[Alpine-F80]

After seeing a few AW cars with their M Sport lip painted (or wrapped) gloss black I wanted to try it out on my car, but had no plan on paying for a professional paint/wrap job.

After ordering the wrong size gloss black wrap, I started seeing videos with people getting amazing gloss black finishes from Rustoleum 2X Ultra Cover spray paint:


I also had the lip off the car, so the timing was perfect. Anyway, I gave the spray can a try and here's how it came out...it shines very nice, and little to no orange peel, although I only did all sanding/polishing by hand so far. With a proper buffer/polisher this will really look like glass..



If you want to do this, in addition to the lip you'll need...

- 1 can Rustoleum 2X Ultra Cover Gloss Black
- 2000 grit sandpaper
- 3000 grit sandpaper
- polishing compound like meguiars ultimate, I only had Turtle Wax
- microfiber towels
- plastic or drop cloth to paint on
- room/area free from wind and dust

Step 1: Thoroughly clean lip.
If the lip wasn't recently cleaned give it a quick clean with dish soap and water, dry, then thoroughly clean entire lip with rubbing alcohol.

Step 2: Paint!
I rested the lip on top of a box like this, allowing me to spray all parts without needing to move/flip it.

You want to do 3 coats, with the first coat being light, then 2 and 3 being nice wet coats but not dripping! Hold the can ~12 inches from what you're painting, there's some good YT videos showing this technique. Wait at least 5 minutes between coats. You may want to practice on something before jumping in if you're not experienced painting with spray cans and definitely watch some YT vids.


Step 3: Wait a week! This time varies depending on temperature, it was cold here so drying time increased. It takes a long time for spray paint to cure, and you want it to at least start curing (3-4 days) before you wetsand and polish to get the final, professional finish.

Step 4: Wetsand
This step will get rid of any orange peel if done right and even out most imperfections from bugs, dust, etc landing in the paint.

Sand the entire lip evenly with 2000 grit dipped in water repeatedly, using a sanding block for even sanding, followed immediately by 3000. Clean off thoroughly when done.

Your paint should look dull now, but you shouldn't see much if any orange peel anymore.



Step 5: Polish
This step will bring back the shine you lost from the sanding, plus level things out even more. Follow the directions on your polish, I'd recommend Meguiar's Ultimate Polishing Compound, but most polishing compounds will do (not rubbing compound!).

And now you're done! You can also go ahead and wax with for a bonus final step. Enjoy!

[uuni]

Nice. I was just looking for instructions for carbon painting but will go Gloss painting instead. Thanks!

[uuni]

You didn't use any primer, is there a reason for that?

[NavS]

Originally Posted by uuni

You didn't use any primer, is there a reason for that?

I think he didn't use clear coat either which you should have all three.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by NavS

I think he didn't use clear coat either which you should have all three.

This is a single stage paint, so the clear coat stage isn't necessary, the gloss is already in the paint. You could certainly do a 2 stage though instead with spray cans, or even do a clear over top of this with UV protection for added durability.

Originally Posted by uuni

You didn't use any primer, is there a reason for that?

Priming is also not necessary (according to can, and videos I've seen), although I'm sure a primer step would only produce even better results. If I had had dings/nicks I would have definitely sanded/primered first to level it out, but it was a new lip and not necessary.

For the record I didn't sand because I recall hearing sanding the plastic these lips are made of can release stuff that messing with adhesion.

I'm sure many will be skeptical of a spray paint/single stage paint looking professional, and that's fine, as with most paint jobs though I've come to learn sanding/polish can make them all look like glass.

Also, for a piece that's getting slammed by rocks on the road I would never pay $100+ for a paint job that will get damaged quickly, hence why I think wrapping or this are the best routes.

[uuni]

I am in process of finishing the paint job. Which turtle wax product you used? We have quite limited options at stores here.

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by uuni

I am in process of finishing the paint job. Which turtle wax product you used? We have quite limited options at stores here.

I used Turtle Wax light to medium compound first, but I got the best shine with Meguiar's Ultimate Polish, it's in a black bottle. I'd recommend using that for the best shine, but only after a nice wet sand with 2000 then 3000 grit to smooth orange peel.

[uuni]

Ok, The 2000 sanding wasnt success. It left quite a lot scratches. Could you provide links to those bottles so i can see them?

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by uuni

Ok, The 2000 sanding wasnt success. It left quite a lot scratches. Could you provide links to those bottles so i can see them?

Yes, 2000 will dull your paint and make subtle scratches, it's meant to level the imperfect paint job you created with a cheap spray can. You need to follow it with 3000 which smoothes that out even more, and polish smoothes it even more and is what ultimately brings back the shine.

I recommend YouTube'ng videos on wetsanding and polishing paint jobs, specifically spray can jobs.

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[RTPenland]

it seems a strange juxtaposition to me: BMW ownership and spray paint cans

[Alpine-F80]

Originally Posted by RTPenland

it seems a strange juxtaposition to me: BMW ownership and spray paint cans

Haha, yeah it's not for everybody, I probably wouldn't paint my actual car this way but you certainly could with practice, patience, and proper conditions.

[uuni]

Reporting back. After some minor problems in the end all painted parts became good. I had to take the rear spoiler to professional painter.

Biggest problem for me was finding space without dust. And at first I hesitated to use enough paint. So, thank you for the inspiration and help.