[949]

today my sales guy contacted me to let me know a hainon blue metallic is at the dealership. I had asked him to tell me if there would be one to look at so I know if we should change color to something else.

he was cool enough to also bring down the monsoon grey and have it next to each other for comparison.
we ordered our car with out actually seeing the color beforehand. so now we are happy that we did the choice we did.


at first the blue was really lite. it was fun and bright but it was super brighter than what the pictures look like online. the monsoon grey was the second choice but sitting next to each other the grey looked really boring compared to the blue one.


in pictures the blue looks super.

 

[felipefaccini]

I really like that blue color. Too bad I wasn't available last year.



Still love my monsoon grey

 

[Otto]

I agree that the blue is more vibrant and fun than the grey which seems pretty serious. All depends on your personality, but this blue has a lot of depth to it and strikes a good balance between being a "normal" color and standing out from the crowd.

 

[DampDuffer]

I stopped by the same Audi dealer in Mission Viejo (and the one in Newport Beach) just two weeks ago to also make a color decision.

Narrowed the choices to two colors: really liked the Monsoon Grey a lot, but went with the Florett Silver just because it was brighter....something we often need during PNW winters.

 

[BobInPa]

I saw one last week and it is a really spectacular color in person. You will not be losing your Hainan Blue car in the parking lot.
Your pictures are really good. So good that it almost looks like there may be some sort preparation for a fog light in the lower grille.
This is the first time that I have ever seen those aftermarket chrome window pillar things on an Audi. They are always on showroom CRVs around here. Different strokes.

 

[rnlabas]

I saw one last week and it is a really spectacular color in person. You will not be losing your Hainan Blue car in the parking lot.
Your pictures are really good. So good that it almost looks like there may be some sort preparation for a fog light in the lower grille.
This is the first time that I have ever seen those aftermarket chrome window pillar things on an Audi. They are always on showroom CRVs around here. Different strokes.

The 'some sort of preparation' in the grill is a front parking sensor and the pillar things are just protective white tape - they're not chrome at all - just gloss black...

 

[949]

i don't know why but in person the monsoon grey looked very lite. we were staring at it for a while and on other audi's such as the S6. it really look lite on the Q3 and darker on the other cars which were on the lot.


the pictures look different. we loved the monsoon on the other cars but this one was too lite.

 

[BobInPa]

the pillar things are just protective white tape - they're not chrome at all - just gloss black...

Whew, that’s a relief. I see it now. I guess I had been overwhelmed by what I saw on a CRV earlier in the day.

 

[949]

they didn't finish cleaning it up, it was still in the PDI stage but the salesman still brought it out anyways to show us.

 

[Quatto]

I don't know about you guys but i'm one of those future owners that can't wait to see how the grille trim surround currently in chrome will look in black

 

[rnlabas]

I don't know about you guys but i'm one of those future owners that can't wait to see how the grille trim surround currently in chrome will look in black

I think I posted this for you back in March too ...

 

[949]

with the car in red as an example, the all black doesn't look good to me. it looks really boring and bland. the current silver look is nicer by comparison. it isn't chrome per se, because its more of a silk look and not as bright as chrome.

 

[Ourob0r0s11]

Satin

 

[AudiFox]

The blue is not as blindingly bright as I thought it would be. Just bright enough to stand out without blinding anyone. It'll be hard to decide between red and blue as the neutral colors will pale in comparison.

 

[Quatto]

The blue is not as blindingly bright as I thought it would be. Just bright enough to stand out without blinding anyone. It'll be hard to decide between red and blue as the neutral colors will pale in comparison.

I know red tends to require more attention over time as it fades with excessive sun exposure, which in that case blue would be easier. But if you really like red for example... go for it.

 

[949]

this make my wish I did take a look at the red as well. he did have one but I was no where near looking at a red. im just now curious what it looks like. im still good with the blue.


this blue took me by surprise because I have a sepang blue and its way darker.

 

[Bencrowe]

I really like that blue color. Too bad I wasn't available last year.



Still love my monsoon grey

I love the grey shade! Its awesome

 

[AudiFox]

I know red tends to require more attention over time as it fades with excessive sun exposure, which in that case blue would be easier. But if you really like red for example... go for it.

I was not aware that read fades over time due to sun exposure but thanks for that little tip and I'll keep it in mind for future purchases. Wouldn't want my car to look dull even after a good polishing session.

 

[rnlabas]

I was not aware that read fades over time due to sun exposure but thanks for that little tip and I'll keep it in mind for future purchases. Wouldn't want my car to look dull even after a good polishing session.

As a Chemical Engineer who has worked in Pigments, Polymers, and Coatings, I would NOT agree with that general a statement TODAY. Twenty years ago, it was definitely true - and reds, especially darker ones - were tough on keeping up in UV and sunlight. But today's pigments and multiple coating applications across surfaces are MUCH more resistant to UV in particular, temperature gradients and stress tolerances than even just a few years ago.

That doesn't mean paint and coatings are now immune to UV or sun damage, just that their tolerance has improved dramatically. While I wouldn't subject ANY automotive paint to the elements for long, I can't single out particular colors - other than generally darker solid ones than lighter metallic ones - for better specific resistance than any other color. Darker non-metallics are less reflective and more absorptive (and more difficult to control UV resistance to) than lighter metallics which are more reflective and less absorptive of UV and heat - the killers of pigment depth and gloss. But today a similarly dark red is no more sensitive than its blue, green or gray/black sibling...

 

[DampDuffer]

.....today a similarly dark red is no more sensitive than its blue, green or gray/black sibling...

Thanks for the expert opinion, Roger.

As a consumer I was totally against buying another red vehicle after watching my wife's '85 red Nissan truck fade and blemish beyond repair even with twice yearly expert detailing. We owned the car in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Albuquerque, New Mexico.....both bad places for red paint during our time there.

But then we got a new red Lexus in 2005, and it hasn't given us any problems.

My wife was too snake bit to order a red Q3 for 2016, so went with Florett Silver....I, on the other hand, will eventually buy another red Lexus.

Yes, the paints are much, much better than they once were.