Brilliant Black

[BigD289]

Hi All

I'm about to place an order for an S Line Sportback. I'm thinking I would rather spend my money on a few upgrades rather than on the colour (although the Daytona Grey does look good!).

I'm just wondering what people thought about Brilliant Black - does it look good, is it easy to keep clean???

 

[deci]

I have no regrets about paying more for Daytona. If you like it, go for it

 

[Nick1989]

Hi, I had an 8p A3 in brilliant black and also currently have the A1 in brilliant black, and the main reason was the same as you mentioned. I've now ordered the new A3 in glacier white, but the brilliant black is a great colour when it is clean its amazing and you can't tell the difference. I might be able to post a pic of it cleaned if I have one to hand? And there are so many great options you could spend the cash on. But if you like prefer the other colour then you should probably go with your own preference because you'll be the one who looks at everyday. But in my opinion the brilliant black is a great colour.

 

[WingoWango]

Hi BigD.

I was stuck between two or three colours when i initially went to order but black was my top one. I took the advice of my dealership that if it was to be black then i should go for Brilliant Black over the metallic. I'm pleased to say the advice was spot on and I love the colour. Gave it a good clean today and its gleaming, looks great!! Only one thing that Im watching for is the chance of the paintwork showing small swirls etc. I'm fairly meticulous with my washing process but with it being a flat colour I can see it showing up blemishes easily.

 

[BigD289]

Hi Nick1989, a picture would be great if its easy to do.

 

[BigD289]

WingoWango, why did dealer recommend the Brilliant Black, was there any specific reason? I've seen the Phantom Black and it looks great.

 

[Wilonso]

When i ordered my A3 8P i wanted Lava Grey. In the end i ordered Ibis white and my missus ordered Brilliant black. I regretted ever since. Funnily enough when i picked it up from the dealer the car next to mine had the exact same spec however it was lava grey and i was in love. I kick myself every time i do see a lava grey Audi now. The colour is beautiful when clean. (Im sure the same would apply for Daytona Grey)

 

[Spider]

I've got a brilliant black A1 black edition and while its looks fantastic when clean it does seem to mask some of the detail in the bodywork styling

 

[WingoWango]

Big D. When discussing the option with the dealer his opinion was that the difference between the two blacks would not justify the extra cost and that he thought the Brilliant Black was as good of a colour. I'm pleased to say his advice was good and I have no regrets.

 

[Nick1989]

This was the 8p if I can remember it was obviously taken not long after a clean. Have to search for the A1

 

[BigD289]

Nick, nice picture. Many thanks. It does seem to have a nice 'mirror' shine to it! I think I'm sold.

 

[WingoWango]

I will try to get you a pic of mine in the next couple of hours.

 

[squiretolley]

Black looks great when clean, but it's such a ***** to maintain. I have a metallic black Golf GT currently and despite being very carefvul when I clean it, there are still swirl marks that look awful when the sun's shining.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

My current car is black.
Whilst it looks amazing when its clean, it will be my last black car.
I clean my car once a week and like my car to be clean & shiny but black does my head in.
When it rains, you immediately get water marks all over the car.
In the summer you get loads of pollen & dust settling on it which stands out.
Its ultra hard to wash (AND DRY) in the summer and yes no matter how careful you are you get swirl marks, even using soft mitts and cloths.
Don't get me wrong, when its clean it looks fantastic and nothing can touch black, but it is just such hard work, if not impossible keeping it that way.
If you go in with your eyes open and are not too fussy with car cleaning I am sure you will be delighted with black.
But just know from the start what hard work it is or that spending a full cleaning can be un-done in a day of bad weather !

 

[mjcourtney]

My current car is black.
Whilst it looks amazing when its clean, it will be my last black car.
I clean my car once a week and like my car to be clean & shiny but black does my head in.
When it rains, you immediately get water marks all over the car.
In the summer you get loads of pollen & dust settling on it which stands out.
Its ultra hard to wash (AND DRY) in the summer and yes no matter how careful you are you get swirl marks, even using soft mitts and cloths.
Don't get me wrong, when its clean it looks fantastic and nothing can touch black, but it is just such hard work, if not impossible keeping it that way.
If you go in with your eyes open and are not too fussy with car cleaning I am sure you will be delighted with black.
But just know from the start what hard work it is or that spending a full cleaning can be un-done in a day of bad weather !

This is the reason I avoided black. I live on a dusty un-made road and my previous car was dark blue, except when it was dust coloured. You had to be so careful to wash ALL of the dust off with a hose / pressure washer before you even touched it with a sponge or mitts, otherwise it was just like rubbing a fine grade sandpaper into the paintwork. The darker the colour the harder it is to hide swirl marks. That said, white is apparently hard to keep looking deep and shiny without a lot of wax and polish. Can't win!

 

[WingoWango]

Here is a quick pic of mine in Brilliant Black. Have to agree with the comments above though. It can be tough to clean. I use snow foam,sheep wool mitt, two bucket cleaning process, micro-fibre drying etc and I'm already wary of seeing very small, occasional hairline swirls. Its nothing that cannot be protected against and with a little TLC it's a great colour.

 

[selar]

I discussed Brilliant vs. Phantom Black with my dealer too. When I said I was going for Brilliant, he told me just to be careful that it was a bit of a softer paint and it might be more prone to small chips. I don't have any evidence to substantiate that, but I'm going to be careful when I'm up against it all the same.

 

[mjcourtney]

My dealer told me the exact same thing, that the Brilliant black was a very soft paint and he wouldn't recommend it. Interesting to see if that is the case.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

We had a none metallic black car back in 2005 and whilst you don't get swirls like you do on a metallic / pearl black, you can get scratches easier I noticed, as yes the paint appears to be softer.

So scratches and chips are easier.

I think you need to be a pro detailer to look after black with the care it really needs.

The pic above though looks great, so the rewards are there for black cars