[Dackelone]

BMW base paint steps for the 1 Series. Display seen at the AMI Leipzig show.

This color was Mineral White which is an option for X1s made at Leipzig.

BMW's six paint stages are:

1) Steel Panel
2) Cathodic Dipping Paint. Rust Protection.
3) Primer coat. Protection against stone-chipping. Color base for base coat.
4) Water based coat of final color. First layer.
5) Water based coat of final color. Second layer.
6) Clear coat. Brilliance and resistance against environmental influence.

Video showing the process (paint process starts at approximately 1:22):

[BMW335icoupe]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Fox128i]

Love these type of posts... Thanks.

[E90Mario]

That's pretty cool!

[illirep]

Great video

[Dackelone]

[Black Flagged]

Interesting...

[monkawekrue]

cool

[Ash83]

interesting ..nice video

[Bimmer-Bob]

"Protection against stone-chipping," lol.

[Louchie]

And to think. Some idiots cover it up with plastidip

[sonicbimmer19]

This is awesome haha thanks Dack

[Canuckles]

Very Cool. The electrostatic paint application and the type of paint (water based for ease of overspray recovery and recycling) they use are what makes BMW one of the most ecologically friendly car makers. It's also why we have the orange peel effect lol.

[lepp0012]

They forgot the step where they add the embarrassingly bad orange peel.

Seriously, why is this acceptable on cars costing $40k to well over $100k?

[PaneristiDriver]

Unfortunately they have some of the worst paint in the business with the terrible orange peel to being easily chipped by rocks and debris.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by PaneristiDriver

Unfortunately they have some of the worst paint in the business with the terrible orange peel to being easily chipped by rocks and debris.

I couldn't believe how chipped up my front bumper was after 6 months; my 08 Acura TL Type-S (frequently called out for having a high-quality paint job) didn't look that bad even after 18 months! And definitely no orange peel, which is blatant and embarrassing on my M3.

[beemerman1984]

Interesting yes. But, my car has the worst orange peel paint finish I have ever seen, and the clear used on JetBlack scratches just using a micro fiber cloth on it. It's sad when you park next to a car costing 20 grand less that has a better paint job.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by beemerman1984

Interesting yes. But, my car has the worst orange peel paint finish I have ever seen, and the clear used on JetBlack scratches just using a micro fiber cloth on it. It's sad when you park next to a car costing 20 grand less that has a better paint job.

Using a MF cloth should not scratch your paint. Not unless you wash your MF cloths with fabric softener. Using fabric softener is a big no no with MF towels.

[RLighty]

Woah really interesting!
Thanks for the post

[DrShimmy]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

"Protection against stone-chipping," lol.

I wish! Thank you for the post OP.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Using a MF cloth should not scratch your paint. Not unless you wash your MF cloths with fabric softener. Using fabric softener is a big no no with MF towels.

Agreed, I have Jet Black and it's really not that bad. I've detailed just about every brand, and BMW paint is just about where you'd expect it, much better than Mazda and Subaru, not as nice as MB or Lexus and not all that different from Porsche or Ferrari. Things like Bentley and RR are a different story though as they get many more coats of paint, and hand wet sanding between each coat.

[firechicken99]

Originally Posted by Canuckles

Very Cool. The electrostatic paint application and the type of paint (water based for ease of overspray recovery and recycling) they use are what makes BMW one of the most ecologically friendly car makers. It's also why we have the orange peel effect lol.

And the wonderfully eco-friendly chipping paint at every corner!