2007 Jet Black 328xi Paint Issue

I just bought a 2007 328, monaco blue. It has swirls everywhere, looks like silver swirls when you look at in the sun. It is really annoying as i only have 550 miles on it, have not had it through a car wash even. The hood has underlying smudge marks on it and the dealer got them off, but when i took a cotton rag onto the hood to remove some dirt, it left scratch marks? Now i'm reading these posts about "soft" paint and am wondering if this could be the problem or is this the nature of monaco blue (almost black). today I saw a 740i, same color, and i could see these silver swirls (they don't look like swirls from a car wash, they are different, like thick silver waves. Feed back, please.

In general paint is a lot softer now than it was 10 years ago. I saw your other post about your last BMW; it is highly likely your new car just has softer paint which will require more diligent care. Your car was probably scratched by the dealership wash prior to delivery, this is not at all uncommon. You can ask them to fix the issue, but that often comes with it's own risks. You may want to look into having the car detailed then taking care of it yourself after the marring is repaired.

It may seem like a lot of work, but you might want to hit autopia-carcare.com and read the "how to's" on washing, they will go a long way toward helping you maintain scratch free paint.

my 07/328 monaco blue had swirl marks from day one...i have used only quality micro fiber towels and paint care products..the paint will scratch with the slightest amount of pressure..in direct sunlight it detracts from the cars appearance..monoco blue being such a rich color appears almost black in many light conditions..i know it is not something that can be glazed/polished/waxed away...and bmw is not going to do anything about it

Well, the swirls can be polished away; the issue is that given the softness of the paint it will not be long before they are re-introduced unless you are incredibly careful when washing.

Originally Posted by picus

Well, the swirls can be polished away; the issue is that given the softness of the paint it will not be long before they are re-introduced unless you are incredibly careful when washing.

Point. Even though you can polish/glaze the swirls away...its only a temp fix giving the soft paint...but the main complaint is that: 2007 paint seems to be extra soft/sensitive to scratches/swirls.(the amount of noticeable "orange peel" on ALL body panels confirms this)..you would need a weekly polish right after you wash the car to keep them at bay..now i realize that many owners don't even see beyond the color...and do not notice the swirls...some may even think them to be normal..(which is not a far stretch...as most cars have swirl marks)

My take is being that the coupe has plastic fenders..that may have been a factor in changing the paint formula.

Originally Posted by wolf

Point. Even though you can polish/glaze the swirls away...its only a temp fix giving the soft paint...but the main complaint is that: 2007 paint seems to be extra soft/sensitive to scratches/swirls.(the amount of noticeable "orange peel" on ALL body panels confirms this)..you would need a weekly polish right after you wash the car to keep them at bay..now i realize that many owners don't even see beyond the color...and do not notice the swirls...some may even think them to be normal..(which is not a far stretch...as most cars have swirl marks)

My take is being that the coupe has plastic fenders..that may have been a factor in changing the paint formula.

The problem with that is that not all the coupes have this soft paint. For example, my coupe (Sparkling Graphite) has what I consider "normal" BMW paint; about average hardness. Same with Space Grey, Black Sapphire, Montego Blue, and Alpine White. Actually, the two Monaco's I worked on seemed pretty normal too; it was the 4 Jet Black coupes that seemed excessively soft to me. Maybe it is just hit or miss.

I have the same problem on my Jet Black E92. It's just a soft clear coat. I've owned cars with hard clear coats for years, but the downside with hard clear coats is that they chip EASILY. This is why you don't typically see too many BMWs with large quantities of paint chips.

Simple as this, have it detailed in the spring and fall. There's not much you can do but clean up the clear coat on an annual basis. I've detailed my cars for years, a simple PC and a few compounds can do the trick. Although i'm a little hesitant to start detailing my coupe this spring, I know the soft clear coat will be a PITA to work with.


I will say this, be glad its too soft and not too hard. Swirling can always be corrected, paint chips cannot.

Originally Posted by chuck92103

I know what you are saying, I just do not believe it.

Wierd?? Picus is a very respected detailer over on Autopia. His work is some of the best. Not somebody I would argue with about car car, Chuck.

My friend has a Jet Black E90, and I can vouch for how abnormally soft the CC is. BMW needs to do something to resolve this.

I'll chim in here as another owner of a jet black e90 with unsatisfactory issues with the paint. Yes it makes swirl marks/scratches easily when washed or simply touched by even my finger, but the most problematic issue is bird crap. No matter how fast I get it off it eats right through the clear coat and you can see exactly where the bird has craped even after polishing and waxing. Now I have heard that leaving bird crap on for a long time can do this but I'm talking only 8 hours at the very most bird crap is sitting on my paint (assuming a bird craps immediatly on my car when I get to work). For those of you who know the Dallas area there are alot of friggen birds here. The entire car will shortly look like a big crap stain. I would like to address this issue with BMW since this is a lease and I don't want to be responsible for not properly taking car of the car.