|
|
|
08-26-2009, 11:43 PM | #1 |
Private
20
Rep 83
Posts |
Do metallic paints wear better than base?
There are some comments around the forum concering the Jet Black paint being harder to maintain: soft finish, subject to swirl lines, etc. Is this also true of the Alpine White and Crimson Red? If so, is it because they are not metallic? Do the metallic paints wear better, or perhaps worse? Anyone read/heard/seen/had any experience with this?
Thanks! |
08-26-2009, 11:48 PM | #2 |
Brigadier General
160
Rep 3,496
Posts |
well, you are describing general colors, black will always show more dirt and show the swirls very easily, black is the hardest to maintain
white hides things very easily as far as scratches, dark dirt it wont crimson red will show in the light. the paint on BMWs are very soft to be more "green", so proper upkeep is key to having healthy good looking paint
__________________
some italian, german, and japanese ones; and on order more of the same
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 12:15 AM | #3 |
Private
20
Rep 83
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 12:21 AM | #4 |
Brigadier General
160
Rep 3,496
Posts |
yeah, BMW wanted to go green and use materials that are "earth friendly" but arent strong and durable
my mercedes has a ceramic coating in the paint, and it is unbelievably strong, but that was 2002. it all has to do with how the color shows, metallics can either hide or draw, it really depends, go to your dealer and look at the colors, bunch of bullshit if you ask me
__________________
some italian, german, and japanese ones; and on order more of the same
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 03:26 AM | #5 |
Brigadier General
295
Rep 3,350
Posts |
Metallic paints or non metallic paints both benefit with a proper sealant and protector like Zaino or (fill in your favorite brand). Jet Black is higher maintenance, but also gives outstanding results when treated properly.
BMW is now using water based paints. Whatever color you get, stay away from any automatic car washes, touchless or not. |
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 07:33 AM | #6 |
Banned
76
Rep 5,970
Posts |
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 09:45 AM | #7 |
Major General
124
Rep 5,627
Posts |
FWIW, the finish on my 1999 Bright Red (non-metallic) 328i still looks great except for the inevitable stone chips accumulated in 93,000 miles. It has never seen an auto car wash, or the inside of my garage - but I do apply a good carnauba wax 2 or 3 times a year.
Tom |
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 09:54 AM | #8 |
Most interesting Roadster
69
Rep 2,224
Posts
Drives: '01 Z3.0 Roady;'10 C300 Sport
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Boston 'burbs
|
I don't know if a certain paint is softer based upon the make up of metallic paint vs non metallic, however it's commonly suggested that metallic paints hide swirls better than non metallic. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the Jet Black on my 1er is the softest paint that I've ever had experience with and is very difficult to maintain without swirling.
__________________
I can't complain, but sometimes I still do........Life's been good to me so far.
- Joe Walsh |
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 10:14 AM | #9 |
Brigadier General
368
Rep 3,547
Posts |
The surface you can touch on the paint is the same regardless of whether the color is metallic or not. The top surface is clear. I do not know anything about the exact paint that BMW is using but the water based car paint I have seen requires a normal solvent based clear coat. So it may not be any different than they used to use before going "green". In any event, if you touch the color coat, you have a bigger problem than swirl marks. What you touch with wax or sealant is the clear coat. I'm pretty sure it is the same regardless of what color you get.
Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09 |
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 11:02 AM | #10 |
Captain
19
Rep 619
Posts |
Yeah, my montego is also very soft. I have less than 7k miles on the clicker and I've got some work to do with the paint stick already. I did find that the amount of orange peel on the non-metallics seemed more acceptable while mine is pretty horrendous if I'm being honest.
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 12:01 PM | #11 |
M Power
41
Rep 1,469
Posts |
This makes it sound BMW intentionally makes soft paint to help the environment. Believe me if they could make them as hard as older paints they would.
The correct statement is that they are not allowed to use their old paints, the new environmental friendly paints cannot be made as hard as the old ones. Secondarily, BMWs finishes are not as hard. |
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 05:00 PM | #12 | |
Private
20
Rep 83
Posts |
Quote:
How/where would one get this Zaino sealant? I presume it is not a water based sealant? Does it disolve or damage the underlying water based paint over time, or yellow? Are there any warranty implications? Sounds like an interesting solution ... |
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 08:21 PM | #13 | |
Brigadier General
295
Rep 3,350
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-27-2009, 11:37 PM | #14 | |
Lieutenant Colonel
352
Rep 1,772
Posts |
Quote:
Remember it is the CLEAR COAT that you are dealing with when talking about minor imperfections. The colour underneath whether metallic or non metallic will only act in a way to amplify scratches based on its optical properties. And so this notion of whether the paint is soft or not does not matter. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-30-2009, 09:13 PM | #15 |
Enlisted Member
0
Rep 42
Posts |
while the paint bmw uses is water-based, the clearcoat is solvent-based (and actually VERY hard compared to that used by many other manufacturers) and they use the same clearcoat over every different color, so there is no difference in the amount of scratches or swirls you get with different colors. What does vary is how much the base color will hide or emphasize any problems with the clearcoat.
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|