Seeking BMW Advice

XxBoostinxX

XxBoostinxX

New member
Well I helped a family member of mine find a BMW 335is convertible a few months back. Now he is wanting me to fix a few problems it has. The previous owner obviously lived near the beach from the oxidation here and there on the metal trim and black plastics. Not sure if these pieces, especially the black mirror plastic, can be polished or not? It also has clear bra on 75% of the vehicle which will be a headache. I'm talking the entire hood, both bumpers, front and rear fenders, and trunk. The hubs have started to discolor and I am thinking about painting them silver which would look factory. Needless to say, this is my first BMW so I am needing any advice on how to take care of these problems correctly. Thanks guys.

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I'd start with a good bucket washing then clay the whole car, yes even the clear bra areas...then for starter polish, I always start with a chemical polish like PB PP or Megs paint cleaner. On the metal trim that's common BMW cars for whatever reason I don't know...but the PB PP is still the best choice, do not use any polish with heavy grit like compounds..The plastics will polish out very nicely with the polishes I've suggested. The hubs I would clean, use some steel wool or you could use carPro Iron X then paint those bad boys..On the clear bra areas, again the polish I've suggested is best IMO...
 
Beemerboy said:
I'd start with a good bucket washing then clay the whole car, yes even the clear bra areas...then for starter polish, I always start with a chemical polish like PB PP or Megs paint cleaner. On the metal trim that's common BMW cars for whatever reason I don't know...but the PB PP is still the best choice, do not use any polish with heavy grit like compounds..The plastics will polish out very nicely with the polishes I've suggested. The hubs I would clean, use some steel wool or you could use carPro Iron X then paint those bad boys..On the clear bra areas, again the polish I've suggested is best IMO...
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Thanks for the info bud. I have plenty of time, roughly a week, to get whatever I need. I've been wanting to try the PB PP so this is an opportune time . I was really worried about the black plastic around the mirrors the most because they feel so rough. Is there any type of paint you recommend for the hubs?
 
They sell kits for painting calipers but any good high temp rattle can paint would work. The black plastic on the mirrors, clay the area to get the surface super clean, then use the PB PP you won't believe the results...trust me I've been using PB for over a decade.
 
I have those same mirror plastic pieces. I would recommend cleaning them well and coating them with CarPro Dlux. It's a long term fix. I wouldn't try to polish them.

I'm also guessing the window trim is oxidized as well. This is not always an easy fix. Polishing these BMW window trim pieces usually leads to no results or worse results.

Some common fixes are replacement, vinyl wrap, Plasti-Dip, and kit Bav Auto sells which I think is called Deox-It - or something similar. Sanding and repainting is also an option. If they are black and not too bad, you could probably get away with DLux here as well after cleaning them.

Polishing PPF is not hard. I usually use Optimum polishes with a light pad. It's really not much different than polishing paint. You just don't want to use aggressive combos on it.

The rotors are odd. From the picture they look like composite M style rotors - which would mean the hats are aluminum. Obviously, that is not the case because aluminum doesn't rust. So, they must be painted. I would remove the wheels and use a rust converter. After that, I would paint the hats black. Honestly, to do this - it's probably easier to just pull the rotors off the car to do this.
 
Im with Swanicyouth on the black plastic around the outside mirrors..
Its plastic, and not Shadowline trim, which would be painted gloss black, and can be polished lightly..
I just use a good plastic cleaner to get the desired look back.. It might be matte, or a satin finish..
Have never seen shadowline trim on that mirror piece..

Perhaps you CAN polish it lightly and it could look better as Dave said above...

I only polish Shadowline black trim A pillars to get all the scratches out..

Regarding the rusting rotors, do yourselves a favor and get the wheels off, look at the back of the wheel and the rotor where it meets the back of the wheel, and get all the rust off those 2 spots really good, so they dont stick together and make it harder to remove the wheels later...
A thin layer of anti seize on both mating surfaces will help keep them from rusting together..

Same with the wheel studs, clean any rust off and apply lightly a little anti-seize, to keep them from sticking tightly..

You need to torque with a torque wrench all the wheel nuts back on.. There should be a number in the owners manual..

Cleaning the rust off the rotor hats and areas all around is always good and Im with Swanicyouth above, on what you could do there...

Nice car ! The wheels dont look stock...
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Regarding the rusting rotors, do yourselves a favor and get the wheels off, look at the back of the wheel and the rotor where it meets the back of the wheel, and get all the rust off those 2 spots really good, so they dont stick together and make it harder to remove the wheels later...
A thin layer of anti seize on both mating surfaces will help keep them from rusting together..

Same with the wheel studs, clean any rust off and apply lightly a little anti-seize, to keep them from sticking tightly..


Dan F
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+1 on the anti-seize on the mating surfaces between the rim and the rotor, someone (maybe even you) will thank you in the future. Trust me, I learned the hard way.


BTW, sweet car.
 
One more thing -

The ClearBra is your friend !

It should be in great shape on a newer car, so all you have to do is polish it lightly, dont heat it up too much, and it will be what it is when done..

The 5-year old ClearBra on my Grand Cherokee is beautiful, doing great, and has taken some rock hits on the front bumper that saved my paint..
No Road Rash, no paint chips, just beautiful Black Metallic Paint..
Just mind the edges and try to not get product stuck in there.. Work your products AWAY from the edges and not Toward the edges, and this will help you to not get stuff pushed in them.

ClearBras will polish up a little but not perfectly - especially if they are worn or scratched a lot..
They will always look better if you do it correctly..
They will not hold onto LSP's as good as paint, but they will hold on for awhile..
They can be clay bar'd as Dave said, just be careful and not introduce any scratches on them..
No hard grits on them either.. Its Plastic.. Keep this in your head at all times..

I love the folding metal tops of these Bimmers ! Beautiful lines ! Yeah, they take up trunk space when down, but thats the beauty of the trade off for that car... I would do it ! :)
Good Luck !
Dan F
 
Thanks guys for all the great info. I was looking at the hats and believe they were silver from the factory. I was thinking a ceramic paint could do the job.

I have some Dlux, but the black around the mirror is somewhat uneven in coloring so it makes me wonder if Dlux would enhance this or blend it? Any opinions on this?

Stokdgs said:
What do you think of this Saleen ? :)
2005 Ford Mustang 1ZVFT82H655195273 for sale in Seattle Bellevue WA
Dan F
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It's a good looking ride. I'd like to see the Carfax and a mechanic look at it though. I know of a guy that totaled one just like this one about a year ago in WA. Some tidbits for ya...the car doesn't really have any additional options from Saleen. The quarter windows are not Saleen factory as well as the the rotors on the front braking system. The rotors from Saleen were 14" slotted stop-tech, not drilled. I would say the price is a tad high as well. I bought my car 3 years ago with 20k miles on it for $31k and it's an '06. I would offer them $24k and not a penny more.
 
Swanicyouth said:
I have those same mirror plastic pieces. I would recommend cleaning them well and coating them with CarPro Dlux. It's a long term fix. I wouldn't try to polish them.

I'm also guessing the window trim is oxidized as well. This is not always an easy fix. Polishing these BMW window trim pieces usually leads to no results or worse results.

Some common fixes are replacement, vinyl wrap, Plasti-Dip, and kit Bav Auto sells which I think is called Deox-It - or something similar. Sanding and repainting is also an option. If they are black and not too bad, you could probably get away with DLux here as well after cleaning them.

Polishing PPF is not hard. I usually use Optimum polishes with a light pad. It's really not much different than polishing paint. You just don't want to use aggressive combos on it.

The rotors are odd. From the picture they look like composite M style rotors - which would mean the hats are aluminum. Obviously, that is not the case because aluminum doesn't rust. So, they must be painted. I would remove the wheels and use a rust converter. After that, I would paint the hats black. Honestly, to do this - it's probably easier to just pull the rotors off the car to do this.
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The metal around the windows is metal. I believe what I am seeing is oxidation from salt air.

Good idea on pulling them off. Was really thinking about taping everything off around but could be more work in the end and then I risk overspray. Do you know if BMW rotors just come off like any other type a rotor? Just so I know what I am getting into ahead of time lol.
 
Stokdgs said:
One more thing -

The ClearBra is your friend !

It should be in great shape on a newer car, so all you have to do is polish it lightly, dont heat it up too much, and it will be what it is when done..

The 5-year old ClearBra on my Grand Cherokee is beautiful, doing great, and has taken some rock hits on the front bumper that saved my paint..
No Road Rash, no paint chips, just beautiful Black Metallic Paint..
Just mind the edges and try to not get product stuck in there.. Work your products AWAY from the edges and not Toward the edges, and this will help you to not get stuff pushed in them.

ClearBras will polish up a little but not perfectly - especially if they are worn or scratched a lot..
They will always look better if you do it correctly..
They will not hold onto LSP's as good as paint, but they will hold on for awhile..
They can be clay bar'd as Dave said, just be careful and not introduce any scratches on them..
No hard grits on them either.. Its Plastic.. Keep this in your head at all times..

I love the folding metal tops of these Bimmers ! Beautiful lines ! Yeah, they take up trunk space when down, but thats the beauty of the trade off for that car... I would do it ! :)
Good Luck !
Dan F
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Totally agree, the lines of these cars a awesome! Makes me want a white M3.

How about opti-coat? Could a clear bra hold on to it?
 
Quote -- How about opti-coat? Could a clear bra hold on to it? "

I have Opti-Guard (later called Opti-Coat Pro), on my 2005 Grand Cherokee entire front end and mirrors Clear Bra and they still bead and not much dirt, bugs, etc., stick to it..
I coated the car over 3 years ago..

You should be fine... Just prepare it like we discussed earlier, wipe it really clean ( I use a lot of Car Pro Eraser), and coat it.. Watch for high spots... You know the rest..

Yeah I know... White M3... :) What year ? There are a few for sale on the BMWCCA website... Ive been a member of the BMWCCA for 14 years...
Dan F
 
Makes me miss mine...... :(

The trim pieces, chrome or blackened chrome? Pro polish worked great for mine, but I saw some that had polished em and they came out worse. Does it look "muti colored"?

As far as the oxidized plastic, good luck.... But I never tried dlux.

The rusty rotor/hub area is typical bmw, happened on every one I had.

The
 
I looked at some 2011 BMW pictures, 2 of them had that black piece next to the outside mirrors shiny as in polished, and one of them was flat or matte black non shiny..

None of the 3 had the rest of the trim that goes above the windows shiny, all were flat or matte black..

Good luck with that part - be careful - you dont want to have to replace the entire mirror because something went wrong with that black piece...
Dan F
 
Ronkh said:
Makes me miss mine...... :(



The trim pieces, chrome or blackened chrome? Pro polish worked great for mine, but I saw some that had polished em and they came out worse. Does it look "muti colored"?



As far as the oxidized plastic, good luck.... But I never tried dlux.



The rusty rotor/hub area is typical bmw, happened on every one I had.



The
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The trim around the windows is a polished chrome looking piece. I can't tell if they are suppose to be satin or polished because of the oxidation.
 
Mine were satiny looking. If they are multi-colored etching/stains, pro polish on cotton did well. would not use abrasive on em

I'm in a hotel right now, with lousy internet connection. Look through some of my old thread and see if you can see it on any of my pics
 
Ronkh said:
Mine were satiny looking. If they are multi-colored etching/stains, pro polish on cotton did well. would not use abrasive on em



I'm in a hotel right now, with lousy internet connection. Look through some of my old thread and see if you can see it on any of my pics
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Got it. I'll give it a try. Thanks again guys!
 
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