Sunroof Paint Faded and Disorted, Repaint

[spuckett]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this with their E36 bimmer but the sunroof because it is fiberglass appears to have faded and worn and is making the body paint look shotty. Anyway I wanted to respray the thing myself, I figured it couldn't be too hard as my dad has had experience painting cars before.

I was wondering if it would be best to take the sunroof out and spray it individual of the car or just mask it up and spray it? I don't know how to do this so any guidance on this would be appreciated. Also if leaving it in is the best method is there anything to be said about removing that rubber trim about the sunroof?

Finally I have little experience with fiberglass. Any guidance on prepping the surface for painting? Is there any special type of BMW fiberglass paint or should I use the same paint used in body painting?

Thanks!

Puckett

[spuckett]

Anyone? Any ideas?

[NONN37]

how bad is the paint?
is the clearcoat flaking off?
what color is the car?
pics?

-the sunroof is metal and uses regular 2 stage automotive paint. i would suggest removing it from the car so you can better prep and paint the edges. the painting process isnt too difficult, and if you have someone who has experience, their shouldnt be much trouble.(easier than other because the sunroof is flat and easy to work with)

-i think the hardest part will be mixing a perfect color to match the old paint. Especially if youre only painting the sunroof section. if color is off, the sunroof is really gonna stick out with the og color of the whole roof around it.

-As for prep its like any other metal finish. If the old paint is still in good shape, just sand/scuff the surface and clean. then lay the base, sand/clean. lay another base,clean then clear.sand and polish

[spuckett]

The car is black. It seems like the clear coat might be coming off. Its very rough to the touch with big white discoloration spots. Here is a picture of it although it might be hard to see in the dark. I turned up the brightness and contrast to extenuate it and circled some of the more discolored spots. There are a few leaves on the sunroof, don't mistake those for discolored spots. The image can be found here.

i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/paranoiasection/Sunroofshit.jpg

I'm not allowed to embed images yet :(.

[NONN37]

The car is black. It seems like the clear coat might be coming off. Its very rough to the touch with big white discoloration spots. Here is a picture of it although it might be hard to see in the dark. I turned up the brightness and contrast to extenuate it and circled some of the more discolored spots. There are a few leaves on the sunroof, don't mistake those for discolored spots. The image can be found here.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/paranoiasection/Sunroofshit.jpg


wow that does look terrible. I would block sand as much of that paint as possble to level the surface and get rid of imperfections. looks pretty bad. for me black is the easiest color to work with.

maybe start with 400 grit? then 600blocked. down to 800wet.
at this point(after you leveled the suface smooth), if you feel satisfied by the smoothness you can go ahead and lay your first bcoat of black. if not, spray with a primer to fill in scratches and "low spots", then blocksand to 800wet. then apply black base.
after your first black base drys sand it with block 800wet to smooth out surface to fill in imperfections. after you clean it up spray your final base coat afterflash time, lay your clear. about two niceeven coats should be fine. then once dry wetsand with 1000->2000 then buff.

***Ive never refinished my sunroof, but if i had to i would lay 2 colorcoats and two clear.
because the sunroof is mechanical i would pay special attention to the prep and paint of the edges of the sunroof. because so much dirt and water and other stuff get into the edge; a poorly prepared paint surface, can lead the paint on the edges to start to lift and you may have the same problem(looks like thats what happened to yours on the edges)

[spuckett]

Thanks NONN37. I'm not sure exactly what "wetsand" means? As for the clearcoat is that very simliar to the automotive paint in characteristics and application(like do I get this as "paint" from BMW)?

Also does anyone know for sure if the sunroof is made out of metal or fiberglass? I find it odd that the sunroof would wear so much and unevenly without the rest of the automotive paint which is obviously sprayed on a metal surface. I was told by the person I bought the car from that the uneven wear was because the sunroof is fiberglass and thats why, I guess i'll be able to figure that out when i start sanding but does anyone know for sure?

[spuckett]

Also does anyone know where to get genuine BMW paint for a good price?

[nickdeck]

Also does anyone know for sure if the sunroof is made out of metal or fiberglass?

Don't know, but a magnet should answer your question.

[bimmerfiver]

Thanks NONN37. I'm not sure exactly what "wetsand" means? As for the clearcoat is that very simliar to the automotive paint in characteristics and application(like do I get this as "paint" from BMW)?

Also does anyone know for sure if the sunroof is made out of metal or fiberglass? I find it odd that the sunroof would wear so much and unevenly without the rest of the automotive paint which is obviously sprayed on a metal surface. I was told by the person I bought the car from that the uneven wear was because the sunroof is fiberglass and thats why, I guess i'll be able to figure that out when i start sanding but does anyone know for sure?

Honest. If you have to ask these questions ^, you have no business undertaking this task of re-painting your sunroof.

[spuckett]

These questions are more just making sure than anything, I'm very technical and hands on. I didn't know what a smog pump was before I replaced my manifolds or how to disassemble the brake assembly before I did my brakes, but I did them. Besides my dad re-sprayed his entire 73' Grand Am in the ninty's. I think I can figure it out, and if I screw it up I can always take the cassette to a body shop and have them do it.

But seriously is anyone here not too pompous to explain to me the process of wet sanding? I may not know everything but I'm willing to learn.

[NONN37]

wetsanding is sanding the surface with sandpaper while using water. the water helps to wash away the paintdust that gets caught in the paper,that way youre cutting the surface and not wiping around the old paint with the sandpaper.

you can wet the panel and dump the paper in a bucket of water. after wetsanding with a block, wash and dry the surface, and use a wax n grease remover to wash any crap that was left on the surface. once dry use a tack rag on the entire surface, and youre ready to spray.

btw you dont need a bmw specific paint. You can go to any auto paint supply and theyll mix whatever color you need, any brand(dupont, valspar ppg). make sure you get 2 stage paint, base(black) and Clear. theyll give you the catalyst and reducers you need and can give you pointers on painting.

[NONN37]

These questions are more just making sure than anything, I'm very technical and hands on. I didn't know what a smog pump was before I replaced my manifolds or how to disassemble the brake assembly before I did my brakes, but I did them. Besides my dad re-sprayed his entire 73' Grand Am in the ninty's. I think I can figure it out, and if I screw it up I can always take the cassette to a body shop and have them do it.

But seriously is anyone here not too pompous to explain to me the process of wet sanding? I may not know everything but I'm willing to learn.

yeah, the only way to learn is to really try it out. if you can get some scrap body panels you can practice painting on that. there are even paint forums on the net that can help you better than i can.

You have a nice little project great for begining.
but if youre not too confident or maybe your material cost is too high, it wouldnt be a bad idea to drop by the bodyshop and get some estimates. it shouldnt be too much work for any bodyman since the panel is flat, and black and they have all the materials.