Faded Bimmer Coupe - need a plan of attack

C

crc32

New member
I am doing a friend's 1994 BMW Convertable Coupe with VERY faded red paint. It is more pinkish than red. I understand that whatever I do with the paint will be temporary.



I am only doing the paint and wanted some feedback on my planned process.



Wash with Dawn

Claybar with Mothers clay bar

1Z UPP with yellow pad (all Detailer's Paradise pads)

1Z PP with orange pad

1Z MP with white pad

Megs No. 26 with black pad



Here are my products and tools. See anything I should use in place of the above steps?



Any advice would be appreciated.



Thanks in advance,



Boz



1373090DetailingProducts.JPG
:nixweiss
 
Man, I tried for like 3 minutes to come up with a good joke for using the bike in the detailing process, and I got nothing. Any help?



Sorry about that. I've read that AIO is really good on oxidation (don't know if you have that, though). I'd think that if you could easily have problems with your pads getting clogged up with all the oxidized paint you will be removing, maybe you have some that are kind of past their prime that you could use for the first step with UPP. From my experience, using MP after PP is kind of redundant. Also, I wouldn't sell yourself short thinking that whatever you do will be temporary; I've seen some pretty amazing results here!
 
It does sound like he has oxidized paint, most of the members here will recommend AIO (by hand with a terry, so it doesn't clog the pad) for it. Not sure what else will remove oxidized paint, AIO is the only product that comes to mind.
 
AIO is one product I need to get my hands on. Available through mail order only, right? I called my local Porche dealer and I felt like I was taking to a plank of wood.



Thanks for the advice so far.



Boz
 
The 1Z UP and PP will take care of the oxidation. No need for the MP's polishing abilities; the PP will get your paint where you want it to be. However, MP has a nice look so there is no harm in using it too.



This combo should work nicely. Let us know how it comes out!
 
Oh yes, I thought about a bike joke too and couldn't think of one either. Its a Honda VTX 1300. This is one ride that I keep perfect almost all of the time. It lives in the garage under a sheet.

Boz
 
Here are the before shots. Sorry, but no close ups. I think I got the year wrong. It is a 325 coupe.



One question before I start. What should I use to remove the old wax overlap from the convertable top? I was going to just scrub with a brush with orange blast.



Thanks for the advice so far. I'll post the afters, but it will probably be indoors - expecting rain today.



Boz



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Wow, that is bad. Has he ever done anything to the paint before. BMW paint does have a tendency to oxidize badly when not cared for, but that is rather extreme.
 
She has "waxed" it before. As you can see, this car has been neglected and is stored outside. My guess is that she scrubs it squeeky clean with dish soap. I'll do my best to educate her.



My larger concern is paint thickness. I have no gauge so I will need to be careful. She told me that it is single stage paint - the dealer told her.



Regardless, I am expecting some very gummed up pads. I'll be using a stiff nylon brush to scrape off the red "gum".



Boz
 
jnmttu said:
Wow, that is bad. Has he ever done anything to the paint before. BMW paint does have a tendency to oxidize badly when not cared for, but that is rather extreme.
Click to expand...



I know. I wish I had some AIO. I am stuck with what I have (in first photo.)
 
It would be worth your while to order a can of AIO. If you're short on funds ask your friend to chip in since you're doing all of the work. I used AIO on a 91 red blazer (single stage also) that was at least as bad as that beemer and AIO brought it back.
 
While I agree that AIO is capable of amazing things on neglected paint, I would stick with what you have got since I assume you are doing this for free or very little money. My wife's 96 Sentra looked very close to that right before we sold it. It was a black car that had oxidized to almost gray. I can't remember if it was single stage, but I do remember a lot of black coming off on the pads. We were able to get realtively impressive results by using only Mequiars products. We spent about 6 hours working on the paint. Maybe you could do it with what you have and then reassess if it is worth the extra effort and funds.
 
I finished up on mid-day Saturday. My arms and hands were like noodles. The car looks 100X better, but the after shots were taken on a very overcast day. I tried to get some reflections.. .. but.... I'll post the shots on Monday morning.



The UPP (or is is now EPP?) did a wonderful job. My pad gummed up so I brushed it off after 10 minutes of buffing. I used a rotary with the first stage. I switched to the PC for the PP and then NXT.



The claybar was pointless. There was nothing to level out.



My only regret was telling her that the pinstripes would likely just come off and "could I just remove them?" They did NOT just fall off. That part alone took 2 hours. Big mistake.



I did the interior, but didn't take any shots. Woolite 5:1 does wonders removing makeup smudges on the steering wheel and shifter.



Stay tuned for the after shots.



BTW, I don't really do this for money. I usually do friend's cars or for various charities. I asked her to write a check to a community church that we are both involved in.



Boz
 
I am embarrassed to post the "after" photos, but since I promised... here they are. There was almost no daylight even though it was at noon.



I need to plan my before and afters a little better next time.



My process:

Dawn wash

Clay Bar

1Z UPP with rotary (don't ask what pad)

1Z PP with orange pad on PC

NXT with white pad

S100 on the hood - streaked so I followed with Megs QD



Before:

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After:



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Before:

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After:

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Before:

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After:

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After:

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After:

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While AIO may have worked better, I was very happy with the the 1Z route. Nevertheless, AIO is on my list.



This is my first ever "before-after" post. Any and all criticisms are appreciated. I know, I know, the photos are too dark.



The owner was as giddy as a little girl that just got a puppy for Christmas. It was like I took ten years off her and the car. I felt good about it. My fingers still ache.



Boz
 
I was impressed with the endurance of the red paint. Until I started with the UPP, I wasn't sure if there was enough paint left. I know I took a lot of paint off it. There were no "fade-through" spots from the advanced oxidation. However, I discovered a few thin areas from a previous grind job from a buffer jockey. :eek: Most were at the ridges.



She was very impressed though. I told her it would last about 3-4 months so I should be safe.



What would have been a more durable topper for this?



Thanks for the compliments.



Boz
 
Twinsdaddy,



Great job on the Bimmer! :bow :bow :bow



You really brought life back into that terrible paint! :D



I think a great long lasting topper would be Meg's #16, EX or 4*UPP. They are all pretty easy to work with and should last 3-4 months easy.



Keep up the amazing work! :xyxthumbs



Cheers,
 
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