Frozen Gray M3 Owners required to sign paint care agreement before delivery

[kripstoe]

For the lucky 30 callers that got through to BMW's order hot line for the limited edition 2011 Frozen Gray M3 there are a few interesting extra steps BMW is making them perform to get their new babies! BMW is making soon to be 2011 Frozen Gray M3 owners sign an agreement that they understand the care the "frozen" paint finish requires.

Link

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For the lucky 30 callers that got through to BMW's order hot line for the limited edition 2011 Frozen Gray M3 there are a few interesting extra steps BMW is making them perform to get their new babies! BMW is making soon to be 2011 Frozen Gray M3 owners sign an agreement that they understand the care the "frozen" paint finish requires.

Especially liked the comment by the thread author i.e. "Its interesting that these 30 Frozen Gray M3 owners are paying extra for a finish that seems less durable, easier to damage and impossible to repair...."

I would get one though if i had the bux..this car looks Wicked

[TOGWT]

Matte or Satin Finish Paint - do not polish or wet-sand a matte clear, as the flattening agents that cause the matte appearance (textured finish) by diffuse 30 degree reflection are retained very close to the clear coat surface. By levelling the surface the light will be reflected evenly and result in a ‘shine’.

Use a rotary polisher and an ultra soft, zero abrasive cut (Lake County CCS Concourse Gold (100 PPI) foam pad) with a mild chemical paint cleaner (Zaino Z-AIO - All in One) it will remove surface marring and leave it satin matte. Use a clear polymer (Zaino Z-CS - Clear Seal) the key is to add surface protection and depth without adding gloss.

[Carn]

I wonder how badly this specific finish will show up swirls and minor defects compared to a traditional gloss finish...

[flarkitwo]

Call me an aesthetically-challenged fool, but a matte finish in a luxury vehicle just doesn't look good. I love matte finishes in most things, just not cars

[TOGWT]

I wonder how badly this specific finish will show up swirls and minor defects compared to a traditional gloss finish...

CliffNotes® Version
Due to the way light is reflected fom a matte finish they are not so obvious as they are on a 'normal' paint.

Scientific Version

Spatial reflection
[:direction of incoming light (the incident ray), and the direction of outgoing light reflected (the reflected ray) make the same angle with respect to the surface normal, thus the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection; this is commonly stated as θi = θr.]

1. The perfect, mirror-like reflection of light from a surface, in which light from a single incoming direction is reflected into a single outgoing direction the best example of spatial reflection is seen when reflected from a flat level surface.

If the surface is perfectly flat, light will be reflected to produce a mirror image of the surface. But if there are imperfections such as swirls, surface contaminants, orange peel, or oxidation (dull, opaque or unlevelled paint) light is refracted and the reflected light becomes distorted.

Diffuse reflection

[: incoming light is reflected in a broad range of directions]

2. When light strikes a rough or granular surface, it bounces off in all directions due to the microscopic irregularities of the surface. The most familiar example of the distinction between specula and diffuse reflection would be glossy and matte paints.

While both exhibit a combination of specula and diffuse reflection, matte paints has a higher proportion of diffuse reflection and glossy paints have a greater proportion of specula reflection

End of lesson

[Carn]

Excellent explanation. Thank you Jon

[TOGWT]

Any time ...

[Minimike19]

Swissvax has actually developed a wax specifically for this finish and Matte finishes.

Awesome product as it makes Matte paint bead!

Miglior Detailing in the UK posted the other day with Nathan's matte black MK5 GTI.

Mike

[Carn]

Swissvax has actually developed a wax specifically for this finish and Matte finishes.

Awesome product as it makes Matte paint bead!

Miglior Detailing in the UK posted the other day with Nathan's matte black MK5 GTI.

Mike

That would be the Swissvax Opaque range of cleaners and a wax. From what I have seen it works pretty well indeed.

John (Miglior) does some terrific work over there, I love his unit as well

[Master Boners]

For the lucky 30 callers that got through to BMW's order hot line for the limited edition 2011 Frozen Gray M3 there are a few interesting extra steps BMW is making them perform to get their new babies! BMW is making soon to be 2011 Frozen Gray M3 owners sign an agreement that they understand the care the "frozen" paint finish requires.

Link

so are we allowed to polish these cars?

[xcalibur]

For the lucky 30 callers that got through to BMW's order hot line for the limited edition 2011 Frozen Gray M3 there are a few interesting extra steps BMW is making them perform to get their new babies! BMW is making soon to be 2011 Frozen Gray M3 owners sign an agreement that they understand the care the "frozen" paint finish requires.

Link

so are we allowed to polish these cars?

No, they should not be polished. Polishing a matt finish defeats the objective.

"Treatment of the car's specialized paint means the owners must never polish or wax the vehicle, or enter an automatic car wash that uses hot wax. A high pressure rinse is also required before hitting the auto wash. The car must be treated with kid gloves by the owner, who must remove excrement (huh?), fuel, insects, oil, sap and tar immediately with a sponge, while taking care not to rub the paint too hard.

Repairs may only be completed by a BMW-certified body shop. Any damage to the paint caused by nature, poor mechanics, bad or incomplete home care, or negligent behavior will not be covered by the vehicle warranty."

[kripstoe]

South Africa’s 25 Frozen Edition M3s will be split between 19 black and 6 grey cars

So... who's going to be the first to detail one?