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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor
Joined: 27-August-2003
Location: Lost somewhere in time...
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Points: 6484
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Topic: Metallic paint Posted: 01-June-2004 at 15:53 |
Has anyone tried to touch up metallic paint?
I have noticed that there is a bit of rust appearing on the inner lip of both the rear arches and that the front panel that mounts the grill will need respraying at some point. This was bad when I bought the car but the trader had it resrayed for me. He insisted it would be a proffesional job and the finish was good but there is rust reappearing again round the edges.
Now with the arches I can remove the rust, treat the metal and probably just get away with using touch up paint, but the front panel with have to be stripped down and properly sprayed.
The question is do I pay some one to do it or is is possible to get a good finish with tins of spray paint?
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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jonnie p
Groupie
Joined: 28-April-2004
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 41
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Posted: 01-June-2004 at 20:14 |
get someone to do it properly mate shouldnt cost to much,and if any come backs you take it back and complain
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dave 328
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 21-October-2003
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 835
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Posted: 02-June-2004 at 10:58 |
Depends on how good you are at spraying.
I have a small rust bubble on the strip below the boot and rear lights, I think it may have been something that was put in the boot and chipped it and not sorted it quickly so its rusted. But I am going to do it my self with spray cans. I have some good paint finishing compounds which shold blend it in - if does go dodgy I will get it painted properly, but I have done paintinf before and got a good finish. If it was on a main panel then I wouldn't attempt it, but where it is I am.
Same with your front panel (the grill and the bit under the headlights?) I would have a go as its not a main panel where you can get dull patches or overspray as it has thin areas - but this is up to you. DIY won't cost that much so if the paint isn't good then you can get it painted professionally.
DIY cost;
wet'n'dry
primer
paint
laquer
= about £15
Professional (if you have taken the panel off and already preped it (rubbed down/primer etc);
£25 for paint and a bit for labour so about £30-40.
The professionals will do it happily if its ready to paint, but if it needs prep work probably charge over £50.
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328 Coupe Sport, Digital climate, full leather, OBD computer, De-restricted with M50 manifold, big bore throttle, chippeduk remap, custom cold cone intake and X-brace
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor
Joined: 27-August-2003
Location: Lost somewhere in time...
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Points: 6484
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Posted: 02-June-2004 at 13:17 |
Dave I think I will have a go myself. After all, like you say, if it goes wrong I can always pay someone to sort it out for me. Where is the best place to get paint from? the dealer or a motor factors or halfords.
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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Deathace
Really Senior Member I
Don’t stick keys in electrical sockets.
Joined: 27-December-2003
Location: Norfolk
Status: Offline
Points: 333
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Posted: 02-June-2004 at 15:20 |
If i remember correctly you can buy a spray can form of metallic paint from BMW you just have to give them your colour code. You will also need to buy a clear laquer to finish it off but for small areas you should be ok.
Russ
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1990 535i SE Auto Metallic Glacier Blue, Low Mileage,
M-Tech Bodykit, Full Leather & Various Custom Mods.
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dave 328
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 21-October-2003
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 835
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Posted: 02-June-2004 at 16:37 |
I find that Holts spray paint is the best and Halfords own brand is actually Holts repackaged. BMW paint should also be good but sometimes dearer.
I found my paint colour quite hard to find and I use a trade place but manged to get some made by Hycote, which is cheaper - £1.50 for 250ml can.
try BM or Halfords/factors for the prices then decide.
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328 Coupe Sport, Digital climate, full leather, OBD computer, De-restricted with M50 manifold, big bore throttle, chippeduk remap, custom cold cone intake and X-brace
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Brucey
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 07-March-2004
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 744
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Posted: 04-June-2004 at 22:13 |
-I think you'll be OK with the DIY/lacquer route, but;
1) Acrylic lacquer (all you can buy easily) has a slightly different refractive index from the OE 'clear coat'. In practice I have found it is OK on light colours, but on some dark colours you can always see the area that has been lacquered. I'd suggest testing an inconspicuous area (ie in the boot) for this before you go ahead.
2) the normal OE 'two pack' clear coat is much more durable than anything you can buy; it resists solvents, the weather, well, everything. It is also very poisonous, which is why you probably won't be able to get hold of it, and why you shouldn't be spraying it without a full respirator.
cheers
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~~~~~~~ Brucey ~~~~~~
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor
Joined: 27-August-2003
Location: Lost somewhere in time...
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Posted: 05-June-2004 at 15:08 |
How easy is it to blend laquer with the existing coat? What I have found is that when you try to sand it down it tends to make the whole thickness start to peel.
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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Brucey
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 07-March-2004
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Posted: 05-June-2004 at 17:22 |
-I would suggest trying sanding it wet, by hand, and trying to feather the edge as much as possible.
-In Halfords they have a 'numpty's guide to painting cars' freebie leaflet which is actually pretty good. Likewise there is a section on painting etc in most hayne's manuals.
-if you are working on a plastic part it is a whole different ball game...
cheers
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~~~~~~~ Brucey ~~~~~~
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Deathace
Really Senior Member I
Don’t stick keys in electrical sockets.
Joined: 27-December-2003
Location: Norfolk
Status: Offline
Points: 333
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Posted: 06-June-2004 at 21:09 |
The painting part of most jobs is the easy part its the preparation thats the hard work and the most time consuming. As Brucey says the best way to blend old and new is to feather back (to give a chamfered appearance) into the existing paint this will then give multiple layers for the paint to adhere to this also stops cracking of the laquer after a period of time. It would be best to try and build up the layers in conjunction with the original paint this will then keep the thickness pretty much the same.
Russ
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1990 535i SE Auto Metallic Glacier Blue, Low Mileage,
M-Tech Bodykit, Full Leather & Various Custom Mods.
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sleeper
Really Senior Member II
Original and STILL best
Joined: 26-March-2004
Location: East Sussex/Kent border
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Points: 2098
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Posted: 22-June-2004 at 09:57 |
Hi Peter,
I had a grill panel done in cosmos black, with the original line paint batch (standox) by a good guy in swindon for £50 cash. Surely this is the better route? could save a lot of agg and would cost about the same!
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jonp
Senior Member I
Joined: 05-October-2003
Location: England
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Points: 145
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Posted: 22-June-2004 at 12:12 |
I must say Sleeper I do agree with you. I've done a little DIY car spraying myself. Although one can get good results from doing it yourself, a professional will get it spot on! and if they do F....F....FUDGE it up; you can go back to them.
Good luck Peter what ever you decide to do!
Jon
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Autos are easy. Its the steering thats hard.
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tris
Groupie
Joined: 04-July-2003
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 86
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Posted: 29-June-2004 at 13:07 |
While we are on Metallic Paints, can they be "T-cut"?
Some kind individual in a red car clipped my car enough to leave the evidence behind and my wife backed the car through some bushes. Not enough to break the surface, just mark it.
If it was a flat colour I would just T-cut it out, but I'm not sure about the metallic
Cheers
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E30 320i Touring
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Brucey
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 07-March-2004
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Posted: 29-June-2004 at 20:32 |
-by all means take off the red paint marks, but don't overdo it.
-with superficial scratching, first do a test; wet your finger and run it over the scratch. If it looks loads better when wet, you can fix it by touching in the clear coat with lacquer. If it doesn't look better you have a colour coat scratch, so you've got to touch in the colour first and then use lacquer over the top of that. In either case finish off with a good quality wax polish. You can use a bit of thinners to clean off any touch-in you're not happy with- it won't touch the factory finish unless you go absolutely mental with it.
-I wouldn't normally suggest polishing out anything more than the most light and superficial scratches in the clear coat as you could so easily polish all the clear coat off.
cheers
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~~~~~~~ Brucey ~~~~~~
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tris
Groupie
Joined: 04-July-2003
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 86
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Posted: 30-June-2004 at 12:55 |
Cheers Brucey!
Tris
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E30 320i Touring
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