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Re: Basalt vs Black
You have it right. Black when perfect is stunning and has greater reflectivity than the Basalt. The paint is softer and more prone to surface scratches and swirls however. The Basalt looks almost as good and also seems to show less dirt and dust. After owning three Black 911s, I've had enough and will order a Carrera White over Black next time.
Re: Basalt vs Black
Quote:
mish said:
Anyone have any tips or ideas on which one I should go for?
I like the Purity of the Black, but from previous experience, Black is very hard to maintain and easily shows the dreaded "swirls."
My head is telling me Basalt Black.
Help!
I intended to go for Basalt black (another time...) but recently re-decided: standard black is so much nicer
However, you might have to clean it more often (which I doubt after thinking it through again and again - also I have another car in standard black which is not that hard to keep clean...). Also, you could have the car repolished ever 12-24 months if small scratches should really annoy you. Thus, I vote for standard black 
Jul 11, 2008 5:49:34 PM
- JoeRockhead
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Reply to:
MKSGR
Re: Basalt vs Black
For me the difference between basalt and "real" black was too big.
When compared the black is much deeper and richer than the bassalt. So I went for black with a Protech protection layer to avoid swirls. After 3 years almost no swirls!
I'm really happy with the BLACK!
(Protech is a kind of Teflon layer to protect the paint, more info: http://www.protech.mc )
When compared the black is much deeper and richer than the bassalt. So I went for black with a Protech protection layer to avoid swirls. After 3 years almost no swirls!
I'm really happy with the BLACK!
(Protech is a kind of Teflon layer to protect the paint, more info: http://www.protech.mc )
Re: Basalt vs Black
Same thing drove me CrAzY for months. My original order was for Basalt because my last Turbo was Black & I've had 6 or 7 black cars recently. But after going back & forth between Basalt & Black, visiting more than half a dozen dealerships in all kinds of light conditions, etc. and getting to the point where I even forgot about how I felt about each color in the first place I had to change my order to Black. It was so weird because I was very worried about changing the order but as soon as I did it was like the Heavens opened up and I heard angels singing & this great weight was lifted off my shoulders! LoL!! It's more work but I'm sooooo happy I did. Seriously, GOOD LUCK!
Jul 12, 2008 12:20:08 AM
- NeverFastEnough
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Re: Basalt vs Black
I too am a great disliker of the dreaded swirls, so I ordered my GT3 in Basalt Black. As we speak I am having 3M/Scotchguard film applied.
Even basalt gets dirty easily, and looks "dusty" even sitting for a day or two. Basalt is more like a really, really, dark grey, and depending on ambient lighting has a hint of purple, blue, brown or silver in the black, due to the metallic flake.
Not that I am unhappy with my decision, but if I were to do it again, I may go for pure black...very classy. (My next 911 I guess
.)
Even basalt gets dirty easily, and looks "dusty" even sitting for a day or two. Basalt is more like a really, really, dark grey, and depending on ambient lighting has a hint of purple, blue, brown or silver in the black, due to the metallic flake.
Not that I am unhappy with my decision, but if I were to do it again, I may go for pure black...very classy. (My next 911 I guess
.)
Jul 12, 2008 11:38:29 AM
- shogun
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- Loc: Surrey, UK
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- Reply to: 987_Belgium
Re: Basalt vs Black
My FL car comes in about three weeks.. After having Basalt in the past i thought i would go for the non met black again...
Although Basalt is nice i always found it to have a haze effect and not the depth of a true black....
I had a black 968 many years ago... As long as you use a grit guard and plenty of water with a decent sheep skin wash mitt you will not get too many marks on the paint work
Although Basalt is nice i always found it to have a haze effect and not the depth of a true black....
I had a black 968 many years ago... As long as you use a grit guard and plenty of water with a decent sheep skin wash mitt you will not get too many marks on the paint work
Re: Basalt vs Black
Basalt is a harder black apparently, however, something I never considered when I went for Basalt was that when you respray the front end (which is inevitable) the question of blending the paint comes into it so matching colours is more difficult and we all know how difficult it is to find that bodyshop we can trust..
I'd still go for Basalt though, even if your not going to drive it much.
I'd still go for Basalt though, even if your not going to drive it much.
Jul 12, 2008 8:37:30 PM
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John H
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Re: Basalt vs Black
I just came from my local dealer and they had a 2-year cayman s in black. I don't know how the previous owner maintained it but even the smallest of scratches (stone chips, wash marks I guess as well) show very well on the this pure black color. This made me go with Basalt...
Re: Basalt vs Black
I chose Basalt Black Metallic (it is known as dark gray if you need to get body work done, as I did on the rear bumper last year), and it does show the swirls because it is a metallic paint. The good news is that it doesn't show as much dirt, but if you wash it frequently, you might prefer the sharper and more striking pure black.
I don't wash mine every two weeks, and I happen to prefer the Basalt color (which is more like gunmetal).
Sorry not to give you hard advice, but color choice is subjective. Go with what you like the best, but try to see the color up close and in the sun and the shade, before making a choice,.
Jim
I don't wash mine every two weeks, and I happen to prefer the Basalt color (which is more like gunmetal).
Sorry not to give you hard advice, but color choice is subjective. Go with what you like the best, but try to see the color up close and in the sun and the shade, before making a choice,.
Jim
Jul 17, 2008 1:24:59 AM
- planenuts4speed
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- Reply to: Jim48
Re: Basalt vs Black
Drove into Lowe's the other day and parked a couple of spaces down from a Bassalt Black 911 with no cars parked in between us. My car was relatively clean but not as perfectly as I would like. It was a bright sunny day. As I was walking in, I turned to look back at my car as we frequently do. I compared mine to the bassalt and I thought how much more mine stood out in comparision. The deepness of color of the pure black is stunning IMHO. Mine is not my daily driver--I generally only drive it when nice out and therefore don't have to clean it as often. Maybe if it was my daily driver, I might see a greater benefit to Bassalt which I have heard doesn't show dirt and light scratches as much.
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