[cesimeone]

I was alarmed with the amount of chips on my F15 after 34,000 miles. 95% of my driving is highway so I guess it's understandable but still I was surprised. I went for Xpel ultimate on the G05, full front, headlights, mirrors, rockers and also every bit of piano black trim. Seems to be working great as of now....2026 miles on the clock.

Mystro....correct in your touch up approach. Back when I detailed professionally, this became a popular service as most people struggled with touch ups. If prepped and layered correctly, you can use a combination of compounding/polishing (sometimes maybe just a tickle with some wet sand paper) and your touch ups will lay down beautifully as displayed in Mystros pictures. Well done.

[cesimeone]

Polychromatic...
Regarding PPF, it really depends on which manufacturer you go with. Personally the only 2 I will touch are Xpel and Suntek. Suntek has recently launched a new film which I have no experience with....I've seen it on a friends GT3RS and the clarity is amazing. My only gripe with Suntek is the yellowing, my friend did his entire White 911 and within 6 months the whole car was yellow. Very very upsetting. I personally go for Xpel Ultimate, I have never seen it yellow. The clarity isn't aaaaaaas great as the Suntek but on my Black X5.....it's pretty damn good! As with everything there are trade offs. Xpel/installers will offer a warranty on the film and 9 times out of 10 they will honor and degradation or defects.....at least my installer does. You should never need to "repair" it, the piece can just be replaced. Xpel Ultimate also is self-healing to an extent, I did a test panel with my installer, beat the crap out of it with a grill brush and left it out in the sun. Most of the damage went away to my surprise.

Just my 2 cents

[mrjoed2]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I am honestly impressed with the durability of my Carbon Black paint on my X5.
I have two long road trips across the Eastern USA in the winter time and my hood only has a few micro chips I can easily make disappear. I was just doing damage assessment on Sunday with a wash/detail from this past trip and I am very happy with the limited chips I found. Considering the high rate of speed and road conditions I thought there would be more. My windshield has maybe more micro chips than the front/hood of my X5. I have touched up chips last year and I can make them totally disappear with touch-up paint and proper buffing. It becomes a game of “Find the chip” when I am done. Paint chips are a fact of driving and not the end of the world.

Touch-up paint tips:
Tri coat paint like mineral white are alway the most difficult to match but this metallic Carbon Black is just as tough. You must constantly shake up the OEM touchup paint to have the proper metallic flake suspended in each drop you apply to the chip. Rookies do not do this and it is why you can find the repaired chips because the paint you’re applying doesn’t have the proper amount of metallic flake or pearl coat (mineral white) suspended in it. You also have to build it up in layers higher than the paint over several coats. Then when dry, you must buff and polish the paint pimple down to the same level as the factory paint. Most people don’t want to put the time in to do a proper repair and as why touchups look like crap. Dr Colorchip is pretty good stuff and matches oem well. You still have to build it up with several passes if you want a flawless finish instead of a crater with matching paint in it with one pass.

There are 2 paint chips that were repaired in this pic.


Another pic of the repaired chips.

I must say am surprised you did not PPF your front end. I know from your posts your particular about detailing. I know you mentioned going to Orlando, & living in FL, going down to Orlando I know I-4 is a tough road with all the construction - seems never ending. I have a couple good chips on my '16 Infiniti Q50 from from the run from Gainesvllle to Orlando. I am going to look into PPF for my M50i as it's more protective that ceramic coating. if I am going to choose between them.

[polychromatic]

Originally Posted by cesimeone

Polychromatic...
Regarding PPF, it really depends on which manufacturer you go with. Personally the only 2 I will touch are Xpel and Suntek. Suntek has recently launched a new film which I have no experience with....I've seen it on a friends GT3RS and the clarity is amazing. My only gripe with Suntek is the yellowing, my friend did his entire White 911 and within 6 months the whole car was yellow. Very very upsetting. I personally go for Xpel Ultimate, I have never seen it yellow. The clarity isn't aaaaaaas great as the Suntek but on my Black X5.....it's pretty damn good! As with everything there are trade offs. Xpel/installers will offer a warranty on the film and 9 times out of 10 they will honor and degradation or defects.....at least my installer does. You should never need to "repair" it, the piece can just be replaced. Xpel Ultimate also is self-healing to an extent, I did a test panel with my installer, beat the crap out of it with a grill brush and left it out in the sun. Most of the damage went away to my surprise.

Just my 2 cents

Thanks, yeah the yellowing is a big deal since I’m running white. We have always kept my wife's car (also white) garaged and out of the sun and it’s noticeably yellow in two years. It’s just a natural occurrence with polyurethanes, no matter how much stabilizer you add to the compound.

Given how well I’ve seen the touch up paint route can work in the hands of a pro, I’m leaning that direction. I even did the work myself on my recently sold 4Runner using Duplicolor and after the detailer buffed and polished the paint, I was hard pressed to find where the spots were.

[James_G0540i]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Then when dry, you must buff and polish the paint pimple down to the same level as the factory paint. Most people don’t want to put the time in to do a proper repair and as why touchups look like crap.

When you say "dry", do you mean 24, 48 hours?

Touch up pain can be "touch" dry within 10-15 mins, but I assume you mean 100% dry and virtually baked in?

That's been one of my short comings with past touch-up repairs I've done, impatience and wanting to just get the job done, which ends up in the crater effect.

Great advice, will try this approach next time - and just be a lot more patient...
Many Thanks !

[James_G0540i]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Learned a lesson and PPF'd the entire hood, bumper, headlights, mirrors etc when I took delivery of my '20 x3MC...notice the difference after 10k kms...

That's interesting, and am going to ask a dumb question here...

Can you PPF just the hood?
..or does that stand out and look bad if you don't do the other adjacent panels?

I've never gone the extra mile in the past and put protection film on my cars, but I love my beast and want to keep her for a while - so I'm considering it now, especially considering my hood is still close to mint - apart from some really really small stuff which I'll repair prior to doing it.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by James_G0530d

That's interesting, and am going to ask a dumb question here...

Can you PPF just the hood?
..or does that stand out and look bad if you don't do the other adjacent panels?

I've never gone the extra mile in the past and put protection film on my cars, but I love my beast and want to keep her for a while - so I'm considering it now, especially considering my hood is still close to mint - apart from some really really small stuff which I'll repair prior to doing it.

Not a dumb question. You certainly can ppf just the hood. You wouldn't notice if the other panels hadn't been ppf'd

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by James_G0530d

When you say "dry", do you mean 24, 48 hours?

Touch up pain can be "touch" dry within 10-15 mins, but I assume you mean 100% dry and virtually baked in?

That's been one of my short comings with past touch-up repairs I've done, impatience and wanting to just get the job done, which ends up in the crater effect.

Great advice, will try this approach next time - and just be a lot more patient...
Many Thanks !

1-2 hours in a warm temp.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I am honestly impressed with the durability of my Carbon Black paint on my X5.
I have two long road trips across the Eastern USA in the winter time and my hood only has a few micro chips I can easily make disappear. I was just doing damage assessment on Sunday with a wash/detail from this past trip and I am very happy with the limited chips I found. Considering the high rate of speed and road conditions I thought there would be more. My windshield has maybe more micro chips than the front/hood of my X5. I have touched up chips last year and I can make them totally disappear with touch-up paint and proper buffing. It becomes a game of “Find the chip” when I am done. Paint chips are a fact of driving and not the end of the world.

Touch-up paint tips:
Tri coat paint like mineral white are alway the most difficult to match but this metallic Carbon Black is just as tough. You must constantly shake up the OEM touchup paint to have the proper metallic flake suspended in each drop you apply to the chip. Rookies do not do this and it is why you can find the repaired chips because the paint you’re applying doesn’t have the proper amount of metallic flake or pearl coat (mineral white) suspended in it. You also have to build it up in layers higher than the paint over several coats. Then when dry, you must buff and polish the paint pimple down to the same level as the factory paint. Most people don’t want to put the time in to do a proper repair and as why touchups look like crap. Dr Colorchip is pretty good stuff and matches oem well. You still have to build it up with several passes if you want a flawless finish instead of a crater with matching paint in it with one pass.

There are 2 paint chips that were repaired in this pic.


Another pic of the repaired chips.

So, how would anyone find those repairs when all we can see is a shinny hood reflecting the sky and the trees? How about bringing it indoors and shinning a light on the area where the chips are with NO reflections from the surroundings. That would be a better way to see or not see the touch up repairs.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by mitch57

So, how would anyone find those repairs when all we can see is a shinny hood reflecting the sky and the trees? How about bringing it indoors and shinning a light on the area where the chips are with NO reflections from the surroundings. That would be a better way to see or not see the touch up repairs.

That’s kinda the point. You are not suppose to see touch ups in bright natural light. You would see a bad touch up on a ultra shiny reflective surface. One of the most obvious give away of a bad touch up is uneven paint fill by leaving a pimple or crater.


Here is another very good pic without clouds reflecting on the 2 touched up chips.
Hint: Just right of the roundel.

Years of being a PCA concourse judge and competing in concourse events has made me ocdx10.
Not every touch up is absolutely perfect but in a “topside” concours event like at Hershey, if I was judging a vehicle that was driven and had a smooth even touch up, there would be no deduction of points for a proper paint touch up. The skill in which a paint defect like a chip is addressed is actually a superlative in character judging a vehicles over all condition.
I actually teach detailing at PCA events and this is one fact of life when driving and enjoying a vehicle. Chips are going to happen.

[randybobandy]

I’m not impressed with the paint or the windshield. Never ride anyone’s tail to prevent chips...avoid construction sites and busy roads if possible...but at 6k miles, I got more chips than a can of Pringles. Like MystroX5 mentioned...they’re gonna happen. It’s just worrisome at the rate and ease. After the first couple, I just stopped caring.

I am also comparing this paint to an F150. That bad boy just never gets chipped. Driving that on the road, I never think twice about dodging anything or avoid this that or the other. I know Ford’s paint isn’t as pretty, but that crap stays on. It gets exhausting trying to keep up with the cosmetics on this vehicle. Figured it’s a lost cause until winter passes.

Edit: wanted to mention in addition to the frequency of chipping, it always chips down to the primer. Not even being being sarcastic...every chip looks the same.

[puckybadger]

I'm thinking of a Llumar paint protection film on the front bumpers, entire hood and mirrors. Anyone with experience with this product?

[RVAGuy]

Originally Posted by James_G0530d

When you say "dry", do you mean 24, 48 hours?

Touch up pain can be "touch" dry within 10-15 mins, but I assume you mean 100% dry and virtually baked in?

That's been one of my short comings with past touch-up repairs I've done, impatience and wanting to just get the job done, which ends up in the crater effect.

Great advice, will try this approach next time - and just be a lot more patient...
Many Thanks !

I believe MystroX5 was being modest in describing his paint correction process. He failed to mention the high degree of artistic skill achieved over time to produce his results.

[egar2099]

Originally Posted by randybobandy

I’m not impressed with the paint or the windshield. Never ride anyone’s tail to prevent chips...avoid construction sites and busy roads if possible...but at 6k miles, I got more chips than a can of Pringles. Like MystroX5 mentioned...they’re gonna happen. It’s just worrisome at the rate and ease. After the first couple, I just stopped caring.

I am also comparing this paint to an F150. That bad boy just never gets chipped. Driving that on the road, I never think twice about dodging anything or avoid this that or the other. I know Ford’s paint isn’t as pretty, but that crap stays on. It gets exhausting trying to keep up with the cosmetics on this vehicle. Figured it’s a lost cause until winter passes.

Edit: wanted to mention in addition to the frequency of chipping, it always chips down to the primer. Not even being being sarcastic...every chip looks the same.

Same. I'm only at 5k miles. Am I damaging the exterior by not correcting immediately? From what others have mentioned, in the right hands it seems this can be corrected to be like new (but at a cost).

[randybobandy]

Originally Posted by egar2099

Same. I'm only at 5k miles. Am I damaging the exterior by not correcting immediately? From what others have mentioned, in the right hands it seems this can be corrected to be like new (but at a cost).

MystroX5 is the best source of knowledge for that. I touch them up as I see them. I use Dr. ColorChip, and will probably get them “corrected” if there were more. The problem is...if you fork out a good chunk of change now, you’ll get more right after. I know BMW has a warranty on rusting and what not, so I think you’re ok if you don’t do it right away. It seems like my hood and windshield are too fragile. Just a bit disappointed, but you’ll never prevent chips as long as you are driving I guess.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by egar2099

Same. I'm only at 5k miles. Am I damaging the exterior by not correcting immediately? From what others have mentioned, in the right hands it seems this can be corrected to be like new (but at a cost).

You should touch up chips as you finds them in a reasonable time. Even though it’s a aluminum hood, contaminants can get in and sit on the crater and over time create weak paint in that area. Then when you do fill it in, the repair may become compromised. I’m not saying you have to run out every other day and fill-in the chips but you should do it reasonably quick and in the right weather conditions. So for many of us in cold weather climates, if you don’t have a garage you may want to wait at least till spring to do your repairs. You will also find psychologically if you repair stone chips as you see them, you won’t feel so overwhelmed if you wait a year and have to do a lot at one time. Detailing a vehicle is fun and rewarding and your left with a new looking car. Recon a vehicle just plain sucks. Always try to stay ahead of your vehicle and that includes removing bird/bug droppings ASAP. On vacation, I would visit my X5 in the parking lot and use detail spray to touch it up almost every day. Bird droppings are pure evil to paint.

One of my early morning X5 visits while on vacation in Florida to remove any bird droppings or excessive pollen. A unintentional side benefit was most were scared to park around a immaculately detailed new BMW X5.

I mean really, how am I expected to enjoy Disney World every day with a dirty BMW in the parking lot back at the resort??



FYI: for those of you that cant regularly wash your car, this waterless spray and wipe is amazing.
It’s a notch above detailing spray for a dirty car. It’s a game changer for keeping you ride looking perfect all the time.
The McKee’s 37 Waterless Wash was all I used the entire 2200 mile road trip and it removed rain and road grime like magic. Just use a lot of microfiber towels. After returning home and after a proper wash, my paint (Carbon black) didn’t have any hairline scratches from using the waterless wash. I was shocked. I used it on every surface from headlights, windshield, paint and even wheels. No more finding public U-spray car washes on road trips. This has become my magic bullet in keeping my cars clean on trips.


I now keep it in my M2 Competition, X5, truck, etc.. all the time.

I can’t recommend it enough:
https://www.mckees37.com/mckees-37-w...ash-combo.html

[VTENGR]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

You should touch up chips as you finds them in a reasonable time. Even though it’s a aluminum hood, contaminants can get in and sit on the crater and over time create weak paint in that area. Then when you do fill it in, the repair may become compromised. I’m not saying you have to run out every other day and fill-in the chips but you should do it reasonably quick and in the right weather conditions. So for many of us in cold weather climates, if you don’t have a garage you may want to wait at least till spring to do your repairs. You will also find psychologically if you repair stone chips as you see them, you won’t feel so overwhelmed if you wait a year and have to do a lot at one time. Detailing a vehicle is fun and rewarding and your left with a new looking car. Recon a vehicle just plain sucks. Always try to stay ahead of your vehicle and that includes removing bird/bug droppings ASAP. On vacation, I would visit my X5 in the parking lot and use detail spray to touch it up almost every day. Bird droppings are pure evil to paint.

One of my early morning X5 visits while on vacation in Florida to remove any bird droppings or excessive pollen. A unintentional side benefit was most were scared to park around a immaculately detailed new BMW X5.

I mean really, how am I expected to enjoy Disney World every day with a dirty BMW in the parking lot back at the resort??



FYI: for those of you that cant regularly wash your car, this waterless spray and wipe is amazing.
It’s a notch above detailing spray for a dirty car. It’s a game changer for keeping you ride looking perfect all the time.
The McKee’s 37 Waterless Wash was all I used the entire 2200 mile road trip and it removed rain and road grime like magic. Just use a lot of microfiber towels. After returning home and after a proper wash, my paint (Carbon black) didn’t have any hairline scratches from using the waterless wash. I was shocked. I used it on every surface from headlights, windshield, paint and even wheels. No more finding public U-spray car washes on road trips. This has become my magic bullet in keeping my cars clean on trips.


I now keep it in my M2 Competition, X5, truck, etc.. all the time.

I can’t recommend it enough:
https://www.mckees37.com/mckees-37-w...ash-combo.html

For those of us with ceramic coatings, will this be OK?

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

For those of us with ceramic coatings, will this be OK?

Yes. It basically lubes the paint to float the dirt away as you wipe it. Leaves a mirror finish behind so no hazing or residue left behind.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Yes. It basically lubes the paint to float the dirt away as you wipe it. Leaves a mirror finish behind so no hazing or residue left behind.

What about swirl marks? Especially in untreated dark colors?

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by mitch57

What about swirl marks? Especially in untreated dark colors?

Nada. My paint looks pristine when I inspected it a few days ago after a proper wash. Carbon Black will show any minor defect. I was shocked but then again you don’t apply any muscle when wiping the spray off. Spray it on liberally. Let the microfiber towels do the work. It pulls the grime right off without any downward pressure.


I like to use a foam gun for my normal washes as it really floats away the grime so no micro scratches.

[Rajib]

Hey everyone, really nice to read all the messages and see this sense of empathy. My car had only 3600 miles when I bought it from a private party and while bringing it back from SoCal to the Bay Area, I noticed, rock chips on the hood, fenders and mostly the bumper. The bumper was awful because it looked like it chipped the polyurethane. So what I did was this. I took it to a BMW body shop, not just a certified one, this is actually maintained by the dealer and a very reputable one in the Bay Area. They are required to use the BMW Color System paint which was developed in conjunction with BMW paint folks (albeit, it is still manufactured by 3rd party). The service advisor there (extremely trustworthy) mentioned that all the X5s use this water based paint in their SC facility and it is not durable at all. They avoid the route of touch up paint because it really does not solve the problem. So with my car, what they did was replace the bumper and repainted the hood and fender and finished it off with a nice clear coat. The only place where you can see a slight mismatch is where they did a blend on the driver's door to match the fender (the orange peel texture is different). That is to be expected because at factory, they use robots and at the bodyshop, it is all handpainted (spray gun nozzle opening diameter, angle distance, environment, etc.). Anyway, after that, I put PPF on the hood and fenders along with the bumpers. I can tell you, as a novice that, that route is most likely the best avenue. At the end of the day, the question is whether you want to keep original paint (very subpar quality) and see the eyesore with multiple chips popping up everyday or get it repainted according to BMW factory specs for reconditioning (this shop has to strictly adhere to those due to audit and insurance issues). Personally, the absence of factory paint does bother me a little; however, the euphoria stemming from no chips and a nice protective film certainly trumps (no pun intended!) that.
If you guys decide to repaint, please make sure you go to a place that will use the BMW Color System paint. This way, you can guarantee as close to factory paint as possible. They still have to mix and match but at least the formulation guidelines and the raw materials come from BMW. You should also see the work order, all the steps prior to and post painting, i.e., prepping and clearcoating will tell you that it is almost close to perfection as you would expect from BMW factory.
I think one very astute person has pointed out in this thread that the paint process is completely different now with water based paint so you need to take drastic measures to protect it. At the end of the day, if you can produce paperwork to a prospective buyer that you did the preventative measures to fix any further chip damage, I think it will only increase value for your used car. Nobody wants to buy a barn find and keep it that way. They want to drive and if they see that body work was done to maintain the car in tiptop shape and no damage was done to the panels, I think you can always sell these easily. (maintaining your paperwork is key to prove a point; otherwise, people will start questioning the authenticity of your claim)

[-Vanguard-]

I dont mind small rock chips. I have like 8 on the hood of my X6MC.

Its a used car the moment i drove it off the lot with 6 miles on the clock and these things are normal for used cars.

Small little chips will never affect your trade-in or resale value.

Unfortunately, PPF will not increase your trade-in value.

Just enjoy the car and the rock chips, they are memories of the trips you took