Do metallic paints wear better than base?

SJ · 08-26-2009, 11:43 PM

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!

jibaholic101 · 08-26-2009, 11:48 PM

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

SJ · 08-27-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

well, you are describing general colors, black will always show more dirt and show the swirls very easily, black is the hardest to maintain ...

Do you think there's a difference between the metallic and non-metallic? Are the metallic's soft too?

jibaholic101 · 08-27-2009, 12:21 AM

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

Lester · 08-27-2009, 03:26 AM

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.

jeremyc74 · 08-27-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJ

Do you think there's a difference between the metallic and non-metallic? Are the metallic's soft too?

They're all soft. I've stopped letting the dealership wash my car (Montego Blue) after a service because of the swirl marks they leave.

Tom K. · 08-27-2009, 09:45 AM

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

BlackjackMulligan · 08-27-2009, 09:54 AM

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.

JimD · 08-27-2009, 10:14 AM

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

Monterra · 08-27-2009, 11:02 AM

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.

Jaguar66 · 08-27-2009, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

the paint on BMWs are very soft to be more "green",

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.

SJ · 08-27-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester

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.

Water-based paints ??? Man, no wonder!!

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 ...

Lester · 08-27-2009, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJ

Water-based paints ??? Man, no wonder!!

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 ...

www.zainostore.com Your finish acts like it is teflon coated.

x5mad · 08-27-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimD

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

+1, Jim is on the money here.

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.

bbocaner · 08-30-2009, 09:13 PM

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.

08-26-2009, 11:43 PM	#1
SJ Private 20 Rep 83 Posts Drives: none yet Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NC iTrader: (0)	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!
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08-26-2009, 11:48 PM	#2
jibaholic101 Brigadier General 160 Rep 3,496 Posts Drives: women wild Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston, SC iTrader: (0)	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
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08-27-2009, 12:21 AM	#4
jibaholic101 Brigadier General 160 Rep 3,496 Posts Drives: women wild Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Charleston, SC iTrader: (0)	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
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08-27-2009, 03:26 AM	#5
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	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.
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08-27-2009, 09:45 AM	#7
Tom K. Major General 124 Rep 5,627 Posts Drives: '07 328iT, '13 Boxster Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	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
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08-27-2009, 09:54 AM	#8
BlackjackMulligan Most interesting Roadster 69 Rep 2,224 Posts Drives: '01 Z3.0 Roady;'10 C300 Sport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Boston 'burbs iTrader: (5) Garage List 2010 Mercedes-Benz ... [0.00] 2001 BMW Z3 3.0 Roa ... [0.00]	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
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08-27-2009, 10:14 AM	#9
JimD Brigadier General 368 Rep 3,547 Posts Drives: 128i convertible Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Lexington, SC iTrader: (0)	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
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08-27-2009, 11:02 AM	#10
Monterra Captain 19 Rep 619 Posts Drives: 15 X1 msport sdrive28 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: HVNY iTrader: (0)	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.
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08-30-2009, 09:13 PM	#15
bbocaner Enlisted Member 0 Rep 42 Posts Drives: '14 i3, '18 530e, '10 530iXT Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Herndon, VA iTrader: (2)	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.
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