[B///MWGuy]

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I feel that new BMWs (2013+) have much more gloss than the past ones. Did BMW upgrade paint material/clear coat or something?

[335ItotheSky]

I've had BMWs since 2000 and they've always had thick clear coats. In the "detailer" world, they're known as easy cars to work on, due to this fact.

Just make sure to "clay" the car's clear-coat or have a professional do it for you, once per year and it will stay shiny for years. Their motorcycle finishes are also top-notch, just FYI.

[BavarianFanatic]

There's a little less orange peel than in the past, but not super recent. I think it corresponds to the switch to waterborne paint.

[chetman7]

Since it's a thicker clear coat, would anyone still recommend clear bra paint protection films? My last hyundai genesis had such thin paint that within the first year of ownership I had thousands of rock chips right through to the primer and in a black car, my front end looked like someone accidentally oversprayed white all over my front end. Ended up repainting and putting a clear bra which was awesome, but expensive for what it is

[bavarianride]

I believe BMW downgrades from 5 layers of paint to 3 for cost savings, it was mentioned by BMW management in one of the youtube interviews. I have a few paint chips and you are see the paint is much thinner than the past bimmers.

[Cup o' Joe]

Definitely cheaper paint and clear coat than other manufacturers.

My F30 already has some paint missing on the hood (from a wash), bird dropping etchings, dead insect etchings, and some rock chips. Did I mention I'm basically a clean freak with my car?

Seriously, my previous BMW (jet black), and my Hondas and Toyotas had better paint.

[ft1339]

Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic

There's a little less orange peel than in the past, but not super recent. I think it corresponds to the switch to waterborne paint.

On the contrary the switch to waterborne means more orange peel. Waterborne paint is more prone to orange peeling than solvent borne in my experience spraying waterborne paints. That's because with solvent you can thin the paint a lot more without getting runs, because it flashes off so quickly (minutes vs 1 hour for water). And thin means it levels better and doesn't show as much orange peel. Solvent paint is a much better paint but sadly it is also toxic and dangerous which is why it's on the way out.

[BavarianFanatic]

Originally Posted by ft1339

On the contrary the switch to waterborne means more orange peel. Waterborne paint is more prone to orange peeling than solvent borne in my experience spraying waterborne paints. That's because with solvent you can thin the paint a lot more without getting runs, because it flashes off so quickly (minutes vs 1 hour for water). And thin means it levels better and doesn't show as much orange peel. Solvent paint is a much better paint but sadly it is also toxic and dangerous which is why it's on the way out.

Remember that things are different in the factory than with refinish. I agree waterborne is a challenge when you're used to solvent systems. But in the factory they lay down a pretty wet coat in a high velocity downdraft then pretty much instantly bake with a high volume of air. It's much flatter than what I've been used to from BMW.

[ft1339]

Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic

Remember that things are different in the factory than with refinish. I agree waterborne is a challenge when you're used to solvent systems. But in the factory they lay down a pretty wet coat in a high velocity downdraft then pretty much instantly bake with a high volume of air. It's much flatter than what I've been used to from BMW.

Actually I was at the Munich factory a few weeks ago and paid special attention to this since I'm into spray painting. They negatively charge the car and positively charge the paint so that it's drawn to the car body. There is a down-draft right into a waterfall to get rid of the overspray. The baking didn't seem instant, there was a long way between the paint and the baking. The orange peel was pretty apparent out of the guns as is expected. It flattens down a little after evaporating the water during baking. But IMO it's still more orange peel than with solvent. If I compare my old crappy Hyundai with a current German car the paint job is actually flatter on the Hyundai.

[bavarianride]

I thought the switch to waterborne paint was way back in 2000-ish starting with E39 and E46. Comparing early 2000 and now there's been yet another downgrade 2-3 years back when BMW started cutting the number of paint layers.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by f30fanboy

I thought the switch to waterborne paint was way back in 2000-ish starting with E39 and E46. Comparing early 2000 and now there's been yet another downgrade 2-3 years back when BMW started cutting the number of paint layers.

Source for this info?

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Source for this info?

I assume you are referring to 5 versus 3 paint layers(base coat). It was a BMW corporate communication video that talks about manufacturing and miscellaneous topics. If I can locate it again I will post here.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by f30fanboy

I assume you are referring to 5 versus 3 paint layers(base coat). It was a BMW corporate communication video that talks about manufacturing and miscellaneous topics. If I can locate it again I will post here.

Thank you.

[moorfan]

Not that I am aware of. I have owned five BMW's in the last 5 years. I can say that my newly delivered Mineral Grey F31 has pretty standard BMW paint. Paint thickness measures anywhere from 130 microns to 105 or so, depending on location.
If you care about your paints longevity, then the solution is NOT to polish/polish/polish. The goal should be to make it as flawless as possible ONCE, then opti-coat it properly and learn how to wash it in a non-marring fashion.

[Agamemnon]

I would agree with you if you are talking about using cleaner waxes that do cut the clear coat a bit. However a pure carnuba wax like Pinnacle can be applied over and over without removing the paint.

The key is to wash carefully and make sure all materials used to wash and wax the car are perfectly clean. I launder all my materials after every waxing with an extra rinse to boot.

[moorfan]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

I would agree with you if you are talking about using cleaner waxes that do cut the clear coat a bit. However a pure carnuba wax like Pinnacle can be applied over and over without removing the paint.

The key is to wash carefully and make sure all materials used to wash and wax the car are perfectly clean. I launder all my materials after every waxing with an extra rinse to boot.

Very true. Agree with you. However, the duration of the average carnauba wax's "beading" effect varies with the amount of sun and rain a car gets but can be as short as a few weeks. I just don't have the time and energy to wax that often. I know plenty of guys who have toy cars that they polish up really well once and then correctly wash and wax, because they like the "warm look" of a wax better. That's their choice. This may serve you well on an occasional driver, but with a daily driver it may not last. Many waxes do not have UV inhibitors and tend to be a very thin coating, whereas the thickness of a ceramic resin coating like Opti-coat can be measured in microns if applied properly.

I just want to caution people about believing that they can or should "polish" their cars (the term polish implies an abrasive) everytime they get a scratch. The clear coat is no thicker on BMW than any other car and the main UV inhibitor benefit of that clear coat is in the superficial part of it's thickness.