[Graham B]

When I took delivery of this new car, I noticed the paint surface had a gritty feel when running your hand over the surface. I have now cleaned and polished it twice, but the grittiness remains.

The degree of the imperfection differs from panel to panel. It is particularly bad on the bonnet, less so on the side panels and non-existent on the roof.

I would be interested to hear if others have experienced this, because now I have researched it I see others have mentioned it. If you have a very new car, have you noticed it? If not, just run your hand over the paint surface.

Does anyone know what causes it? It is clearly a defect in the paint and not anything stuck to the surface.

Is this acceptable, or something the dealer should correct? I do not think I should have to spend hours re-finishing the surface, or am I being unreasonable?

[ba ba boosh]

Originally Posted by Graham B

When I took delivery of this new car, I noticed the paint surface had a gritty feel when running your hand over the surface. I have now cleaned and polished it twice, but the grittiness remains.

The degree of the imperfection differs from panel to panel. It is particularly bad on the bonnet, less so on the side panels and non-existent on the roof.

I would be interested to hear if others have experienced this, because now I have researched it I see others have mentioned it. If you have a very new car, have you noticed it? If not, just run your hand over the paint surface.

Does anyone know what causes it? It is clearly a defect in the paint and not anything stuck to the surface.

Is this acceptable, or something the dealer should correct? I do not think I should have to spend hours re-finishing the surface, or am I being unreasonable?

If there are no scratches, then you could tell the dealer to pay for a professional detailer to correct the paint. They would strip the wax off the paint, then use a clay bar to remove the excess dirt and then re wax the paint to make it smooth as silk again.

[ianfp]

It would be useful to establish if it is external contamination or something in the lacquer coat. A paint cleaner or clay bar would remove it if it is contamination and it would be worth trying that first. If you are not comfortable doing that, I am sure the dealer would be happy to resolve the issue.

[Tjalle]

It is probably a process problem when applying clear coat. Not acceptabel.

You should not touch it - dealer should correct it. If dealer wan`t cooperate - call for BMW representative - he knows that shit happens

[JL350]

Hi graham

I assume the washing and polishing did not include paint decontamination, or actual polishing with a compound to remove surface irregularities?

I suggest if there is a respected detailer in your area go and get him to look at it before going to the dealer. This allows you go in with some facts and after the dealer has inspected it, you can have a reasonable discussion on how to fix it.

If the dealer has some monkeys that cut and polish the paint it can cause more damage than it fixes, you may want to get the detailer involved either as a referee or do the fix for you, this will cost you money but an excellent outcome is much more likely.

If you want to do it yourself then detailer a paradise and other detailing forums can be very helpful. You will find threads by professionals which show step by step how they turn horrible paint into beauty, sometimes fixing dealer hash jobs.

It is not uncommon for contamination of the paint surface by iron contamination especially if the car is transported by rail or stored near a rail road. There are other types of surface contamination ie industrial dusts etc. These are cleaned of by iron removers, clay bar etc. to identify you need to look at the rough spots really closely.

You can clean a small test area with a suitable iron remover, preferable one that changes colour, diluted wheel cleaner is suitable. Gyon, Sonax are some good alternatives and do an excellent job on BMW brake dust for your wheels.

After iron removal then use the clay bar with plenty of lube and follow the directions, because you can cause fine scratches if you are not gentle.

If there is surface contamination then it should be gone now and the surface is very smooth. Do the whole car, take your time and rinse the car frequently and be gentle, it is easy once you get a feel for it.

If it is a clear coat problem then a proper paint correction maybe required, if you haven't done this before then get a good professional to do it for you. Very easy to do more harm than good especially if you use the wrong equipment and rush.

When I detail my BMW it takes two full days. That is doing all the proper steps, and using a random orbital polisher and sealing the paint.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[Tjalle]

Again - it is unlikely to be contamination, since hood is bad and roof is OK.

Then, probably, clear coat.

I take it, it is a new vehicle - let the dealer/BMW sweat - not you.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by Tjalle

Again - it is unlikely to be contamination, since hood is bad and roof is OK.

Then, probably, clear coat.

I take it, it is a new vehicle - let the dealer/BMW sweat - not you.

Could not agree more. It is up to the dealer to sort it out completely to your satisfaction.

[Jypsie]

It's a new car!!! Go back to the dealer to start..... it is his problem, not yours. Surface should be smooth as ice....