Orange Peel on new M3 paintwork?

[berb_uk]

I've got an M3 on order with Jerez Black metallic paintwork. But I'm hearing rumours that they suffer from "orange peel" poor paintwork.

Is this true? If so, has anyone experienced it? Does anyone have any photos? Shame that this is happening in such an expensive car?

[gadget]

There are lots of photos on this forum.

[Davinhci]

Not familiar with "orange peel"

[ersin]

Originally Posted by Davinhci

Not familiar with "orange peel"

Just be glad it's not lemon peel! More acidic.

Orange peel is when the paint finish is not perfectly flat and smooth. I describe it as roughness. Like the consistency of the outside of an orange. Hence, "orange peel".

[gadget]

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ht=orange+peel

[Krueger///M3]

Won't wet sanding it do the job?

[gadget]

.

[Davinhci]

Originally Posted by ersin

Just be glad it's not lemon peel! More acidic.

Orange peel is when the paint finish is not perfectly flat and smooth. I describe it as roughness. Like the consistency of the outside of an orange. Hence, "orange peel".

[RandyB]

Originally Posted by Krueger///M3

Won't wet sanding it do the job?

Yes. Who wants to sand their brand new car though, ha. If you take off a lot of material, there is no room to rub out fine scratches you get later.

[MDCTFTW]

Originally Posted by ersin

Just be glad it's not lemon peel! More acidic.

HAHA!

[lvwirelessguy]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

Isn't orange peel a BMW signature dating all the way back to the 70s?

At least that long. It comes standard on all BMWs

[ersin]

Originally Posted by lvwirelessguy

At least that long. It comes standard on all BMWs

IIRC, it used to be standard on all mass produced cars. I long for the good old days, that's why I like BMW.

[footie]

The orange peel is a side effect of the production process but more concerning is the softness of the actual paint finish. Compared to other brands it's one area BMW are definitely well below par.

[ersin]

Originally Posted by footie

... more concerning is the softness of the actual paint finish. Compared to other brands it's one area BMW are definitely well below par.

I thought this was typical of German cars. The reason is that while it may be softer, it is also more forgiving and doesn't chip as easily when hit by pebbles, for example. I'd imagine this is important above 100 mph where autobahn cruisers are found.

[berb_uk]

Are there any M3 owners who are 100% satisfied with their paintwork? What about you Jerez Black owners out there?

[arctic335i]

Not true for all German cars - at least not older ones. I have an 89 911 whose paint is smooth as galss and very hard. Better paint job, less envirofriendly.

[ersin]

Originally Posted by arctic335i

Not true for all German cars - at least not older ones. I have an 89 911 whose paint is smooth as galss and very hard. Better paint job, less envirofriendly.

I'd say Porsche is an exception. Their quality is tops. Fit. Finish. Materials. It's one of the reasons that they command a premium.

[Pancho]

Originally Posted by berb_uk

I've got an M3 on order with Jerez Black metallic paintwork. But I'm hearing rumours that they suffer from "orange peel" poor paintwork.

Is this true? If so, has anyone experienced it? Does anyone have any photos? Shame that this is happening in such an expensive car?

WTF is orange peel? I have my M3 since October 2007 and paint is perfect.

[oneginee]

This is not a BMW "exclusivity" it looks like most car manufacturer have moved to more environnment friendly car painting methods. 10 years ago most cars paint looked glass like hard and shiny now they look lumpy and uneven. It is all about beeing green
(let's forget mileage for now)

[ruff]

Originally Posted by ersin

I'd say Porsche is an exception. Their quality is tops. Fit. Finish. Materials. It's one of the reasons that they command a premium.

Go to a Porsche dealership and look at one of their black or basalt black beauties. The Cayennes are especially bad, due to the larger vertical side panels. Just look at the door panels and report back on whether or not you still believe that Porsche premium is worth it, at least in regards to their paint work. However, I must concede that in general Porsche have a higher paint quality than BMW, but that isn't saying much.

[uthatch]

Some companies are much worse than others. The very worst I've seen recently is the new full-sized SUV's from GM. The orange peel is so bad and the paint is so thin that they are actually having a hard time with collision repair to match the colors.

It may be taboo around here to mention this, but Lexus actually has very nice paint (yes I have an IS350 but I do have an M3 on order). It's very soft and chips easily, but it's pretty damn smooth compared to most companies.

[ersin]

I've never really inspected a P-cars paint job. On first glance they look really nice. I'll have to pay more attention to this next time. I also agree about Lexus, they do a good job. Nobody took the Japanese luxo cars seriously several years ago, but they made everyone else take notice. Overall, I'd say they don't have the appeal of the German cars, but they do some things better.

This proves that environmentally friendliness implies that green = orange.