BMW Paint-Need Quick reponse plz!!

[ANB]

I have an 04 Accord Coupe EX V6 right now and I might possibly purchase an 04 BMW 325I tonight. I LOVE the way black looks on it. However after I bought this black Accord and saw how hard the paint is to manage (swirls, etc) I told myself I will never buy another black car again.



Is BMW paint a little better than Accord paint? Will it swirl and scratch just as easy? I could probably get my hair and run it across my hood on that accord and swirl it. Thats how bad or soft it is. Something isn`t right there. How do you feel about the BMW black paint? I could always get silver, but the black is just so awesome.



Need opinions PLEASE!



Thanks!!! :D

[tom p.]

Much of it will come down to your maintainence technique. You may need some refinement but black and other dk colors do require more TLC and concentration.



We have an Orient Blue 325Cic. I can`t say the paint is any better/worse to deal with from a swirling/hazing perspective.





Good luck and get the black if that`s what you really want. There is no shortage of exceptional products to help maintain that perfect finish!





http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/26sonaxandglanz.jpg

http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/26simg_0276.jpg

[imported_Intermezzo]

We have a jet black 330I and while I haven`t compared it directly to black paint from an Accord, I highly doubt it will get any easier. However, black is my favorite color and IMO, very much worth all the extra headache and effort required to keep in showroom condition. It`s all just a matter of whether or not you`re willing to go the extra mile.



But to answer your question directly, our jet black bimmer is pretty much a nightmare to detail and certain procedures take twice as long to complete than on my silver car. But still, I wouldn`t trade it for any other color!!



Tom, very nice pics!! :up

[AndyC]

I love working with German paint although my experience is less than anyone else who`s posted here and the cars all belong to customers not me but comparing a German car directly to my Renault I`d say the German paint is superior in every respect.



I detailed a metallic black/dark grey 3 series coupe and dark metallic blue 3 series convertible at the weekend. Both had been seriously neglected (wheels were black and caked in dust). Owner asked for wash, polish & wax and that`s all I did - no PC as he didn`t want to pay me to use it! The paint came up seriously good and customer was happy which is the main thing.



I ran a 98 Accord in silver but as this was way pre-Autopia I can`t say whether it had better quality paint or not - sorry.

[maecrispy]

It`s my understanding that the clearcoat on BMW`s will be softer and therefore easier to swirl.



From CMA:



http://www.properautocare.com/aregepadi.html



(this is based on the assumption that your EX V6 Accord was made in Marysville and uses american suppliers for the clearcoat. I don`t actually know first hand though that this is the case.)

[TLL]

I would not necessarily agree with that. I have seen some BMW dealerships go to town on the paint. I have seen some really hard BMW paint.



I would have no problem owning a black car. You just can not fake it with cheap products. And you have to use your brain a little when it comes to washing and detailing.

[rickindy]

My roomie has a black Miata. You just have to be careful. Look at it this way, if you can get a black car to look great, anything else you touch will also be great.

[Carl Anderson]

I own Jet Back BMW and it is somewhat challenging to keep nice. But nothing looks better, in my opinion, than a non-meta black that is well cared for.

[ANB]

Thanks for the replies! I left a downpayment at the dealership and told them I want to see the jet black I`m looking at in the sun Saturday and if the paint looks good I`ll take it.

At home I have a pc 7424, poorboys ex, ssr2, carnauba moose wax, vanilla moose hand glaze and some meguiars tech wax. Oh and some waffleweave mf`s. So I should be good to go. I used all of these on my Accord and I was extremely careful so as long as I`m not careless I`m sure the bmw will be fine. Am I missing any products?



Should I be using something else on BMW jet black paint?



Thanks again!

[imported_Griz]

The ssr2 should be perfect with a cutting pad. On my cosmos metalic 99 I had tried ssr1 (as well as meg`s #1) with a polishing pad and still wasn`t getting good enough results. But the ssr2 worked great with no hazing, so there was no need to follow up with ssr1.



For polish, AIO, that is all.



As far as the rest of the job, I`d suggest staying along the carnuba route, especially with the jet black paint. s100 seems to be the predominant choice among bimmer owners, there`s also a few zaino freaks along the way. Personally, I use UPP, but that`s just because carnuba was de-emphasizing the pearl in my paint job.

[TortoiseAWD]

Please don`t cross-post. Your thread from the Detailing forum has been merged with this one.



Thanks,

Tort

(moderator)

[ANB]

I`m sorry, I don`t remember posting this tread anywhere else. The afternoon I posted this thread someone was doing sql work and we couldn`t get to the forums. When it came back I didn`t see my post and when I hit "back" it said "thank you for posting" or whatever it says. Didn`t mean to post twice..sorry!

[TortoiseAWD]

ANB,



The forum software must have hiccupped . . . It`s no big deal, and all the info is now in this thread.



Welcome aboard,

Tort