My first paint correction!

[Wally1552]

Alright so thanks to Matt @ obsessed garage and a few other YouTube detailers, I have been given the false confidence to attempt my first paint correction on my 11 E90 ZCP Jerez blk.

What I did today
1) strip wash Adam's shampoo
2) iron x car pro chem decon
3) nano autoscrub mech. Decon
4) all trim masked w/ 3M precision tape.

What I will do tomorrow
5) compound with Jescar correcting compound w/meguiars microfiber cutting disc
6) IPA wipe down (a test spot)
7) Sonax perfect finish w/ rupes yellow foam pad
8) either turtle wax ceramic spray or collinite 845 as LSP.

What am I possibly missing? One thing I'm worried about is I dont have an air compressor or brush to blow out pads after use. Any suggestions?

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

[Wally1552]

Hmm also since being prepped and in garage for a few hours there already some dust i can feel in the car. Any tips on that? Should I just wiped down each panel with a mf cloth before I start compounding?

[Tut4u2]

Its normal from the static. You can either rinse off with water or hit it with quick detailer before moving to the next step.

[bmwm3s65]

[QUOTE=Wally1552;26007936]Alright so thanks to Matt @ obsessed garage and a few other YouTube detailers, I have been given the false confidence to attempt my first paint correction on my 11 E90 ZCP Jerez blk.

What I did today
1) strip wash Adam's shampoo
2) iron x car pro chem decon
3) nano autoscrub mech. Decon
4) all trim masked w/ 3M precision tape.

What I will do tomorrow
5) compound with Jescar correcting compound w/meguiars microfiber cutting disc
6) IPA wipe down (a test spot)
7) Sonax perfect finish w/ rupes yellow foam pad
8) either turtle wax ceramic spray or collinite 845 as LSP.

What am I possibly missing? One thing I'm worried about is I dont have an air compressor or brush to blow out pads after use. Any suggestions?


Hey Wally, quick question, on step 5(compounding) that step is only used on scratches and spots that need compounding, correct? you dont compound the whole car, however on step 7 you do, using perfect finish, correct?

[b4hand]

Is the car black?

[Vedubin01]

any updated progress?

[o_g]

I corrected my 328 (sapphire black metallic) a few years back. BMW paint is fairly hard, and mine had some bird poo etches on the hood, which I had to wet sand.

I have the old Griots polisher and tried the Chemical Guys V series, plus Megs 105/205 combo, but didn’t care for them.

I ended up with a 3 stage polish using Menzerna products, and a wool bonnet for the compound and foam pads for the polish. You need a number of polishing pads as the heat will build up in the center of the pad.

You can use a brush to clean the pad surface from buildup. Also use Optimum ONR in a garden sprayer for a wipe down, as dust does buildup; either natural or from the polish.

If you’re going through all this trouble, then consider a ceramic sealant. I have used the Collinite but not the Turtle Wax you mentioned.

No pictures of my old car, but I had very good paint depth so wasn’t concerned about any burn. My coupe had shadow line trim and the edges did wear down a bit from the foam pads, but your masking looks good.

Originally Posted by Wally1552

Alright so thanks to Matt @ obsessed garage and a few other YouTube detailers, I have been given the false confidence to attempt my first paint correction on my 11 E90 ZCP Jerez blk.

What I did today
1) strip wash Adam's shampoo
2) iron x car pro chem decon
3) nano autoscrub mech. Decon
4) all trim masked w/ 3M precision tape.

What I will do tomorrow
5) compound with Jescar correcting compound w/meguiars microfiber cutting disc
6) IPA wipe down (a test spot)
7) Sonax perfect finish w/ rupes yellow foam pad
8) either turtle wax ceramic spray or collinite 845 as LSP.

What am I possibly missing? One thing I'm worried about is I dont have an air compressor or brush to blow out pads after use. Any suggestions?

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

[Wally1552]

Originally Posted by Vedubin01

any updated progress?

Yes I finished after 3 days. Took my time with it. It was quite therapeutic and I enjoyed it. Here is the finished product. The difference is huge.

Some learnings:
1) I think just using Sonax polish might have gotten me 75% the way there without compounding.
2) I forgot to panel wipe after the polish and applied the ceramic spray
3) I love the smell of turtlewax ceramic spray
4) don't underestimate taping all trim. Getting polish/wax on it socks.
5) I should have 6" and 3" backing plates and compound/polish discs handy for tight spots
6) paint correction lighting is critical. This was $60 bucks and was well worth it.
Astro Pneumatic Tool 50SL SunLight 400 Lumen Rechargeable Handheld Color Match Light - CRI 97 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CHP76CU/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_LS8JEb72MX8J5

On to the pics!

Here is before with all the swirls

View post on imgur.com

Here is after compound and polish

View post on imgur.com

Here is link to video of hood comparison between test spot and original state

View post on imgur.com

Here are the photos of car completely done

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

[Wally1552]

[QUOTE=bmwm3s65;26021423]

Originally Posted by Wally1552

Alright so thanks to Matt @ obsessed garage and a few other YouTube detailers, I have been given the false confidence to attempt my first paint correction on my 11 E90 ZCP Jerez blk.

What I did today
1) strip wash Adam's shampoo
2) iron x car pro chem decon
3) nano autoscrub mech. Decon
4) all trim masked w/ 3M precision tape.

What I will do tomorrow
5) compound with Jescar correcting compound w/meguiars microfiber cutting disc
6) IPA wipe down (a test spot)
7) Sonax perfect finish w/ rupes yellow foam pad
8) either turtle wax ceramic spray or collinite 845 as LSP.

What am I possibly missing? One thing I'm worried about is I dont have an air compressor or brush to blow out pads after use. Any suggestions?


Hey Wally, quick question, on step 5(compounding) that step is only used on scratches and spots that need compounding, correct? you dont compound the whole car, however on step 7 you do, using perfect finish, correct?

I compounded the whole car. Should I have not? I dunno. The car has never been corrected in 9 years. Swirls and scratches every where.

[Wally1552]

Originally Posted by b4hand

Is the car black?

Yes Jerez black (blueish pearl)

[SoCalRPM]

[QUOTE=Wally1552;26029775]

Originally Posted by bmwm3s65

I compounded the whole car. Should I have not? I dunno. The car has never been corrected in 9 years. Swirls and scratches every where.

Looks like you had pretty heavy swirling. (Looks great now. Nice work) I think you were probably in good shape to compound the whole car - just know there's only so many times you can do that before damaging paint.

Just keep it swirl free from now on and you'll be good! Get some high quality MF towels, never wipe the car with anything while it's dirty, and if you can, dry the car after washes touchless with a leaf blower or something

[Wally1552]

Thanks and yes agree on doing everything I can to not create more scratches. Just looking at black pain seems to induce marring lol. I did buy a leaf blower as well. $50 toro leaf blower. If you have the funds recommend the cordless Ego 530 with extra battery

[pbonsalb]

Looks great! I need to do that to my JB 08 E90M3. Have you done any touch up painting? What do you recommend? At 103k, 73k of which I have added over the past 9 years of year round driving, I need to do some touching up.

[Wally1552]

Dr color chip. It works great.