JohnAMG

I saw a E63 obsidian black at the dealer last week. I noticed the paint is not as metallic as I thought it should be, and more solid black than metallic black. How would you guys rate the obsidian black from Alabama? Is it closer to a solid black or on the metallic side?

John

boxboss

I'd like to know that as well. I ordered my 450 yesterday in OB. The dealer had a white in the showroom and I test drove a regular black, but no OB's.

EFant

It is metalic and very noticeable in the sunlight.

2thfixr

Obsidian Black is VERY metallic. You are right that it looks very black but at the same time, it has a lot of metallic sparkle to it. In direct sunlight it is so metallic that it looks dusty. IMO, there is a night and day difference between maintaining a straight black car and Obsidian Black. I run mine through the soft cloth car wash at least once a week and it is totally swirl free even in DIRECT sunlight. I parked next to a brand new straight black GL that didn't even have plates the other day and the other GL looked like crap because there were swirls all over it while my Obsidian Black looked flawless. Metallic blacks are that much easier to maintain.

When I got my GL the dealership did a crappy job of detailing it so I hit it with Mezerna polish specially formulated for the new Mercedes Ceram-coat paint and a green pad on a Porter Cable DA polisher. This is the same setup that Mercedes uses on their assembly line! Anyways, 6 months and 10k miles later, it still looks perfect and I haven't waxed or polished it since. Believe me, I am very "sensitive" to swirls. My last straight black car needed a marathon 4 hour polish/wax job every 2 months despite meticulous hand washing.

Back to the question . Yes, it has a lot of metallic in it, you just need some sun to make it obvious.

oknish

I am sensitive to swirls too and have the regular black. So what would products would you recommend to minimize the swirls? TIA.

boxboss

Never use an automatic carwash, wash it yourself, and learn the correct washing/detailing techniques.

There is a great detail forum on Bimmerfest:

Bimmerfest Detail Forum

and this thread deals with washing black and swirl prevention:

Swirl Free Black

Edit: Although I haven't read any posts, this board has a detail forum as well. You can probably learn just as much there and stay away from that "other" board.

oknish

Thanks, boxboss. I think I need to find a detailer and give him these supplies

boxboss

If he's a good detailer, he will have and use the products mentioned on those forums. You shouldn't have to take them to him. I find doing my own detailing enjoyable. It's a zen thing for me. (Even that has been discussed on some threads!)

oknish

I would love to do my own detailing but then my wife would really kick me out

boxboss

OTOH, if you "have to clean the car," that's a valid reason why you can't do all that other stuff that's not nearly as much fun.

oknish

boxboss

In general, dealerships have some of the worst washing/detailing departments. The consensus is to NOT let your dealer clean it prior to delivery, especially if you have black or other dark colors. No reason to start off with swirls. Get it home and either baby it yourself or have it professionally done.

On the way home from work tonight, I was behind a black 500 SEL at a stop light and I could see the swirls from the reflection of my headlights. Looked awful - what a shame.

Nevada Jack

Buy White and save yourself a lot of work and heartache over swirls...always looks good no matter what the weather (we have sun at least 325 days a year)...:-)

boxboss

My last black car was in 1988, and I said I'd never do it again. Then again, after my '89 300E, I said I'd never buy another MB. Now, I'm doing both!

You are right though, my SRX never shows dirt, and neither does the 6er. But, I'm ready for a bit of a change, and black is a beautiful color. I'm a car cleaning nut, so it will be OK.

oknish

Black exterior was not my first choice, either, having owned Black cars before. Darn color looks great but is hard as *&^% to keep clean. However, my car got stolen and I had to get another car in a rush. And, for some, weird reason in and around LA all the loaded GLs were Black exterior. Go figure.......

2thfixr

I think you will be really pleased with Obsidian Black. My last black car was a triple black 2001 996 cabrio and it was a garage queen because I didn't want to take it out after I washed it. The funny thing is that I had to wash it anyways because it got dusty just sitting in the garage for a week. Obsidian is a black car nut's dream come true! If washed correctly, it is almost maintenance free. I have always preferred hand washing to automatic washes but I have a really good local wash that does a great swirl free job. It's all about finding the right equipment and it can be done. Let's just say that my Obsidian Black GL can pass the notorious dual head 500 watt swirl test despite going through the automatic wash once a week. I will add though that I dry the car myself using my own microfiber towels and "The Absorber" used as a squeegee. The last thing I want is some guy drying my car with a "drying towel" that was just used to dry around the wheels wells of another vehicle.

2thfixr

One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that a wax will "remove" swirls. That is the biggest crock of s*&t out there! Waxes merely add oils to the paint to temporarily fill in minor swirls and that's why they always return after 2-3 washes. One of the trickiest things to do is find the right combination of products to actually remove swirls. Hands down the best product out there is Menzerna Final Polish II. Using a random orbit polisher like the Griot's Garage unit or the similar Porter Cable unit, and a nice safe red pad, you can safely minimize or even completely remove the swirls in your paint. If you have deep swirls, you need to get a little more agressive with a more agressive pad or a more agressive polish prior to using FPII and a red pad but the combo above is nearly foolproof. Always follow up with a nice wax to protect your finish though. I prefer to use Pinnacle Soverign, it doesn't last as long as a lot of products out there but the depth and gloss is unreal on a black car! I have tried almost everything including most of the Zymol formulations as well as Zaino and have been unimpressed. Zymol and Zaino do nothing to "remove" swirls, in fact, they don't even do a very good job of hiding them. Another neat little trick I use is after waxing, you will sometimes get a tiny bit of streaking especially on black paint. After waxing, spray a light mist of distilled water and buff with a microfiber cloth. This really sets the wax, evens out the oils and really brings out the shine in the finish. Plus it minimizes the amount of dust that you usually get with a fresh wax job.

For newer MB Ceram-coat paints, Menzerna PO106FF is the only ceram coat specific polish. I believe MB started using ceram-coat paints in 2005, you can tell if your car's paint code starts with a C. It's not cheap but it just plain works! I used it on my GL when I first got it and it removed all of the dealership's mistakes. I was a little nervous using it but I figured anything is better than the crappy job that the dealership did. Instead of using the german paint specific green pad, I used a really conservative black pad on my DA machine and voila! Perfection!

I guess this is the main reason why I am not afraid of automatic washes. Anything that an automatic wash can do to my paint, I am confident that I can fix it.

oknish

Thanks for the details, Robter/2thfixer and boxboss too for the details shared.

2thfixer - can I impose on you to give a DIY steps for the best results? I am not sure if I polish first then wax or the other way or ?? And what machine do you recommend for waxing and polishing? Also what are these different pads?

Any and all tips appreciated. TIA.

boxboss

Polish, then wax. For home use, especially for newbies, a random orbital (also called a "DA" or dual action) machine is the way to go. The Porter Cable 7336 or 7424 are the most popular. You can get the 7336 at Lowes for around $100. You will need to get the pads elsewhere, though.

The "pads" are foam pads that attach to the DA via velcro. They differ by the softness (structure) of the foam, and that's indicated by color. A coarser foam is used for more agressive scratch/swirl removal - with the appropriate product. Autopia is a good place to learn about DA's, pads, and products.

It's actually a lot easier than it sounds. A little knowledge and the right equipment and products make a great looking car easy.

oknish

Many thanks for the knowledge, boxboss. I too shall learn how to be "swirl free" Jokes aside, thanks for the time and tips.

oknish

Would you guys recommend any particular wax? And will I be able to use a DA machine for waxing also? Again all the time and help is appreciated by my GL

Kar don

Here is an obsidian Black premier edition. I washed and sealed it with Zaino Z5.



This pic shows the metallic nicely...


1 more

Nevada Jack

Beautiful Kar don...great detail work, looks fantastic.

Kar don

Thanks Jack! When I'm in Vegas next month you want me to do the S550?

boxboss

I am a fan of Zaino, but only use it on light colors - the pearl SRX and silver 6er. I find that carnauba (I use Souveran) brings out much more depth on dark colors (e.g. my Toledo Blue 7er,) even though it doesn't last as long.

That being said, your PE is beautiful! Great job of detailing!