paint and watch what you use on it, but in doing so you have a finish that turns heads like no other.

Now that you have a general overview on the two paints, let me try and sum it up into layman's terms. I'd say that choosing which color should ultimately boil down to how well she plans on taking care of the car, as I'm about to describe here..

If she doesn't have at least an intermediate level of knowledge on paint care (or plans on learning along the way), honestly its going to be difficult to keep the swirls and scratches out of Jet black. I know you're probably thinking that I'm over exaggerating when I say that jet black is soft, but believe me, its the softest automotive paint i've ever encountered. Also, If anything, it can continue to look worse and worse until a new recourse of action is taken in caring for the paint properly and becoming decently educated on paint care. If she doesn't want to mess with all of what I just wrote, go with Sapphire. It'll save you the heartache of seeing new car panels be transformed into having a dull, scratch-ridden surface....merely after the first wash.

Now if she DOES plan on reading up on how to care for Jet Black and how to protect the cars finish, then I'd say go with...well...Jet Black. Do it up! I own a JB e90 myself, and I will say that it has been quite a ride thus far. Nowadays, in addition to the two buckets during wash, I also use grit guards in both, a LC Grout Sponge to wash the top half (with minimal pressure), and one for the bottom half of the car. This is after I spray down my car with a foam cannon, let it dwell so that the dirt gets broken up, rinse off soap from top to bottom, spray again with foam cannon to add lubrication to the paints surface prior to the sponge ever having contact with it...and so on and so forth. This is just a brief example as to what extent you need to go in order to keep the JB paint scratch and swirl free. Prepping and correction prior to maintenance is another novel in itself...PM me if you want to read that one

In conclusion:
+ Automatic car washes & waxing once a year (if even that often), doesnt care/doesnt have time to learn proper maintenance --> Get Sapphire

+ Two bucket Method Washing by hand once a week & polishing/sealing/waxing constantly as needed, etc, etc, etc --> Get JB

BTW, heres my rear trunk (in Jet Black, of course) after a corrective session.

[davyk31]

Thanks for all the replies, especially the long detailed one above. The thoughts are pretty much as I was thinking that JB would need a bit of care and I honestly can't see that happening. Seems that although it costs a few pounds more that SB will be the way to go eventhough 95% of the time both blacks will look the same when dirty.

[digital01]

In a sense, yes, they will look the same when dirty but at the same time not only would the SB look a tad bit nicer due to the metallic, but it would hold up a little better for the average driver. I really mean it when I say that the JB is easily scratched. I feel like I make a new one every day from something that harder paints could have easily taken. If anything, get the SB for the durability....well, durability being relative to its comparison with JB.

Originally Posted by davyk31

Thanks for all the replies, especially the long detailed one above. The thoughts are pretty much as I was thinking that JB would need a bit of care and I honestly can't see that happening. Seems that although it costs a few pounds more that SB will be the way to go eventhough 95% of the time both blacks will look the same when dirty.