BMW E36 318iS - Sublacquer Swirls...

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imported_Dave KG

New member
Well this was a tough old day! Am a bit demorlaised today, this car exhibting what appeared to below sub-laquer swirls (not impacted by Power Gloss, despite 10um of clear removed per set) which detracted from the finish unfortunately... Nothing I can do, I know, but still gutting... at least there was a noticeable imrpovement to the finish (car has had multiple reprays judging by thickness readings and gloss levels, see within)... Anyways, down to business.



Arrived in Wellbank at 9am this morning with Bryan to meet up with chris_bmw from the forum, and was greeted with a fairly clean looking black E36 - at this point, I thought I was going to be for an easy day!! :lol:











Bryan washed out the arches with APC and the Karcher and cleaned the wheels with Chemical Guys Blue rim cleaner. Arches were dressed with Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care. The car was then washed with Meguiars Hyper Wash, and dried off ready for claying. The car was clayed with Meguiars Mirror Glaze Blue Clay, but was pretty clean so only a light and mild claying was required... Bryan clayed the car while I set up the rotaries and got ready for a test spot... the bonnet.



Out with the Brinkmann, and any notion of an easy day was well and truly blown into the weeds but the bonnet before shots:















BMWs are reknowned for hard paint, but this car had had a respray on the bonnet for sure, and most other panels looked like they had been sprayed too juding by the thickness readings. Started out by trying Meguiars #83 DACP on a W8006 polishing pad by rotary but the swilrs just laughed at it. No difference at all... This was gonna be a long one, out with the big guns. Meguiars W7006 cutting pad and Menzerna Power Gloss, spread at 600rpm then two passes at 1200rpm then spritz, four passes at 1500rpm, spritz, four passes at 1500rpm, spritz, two passes at 900rpm. The results of this:







 
Across the bonnet, what now looked like deeper swilrs - patchy areas worse than others. So, I thought, a second hit of Power Gloss ought to do it. Checked the paint thickness, safe 180um to play with (~7-10um removal) so the above was repeated - the result was no change!! Nada, nothing, SFA! Strange, very strange - out with the PTG and another 7-10um drop in thickness. At this point I began to think that maybe these marks were sublacquer as there was literally no change to them... But, decided to try one last time as the paint thickness was safe, this time with the more aggressive Menzerna White Cutting pad. But still nothing and 10um more paint down. At this stage, I was convinced these marks were sublacquer and there was nothing I was going to be able to do - so rather than remove all the paint from the car, out with the Menzerna PO85RD on a Meguiars W8006 polishing pad to refine the finish.



For sure, there is a good improvement and colour and life restored to the paint, but these sub-surface marks are annoying as for me its detracting from the finish, but nothing I could do... Onwards, then - to the rest of the car which was to receive Power Gloss followed by Final Finish.... A sample of the results achieved, this time on the front wing:



Before





After





Again, these isolated marks that just wouldn't shift, despite repeat attempts when safe to do so! An improvment, but not the perfection I strive after... I continued to Power Gloss while Bryan followed round with the Final Finish.



The passenger side was a different kettle of fish... Reading of over 200um suggested a respray, close inspection revealed a complete lack of gloss to the finish:







Applying Power Gloss as above, and this did little to restore the finish... so I went for a more aggressive approach now to aim to revive some gloss to the very dead and flat looking paint. This time, I applied spread the Power Gloss at 600rpm, then two passes at 1500rpm. Spritz. Four passes at 2100rpm. Spritz. Repeat, then two passes at 1200rpm. The result was a restoration of the gloss of the finish, the below pic showing the door completed and the wing not touched...







And then the wing complete:







Once the defect correction was complete, it was time to to give the finish a deeper lustre being solid black... Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze was applied, and topped with Meguiars #26 Wax for protection. A resultant reflection shot from the bonnet:







The glass was cleaned with Meguiars Glass Cleaner Concentrate. Wheels waxed with Smartwax Rim Wax. Tyres with Meguiars Endurance. Plastics with Meguiars #38. Owing to the time it took to compound the car, the darkness had started to come in by the time the car was competed I'm afraid, but at least this time it was dry to get the car outside for after pics:
 




















Despite the annoying sublacquer marks, I had a great day doing this car and the solid black came up really nicely. Good to meet up with chris_bmw too. :thumb:
 
jeepers, did they wash the color with a sos pad before spraying the clear? good job! nasty swirls. then again every car i touch looks similar to that. i live in a very ignorant area for car care. im moving.
 
I am in the same boat with my own car. The hood, rear door and fender on the driver's side and the trunk lid were repainted by the original owner (got to be at least 5 years ago) and there are some areas that show absolutely no improvement, leading me to the same conclusion as you reached on the BMW-the defects are under the respray. Honestly, though, us Autopians are the only ones who would notice anyway so I stopped stressing over them.



Definite improvement in the overall depth and gloss of the car in the before and afters, looks absolutely soaking wet now! :)
 
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