[Andy M]

So I thought this might interest some people. Doing a repaint of your car seems like a huge task but it's actually quite easy if you understand the paint on your car. This DIY is more like what I did to repaint part of my vehicle.

This is what your car paint looks like:

////// WAX
\\\\\\ CLEAR COAT
/\/\/\ COLOR COAT
VVVV PRIMER
==== PLASTIC/METAL

When your paint gets scratched, you want to restore it back to the way it was before whether by using touch-up paint or by repainting.

I had a deep scratch on my rocker panel and I wasn't satisfied with how touch-up paint looked. It wasn't "perfect" anymore. So I just decided to get some aerosols made and repaint it myself.

I used paint bombs (aerosols) but you could use a paint mix in a spray. I found for something this small it was easiest to use aerosols and I was able to get very close results to a spray gun (although it took much longer than if I had used a spray gun right away). The advantage of aerosols is that you don't have to worry about wasting anything since you can reuse the aerosols.

Equipment:
- respirator
- eye protection
- enclosed area with a way to ventilate (e.g. garage and a box fan)
- color-matched base color coat in aerosol (make sure this is just base coat, not enamel)
- good quality clear coat in aerosol
- primer (aerosol form)
- 400 grit sandpaper
- 1000 grit sandpaper
- 1500 grit sandpaper OR 2000 grit sandpaper
- rubber sanding block
- newspaper and/or garbage bags
- painters tape or automotive tape
- power polisher
- polishing compound
- adhesion promoter (if spraying on plastic - use after sanding area bare)

My aerosols were bought at expresspaint.com. The color code can be found in the engine compartment. Mine was found on a sticker on the hood (Montego Blue = color code A51). You'll need this code to get the paint made.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: CHECK THE TYPE OF PAINT USED. Do not ever use lacquer paint. The safest to use on your BMW is urethane paint. There is a difference between lacquer, acrylic, and enamel. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING URETHANE.


SAFETY

The first and most important thing is to make sure you can do this safely.
- wear a respirator when painting or sanding (I can't emphasize this enough! You really don't want to breathe in those fumes)
- you should be wearing some sort of eye protection when you're doing any work with aerosols anyway
- work in an area that has good air exchange. I worked in my garage with a box fan at the door. Keeps the draft from picking up and blowing around the dust. A tip is to spray the garage floor with water to keep the dust down.


PREPARATION

1. Wash the whole area (including the surrounding area from where you want to paint) completely.
2. Mask out the area using newspapers or garbage bags and painters tape or automotive tape. Make sure you mask everything you don't intend to paint. Spray paint gets everywhere so it's best to play it safe. You'll want to mask to the boundaries and leave a larger area from where your desired painting location is. This is because you'll need to "feather" the paint so that it'll blend into the old paint easily.
3. Using the sanding block, wetsand down the area using 400 grit sandpaper first. Make sure the area is level and if need be, fill in the scratch with some putty, then sand again.
4. Switch to 1000 grit then 1500 grit (I also used a 2000 grit at the end). Basically you want to go from coarse to fine covering the area. In my photo, I have it sanded right down to the plastic. You don't have to go this deep depending how deep the damage is.
5. Dry the area and give it several hours to dry. You DO NOT want to be spraying on top of water.


PAINTING
*** DRYING/CURING TIMES ARE BASED ON EXPRESSPAINT.COM'S PAINT INSTRUCTIONS. ALL PAINTS HAVE DIFFERENT DRY/CURE RATES WHICH ALSO DEPEND ON THE SURROUNDING CONDITIONS. ALWAYS DO A SPRAY OUT TEST FIRST!
6. Once the area is dry (I'd wait at least 2 hrs just to be safe), apply an even layer of primer. Start spraying onto the masked area off to the side of the desired painted area, then in an even motion, bring the can over the area you wanted to paint. Move the can away when you move away from the unpainted area "feathering" the paint. Try to keep the primed area as small as possible. Wait 5 to 10 mins before applying another layer of primer or if you're happy with the results, wait 30 mins. (second photo)
7. Wetsand down the primer layer after the 30 min drying period. You'll want this layer without defect. Wait for this area to dry again. I'd give it 2 hrs again.
8. Repeat the same process and technique as you did with the primer using the color coat, spraying out to the side before moving onto the unpainted area then feathering the area. Note though that you'll need to spray more than the newly primed area such that the new coat of paint will hide the primer. (third photo) I like to sand this area down before applying my clear coat (and letting it dry of course in between).
9. After enough passes, your color coat will have the consistency with the rest of the car. Then switch to your color coat. The same process as the color coat is required. Wait 5 to 10 mins between each coat and 30 mins before sanding.
10. After you are satisfied with your clear coat, let it sit for at least a week (Expresspaint's cure in 1 week, other paints may be 30 to 60 days). You may polish after the paint has properly cured. If you don't, you can really mess up your paint.
11. After the polish, you should have a mirror finish just like it was brand new.


I'll try to post up more photos of my car after it was polished. However, I'm attaching some of my photos now.

Let me know what you guys think!

[BK]

You are a braver man than I. I've touched up rock chips, I've repaired curb rash on rims (sand, Bondo, sand, prime, paint), but I would be way too timid to do what you've done here. Looks like you did good work, too!

Also - you didn't show how much area you covered with plastic. Like you said, spray paint gets everywhere, so it would be important to "go overboard" in masking off what you don't want oversprayed. Any wider shots of the preparation?

Any tips on laying down the clear evenly? That was the hardest part for me when fixing my rims.

[txusa03]

what he said ^

[Andy M]

Thanks! I have to admit, there were times where in the back of my mind I kept on saying "if I screw up, I'll just get it repainted at a body shop and put down the $600." Repairing curb rash is next. I have yet to find out if the paint code I got from BMW is the right one (I'm pretty sure it is though from the spray out test).

I covered the entire left side of the car with garbage bags making sure I get all windows, mirrors, lights, anything non-body colored. I used white bags because it was easier to see if I got any undesired spray making it easier for me to clean up later on if need be. I also put tape on all the rubber parts on the door sills and sealed off the door cracks during the priming phase with tape. Sorry no photos of those cause I was getting a bit lazy with the photos.

As for laying down the clear evenly, make sure you start off with an even surface so if the color coat is not perfect, I'd sand it down with 2000 grit sandpaper. I like to wetsand down the color coat (after the 30 mins that it takes before you can handle the paint - NEVER sand wet paint), let the surface dry for moisture, then spray an additional color coat on and then an even spray of clear coat. I then try to keep my clear coat layers as thin as possible spraying once every 5 to 10 mins after it's flash dried. Spraying too early will cause runs if the clear is still wet.

I also tend to go thicker for the clear than what's desired. I do this because when misting the paint, it creates a matte-like surface and I want to be able to sand it down quite a bit more to fix any runs that I might get. So I deliberately build up my clear coat thicker than I need just so I can bring it back down again with sanding. (usually 400 grit working to 2000 grit for repairing runs in my clear coat).

[txusa03]

sounds like you know exactly what you are doing. If you ever need to test out titanium paint, I volunteer my car. My front bumper and hood need a new coat of paint and clear after 70K miles of driving.

[kei169]

nice bro..... Can you give us some closer shots so that we can see clearly?

[Andy M]

I'll see what I can do about better photos of the finished product. I'm out of town for a while so I won't be able to take photos for a while.

[1N54E92]

Closer shot with better lighting ..please

[J.P.]

im doing a diy like this too. ill post pics sooner or later

[ohaywood]

[Andy M]

Sorry, taking a while for the photos. I've got a ton of stuff on my plate right now and even my fiancee's graduation photos are taking a while to send to her family. :P

Btw, another tip for fixing runs is that since they're pretty common, I suggest getting some razor blades. Detailing stores will sell them but they're just regular razor blades. You use them to scrape along the runs to clean them up (sometimes works a bit better than >1000 grit paper). You'll still need to do a final sand on it after the blades (and I tend to respray after with a very very light coating just in case I leave something on the surface).

I also left out something very VERY important in my original post. Make sure you check the type of paint used. Lacquer is "ancient" but some shops will still mix you lacquer. Enamel is more common now and something you can get from Canadian Tire. I used urethane instead. It's plastic resin and it's harder, cures faster, and a urethane clear coat looks much nicer (polishes better).

NEVER EVER MIX TWO TYPES OF PAINTS. Lacquer and urethane go together like oil and water. If you ever spray urethane on a lacquer paint, you'll lose the bonding. It might work for a while but give it a while and it'll start chipping.

Also, there are different types of primers - the two main ones being filler primer and bonding primer. You'll want to use filler primer if you have a gouge in your paint as it'll fill in the gap and allows you to sand over it making it smooth. Bonding primer is used if you are down to bare plastic and you need to establish your cohesive bond between plastic and paint.

[Andy M]

Took my photos and just cropped the originals. Hopefully you can see a bit better now. First one is of the area being sanded down to the existing primer. I actually found out the scratch was deeper than the existing primer layer so I used Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty to fill in the rest of the scratch. I then went over the whole are (where there's a lot of scratches) with 400 grit paper to smooth out all those really obvious scratches from the 80 grit paper. (it really doesn't look that scratched when you finally go over the larger area with 400 grit)

Next shot is the primed and sanded area. Because I'm bringing down the existing paint with aggressive sanding, it leaves sanding scratches. Filling primer works best to spray over and then sanded down with 400 grit to be smooth.

Final shot is the painted surface without the clear. Nice and smooth!

[ak335]

Good info, great job

[darkphantom]

so that third shot is with the base color, and then on top you put the clear coat then wax?

[Bimmerdriver17]

NIce Job!

[JJ709]

holy Shit.. Thats fantastic.. great Job!!! And looks simple enough, and if its not, kuddo's to you because you made it look that way..

Great explaination and pictures and spec sheet...Thank you!

Do you think I will be able to pull something like this off with my front bumper (quality and finish wise)

[JJ709]

!!!!!!!!![QUOTE]So I thought this might interest some people. Doing a repaint of your car seems like a huge task but it's actually quite easy if you understand the paint on your car. This DIY is more like what I did to repaint part of my vehicle.

This is what your car paint looks like:

////// WAX
\\\\\\ CLEAR COAT
/\/\/\ COLOR COAT
VVVV PRIMER
==== PLASTIC/METAL

When your paint gets scratched, you want to restore it back to the way it was before whether by using touch-up paint or by repainting.

I had a deep scratch on my rocker panel and I wasn't satisfied with how touch-up paint looked. It wasn't "perfect" anymore. So I just decided to get some aerosols made and repaint it myself.

I used paint bombs (aerosols) but you could use a paint mix in a spray. I found for something this small it was easiest to use aerosols and I was able to get very close results to a spray gun (although it took much longer than if I had used a spray gun right away). The advantage of aerosols is that you don't have to worry about wasting anything since you can reuse the aerosols.

Equipment:
- respirator
- eye protection
- enclosed area with a way to ventilate (e.g. garage and a box fan)
- color-matched base color coat in aerosol (make sure this is just base coat, not enamel)
- good quality clear coat in aerosol
- primer (aerosol form)
- 400 grit sandpaper
- 1000 grit sandpaper
- 1500 grit sandpaper OR 2000 grit sandpaper
- rubber sanding block
- newspaper and/or garbage bags
- painters tape or automotive tape
- power polisher
- polishing compound

My aerosols were bought at expresspaint.com. The color code can be found in the engine compartment. Mine was found on a sticker on the hood (Montego Blue = color code A51). You'll need this code to get the paint made.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: CHECK THE TYPE OF PAINT USED. Do not ever use lacquer paint. The safest to use on your BMW is urethane paint. There is a difference between lacquer, acrylic, and enamel. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING URETHANE.


SAFETY

The first and most important thing is to make sure you can do this safely.
- wear a respirator when painting or sanding (I can't emphasize this enough! You really don't want to breathe in those fumes)
- you should be wearing some sort of eye protection when you're doing any work with aerosols anyway
- work in an area that has good air exchange. I worked in my garage with a box fan at the door. Keeps the draft from picking up and blowing around the dust. A tip is to spray the garage floor with water to keep the dust down.


PREPARATION

1. Wash the whole area (including the surrounding area from where you want to paint) completely.
2. Mask out the area using newspapers or garbage bags and painters tape or automotive tape. Make sure you mask everything you don't intend to paint. Spray paint gets everywhere so it's best to play it safe. You'll want to mask to the boundaries and leave a larger area from where your desired painting location is. This is because you'll need to "feather" the paint so that it'll blend into the old paint easily.
3. Using the sanding block, wetsand down the area using 400 grit sandpaper first. Make sure the area is level and if need be, fill in the scratch with some putty, then sand again.
4. Switch to 1000 grit then 1500 grit (I also used a 2000 grit at the end). Basically you want to go from coarse to fine covering the area. In my photo, I have it sanded right down to the plastic. You don't have to go this deep depending how deep the damage is.
5. Dry the area and give it several hours to dry. You DO NOT want to be spraying on top of water.


PAINTING
*** DRYING/CURING TIMES ARE BASED ON EXPRESSPAINT.COM'S PAINT INSTRUCTIONS. ALL PAINTS HAVE DIFFERENT DRY/CURE RATES WHICH ALSO DEPEND ON THE SURROUNDING CONDITIONS. ALWAYS DO A SPRAY OUT TEST FIRST!
6. Once the area is dry (I'd wait at least 2 hrs just to be safe), apply an even layer of primer. Start spraying onto the masked area off to the side of the desired painted area, then in an even motion, bring the can over the area you wanted to paint. Move the can away when you move away from the unpainted area "feathering" the paint. Try to keep the primed area as small as possible. Wait 5 to 10 mins before applying another layer of primer or if you're happy with the results, wait 30 mins. (second photo)
7. Wetsand down the primer layer after the 30 min drying period. You'll want this layer without defect. Wait for this area to dry again. I'd give it 2 hrs again.
8. Repeat the same process and technique as you did with the primer using the color coat, spraying out to the side before moving onto the unpainted area then feathering the area. Note though that you'll need to spray more than the newly primed area such that the new coat of paint will hide the primer. (third photo) I like to sand this area down before applying my clear coat (and letting it dry of course in between).
9. After enough passes, your color coat will have the consistency with the rest of the car. Then switch to your color coat. The same process as the color coat is required. Wait 5 to 10 mins between each coat and 30 mins before sanding.
10. After you are satisfied with your clear coat, let it sit for at least a week (Expresspaint's cure in 1 week, other paints may be 30 to 60 days). You may polish after the paint has properly cured. If you don't, you can really mess up your paint.
11. After the polish, you should have a mirror finish just like it was brand new.


I'll try to post up more photos of my car after it was polished. However, I'm attaching some of my photos now.

Let me know what you guys think!

Originally Posted by txusa03

what he said ^

[Andy M]

Oops forgot to add the adhesive promoter onto the list! That's a really important one. A lot of home-made spray jobs end up peeling after 6 to 12 months on parts like bumpers. The secret to a good spray adhesion on the plastic is adhesion promoter. Since modern paints are plastic resin, it relies on the chemical bonds for adhesion. Since the paint can't bite into the plastic very well, the adhesion promoter is needed to allow the paint to get a good bite.

And yes, third shot is the base coat. There's no point in taking a photo of the clear coat - you won't see anything in the photo that's new. I have good results using sealant and then wax on top but that's a personal choice.

I fixed up my father's Camry for him as well as my soon-to-be in-laws' SUV bumper and door. It's actually quite easy. The hardest part is masking it properly and cleaning. It's VERY important to have a clean surface when spraying because again, that can lead to the paint flaking off (use alcohol - it cleans very well and evaporates without leaving residue).

I think something to consider when doing this is that because you're using spray bombs and most likely feathering the area, the quality will not be as perfect as an outside job. With areas with lots of curves, masking can be difficult and then the sanding/polishing can be very tricky and time-consuming. Also, if the area is big, I wouldn't try fixing it either because you'll end up using a lot of spray bombs. If you can remove the bumper, you can find a body shop that'll spray it for you. A lot of these shops run lots of parts through their spray booth so it's very quick for them. The quotes I get for bringing in a part to spray is about $150 CDN per part (this is just the spraying with primer/base/clear, no putty or surface prep).

In terms of paint qualities, I find that expresspaint's color is very accurate. I have good success with them actually except I find their sprays are very thick. Because of that, runs are quite common and even though I know how to fix them, I like to avoid getting them in the first place. Sherwin-Williams (from Bumper-to-Bumper) seems to make their sprays much lighter. I tend to use two times more paint using the Bumper-to-Bumper paints. However, the nice thing is that I have not gotten one single run when using their product! More expensive because you end up buying more but the finish is really good at the end.

Note: just a hobby of mine though and something I've picked up over the years. If you know experts, it's best to ask them since that's their day jobs. The guys who sell you the paints usually know a lot about painting cars too so you can probably drop into a Bumper-To-Bumper shop or whatever body shop supply store you go to and they can get you everything you need. The list I gave was just what I tend to use which has given me good success.

[joel06]

Hi andy.

Before you feathered the color coat over the existing clear coat did you need to wet sand the entire area first.

or is it ok to feather color/clear coats over existing finish?

[joel06]

anyone else able to answer this? thanks

[Hasek9339]

Does anyone know if this could be done to fix paint chips on a hood?

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by Hasek9339

Does anyone know if this could be done to fix paint chips on a hood?

Dr. Color Chip...google it. Works great and super easy to get a handle on.

Op, Good job.....you should have taken the side skirt off though. It would have saved you alot of time because you wouldn't have to tape/mask off as much.

Can you provide the paint code for the wheels? I know people use wurth paint for wheels but I heard it's not an exact match. I have tons of curb rash on my stock 159s and would love to bondo the rash and repait but don't want a mismatched color. I may just end up repaiting my whole wheel.