TJCali

Have my eye on an obsidian black IS-F but have concerns of maintenance and swirl marks. Car looks great but never owned a black car before.

I also read on the forum that this color is also very susceptible to scratches and swirls due to the overall softness of the paint. Is this true? Car will be an all weather daily driver.

Is SGM a better choice or also tough to maintain? Does Lexus not make a metallic black for the ISF?

Thanks

bnizzle87

Black, no matter from which automaker, will always be harder to detail and maintain than any other color available. I knew that heading into purchasing my IS F. Lots of swirls and random little scratches, but all you can do is invest in a little extra time and some detailing products and attack all those swirls and scratches. The paint is soft, so it's easier to correct, but that does mean it's more susceptible to more imperfections later on. Some prefer SGM, which is now a discontinued color for the IS F, because it's less maintenance. I still prefer Obsidian, but that's just because I like the detailing process to get her shining greatly again. The metallic black is called Stargazer Black, and it's not available for the USDM IS F.

Zelfiris

Yes, black is PITA. Japanese paint tend to be softer too so you can see scratches easier. Having said that, it is just as soft if the car was grey or red but you will not be able to see it as easily as black.

I did a 30+ hours 2 stage paint correction on my previous Obsidian Black IS250 and I have to say I had to be extra cautious when wiping or washing so I won't have to go through the labour of polishing it again

MisterSkiz

iTrader: (2)

I compounded/polished, then OptiCoated by Obsidian IS-F.

I drive the car year round, in salt and snow, and wash it with Optimum Wash and Wax.

The car has no RIDS or spiderwebbing of any kind....it all in the wash technique.

prada_g

iTrader: (9)

I had a brand new obsidian IS350 back in 08', it was most definitely a PITA to keep scratches off of it!
Great looking color though on the F, just be prepared to invest in a lot of detailing products to maintain it...best option I would suggest is to have some paint correction done depending on the severity of the swirls/scratches and get it Opti Coated.

cremaster

iTrader: (1)

the SGM will probably hide the imperfections better. but like a silver car, the difference between clean and kinda dirty is marginal, at least in my eyes. although the obsidian is more finicky to maintain, i love it when it's clean. this is coming from personally owning 3 black cars, one silver car and one nebula gray (wife's RX), which is like a color in between the SGM and silver.

I8ABMR

Black will be a pain int he *** ALL of the time. It will look dusty in 2-3 days after you wash and wax it. I am OCD like crazy and literally wipe my cars down every night after I work out. Unless you have tons of time and a da polisher get another color. I used to hate white cars until I had a white LS460. Beautiful color, low maintenece, and you will never see a scratch on it because the scratches and swirls are the same color as the car. Brilliant

RSXiMUS

iTrader: (7)

More like 20 minutes... lol.

I'm OCD also and I've spent close to $400 so far in cleaning, waxing, polishing products, microfibers, a new PC DA polisher, various pads ect. just this past week after picking up my black IS-F.

Just a quick trip to the market and back will require me to bust out the quick detailer spray. Good thing about black is you will be spending a lot of quality time one on one with your IS-F.

I8ABMR

when youre right youre right. LOL No way in hell I would buy a black car and I am the type who could manage the shine the right way. I already waste enough time wiping my car down

kbtoiz

iTrader: (4)

Yes, it is a PITA

My car is getting detailed and glass coated for the 2nd time as we speak and I was told that the car is not scratched, just water spots. So as mentioned above, the washing technique and the products you use have a lot to do on how good your paint will look and stay.

chris07is

iTrader: (10)

i agree with a lot of members here, I used to have 212 (OBSIDIAN) and omg! so annoying u can tell that ur car is dirty right away. but the upside is when its clean, you'll be like "DAMN!" LOOKS SICK!

TJCali

These are the reasons I am concerned about pulling the trigger on black. I think silver is a little boring on the is-f, so maybe a grayshade might be a good compromise.

This car will be parked 50% outside, so that will not help as well.

Maybe I should keep looking..

StealthFF

One word of advise from owning black cars and from personal experience. any color should be coated with some type of protectant such as CQUARTZ Finest, Opticoat Pro, 22PLE. Much harder than wax and 100x thicker than wax check them out. Also adds endless gloss and shine, and scratch protection is amazing, and helps with general maintenance and keeping contamination off your paint. They all provide the :"LOTUS AFFECT", look it up I have double coated all my cars with CQUARTZ check it out online and reviews..

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

One word. Yes.

I will never let the wife say the car has to be black again. The Supra hides everything. Swirls, minor scratches, slight defects...never notice. Obsidian? Every tiny mark even just in the clear coat sets it into crap mode. Hate maintaining it. Love it when it looks right.

scamsel

white or silver is the way to go to get away with dirtyness........black just reflects back everything, black interiors also show much more crap compared to say like tan or cream......

also, another pro tip, don't get black furniture unless you like dusting!