SG and Black Sapphire Owners

Wildcat Jon · 06-12-2005, 06:12 PM

Assume for a second that you are in your mid-30s, you have two kids between 5 and 10 (who are pretty well behaved) and you commute about 20 miles each way to work. The car wash is not on your way. Can you keep either of these colors reasonably clean and durable - I'll probably keep the car 6-8 years? But, all of our cars are silver and wanted to try something different.

llaroo · 06-12-2005, 07:40 PM

Black sapphire is still black, it shows dirt but not the way Jet black does. I'tll look dusty when dirty but will still stand out like Jet black. SG will conceal it a bit more than a black would. Want to hide dirt?

Silver metallic or Arctic metallic. If you want a nice clean [blck] car, just be prepared to wash it a lot more and will look great all the time.

I prefer BS over SG - too much purple in the SG. Good luck!

Nathan · 06-12-2005, 08:16 PM

go silver, u can go months before washing it

Ewrek · 06-12-2005, 08:36 PM

How many times have you washed your car since you got it Nathan?

Nathan · 06-12-2005, 08:52 PM

Just once, but i've also got 960 miles on it in 5 days. I also got rear ended today. Not the end of the world, but at least no one got hurt. Probably about 1-2K of damage. I will post pics shortly in a new thread.

Nathan · 06-12-2005, 09:16 PM

Here are some pics of my dirty Black Sapphire. Keep in mind, that in 5 days, i drove 950 miles, it rained half the time, and i killed a hell lot of bugs on many of my road trips.

mike in o.c. · 06-12-2005, 09:27 PM

Black will not look perfect most of the time. SG is a little better. I'd just wash it every two weeks, no matter what, and not pine over it.

Rockstars · 06-12-2005, 10:52 PM

Still looking good when it is a little dirty!

thx1138 · 06-12-2005, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike in o.c.

I'd just wash it every two weeks, no matter what, and not pine over it.

I must just be obsessive then. I wash my cars at least once a week.

UncleWede · 06-13-2005, 12:45 AM

Wife has the Arctic, and I can see the dust by the end of a week. I've washed it every Saturday morning (by 7:00 a.m.) for 3 weeks (and then I have to drive it somewhere to get gas

)

Wildcat Jon · 06-13-2005, 05:23 AM

Nathan - your BS looks awesome even when dirty. I had a flat black paint on a Volvo that looked swirly and terrible after about a year. Maybe the met paint makes a difference? Thx

Nathan · 06-13-2005, 05:26 AM

you know what, i think Jet Black would do about the same as well. I've had both colors and both get kinda dirty, but i would auto wash it at least once a week, every two weeks if i had to.

At the end of the day, its only dirt, you could just hose it off and just dry it and it would look awesome.

Thomas · 06-13-2005, 05:44 AM

Your oldest kid is 10 years old, so you can learn him/her to clean your car for a few dollars.. That's also what I was doing when I was around that age, cleaning my dad's car for 5 gulden (2,50 dollar)..
Then you can keep the SG beautiful for a week or two, Black get's dirty in a couple of days..

Dani · 06-18-2005, 09:25 PM

I have the sparkling graphite and wash it weekly. I can see the dirt by the time I wash it but it does not look bad. My last car was sliver and I never washed it. If you are going to wash it on any sort of regular basis then the sparkling graphite is the way to go because the dirt really isn't that noticeable, even in MD in peak pollen season. Plus the color is awsome instead of ordinary.

cloud8r · 04-09-2011, 09:26 PM

SG will hide the dirt just fine.

chimacian · 04-09-2011, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thx1138

I must just be obsessive then. I wash my cars at least once a week.

You not the only one. I have a schedule on Saturdays so that I can make time to wash my car.

TheStigsTwin · 04-09-2011, 11:16 PM

SG hides the dirt very well. Black will punish you , period. But it will look great 3 days a year.

sooofast · 04-09-2011, 11:29 PM

My old car was black, it was horrriibblleeee, now my SG is muchhh better yet not perfect (I wash every 3-4 weeks haha laziness).
If I could go back in time, I would have gotten white though, my assumption is that its not as good as silver for hiding dirt but still very close + it looks beautiful 9/10 times.

What do you white owners think?

mik_82 · 04-09-2011, 11:43 PM

Sg is best if you dont want to deal with the car wash too often. But there is nothing like a clean black E90.

Deltari09 · 04-10-2011, 02:26 AM

VERMILION RED!! it NEVER (and i mean never) looks dirty. If I take my other car in and drive up by it at home I'll be like "Did I wash it? It looks clean and shiny." You really can't tell until you are either in it on a really sunny day or standing inches from the dirty spots. (Usually bootlid and rear portion of hood)

But yeah, I kind of like space grey. I had black sapphire on my E60. It's a beautiful color but gets really ugly because it's still black. Brown dust + Blue glitter +Black coat = BLEH

driverman · 04-10-2011, 10:06 AM

Black sapphire is very hard to keep sharp. It requires regular washing and religiously good technique to prevent swirls. And it looks dirty soon after you wash it. But when it's clean, it looks great.

It all boils down to whether or not you like fussing over your car. I do so I'm glad I got it.

Mendossa · 04-10-2011, 10:11 AM

Had 2 black cars prior, you have to wash black all the effing time if you want it to look good... but nothing beats a squeaky clean black car

Bought Sparkling Graphite for this specific reason, I wanted a color that would "hide" dust well. Total success. I am surprised at "how dirty" I can get away with.

Go SG

06-12-2005, 06:12 PM	#1
Wildcat Jon Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 248 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH iTrader: (0)	SG and Black Sapphire Owners Assume for a second that you are in your mid-30s, you have two kids between 5 and 10 (who are pretty well behaved) and you commute about 20 miles each way to work. The car wash is not on your way. Can you keep either of these colors reasonably clean and durable - I'll probably keep the car 6-8 years? But, all of our cars are silver and wanted to try something different.
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06-12-2005, 07:40 PM	#2
llaroo Private First Class 15 Rep 113 Posts Drives: 06 325i MonacoBlue Join Date: May 2005 Location: toronto, ON iTrader: (0)	Black sapphire is still black, it shows dirt but not the way Jet black does. I'tll look dusty when dirty but will still stand out like Jet black. SG will conceal it a bit more than a black would. Want to hide dirt? Silver metallic or Arctic metallic. If you want a nice clean [blck] car, just be prepared to wash it a lot more and will look great all the time. I prefer BS over SG - too much purple in the SG. Good luck!
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06-12-2005, 08:16 PM	#3
Nathan First Lieutenant 101 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 2010 X5 3.0 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Windy City iTrader: (0)	go silver, u can go months before washing it __________________ [ US 2010 X5 3.0 \| Space Gray \| Black Nevada Leather \| Dark Bamboo Wood Trim \| Premium Package \| Sport Activity Package \| Premium Sound Package \| Technology Package \| Heated Front Seats \| Multi-Contour Seats \| Smartphone Integration \| Space Saver \| iPhone 3GS ]
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06-12-2005, 08:36 PM	#4
Ewrek Second Lieutenant 58 Rep 200 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA. iTrader: (0)	How many times have you washed your car since you got it Nathan?
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06-12-2005, 08:52 PM	#5
Nathan First Lieutenant 101 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 2010 X5 3.0 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Windy City iTrader: (0)	Just once, but i've also got 960 miles on it in 5 days. I also got rear ended today. Not the end of the world, but at least no one got hurt. Probably about 1-2K of damage. I will post pics shortly in a new thread. __________________ [ US 2010 X5 3.0 \| Space Gray \| Black Nevada Leather \| Dark Bamboo Wood Trim \| Premium Package \| Sport Activity Package \| Premium Sound Package \| Technology Package \| Heated Front Seats \| Multi-Contour Seats \| Smartphone Integration \| Space Saver \| iPhone 3GS ]
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06-12-2005, 09:16 PM	#6
Nathan First Lieutenant 101 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 2010 X5 3.0 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Windy City iTrader: (0)	Here are some pics of my dirty Black Sapphire. Keep in mind, that in 5 days, i drove 950 miles, it rained half the time, and i killed a hell lot of bugs on many of my road trips. Attached Images __________________ [ US 2010 X5 3.0 \| Space Gray \| Black Nevada Leather \| Dark Bamboo Wood Trim \| Premium Package \| Sport Activity Package \| Premium Sound Package \| Technology Package \| Heated Front Seats \| Multi-Contour Seats \| Smartphone Integration \| Space Saver \| iPhone 3GS ]
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06-12-2005, 09:27 PM	#7
mike in o.c. Private First Class 96 Rep 120 Posts Drives: 2018 X5 M / 2018 X3 M40i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Orange County, CA iTrader: (0)	Black will not look perfect most of the time. SG is a little better. I'd just wash it every two weeks, no matter what, and not pine over it.
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06-12-2005, 10:52 PM	#8
Rockstars Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: On order: E90 Spor Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Portland, OR. iTrader: (0)	Still looking good when it is a little dirty!
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06-13-2005, 12:45 AM	#10
UncleWede Long Time Admirer, First Time Owner 18055 Rep 9,378 Posts Drives: G01 X3 M40i Dark Graphite Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oxnard, CA iTrader: (0)	Wife has the Arctic, and I can see the dust by the end of a week. I've washed it every Saturday morning (by 7:00 a.m.) for 3 weeks (and then I have to drive it somewhere to get gas )
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06-13-2005, 05:23 AM	#11
Wildcat Jon Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 248 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH iTrader: (0)	Nathan - your BS looks awesome even when dirty. I had a flat black paint on a Volvo that looked swirly and terrible after about a year. Maybe the met paint makes a difference? Thx
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06-13-2005, 05:26 AM	#12
Nathan First Lieutenant 101 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 2010 X5 3.0 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Windy City iTrader: (0)	you know what, i think Jet Black would do about the same as well. I've had both colors and both get kinda dirty, but i would auto wash it at least once a week, every two weeks if i had to. At the end of the day, its only dirt, you could just hose it off and just dry it and it would look awesome. __________________ [ US 2010 X5 3.0 \| Space Gray \| Black Nevada Leather \| Dark Bamboo Wood Trim \| Premium Package \| Sport Activity Package \| Premium Sound Package \| Technology Package \| Heated Front Seats \| Multi-Contour Seats \| Smartphone Integration \| Space Saver \| iPhone 3GS ]
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06-13-2005, 05:44 AM	#13
Thomas Second Lieutenant 67 Rep 281 Posts Drives: G21 330e Touring Join Date: May 2005 Location: Haarlem iTrader: (0) Garage List 2022 BMW 330e Touring [0.00]	Your oldest kid is 10 years old, so you can learn him/her to clean your car for a few dollars.. That's also what I was doing when I was around that age, cleaning my dad's car for 5 gulden (2,50 dollar).. Then you can keep the SG beautiful for a week or two, Black get's dirty in a couple of days..
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06-18-2005, 09:25 PM	#14
Dani Major 51 Rep 1,022 Posts Drives: 2006 325I Graphite Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	go graphite I have the sparkling graphite and wash it weekly. I can see the dirt by the time I wash it but it does not look bad. My last car was sliver and I never washed it. If you are going to wash it on any sort of regular basis then the sparkling graphite is the way to go because the dirt really isn't that noticeable, even in MD in peak pollen season. Plus the color is awsome instead of ordinary.
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04-09-2011, 09:26 PM	#15
cloud8r Member BMW CCA Los Angeles 32 Rep 470 Posts Drives: 2022 M8 GC Comp Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 BMW M4 [0.00]	SG will hide the dirt just fine. __________________ Current Rides: 2022 ///M8 GC Comp Much enjoyed: 2018 ///M4 ZCP \|\| 2014 ///M5 ZCP \|\| 2011.5 ///M3 Sedan \|\| 2007 ///M Coupe \|\| 2008 550i Sport \|\| 2006 ///M3 ZCP \|\| 2008 X3 3.0si \|\| 2006 325i \|\| 2003 Z4 3.0 Roadster \|\| 2003 330ci \|\| 2002 325i
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04-09-2011, 11:16 PM	#17
TheStigsTwin Captain 11 Rep 964 Posts Drives: 2011 335xi Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Arizona iTrader: (0)	SG hides the dirt very well. Black will punish you , period. But it will look great 3 days a year.
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04-09-2011, 11:29 PM	#18
sooofast Enlisted Member 3 Rep 40 Posts Drives: 3 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: US iTrader: (1)	My old car was black, it was horrriibblleeee, now my SG is muchhh better yet not perfect (I wash every 3-4 weeks haha laziness). If I could go back in time, I would have gotten white though, my assumption is that its not as good as silver for hiding dirt but still very close + it looks beautiful 9/10 times. What do you white owners think?
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04-09-2011, 11:43 PM	#19
mik_82 Lieutenant 17 Rep 436 Posts Drives: G20 M340i Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Houston,TX iTrader: (1)	Sg is best if you dont want to deal with the car wash too often. But there is nothing like a clean black E90.
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04-10-2011, 02:26 AM	#20
Deltari09 Second Lieutenant 8 Rep 291 Posts Drives: 2011 3-Series Coupe Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Hawaii, USA iTrader: (0)	VERMILION RED!! it NEVER (and i mean never) looks dirty. If I take my other car in and drive up by it at home I'll be like "Did I wash it? It looks clean and shiny." You really can't tell until you are either in it on a really sunny day or standing inches from the dirty spots. (Usually bootlid and rear portion of hood) But yeah, I kind of like space grey. I had black sapphire on my E60. It's a beautiful color but gets really ugly because it's still black. Brown dust + Blue glitter +Black coat = BLEH
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04-10-2011, 10:06 AM	#21
driverman Captain 38 Rep 715 Posts Drives: 2008 328i 6MT - SOLD Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: El Dorado Hills, CA iTrader: (0)	Black sapphire is very hard to keep sharp. It requires regular washing and religiously good technique to prevent swirls. And it looks dirty soon after you wash it. But when it's clean, it looks great. It all boils down to whether or not you like fussing over your car. I do so I'm glad I got it.
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04-10-2011, 10:11 AM	#22
Mendossa Private 3 Rep 59 Posts Drives: 2006 330i 6MT Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Montreal, Canada iTrader: (0)	Had 2 black cars prior, you have to wash black all the effing time if you want it to look good... but nothing beats a squeaky clean black car Bought Sparkling Graphite for this specific reason, I wanted a color that would "hide" dust well. Total success. I am surprised at "how dirty" I can get away with. Go SG
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