Spray Paint

First, I'm a new member and this is a GREAT forum! Soooo much useful information!

Now my question: I'm looking to paint my trunk lip spoiler, but don't want to pay a shop +/- $100 to do it. There are a few online retailers who sell spray cans. I need titanium silver metallic for a 2004 330ci. I took a look, but didn't see any particularly recent threads on this subject. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

http://www.gocolours.com/
Provide them with your car's Paint code and they're make you the OEM paint in spray cans.. I think its around $40 for like 4 or 5 cans.

I asked my local BMW dealer who did their body shop and paint work, and they hooked me up with a local shop and paint provider. They took my paint code and matched it perfectly. Mine is Alpine White. There are many shades of "white", but they got it just right. Can't see a difference in the new paint and my 10-year-old paint. I'm sure you can find a similar shop in Baltimore.

If you have never painted before doing it by rattle can is most likely going to come out looking terrible. And if it does it'll cost you more in the end than if you had it painted by a shop to begin with.

If you do want to do it yourself there are plenty of youtube videos on painting parts with a can. It is possible to do it, but the key is prep. You're going to need primer and clear as well.

Practice on something with the rattle can first before applying it to the actual piece. It's not hard to do at all. Just takes a little patience and practice to learn how the spray lays down depending on the sweep speed and distance. Practice makes perfect.

OP, I know you are looking for a paint advice. Painting without experience and required tools is a big no no.
Why not just buy a painted one from ebay.
$30 and it comes painted with double sided tape and what not.

I have it on my coupe for more than a year and it has not changed color or lost any shape.

Get something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Painted-BMW-...85aaba&vxp=mtr

I dont have the link to the one I bought but there is a thread about this kind of spoiler. I guess it is called "post pictures of ebay spoiler" or something similar.

Originally Posted by trj

OP, I know you are looking for a paint advice. Painting without experience and required tools is a big no no.

I disagree with this statement.

Originally Posted by 328iguy24

http://www.gocolours.com/
Provide them with your car's Paint code and they're make you the OEM paint in spray cans.. I think its around $40 for like 4 or 5 cans.

Sorry to thread jack but where do i click to buy?

Originally Posted by choxor

If you have never painted before doing it by rattle can is most likely going to come out looking terrible. And if it does it'll cost you more in the end than if you had it painted by a shop to begin with.

If you do want to do it yourself there are plenty of youtube videos on painting parts with a can. It is possible to do it, but the key is prep. You're going to need primer and clear as well.

Keep this in mind, and the fact that it's only a spoiler, and go for it. It's not like you're going to ruin the car. You'll learn a lot in the process.

Originally Posted by 2003silver330i

I disagree with this statement.

Sorry but, if I am going to paint something I better have all the required equipment. A covered enclosed area if not a paint booth. And a good air brush spray or whatever it's called.

OP you can try it in the open if over spray everywhere doesn't bother you. Else it's just going to be too much work and if you ruin it, you have do the whole job again.

Originally Posted by trj

Sorry but, if I am going to paint something I better have all the required equipment. A covered enclosed area if not a paint booth. And a good air brush spray or whatever it's called.

see wildirish post above yours

Originally Posted by 2003silver330i

see wildirish post above yours

I am not against painting by self. But why spend time and money when you can have the factory paint matched spoiler for less than the paint cost with risk of ruining it or do it again if you ruin it.

It's one thing to pick up a can of paint, even the factory mixed color, and paint the part expecting a job that will look acceptably similar to the factory job. It's another thing to actually make that happen.

Besides paint, if you wan't to do this the way a professional painter would do this, you will requre these materials.

1. 2 sheets of each grade wet/dry sand paper 100g,220g,320g,400g,600g,800g,1000g,1500g,2000g.
2. A 1x3x5 closed cell foam block that you can form into a sandng block to be used with the sandpabper.
3. A spray bottle for water.
4. A solvent bottle for squirting laquer thinner to clean parts.
5. A flexible surface prep rattle can. A sandable hi-build primer.
6. An organic mask, to keep the fumes away.
7. A buffer, 3 type of buffing pads, and at least to types of polish.

What they didn't tell you at the shop is that BMW factory painjobs have a clear coat over the top of them so you're going to need that too. The clear will need to be an air dissolving catalyst to work from a rattle can. Add to the cost. The next thing you'll need t learn is when to use with grade of sandpaper as you're taking the surface down.

Good Luck

Originally Posted by TitaniumCranium

It's one thing to pick up a can of paint, even the factory mixed color, and paint the part expecting a job that will look acceptably similar to the factory job. It's another thing to actually make that happen.

Besides paint, if you wan't to do this the way a professional painter would do this, you will requre these materials.

1. 2 sheets of each grade wet/dry sand paper 100g,220g,320g,400g,600g,800g,1000g,1500g,2000g.
2. A 1x3x5 closed cell foam block that you can form into a sandng block to be used with the sandpabper.
3. A spray bottle for water.
4. A solvent bottle for squirting laquer thinner to clean parts.
5. A flexible surface prep rattle can. A sandable hi-build primer.
6. An organic mask, to keep the fumes away.
7. A buffer, 3 type of buffing pads, and at least to types of polish.

What they didn't tell you at the shop is that BMW factory painjobs have a clear coat over the top of them so you're going to need that too. The clear will need to be an air dissolving catalyst to work from a rattle can. Add to the cost. The next thing you'll need t learn is when to use with grade of sandpaper as you're taking the surface down.

Good Luck

+1...Not too hard. Just lots of work.

Don't spraybomb it.

Originally Posted by TitaniumCranium

It's one thing to pick up a can of paint, even the factory mixed color, and paint the part expecting a job that will look acceptably similar to the factory job. It's another thing to actually make that happen.

Besides paint, if you wan't to do this the way a professional painter would do this, you will requre these materials.

1. 2 sheets of each grade wet/dry sand paper 100g,220g,320g,400g,600g,800g,1000g,1500g,2000g.
2. A 1x3x5 closed cell foam block that you can form into a sandng block to be used with the sandpabper.
3. A spray bottle for water.
4. A solvent bottle for squirting laquer thinner to clean parts.
5. A flexible surface prep rattle can. A sandable hi-build primer.
6. An organic mask, to keep the fumes away.
7. A buffer, 3 type of buffing pads, and at least to types of polish.

What they didn't tell you at the shop is that BMW factory painjobs have a clear coat over the top of them so you're going to need that too. The clear will need to be an air dissolving catalyst to work from a rattle can. Add to the cost. The next thing you'll need t learn is when to use with grade of sandpaper as you're taking the surface down.

Good Luck

There is no way you need to work up from 100 grit paper, especially on a small part like this. You also don't need a ridiculous buffer setup. A part as small as this could easily be polished to perfection my hand. You're exaggerating the difficulty by a long shot.

Originally Posted by WDE46

There is no way you need to work up from 100 grit paper, especially on a small part like this. You also don't need a ridiculous buffer setup. A part as small as this could easily be polished to perfection my hand. You're exaggerating the difficulty by a long shot.

Really? It completely depends on what you consider an acceptable paint job. I'll admit I have OCD to a fault and have accepted that I am a perfectionist living in an imperfect world.

If you screw the clear coat up and don't get a mirror finish (glassing the paint) you either take it back down and start over from 100-320,prime, finish sand 400-600 and repaint until you get it right, or you wet sand it out with 600-2000 grit and buff it out. Yes you can hand polish but you cannot get a mirror finish by hand even on a part that small. Can you get close, yes - but a buffer (a real buffer not a porter cable) can do what no hand can do. No painter makes money on buffing, but few armatures get away with laying glass. That's the difference between a paint shop that does reputable work and work that's just, "hmmm, yeah it looks ok".

Thanks, All, but I'm really just looking for product advice. Bavarian Autosport sells it. PaintScratch. Automotive Touchup. I'm weighing these possible options versus having a shop mix up a bottle for me. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Depends on what you want. $100 is not much to pay for a spoiler paint job, if the final result is what you are seeking. You could spend as much or more by trying it yourself, based on the knowledge posted on this thread. If you don't have experience with spray paint, and want a good looking spoiler at the lowest price, pay to have it done. If you want to learn how to use a spray can, because you may want to paint other things (on your car or in your house), then try a can from BavAuto. Education costs before it pays off.

paintscratch.com