Wet sanding a brand new vehicle.

Hello,
Not sure if this is the right place for this post but probably some experts can give an answer.
Bought a 2025 BMW in black and the more I look at the paint the more I hate this car.
The paint is horrible and the orange peel is driving me crazy.
No matter how much wax, sealant, whatever the detailer put on it, the paint does not "pop" as it should.
The detailer suggested buffing/wet sanding and then working his way with the rotary and various steps of polish to make it flat and shiny.
Has anyone done such a job in the past?
I am willing to risk it, but would really appreciate some input.
Thank you.

 

if you sand it then wrap it. but is it worth the $10k you will spend on such a typical car?

 

If it looks good why not. I just hate it as it looks now and I blame myself for not asking to see it in black outside the showroom under sunlight.

 

Wet sanding will take care of the orange peel. However if there are blemishes in the actual paint layer then nothing done to the clear will improve it. I've seen a full wet sand done by Topaz detailing out of the UK on something fairly exotic (don't remember the exact model, but it was laf/enzo tier). It'll cost a heafty chunk and you'll probably want to ppf it afterwards. If its worth it to you, it'll drastically improve the texture of the clear.

 

The problem you have is bigger than what you think. BMW uses a color coat covered by a clear coat. Wet sanding the clear coat probably will not solve your problem if it is magnifying the color coat.

Aston Martin has a great video of how they paint their cars and achieve probably the best paint finish in the business. Spoiler alert: they wet sand between the color coat and the clear coat so there is no orange peel being telegraphed through the clear coat (40 hours of hand work on each car).

Ferrari has the same problems. I looked at several new models and the orange peel was ridiculous for a $400k car.

If you are really unhappy with it get it wrapped. "Fixing the paint with wet sanding" in my opinion may end up repainting the car.

 

Here is an example of that process: start ~ 11:00 in.

 

Wow. You have probably saved me from getting more frustrated. Thanks.
If this is the case, any attempt to correct this paint will be a waste of time and money.
Gotta find someone to do a decent job wrapping the damn thing with some glossy shiny good quality wrap. Maybe I was on the wrong path following a detailers advice and need to start searching for wrapping. Lets just hope that there are some really shiny flat to the touch films out there.
Cheers.

 

The problem with us giving advise is we can't see the car and the OP's detailer can. You would think the detailer would be able to determine if the orange peel is in the color coat or the clear coat and advise appropriately?

I would normally say wet sanding is a bit extreme as I have seen some orange peel corrected by a good 3-stage polish. Maybe not to an "optically perfect" standard but good enough that most people would say the paint is smooth and shiny with really good gloss. But again - none of us can see the actual condition of the paint...

 

They do an amazing job! The California Sage finish on my DB9 is testament to that care - now many years out of the factory - and still perfect!

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As others have said, wet sanding is going to cost a lot of money. There are also risks associated with that such as sanding through the clear to the color beneath. You need a very good paint thickness that delineates between the various coats (i.e. clear, color, etc.). You could sand but if the clear coat isn't think enough you won't have enough clear to get rid of the scratches from sanding. There are other methods to remove orange peel without sanding but again, is it worth doing on a new car such as this? Are you going to keep the car, or will you get rid of it in a couple years for another? Just my .02

 

Thanks for all the input guys.
What I get from your comments is that it may fix the issue or it may do things worse if the clearcoat gets ruined.

BMW was never my first option, I tried to understand their new look and all these weird screens inside, but never fully sank into me.
My son insisted saying that depreciation is less than a Range Rover and the feeling is sportier, but it seems that they have some real issues with their black paint.
I am checking other colours I see on the street and are way better than mine. But the case with all the black ones is still the same. Dull and full of orange peel.
They look ok in the garage if you have good light in there, but under sunlight, even from a distance they look sad.

I attach a photo for reference. In any other case, you would easily see a reflection of the whole environment or you would try to understand the colour due to the clearness of the lacquer. But not in this horrible example of a paint job.
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I will wrap it with some nice film (and maybe go crazy, do it a two tone or something that I wouldnt normally order on a car and kill resale) drive it, sell it and forget about it.
wrap it is then.
Thanks.

 

Clear coat is too dang thin to justify wet sanding, IMHO. A good detailer can flatten the paint out, but you’ll sacrifice too much of the clears protection to be worth it. I would fight the urge to chase perfection and just enjoy the car.

 

Went over to fhe vinyl shop today.
Their films are way more shiny that my paint and especially their black has a nice sparkling effect.
Got a quote that seems reasonable taking into consideration the shape of my bumpers and all the weird curves this car has, and I am scheduled for next week.
Thanl you all for your input.

 

If your detailer has done this before on new cars, I’d let him do it.

I went to look at buying a new Benz a while back. When the salesman and I got to within 10’ of the car, I turned to the salesman and said, “I don’t want it.” He asked why. I told him, “Because the paint looks like crap”.

Your “detailer” needs to specialize in paint correction only. If not, find one who does.

 

But, I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing about wrapping a car. Maybe it is God’s gift to car finishing now. I have no clue.

What I do know is, I’d never buy a car that’s wrapped. Pretty sure I’m not alone on that.

 

The car is under the process of wrapping.
From what I saw so far, it will be a tough job for them but the result is already visible.
They will give me also a “free peeling” of the wrap if I sell it and will only charge buffing the paint for the sticky residue to be gone.
We agreed to € 4.200 that is almost double the price of wet sanding and two step polish.
But with the wrap, you dont need ppf, so this makes it even in cost, plus when you unwrap it, you still have a fresh (but horrible in my case) unmolested paint underneath.
Anyway, BMWs large SUVs take a big hit on resale anyway, so I did it only for my personal pleasure and not trying to keep it good looking for the next owner. Let him do his part, he will buy a car for 30 to 40% off so he’d better be happy about it.

 

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at last. It is how it should be.
The installer said that he would not do this again for the money he initially asked. He had to allocate all of his team to the car in order to do it right.
Lets hope this will last for two to three years. He said five, but I am not so sure. Anyway. Case closed.

 

Go run it thru a car wash with those spinning brushes 25 or 30 times. You wound have to worry about the orange peel any more.

 

watch Yopaz Detailing on youtube. they sand a lot of brand new exotics.

 

If you get the right person it will turn out amazing. A few years ago my
599GTO. Which had all factory original paint just was not good enough for me so my detailer got a guy from Connecticut to come to VIRGINIA and wet sand the entire car keeping close monitor on the thickness of the clear coat. THEN after it was done we did a ceramic coating on it NO WRAP and it looked magnificent the rest of the time I owned it. Its all about having the right talent..

 

Are you're referring to Larry Kosilla from AMMO NYC (he's in Connecticut), he's not just an expert he's absolutely amazing in the detailing he does, a complete master. Check out his YouTube vids for example.

 

I will look him up but I was told at the time he was the best on the east coast..

 

Correct me if I am wrong.
Wet sanding can only cure orange peel if the orange peel is in the clear coat..or if it is a solid pigment coat with no clear coat.
If the peel is in the solid original coat, thats where the wet sanding will level off the high spots in the bumpy looking orange peel..
so if you sand a clear coat and the orange peel is in the base pigment coat, you really never touch the Orange peel.

 

You can always sand clear coat perfectly flat and polish it to a mirror. Only requirement is you have enough material to do so. If you are careful -most- factory paint jobs do, in my experience.

The sanded/polished clear will be the reflective surface regardless of the base coat.

 

INTMD8 is correct-- a LOT of bad information given above... there really is no such thing as orange peel in the base color... it's always in the clear as that is the reflective part... and there is PLENTY of clear on all new cars of all brands to do proper wet sanding. Wraps are just a cover and a waste of money. A correct wet sand and polish would've brought that paint right out beautifully. AND ALL new cars of all brands need polishing- They are all terrible when looked at with a light. Sanding marks, rotary buffer trails, overspray and all kinds of other marring exist and Aston Martin is one of the worst with this. Ferrari and Mercedes also bad. You don't even know the true color of your new car until you paint correct it... and in extreme cases, wet sand.