[lesha]

My car is about 8 months old and as I was washing it today I noticed that the exterior has a ton of little scratches, stains that did not come out with the wash (almost look like round discolored oil marks) and permanently embedded dead bugs. I try to take a really good care of the car, wash it every few weeks by hand and park it away from everybody else (but i don't have a garage for it). I'm a bit disappointed that an 8 month old car looks like that. Is it because black shows a lot of imperfections? Is bmw lacking a quality paint job? How often do you guys have your cars professionally polished and waxed? I'm assuming that would take care of my problem...

[Bimmer328xicoup]

most likely they are imperfections. I have a black bmw as well and it is the biggest pain to keep it looking clean. I try not to park under any trees but Sap always seems to find the freshly polished paint. Because of all of this I got into polishing and waxing my car on a regular basis. Some reading material for you would be this great forum called detailing bliss. thats where i learned everything I know. There is a lot of information on that site to get you started. You can also check out Adam's Polish videos on their website to get you started.

[BlackBimmer1991]

I also have a jet black car. Yea washing it is a pain but its well worth if when its clean. You should try waxing it every couple weeks or whenever it wears off. I just tried a new meguairs hi tech professional yellow wax and im in love with the results. I drove it through a rain storm and it still looks like i just washed it. Never experienced anything like that on a black car. U should try it. And for hte scratches you cant avoid them but u can try wet sanding them or putting on some touch up paint for the chips. For the dead bugs haha I like to use the "russian technique" and use vodka. Maybe Ill drink some of it while im working on it. Dont be afraid to put some force into it too.

[cb1111]

Read up in the detailing forum. That'll answer all your questions.

[kirby135i]

my detailer said the bmw jet black paint is the worst paint to maint. metallic paint helps but non metallic black paint is a major PITA. make sure u get it professionally detailed (sealed early on when paint is new then clayed and waxed).

[jopa489]

JB is one of the most difficult to maintain. If you demand perfection, it's pretty much a full time job! It's an extremely soft paint and black (by nature) shows imperfections the most - a sort of "perfect storm".

A detail yearly (or maybe twice a year) should be fine for you. You can also consider reading up on the vast amount of information available here and DIY. It's not as daunting as you might think, but you will have to do some homework first. If you decide to take it to a professional, make absolutely sure they are a real detailer. Any kid washing cars can claim they are a detailer, but get a recommendation from here or from Autopia. That's where the true pros can be found. You will almost certainly pay more, but it's much nicer to get the job done right the first time than cheap out and have to take it to a pro anyway. I can't stress this enough.

But don't be afraid to DIY either. You can start with this guide by DI. Everyone here is happy to help share product recommendations and techniques.