Obsidian Black - Worth it?

[TaoJones]

I wish people wouldn't call the non-Obsidian as "flat black". Flat implies to me a matte finish. Like some of those matte black vinyl wraps people do.
The standard black is more of a "gloss black" or "jet black" or "piano black".

And yes, it can look great if kept clean and waxed, but it does show dust/dirt/scratches more than the metallic finishes.

I think of obsidian black as a darker version of "midnight silver".

Perhaps you would prefer "solid black" for the standard solid black?

Either way, as a previous owner of a steel grey (later renamed midnight silver) Model S, there is no way I would own either one of those again (my favorite color of the limited palette from which we have to choose) or a black car (either black presently available) without an investment in Modesta. Opti-Coat Pro Plus was fine for the steel grey, but for black you've pretty much got to go all in, and the best there is for black cars appears to be Modesta. Pain in the keyster to apply (extra days, extra money), but it is thicker in the end and does have the longest credible warranty, so there's that.

 

[jsrawa]

Flat black may have been a poor choice of words. I agree that flat black does give the impression the car is matte.

At any rate I made a small trip to the Tesla store to check them both out. From a distance, and maybe it’s just me, I didn’t notice a ton of difference. The Tesla employee couldn’t even point to which one was which from a distance when there were two black Xs, one obsidian, next to each other. I do notice a difference when I am next to the car and I can imagine it would hold up better but I just don’t know if it’s 1k better. Decisions, decisions...

 

[brkaus]

Obsidian Black can pickup other colors. It can look a bit purpleish. It’s pretty sharp.

All depends on what you like.

I’d love to hear the answer to how a solid black looks when wrapped. And how durable it is. Stays glossy? Does wrap get swirls too?

 

[Trevor B]

Perhaps you would prefer "solid black" for the standard solid black?

Either way, as a previous owner of a steel grey (later renamed midnight silver) Model S, there is no way I would own either one of those again (my favorite color of the limited palette from which we have to choose) or a black car (either black presently available) without an investment in Modesta. Opti-Coat Pro Plus was fine for the steel grey, but for black you've pretty much got to go all in, and the best there is for black cars appears to be Modesta. Pain in the keyster to apply (extra days, extra money), but it is thicker in the end and does have the longest credible warranty, so there's that.

Good to know. I was debating between midnight silver and red ... ended up selecting red

 

[silentsnow31802]

I was just asking myself this same question. I have a solid black M3 right now and think it looks pretty good. I selected Obsidian black for the P model initially. However I just looked at two Model X's side by side in the sunlight, base black vs obsidian. I am definitely going with the base black again. The specs in the obsidian change the color of the car slightly and it almost looks grey to me in the sunlight. Also kinda gives the look that its always dusty. At first I had a hard time telling the difference between the dusty base black and the clean obsidian.

 

[pkalhan]

I picked base black but now you guys got me worried now (thanks a lot!!). No matter what color I picked, I was already going to get PPF done to the entire front end (full hood, bumper, and side panels) and ceramic coating on the entire car. Wouldn't taking these steps help swirl marks and other things you all have discussed?

 

[TEG]

Flat black may have been a poor choice of words. I agree that flat black does give the impression the car is matte.
At any rate I made a small trip to the Tesla store to check them both out. From a distance, and maybe it’s just me, I didn’t notice a ton of difference. The Tesla employee couldn’t even point to which one was which from a distance when there were two black Xs, one obsidian, next to each other. I do notice a difference when I am next to the car and I can imagine it would hold up better but I just don’t know if it’s 1k better. Decisions, decisions...

Here is a picture I took of a Jet Black Roadster (front) next to an Obsidian Black Roadster (rear):

At night they look about the same. In the sun the obsidian starts to look a bit gray and reflect some highlights.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I owned a solid black car once before -- never again. Absolutely could not even GET the car to look clean, much less KEEP it clean.

The only way I'd consider solid black ever again is if I was going to immediately go get paint correction, then do a full-body PPF, and ceramic coating on top of that.

I have the Deep Ocean Blue Metallic on my 3, it's awsome and appears to be quite forgiving of showing dirt compared to the Midnight Silver Metallic I had on my S. Midnight Silver Metallic wasn't as bad as the blacks on showing dirt, but not as good as the Deep Ocean Blue Metallic. Fortunately, I did ceramic coating on both which makes it much easier to keep them clean. I did not do PPF on my S, but I did a "mini" PPF on the 3 (bumper, headlights, and mirrors).

If I ever get another Tesla in the future, I would consider the Obsidian Black exterior / White interior combination, even though it would be hard to keep clean. That look is fantastic in my opinion.

 

[jsrawa]

Here is a picture I took of a Jet Black Roadster (front) next to an Obsidian Black Roadster (rear):

At night they look about the same. In the sun the obsidian starts to look a bit gray and reflect some highlights.

This picture captures the difference really well. The obsidian does provide some depth and looks a little more upscale. On top of that you can see in the roadster picture how the solid black is showing swirl marks, etc despite what I assume is good care.

I edited my order last night from solid black to obsidian, now I just hope that edit doesn’t send me to the end of the line.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Go obsidian. Tesla needs your money.

 

[TEG]

The glossy / jet black can look classy and intriguing when it is perfectly clean and perfectly polished.
But outside of coming back from a fresh detailing, it rarely looks that perfect.

The obsidian has a different sort of presence in the day that is less mirror-like.

 

[Rbnjmnz73]

I chose Obsidian when it became available, hope I made the right decision.

 

[P85_DA]

PPF u won’t get swirls ..ceramic will help out with cleaning but must be applied every few years ..IMO the cost differential for full PPF wrap versus front wrap and ceramic rest is small ...for Black I would do full PPF wrap though

 

[BLKTSLA]

Good info here... Do you have any experience with any type of protective wrap on your black cars? Do they eliminate the swirl / scratch issue?

Any quality ceramic or nano film that protects the clear coat will prevent/reduce the appearance swirls, dust and scratches. The key is to get it corrected as soon as you drive off the lot as they typically transport the cars in an unprotected carrier then do a pretty mediocre job correcting in Pre-Delivery. Once corrected you get it protected with a film (Opti-Coat, CQuartz, etc.). If you do that and don't go through automatic car washes you should only have to contend with dust which will rinse right off and give you a fresh "like-new" black every time.

 

[DrDabbles]

I'm having a really hard time deciding between the standard black, which I like the look of, the metallic black which is nice, or red. I own three black vehicles now, one of them is a Subaru with gold metallic flake and it looks amazing when it's clean and shiny. The instant it gets dusty, though, you basically can't see the flake in the paint.

The standard black is hard to keep clean no matter the brand. And yeah, dust shows up on it very quickly. But on the other hand, a dirty black car looks better IMO than any other color when dirty.

But that red. Oh man, that red. Especially if the chrome bits are blacked out. The red with chrome doesn't appeal to me at all, but when it's blacked out, there's something that keeps drawing me back to it.

At the end of the day, if you don't wash your car every week, there won't be much difference in your life between the metallic and the standard black. If you don't care about how clean your car looks, then it'll make even less difference. But if you love a clean looking car, and you're meticulous about getting it professionally detailed / repaired or you have several hours every week to spend clay barring and washing your vehicle, to me, nothing beats a beautiful, simple, shiny black. It's beautiful.

 

[Venomized]

Anyone know how much ceramic coating in the SF Bay Area cost? I need to make a decision between black and pearl white tonight.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Anyone know how much ceramic coating in the SF Bay Area cost? I need to make a decision between black and pearl white tonight.

I can't speak specifically to the SF area. However, I have had two different types of ceramic coatings applied here in Houston.

Opti-Coat was about $1100 for a Model S.

C Quartz Finest was $1300 for a Model S.

Modesta Paul Dalton was $2300 for a Model 3.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Any quality ceramic or nano film that protects the clear coat will prevent/reduce the appearance swirls, dust and scratches. The key is to get it corrected as soon as you drive off the lot as they typically transport the cars in an unprotected carrier then do a pretty mediocre job correcting in Pre-Delivery. Once corrected you get it protected with a film (Opti-Coat, CQuartz, etc.). If you do that and don't go through automatic car washes you should only have to contend with dust which will rinse right off and give you a fresh "like-new" black every time.

Just to be clear, ceramic coatings like Opti-Coat, C.Quartz, or Modesta make the car shiny and easy to wash and clean, and obviate the need for waxing. However, they do not prevent scratches, swirls, or rock/paint chips. It's not a protective coating, it's a cosmetic coating.

Paint Protection Film (PPF) is a sheet of polymer that is applied on the paint similar to the way window tint is applied. Popular brands are XPel, 3M, SunTek, and several others. PPF will prevent minor rock/paint chips, swirls, and scratches. PPF is considerably more expensive than ceramic coating.

 

[brkaus]

Well, I just ordered solid black. I'll start shopping around for PPF... or just live it it like I do our other solid black car (that is now swirled).

 

[rzareiser]

Ceramic coating is new to me. I just use Chemical Guys Jet Seal once a year and a week later add caranuba wet wax and call it good for 6 months. My cars all look great and just as good as pics I’ve seen of ceramic coatings. I’m
In the wrong thread though because I own all pearl white cars. Too much ocd to deal with dark paint. Ordered my 3
Dual Motor 2 days ago, white. It’s funny how new trends take over. Car detailing is getting crazy these days, I like it!