Looking for Helpful Hints for Correcting BMW Jet Black Paint

L

Lonnie

Active member
After "detailing" (a misnomer if there ever was one on my part!) my neighbor's grand daughter's black Jeep, the grand daughter's mom wants me to do her Jet Black BMW 3-series. I know that I probably should have turned this job down, after reading that no respectable professional detailer will EVER own that color for a BMW. But since I have relented to doing it, I am asking for help on how to get that color into a respectable condition. I am open to any suggestions, especially pad selections in combination with compounds and polishes. My REAL problem is not being able to inspect the vehicle's condition up close and personal. I have seen the vehicle next door from a distance and it looks fairly good, but hey, it's a Jet Black BMW. I am really concerned about what NOT to do to mess up the surface condition. Thanks in advance to this Autopian community for your help and suggestions.

(Yes, I, too, will learn to just say "NO" to BMW Jet Black)
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
I think the more important question is how/ who is going to maintain the paint AFTER you perform a paint correction on it.
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It's both a matter of that, and what the customer's expectations are. I have a regular client whose JB M3 I take care of and while he really wants his car to look and remain "perfect," I tell him on a constant basis that since his car is not garaged and he drives it in every imaginable weather/road condition, that simply isn't realistic. Owning a JB BMW is a lifestyle choice and if the owner chooses to live an incongruent lifestyle to that which their car requires to maintain perfection or near perfection, they need to be willing and able to live with a few defects (and, consequently, a full correction is often unnecessary and in some ways can be irresponsible).
 
What works for me is #105 with an Optimum MF pad, ONR to remove compound dusting, #205 with a Meguiars yellow foam pad and 3M Ultrafina using a yellow Meguiars foam pad, wax, rewash, another coat of wax. I want to get a coat of wax (or sealant) on the paint BEFORE I do the final wash to remove any remaining dust. The paint tends to be so soft that washing it without any wax or sealant on it at all can leave wash induced marring no matter how gentle you are.
 
That is a car that usually requires a heavy cut polish. You may have to start with power gloss a white wool cutting pads, and work your way to a finishing polish. Rarely do you remove all defects using a foam pad on that hard clear coat.
 
gmblack3 said:
Pack of matches and a few gallons of gas.
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+1 Rofl. Yes I'll add to the voice that going 100% perfect correction and thinking it will survive is a foolish. If its a show car that gets babied like mad and never "Driven" in the real world maybe it can be maintained. Jet black is ridiculous.



How much clear/paint do you take off going all the way? You'd be surprised when you say you can do a 1 step polish, then say PoliSeal/GPS it and quote a far reasonable price without tearing your hair out during the detail.
 
JohnKleven said:
That is a car that usually requires a heavy cut polish. You may have to start with power gloss a white wool cutting pads, and work your way to a finishing polish. Rarely do you remove all defects using a foam pad on that hard clear coat.
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John, you're thinking of Diamond Black. Jet Black is usually so soft that it's very very hard to finish it holo free and practically impossible to keep it sound. Fluffy MF towels can leave marks in that paint...
 
I have a Jet Black BMW. It is really a pain in the *** to keep clean! Just touching clean paint with your bare hands mars the paint. I purchased the car used and went to work on taking out some swirls and scratches. I did a good polish with Menzerna SIP, followed up with Super Finish and some LSP. Looked good.



Even when things look perfect, after a couple of washes you'll see swirls come up again. I always use a ton of lubrication, ONR mixed into wash solution, merino wool wash mitts, fresh drying towels etc. Still comes back with some swirls in bright sunlight. Just can't keep it perfect. I've found that layering on some Gtechniq C2 every month or so hides some of the swirling and that's the process I am reduced to. As a daily driver, it is a real pain.
 
Szia - the newer Jet Black is not like the late 06/early 07s. You can wipe them with a MF towel. :)



Bence said:
John, you're thinking of Diamond Black. Jet Black is usually so soft that it's very very hard to finish it holo free and practically impossible to keep it sound. Fluffy MF towels can leave marks in that paint...
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