[nvestr]

Took delivery of my M40i (2019 M40i, Premium Enhanced Package, Harman Kardon, Surround View/Park Assist, Cognac Vernasca, Cove Matte Wood Trim) about a month ago. Finally got around to completing a full ceramic coating (DIY) over the weekend. Started Friday night after kids went to bed (til 2AM) and then back at it again on and off throughout the day Saturday. All done by 11PM Saturday.

It is a LONG process but very well worth it (at least so far, long term TBD). The car looks amazing right now.

Not the best photos (iPhone XR, overcast conditions) and hard to tell from a photo but has a nice gloss and depth. One of the best parts is how the Cerium turned out - I had tried everything and could not get them perfect (i.e. uniform without spots, had tried quick detailer, paint cleaner, wax, isopropyl alcohol wipes, etc.). Coating made them a bit darker but completely uniform.






For details on the process, read on :



1) Full wash - 2-bucket method with grit guards - washed with CarPro Reset (best car shampoo you can buy, leaves no residue and suds amazingly) and a capful of degreaser and a capful of Dawn. Touchless drying using a MetroVac Master Blaster car dryer.

2) Decontamination - 2 applications of CarPro Iron-X to remove iron-based contaminants on the paint. Allowed to dwell 5 minutes, then gently agitated with a soft wax applicator. Rinsed, re-washed.

3) Clay - technically also decontamination, but I clay-barred most of the vehicle. Found that BMW paint is VERY soft. The claying produced a ton of marring on the paint, which I had never really experienced before on previous cars I've clayed. Used Poorboy's Quick detailer as a lubricant.

4) Paint correction - even though brand new, it required extensive paint correction. Corrected using Meguiars M105 Ultra-Cut compound with a Lake Country Orange Pad, followed by a round of M205 Ultra Finishing Polish on a white pad. Had a lot of scratches and swirls from what I assume is a single wash from the dealer. Terrible. Worst condition paint on a new car I've ever received. This part was about 4-5 hours and I could have kept on going if I wanted perfection. Got it close enough for a white car.



5) Panel Wipe - use GTechniq Panel Wipe to go over the entire car to remove polish residues/oils. Critical that there is nothing left on paint for Coating to bond to it properly. Panel Wipe is Isopropyl Alcohol and Acetone based, I believe.

6) Application of base coat - using a Gyeon applicator block and suede cloths, GTechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL) was applied in 4-6 square foot sections. Allowed to stay for about 30 seconds, then immediately removed with a buffing towel. Went over section again with another, cleaner towel to be sure nothing left behind. Inspected with a paint matching light (Astro 50SL) to make sure nothing missed. Easy to miss smears or high spots on white paint.



7) Application of top coats - about 2-3 hours after applying CSL, I started applying the top coat, GTechniq EXOv4. If topping CSL with EXO, it must be done between 1 and 12 hours of finishing CSL. Essentially same process as base coat, except you allow it to stay on the panel a bit longer before wiping off. Essentially I would coat 2 panels, then wipe off the first panel, then coat another panel, wipe off the oldest one, etc. Once complete, start all over again. GTechniq recommends 2 coats of EXOv4.



Once done, the next day, I went over and coated all of the door jambs, around the inside of the trunk hatch, etc. Coating those makes them super easy to clean and wipe off later.

Vehicle remained indoors for around 60 hours after coating. GTechniq recommends atleast 12 but with the amount of work, I wanted to allow maximum curing time before exposure to the elements. I drove to work today with it because it was sunny, but would have probably kept it garaged had it been raining today.

Can provide updates and perhaps a water beading video in a couple of days (again, not wanting to expose it to water any sooner than necessary) if anyone is interested.

[Alias1431]

Yes, please!

[X3M40i_Nev]

Mate, cracking cracking job. I did similar with my Carbon Black when new in May, but told dealer not to touch or remove the protective film on bonnet and roof. Meant the paint was in excellent condition. I applied Gyeon Q2 Pure, not quite as hardcore as yours, but a good coating for about a year.

[LostX]

Originally Posted by X3M40i_Nev

Mate, cracking cracking job. I did similar with my Carbon Black when new in May, but told dealer not to touch or remove the protective film on bonnet and roof. Meant the paint was in excellent condition. I applied Gyeon Q2 Pure, not quite as hardcore as yours, but a good coating for about a year.

What products did you use?

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by LostX

What products did you use?

Here is what I used:

[Crypto2k3]

Ugh. I took delivery of my carbon black 2019 m40i last weekend and you all are making me want to do this. I also have kids so sounds like a midnight project to me as well. thanks for posting

[Alias1431]

Don't underestimate the time needed to complete to the work!

[nvestr]

Originally Posted by X3M40i_Nev

Mate, cracking cracking job. I did similar with my Carbon Black when new in May, but told dealer not to touch or remove the protective film on bonnet and roof. Meant the paint was in excellent condition. I applied Gyeon Q2 Pure, not quite as hardcore as yours, but a good coating for about a year.

Thanks!

Beauty!! Darker and metallic colors really show the finish in photos. Looks like a killer job on your end too. I should have done the same thing re: the protective wrap. Lessons learned for next time.

[MADBMWX5MC]

I had this done with Brila Ceramic Coating, glad I did.

[SteveX3M40i]

Hi,
I was with a friend the other day that was ceramic coating a black Toyota Land Cruiser - using an amazing self healing ceramic (scratches disappear if you apply heat to them)
I noticed an old dropper on the bench that had been used previously to apply ceramic to an applicator pad.
I took a photo of it - as you could see the dried up ceramic coating inside the dropper - it looked amazing, just like diamonds!

Cheers
Steve

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by SteveX3M40i

Hi,
I was with a friend the other day that was ceramic coating a black Toyota Land Cruiser - using an amazing self healing ceramic (scratches disappear if you apply heat to them)
I noticed an old dropper on the bench that had been used previously to apply ceramic to an applicator pad.
I took a photo of it - as you could see the dried up ceramic coating inside the dropper - it looked amazing, just like diamonds!
Attachment 2091741
Cheers
Steve

Hey Steve, any idea what this self-healing ceramic was called, sounds interesting, a bit like the selk healing PPF (Paint protection film) some apply at great expense.

As far a crystal-like dried SI02 (silicone), that is why you throw away the microfibres and applicators used to apply and buff off, as it dries hard and would then ruin paint work if used again.

[SteveX3M40i]

Originally Posted by X3M40i_Nev

Hey Steve, any idea what this self-healing ceramic was called, sounds interesting, a bit like the selk healing PPF (Paint protection film) some apply at great expense.

As far a crystal-like dried SI02 (silicone), that is why you throw away the microfibres and applicators used to apply and buff off, as it dries hard and would then ruin paint work if used again.

Hi,
Yes - it’s called Oracle by a British company called Mayvinci.
My friend is the UAE distributor for it - it’s quite amazing!
Cheers
Steve

[nvestr]

Here’s a water sheeting test I did 6 days after application.

Very impressed. Fastest sheeting i’ve ever seen on a door. May be a bit hard to see because of the ehite paint. Looks good on my phone but youtube upload a bit lower quality.

[tatafreeman]

I got the Simoniz glasscoat from the dealer on my new X3 30i x drive in phytonic blue. I love the reflection in the the paint. After I wash it, folks stop and look. It's nice. The manufacturer of the coat guarantee it for life. I also got the teflon interior treatment, and that too is warranted for life. Stupid, but true.

[IM_ALL_IN]

Nice job! It seems like you were extremely thorough with the process so I would expect the coating to hold up well.

I had the same experience from the dealer with regards to scratching and swirling. They completely F'd my alpine white and I had a bear of a time getting them out. My experience was that this paint is incredibly hard and you need to step up (M105 for ex) in order to correct. Initially I tried perfect finish for a one step, which was a fail, then jescar correcting compound (another fail) and finally M105 with a eurofiber pad.

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by SteveX3M40i

Hi,
Yes - it’s called Oracle by a British company called Mayvinci.
My friend is the UAE distributor for it - it’s quite amazing!
Cheers
Steve

thanks mate :-)

[nvestr]

Originally Posted by IM_ALL_IN

Nice job! It seems like you were extremely thorough with the process so I would expect the coating to hold up well.

I had the same experience from the dealer with regards to scratching and swirling. They completely F'd my alpine white and I had a bear of a time getting them out. My experience was that this paint is incredibly hard and you need to step up (M105 for ex) in order to correct. Initially I tried perfect finish for a one step, which was a fail, then jescar correcting compound (another fail) and finally M105 with a eurofiber pad.

Thanks. Yes, it's like it's soft when it comes to scratching it but hard when it comes to paint correction, lol.

I was originally hoping to use Megz Ultimate Compound (consumer/fool proof and tamer version of M105) as a 1-ish step but soon found out I needed more cut than that. Not only that, but my orange cutting pad had the backing come off during my first few panels. Had to drop down to a white polishing pad with M105, which increased the cutting time quite a bit. Still turned out great but I will be better equipped next time I do this, which is hopefully not for a while, lol.

So far I am blown away with water performance and self-cleaning attributes of the EXOv4 top coating. I had previously done my XC90 with only the CSL base coat - this is certainly a whole other ball game. The CSL coating on my XC90 failed on the lower panels (almost no water sheeting below the vehicle belt line). I had done the application of CSL in December during the winter. Vehicle was exposed to salt, road grime, slush a few days after application. Road debris in the winter here has a sand blasting effect and I believe combined with the harshness of the salt, it took off the coating from the lower panels before it was fully cured. Hoping that is what happened and that my M40i's coating will do well in the winter. It will have a few weeks before it sees its first water exposure (still has not been rained on) and will have hopefully 6-ish months before it's exposed to salt.

[DocWho]

I got inspired by this post and spent 10 hours today applying two coats of Carpro CQ UK 3.0.

Double wash, two bucket method.

Hand dried with new MF cloths.

Iron X.

Polished with Klasse All in One. Didn't have any paint swirls or other paint irregularities.

Stripped with Gyeon Q2M Prep.

First coat of CQ, waited 45 minutes and did second coat.

My critique--Not sure if the Klasse AIO was a good choice, but that is what I had. I stripped it anyway. I don't think I left the first coat of CQ on long enough. My garage was 86F and I left the first coat on for 30 to 60 seconds. The second coat I left on for 90 seconds, so I probably have a coat and a half .

A lot of work but also a feeling of pride sprucing up a two week old X3. Dark Graphite and that baby is shining. Doing the wheels tomorrow morning. Pics when I take it out of the garage on Wednesday.

[nvestr]

Originally Posted by DocWho

I got inspired by this post and spent 10 hours today applying two coats of Carpro CQ UK 3.0.

Double wash, two bucket method.

Hand dried with new MF cloths.

Iron X.

Polished with Klasse All in One. Didn't have any paint swirls or other paint irregularities.

Stripped with Gyeon Q2M Prep.

First coat of CQ, waited 45 minutes and did second coat.

My critique--Not sure if the Klasse AIO was a good choice, but that is what I had. I stripped it anyway. I don't think I left the first coat of CQ on long enough. My garage was 86F and I left the first coat on for 30 to 60 seconds. The second coat I left on for 90 seconds, so I probably have a coat and a half .

A lot of work but also a feeling of pride sprucing up a two week old X3. Dark Graphite and that baby is shining. Doing the wheels tomorrow morning. Pics when I take it out of the garage on Wednesday.

That's awesome - well done! That feeling of pride is the best part for sure. Seeing the before and after makes it all worth while (assuming you didn't screw anything up along the way). I have heard great things about CQUK 3, have never applied it.

From what I understand, compared to CSL from GTechniq, it is a bit harder to apply (as you mention, temperature and humidity affect the time you leave it on the panel before wiping, etc.). CQUK 3 will have better water beading and self-cleaning performance than the CSL base coat alone, but much inferior to a CSL+EXOv4 combination. Either way, they are both excellent coatings. Can't go wrong with either!

[DocWho]

A few pics after my Cquartz 3.0 UK application. I am not saying this is the only or best product to use. It was my first ceramic coating application. I can say, it makes the paint sing. I can see the metal flake really shine. It is spectacular.

If you really want to get to know your vehicle, try rubbing it all over...six or seven times in a day :0.

[nvestr]

Some videos for your viewing pleasure.

Water beading test and hydrophobic test:

https://youtu.be/PWlkxYOfKiI

Water sheeting test :

https://youtu.be/DaQRLzCL5eI

Car dryer performance using a Master Blaster Revolution for touchleas drying :

https://youtu.be/xS-elRpCH6I


Very happy camper - hopefully this performance lasts.

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by DocWho

I got inspired by this post and spent 10 hours today applying two coats of Carpro CQ UK 3.0.

Double wash, two bucket method.

Hand dried with new MF cloths.

Iron X.

Polished with Klasse All in One. Didn't have any paint swirls or other paint irregularities.

Stripped with Gyeon Q2M Prep.

First coat of CQ, waited 45 minutes and did second coat.

My critique--Not sure if the Klasse AIO was a good choice, but that is what I had. I stripped it anyway. I don't think I left the first coat of CQ on long enough. My garage was 86F and I left the first coat on for 30 to 60 seconds. The second coat I left on for 90 seconds, so I probably have a coat and a half .

A lot of work but also a feeling of pride sprucing up a two week old X3. Dark Graphite and that baby is shining. Doing the wheels tomorrow morning. Pics when I take it out of the garage on Wednesday.

Nice work! Look forward to the pics 👍