'06 BMW Black...Problems?

SpoiledMan

SpoiledMan

New member
I've heard from a number of people that have had problems polishing paint and removing polishes on '06 black BMW's. I started this thread to compile the complaints as well as hear the success stories and what you used to succeed. Thoughts?
 
From what I'm hearing they're difficult to finish and when you do finish well, the removal of polish mars the paint.
 
Hrm. I've done three 330i's in black, two flat black one metallic. I did not have this issue on any of them. I did notice the paint was rather soft, but not nearly as soft as my Infiniti or many cars I've done (Honda's, for example). I don't recall the exact processes used but I know on one flat black I went Hi Temp HC/orange @1500 then 106FF grey @1300 to LSP, no micromarring. The other two were PC only, just light marring.. pretty sure it was FPII/white or something similar on both. No issues with polish removal.
 
Oddly enough, #80 seems to work pretty well, everything else I've tried(no access to Menzerna so can't comment on it) seems to leave marring. Also try to use your best towels as well.
 
Picus said:
Hrm. I've done three 330i's in black, two flat black one metallic. I did not have this issue on any of them. I did notice the paint was rather soft, but not nearly as soft as my Infiniti or many cars I've done (Honda's, for example). I don't recall the exact processes used but I know on one flat black I went Hi Temp HC/orange @1500 then 106FF grey @1300 to LSP, no micromarring. The other two were PC only, just light marring.. pretty sure it was FPII/white or something similar on both. No issues with polish removal.
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What's that? It's NOT as soft as Honda paint? If that's the case it's a non issue. I've got that stuff down pat!:D
 
gbackus said:
Oddly enough, #80 seems to work pretty well, everything else I've tried(no access to Menzerna so can't comment on it) seems to leave marring. Also try to use your best towels as well.
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George, I'll try to burn that into my mental rolodex if I find myself having any trouble with one. I did an '05 last week that was black and oddly enough would only finish with the rotary, finishing pad and 85RD. Nothing else would work but I had no problem with removal no matter what towel I used.
 
Hmmm.. Im going to be working on a 06 BMW on friday.. hopefully I dont have any issues, Ill report back. Not black.. but a darker blue/grey color.
 
SpoiledMan said:
From what I'm hearing they're difficult to finish and when you do finish well, the removal of polish mars the paint.
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I have had it happen to me--even the softest MF that I have (the blue attntodetails ultra plush) marred upon removal. To date, it was the softest paint that I have encountered. On this BMW, it made Honda paint seem like cermiclear. :eek: I tried everything, the HT products would finish down, as would the 3M and Menzerna, but IMO the paint was so soft that there was need to put a rotary on it--he only had light marring. Oddly enough, I ended up using #80 via PC with a polishing pad, which *never* finishes down correctly via PC on soft paints for me. I advised the owner to trade it in--it was that soft. :D
 
SpoiledMan said:
Whoa, it sounds like the paint hardness is all over the place. Joe, do you have a Cyclo?
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Yep, but I didn't try it because speed glaze worked (speed glaze doen't like the cyclo IME). The paint was so soft that I really could not believe it. :(



I still can't figure out why the #80 worked??? Typically on soft paint I get *extreme* micromarring when using #80 via PC.
 
Were you in the sun?



#80 may have worked because it may have filled in some of the micromarring. I dunno. I did another carbon black (dark blue/black), '06 550i yesterday and the paint seemed about average in hardness to me.
 
Picus said:
Were you in the sun?



#80 may have worked because it may have filled in some of the micromarring. I dunno. I did another carbon black (dark blue/black), '06 550i yesterday and the paint seemed about average in hardness to me.
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Nope, in the garage. I find that when using #80 on soft paint, the area polished looks *worse* than the area where the maring is. This being the case, it's not that it is filling but rather dulling the paint with thousands of small microscratches that is the problem. Does that make sense? I have no ide why it worked here, but it did. This paint was so soft that even with the softest MF and only the weight of the MF on the paint--it would mar. I used copious amounts of QD to remove polish residue and it stilled marred the paint upon removal.



I have also detailed (twice now) a 2006 M3 where the paint was average. :nixweiss
 
Did a blue '06 BMW a month or so ago - because it was blue I thought I'd be able to cruise at 1500 rpms with the green P2 and 106FF, but I could see trace halograms so I really had to slow things down and ease up on the pressure to get her to finish down. This tells me the paint was quite soft.



Funny thing about the black Honda paint...even though it is soft for sure (usually I get quite a bit of marring just by claying (remember I always have rust to pull off)) it actually is not hard to finish down on with a rotary.



Last thing to consider...we must keep in mind that there are huge variances from plant to plant and they are constantly switching brands when a cheaper deal comes along...anything to cut costs by 50 cents per car.
 
Ya, I agree RAG - I consider Honda paint soft, but not hard to work on. In fact, I really enjoy working on it. I just did an '06 civic that finished down wonderfully with 106ff on a white via PC. The only paints I've consitently had trouble finishing down clean on are black Infiniti's.
 
ebpcivicsi said:
This paint was so soft that even with the softest MF and only the weight of the MF on the paint--it would mar. I used copious amounts of QD to remove polish residue and it stilled marred the paint upon removal.



I have also detailed (twice now) a 2006 M3 where the paint was average. :nixweiss
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Sounds like a problem I had with a repainted VW Jetta, black. Turns out the detergent I was using to wash my MF's had a "Scent", which really is just fabric softener residue... So I switched my MF soap and I haven't had a problem since!
 
Amen. Man I like your thinking. I've had a mixed bag with black Audi's, but the toughest two vehicles I have ever done in regards to finishing down on were black Audis - I'll never forget, cause I was having a heck of a time and the PC was leaving substantial micro-marrinig.



And I too just did an '06 civic...it was it 90% condition when it came to me, and when it left there wasn't a trace line or swirl anywhere (best I'd ever done).



Picus said:
Ya, I agree RAG - I consider Honda paint soft, but not hard to work on. In fact, I really enjoy working on it. I just did an '06 civic that finished down wonderfully with 106ff on a white via PC. The only paints I've consitently had trouble finishing down clean on are black Infiniti's.
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I agree with ebpcivicsi, I really find the paint finiky. A Black 06' 330xi nearly killed me-I ended up polishing the hood with OHC to remove swirls(via PC) then repolished it 3 times with FPII to remove the marring I induced while removing the polish. Doesn't correct as easily as one might think, either. My mother has an 06' BMW X3 in black that is an absolute b**** to maintain, I don't even wash it that much anymore because of how easily it is marred. Horrible, horrible paint, IMO. BMW should take the hint from the rest of the German's and put some(much) harder clear on their cars.
 
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