exterior suggestions i5 m60

[beemerdad]

Been in my 25 i5 M60 for a few months now, love it.

anyone recommend a ceramic coating (i guess XPEL?) or anything else to make it pop? its black sapphire metallic so its pretty but kind of want to spruce it up a bit? no experience with any of this stuff so just looking for info

[John in VA]

XPEL is a paint protection film - protects from rock chips & scratches. A ceramic coating makes it easier/faster to clean the car & helps some with minimizing scratching. Keep the black looking nice by touching it as little as possible! Dozens of ceramic choices out there, from self-applied to professional coatings. The Griot's Garage 3-in-1 is a great place to start. Good luck!
https://www.griotsgarage.com/ceramic-3-in-1-wax/

[BruinMan]

Do you have any experience with paint correction? Even on a brand-new car, you’ll want to decontaminate, polish, and prep before applying a ceramic coating. It’s a DIY process, very satisfying, and the results can last for years.

On my X5, I’m running Adam’s Advanced Graphene Ceramic—fantastic product, but not something I’d suggest for beginners. It’s easy to end up with high spots unless the weather conditions are just right when you apply.

For someone starting out, I’d recommend GYEON Q² Pure EVO Ceramic Coating. Much more beginner-friendly, while still doing an excellent job of protecting and sealing the paint.

[aekdb1564]

From what I read for DIY, a lot recommend these two:

-Chemical Guys Carbon Force - which is a a gel

or

-Adam’s Polishes Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced - which is more of a spray.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by beemerdad

Been in my 25 i5 M60 for a few months now, love it.
anyone recommend a ceramic coating (i guess XPEL?) or anything else to make it pop? its black sapphire metallic so its pretty

Congrats on a beautiful car with some of the most frustrating exterior color. Dark colors (black, blue, etc) look fantastic when clean, but are super-hard to keep that way. I remember polishing and painting my dark colored cars only to spot specs of dust on them after 15 minutes in the garage. Brings back memories...

Now, if you are like 90+% of EV owners, you likely leased this car. And it will be going back 2-3 years from now. So any heavy investment into the paint protection (e.g.: $10K paint protection film like XPEL) will be totally wasted.

You can improve the paint appearance through polishing and waxing/ceramic coating it afterwards. This can be a DIY project, or you can hire a detailing shop to do it for you.

Wax might actually produce are deeper shine, but will only last 2-6 months.
Proper ceramic coating may last 1-2 years (disregard marketing claims to 8-10 year longevity - that's fiction), but only if you hand wash the car, park it indoors, and never EVER take it through commercial brush washes.

Originally Posted by beemerdad

but kind of want to spruce it up a bit? no experience with any of this stuff so just looking for info

Consider starting by watching this:

Originally Posted by aekdb1564

From what I read for DIY, a lot recommend these two:
-Chemical Guys Carbon Force - which is a a gel
or
-Adam’s Polishes Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced - which is more of a spray.

Beware that "gels" and "sprays" are NOT the long-lasting ceramic coatings that are applied with an applicator, allowed to evaporate, then leveled to an even ~1mil protection layer on top of clear coat.

"Gels" and "sprays" are water-based bead-inducing solutions that have shorter longevity than traditional waxes.

Not a bad place to experiment, but not a substitute for a proper wax (e.g.: Griots above) or a ceramic coating (of which there are very many).

If you want the longest lasting ceramic coating, consider this Project Farm comparison results:

I've personally applied the following five (5) ceramic coatings on my 4 cars over the past few years, and I list them in the order of longevity and ease of application:

1). Adam's original Ceramic Coating
2). Armour Detail Quartz Coating
3). McKeys 37 Ceramic Coating
3). Gyeon Q² Syncro EVO
3). Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating


Have fun!
a

[Game]

Originally Posted by aekdb1564

From what I read for DIY, a lot recommend these two:

-Chemical Guys Carbon Force - which is a a gel

or

-Adam’s Polishes Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced - which is more of a spray.

There’s a ceramic coating thread floating around here. Definitely won’t find any chemical guys recommendations.