1988 bmw m5

[Milarsky]

Hello All,



Firstly, thank you for all of your information over the years. I learned a great deal of how to detail both my BMW`s-2000 M Coupe and 2000 540i. The couple is sold and I recently bought another classic a BMW 1988 M5 in black, of course. I do not see the car until June, but I have a question regarding the paint. I understand that it is single stage and has never been repainted. The paint is in great condition. How would you all go about correcting the paint. I have never worked on single stage. I assume there is not clear coat. Can you recommend pad and polish combinations that will not be too agressive nor strip to much paint? I own a Flex and Porter Cable DA`s and have a nice assortment of polishes and sealants. I realize that without seeing the car we may be just guessing, but would welcome your initial thoughts.



many thanks,

Jeff

[Milarsky]

Does anyone have any ideas?

[Zack01gc]

Does anyone have any ideas?



On my 1984 633CSi, I used to use LC foam pads on a Porter Cable. I used Pinnacle XMT, and Poorboy`s SSR2.5 and SSR1, topped with Meguiar`s #26. Never had an issue. The paint was very thin, I`m sure it would cut through on hard edges if you weren`t careful.



The only OEM BMW paints in the 80`s that had clearcoats were the metallic colors. Non-metallic colors were all single stage (some of them even into the 90`s.)

[Richard Grasa]

First I would rule out a repaint for certain and make sure it`s single stage and not clear coat, doesn`t hurt to be 100% sure. Easiest way to do that, take some polish on a MF wrapped around your finger and rub it on the paint. If black comes up on the MF, it`s single stage. If no color comes up on the MF, it`s clear coat.



You said the paint is in great condition, but you want to know how to correct it. What needs correcting? Just some light swirls, or something more severe? "Great condition" can mean different things to different people.



A good combo with some correcting ability would be something like HD Polish on a light polishing pad. Can do some light correction, but not so aggressive it`s going to overly thin your paint.