front air dam and bumper issues

I

imported_Indy YZF

New member
My Alpine White '99 M3 has 50k miles on it, and, as you can imagine, the appearance of the front of the front bumper and air dam areas is no longer pristine, clean, and shiny.



Ive seen many that are worse, especially dark colored cars, where the stone dings, chips, and marring seems to show up as white on black.



But still, I would love it if it were improved. Last week, I went to town with some touchup paint and Langka, and was able to hide most of the chips. What's left is what I would call ground in dirt. Its no longer real smooth to the touch, yet, its not really chips, as Ive covered and smoothed most of those over.



So, I was thinking, do you folks think that if I attacked the area with clay, it might improve things, cause I think some of the problem is this ground in dirt that I cant seem to remove with a microfiber towel and polish. Im thinking maybe the clay would pull some of the dirt out of the paint.?



Another thing I was considering... I have a couple of spray cans of laquer in the right color, including clear coat. How good or bad an idea would it be to lightly sand the entire leading edge of the bumper, mask off the trim, lights, and so on, and spray the area with 2-3 layers of the Alpine III white lacquer, let it dry, and follow with clear spray lacquer? I would have to do this outside, which doesnt thrill me.



So, perhaps, I should try and do what I can with clay, rubbing compound, polish, and wax. And when it gets too bad for me to take anymore, just bring it to a body shop and have them professionally paint the bumper/air dam.



What do you guys think?
 
Clay would work nicely to remove embedded dirt from the smaller chips that haven't worked through your paint. I'd consider using a polish after the clay to bring the gloss back to your paint and then finish with your favorite wax.



I'm not sure I'd respray the bumper myself, I'd take it to a professional if the bumper looks that bad. If you decide to tackle the job yourself I'd remove the bumper completely before respray to avoid the overspray on the entire car. You'd also want to do this in a dust free environment and insure the paint is dry before adding a second third coat.
 
paul e- For what you're describing, I would ALWAYS try clay before using a polish (I clay surfaces like that quite frequently). "Paint cleaners" are something you can try AFTER the clay, they're sorta a "subspecies" of polishes. Also, AIO can do some pretty amazing cleanups.



I sure wouldn't recommend that you try to paint the front bumper cover/air dam of your M3 at home. It's definitely a "take off, paint, re-install" job and as GoodnClean mentioned, it's gonna need a flex additive. Just SO many things that can go wrong, pay a pro to do it right.
 
Well Accumulator, I gave it a good try yesterday, first with the clay, followed up by 3m mod strength rubbing compound in a small wool bonnet in a 1000 rpm drill, followed by swirl remover, followed by wax. BTW, Im not a fool. Id never use the mod strength rubbing compound with a rotary applicator and wool on the sheetmetal painted surfaces...but there was no reason not to use it on the front bumper area, which needed the strength, and where Im not so meticulous about fine clearcoat scratches.



Its better, but the simple fact is this area of the car gets sand blasted. No amount of cleaing or touchups is going to give it that new appearance anymore. Its just what happens after 50k miles to this part of bmws. And dont get me wrong. Ive seen plenty worse!



Still, it is measurably better. Thanks for the tips. wnen it truely gets bad, I ll just take it to a shop, and have him spray the whole front part of the car. I guess thats the best thing to do when the time comes.
 
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