Black & Obsidian - Most Susceptible to Scratches?

[xcat]

Went with a friend to pick up her white M3 today. Told the specialist that I'm bouncing between Obsidian black and Midnight Silver. He strongly urged staying away from both black options as they show the most scratches/swirls, etc... Thoughts?

 

[xyeahtony]

black paint does show the most defects. However, ceramic coating or regular waxes or clear bra will prevent that.

 

[Brettski]

Black paint can be beautiful if it’s properly cared for. It’s not that it’s more susceptible to scratches - just that they tend to show so much more.

 

[Maximus-MX]

Went with a friend to pick up her white M3 today. Told the specialist that I'm bouncing between Obsidian black and Midnight Silver. He strongly urged staying away from both black options as they show the most scratches/swirls, etc... Thoughts?

What an excellent advice! I wish my OA told me that before I ordered my X in black (back in 2017). I absolutely love my car, but the black color was a total nightmare. It was always, I mean ALWAYS dirty, no matter what I did. I used to wash or wax it almost every other day. I remember one day (at about two or three weeks of ownership) spending the afternoon cleaning, buffing and waxing it. Then I went to take shower (while it’s still parked in the garage) because I was sweating from all the hard work. When I came back, it was covered in dust and it showed so clearly. That was my breaking point.

Yes, the paint was soft and it showed a lot of swirls. It’s like a spider net.

I wanted to have it repainted (anything but black). Many local car paint shops didn’t even want to touch it (because they never worked on a Tesla). Then I talked to a Tesla approved shop. I was told the quote would be between $20K and $30K (yes, you read that right). They were not even sure they would work on it even for that price range. They advised me either to live with it or return it and buy a new one (with the right color).

Thankfully, I found out that it is possible to wrap it in pretty much any color I wanted!!! Then I got it wrapped in red diamond. No more nightmares! It turned out to be more beautiful than the standard red color.

I turned my lemon into lemonade. But I’m hoping you will learn something from my mistake .

Good luck!

 

[Destiny1701]

Pics??

 

[snd92]

Every color option has the same clear top coat, and therefore susceptibility to scratches are the same for all. However it's easier to see swirls on solid black compared to other metallic colors, even the obsidian option.

EDIT: If you want to test a detailer, ask them if they think the pearl white is stronger than solid black. If the answer is yes, run

 

[patrick40363]

Went with a friend to pick up her white M3 today. Told the specialist that I'm bouncing between Obsidian black and Midnight Silver. He strongly urged staying away from both black options as they show the most scratches/swirls, etc... Thoughts?

I have a black 85D and my next car will be the Midnight Silver. Ordered a model 3 for my wife and it will be Obsidian black. Get the color you like.

 

[noicepls]

I would buy black again without hesitation. Solid Black is classy and sophisticated and blends the "angles" and creases of the Model 3's body beautifully. Ceramic coating, lasting years, is suggested. I probably would have ordered Obsidian Black (assuming it's metallic), but it was not available.

 

[Maximus-MX]

Pics??

 

[shanelord]

I have a solid black car and love it.

But I got paint correction done then a complete wrap in XPEL Ultimate + with a ceramic coating over the top. Car rarely looks dirty now (before it would get dirty in 5 mins doing nothing). When it is I can wash it anywhere by anyone (but I wash it myself 99% of the time). Any swirls that show in the XPEL are gone within 5 mins in the sun.

Always looks glossy piano black and perfect. Love it.

HIGHLY recommend a full XPEL U+ (or similar self healing) wrap on a black car - small % of the car cost and no worries ever again about your paint.

Shane.