no this is not a rant against evil, but a question of colours and paint finishes!!

I was pretty sold on getting a new L&K in black magic with the alantara interior but now I am having second thoughts.

Its looks awesome clean, but I've read quite a lot of posts about how difficult this is to keep clean and also comments about easily scratching and swirling in the paint work....I certainly don;t want to be having it detailed every five minutes, and will probably wash it a couple of times a month at best as I have much better things to do with my time....like drive the thing!!!...

so for those who have black magic what are your opinions on this? do you regret it? are you washing or detailing your car loads or is it not really that bad?

I'm also now considering anthracite grey and storm blue metallic....

thanks

mf

Black Magic does look good but dont expect an easy ride if you want it to stay that way.

As they say, the decision is yours! :ne_nau:

BTW..is there a big photo thread somewhere that I can check out real live images of different colour octys?

I did a search but was struggling to find anything.....

Black magic does show up swirls and scratches, but I'm not sure on the cleaning thing. While it never looked sparkly clean, it certainly never looked that dirty, especially compared to the lighter coloured cars which turned black as they accumulated dirt.

I'd happily have another black car, but I am one of life's drivers rather than one of life's cleaners/detailers

Chris

I love it, it does show the dirt quicker this time of year but in the summer it is ok. If you take precautions when washing the car then you can limit swirls but I don't think they are 100% avoidable. I therefore ensure she gets a good polish and wax twice a year.

I love black cars, but I would never buy one. They're such a PITA to keep clean, wash and wax them and 30 minutes later they're covered in dust!

The VRs is my third black car in a row but never again. Difficult to keep clean and I seem to be forever polishing out the scratches.

I borrowed a silver VRs this week and was quite taken with it

I'll admit cars look good in metalic black. I used to have a Fabia in it, but I wouldn't have it again as they look dirty again as soon as some dust appears or you get it off your drive.

I love my Race Blue colour.

Yep, look stunning when clean, but frustratingly difficult to keep that way.

Sensible people buy red

Just had mine detailed so it is, in all reality, probably better than new.

Before and after pics here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/styling-car-care/octavia-vrs-estate-detail-nsf-1mb/100798/#post1163369

Well worth it when it's clean. I used to think it was until the halogen bulb showed up all the swirl marks I made myself having used a sponge since the car was new. No longer!

28,000 miles under it's belt and still looking good.

I spent about 4 hours cleaning, polishing, sealing and waxing the hearse but it's worth it in the end. I've found the wax really helps keep the swirls in check. I've just bought some Dodojuice Blue Velvet hard wax for it. I'll put it on the car over the weekend and see what it's like.

Taken in the early evening just after I finished.

I love my black Octi, even though it's a bitch to keep clean, especially where I live. This time of the year it will last clean for a few hours, but if I were to get one again it would still be black.

The other color I like is the white, which looks stunning IMO.

even through i think my car is dirty at times, many people at work have commented how clean it looks and ask how i keep it so clean. i wash it once a fortnight and give it a good wax every other month.

I notice no one posts photos other than when they just cleaned/detailed the car!

Oh well, if you insist....

This is 100 miles of driving round town when the snow melts.

I notice no one posts photos other than when they just cleaned/detailed the car!

My photo was about an hour after picking her up from the dealer! If I give her darn good going over in a month or so I might post a picture (the car, people, not the wife).

Got my Black Magic Octavia with ivory interior last friday, it looks great when clean. Roads have been wet, it was clean for about a mile. Yesterday I washed it, and it took about 10miles before it was all dusty. It's a PITA to keep clean in these conditions, but I expect it to be easier in the summer. Looks great though

Mine is just over the 2 year mark, and i have very little swirls.

Then again, i never use a car wash and never use a sponge. Lamb's wool and two bucket method works wonders and doesn't take any longer.

Ive also got a porta cable to speed the waxing when i do it

Mine is just over the 2 year mark, and i have very little swirls.

Then again, i never use a car wash and never use a sponge. Lamb's wool and two bucket method works wonders and doesn't take any longer.

Ive also got a porta cable to speed the waxing when i do it

I don't have a plentiful supply of lambs unfortuneatly :(

Black is awesome when clean but its a nightmare to keep clean,still wouldn't swap it for any other colour though

Yes the dirt shows up quicker than most colours but it's so easy to get it looking good after a quick wash and dry provided you seal and wax the car properly to begin with.

Failing that, just go for a silver car, problem solved.

Failing that, just go for a silver car, problem solved.

My thoughts entirely. I told the wife to not let me have another black one!

It is true that black cars are harder to maintain when it comes to the paintwork. We've got black & silver Fabia vRS's and the silver can go quite a while longer without looking too dirty.

As a comparison for you i've attached three pictures.... One after i'd polished and waxed the car, one with a normal amount of spring/autumn dirt and finally one taken after a trip to the east coast and back in winter..... The car had been cleaned only the day before!!!!

I know it's a fabia not an octy but you get the idea regarding paint finish.

Cheers

Dave.

I love my Black Magic Octy but pain in the rear to keep tidy! The main problem that I see is the fact they have a pale grey undercoat which shows through with every scratch.

Watch SWMBO's handbag / shopping bag they are killers for making scratches.

I managed to change the car into a domino the other day after 20k's of dirt roads. (limestone base)

She was still shiny black at the front, but faded to pure white at the back.. looked 'interesting'

This will be my 3rd black car, interestingly not out of choice tho.

Main reason for black on this one was because i think that the painted B pillars look very dated (most cars have black panels here) and getting BM solved this to some extent.

Good luck!

Dan.