I'm in the process of putting an order in for an s3 and have decided to go for phantom black. That semed the obvious choice as being the more expensive option its gotta look better right? I'm have second thoughts since seeing a couple of phantoms under the showroom lights...they looked "dusty". Today I saw my mates brilliant black a4 in natural light and my immediate impression was that it looked better. Was wondering what everyone elses experiences were since it seems most opt for the phantom black.
brilliant black vs phantom black
- Thread starter thegasman
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I think Brilliant black looks better, although admit I've never compared the two blacks on the S3. However, I saw two new TTs side-by-side the other day and I thought the Brilliant black just looked... blacker!
I'm thinking that the Brilliant black maybe easier to keep looking good. Black can sometimes look in poor condition when the sun is shining and I don't think pearl/metallic blacks particularly help in this regard.
My mother used to have a solid black TT a couple of years ago and the paint always looked in amazing condition, whatever the weather. Dunno if it was Brilliant black, but it was definitely a solid black.
If you genuinely like Brilliant black more, maybe you should save yourself £500 or put towards the cash towards something else on the options list. Bear in mind that some say having a solid black may affect residuals negatively, but I really couldn't tell you by how much.
I'm thinking that the Brilliant black maybe easier to keep looking good. Black can sometimes look in poor condition when the sun is shining and I don't think pearl/metallic blacks particularly help in this regard.
My mother used to have a solid black TT a couple of years ago and the paint always looked in amazing condition, whatever the weather. Dunno if it was Brilliant black, but it was definitely a solid black.
If you genuinely like Brilliant black more, maybe you should save yourself £500 or put towards the cash towards something else on the options list. Bear in mind that some say having a solid black may affect residuals negatively, but I really couldn't tell you by how much.
I actually think the opposite!
Not because I have a phantom black but I think the gloss and shine I get from mine are less dull than on the brilliant black...
And never seen it look any different from black!! I mean some blacks are brownish or even purplish when sun hits them...
I would spec again Phantom Black...
But compare in the flesh and you might take the solid black instead...
Pedro
Not because I have a phantom black but I think the gloss and shine I get from mine are less dull than on the brilliant black...
And never seen it look any different from black!! I mean some blacks are brownish or even purplish when sun hits them...
I would spec again Phantom Black...
But compare in the flesh and you might take the solid black instead...
Pedro
Sorry, I should've explained better. I just think metallic/pearl blacks tend to show swirl marks etc. a little easier. I certainly don't think metallic/pearl paint looks more dull.
My S3 is phantom black and my cousin has a A3 tdi in brilliant black, I think the brilliant black looks a little deeper in colour in all lights , but shows marks \ swirls a bit more. My phantom black can look a little dull at the side in certain lights but hides te swirls a bit better and the dust to a certain extent.
But if I was speccing the car again I would go for the phantom black again.
Richard
But if I was speccing the car again I would go for the phantom black again.
Richard
This is not helping!! Two replies with completely opposing views
Think you make a fair point Metalex about desirability of metallic finishes when selling on.
Think you make a fair point Metalex about desirability of metallic finishes when selling on.
consilio
Up the owls!
I've never seen a Brilliant Black close up, but Phantom being a pearl colour actually goes more of a dark charcoal grey in sunlight, so it's not really a pure black as Brilliant Black would be.
consilio
Up the owls!
Spooky, I hope you found that picture in the pics section, and i'm not sharing my 'My Pictures' folder which the rest of the internet.... Better delete that home made porn
This is the real good porn.....
Brilliant Black vs Phantom Black, you decide!
You can see what I mean here, Phantom is more of a dark grey than pure black.
Brilliant Black vs Phantom Black, you decide!
You can see what I mean here, Phantom is more of a dark grey than pure black.
Yeah, I'd go with brilliant I think, just looks more crisp. I used to have Ebony black on my A3 2.0FSI, that was metalic and looked nice, anyone know the difference between Ebony and Phantom?!
I've got a phantom black sportback but a few weeks ago I detailed a brilliant black S-line and when its swirl free and has some decent wax on it brilliant black really does look amazing, really wet looking & very crisp, but then phantom does look pretty amazing when the odd bit full sun shines on it .
Had my phantom black detailed a little while back..
Look for the S3 in this section: http://www.gleamingkleen.co.uk/portfolio.html .
When it's properly cleaned, waxed then the pearlescent effect looks amazing.
-Sal-
PS. I'd recommend seeing both colours side by side.. clean and dirty if poss.
Look for the S3 in this section: http://www.gleamingkleen.co.uk/portfolio.html .
When it's properly cleaned, waxed then the pearlescent effect looks amazing.
-Sal-
PS. I'd recommend seeing both colours side by side.. clean and dirty if poss.
S3 Big Andy
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Have a look at this I love the Phantom!! you really get to see the wet look and all the reds & blues & greens in the paintwork
You do have some freaky stuff in 'My Pictures'...
Got any more pics of your car?
I think I'm going for Brilliant black, so would love to see some more from different angles and different light etc.
Cheers
When I was looking to buy an A3 I saw a phantom black one advertised at Sinclair Audi in Wales. It had all the other spec that I wanted (and a bit more) so I drove 200+ miles to check it out! When I got there it was parked out the front and I noticed straight away it was brilliant black, not phantom as was advertised. I expressed my disappointment to the salesman, but managed to get a bit knocked off the price for it. However, I now feel it was for the best as it looks stunning when clean, and my sister-in-law's metallic black Astra never had the same perfect deep gloss look, even when clean. Mine does show up the swirl marks in bright sun though, but this may the case with phantom too, I don't know.
I can't see why Phantom would be any less susceptible to swirl marks. I had a Civic Type R with pearl black paint, and it was incredibly hard work to keep it swirl free.
Mines brilliant black and don't have any noticeable swirl marks so far although I am being super careful with washing techniques etc!
I'm using Meg's NXT wax and Spray wax etc after good paint surface prep and get lots of comments from friends and colleagues on how glossy & shiny it looks.
Looks amazing when clean, but as with most black cars seems to show the dirt more IMO.
I actually didn't want to pay the extra for the metallic paint as I wanted to spend the money on other options instead and I have absolutely no regrets.
Much prefer it to the Black Magic metallic pearl I had on the vRS.
I'm using Meg's NXT wax and Spray wax etc after good paint surface prep and get lots of comments from friends and colleagues on how glossy & shiny it looks.
Looks amazing when clean, but as with most black cars seems to show the dirt more IMO.
I actually didn't want to pay the extra for the metallic paint as I wanted to spend the money on other options instead and I have absolutely no regrets.
Much prefer it to the Black Magic metallic pearl I had on the vRS.
I was round at Lee's (mitch78) the other day and he has brilliant black. It was clear to me he looks after his paint but gawd, it looked soo nice under the sun, seriously deep, like a pond of water lol.
I think Phantom has all the flakiness in it which would'nt give the same deep effect..
I think Phantom has all the flakiness in it which would'nt give the same deep effect..
PaulAr
S3 (8P)
With the right care I reckon Brilliant pips it for me.
Phantom might be marginally more desirabe come resale time though.
Phantom might be marginally more desirabe come resale time though.
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Well I'd say Brilliant Black, although you need to keep on top of it for cleaning and swirl marks. The reason solid blacks have a deeper, more reflective look than pearls/metallics when cleaned and properly polished/waxed is simple: the light refracts through the flake or mica in the pearl/metallic paint and dissipates so you don't get the same clean reflections. Unfortunately this also means that any scratches and swirls are glaringly obvious whereas on a pearl or metallic black they are lost amongst the sparkle to a certain extent if you see what I mean?
I had a stunning Schwarz metallic VR6 with immaculate paint but when it's clean and polished nothing will match a solid black for shine and depth!
Check out my new car thread for some ok pics from collection day!
EDIT: Ooops! How on earth did I manage to pick up, read and comment on a four-year-old post without realising it?! Silly me!
I had a stunning Schwarz metallic VR6 with immaculate paint but when it's clean and polished nothing will match a solid black for shine and depth!
Check out my new car thread for some ok pics from collection day!
EDIT: Ooops! How on earth did I manage to pick up, read and comment on a four-year-old post without realising it?! Silly me!
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