2009 bmw alpine white insanely hard

[Jean-Claude]

I've done a lot of polishing/compounding on BMW paint over the last 5 years and I just came across the most retardedly hard clear on a BMW or any other make I've worked on.



It's a 2009 335i with alpine white paint. The customer had been burned by a drive-up car washer. The washer had used a dirty rag and/or dirty mitt when he washed and dried it. It left quite a bit of swirl marks. When I arrived this morning and looked at the car I really thought a one-step with 3m finesse-it and a gray pad would knock it out of the park and it wouldn't be a 4 hour job.



The one-step didn't touch it AT ALL so I stepped up to a white pad, nothing. I stepped up to orange with SIP on a FLEX. It didn't touch it. I moved up to Menzerna compound and a purple wool pad on the Makita. It barely budged. After working the hood forever I got about 95% of them out.



WHAT IN THE WORLD! BMW paint is supposed to be soft and a pushover to work with. Am I missing something about a direction BMW is taking with the clear?

 

[Envious Eric]

they switched and I believe the JB is now harder as well!

 

[opaz57]

I did my 2007 BMW 328xi yesterday with a Flex, Power Gloss compound, and an orange Lake County pad. It took me 3 or 4 applications to get the desired results. Hard, hard clear coat.

 

[imported_moorfan]

I did my 2007 BMW 328xi yesterday with a Flex, Power Gloss compound, and an orange Lake County pad. It took me 3 or 4 applications to get the desired results. Hard, hard clear coat.

Polishing my 2008 335i is nuts...Using HD Uno I was able to get wet sanding scratches out but only after an insane amount of work...running that HD Uno pad with the 7424XP at setting 6 made the paint so hot it was untouchable for a few minutes. Too bad it isn't "chip" resistant paint. :-(

 

[efnfast]

Polishing my 2008 335i is nuts...Using HD Uno I was able to get wet sanding scratches out but only after an insane amount of work...running that HD Uno pad with the 7424XP at setting 6 made the paint so hot it was untouchable for a few minutes. Too bad it isn't "chip" resistant paint. :-(

no offense, but hd + pc isn't exactly a smart way to remove wetsanding scratches quickly.

 

[imported_sblue]

I have an 07 335 and tried chemical guys scratch and swirl removal (which claims to remove 1500-1700 sanding marks) on an orange hex pad and I barely dented any scratches even after 2 passes. I always thought bmw clear was supposed to be soft?

 

[Mindflux]

I have an 07 335 and tried chemical guys scratch and swirl removal (which claims to remove 1500-1700 sanding marks) on an orange hex pad and I barely dented any scratches even after 2 passes. I always thought bmw clear was supposed to be soft?

Paint is changing all the time. Clears are getting harder and harder it seems, which is odd since it's still so damn easy to scratch up. :think2

 

[Accumulator]

And a lot of products claim to remove x-grit sanding scratches, but can't come close to doing it under most circumstances. 1500 grit scratches aren't gonna come out very easily no matter what you use (and I'd never finish with 1500 grit anyhow, in part for that reason).



What I find interesting here is what people seem to consider aggressive :grinno:



That said, getting the paint so hot that it's "untouchable for a few minutes" might not be the best of ideas no matter what you're using.

 

[a_guerrajr]

aww man, i have an 08 coming up and it's white too... don't scare me fellas



what do you guys recommend to go up against this hard clear?

 

[Prelude_ghost]

would Mini's paint fall under BMW as well?

 

[Accumulator]

aww man, i have an 08 coming up and it's white too... don't scare me fellas



what do you guys recommend to go up against this hard clear?

Eh, nothing scary about hard paint IMO. Today's products made for scratch-resistant clear work fine on hard paint. Just have stuff like M105 on hand for the serious work and don't expect "swirl remover"-strength products to do serious correction.



Of course, it gets back to not marring it up in the first place So work on your wash technique.

 

[Atlantic Euro]

I've worked on an '08 335i, and found it very hard as well. Really made me appreciate my Flex...