BMW Frozen Paint Explained and Care / Maintenance Guide by DRIVE CLEAN

[Radari216]

If I owned this paint job my first instinct would be to clear bra the entire car but I don't know if that would put a shine on the finish or not.

This paint is waaaay too much of a PITA to take care of over the long term unless you lived in a state with no winter or garaged the car in the winter.

Nice idea though.

[Superspeed]

I wonder what you do with those difficult stains that only can be removed by intense rubbing, even if you use tar remover......
So I doubt the long term durability of the frozen paint. If you want that matte finish, the best way is to have the car foliated. Then you have room for regret as well.

[ptack]

Originally Posted by avlnch

The paintwork is actually very easy to maintain. It's easier to maintain than "normal" glass paintwork.

Swissvax (Opaque) makes all the products you need.. shampoo, pre-cleaner spray, wax, quick detail spray, etc.

It's a lot less work than cleaning a gloss car. Hard to explain exactly why unless you own one. Frozen Grey never looks dirty.. it's a great color.

One issue with the frozen paintwork though. If you need anything repainted, it is very difficult to get the new paint to match the factory paint.

I doubt that. BMW NA had an M3 with it at their headquarters and in person they made very clear they didn't want anyone to so much as touch the finish because it was such a PIA to keep pristine. They had no such concerns with any of the other new cars they were previewing.

[E93Ant]

As good an idea as run flat tyres...

[Imola.ZHP]

Love the look...

Would never buy one though, I don't buy cars to sit in garages...

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by ptack

I doubt that. BMW NA had an M3 with it at their headquarters and in person they made very clear they didn't want anyone to so much as touch the finish because it was such a PIA to keep pristine. They had no such concerns with any of the other new cars they were previewing.

I saw this Matte Blue M3 at car show in person and EVERY SINGLE FINGERPRINT was visable. The BMW spokesman was talking near the car about how hard it was to get fingerprints off the car..

I LOVE the look of the matte... especially the brown used on the Grancoupe... but i think this is a paint for the car you take out only when weather is perfect and birds are nowhere in sight...

for me, someone who loves to drive the hell out of his cars, not my choice. If I was a car collector, and wanted an M3 example before the NA8 went away... i'd buy one in a heartbeat.. perhaps in Frozen red, blue, white, black , grey AND silver ~Frost

[johndeere]

I don't see how this adds any value to the car. If anything it brings it down. I'd much rather get a wrap which will look the same, and be 1000 easier to care for. Get tired of it after a few years? Take it off or re-wrap. I mean, it should be a no brainer.

[BIMMERGUY91]

Frozen paint... too trendy and youre fucked if it gets scratched or damaged

[M5007]

The matte finish looks great. But stick to wrapping it instead. Not being able to match panels when reprinting is a nightmare.

I had a panel repaired on my E90 and I rejected the work three times! They did not match the color correctly, too much "orange peel pattern" and it just did not look good.

Even though this was a 5 star body shop that all local BMW dealers use it still didn't look right. I can only imagine what would happen if they had to do this work on a frozen paint scheme.

[blue dragon]

Do not want
/thread

[ScheerSpeed]

use Swissvax Opaque products on Matte finishes!

[Ash83]

Awesome you pay more for more inconvenience!!!!

[abhishriv]

so pretty much if your car is scratched, take it to bmw and let them keep it for many days to finish the paint properly and then be welcomed by the huge bill when you go to pick it up.

[Bimmerlover76]

I love how he starts to pause and stutter when the topics of touch-up and polishing came up!

Me thinks he knows a lot of people are going to avoid paying the extra cash the moment he opens his yapper. Nothing like that 'shi**ing your pants' feeling!

[darkrabbit]

Nope. Not interested. I love the color but the maintenance is too high, and for a DD where I live it would be a nightmare.

-J

[JIO]

If you get a scratch...just polish the whole car and it'll be all shiny...Oh wait, my "Frozen" thawed.

[estorilmmm]

Great info! Thanks.

[markjord]

Agree with most of the above. When I first saw the frozen grey my heart was set on getting one. It does look really great. However, I've had my hood resprayed twice (JB) due to stone chips and my front and rear bumpers done (chips at the front and a kind person with a shopping trolley at the rear) and one rear panel where someone opened a door on me. And I'm really careful - but I use the car daily and am at mercy of idiots. So my car looks perfect and the paint jobs were not expensive hence I will keep it looking perfect. I guess that would not be possible with the frozens. So much as I'd like one the prospect of owning an M3 that didn't look perfect has to prevent me from getting one.

[peeej]

such a sick look, though maintenance wise is definitely expensive. to each their own though..

[gibbo21]

Originally Posted by cstavaru

So basically, it's impossible to repair a small scratch unless repainting the panel, and almost impossible to obtain the same finish if repainted, because any variance in temperature and hardener selection leads to a different finish.

I feel sorry for the people falling for this frozen paint thing. Wrapping the car in a matte finish foil is so much better, if the matte effect is really needed.