Hey all. I'm a newbee to this forum. This Saturday i will be picking up my Black Granit 09 1LT from the dealer. Don't get me wrong i love the color. Can anyone explain to me why it is an extra charge for it though? I doesn't seem so different from alot of other blacks i have seen. I wanted Black so i will pay the extra $200 or so to get it but i must say it seems like Chevy is nitpicking with the extra fee. :confused:

Haha... The charge for black now too.
Don't feel bad, they got me for an extra $250 for the Red Jewel Coat.

Now you got me wondering...I'll have to look and see what it was for the Imperial Blue Metallic

I don't think they charged for that.
For 08 I think it was only the Red that they charged for, and then for 09 and think they added in the Black.

Black and Red have been the extra-cost colors for this generation since it debuted.

The Red Jewel is a multi/extra step process, hence the bigger extra charge for that.

As for the Black Granite, I'm not specifically sure, but as black metallic (not just basic black), there's either something extra with the process or it's just seen as a color that's "worth" the small extra charge--just viewing it as a premium color/paint.

Otherwise, it's only the Red Jewel and Black Granite that have upcharges. Everything else is no cost.

The black granite is only an extra $95 I believe.. but they have this thing in the paint that makes it kind of sparkle when you look at it. When your car's clean and it's daytime look very closely and you'll notice them. I'm assuming that's the reason for the additional cost.

I have a black one and it's totally worth the extra monies haha

Yup when I looked at the black one it was 95 for that and 205 for the red jewel

The black granite is only an extra $95 I believe.. but they have this thing in the paint that makes it kind of sparkle when you look at it. When your car's clean and it's daytime look very closely and you'll notice them. I'm assuming that's the reason for the additional cost.

I have a black one and it's totally worth the extra monies haha

Actually, yes, that does remind me that there is "something" special with the Black Granite, at least slightly. Other than being simply metallic black, the added sparkle was enough for those on a Cadillac forum, where the color is offered as "Black Ice" in addition to basic "Black Raven" and they charge $495 for it vs. the $195 as it is here with the Malibu and others.

It has to be something more than the sparkle...hence the Blue "Metallic". The blue seems to have metal flake in it and sparkles the same way as the black when it is clean and it is sunny out. I have compared the two side by side. I cannot vouch for the red jewel though. If mine didn't cost extra then who am I to complain.

Is it me or does the black granite look more like a darker gray when hit by direct sunlight?

Well then maybe that's the reason it's a "premium" colour.. like the Cadillac's White Pearl or w/e it's called now.. (although that was an extra $1,000).. it was normally white but when it gets hit by the sun, it turns into a pearl kind of colour.. looks pretty kewl actually

Maybe they shoulda called it Black Pearl...with duel color shift and all.

Yup when I looked at the black one it was 95 for that and 205 for the red jewel

Don't know if you were looking at an 09. It lists on the Chevy Malibu website at $195.

I guess i'll ask the dealer when i pick the car up. I'll post his reply here.

Maybe the cost went up... officially on my invoice.. it was $95 for 2008

Maybe the cost went up... officially on my invoice.. it was $95 for 2008

Your probably right. Everything else goes up, why not the paint?

On my 09 LTZ the invoice lists it as a $95 dollar option as well.

The reason its extra cost is because it has a SECOND coat of metallic flakes in it. Thats why it looks sorta color shifting.

On my 09 LTZ the invoice lists it as a $95 dollar option as well.

The reason its extra cost is because it has a SECOND coat of metallic flakes in it. Thats why it looks sorta color shifting.

Thanks bballer. When did you buy your 09, because i am getting charged $195? Like i said, i checked it out on the Chevy website and it also says $195, so i don't think the dealer is ripping me off.

We bought ours about two weeks ago. It is a 11/08 build and on the window sticker it said it was $95. The other black granite that was at our dealer was also $95.

We bought ours about two weeks ago. It is a 11/08 build and on the window sticker it said it was $95. The other black granite that was at our dealer was also $95.

I will have to look into this. If you don't mind me asking, what state did you buy the car in? I live in NY but the dealer is in CT.

We got it right across the border in KY.

Just checked the window sticker again and it says $95 for sure.

Probably the difference between a regualr Metallic paint and the Black Granite is the Metallics used, most of the usual metallic paints have an aluminum oxide shaving in it, then there are the special metallics that are like very small prizms and then you have the pearls which give a multi color hue in sunlight. The prizmatic and pearlesence paints are more costly and these paint additives are actually added in the clear coat of the paint.

i think they just charge extra for the black cause they know people want black, and its an easy way to make $95.

i think they just charge extra for the black cause they know people want black, and its an easy way to make $95.:lol:

Well you think wrong. Its an extra paint step to do both the Black Granite and Red Jewel.

If you look at any other color youll see the metallic paint on the other colors it isnt near as deep as them.

no red and brown paints are much more expensive to buy. is not an extra step. must more costly pigments to buy. just price a gallon of white paint and ask for the same brand in red at an auto store and you will see the vast difference in price. might be 29.00 vs 139.00

Except we're talking about Black Granite Metallic... not brown.. and it is an additional step.

no red and brown paints are much more expensive to buy. is not an extra step. must more costly pigments to buy. just price a gallon of white paint and ask for the same brand in red at an auto store and you will see the vast difference in price. might be 29.00 vs 139.00That is not true.

The extra step is having to mix the metallic into the clear coat. Sure the materials might be a little bit extra we are paying for that extra time it takes to paint it.

IIRC Red Jewel is an extra TWO steps in the painting process when compared to any other paint. That was told to the Camaro owners at the Indy unveiling.

Any Metallic paint is an extra step, it's the material used in the Metallic that makes up the extra cost! Prizmatics and Pearlesence additives are not cheap and cost more, usually you get about a pint of this stuff and it costs more than what a quart of paint costs.

You wanna know a good way to find out what's in the paint, ask a paint supplier to show you a mix card for these colors! PPG and Duponts paint systems are designed so that bodyshops can mix the colors by a paint card showing what all needs to be mixed to create the desired color.

A good strategy is to negotiate with the dealer on the model and features, and save the color choice for last. Then when they want to charge a few bucks extra for black or red, you can give them a funny look and try to bargain it down or get them to throw it in for free. If you start off by talking about your love of red cars and only looking at the red one on the lot, you will pay the $395 for sure when it comes time to talk numbers.

Don't know if you were looking at an 09. It lists on the Chevy Malibu website at $195.

The dealer had a black one for 95 and mine for 205, Must have been an 08

http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=212&stc=1&d=1233596826

Not the best pic but shows that my 09 has black granite for $95 extra.

Ok guys. I just picked my car up at the dealer today. It was all cleaned up and sitting out in front of the dealer show room, gleaming in the sun. I don't care if the black granite cost me an extra $200. It is the sharpest black paint i have ever seen. It sparkles when it sits in the sun. It was worth every penny. I did shoot out an email to GM over the weekend asking why the color cost more. On my way over to the dealer this morning i get a call from a GM rep on my cell phone. He was calling to answer my ? about the paint. He said that there is an extra fee because the paint itself cost so much more money. It is a special mixture that adds more sparkle and also looks like it changes shades depending on the way the light hits it.

Hey all. I'm a newbee to this forum. This Saturday i will be picking up my Black Granit 09 1LT from the dealer. Don't get me wrong i love the color. Can anyone explain to me why it is an extra charge for it though? I doesn't seem so different from alot of other blacks i have seen. I wanted Black so i will pay the extra $200 or so to get it but i must say it seems like Chevy is nitpicking with the extra fee. :confused:

A lot of the cost is the paint itself. If it is a metallic type or a pearl the stuff that makes it pearly or metallic can be costly. I saw some copper metallic one time that was over 3000.00 per gallon for the paint.

So some of these fancy paints you see on these car shows costs 5 to 8000 bucks.

And the candy apple type clears over a red are an extra work step so you will have labor etc.

You say the Black Granite changes color per say in different light? This is a Prizmatic Metallic paint, which under different kinds of light will change the way the color looks, kind of like the Chamelon Paints brought out a few years ago.

http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=212&stc=1&d=1233596826

Not the best pic but shows that my 09 has black granite for $95 extra.

bballr you are right. I just checked the window sticker and it did say $95. My bad.

bballr you are right. I just checked the window sticker and it did say $95. My bad.

Its all good. We actually didnt pay for it anyway. We told our dealer we didnt want black but it was the only LTZ within 600 miles of us with the Eco/A6 combo. So he said he'll give it to us for "free" just to get it off his lot so he could order another one. The other car was a Red Jewel.