My Black Sapphire Metallic vs Jet Black Experiment -check it out & comment

[arllc312mjf]

For the sake of argument, we'll use (JB) for Jet Black or (BSM) for Black Sapphire Metallic. Here goes... Last week I had the luxury to see two 135i's on the same lot with almost the same options. I asked the salesperson if he could drive the BSM right next to the JB and I told him why. I think he thought I was nuts, that is, until I told him that I've pretty much settled on Black but do not know which one I like and can't really tell the difference. It saddens me that with all the (crappy) colors BMW offers, Black is the best they could do.. but that's for another discussion. I so desperately want to see a color like Vermillion Red Metallic, it's a beautiful red I saw on the X6. Why can't we have a color like that, but no, we're stuck with an compromised red that changes to a bitter orange in the sunlight; it can't make up its mind what it is? I just know we all would like that color to be 'more' Red. More red than orange at least.. anyway...

I brought a little polish (or wax) with me and luckily it was a bright sunny day; perfect for my little twisted experiment. Let's face it, nobody should love cars so much that we go through all this trouble... let's face it, we're all a bit nuts! ...but that too is a subject for another day. Neither of these cars were really clean, but we know that's what you get with black. I put a little wax on the fender of the BSM and wiped it off. I noticed right away that when you really clean it up and get close, the silver specks really come out and the car loses a lot of its depth. You could almost describe it as an 'almost' black, or a really dark gunmetal or graphite trying oh so hard to be black. It's difficult to describe but stick with me if you can. And keep reminding yourself that this is just one man's opinion.

Then came the JB. A wipe on and off of a very small amout of wax, and, Wow! This is a true to form "Black". It looked like glass and the black looked so so deep like your reflection was going on endlessly; Sweet. Ok, that was a bad example, but I didn't really expect to witness that much of a difference, because from a distance they both do look similar. Jet Black, if your a black guy (or a white black guy, or an Asian black girl...)...rim shot :wink:. Anyway, you get the picture. So, there it is, that's my opinion and in the absence of any 'really great' color choice, this is the color I will probably end up with..

See Ya.
Marty

[60Driver]

Pictures would've been nice as I, too, have never seen the two side by side.

[Chop79]

In summation,

Black is really black and SGM is more of a dark gunmetal :wink:

[AchtungF80]

I swear a read this thread a few days ago...I even skipped ahead and I was right, you did bring polish with you to bring out the sparkle!

[spudw]

Metallic colors are never 'true' colors. They will always reflect back the ambiant light.

Pictures of JB look fantastic. If well-cared-for, JB would be a very rewarding paint choice - may be the one I choose.

Saw a BSM in person and was also impressed, but for different reasons. It did, as you observed, come across as a really dark gunmetal. I liked it, but not enought to cough up the $800 they want for metallic paint in Canada.

[mrgoochio]

What kind of wax did you use? FWIW, Jet Black is considered one of the hardest paints to maintain because its clearcoat is so soft. That goes with any of the non-metallic BMW paints. Nobody really knows why BMW utilizes such incredibly soft clearcoat, but we can all agree that its DIFFICULT to maintain. I chose to go with JB anyway, as I'm looking for that depth and solid black color you described.

[Esmallstii]

IVE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF "METALLIC" BLACKS.
That is until I saw the BSM in person. I actually thought the metallic in the paint made it look "deeper" than the jet black.
Had a Jet black 325 i vert (Sig Pic) for years, and loved the color.
Went to dealer for test drive, and had decided on SGM. Then saw the BSM and fell in love.
Damn,..I never did consider the $475 additional they banged me for the met. paint. The 2 are very close though. Hmmmmm
Oh well,..too late as Im picking her up @ 5pm today!!!!

[TagMan]

WOW! I originally had the two black cars parked side-by-side when I compared the two colors. I discovered the exact same thing! And then I ordered the Jet Black on the Coupe.

The only reason I'm not getting JB again on the 'vert, is that I've ALWAYS gotten a lighter color on my 'verts.

Good post!!

[john970]

I got metallic black because I think it will hide light scratches and dings better, it is less boring on a car that also has a black interior (like mine), and it just looked more expensive.

I'm not sure I made the right decision, I'm starting to think if I thought black was boring I should have just gotten a different color... oh well, it is pretty safe. Lots of people don't like black but very few people absolutely hate it.

[spudw]

^Black is never boring, IMO. It's aggressive and understated. Never seen a car that does not look good in black.

Metallic black should be lower maintenance, unless you need to cover up a chip. Touch-ups blend better on non-metallic paint.

[Brandon26pdx]

BSM all the way. Much easier to live with day to day.

[jbenington86]

the car is have right now is almost the same as BSM.....doesnt get as dirty as quick as a jet black car but went with AW....love black just 2 hard to keep clean

[MZWIE]

That is exaclty why I don't like metallic colors. BTW...have you ever noticed that million dollar restorations on cars never use metallic.

You can never get the depth of color in metallic like non-metallic.

[john970]

^ Rolls Royce uses metallic paint... not saying there aren't more expensive cars, but restorations almost by definition can't use metallic paint since it wasn't common until 20 years ago or so.

[infinitekidM2C]

I wavered on JB versus SBM, but i found SBM more interesting to me when cleaned and in the sun it has an awesome sparkle to it and reflects colors. BJ is a deeper black and is also awesome though...but i kinda like the more gunmetal style black...

[Oregon]

JB is classic, elegant and masculine, plus, in the case of the 1, JB helps to camouflage some of the curious Banglish.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Great OP, thanks for comparing them. I'm torn between the two as well!

[gatorfast]

I agree with the BSM being "almost black" My GTI is black metallic also and its just not deep enough for me sometimes. Jet black is def the way to go.

[MikeVictor]

BSM in full sunlight or a rolling through the city at night is just magical.

[spongeWorthy]

so my car isnt black enough for you?

why cant we all just get along.

[Sephiroth]

I agree that BMW should have included more colors for both the 135i and 335i.

[jmexx]

That's a great write-up!

I still prefer that orange/red that you were talking about before

I have yet to see one driving around in Montreal, anyways. Actually, there aren't that many 1s period :S.