Hey guys.

I'll be detailing a 1999 BMW 328i (e46) with black non-metallic paint. I will be doing a complete detail as the car has been neglected and damaged over the last few years. Its been taken thru soft cloth automatic car washes during the winter, so it does have some bad swirls. It also has the holographic swirls from rotary misuse (the dealer did it).

Anyway, my plan of attack is:

1. wash with mothers
2. clay with mothers
3. swirl removal with PC, 3M FI2 and megs burgundy cutting pad
4. FI2 haze removal using PC, AIO and megs yellow polishing pad

5. SG

or

5. The WG twins.


My questions for you are:

1. Is BMW black non-matallic paint clear coated?

2. Do any of you who have worked on BMW black non-matallic paint have any tips that may be useful?

3. What do you think of my plan of attack?

This is my first black car, and I'd like it to come out looking great.

Thanks. :cool:

My dad's 89 535i is flat black and its not clearcoated... but since you're doing a 99 I'd be willing to bet that it is clearcoated... I can't speak from experience though. If you want to find out just take a small amout of FI2 and buff a small section of hood... it'll be pretty obvious if there is no clearcoat.

I don't have any tips for the flat black that aren't really the same for any dark car, just make sure you take your time and you should be good to go.

And I think your plan of attack sounds about perfect. I prefer DACP to FI2 because it dusts less, but thats just personal preference.

Good luck, detailing black cars is always a bit of a challenge. I've gotten plenty of practice on my black Cooper, my moms black volvo, and my dad's black BMW though. :D

One thing to keep in mind is that if you're satisfied with the car when you're done, your customer will probably be way beyond satisfied. The detailers eye catches a whole lot more than most people.

If your using a cutting pad and leaving a lot of swirls the best thing I've found to use ,is a product by "PRESTA".There swirl remover was the best I had used and then they decided to "improve"their product.It still works very well but leaves a bit more residue.Easily taken off with the wax of your choosing.I also use their "PRESTA 1000" often to remove any wetsanding thats needed.

It should be clearcoated. I'd probally go DACP/WG instead of AIO/SG though. It'll look slightly wetter/deeper so there's no need for the carnuba topper. My project for later this week is a 03 Honda CRV (Nighthawk Black Pearl). I did the initial detail when my best friend picked up the car (she's letting me borrow the car while mine's at the bodyshop and she's in the UK).

Thanks for the reply's guys!

Kyle, hal,

Have you guys ever used FI2 with a cutting pad on black? How much worse (if any) is the hazing. Will DACP leave less haze behind? It seems you guys both prefer it over FI2. The thing I dislike about DACP are the oils and fillers it contains. They won't give me a true indication as to how well I've polished.

And one more question. Will the WG pre sealant polish remove any hazing that is left behind from FI2? That's one thing I love about AIO. AIO removes the hazing and leaves a very uniform finish.

Thanks a lot for the help guys!

David.

From my experiences DACP leaves the finish nicer than FI2. I've never used FI2 on a black car, so I can't comment on that, but I on the grey/silver truck I used FI2 on the shine seemed to be somewhat lacking compared to DACP. DACP is dimishing abrasive like 3M SMR, and I've found that after polishing with it, it leaves the finish with enough gloss to go straight to wax. And yeah, you won't be able to tell exactly what you're doing due to the fillers but if you keep a squirt bottle with 50/50 alcohol/water mix you can spritz it on and see your progress whenever you need to. :dunno

David, i've used FI-II on a metallic black Mercedes. The hazing was not an issue for me. I just broke it down really well.

Cool. Thanks for the responses guys!

My '95 540i was clearcoated.

One trick I found that realy helps with making sure you got all the scratches is to detail the car under florescent light. I park underneath one in my parking garage so it's conveinient for me.

Have you guys ever used FI2 with a cutting pad on black? How much worse (if any) is the hazing. Will DACP leave less haze behind? It seems you guys both prefer it over FI2. The thing I dislike about DACP are the oils and fillers it contains. They won't give me a true indication as to how well I've polished.

And one more question. Will the WG pre sealant polish remove any hazing that is left behind from FI2? That's one thing I love about AIO. AIO removes the hazing and leaves a very uniform finish.


I've tried FI2, but found the DACP seems to work better (breaks down a bit faster and does the fine polishing at the same time). If DACP doesn't handle it, I generally go to compound (fortunately, I haven't had to resort to this much). I haven't had an issue with the fillers/oils when I polish it to fine dust - otherwise, it's like SMR with the fillers.

WG's polish I think is strictly a chemical polish. I don't believe that there is any abrasive in it. It's on par with S100/P21's GEPC.

A 99 non metallic should be schwarz II (jet black), if so, it is clearcoated.

I have had best results with the einzsett compounds (paint polish and ultra paint polish) on my jet black 96 than with the 3M products (SMR, FI-II, PI-III). I also much prefer DACP to the 3M FI-II, but my best results have been starting with einszett ultra paint polish (yellow can), and then going to the green can (einszett paint polish). I also usually use P21s GEPC after compounding and before applying protectant.

Jet black is tough, but when done right it looks best of all the colors IMO.