White paint get yellowing

[librayiu]

Hi, I notice my AW 135i get a bit yellowing (it is 2008, 3 yrs now). I know that white paint will get yellowing in certain extent anyway.

I know sunlight UV is a factor affecting the yellowing rate, but how much exactly it speed up the yellowing process?

Say, for an AW BMW always park outdoor under direct sunlight, compare with another AW BMW always park indoor, provided that both have similar normal body maintenance (wax / wash periodically)

Anyone can share the experience?

Thanks~

[Greg@DetailedImage]

I'm guessing it's just a little bit of oxidation and swirls that are accumulating in the clear coat. It's become less optically clear and you're seeing a more dull reflection. I would suggest using a polish on it and then a wax or sealant afterwards to protect the paint. The SONAX Nano Technology Paint Cleanerwould be an ideal product to remove the oxidation. The Klasse All In One (AIO) can also help as it cleans and protects all in one step hence the name. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

[zkeeper]

Hong Kong..yes with heat. Spend most of my time in Bejing and its intense. Also have an AW and have not noticed the yellowing. What kind of wax are you using? Some heavy, carnuba style waxes can "yellow" a bit...yes follow reccomends above and see if a fresh claying and cleaning, getting all old wax off and using a different more synthetic wax might help??? Good luck on this one. ZiJen.

[romak47]

ive seen this yellowishness on a lot of white cars. mainly near the bottom of the car where the paint is closer to the wheels and road debris/salts/spray..
chemicals from the road are picked up easily in these areas, especially in humid and wet areas that rain a lot.. Like Greg said, and I myself notice a polish and good sealant help this a lot. a good DA is will help the process..

Do like zkeeper says.. clay it before polishing too!!

[librayiu]

Thanks All for the comments! I'll try wax the body as suggested.

So nobody here experience fast yellowing under prolonged direct sunlight?

Besides, do you notice the bumper/side skirt paint is little bit yellower than the main body? Is it due to different material underneath ( plastic vs metal )?

[TOGWT]

This yellow is caused by ultra violet radiation (UV-B photosynthesis) all vehicles are subjected to UV but white shows it by ‘yellowing’ and red shows it by fading (to pink).

You need to block this radiation with a wax or sealant that contains UV blockers, as Greg has suggested Klasse AIO will clean the surface of oxidation and then apply a sealant or wax that contains UV protection, I’m sure Greg (DI) can make some suitable suggestions for you

[ScheerSpeed]

Swissvax Cleaner Fluid Medium and Glacier wax should solve your issue as well. White paint yellowing is totally normal if you don't properly take care of it.

[AW128i]

My car has yellowing on one part of the car, the passenger's side front fender and the side skirt on the same side. The rest of the car is typical of Alpine White, crisp and very white. The entire car has been protected with the same washing, clay bar, and waxing techniques and products so why has only one area started to yellow?? I haven't tried polishing the area yet, but no amount of using a clay bar has helped. My partner makes fun of my car, saying it looks like a dog peed on it

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by AW128i

My car has yellowing on one part of the car, the passenger's side front fender and the side skirt on the same side. The rest of the car is typical of Alpine White, crisp and very white. The entire car has been protected with the same washing, clay bar, and waxing techniques and products so why has only one area started to yellow?? I haven't tried polishing the area yet, but no amount of using a clay bar has helped. My partner makes fun of my car, saying it looks like a dog peed on it

sorry to hear, and don't let anyone make pee jokes about your baby!!!

Make sure you grab a product like Iron-X to use on your paint as it works wonders. In addition, if you're serious about UV protection, consider using Optimum Car Wax spray as it has copious amounts of hardcore UV ray blockers that are much stronger than the ones typically added to waxes/sealants.

[librayiu]

I'm lazy so spray car wax is a good choice for me. Apart from Optimum Car Wax spray, any other similar products that provide strong UV protection?

[BMW86]

So I came back to my car today and a white Audi S3 was parked across from me. It made my car look like yellow I think I need a detail!

[AW128i]

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

sorry to hear, and don't let anyone make pee jokes about your baby!!!

Make sure you grab a product like Iron-X to use on your paint as it works wonders. In addition, if you're serious about UV protection, consider using Optimum Car Wax spray as it has copious amounts of hardcore UV ray blockers that are much stronger than the ones typically added to waxes/sealants.

No worries, I make fun of him all the time because he's absolutely in love with his Mitsubishi Eclipse and treats it like it cost $100k. I can at least appreciate the care with which he treats it, but as for the car... thumbs down for sure

I hadn't heard of Iron-X until now, but it seems similar to Sonax wheel cleaner, no? I'll also check out the Optimum Car Wax. Thanks for the tips on those! As for removing the yellowing, will polishing still be needed, or do you think the Iron-X will do the trick?

P.S. I've had white cars before and never had this problem!!

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by librayiu

I'm lazy so spray car wax is a good choice for me. Apart from Optimum Car Wax spray, any other similar products that provide strong UV protection?

Originally Posted by AW128i

No worries, I make fun of him all the time because he's absolutely in love with his Mitsubishi Eclipse and treats it like it cost $100k. I can at least appreciate the care with which he treats it, but as for the car... thumbs down for sure

I hadn't heard of Iron-X until now, but it seems similar to Sonax wheel cleaner, no? I'll also check out the Optimum Car Wax. Thanks for the tips on those! As for removing the yellowing, will polishing still be needed, or do you think the Iron-X will do the trick?

P.S. I've had white cars before and never had this problem!!

Optimum Car Wax is the only product I know of with that particular type of UV ray protection.
Iron-X is a lot like Sonax Full Effect, and there's been debate if Sonax can be used on paint (so far it seems like it can, though for testing and marketing reasons they don't say that themselves directly).

Polishing might still be needed, but I can't say for certain.

[Kcc]

I myself rarely park outdoor, 98% are underground. And my side skirt does true yellowish. Nows aday UV could goes past wall and ground. About time to purchase a aluminum garage cage.

Kcc

[librayiu]

Originally Posted by AW128i

My car has yellowing on one part of the car, the passenger's side front fender and the side skirt on the same side. The rest of the car is typical of Alpine White, crisp and very white. The entire car has been protected with the same washing, clay bar, and waxing techniques and products so why has only one area started to yellow?? I haven't tried polishing the area yet, but no amount of using a clay bar has helped. My partner makes fun of my car, saying it looks like a dog peed on it

For your partially yellow issue, I have a wild guess. Will it be possible that the factory clear coat over those area are thin (due to previous polish?) such that the UV protection reduced seriously over there?

I searched something in Meguair's FAQ section:
http://www.meguiars.com/faq/index.cf...ection=_18#_18

How much do you think this description about UV is true?

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by librayiu

For your partially yellow issue, I have a wild guess. Will it be possible that the factory clear coat over those area are thin (due to previous polish?) such that the UV protection reduced seriously over there?

I searched something in Meguair's FAQ section:
http://www.meguiars.com/faq/index.cf...ection=_18#_18

How much do you think this description about UV is true?

It could be that the clear-coat is very thin or that there's a limited amount of UV blocking agents in that particular paint system. There are also issues like migration of the UV blockers being absorbed away from the clear-coat (where you need them) and migrating towards and into the plastic. Not only is this possible, but it's happened in other models. Dr. David Ghodoussi who now is the famous "Dr G" behind Optimum products worked with Mitsubishi with this very issue in the early 2000's. Part of the reason I recommend trying something like Optimum Car Wax Spray, as it's truly a unique formulation in it's UV ray inhibiting abilities.

[infinitekidM2C]

I've been to Beijing and not surprised...lots of bad air.

[TOGWT]

Clear Coat Thickness and UV Protection Removed by Polishing - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1448231

[librayiu]

It looks like the Optimum Car Wax is good, but no distributor in HK..... I can't get it locally...