BMW Jet Black, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! help...

9

98Vette

New member
Just purchased a jet black '04 BMW 330i ZHP. Great little car, but the paint is swirled big time. I tried several combos of pad and polish (rotary and PC). Got a lot of them out (tried for a couple of hours last night) but some swirl still remains. I have one other combo that I will try (thanks, ptaylor 9849). I was just wondering what some folks have tried with good results. Here's my pad/polish library:



pads:

LC purple wool

Megs maroon

Megs yellow

Megs grey

3m waffle white

3m waffle grey

also have two 5" orange pads that came with the Menzerna



polish:

Menz SIP

Menz 106ff

Menz IP

Menz FPII

Megs 83 & 80



I also have a PC with LC orange and white pads. I did try the purple wool on the BMW, but it marred big time with both SIP and 106ff. However, that pad is sweet for Corvette clearcoat! I tried virtually all combos listed above, applied around 1500 rpms. Any tips/info/suggestions are appreciated. If I rip out anymore hair over this paint I'll need a Rogaine prescription.
 
We have a Jet Black X3, it got swirled up, and I found pads were irrelevant. I have the entire Lake collection. The only thing I found that would work is a very aggressive polish followed by a fine polish to put on the final gloss. I used CG Swirl & Scratch Remover followed by Griots Machine Polish 3. As I said in another post, BMW should make folks sign a disclaimer before you're allowed to order Jet Black.
 
Working with what you have:

3M black waffle, rotary at 1100 or so and FPII should take care of the finish work. Give that a shot on a panel and see how that works for you. If your problems are deeper into the clear then go back and do IP with the yellow Megs pad. What is this grey Meg's pad that you speak of?
 
I'm polishing my jet black bimmer too. I'm using a pc, so i have to go over the car using a 4" orange pad, menz ip and multiple passes. It's taking a while, but the results i'm getting are well worth it. Makes me wish i would have ordered some yellow pads with my last order. Maybe smaller pads and working in smaller areas would help. Good luck!
 
98Vette: You should have good results with a compound like 3M or Menzerna and the 3M waffle white pad (cutting). I'd recommend 1200 rpm on the rotary. After using compound, I wash the car with ONR or a pressure washer (depending upon weather) to remove compound grit. I've found this really helps prevent re-introduction of scratches on the finish. Follow that with 106FF on the 3M gray waffle to polish out the vehicle (or you could also use Meg's 83). Again, rpm should be around 1200 and work the product to almost gone.



I usually put a coat of Meg's 26 with a pc on the car following the procedure.





Totoland
 
Jet Black is a fantastic color when polished. I've got a Jet Black MINI, and I work on a lot of Jet Black BMW's--did a 330CI last week which is posted in the Click & Brag area.

http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/92442-black-2003-bmw-330ci-horror.html



Rotary with Meguiar's W8006 pad with M80 is about all you need. Hit it with a W7006 cutting pad and M84 for deeper defects. The paint is pretty soft, compared to Corvette paint.



I then follow M80 with Prima Amigo which is absolutely stunning on black paint, then follow with Prima Epic. The results speak for themselves. Check out the above thread.



Richard
 
Thanks for the suggestions! Actually, I found a good combo. With the SIP, orange pad, very little compound, 2000rpm (gave me the heat needed to fully break down the SIP). Followed p with 106ff and a yellow megs pad @1800, then slow down to 1000. I'll get this car knocked out tomorrow and post some pics in click brag.
 
Man that sounds a little fast with an orange pad as it will produce a lot of heat with much less speed than that. It's rare that I need to bring the speed of an orange pad over 1500 or so.
 
SpoiledMan said:
Man that sounds a little fast with an orange pad as it will produce a lot of heat with much less speed than that. It's rare that I need to bring the speed of an orange pad over 1500 or so.
Click to expand...



What I forgot to post was that I start with the RPM's high to get it heated up, then drop down to 1500 to really work it. A little of the SIP goes a very long way. You literally need about two pea sized drops to do an 18" square section. It's not what I'm used to! Anyway, here's a very quick before/after. I'll post in CB when I get this beast done.



2007_0623newpics0017.jpg




2007_0623newpics0018.jpg
 
98Vette, I'm glad you're having success with the combo and method we talked about earlier. That bottom picture looks unbelievable. I would like to give special thanks to Rydawg from New Hampshire for he taught me that method and it works wonders.



Glad to be part of this family,



Patrick
 
ptaylor_9849 said:
98Vette, I'm glad you're having success with the combo and method we talked about earlier. That bottom picture looks unbelievable. I would like to give special thanks to Rydawg from New Hampshire for he taught me that method and it works wonders.



Glad to be part of this family,



Patrick
Click to expand...

Thanks Patrick! I am very glad everything worked out for you! It was a pleasue teaching you and you learned very fast. To polish out a new black vette to perfection takes skill and patience!
 
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