Jet Black w/Lemon Interior Owners. Is it hard to care for?

[arllc312mjf]

I've posted a while ago about this combination of Jet Black with a Lemon interior and got a lot of comments about how difficult it will be to keep clean. 1st the black, and also the the lemon leather. Well, at the time nobody had their cars. Does anyone with this combination have their car yet? :thumbup:

That's a start... I'm pretty sold on this combination, but if it's always dirty inside and out I may recondier... If any of you owners with this car could do it over, would you not choose this combination, and if so, why? Thanks.

Marty

[joelk]

it's beautiful but i'm biased of course. yes the lemon gets easily cleanable smudges here and there but i've had my car since march and it really has been a pleasure so far. you'll hear many people advising against it because of the maintenance ... sure it might take more than other colors (might) but i've found the concern is mostly overblown with this color. (so far). if you like it, get it because you won't be disappointed. any questions feel free to ask.

edit: black paint - of course - is a PITA to keep clean ... if you are a nut for cleanliness then it isn't the color for you. looks beautiful when clean though. i'm not the type of person that needs my car sparkling clean every day so it doesn't bother me. i'm quite happy to continually be surprised how good the car looks once washed. :-)

[04Enthusiast]

I thought I was an expert at detailing my own cars and giving advice to other people. My cars always looked like new even if they were a few years old.

When my Jet Black BMW arrived it was beautiful, and then the swirls start appearing in the paint. Of course all cars get swirls but black shows them in any light. I had to rethink about all the detailing products I had been using. Black forced me to switch polishes, waxes, towels, and anything I thought would help reduce the swirls in the paint. You think you can get the car back to looking like the first day you picked up the car, but it never happens.

If you are particular with your cars, don't order black. Stay with metallics and lighter colors. My best experience has been with silver cars.

[imported_Katera]

Originally Posted by 04Enthusiast

I thought I was an expert at detailing my own cars and giving advice to other people. My cars always looked like new even if they were a few years old.

When my Jet Black BMW arrived it was beautiful, and then the swirls start appearing in the paint. Of course all cars get swirls but black shows them in any light. I had to rethink about all the detailing products I had been using. Black forced me to switch polishes, waxes, towels, and anything I thought would help reduce the swirls in the paint. You think you can get the car back to looking like the first day you picked up the car, but it never happens.

If you are particular with your cars, don't order black. Stay with metallics and lighter colors. My best experience has been with silver cars.

+1 I agree 100% with the above. Jet Black is great looking, but impossible to keep swirl/scratch free. Simply impossible.

[subscience]

Even with the amount of work it takes to keep a Jet/Sapphire Black clean, it's simply stunning after a good wash, detail, and wax.

Then it gets dirty about a day later...

[Justin]

Get jet black and just get a random-orbital buffer. Sure it takes some work, but a bit of polish, glaze, and wax occasionally and you'll be all good. A wipe-down of the leather with a wet cloth once a week and some leather care (cleaner, conditioner) every 3 months or so and you'll be covered there too.

[I-One-Da?]

Originally Posted by Justin

Get jet black and just get a random-orbital buffer. Sure it takes some work, but a bit of polish, glaze, and wax occasionally and you'll be all good. A wipe-down of the leather with a wet cloth once a week and some leather care (cleaner, conditioner) every 3 months or so and you'll be covered there too.

With the right tools and some time you can keep black swirl free. The key is to keep a nice couple of layers of wax on her. That way you protect the clear coat from the micro scratches.

Of course easier said then done.

I got AW:biggrin:

[F31TanzBlue]

Try using a high quality wax like http://www.zymol.co.uk/zymolcarbonwax8oz.aspx the intructions say do not polish in circles...

[Brandon26pdx]

Enough with the chit-chat, let's post some more pics of this bad ass combo to wash his concerns away!

[penny]

I've had lemon for about 2 months now. I wear jeans only Fridays and weekends. Gotta admit, just those 3 days, I notice a slight blue tint to the lemon. So, I usually just wipe it down with a cleaner. You'll be good to go if you take care of your car. Don't even think about it if you live like a pig.

[joelk]

Originally Posted by penny

I've had lemon for about 2 months now. I wear jeans only Fridays and weekends. Gotta admit, just those 3 days, I notice a slight blue tint to the lemon. So, I usually just wipe it down with a cleaner. You'll be good to go if you take care of your car. Don't even think about it if you live like a pig.

interesting ... so far i've avoided that and i wear jeans probably 3/4 days a week. glad to hear it wipes off.

[joelk]

Originally Posted by Brandon26pdx

Enough with the chit-chat, let's post some more pics of this bad ass combo to wash his concerns away!

lol well being black my car is filthy right now. i'm going into Dan's shop next week to get some upgrades (suspension, rotors, ssk) so i'll post pix then for sure. :w00t:

[Steve135i]

I have owned black cars before and all I can say is have fun cleaning it all the time. And make sure you do it in the shade. I will never own a black car again, PERIOD. Unless I win the LOTTERY and somebody else can put 3 coats of wax on it every week. As for the Lemon interior, it should be fine if you don't eat in it or have a job where you get into it dirty. It should be fine. Really think hard about the black. I have a grey car now and its not 1/2 as bad as black, but Alpine white is the only color 135i I will consider. I have also had white cars, and they are SO EASY to take care of. AND you can wash them in the sun.

[imported_Shawn]

Originally Posted by penny

I've had lemon for about 2 months now. I wear jeans only Fridays and weekends. Gotta admit, just those 3 days, I notice a slight blue tint to the lemon. So, I usually just wipe it down with a cleaner. You'll be good to go if you take care of your car. Don't even think about it if you live like a pig.

I bought my 2K3 CR/W MCS that was meant to be as much about appearance as it was about driving. I ended up spending time on cleaning that I ended up wanting to spend driving. Reading about the blue tint on the interior from jeans has reaffirmed my decision to go with blackette. I must admit some temptation to go with Montego Blue (which I discovered my wife also likes), but I keep reminding myself of all the cleaning done on the MINI. However, there is one glaring difference. I had the white 8-spoke rims from the factory to match the white roof and stripes, and that was horrible to clean. I even went and found white 5-spoke aftermarket, that was easier, but no less time consuming. The 1er, even with a color that may require more frequent cleaning than I was planning (TiAg), wouldn't be AS bad as the MINI. But, in the end I want to drive and not clean. So, when I do execute the purchase (TiAg, or Montego, or Space gray), I will commit to what extent I want to clean and how much I want to drive.

[friscogypsee]

detailedimage.com has some good detailing products. I love my bsm/lemon combo. I only hop in my ride w clean clothes though, I work a dirty job and drive a truck for that...its all about discipline but ultimately just get the color combo that makes you happy. I think Bsm is easier to keep clean than jet black though.

[Justin]

Many like AW and other light colors because they're easier to maintain. True, it may look better than black when it's dirty... but it's still dirty. If you're anal retentive and want to keep your paint in the best shape possible, get black. It's the easiest to keep it's best because you can see the water spots and micro-scratches so easy... making you want to buff them out and wax as often as you should. But I agree, it is an a$$load of work. I enjoy it, others don't. autopia.org is an excellent resource, btw.

[arllc312mjf]

:iono: I don't know where to start, but to thank all of you for you time in posting your experience. I can't speak to all of your comments individually because it would take me all night... I do have a question though. Is it not proper to post a thread in more than one forum? I posted this one also in another forum and cannot find it? Does the webmaster delete reposts?

Let me start at the top with this observation, I noticed that the people that have Sapphire and not Jet, seem to be complaining less. Am I correct in that statement? I am wondering now if it's just the difference between the Jet, which I believe is very soft, or the sapphire which is harder and probably easier to keep clean... [Honestly I don't like the Sapphire Black, its not real deep black like the Jet, but one observation I noticed in my area, the Jet Black cars are not selling as well as others.] Actually the 135i's come in and stay for like a day and are sold, so their probably ordered and not just random buys. It seems like, and tell me if I am wrong but most people are getting maybe one good day after all the work and then is looks like Sh_t again, correct? -as georgeous as it is, it 'almost' doesn't seem worth the effort. I don't have that kind of time. I do wash my car every other day and vaccuume the interior, but I do eat in it a lot... hum? I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my vehicles, but I need something I can drive! -I am on the road a lot and this car will be DRIVEN.

This thread is split almost 50/50 on whether to go with the combination or not. Actually is appears to be a 'little' more slanted to the 'Don't Do It' side. I love this combination but I'm starting to reconsider. I know some of you are screaming at me NO NO... get it, it is awesome . You know just yesterday I drove through a BMW lot, which I drive through often... (the salespeople think I am crazy because I stop so often, I drive through and look for any new colors and drive out an home... )... anyway, I was finally chased down and confronted and it was a little funny, the guy was like pissed at me and I just told him what I was doing. I said if I don't drive through almost every other day I can miss a color because they arrive and are gone in a day or two... but once understood and agreed with; he was cool after that.

Let me wrap this up and you can comment if you like. I just saw a White 135i in the back of my favorite BMW lot, but fenced in. It blew me away, it looked great. The guy let me in an showed me it. It was Alpine white with a Savanna Beige/Black interior and some options that brought it exactally to $40k. Wow it looked nice, BUT. My thought was, even though I know white looks good, (my current car is white and it always looks good). But, my feeling is that I really want a COLOR, you know what I mean? Something that when cared for and after a wash looks awesome. I don't have the time or energy to put into this Jet Black/Lemon combination, if it's really that bad. It seems like a LOT of work. Maybe the swap of Lemon to something just a little darker like Savanna Beige would help with a cleaner interior?? I don't know? -going off on a tangent here, I'm getting a little tired and loopy but if a car sticker is retail $40k, what are most people actually paying for a car in my example? Under, over, retail, a few grand less? -that's a whole other post really.

Ok, I'm worn out. I appreciate all your replies and comments. Some pics wouldn't be bad either. I don't really have any good Jet Black/Lemon pics. I really don't know what to do, as you can see. Right now, I am sort of leaning toward a lighter color. Does anyone have pics of a 335i with this new Space Grey Color. That would be nice to see. :iono::iono::iono:

Marty

[friscogypsee]

haha nice rant man, wait and see if they come out w even more colors in 09', if you have patience that is...i dont think theres a huge difference between savanna beige and lemon... i think space gray and lemon would look SICK...

[Justin]

Originally Posted by arllc312mjf

Maybe the swap of Lemon to something just a little darker like Savanna Beige would help with a cleaner interior?? I don't know?
:iono::iono::iono:

Marty

I looked at a JB/Lemon 135 at the dealer lot, but thought it was a tad too much contrast. I went with Savanna Beige and love it. It's dead sexy. Here are some pics...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12076

[subscience]

Wow, the contrast of beige/black really pops. It makes the black feel darker and the beige feel lighter. Very nice.

[Lester]

Originally Posted by Katera

+1 I agree 100% with the above. Jet Black is great looking, but impossible to keep swirl/scratch free. Simply impossible.

Jet Black and No Swirls after 3 months.

People - this is not complicated - use ZAINO - I did the complete ZAINO (Z5, Z2, Z6, CS) shortly after bringing my Jet Black home. I do not have any swirls after 3 months.

I wash my car 4 - 5 times per week with a micro fiber wash mitt using Simoniz Carnuba car wash gel - an activity that takes only 12 to 15 minutes each time - including a cotton towel dry. A clean car is much easier to wash. This is not a typo - I meant to say that.

ZAINO is fabulous, it acts as a magic shield, protecting the paint. Bird crap, road tar, tree sap just come right off with the above mentioned wash. I had not heard of ZAINO until I joined this forum about a year ago. ZAINO is also INCREDIBLY easy to use - it just takes a little time. You have to wait at least 30 minutes between applications. Follow the printed directions you get or read about it on the ZAINO web site.

When I say I do not have any swirls, I have had to ZAINO touch up the trunk lid and spoiler every couple weeks or so. It seems to be the area of the car that takes more of a beating for some reason.

I don't want to read ANY MORE about how hard Jet Black is to maintain, or that it is imposssible to keep it swirl free. Perhaps without ZAINO, letting dust, bird crap, tree sap etc collect on the car, getting it washed at the Exxon drive through car wash, rubbing while dirty with a dry brush, or using dishwashing soap with a dirty sponge instead of a nice carnuba car wash gel - MIGHT cause swirling. I wouldn't know - because no 135 I would ever own would ever be ABUSED like that by me. Treat your car car right, and it will look good for you!

Here is what she looked like after the ZAINO treatment. Three months later - no change, I plan to reapply ZAINO three times per year.

[imported_Katera]

^^^ Well I don't wash mine 4x a week. That might be the problem. lol I'm OCD, but not THAT OCD.

My car still looks fantastic, but black is simply tough to keep looking that way all the time especially if you live where it rains a lot or is very dusty. Having said that, I would get JB again in a second had I the chance to do it again. :biggrin: