Who has black?

[Muzzer]

I'm in the process of ordering a brand new motor and the only one the dealer has in stock is in metallic black.

Be brutal with me here, will I be sitting here tearing my hair out due to swirl marks and sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb dents and scratches?

I look after my cars - clean regularly, polish twice a year, use a washmitt, etc but I don't want to have something that looks like it's covered in spider's webs after a few months. Likewise, I don't want to spend hours and hours every weekend keeping it in good shape. I'm more of a hand wash every 2 weeks for 1 hour a time kind of guy.

So, who here has black and how much work do you have to put in? Like I say, the car is brand new so (in theory!) I don't have to worry about swirl marks and stuff already being on it, it's just a matter of keeping it that way!

[morebeanz]

The rewards of keeping it in tip top condition outweigh any issue with it showing up dirt, scratches and swirls, as far as I am concerned.

If it's metallic black in some form, it's not quite as sensitive as flat black, as the shiny bits hide some of the problems.

You will spend a lot of time cleaning it though, if only to look at it look so good once it's done!

[Jem0911]

Yep, Black here too,
I've had the car a week and cleaned (asda'd it) three times.
Still it looks the naggers when done.
I am contemplating a detailer is £200 about right?
Only had one quote so far?

[hutchingsp]

I've never had a black car so being honest I'm saying this from what I've read not direct experience.

I think it's fair to say a black car will show swirls/scratches more than a lighter coloured car, though as someone said being metallic may help as it's not a flat colour.

If you invest a few quid on good quality, safe wash tools i.e. two buckets, grit guards, good mitts/natural sponges, microfiber drying towels etc. and go with a good quality sealant you'll hopefully be able to keep on top of it through washing and keep waxing/polishing to a minimum.

Oh, and whilst I'm not tarring all dealers valeters with the same brush, you do see some truly appalling photos of new cars that have been prepped by the dealers valets - might be worth having a look at some new cars that are ready for collection and if needs be tell the dealer not to touch it.

[S500]

I own a silver car, wash it (properly) once a week, car looks great, however I drive and look after 4 black cars for the boss, they take a lot of looking after, black whether metallic or flat shows up everything, when clean nothing looks better than black imo, so your decision must come down to how much time are you prepared to spend maintaining your paintwork.