Considering a Jet Black BMW 330i

[Rickms]

I`ve found a great deal on a 2006 Jet Black 330I. It looks great but I`m scared to death of the work required to keep it looking showroom new. My fear has to do with marring and swirls more then keeping it clean. I do not have garage space right now.



A couple of questions:



Assume I`m too chicken and lazy to detail the car myself and I would use a professional:



At what intervals would detailing be required (i.e. every too weeks, once a month, etc...)? What would a yearly schedule look like?



Assuming swirls do happen, how often is it safe to remove them (by whatever means), in other words, is the process to remove swirls remove life from the cars paint?



Are there things that I can do between scheduled detailing that would help prevent scatches and swirls?



Lastly, given the questions, do I sound too anal to even own a black car :lol

[imported_Grouse]

well probably the best way to answer this is to read the sites downloadable FAQ. i`ll find a link for you



http://autopia-carcare.com/freeguide.html



sign up for this and DL the whole package then register it for the key to unlock the additional areas.



read about 2-3 areas aday for a week. digest the information slowly. Then read it at length a couple of times.



it should bring you up to running speed.

[Accumulator]

I`ll go ahead and be the voice of doom and despair :o



Having owned a scad of black vehicles, including back before I had a garage, I think you should pass. IMHO you can`t imagine how hard it`ll be to keep it decent (let alone nice). You`ll at the very least have a new primary pastime/hobby even if you have a pro do most of it. Are you *really* gonna pay to have it washed all the time? Note that black needs washed a lot as dust/etc. looks awful on it and increases the probability of marring. What about bird bombs?



In my area, the pro-detailed black vehicles look pretty bad by my standards. If you can afford to pay somebody like the pros who post here to do it then maybe...but first you`d have to *find* somebody that good. And you`d soon become their best customer ;)

[imported_Picus]

I have to agree that unless you`re willing to spend a lot of time on it, you`ll probably regret it. I`ve always owned black and probably always will, but by virtue of my job I am able to spend time with my car and it`s still not up to the standard I`d like. One upside is BMW has reasonably hard paint (compared to say Japanese cars), so if you wash carefull you should be able to mitigate swirling in between polishes.



Basically this is how I care for my car: wash weekly, use poorboys spray and wipe in between (only when needed), wax monthly, polish bi-yearly. Even with that if it rains or gets dusty it will look dirty in between washes, that`s life with a black car. I polish in April and October, and it does need it by then. As careful as I am there are always light swirls to be polished out. Polishing does remove paint, luckily in most cases you can do a light polish twice a year for longer than the car will live anyway.

[imported_Kraig]

do it! black bmw`s are beaaautiful!

[armoredsaint]

my neighbor has a black 325i and it looks great, until you go up close in the sunlight, swirls galore :(

[imported_joyriide1113]

I owned a 2006 330i in jet black. Although I kept it swirlfree and looking good, it was a 24 hour job... Get soarkling graphite if you can.

[Ed Fisher]

I gotta go with accumulator... Black is no wonder the color of evil !! :D

[Scottwax]

My first black car (my 626) will definitely be my last. Just not worth the time it takes to keep it up.



I agree with joyriide, go with the graphite grey, really cool, almost violet appearance when the sun hits it at an angle.

[Beason]

My first black car (my 626) will definitely be my last. Just not worth the time it takes to keep it up.



I agree with joyriide, go with the graphite grey, really cool, almost violet appearance when the sun hits it at an angle.



unless I buy a lambo or other super car, I will never get another black car. Its terribel for a daily driver. But I got an SUV so it makes it much worse.

[TGates]

I had a black car. Once. Never again. They look GREAT, for about 15 minutes after you wash it.

[Magnum626]

I have a black wrx. Midnight black pear to be exact. Black is a love hate relationship. Love it when it`s clean and shiney that first couple of hours. Hate all the other times... :)



First and foremost, get a garage space. Bird doo cooking on a black car without you around is a terrible thing. (remember the brain on drugs commercial ;) )



It will be your new hobby. You`ll be spending $$ on detail sprays and the softest mf towels you can find and using many because you don`t wanna marr/swirl your paint. But when it`s clean, there`s just nothing like it.



As far as detailing, depends on how you`re able to maintain the finish.



Will it be your daily driver? If so, get a beater man. That way you can enjoy your clean black car when you go to the garage on your days off.

[spotpad]

Forget black. You don`t have time or the space to keep it looking "showroom new". Go with silver instead.

[LucasZCPM3]

You guys are cheating :LOLOL I`d go with a dark color without even thinking about it, well worth it, IMO

[300B]

Get titanium silver.