My first BMW, Paint questions

N

nmxdaven

New member
I'm about to order my first BMW, a 335i Coupe, and I'm still undecided about paint color.



I hear allot of negative comments about the jet black. What is the difference between jet black and the black sapphire metallic? Whats the main difference as far as looks go as well as upkeep? Any recommendations? (other than white ;))



As far as the interior goes, I really like the coral red. Any bmw guys have any suggestions?
 
I rock an arctic e90,
789998859_73640185ef_o.jpg




bmw paint is VERY soft and jet black is even softer for some reason! If you wanted black get the metallic!!



The best e90/e92 forum!!

E90post.com/forums FTW!!!!!:bounce
 
Most people recognise jet black as "plain gloss black" without metallic. As most paints these days are water based these base colours look terrific after polishing and waxing etc, BUT they need constant weekly attention, are usually soft and prone to scratching and thus not the ideal choice for the busy family man. If you are prepared to do the work, buy the correct washing, polishing, waxing materials and want the "wet " look then go down this route. If however you cannot spend this time looking after your car then a metallic finish would be a better choice. They usually have a tougher clear coat which resists scratching to a certain degree, you may not get that deep wet look but it will be a lot less hassle to keep clean.

I detailed a metallic blue 335i last month, please, please check your car prior to purchase. This car had orange peel on most of its panels,and some minor dents on one of the wings, something the owner did not know about until I removed some minor scrathes over the rear arches and pointed out the paint defects etc. When your spending $70,000 on a car!!!!
 
My roommate has a jet black '06 5-series and I can scratch the paint with my fingernail with extreme ease (paint has tons of swirls anyway from car washes, but did it to show her why it was like that).
 
oneshare325 said:
I rock an arctic e90,



bmw paint is VERY soft and jet black is even softer for some reason! If you wanted black get the metallic!!



The best e90/e92 forum!!

E90post.com/forums FTW!!!!!:bounce
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Thanks for the info, I think ill check out those forums later.



toby tyke said:
Most people recognise jet black as "plain gloss black" without metallic. As most paints these days are water based these base colours look terrific after polishing and waxing etc, BUT they need constant weekly attention, are usually soft and prone to scratching and thus not the ideal choice for the busy family man. If you are prepared to do the work, buy the correct washing, polishing, waxing materials and want the "wet " look then go down this route. If however you cannot spend this time looking after your car then a metallic finish would be a better choice. They usually have a tougher clear coat which resists scratching to a certain degree, you may not get that deep wet look but it will be a lot less hassle to keep clean.

I detailed a metallic blue 335i last month, please, please check your car prior to purchase. This car had orange peel on most of its panels,and some minor dents on one of the wings, something the owner did not know about until I removed some minor scrathes over the rear arches and pointed out the paint defects etc. When your spending $70,000 on a car!!!!
Click to expand...





Great info. I think I'll go with the metallic then, as I don't expect to have enough patience to deal with that much work.



I've already talked a few times to the manager, and he assures me the car won't be touched. I made it very clear that I won't accept the car if its been through their "detail" process.
 
Monaco Blue is my vote, black saphire is a nice color as well

Nice purchase right there, the 335 is a sweet ride. The retail guy here has one with a few bolt ons and a chip and he is at 420rwhp and 430ftlbs
 
sal329 said:
Monaco Blue is my vote, black saphire is a nice color as well

Nice purchase right there, the 335 is a sweet ride. The retail guy here has one with a few bolt ons and a chip and he is at 420rwhp and 430ftlbs
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Thanks! I'm in my final year of graduate school so I thought it was about time for a more "grown up" car, with a bit of spunk.

Actually I really like the blue along with Graphite metallic. I think I'll take a trip to the dealership tomorrow and mull it over. I've always had black vehicles though, so it would be hard for me to go astray, but then again, much easier maintenance would be nice.
 
I recondition well over 100 BMW's per year and the newer ones have a harder finish than the early 01-02-03-04's. Still, black is tough to maintain swirl/scratch free. The metallic black is definitely easier on maintenance.



One of the better colors maintenance wise is Metallic Gray..dark enough and elegant looking when clean, but a ton easier on appearance maintenance.



Toto
 
The 335 is a great "grown up" car. You can add a chip and a few other bolt ons, a quiet exhaust and still whip on most cars when the race bug hits you

Plus 5/50k mile free maintence is nice
 
My favorite color on the 335i coupe is space grey. Looks great and it's light enough that it won't be a nightmare to maintain like dark colors.



e92coupe-335i-wallpaper-4.jpg
 
Totoland Mach said:
I recondition well over 100 BMW's per year and the newer ones have a harder finish than the early 01-02-03-04's.
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I have an '08 328i in Alpine White on order. I thought the new ones had the ceramic clear coat?
 
It seems like the clear coat on my '07 is much harder then the clear coat was on my '01. But my '07 is Alpine white and I am not sure if that makes a difference.
 
ecsherwo said:
It seems like the clear coat on my '07 is much harder then the clear coat was on my '01. But my '07 is Alpine white and I am not sure if that makes a difference.
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The newer Bimmers have a harder clear coat for sure. I recently finished an 07 and it was a joy compared to the 2000 740iL (Black of course) I'm currently doing. This one had me trying a couple of combo's and I finally nailed it: 3M Extra Cut on a compound pad followed by 3M Perfect-It 3000 compound on another compound pad. Double work, but the wool pads I normally use were just making more and more swirls.



Toto
 
I really liked the Montego Blue, and went back and forth for a while, but I ended up going with the metallic black. It will be here in about 2 months. Could have been here sooner, but I know myself, and a new car is not something I need when finishing my dissertation.



I'm actually a little happy about getting something with a softer clear. After my two fords with the steel clear coat option, I think it will be nice having something I can polish easily. Or maybe I'll just find out why people complain about it so much. :waxing:
 
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