plA4keeps

Thanks for your replies so far. As we all know, color is all personal preference.

I was not asking what color you think I should get, but rather, have any of you regretted selecting Brilliant Black for yourselves? And for those of you who work on/near these cars frequently, is Phantom Black a more forgiving color or easier to keep looking sharp? Is it difficult to keep Brilliant Black looking brilliant? And, does it not hold up well to regular car washes?

Any other thoughts?

plA4keeps

Hobbes

I had a brilliant black A4 for 12 years before buying my current A5...in brilliant black. I love the color, but it does show dirt readily and requires more upkeep than other colors such as grey or silver.

One way to look at the extra upkeep though, is that it forces one to do the proper paint care that all colors really should get, but which is more easily overlooked in colors that hide flaws better.

Of course, I think brilliant black looks fantastic and it makes almost any car look it's best.

afouralex

if you're obsessive compulsive like myself and have not owned a black car before (also like myself, before the B8) be ready for a little bit of remorse (stone chips, scratches, swirls are VERY visible)...on the other hand there's no feeling like driving a flawlessly clean BB Audi so in that sense it's totally worth it (just be ready to pay a detailer if you don't want to deal with it yourself)...

it also depends on how often you drive the car, if this was just my weekend car I would see a lot less wear, so in that case I would definitely go for it!

B-Town

I had a black car 12 years prior to the A4. Neither Bril Blk/Phnt blk) were available when I picked out my Ice Silver. I simply have no regrets about it and I still wash as often as I can.
The blacks are stunning when clean and detailed no question but you will see everything that sticks to it.

Spacecadet_CC

My previous B6 was a bril black and my current is Phantom. I have to say that both colors are beautiful. I really, loved the BB. When it is clean it has a mirror-like finish to it that is simply stunning. I hand-wash throughout the spring/summer and touchless during winter. I was my car once a week, sometimes every 10 days if the weather does not cooperate. I have not done touchless with the Phantom yet, but a BB car needs to be hand-washed in my opinion. You really need to get the lower areas nicely cleaned for it to look stunning. Not sure if the Phantom would be better.

I decided to go with Phantom this time around to have the metallic paint. One of my buddies has a Jetta GLI with Phantom (or whatever the VW name is for it) and it really looks nice and seemed to look cleaner a little bit longer than mine. The Phantom is not quite as deep because of the metallic fleck in it, which is something that i have come to miss. And I wish that the metallic was a little less subtle. Not over-the-top, but a bit more obvious. But when it is clean and the sun hits it, it has a nice sheen where the BB would be more reflective/mirror-like with the dark areas being BLACK. At first I regretted not going with BB, but I really like the Phantom so far.

Something to also consider is how dusty your city is. I just came back from a roadtrip to Minneapolis and I could not believe that my car made a trip 800 miles and then overnight outside two days and the car still looked spectacular! Here in Winnipeg, I guess we are much more dusty because I can have a thin film of dust on the car within 6 hours and I have never had it looking wash-quality the next day (I park outside as I do not have a garage). The Phantom does hold up better to this as the dust blends with the metallic.

Good luck!

SFV A4

Too thin? Aren't all paints applied the same way and the same amount? I've never heard of varying thicknesses with car paints.

SFV A4

I had BB on my B6. It looks great when clean but a bitch to keep up. Best thing you can do is keep it waxed. A good coat of wax every 3-4 months will protect the finish and keep spots, stains, and scratches from accumulating. If you are willing to do this work, then don't fear black. Black only fails because people don't want to get their hands dirty with the upkeep.
Personally, I love cleaning my car, so it was a joy overall to have.

Spacecadet_CC

Great advice - when I returned my B6 after 4 years the lease return guy marveled at my car because he said he almost never sees a dark color come back without being painfully swirlled. I do a full clean/polish/wax 2 or maybe 3 times a year.

Hobbes

I sold my 12-year-old brilliant black A4 recently...in one day. The buyers couldn't believe how good the paint looked and asked me if I was sure it was 12 years old. I also did a full clean/polish/wax 2-3 times a year. It's certainly possible to properly maintain a black car without killing yourself.

The paint chips were the most bothersome part.

bluexpress

Paint chips are not our friends.. I also wax every 2-3 months and do a full paint correction 1-2 times a year or as needed..