[PTek Will]

Ok guys, I just spent way too much time correcting my friends Jet Black 335. Clayed the car followed by M105 + Sonax Perfect Finish + IPA wipedown and begin a test spot of Opticoat. Being the eager beaver I was, my test spot happened to be half the hood. So I leave it for about 10 minutes to haze and I remove the excess product. Removing opticoat is nothing close to easy. It really takes some effort holding the towel tight. So after I wipe away I inspect the spot with the brinkman and lo and behold scratch marks!! A TON OF THEM!!!!

After peforming the paint correction, I learned one thing.. this paint should be called "I cannot believe it's not Butter!" It was painstaking enough for me to get to the point of opticoating and then I go and do it and it is literally impossible remove the excess without scratching the paint. I am feeling pretty defeated as i spent wayyyyy too much time on this car (exterior only) (almost 18 hours due to a few hurdles). What am I doing wrong? Is opticoating or coating this colored bmw even possible without damaging the paint?

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by PTek Will

Ok guys, I just spent way too much time correcting my friends Jet Black 335. Clayed the car followed by M105 + Sonax Perfect Finish + IPA wipedown and begin a test spot of Opticoat. Being the eager beaver I was, my test spot happened to be half the hood. So I leave it for about 10 minutes to haze and I remove the excess product. Removing opticoat is nothing close to easy. It really takes some effort holding the towel tight. So after I wipe away I inspect the spot with the brinkman and lo and behold scratch marks!! A TON OF THEM!!!!

After peforming the paint correction, I learned one thing.. this paint should be called "I cannot believe it's not Butter!" It was painstaking enough for me to get to the point of opticoating and then I go and do it and it is literally impossible remove the excess without scratching the paint. I am feeling pretty defeated as i spent wayyyyy too much time on this car (exterior only) (almost 18 hours due to a few hurdles). What am I doing wrong? Is opticoating or coating this colored bmw even possible without damaging the paint?

Jet Black is very soft and it is prone to towel scratches. You need to find out which stage the scratches were instilled. During IPA? or when you were removing the high spots?

I use CarPro Eraser instead of IPA because it is not grabby and IMO helps. If this happens during the the removal ( high spots), it might be your towel. I use a super soft edge-less MF for this (CarPro BOA).

Opti-coat is self leveling so you shouldn't have too many high spots if you apply the product correctly. Opti-coat shouldn't haze...it should melt into the paint. It might be that you are using too much product. What type of applicator did you use? Are you doing this indoor? It was pretty warm this weekend so the 10 mins wait before high spots removal seemed too long. Opti-coat tends to feel tacky when it is curing and you will have a hard time correcting the high spots during this stage.

To start over, you need to polish the coating off.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

2 things.

Jet black is a nightmare you can scratch it with the finest micro fiber towels. Make sure you are using high quality MF and not cheap ones from like walmart or something.

When applying opti coat, less is more. You should not wait for hazing. In fact you don't want it to haze at all.

You should apply VERY small amount and lightly use a microfiber towel to level any high spots right away. Do not wait 10 minutes. 1 small drop goes a long way with opti coat. You should not be applying it with the hope of actually seeing substance like you would with wax.

[QUiKSR20]

Ugh this color has owned me.. I wish I knew before hand how hard it is to maintain and how easily it scratches. Prior to this Jet Black BMW I had a Graphite G35 and a Silver Jetta..
These cars when detailed stayed nice forever and I could count the scratches or chips on one hand over many years.

My Jet Black BMW appears to get more scratches by the day, Look at it the wrong way and you have 5 more scratches.
It looks great when clean but a nightmare to maintain almost impossible to be even considered acceptable I feel like I work
so hard to keep it nice and im constantly let down and depressed on how fast it looks beat up.

[JaysBlueE92]

Any pics?

[335ixm]

M105 is very aggressive. So in my opinion a no go on black soft paints. No matter how bad the defects on the paint are.

Also, defects of a soft paint are easier to correct, so a less aggressive product is required to get good results.

I think you created scratches and holograms and swirls with 105, and did not correct them well enough with your finishing step. (even though I have no experience with Sonax product.)

As with al waxes sealants and coatings, you should be very certain the paint is perfect BEFORE you apply your topping.

[Detailers Domain]

did you check that paint after the correction?

also opti coat - don't wait for 10 minutes.....its more like 1-2 minutes.

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by DetailersDomain

did you check that paint after the correction?

also opti coat - don't wait for 10 minutes.....its more like 1-2 minutes.

I certainly did check the paint in fact I check the paint pretty much every section. It looks great after the polish. But removal of the product proved to be tricky on this finicky paint. I've never had problems with coatings, not that I've done many, but I want to say this was a very special situation. Or maybe I just haven't done enough Jet Black bmw's lol.

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by 335ixm

M105 is very aggressive. So in my opinion a no go on black soft paints. No matter how bad the defects on the paint are.

Also, defects of a soft paint are easier to correct, so a less aggressive product is required to get good results.

I think you created scratches and holograms and swirls with 105, and did not correct them well enough with your finishing step. (even though I have no experience with Sonax product.)

As with al waxes sealants and coatings, you should be very certain the paint is perfect BEFORE you apply your topping.

You should try Sonax Perfect Finish. It is amazing lol

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by 335ixm

M105 is very aggressive. So in my opinion a no go on black soft paints. No matter how bad the defects on the paint are.

Also, defects of a soft paint are easier to correct, so a less aggressive product is required to get good results.

I think you created scratches and holograms and swirls with 105, and did not correct them well enough with your finishing step. (even though I have no experience with Sonax product.)

As with al waxes sealants and coatings, you should be very certain the paint is perfect BEFORE you apply your topping.

Originally Posted by PTek Will

I certainly did check the paint in fact I check the paint pretty much every section. It looks great after the polish. But removal of the product proved to be tricky on this finicky paint. I've never had problems with coatings, not that I've done many, but I want to say this was a very special situation. Or maybe I just haven't done enough Jet Black bmw's lol.

I was going to ask the same.

Did you get enough correction after the Sonax?

On my Jet Black the Meguairs 105 and 205 didn't finish up too well so I usually needed to go a step further with like a Menzera P085RD to finish.

I'm sure there are some products out their but in my experience with Jet Black it seemed very hard to get enough correction and finishing with only 2 steps.

Other cars I can do a 1 step with Meguiars 105 and be alright. Although I usually finish up with 205 at a minimum.

But yea just remember on the opti coat to not let it sit.

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

I was going to ask the same.

Did you get enough correction after the Sonax?

On my Jet Black the Meguairs 105 and 205 didn't finish up too well so I usually needed to go a step further with like a Menzera P085RD to finish.

I'm sure there are some products out their but in my experience with Jet Black it seemed very hard to get enough correction and finishing with only 2 steps.

Other cars I can do a 1 step with Meguiars 105 and be alright. Although I usually finish up with 205 at a minimum.

But yea just remember on the opti coat to not let it sit.

The Sonax finishes better than 205 and it cuts way more. And yes on my space grey, there was no difference visually between a 1 step m105 and a 2 step m105 m205 combo, so I just just left mine at a 1 step m105. The paint is so hard that the m205 doesn't do jack. I feel your pain owning a jet black lol

[psnt1ol]

Honestly.... I hardly ever use M105 straight anymore. I use it with D300 on MF cutting pad when I want a little extra bite. Sonax Pf is a great polish. I been using it for several months now and with the right pairing of pads and the Flex 3401...I find myself using it often as one step. This has saved me a lot of time on some jobs. Only if there is an AIO that works the same way....

I have a Jet Black e90 and it does feel like a full time job keeping it up. There are three cars that should be in the "Bucket List" for anyone who buff out cars. BMW Jet Black, Porsche black 993, Corvette C6 (any color that is not silver). They are all PIA.

[P1]

You can look at Jet Black the wrong way and it would cause marring. If I owned it, I would be using fillers all day long to be able to live with it.