BMW 335i Paint

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dinosaur12

New member
I am looking to buy a 335 (when I find a deal) and wanted you guys opinion on the paint. Is it difficult to work with? Hard or soft paint? I black a nightmare to work with?



Looking for your opinion as to what color you would buy.



Thanks guys!
 
I have a space grey 335i for a little over 2 years. The paint is practically flawless. A few waterspots that with a 500 watt halo and lots of searching you can find. Only washed with sheepskin mitt, grit guard and usually separate water for top of car and base boards.



I'm told the flat black is a real PITA. Some say can't be corrected with a PC alone as it doesn't finish well. No experience on my end, but I believe I found that here. I've read the metallic black is alot easier to work with.



I love my color as with Klasse AIO and SG, it looks great, even a little dirty.



Below is a link to the BMW forum, E90 section where I found alot of useful info. Picus, a poster here who has a graphite 335i posts over there as well.



On a performance note, its the most fun I've ever had in a car and we have a company lambo (Lambo would be more fun if stick instead of paddles) Lambo is obviously more impressive. The 335i is a beast when you get on it and a luxury car when driven easy. Best of both worlds in my opinion.



I just put runflats back on as I'm turning it in in 10 mos. The traction is significantly worse.



Good luck



Wash, Wax, Detailing and Exterior repairs - E90Post - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
 
Do not buy Jet Black! It is VERY soft and a real pain to deal with. If you want black, get the Black Sapphire Metallic. It's more of a medium paint hardness.



I never understood why people will ask other's opinions on what color car they should buy. Buy what *you* like, not everyone else. Now if you are asking what color to get as far as easiest to maintain a good finish on or correct, then clarify that and you will get some recommendations.



Good luck with the hunt. They are fun cars.
 
blk45 said:
Do not buy Jet Black! It is VERY soft and a real pain to deal with. If you want black, get the Black Sapphire Metallic. It's more of a medium paint hardness.



I never understood why people will ask other's opinions on what color car they should buy. Buy what *you* like, not everyone else. Now if you are asking what color to get as far as easiest to maintain a good finish on or correct, then clarify that and you will get some recommendations.



Good luck with the hunt. They are fun cars.
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+1.



Jet Black is a nightmare, the worst color/paint choice you could make IMO. Black Sapphire is the way to go if you want a black Bimmer.
 
thanks for replies

I will keep them in mind when looking for my car.

And yes, I was asking more about maintenance then what color I should get. Thanks again guys
 
I have space gray and noticed light water spot etching the day I picked the car up. It also seems very hard to remove. I haven't tried wet sanding yet but it can only be seen under certian lighting conditions when looking very hard. I have had MB's for years and never had an issue.
 
I detail a Crimson red one quite frequently and they're right. It's fairly soft. I found corrections fairly easy with that paint though. 106ff with a white pad put quite a dent in what I was dealing with.
 
My wife's 2006 325i is Alpine White, which has the hardest clear cote I have ever seen. I actually like it, as it does not scratch easily. It polishes up nicely with M105 on PFW and 106FF on white with a rotary.
 
dinosaur12 said:
I am looking to buy a 335 (when I find a deal) and wanted you guys opinion on the paint. Is it difficult to work with? Hard or soft paint? I black a nightmare to work with?



Looking for your opinion as to what color you would buy.



Thanks guys!
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BMWs assembled in Germany are mostly using powder-clear coats.

I feel that these PCCs are considered hard clearcoats.



Soft clears, while being a PITA to work with, has the advantage of scratches being removed more easily. It's just that you hv to follow up with removal of buffer swirls using multiple rounds of the DA machine.
 
gigondaz said:
.Soft clears, while being a PITA to work with, has the advantage of scratches being removed more easily. It's just that you hv to follow up with removal of buffer swirls using multiple rounds of the DA machine.
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Not when it comes to the new Jet Black paint. You will scratch it up just by wiping it.



Stay away from it.
 
Here's an idea of BMW's Carbon Black...



It's sort of pain to keep it in good condition. But when its clean.. its a beauty.



My previous vehicle was Silver Grey Metalliac and it was so easy to keep clean.



In my experience... My first car was Black... then Silver Grey Metalliac... then Silver.... Then Carbon Black... I am ready for some unique color... :)



:angry How come I cant post any pics...? :angry
 
coke4class said:
Here's an idea of BMW's Carbon Black...



It's sort of pain to keep it in good condition. :angry
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Actually I took care of a Carbon Black M3 for 36 months weekly. (it was a lease). Only way I could clean it was using QEW and the car was still in 99% shape. I did do many spot correction on the car during the 3 years and polished it out several times.



If you know how to wash it properly, the car will be fine.
 
Hi first post here... I own a Space Grey '08 530i (F/L model) and I find that the paint is very hard to ruin. I was stupid enough to use a brush on my old '04 318i (also F/L) and that left many swirls on my Titanium Silver paint. Now I get free washes every 2 weeks from my new dealer and its in great condition. Now I want to start taking care of it myself so thats why I'm here! Good luck with your purchase!



Oh yeah I almost went for the Carbon Black because it was available with my M sport package but chose not to... lucky for me I guess!
 
tdekany said:
Not when it comes to the new Jet Black paint. You will scratch it up just by wiping it.



Stay away from it.
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You're correct. I've done a few black Honda Civics (7th gen-type) with OEM paint, and it was so darn soft, even gently buffing off Menz 106FF from it created very fine scratches. very frustrating!!!!!!

At last, after applying 106FF, i didn't buff it off.

I slapped on a fresh LC Blue pad, used a shorter-stroke PorterCable machine, and buffed off the residue. Phew! Lots of hard work.
 
gigondaz said:
You're correct. I've done a few black Honda Civics (7th gen-type) with OEM paint, and it was so darn soft, even gently buffing off Menz 106FF from it created very fine scratches. very frustrating!!!!!!

At last, after applying 106FF, i didn't buff it off.

I slapped on a fresh LC Blue pad, used a shorter-stroke PorterCable machine, and buffed off the residue. Phew! Lots of hard work.
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Try the Jet Black 335i. Pretty much an every month paint correction.



Been there done that, after a few years of maintaining Jet Black you eventually learn to NEVER have this color. Other "black" vehicles do not even compare to how soft this is.
 
MartinD said:
Try the Jet Black 335i. Pretty much an every month paint correction.



Been there done that, after a few years of maintaining Jet Black you eventually learn to NEVER have this color. Other "black" vehicles do not even compare to how soft this is.
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Agreed. We have a JB X3 in the family, after nearly 3 years, I have pretty much given up on it. Last summer I was good about washing it (*very carefully*) every week or two, from the time I corrected the paint to 95% in mid June to the end of August there was plenty of swirls and marring. At this point I just have my mom run it through the touchless once every few weeks (end of lease coming in March, thank God). Not even worth my time. :ignore



My neighbor has a (IIRC) Crimson Red 330xi that I washed exclusively for her after its big spring detail this year, and it, too, seems to get marred up pretty easily, even with carefull washes.



On the other hand, my father drives an X5 in Steel Grey, I haven't corrected the paint in over a year (15k miles in that time), washes every few weeks, and marring is minimal. Definitely needs a mild polishing, but for the most part it still looks great. :woot:



Bottom line, you will regret buying pretty much any darker, non-metallic Bimmer.
 
tdekany said:
Actually I took care of a Carbon Black M3 for 36 months weekly. (it was a lease). Only way I could clean it was using QEW and the car was still in 99% shape. I did do many spot correction on the car during the 3 years and polished it out several times.



If you know how to wash it properly, the car will be fine.
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:o I've had my car for a year and i think it's in pretty good condition, as I am not an expert in detailing... im just a newbie...:heelclick Im too scared to use orbital/machine polish... I've done everything by hand... pure dedication...



Some products I have used is Mezerna/ Klasse/ Soverign wax... etc... only polish I have tried so far is non abrasive.... I want to learn how to use the orbital...!



Anyone in Orlando?! Teach me!!!:hifive:





Joel_MD said:
Because you're a new guy. Once you have 10 posts under your belt you should be fine.
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Let me work on posting up some and I ill post my car pic's... hopefully you guys can have an idea of the color and the condition...



Bigpoppa3346 said:
Agreed. We have a JB X3 in the family, after nearly 3 years, I have pretty much given up on it. Last summer I was good about washing it (*very carefully*) every week or two, from the time I corrected the paint to 95% in mid June to the end of August there was plenty of swirls and marring. At this point I just have my mom run it through the touchless once every few weeks (end of lease coming in March, thank God). Not even worth my time. :ignore



My neighbor has a (IIRC) Crimson Red 330xi that I washed exclusively for her after its big spring detail this year, and it, too, seems to get marred up pretty easily, even with carefull washes.



On the other hand, my father drives an X5 in Steel Grey, I haven't corrected the paint in over a year (15k miles in that time), washes every few weeks, and marring is minimal. Definitely needs a mild polishing, but for the most part it still looks great. :woot:



Bottom line, you will regret buying pretty much any darker, non-metallic Bimmer.
Click to expand...
 
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