Dealing with New Car Orange Peel

[m3barry]

So I finally get the sports car of my dreams - a "new" 2008 BMW M3 Coupe. I love everything about this car, except the mild orange peel finish on the Melbourne Red metallic paint. I've done lots of online research and also looked at lots of other new cars (including other bimmers) and have concluded this problem is far too common. I would love to improve the situation, and figure I have a few choices:

1) Live with it (can't at this point)
2) Go back to the dealer, but even if I can convince them to address it I'm afraid they will screw it up worse
3) Pay some big $$$ to have a custom shop "upgrade" the paint, but this is ridiculously expensive and seems as risky as the dealer
4) Color sand the factory paint, but from everything I've read this is REALLY risky
5) Take a shot myself with a DA polisher and see how much improvement I can get, which is the path I'm currently on

Purchased a PC polisher "kit" from Autogeek with Lake Country pads and XMT "light swirl" formula (nothing too aggressive to start with). Received the package last Friday and started in over the weekend. Worked on the trunk deck a little just to feel things out (nice and flat area with little orange peel). After some practice and some nice results, I moved on to the big hood.

So far, I am very pleased with the results. Lit the car up with some halogen lights and was surprised to see a lot more fine scratches and swirls than expected on a new car. But as I CAREFULLY went through the polishing steps, things really improved. I didn't expect a lot of improvement in the orange peel, so I was pleasantly surprized to see a noticable improvement. Sort of like "blending" it all together a little smoother without completely removing it like color sanding would achieve.

So I'm wondering, how far should I take this process? I am very concerned about the thickness of the clear coat. But if I stick to the very mild polishes, is it pretty safe to work it this way? I made 2 passes on each section of the hood with the XMT light swirl remover before moving on to the finishing products. Any thoughts on how much clear coat is being removed? Where do I stop? I'd rather do too little than too much.

[Craig]

m3barry, you are safe with what your doing. With a PC and mild polish
you aren't taking much off. Just stay away from sanding, with a new car why take the chance. If it bothered me that much, have it sanded and a coat of clear put on. You don't need a repaint, only the clear coat.

[highline1164]

going back to the dealer is a complete waste of time, as every factory car has orange peel. The cars are painted by machine and they arent too concerned with how flat the clear is. youll never get the orange peel out with a PC, the only way to remove peel is to wet sand and polish it out. BMW has enough clear for this to be done but whether or not there is someone in your area that is qualified to do it will be left up to you to decide. if not, continue on with the PC and get the surface as defect free as possible and try to cope with the orange peel. dont feel bad about that btw, i can post pics of some brand new exotics that are orange peeled badly....as a painter buddy of mine says "the robot just had a bad day"

[BarryK]

going back to the dealer is a complete waste of time, as every factory car has orange peel. The cars are painted by machine and they arent too concerned with how flat the clear is. youll never get the orange peel out with a PC, the only way to remove peel is to wet sand and polish it out. BMW has enough clear for this to be done but whether or not there is someone in your area that is qualified to do it will be left up to you to decide. if not, continue on with the PC and get the surface as defect free as possible and try to cope with the orange peel. dont feel bad about that btw, i can post pics of some brand new exotics that are orange peeled badly....as a painter buddy of mine says "the robot just had a bad day"

orange peel is a particular pet peeve of mine and I refuse to accept it on my show cars but because it's so common on pretty much all factory paint jobs I've learned to live with it (for my sanity's sake) on my daily drivers.
You are not going to get rid of orange peel with a buffer, whether it be a rotary or a PC, it requires wetsanding the clear coat than buffing out the wetsanding.
Any good bodyshop or custom paintshop should be able to handle the wetsanding and buffing for you.

[elk42]

does orange peel match the color of your car? i have a streak on my hood that is gray but not totally matching the original color. it was never repainted and attempted to be buffed out but to no avail. thanks. hopefully not a dumb question.

[heatgain]

Orange peel is a texture, not a color. It resembles the texture of an orange peel. It's usually in the clear coat and will not affect the color at all.

[elk42]

Orange peel is a texture, not a color. It resembles the texture of an orange peel. It's usually in the clear coat and will not affect the color at all.

thanks

[SMOOTHFINISH10]

Elk the clear is clear it has no color so don't try to get the color out it may be a stain or discoloration that's in the paint, by the time you find out you'll be through the clear.

[Larry A]

I f you wanted perfectlly flat go to a classic car restoration shop. A regular body shop will make it worst. A classic car restoration shop is use to putting out super nice paint work . It will be expensive, in the $400.00 plus price range. Ive seen a new Corvettes done and a
Macco paint job done, and they came out perfect. Check out the shops other paint work before you let them touch your car. It will be hard to find the right shop.

[cabrego]

Have you had any luck on this subject? I have a similar problem with my BMW M6, there is light orange peel that I wish I could tackle with a DA.

Sounds like it would need a wet sand to be effective...