Correcting a Black BMW - need input

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Jon K

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Hey guys - so I am experimenting on a '95 530i in black. The car hasn't been washed in like 3 years. Never waxed in probably 5 years. It's horrible. That said, I just got a new buffer (Griot's 6" random) and some supplies so I wanted to try it out.

Here are some before pictures:


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

50/50. The side on the left of the tape line was washed and clayed then washed again. The side on the right was washed, clayed, washed, then M105'd, M205'd, and waxed with Souveran.


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

The scratch just above the camera light is still there because I didn't use the DA close enough to the tape so as to not tear it off. I'll be revisiting the left hand side later on. It started to storm so I had to call it short. Notice the "flare" from the light in the reflection is MUCH less swirled/distorted/yucky on the right hand side. Anyone can take a photo of a glossy surface and it'll look good on camera, but putting a light on it especially with a 50/50 line gives you a true sense of the correction.


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


Black 530i Correction by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

Overall I am happy the paint was horrible and the before photos do not do it justice (in terms of how bad it was). The only thing I'd like is to have a crisper reflection. Am I right in thinking the only way to achieve that is with wet sanding? I have wet sanded scratches out before, and I might do that for a couple still faint scratches on this trunk but I really want to try and restore not only the gloss/shine but the mirror-like sharp reflection. You can see in the pictures where I hold the cell phone LED on the tape line, the compounded/polished side of the car still has a good bit of wave/orange peel in it. It's clean and smooth and feels soft to the touch... and I love it, but I have seen some videos where guys are getting like glass/mirror-like reflection. Any advice?
 
The orange peel is only going to some off with wet sanding. I know Car Pro has a denim pad for orange peel. I do not know if it works. Maybe someone here can chime in.
Some of those scratches look pretty deep. I can't tell but from the pics they look like they are down tho the primer which you will not get them out. The entire panel will need to be repainted IMO for it to look seamless. In regards to the sharpness of the reflections you may want to try a final finishing polish and a finishing pad. Black pads have zero cut so the cut is based on the polish and pressure you apply during your passes.
Orange peel will take away from the crispness of the reflections. Remember you only have so much clear coat on the car. Once it's gone it's gone. So weigh the benefits of wet sanding it. Another option would be to use a self leveling glaze. It will back fill any fine scratches help reduce the deeper one's and It might help smooth out some of the orange peel. That is the safest bet.
Being the car was in really bad shape and you did a great job I would think about wet sanding it. With out a paint thickness gauge you really do not know how much paint you have left to work with you may end up taking off to much paint.
It's a 95' I would look at what you did and say job well done my friend.
 
Try repolishing the car with some Menzerna SF4000 or SF4500. I have a pair of Jet Black BMW's and Menzerna works better for me than Meguiar's on my cars.

Not putting down Meguiar's at all and saying they dont work but just giving my thoughts on what works for me.
 
inDetail said:
The orange peel is only going to some off with wet sanding. I know Car Pro has a denim pad for orange peel. I do not know if it works. Maybe someone here can chime in.
Some of those scratches look pretty deep. I can't tell but from the pics they look like they are down tho the primer which you will not get them out. The entire panel will need to be repainted IMO for it to look seamless. In regards to the sharpness of the reflections you may want to try a final finishing polish and a finishing pad. Black pads have zero cut so the cut is based on the polish and pressure you apply during your passes.
Orange peel will take away from the crispness of the reflections. Remember you only have so much clear coat on the car. Once it's gone it's gone. So weigh the benefits of wet sanding it. Another option would be to use a self leveling glaze. It will back fill any fine scratches help reduce the deeper one's and It might help smooth out some of the orange peel. That is the safest bet.
Being the car was in really bad shape and you did a great job I would think about wet sanding it. With out a paint thickness gauge you really do not know how much paint you have left to work with you may end up taking off to much paint.
It's a 95' I would look at what you did and say job well done my friend.
Click to expand...

Thanks - yeah I agree that wetsanding may be the only way to eliminate the orange peel. I am OK with how it looks right now, but I do see some videos on youtube of black BMWs (usually newer E39s, E60's, etc) where a detailer is done and its got less orange peel/crisper reflections. The car is old and its been abused so I am OK with how it looks overall. The scratches are not super deep they're def not into the primer at all, but they were pretty significant in terms of compounding/etc.

Would a micro fiber pad help any for compounding/polishing?
 
smack said:
Try repolishing the car with some Menzerna SF4000 or SF4500. I have a pair of Jet Black BMW's and Menzerna works better for me than Meguiar's on my cars.

Not putting down Meguiar's at all and saying they dont work but just giving my thoughts on what works for me.
Click to expand...
+1 on that. If you're gonna be using expensive products like Pinnacle Souveran, you better make sure it's perfectly finished with 4500. M205 is not enough for finishing a black vehicle.
 
smack said:
Try repolishing the car with some Menzerna SF4000 or SF4500. I have a pair of Jet Black BMW's and Menzerna works better for me than Meguiar's on my cars.

Not putting down Meguiar's at all and saying they dont work but just giving my thoughts on what works for me.
Click to expand...

Mike is the BMW guru around here! :props:

IPA wipe down won't hurt you to check to ensure you are removing all your imperfections.
 
inDetail said:
The orange peel is only going to some off with wet sanding. I know Car Pro has a denim pad for orange peel. I do not know if it works. Maybe someone here can chime in.
Some of those scratches look pretty deep. I can't tell but from the pics they look like they are down tho the primer which you will not get them out. The entire panel will need to be repainted IMO for it to look seamless. In regards to the sharpness of the reflections you may want to try a final finishing polish and a finishing pad. Black pads have zero cut so the cut is based on the polish and pressure you apply during your passes.
Orange peel will take away from the crispness of the reflections. Remember you only have so much clear coat on the car. Once it's gone it's gone. So weigh the benefits of wet sanding it. Another option would be to use a self leveling glaze. It will back fill any fine scratches help reduce the deeper one's and It might help smooth out some of the orange peel. That is the safest bet.
Being the car was in really bad shape and you did a great job I would think about wet sanding it. With out a paint thickness gauge you really do not know how much paint you have left to work with you may end up taking off to much paint.
It's a 95' I would look at what you did and say job well done my friend.
Click to expand...

What self leveling glaze do you recommend and how does it compare to Poor Boys Black Hole Glaze ?
 
not to bring you down or anything but i still see swirls in that 50/50 of yours.....just sayin
 
smack said:
Try repolishing the car with some Menzerna SF4000 or SF4500. I have a pair of Jet Black BMW's and Menzerna works better for me than Meguiar's on my cars.

Not putting down Meguiar's at all and saying they dont work but just giving my thoughts on what works for me.
Click to expand...

I agree with Mike. I also have a JB BMW and Menzerna normally does it for me as well.
 
BlackHawk said:
not to bring you down or anything but i still see swirls in that 50/50 of yours.....just sayin
Click to expand...

Of course you do. I spent 20 mins on it to see how far I can bring the paint back. You see the before photos the car was a MESS. I did this in like 20-30 mins one night after work and it started thunderstorming so I just made quick work of getting some wax on it to protect.
 
Considering where you started with the paint condition and 13+ years old, you did a great improvement. There is only so much improvement possible. For a daily driver, just preserve what paint remains.
 
BlackHawk said:
not to bring you down or anything but i still see swirls in that 50/50 of yours.....just sayin
Click to expand...

Man, tough crowd.

Good job on the correction. There's only so much you can do without knowing how much clear is left. However how are you going to get that round marring out on the trunk that's in the shape of a wax container?
 
Tinwhiskers said:
Man, tough crowd.

Good job on the correction. There's only so much you can do without knowing how much clear is left. However how are you going to get that round marring out on the trunk that's in the shape of a wax container?
Click to expand...

rofl

Part of me thinks that I didn't slam the wax container down. I think we'll all be ok.
 
So I know I'll prob take heat for this in some way but anyway, here's todays results:

I'm just going to leave these here.


E34 530i Detail by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


E34 530i Detail by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


E34 530i Detail by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


E34 530i Detail by Jon Kensy, on Flickr


  1. Wash w/ Chemical Guys Citrus + Gloss (mixed to strip)
  2. Clay bar w/ Optimum No Rinse as clay lube
  3. Wash w/ Chemical Guys Citrus + Gloss (mixed to strip)
  4. Pulled into garage
  5. LC CCS Yellow and Orange pads where needed using Meguiar's M105
  6. Meguiar's Finishing Pad using Meguiar's M205
  7. LC CCS Gray/Black Glazing/Finishing Pad using Menzerna SF4500 Ultra Fine Polish
  8. Pinnacle Souveran Carnauba paste wax
  9. Stare.

I haven't done the front or rear bumpers yet. They are indicative of the original finish this car had (!).
 
The car looks great. Good job on it, but man I thought my garage was cluttered. There's your heat lol.
 
Tinwhiskers said:
The car looks great. Good job on it, but man I thought my garage was cluttered. There's your heat lol.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Garage is cluttered because I am actually settling on a house tomorrow and moving the next day lol

smack said:
Wow, now that looks great. What are your thoughts on the third step with Menzerna?

What camera are you shooting with?
Click to expand...

Thanks! The Menzerna seemed to bring out a finer finish - it seemed worthwhile to me!

I shot these with a Canon 5D Mark II w/ Canon 24mm f/2.8L Mark II lens.
 
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