need help on '88 Bimmer

R

rasx

New member
I'm trying to figure out what I need to restore my girlfriend's '88 Bimmer. I want to start with the exterior of the car, which was really neglected before she bought it last year. I know it probably needs a paint job and some parts replaced, but I want to give some detailing a chance and see how well I can restore it (if at all salvagable...).

First of all, the paint seems to be either badly oxidized or there is clearcoat failure. Not sur ehow to tell the difference. I did a rough job of cleaning and polishing with some Meguire's but it only helped a little. Maybe I need to give it a little more elbow grease.

The paint in some places looks like this: http://autoint.com/pict1paintdegr.htm

The wierd thing is that the white chalky part will rub off a bit if you rub with your finger. Maybe that will help in figuring out what it might be.

Well any suggestions would be much appreciated.



Rick
 
Welcome to Autopia Rick!



I would like to suggest David's E-Book. The first bunch of chapters are free and the full book is only $9.95. The proceeds will go into bettering this community. I am sure you will find most if your answers in the book.



After you have read the basics, you will probably have more specific questions. Chances are they have already been discussed in detail, so this is where the search function will come in handy.



I hope I don't come across as being reluctant to help, but I think I just pointed you to the best two resources of this forum!



Enjoy!
 
Rasx...That picture you linked to has probably scared most away, if indeed the car looks like that...That is clear coat failure due to oxidation, due to neglect....With that said, its more than likely beyond what anyone in here would like to attempt, ,including myself....Truthfully, I wouldnt know where to begin !!
 
If the clearcoat has gone, it is time for a respray. But I would first try to polish the paint and see what happens, at worst and the top coat has gone, you are not going to make it any worse.



Steven
 
If you ARE going to get it reapinted tho, DONT go anywhere near it with anything containing Silicone - the paint shop will hate you forever when the new paint 'fisheyes' like mad.
 
Well, I've done a lot of homework... searched this place up and down... and I found that there really isn't much info on here about clearcoat failure. I just bought a whole slew of products to attack the poor bimmer's paint, but it's pouring rain right now so I can't do anything right now. Since I'm not sure what the problem is though, I am still a little hesitant.



What exactly are the characteristics of clearcoat failure? I've seen some of the pictures posted on the board and all anyone says is... that sucks... get it repainted. Well, if anyone out there really knows what's up, please clue me in. Does the clearcoat dry up and come off like powder, does it chip off in little flakes of paint, is it just brittle and cracked?? What are the characteristics??



I searched, I bought the e-book (excited about the new one, too) and have learned a lot... thanks everybody.
 
If the clearcoat looks 'misty' its oxidised.



If its got millions of tiny bubbles unber it, its Microblistered from moisture between the colour and the clear.



If its peeling off in flakes, it hasnt been applied correctly or over paint it cant bond to properly.



Sandscratches where the primer or colour hasnt been wet-flatted correctly will show through the clear as lines.



Theres quite a few more, less drastic problems.



A good way is to find a car bodyshop and talk to one of the painters.

They've probably experienced just about any and every problem known to man with auto paint.
 
Well I got to work on the car this morning... and I found out why it's not good to work on a car's finish in the hot Florida sun. I also figured out that the finish is definitely undergoing some massive areas of clearcoat failure. I'm not even sure whether it's even worth doing the whole car.



When I got to work I decided to just test out my procedure on the trunk lid alone. I used 3M Fine cut Rubbing Compound followed by 3M SMR... at this point I noticed that there were tons of very fine scratches on the paint in the same direction that I was working the RC and SMR. Very confused as I thought the SMR would take those out as well as the swirl marks that are still in the paint. Is it because I was working in the sun?? Is there a step between Fine Cut RC and SMR?? Any tips would be helpful. I'm mostly working on the car to get some practice with paint detailing since the car will ultimately just get repainted.



Thanks everybody and sorry for the length of the post... just trying to get the best info I can... get educated.
 
By the way I also clayed the finish and it is silky smooth now... very nice... it just looks horrible (with the scratches clearcoat failure and all). Oh, and I used clean, cotton terry cloth towels for application of the RC and SMR. Hope this info will help in figuring out why I still have scratching and swirl marks. Thanks.
 
Boy do I feel like an idiot! :o



I just re-read your first post and realized you've already seen the Autoint pics! :doh



Okay, time to help now. :D



I've found using 3M SMR to be significantly harder to work with in the sun because the surface is too warm, causing it to evaporate faster than you'd like. There shouldn't be any step between FCRC and SMR. Make sure you're working both products long enough. Sometimes if you don't work it long enough it doesn't have a chance to break down so it leaves marring behind. Try moving into the shade to work or re-wetting it with QD.



Are these good quality towels you're using? Cheap towels can be pretty scratchy.
 
rasx said:
How can I tell if a terry cloth towel is good quality?
Click to expand...
Where did you get it from or what brand is it? Good quality stuff are usually USA made 100% cotton bath or hand towels made by some major towel company like Fieldcrest. Some people have towels from their product supplier too, but they're usually pro-detailers. The towels you get in a multi-pack made in India/Pakistan are almost always poor quality, rough, and not pure cotton. They're pretty bad.
 
Is there anything better, faster, easier for 3M FCRC or SMR application? mf towel, mf pad, terry pad, foam applicators, that Eagle One "Xpress-It Polish and Wax Applicator" ( http://www.properautocare.com/eagonexpresp.html ), or Griot's orange pad applicators that can be used with a hand strap ( http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1004&SKU=10626 - or - http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1004&SKU=10632 )??



When I searched most of what I found was on PC pads, but not much on hand application. Any comments on all this stuff, or any of your favorites...?



Thanks
 
I usually default back to a terry covered foam pad simply because the screeching noise foam makes drives me bonkers! :p Otherwise the EO Xpress-it is okay, although I wish there was more area for me to grip on the sides though, because your finger tips are doing all the moving of the pad. I personally wouldn't use MF towels (and maybe not the applicators either) because the polishing action might be hard on the fibers and I feel the gentleness of MF is wasted in this use. I'd use terry pads, terry towels, or foam... personally.



Tip: Using terry material can give polishes a bit more "bite" than using foam. I haven't tried verifying this personally though.
 
A few things we need to figure out here...



A) What is the BMW color of the paint? Look on the driver's side shock tower under the hood.



B) What color is the actual paint at this moment.



Many late '80's BMW 3 series cars did not have clearcoat - mine included.



I'd definitely recommend picking up a Porter Cable 7424 polisher as no matter what the case may be you're going to need to put a lot of elbow or Porter Cable grease into that paint.
 
Well the car definitely has a clearcoat... it's shot right now (hence why it needs to be repainted). Actually it's weird because it seems that they applied the clearcoat over the pinstripes on the side of the car. It's chipping off in flakes in those areas. I never thought that BMW would do such a shotty job like that... unless of course this car was repainted a while back (it's 15 yo after all).



I'm seriously considering going out and buying a PC, not just for this car but I also want to make a little money on the side this summer doing some detailing. Basically it would just be people I know around town and by word of mouth. I don't have the experience or the money to go all out with a detailing business.



Thanks for the info 4DSC
 
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