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My Carbon Black bare metal respray - progress photos

58K views 80 replies 42 participants last post by  Terabass 
#1 ·
Hi All,
I thought I'd share the major cosmetic surgery that my beast is undergoing at the moment. The paint on my car was 100% original, and while it still had a pretty good finish it was suffering from a lot of stone chips on the front bonnet and guards plus a few on the front of the roof. In addition, each panel had some sort of minor mark on it - just small scratches or marks, but enough to mean the car was never going to be perfect. The car is build BJ10004, ie the 5th ever RHD car and the first ever built for the Australian market (Dec 1998), so to me it's a pretty special car. This is how it looked:

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Bmw

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Personal luxury car

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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Car seat cover Head restraint


So recently someone ran into the front driver's door while it was parked (no note of course), and shortly afterwards my passenger side mirror entangled in a cable and the other end went under the rear tyre. Long story ??????

This nearly ripped the mirror off and put a nice scratch down the side of the car doors as well. Here are some shots of the damage:

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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Automotive tire

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These two pieces of bad luck meant I had to lodge two insurance claims, and luckily the insurance company authorised a brand new driver's door and passenger mirror, and most of both sides of the car to be painted. I took the car to a really good authorised BMW panel repairer who use Glasurit paint (after talking to quite a few others first), and discussed paying to do some additional work while it was under the knife anyway. What started as paint stripping the bonnet and front guards to fix the stone chips and repairing the front bar (that had a crack in it and lots of chips), has turned into a full back to the metal respray, with brand new front bar...

The great news is that now that the car is back to the metal, there is no evidence of any previous repairs at all. We already new the paint was all original after checking the paint depth, but it was thin from repeated buffing over the years. The guys at the panel shop have really got behind the project (as they love the car) and are doing a bunch of extra work for me without charge. I've only paid to paint strip the front of the car due to chips, then block back and respray the rest, but I discovered today they've completely paint stripped the entire car for me to ensure a perfect finish. They're also doing the inside around the door pillars & sills etc beyond what was quoted. Of course I'll put all new moulds etc on and will post full details later.

Anyway below are some photos from today. I'll update as the next stage comes together!

Nick

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#64 ·
Finally finished photos!

Sorry for the delay! This is the first weekend I've had to give the beast a proper detail since I got it back a few weeks ago.

The guys at the panel shop have given it a light buff but want it back in the third week of September once the paint has cured when they will give it a final buff. As a result, there were a few areas where I can notice slight marks in full sunlight, but these are just where they have rubbed back small imperfections and will certainly be removed completely with the final buff.

Other than that, the paint is 100% perfect, and it would be almost impossible to pick that it's not original :applause:

I'm glad I replaced the headlight lenses (and cleaned & refurbed the internals - they are so much brighter now), and replaced all the black shadowline doorframe surrounds and bumper plastics. It looks incredible and the photos don't do it justice!

But it's highlighted that I need to replace the black door side moulds and re-tint the windows as both aren't perfect and are letting it down now that the rest is so good.

I've spent most of the day detailing it (it's now Sunday night here), including a coat of Turtle Wax Platinum Series (great stuff!) which has completely removed any buffings swirls. Yes - I'll have to do it again once they give it another going over! So a couple of photos are attached, and I'll get hold of a good camera and take some really nice shots once it's completely finished.

Nick

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Executive car

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Personal luxury car

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Luxury vehicle

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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Automotive lighting

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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Executive car

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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Luxury vehicle

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#71 ·
Way to represent the Carbon Black Beasts! A job very well done as she looks brand new. Of course you will post more pictures after the final buff and I can't wait.
 
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#72 ·
Finally, fresh desktop wallpapers! :hihihi:

Wow, just wow....your car is a prime example of how I want mine to look one day...if I win the lottery most likely...:sad1:

Already figured it was a restoration, not just a respray...normally the doors don't come off, re-aligning them is a bit tedious,
not to mention the risk of damaging the new paint....

A joy to look at, great job, congrats! :M5thumbs:
 
#77 ·
Amazing thread. Nick, your car is the most sparkling BMW i have ever seen in person.
The paint really captures the eye. It's an amazing piece of work.

I can't even imagine how much that respray would have cost you. But one thing's for sure, it's f*cking amazing.

What a beautiful car.

PS: Your exhaust is droolworthy mate. Please refer me to your fabricator!
 
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#80 ·
Changing the color is always tricky. I'd definitely go with the original color.
 
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