# Those of you with a Jet Black e46...



## Nbtstatic (Oct 9, 2002)

Can you talk me out of This?

It's for my wife. She LOVES the way this color looks much better than any of the others we looked at, but we are both worried about swirls with Jet Black.

Please give me your experience with your JB paint and swirls. Don't worry about how much more work the general upkeep and washing will be, she has always liked detailing her cars and taking great care of them. I plan to keep this one even after she gets a new one years from now, and hopefully have it 10 years from now. There is a Silver one that shes likes "alright", and would no doubtedly be a LOT easier, what do you all think?

So, are you guys having swirl prob's with your JB, and is the metallic black version any better?

Thanks so much,

Nb


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## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

Not sure which version of black this is, other than "Super Clean Black" 

<img src=http://members.roadfly.org/percyjones/lanczos.jpg>


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## photo2000a (Mar 9, 2004)

*sworls*

you would think by now some manuf would make the paint easy to clean w/o sworls. i have a 98 328i sport a 3/04 330xi black and a MBenz e3204 matic black.

if you even touch the pait w/a incorrect rag etc your going to have sworls soon enough mostly they can't be seen unless you really look.

however a waxing or detailing fixes those minor things no problem i also have a medium blue car same issue but my sliver/greay ford dirt / sworls/grime been nearly invisable

but i love the back ones just 1 or 2 yr i get it detailed use a lot of soap


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## Phantasie (May 20, 2004)

Is Jet Black really that bad? I ordred it on mine and am really looking forward to it.

For "hockeynut" is that pic of jet black? I hope so cause thats exactly what I want it to look like


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## JST (Dec 19, 2001)

Jet black is not that hard to take care of. I've found that you can completely (or nearly completely) eliminate swirls if you pat the car dry, rather than wiping it. This isn't as bad as it sounds--get a big cotton towel, drape it over part of the car, and rub it to absorb the water. Lift the towel, drape it on the next section, and repeat.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

That's a gorgeous color combo. :thumbup: 

Do everything by hand with clean cloths and sponges and you should be fine.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Get a leaf blower. It should do the drying job perfectly.


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## jeffnin (Jun 30, 2003)

Nbtstatic said:


> Can you talk me out of This?
> 
> It's for my wife. She LOVES the way this color looks much better than any of the others we looked at, but we are both worried about swirls with Jet Black.
> 
> ...


I'm on my 4th Jet Black BMW and have had no problems with upkeep. It is definitely a hard color to maintain, but as long as you use mircofiber towels and are careful when washing/drying, you can avoid most swirl marks. It's not a color for non-anal retentives, though, and as far as I'm concerned it's worth the effort for the overall look.


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## 'Cane (Jun 16, 2003)

If you want to take good care of a black car, stock up on the Zaino. I had a black Cobra vert, and after a couple coats of Zaino, it looked like a mirror finish.


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## MicahO (Apr 19, 2004)

JET BLACK SUCKS!

And I love it. Yes, it shows every damn thing available. My area's got fairly hard water, and the combination of hard water and my Culligan softener means that, no matter how fast I dry the thing and no matter how clean the Absorber/chamois/towel is, it's going to show water spots. So after drying, I also have to hit the car with Meguiars Quik Detail and a terry towel. And then it looks 'da bomb. :banana: 

Oh - it also shows swirls in the right light. Seriously - anything's going to show swirls if you look closely enough. Jet Black just happens to show them in more 'normal' light and from a slightly longer distance. Good care products will fill and recover that surface. So maker her happy - get the black!


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## Fifty_Cent (Sep 17, 2003)

The Roadstergal said:


> That's a gorgeous color combo. :thumbup:
> 
> Do everything by hand with clean cloths and sponges and you should be fine.


that a good advice!!! Swirl marks show on metallic black as well....I would argue maybe more than the Jet black.

ANOTHER ADVICE!

NEVER GO TO AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH!! THEY WILL REALLY MESS UP YOUR BMW PAINT!

i WENT ONCE WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR, AND NEVER BEEN THERE SINCE!!!

I just wash/dry it myself, always using clean stuff.

And there is the need for the occasional waxing.....maybe once every 2 months,just go get rid of the gathered swirl marks.

But, black on a 3 is an excellent combination. I think it looks the best as of any other colour.

And, yes, silver is the easiest colour to live with, but does not come even close to a nice, clean black beemer.


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## NetEngWiz (Apr 5, 2004)

I avoid using circular motions...simple as that. For washing and waxing, I always use linear hand motions. I've been using the NXT stuff every so often along with the detailer spray and I haven't seen swirls since the dealer initially detailed it.


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## Playaymar (May 6, 2004)

I can see the swirls close up, but after a good detailling job, they are almost invisible more than a couple feet away. There is nothing like a clean black BMW to turn heads. 

Get what your wife likes or she will never be happy (and you will hear about that later) no use buying silver if she only thinks it is only "alright."

Good Luck.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

Nbtstatic said:


> Can you talk me out of This?
> 
> It's for my wife. She LOVES the way this color looks much better than any of the others we looked at, but we are both worried about swirls with Jet Black.
> 
> ...


You get swirls with Jet Black and metallic Black; if you go looking for swirls, you will find them quicker with Jet Black. Personally it's more than my life's worth to eradicate them entirely, and with regular cleaning, a good polish/wax and a little TLC (like getting rid of bird poo * quickly) the car will look good. I prefer Jet Black because when it's spotless it looks so much darker than the metallic variety; it kind of sucks the photons out of the air, leaving a hole where the light used to be. Also I skipped on the privilege of paying BMW GB £500...

* Can I say poo on this board? Last time I just used the word ****, and the board didn't like **** which I found ******* surprising given I'd just watched an episode of the Sopranos, where the word **** appeared quite a lot. Along with ****, **** and *****.


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

The key to avoiding swirls is to come up with a washing pattern where you do the bumpers, wheels/tires and rocker panels separately, using separate cloths/mits and water. I do those parts of my car first and then thoroughly clean out the wash bucket and do the rest of the car with new water and new mit.

Rinse the car thoroughly to remove any dangerous material before you get started washing anything. And a bucket with a grate on the bottom that allows sediment to settle underneath it is also helpful.

Seems anal, but to those obsessed people who look for them, swirls are visible on any car regardless of color. My sticking to this sort of routine means I don't have any (yet).

Alex


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## suzer (Jan 4, 2002)

Our first 330i was Jet Black, and when it was clean, it was beautiful. That lasted about 10 seconds. It showed every speck of dust, every puddle driven through, and looked dirty from across the parking lot. Don't get me started on the quest to avoid/minimize swirlies.

When I bought my X5, I wanted Titanium Silver because I liked it. Turned out it hides dirt, dust and most puddle spit. It looks clean from far away, and even from not so far away. 

Our second 330i is Silver Grey. It hides the dirt, looks good dirty, and looks even better clean.

If dirty cars will drive you crazy, black is not for you.


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

Phantasie said:


> For "hockeynut" is that pic of jet black? I hope so cause thats exactly what I want it to look like


yes, it is


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## richard (Apr 3, 2002)

I'm on my third black car and can't imagine buying any other color. Nothing looks as good when all shiny and clean. Whatever you do don't let your dealer wash it if you go with Jet Black. I ended up with swirl marks that were a bitch to get out. I've found that by taking the spray nozzle off the hose when rinsing you can use the stream of water to push most of the water off the car. Minimizes drying and thus less swirl marks.


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## Moderato (Nov 24, 2003)

There's lots of good advice in this thread. My 04 330i is my first black car and I love it. I just dont' let it bother me when it gets dirty because I know that whenever I get to washing it it will look awesome. Be carefull of how you wash & dry it and you will be OK. All cars look dirty and show dirty/wear & tear. A black BMW is the best.


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

Moderato said:


> There's lots of good advice in this thread. My 04 330i is my first black car and I love it. I just dont' let it bother me when it gets dirty because I know that whenever I get to washing it it will look awesome. Be carefull of how you wash & dry it and you will be OK. All cars look dirty and show dirty/wear & tear. A black BMW is the best.


I will NEVER own a black car again....EVER. All this chat about the micro-fiber towels and the right cleaning products....UGH! Who has that kind of time anyway??

Hey...I need to get back to reading "I-Drive for Dummies"...later. :bigpimp:

marcus

2001 330i Jet Black (returned)
2004 545i Ti Silver (awaiting re-delivery from ED)


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