How Bad is My Paint? Be Honest!

[BimmerFerret]

Hey everyone,

Just curious about my paint... It is pretty bad in parts. Lots of deep RIDS and some spots were the last owner tried to use touch up paint to fix it but failed miserably. I plan to polish using Lake County Pads and M205/M105 (using a Griot's polisher), but I'd like to get some input on how much polishing will work. I know the stuff where you can see metal is pretty much done for, but once again I'll leave the opinions up to you guys, the pros. Car has nearly 154k.

Here are the pictures and thanks for any help!

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7845/img481l.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/6756/img483s.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2509/img485z.jpg

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/7439/img475h.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/843/img474m.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/830/img472p.jpg

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8718/img486v.jpg

[Jeff120]

You cant do anything with the bare/rust spots other then a repaint. The RIDS will remain, but you can lessen the look.

[BobbyG]

You'd be awfully surprised how many of those defects would disappear by using the right products, machine, and pads. While some would be eliminated many other would be rendered nearly invisible to the naked eye... :props:

[LuxuryMobile]

Some of the major blemishes will not look as severe after polishing. And the long scratch should look better if you take your time.

Good luck with it.

[BimmerFerret]

Really? The deep scratches would be lessened? Heck I'll take anything with the mileage it has.

Now let me ask this: I am thinking

LC Pads
M105/M205

Then should I go straight to wax or use a glaze first? Would there be a good benefit to do a glaze before the wax? Sorry if that sounds a little noobish.

[zkeeper]

A good glaze can do a nice fill job for you, and with some decent patient pad work, you will see even more fine scratches remain hidden. Of course then wax. Put some sacrifice barriers of wax layered, or good spray on waxes [Griots makes a great one for this barrier] and all this will help keep your glaze and main wax in place...make the whole work last a bit longer. Nice to see an slightly abused Bimmer get its day in the sun...:props:

[BobbyG]

In a way your very fortunate to have a car with high mileage with paint that needs allot of attention. This is the perfect opportunity for you to experiment with your polisher and pad combinations.

Admittingly the finish is in pretty rough shape so the only things you can do is make it better. Here's a couple of how to's that will help before you get started.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-car-garage-how-videos/24074-show-car-garage-video-how-do-section-pass-when-machine-polishing-da-polisher.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/35292-how-prime-foam-pad-when-using-da-polisher.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/26962-how-much-product-do-i-use-my-da-polisher.html

You could use a glaze prior to waxing or perhaps you might want to look at a sealant after the glaze prior to the wax...

[BimmerFerret]

A good glaze can do a nice fill job for you, and with some decent patient pad work, you will see even more fine scratches remain hidden. Of course then wax. Put some sacrifice barriers of wax layered, or good spray on waxes [Griots makes a great one for this barrier] and all this will help keep your glaze and main wax in place...make the whole work last a bit longer. Nice to see an slightly abused Bimmer get its day in the sun...:props:

Alright. I'm convinced. I'm going to pick up some glaze to help out! Thanks for the tips. I bought the car with 114k miles and the paint was rough since day 1. I'd like to take a serious attempt at making it better. :buffing:


In a way your very fortunate to have a car with high mileage with paint that needs allot of attention. This is the perfect opportunity for you to experiment with your polisher and pad combinations.

Admittingly the finish is in pretty rough shape so the only things you can do is make it better. Here's a couple of how to's that will help before you get started.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-car-garage-how-videos/24074-show-car-garage-video-how-do-section-pass-when-machine-polishing-da-polisher.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/35292-how-prime-foam-pad-when-using-da-polisher.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/26962-how-much-product-do-i-use-my-da-polisher.html

You could use a glaze prior to waxing or perhaps you might want to look at a sealant after the glaze prior to the wax...

I agree! Thanks for the tips and links.

[Bates Detailing]

Hey everyone,

Just curious about my paint... It is pretty bad in parts. Lots of deep RIDS and some spots were the last owner tried to use touch up paint to fix it but failed miserably. I plan to polish using Lake County Pads and M205/M105 (using a Griot's polisher), but I'd like to get some input on how much polishing will work. I know the stuff where you can see metal is pretty much done for, but once again I'll leave the opinions up to you guys, the pros. Car has nearly 154k.

Here are the pictures and thanks for any help!





http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2509/img485z.jpg









http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/830/img472p.jpg






http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2509/img485z.jpg


If Im not mistaken those are the forming of crows feet - clear coat failure... unfixable.

Be careful around the touch up paint - as that can be removed with an aggressive pad and compound - unless you plan on touching it back up.



http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/830/img472p.jpg

If you can catch your fingernail in that scratch I would not waste much time into it - means its through the clear...... looks bad from here but pics can be deceiving.


Otherwise polishing can and will take out alot of your defects. Just be careful around the indicated areas. Good luck man!

[courtdale]

Pretty much the same car, same color and same problem. I used BF Wet Diamond after my last cut/polish - how does a sealant like this compare to a glaze? As I've posted before, I was left with quite a few RIDS similar to the ones shown here, would adding a glaze to the mix provide any improvement if I am already using something like BFWD??

[D_Nyholm]

I'm not sure what pads you are planning on using, but you are going to need a decent number of passes with an Orange pad and m105. A lot of the defect will be lessened to an acceptable level. Even scratches that seem like they are through the clear and to the primer will start to disappear from 5 feet away even though you will see them easily up close. Also, people with an untrained eye will think you got a new car! :)

Is this your first polishing attempt? If so, I would take my time and maybe even see if you can get someone to show you the ropes for a little bit. I would be concerned with starting with that many problem areas on my first polish attempt. Usually it is easier to work on a nicely kept dd and then work out to small problems as they arise. Good luck with it and be sure to post up your results!

[BimmerFerret]

I'm not sure what pads you are planning on using, but you are going to need a decent number of passes with an Orange pad and m105. A lot of the defect will be lessened to an acceptable level. Even scratches that seem like they are through the clear and to the primer will start to disappear from 5 feet away even though you will see them easily up close. Also, people with an untrained eye will think you got a new car! :)

Is this your first polishing attempt? If so, I would take my time and maybe even see if you can get someone to show you the ropes for a little bit. I would be concerned with starting with that many problem areas on my first polish attempt. Usually it is easier to work on a nicely kept dd and then work out to small problems as they arise. Good luck with it and be sure to post up your results!
This will be my first try at a heavy correction. I have done wax only passes with my Griots with very good results. I don't have an orange LC pad, but I'm thinking I may need to get a couple for this correction along with some glaze.

Thanks again for the tips everyone.

[shoeless89]

My car looked very similar when I got into detailing but its about 93% perfect now! Just takes some work and time