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I always stick with the lighter colors to avoid seeing the inevitable swirls and scratches! I generally go with silver, but recently tried a "Chardonnay Pearl" colored SC430. It does look good under the dealer's special "delivery room" lights!
Had a 2015 RC 350 in Obsidian..
Very hot look, deep, wet and dark > one time only, at the dealers!
VERY soft paint, not sure if its even cleared, and will chip if you look at it the wrong way... If you want surface scratches this is the color for you.
I think they mixed the clear in with the base coat when painting this color.
It shows like a lacquer, thats how glossy it is, with a minimal amount of clear... All I can say is good luck if you have it, but my advice is to steer clear...
Just got a 2016 ES 350 in Caviar.. (black w/ metallic flake)
MUCH BETTER!
Doesn't show as deep a black as Obsidian, but still very nice, and I can tell you its not gonna show swirls, scratches, and will not chip like the Obsidian does. There is a definite separate clear coat over the base & metallic flake..
My wife & I like black cars, but will not get Obsidian.
You've been warned... haha!
Trust me!
There’s nothing sexier than a shiny, clean black car. Nothing!
There is nothing LESS sexy than a dusty, or dirty, or scratched black car. Nothing!
When you’re looking for a new car, the black one will seduce you. You’ll look at that model in another color, think about being practical, but the black one will wink at you. Tip its chin. Purr, “Hey baby… I want you inside me.” Walk away NOW, or you’ll take it for a test drive. When you get into a black car for the first time, you’ll feel dangerously sexier than you ever felt in your whole life. Your inner panther will roar. You’ll tingle in places you forgot you had. You’ll like it. And, chances are - you’ll buy it. The other cars just won’t make you tingle like that. Your only protection is to never get behind the wheel of a black car in the first place. Just walk away, and life will be uncomplicated. But, you’ll always wonder…what if.
A thin film of dust becomes luminescent on a black car. Every single spot of anything, even dried sterile water, stands out like a goober zit on prom night. At first, it will disturb and upset you so much that you’ll wash your car immediately. And…then it’ll be dusty again before you even finish drying it. An unknown little fact: Black cars only stay clean for only 42 seconds. But, they are the sexiest 42 seconds you’ll ever know. Because of that 42 second rush, you’ll wash your black baby faithfully every weekend. For the first year anyway. And then, all those scratches and swirls you put in the paint taking care of your baby will erode your resolve. You’ll start skipping. People will stare at your car in disgust, and make all sorts of judgments about your sloppiness. You'll scream things at them like; 'Shut up - I just washed this damn car 15 minutes ago.' Of course, you could always buy the black car and make it a garage queen...and never drive it. That's really smart! But hey, it will still get dusty...and all scratched up by you carefully hand washing it.
If you’ve never owned a black car - you may want to admire them from afar, with someone else dealing with all that goes with owning a black car. But...maybe you're the kind of guy that is 'up for the job'. Because maybe you have loads of time and energy to deal with it. If so, you either don't have a job, or a wife, or a girlfriend (or both!), or children...or a even a life!
A scratch on a black car means only one thing - extreme sadness. Be prepared, because you will have zillions of tiny scratches all over your black beauty. You know what color the car is underneath that glossy black? White. You know what scratches black cars? Car washes. Yes, you must always wash it by hand, or that slick black paint will be gouged with zillions of little white arcs where the car wash spinners hit it. Oh, but guess what? If you even touch your paint when you hand wash it - you too will also be putting zillions of scratches in the paint. It simply cannot be helped. A scratched-up black car is not sexy. Don’t let your black car go like that. Don’t let it get all scratched up because you’re too lazy to wash it by hand either. Or, because it's too cold. Or, you don't have time. Nothing is worse looking than a black car with white swirl rainbows in the black paint that is supposed to be like a fine mirror finish. Be prepared to buy thousands of dollars worth of products and tools to keep it decent looking. Are you ready to wash/clean, strip, clay, polish and wax/coat on a regular basis? All to see it looking less than sexy again as soon as you drive it around the block.
You will park under a tree where birds are known to perch only once. It will only take you one time to park under the trees in a parking lot notorious for attracting flocks of pooping birds to learn this lesson the hard way. If the bird poop remains for more than an hour on that soft black finish the paint becomes acid etched for sure, which will add nicely to all those swirls and scratches.
Black cars aren’t just hot, they are HOT. Getting into a black car on an average summer day is like getting inside a Weber barbecue with the coals at a perfect red glow. If you like to wear shorts, get used to the smell of bacon frying. It takes longer for the A/C to put out the fire.
I'm going to my Lexus dealer today to hear my inner Panther roar and tingle in places I forgot I had. Wait a minute! I forget how to get to the Lexus dealer...
There’s nothing sexier than a shiny, clean black car. Nothing!
There is nothing LESS sexy than a dusty, or dirty, or scratched black car. Nothing!
When you’re looking for a new car, the black one will seduce you. You’ll look at that model in another color, think about being practical, but the black one will wink at you. Tip its chin. Purr, “Hey baby… I want you inside me.” Walk away NOW, or you’ll take it for a test drive. When you get into a black car for the first time, you’ll feel dangerously sexier than you ever felt in your whole life. Your inner panther will roar. You’ll tingle in places you forgot you had. You’ll like it. And, chances are - you’ll buy it. The other cars just won’t make you tingle like that. Your only protection is to never get behind the wheel of a black car in the first place. Just walk away, and life will be uncomplicated. But, you’ll always wonder…what if.
A thin film of dust becomes luminescent on a black car. Every single spot of anything, even dried sterile water, stands out like a goober zit on prom night. At first, it will disturb and upset you so much that you’ll wash your car immediately. And…then it’ll be dusty again before you even finish drying it. An unknown little fact: Black cars only stay clean for only 42 seconds. But, they are the sexiest 42 seconds you’ll ever know. Because of that 42 second rush, you’ll wash your black baby faithfully every weekend. For the first year anyway. And then, all those scratches and swirls you put in the paint taking care of your baby will erode your resolve. You’ll start skipping. People will stare at your car in disgust, and make all sorts of judgments about your sloppiness. You'll scream things at them like; 'Shut up - I just washed this damn car 15 minutes ago.' Of course, you could always buy the black car and make it a garage queen...and never drive it. That's really smart! But hey, it will still get dusty...and all scratched up by you carefully hand washing it.
If you’ve never owned a black car - you may want to admire them from afar, with someone else dealing with all that goes with owning a black car. But...maybe you're the kind of guy that is 'up for the job'. Because maybe you have loads of time and energy to deal with it. If so, you either don't have a job, or a wife, or a girlfriend (or both!), or children...or a even a life!
A scratch on a black car means only one thing - extreme sadness. Be prepared, because you will have zillions of tiny scratches all over your black beauty. You know what color the car is underneath that glossy black? White. You know what scratches black cars? Car washes. Yes, you must always wash it by hand, or that slick black paint will be gouged with zillions of little white arcs where the car wash spinners hit it. Oh, but guess what? If you even touch your paint when you hand wash it - you too will also be putting zillions of scratches in the paint. It simply cannot be helped. A scratched-up black car is not sexy. Don’t let your black car go like that. Don’t let it get all scratched up because you’re too lazy to wash it by hand either. Or, because it's too cold. Or, you don't have time. Nothing is worse looking than a black car with white swirl rainbows in the black paint that is supposed to be like a fine mirror finish. Be prepared to buy thousands of dollars worth of products and tools to keep it decent looking. Are you ready to wash/clean, strip, clay, polish and wax/coat on a regular basis? All to see it looking less than sexy again as soon as you drive it around the block.
You will park under a tree where birds are known to perch only once. It will only take you one time to park under the trees in a parking lot notorious for attracting flocks of pooping birds to learn this lesson the hard way. If the bird poop remains for more than an hour on that soft black finish the paint becomes acid etched for sure, which will add nicely to all those swirls and scratches.
Black cars aren’t just hot, they are HOT. Getting into a black car on an average summer day is like getting inside a Weber barbecue with the coals at a perfect red glow. If you like to wear shorts, get used to the smell of bacon frying. It takes longer for the A/C to put out the fire.
Other than that - enjoy your black car!
There is an awful lot of hyperbole in your essay.
While there is no question that black vehicles show swirls, surface scratches, etc. more readily than most other colors, and they show dust more readily, too, the extent to which they show such issues is not nearly as bad as what your words would lead one to believe.
And black vehicles also come with a significant advantage over most other colors. Many of the especially pretty colors available on today's vehicles can turn into a nightmare if even minor paint work is ever needed on them. This is especially true for colors done with a 3 stage (or more) paint process. Colors like 3-stage pearl whites cause headaches for even the most skilled paint technicians. Some of the newest Lexus colors, like the very beautiful atomic silver, are applied with 4 or 5 stage paint processes. There has been at least one recent thread here about the nightmare that the owner of an ES with atomic silver has gone through after paint work was needed on his car. Even some of the 2 stage metallic colors, especially including light silvers, light golds, and metallic reds can be very difficult to match. On the other hand, non-metallic black (or a non-metallic white) is about the only color available on today's vehicles for which getting a perfect color match when paint work is needed is quite simple.
I previously owned an obsidian ES, and I still own a GX that is black onyx. While they have taken a bit more work to maintain, I haven't found the additional work needed to be that much more than what I would need to do to keep any other color looking great, and, when the GX needed a new bumper, I wasn't nervous at all about whether the paint match was going to hold up to my particularly high standards with regards to fits and finishes. Even touch ups of small stone nicks can be done easily with a non-metallic black while, at the same time, they stick out like a sore thumb with most metallic and pearl finishes.
When we buy new vehicles, we don't anticipate ever needing paint work, but things happen, and, if someone whacks your bumper or scrapes a door or fender, it is nice to know that, even for a perfectionist, a black vehicle can be repaired flawlessly. That can't be said for many other colors.
While there is no question that black vehicles show swirls, surface scratches, etc. more readily than most other colors, and they show dust more readily, too, the extent to which they show such issues is not nearly as bad as what your words would lead one to believe.
And black vehicles also come with a significant advantage over most other colors. Many of the especially pretty colors available on today's vehicles can turn into a nightmare if even minor paint work is ever needed on them. This is especially true for colors done with a 3 stage (or more) paint process. Colors like 3-stage pearl whites cause headaches for even the most skilled paint technicians. Some of the newest Lexus colors, like the very beautiful atomic silver, are applied with 4 or 5 stage paint processes. There has been at least one recent thread here about the nightmare that the owner of an ES with atomic silver has gone through after paint work was needed on his car. Even some of the 2 stage metallic colors, especially including light silvers, light golds, and metallic reds can be very difficult to match. On the other hand, non-metallic black (or a non-metallic white) is about the only color available on today's vehicles for which getting a perfect color match when paint work is needed is quite simple.
I previously owned an obsidian ES, and I still own a GX that is black onyx. While they have taken a bit more work to maintain, I haven't found the additional work needed to be that much more than what I would need to do to keep any other color looking great, and, when the GX needed a new bumper, I wasn't nervous at all about whether the paint match was going to hold up to my particularly high standards with regards to fits and finishes. Even touch ups of small stone nicks can be done easily with a non-metallic black while, at the same time, they stick out like a sore thumb with most metallic and pearl finishes.
When we buy new vehicles, we don't anticipate ever needing paint work, but things happen, and, if someone whacks your bumper or scrapes a door or fender, it is nice to know that, even for a perfectionist, a black vehicle can be repaired flawlessly. That can't be said for many other colors.
The above "hyperbole" was plagiarized from another post. Not sure if it was from someone on Club Lexus or another car forum. I copied it and saved it to a file and drag it out whenever I see a discussion about black cars and the perception of pain they cause taking care of them. As you can see I own an Obsidian GS and my last black car was an Obsidian Infiniti G35X. Both of these cars rec'd more compliments than any of the 40 plus cars I have owned except maybe my Spa Yellow S2000.
I think the author of the diatribe did so with tongue in cheek. Yes, a black car is work to keep nice and yes it is easier to match the paint if necessary. I would never buy a car based on whether any future paint repairs would be mismatched. The paint chip repairs on the S2000 looked like acne on the hood. Luckily there were only a few but daggonit from 3' away that car was stunning. The same with my GS. Even with my trusty Porter Cable 7424 XP DA polisher up close you can still see flaws that you wouldn't see in virtually any other color. But....darn...like a blind date after a few beers she sure looks pretty!
Master blaster black Lexus es350als be black on black
if you wash your car yourself,buy a master blaster.it blows hot air to dry the car. I have had 2 obsidian es 350 ,currently 2015 bought used. I use Zaino products ,polymers sold only online, microfiber towels only to wash. Combined with no rags to dry. Claybar after wash when dirt accumulates. Wash weekly and use a power washer ONLY on the wheels. My next Lexus will be black on blackll
Mine is the caviar black (a bit more metallic than the obsidian black) and i love it!!!! Although, I have to say that I live a few mins to an Audi dealership, which is owned by the same parent company as the Lexus dealership where I purchased my ESh, so I go and get a courtesy wash about once a week to keep it really nice and clean. But others are correct about the color black, every time after a rain storm, I see dirt and dust marks all over the car.
I have a 2013 ES350 which is Obsidian and I absolutely love the color. However, I do put in a lot of time and effort to keep my car clean. I hand wash it every 2 weeks (sometimes less, sometimes more depending on how dirty it gets or doesn't get). I also do a full detail every 4-5 months (clay bar/compound, polish, wax). The Obsidian color looks fantastic when it's clean and shiny. But as others have mentioned, you have to put in the work to keep it looking nice. Pollen, dust, etc. shows up real easily on the car. I buy a lot of Meguiar products for my car care. They sell a lot of quick detailer sprays that work real nice. I use this spray in between car washes whenever I see a thick film of dust/pollen starting to build up. Also works great on removing water spots after it rains. I just grab the spray and a microfiber cloth and "wipe down" the car. Takes less than 10 minutes.
First a confession, I am **** about always driving an impeccably clean looking car so black is no longer in my pallet of acceptable colors.
I have owned several back cars. I had the Nebula Grey Pearl recently and that was quite easy to maintain but Obsidian was horrid for me. I'd clean my black car and it would look fantastic when I arrived at the office but by the time I left it was disgusting. Dust and pollen were a nightmare. And winters, AARRGGHHH, I am now solidly in the ABB camp (Anything But Black), LOL.
But there are things you can do to make living with black easier.
Here was my routine.
Daily:
• I'd use a high-lubricity Quik Detailer like Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer or "Final Inspection to wipe down the paint every morning using a dozen or so microfibers to remove yesterdays dust and pollen.
• I'd I follow up with Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Wax / D156, (actually not a wax but a synthetic sealant) which would keep the paint very slick so not much would stick to the paint. Total time maybe 30 min,
Weekly:
• I'd hand wash using a two bucket method and replace my sheepskin wash mitt every quarter. I'd use the older mitts for the wheels and rocker panels. Swirls are easier to avoid than to remove,
• I'd wash the car in the shade when the paint was cool to the touch then low pressure stream off most of the water and use an electric leaf blower to remove any remaining water. If any water drops remained, I'd dab them off with a waffle weave microfiber.
• I'd follow again with Meguiar's UlQD / D156
Quarterly:
• I'd jewel the paint with my DA using a finishing pad and polish then apply my sealant.
Repeat as needed.
Winters were a nightmare. Sand, salt road grime, AAARRGH. Too cold to follow this routine so it was off to a Touchless wash. I negotiated with the carwash owner to purchased 25 codes at a time for the Touchless wash at a discount. Winter got significantly better with the advent of ceramic coatings. The coatings typically will protect your paint for around 2 years. Touchless washes use stronger detergent packages and they don''t seem to harm coatings like they do wax or sealants.
But even with a ceramic coating, I still needed to do the daily QD and D156 to keep the dust and pollen at bay. Even with the coating my black car would look disgusting by the end of the day. For me, owning a black car was like having a part time job. With other colors the pollen and dust can be much less a problem.
OK, I admit I have this illness. I just hate driving cars that look less then stellar. For me, there is something special about getting into a car that is just stunning.
04-28-16, 01:58 PM
Master blaster black Lexus es350als be black on black
I just hate driving cars that look less then stellar. For me, there is something special about getting into a car that is just stunning.
