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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Metallic Black or Jet Black



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      04-10-2005, 04:32 PM   #1
mduchesne
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Metallic Black or Jet Black

I ordered a Jet Black 330i about two weeks ago. Anybody know the difference between the metalic and jet black on a quality standpoint? I want to make sure that I get the right one .

Matt
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      04-10-2005, 04:41 PM   #2
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Hi matt. "quality" as in how it looks? Jet black looks the darkest and has the deepest gloss when it's washed and waxed, but it shows imperfections/swirl marks/dust/dirt slightly easier than metallic. You're lucky to have ordered already... you should post on the "who has orrdered thread"
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      04-10-2005, 04:56 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mduchesne
I ordered a Jet Black 330i about two weeks ago. Anybody know the difference between the metalic and jet black on a quality standpoint? I want to make sure that I get the right one .

Matt
I have just ordered a 330i in Black Sapphire Metallic, but may end up changing to TiAg. But Black metallic is better than just non metallic black as blackpanther has suggested.
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      04-10-2005, 05:19 PM   #4
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Metallic is a harder paint and I also believe it has two or three more coats of paint.
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      04-10-2005, 09:45 PM   #5
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Would it be worth changing my order to a metallic black? I get free details from the local car washes here because my step dad runs them. Im planning on getting a weekly detail. With that in mind, would Jet Black be good enough? Or should i go with Metallic and reorder?

Thanks,
Matt
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      04-10-2005, 11:20 PM   #6
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In my opinion....Metallic sapphire black...Thats what I ordered....it just gleams and sparkles more when clean and under light....
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      04-11-2005, 01:01 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ewrek
In my opinion....Metallic sapphire black...Thats what I ordered....it just gleams and sparkles more when clean and under light....
Correct, that's due to those metallic particules that are reflecting light...
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      04-11-2005, 01:54 PM   #8
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I have had a number of black BMWs and they have all been the non-metallic black. If it is a matter of the extra coats of clear or if the metallic is harder, let me ask you under what conditions you expect that to make a difference. Do you expect to find that, having witnessed a 1988 Buick pull up beside you in a parking lot and all the kids jump out flinging the doors wide open, when those doors finally find their resting place shortened by the encounter with your metallic painted car, that you will take delight in finding your car unmarked, saved by the metallic paint, knowing that had it been regular old black paint, surely it would have been a nasty sight to behold?

Black is a difficult car color to live with. It shows dirt and swirls and marks and scratches. But, when it's clean and waxed, there is nothing like it. And maybe you just like the color and always wanted a black car. That gets back to the question of plain or metallic.

You know, of course, that metallic paints are very, very difficult to match should you ever have an accident and need the car repainted. My advice is that you take a look at both blacks if you can. And if you go to the dealer and he has a metallic black 7 Series and a regular black Z4, that's OK for a comparison, because you are comparing how the metallic and non-metallic color hit your eye.

Here's what I see when I compare both colors. First, if it's night, you ain't gonna see the difference. So, how about in the day time? To my eye, as I approach the metallic black car, there is a haze - a muddied look to the color. Upon closer inspection, you understand why as you see the metallic flakes in the paint. When you are right up to the metallic paint - like Magoo with his nose in it - you see that it is not a real black, it is sort of a dark soup. Now look at the non-metallic black. That's black, baby, and it looks that way a mile away and it looks that way with your glasses off and your breath fogging it up. If you want a classic black car, get the non-metallic black. That's how I see it.
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      04-11-2005, 02:04 PM   #9
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Trex, nice description of the difference between flat and metallic black. Couldn't have put it better myself. That was an excellent point about paint matching... flat black is much much easier to match (of course, it's just black! ). With all this said, take Trex's advice and try to see both in your local showroom. Nobody can tell you for sure which one is better, that's up to you and your eyes

Whichever black you decide, I think you've picked the color that has the highest risk / highest reward. It will be a b*tch to maintain and keep clean, but when it is clean you will be happier with it than any other color.
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      04-11-2005, 08:05 PM   #10
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I've had Jet Black for the past 3 years on a 325i and it does show dirt quickly, but nobody does non-metallic black like BMW. I like it much better than the Sapphire Black which looks OK, but under strong light it looks like Jet Black with a coat of dust. That said, I didn't order JB on my e90 (330i), I went with Sparkling Graphite since I think the metallic will show the car's lines better. I'm not sure JB will look as good on the e90 as it did on the e46.
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      04-11-2005, 09:59 PM   #11
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I love black. In fact, I just ordered my new 325i in jet black. I went with jet black over black metallic because of basically everything Trex said. It would probably be really tough to match the factory paint if a part would ever need to be repainted. It's not impossible, but I think it would be difficult to get it perfect. Not only that, I think you get the best shine from a regular black. I'll admit metallic looks cool, but it's definitely not as good looking as jet black, in my opinion. There's nothing like a black car. Sure it's a pain to keep them clean, but when they are clean, look out! I think metallic paint really looks good with colors like blue, gray, green. But I always thought black cars look their best being non-metallic. Good luck with your decision.

Last edited by deutschmann59; 02-19-2006 at 11:54 AM..
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      04-11-2005, 11:18 PM   #12
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After reading this thread I think I am going to go with Jet Black rather than metallic. I know it is a pain to keep clean, but black is beautiful.
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      04-11-2005, 11:56 PM   #13
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Thanks for the great comments

Black sure is great and I think im going to stay with my Jet Black order. I appreciate all of the comments and am very excited to get my new 330i. I never got a vin number and cannot track the status of my car online. Does anyone know how you get that from the dealer? Did you have to pay for the car upfront. All I did was make the deposit.

Thanks again,
Matt
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      04-12-2005, 03:19 AM   #14
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Just ask the saleman that ordered you the car. He should hava all that information available to you, since you put down your deposit, he should have that for you in no time.
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      04-12-2005, 11:51 AM   #15
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Have you guys seen the carbon black metallic on the E46 M3? it has like a bluish shade when under bright light. I'm considering this color.. special order of course.
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      04-12-2005, 12:31 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mduchesne
Black sure is great and I think im going to stay with my Jet Black order. I appreciate all of the comments and am very excited to get my new 330i. I never got a vin number and cannot track the status of my car online. Does anyone know how you get that from the dealer? Did you have to pay for the car upfront. All I did was make the deposit.

Thanks again,
Matt
All I did was put down the $1000 deposit on the car. Then my sales rep gave me the order number. On BMW.com, you have to click on the "Owners circle" link and then sign up for an account. It will ask for your order number. After you register, it will give you your vin number plus the status of where your car is at. It's just basically a flash presentation, but it does update itself every couple of days--they don't show pics of your actual car, but it's still pretty cool anyway.
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      04-12-2005, 04:24 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tim916
After reading this thread I think I am going to go with Jet Black rather than metallic. I know it is a pain to keep clean, but black is beautiful.

Good choice. I say if you're getting black, might as well get the deepest and darkest black available.
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      04-12-2005, 04:24 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A61
Have you guys seen the carbon black metallic on the E46 M3? it has like a bluish shade when under bright light. I'm considering this color.. special order of course.

Is this carbon black metallic or just regular black sapphire?

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      04-12-2005, 06:01 PM   #19
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And what about a jet black or metallic black "zainoed"...?
Is there any risk for the car paint?
Is the final result more spectacular with the metallic or the non-metallic paint???
How often do you get your car zainoed?
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      04-12-2005, 11:07 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doggydogg
And what about a jet black or metallic black "zainoed"...?
Is there any risk for the car paint?
Is the final result more spectacular with the metallic or the non-metallic paint???
How often do you get your car zainoed?

I'm no expert, but I doubt there is any risk to the car paint from applying zaino. But I do have experience when it comes to black cars (3 of my last 4 cars have been black). A freshly washed and waxed flat black will be more impressive than the metallic. A completely clean flat black will be like a mirror and the metallic just won't be as "deep" as everyone says. But the metallic looks good with less work as flat black will show every speck of dust... but boy when it's clean
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      04-13-2005, 10:42 AM   #21
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I use Klasse and it is fantastic.

I want to get to an earlier point and discuss why metallic paints are so difficult to get re-painted. You will most probably see the difference in a metallic re-sprayed panel or section. Sure, if you're an expert, you'll see a difference on non-metallic paint, too, but most people, if they know what to look for, can see the difference in a metallic paint re-spray. It has to do with those metal bits in the paint soup and how light hits those particles and reflects back to your eye. When you shoot that paint, the particles come out at a particular angle, imagine them being 90 degrees from the surface of the panel or door that is being painted. In time, those particles or flakes will ever so slowly fold over - they'll start to lay down until they are in a fixed position as the paint thoroughly hardens. In they end, they might move over (fall down) to 45 degrees. Your eye detects the light bouncing off that 45 degree angle and it will have a signature look. How you gonna duplicate that? If you shoot the paint on a door and the door is on a horizontal paint stand and is left there to dry, those metallic bits may never tumble down. If you hang the door on a vertical stand, the paint may dry faster or slower than it did at the factory and the flake movement may be delayed or accelerated correspondingly. Metallic silver is probably the most difficult paint to match.

All of this should not stop anyone from getting the color that they want and, really, all of the above is just a sort of f.y.i.
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      04-13-2005, 10:56 AM   #22
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Trex, those are excellent points! I've never even thought of metallic particles moving and curing a certain way. I always thought that if the bodyshop just used the same paint code or made sure the paint had the same composition of metallic flakes then it would match properly, but it makes sense that if the paint is left to settle or cure in a different way than the factory paint then it might reflect light diferently
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