NZ POM

Good to see ya got a result, any other paint enquiries and i'm happy to advise See you at the BBQ Mark

if it looks like craters then its most definately what we call wax holes, this is caused by a contamination usually by silicone waxes (not that a painter would use this as silicone is a painters worst enemy) oil in the air line or any other kind of oily contamination, under a microscope these wax holes usually go right through the clearcoat meaning a weak point in the coating that is not only there to give gloss but also to protect the basecoat. Get it repainted, If you have any doubts about whether they stripped your bonnet or not, i have a film thickness gauge to measure the paint thickness, a panel that has been stripped should be between 75 and 125 microns, factory finishes are about 60 to 75 microns, if you add a refinish onto a factory finish then your looking at approx 135 to 225 microns, this will be higher if there is a layer of bog under the coating. Let me know how you get on. By the way i am a certified coatings inspector.

How are you getting on with the E36 one that were going to supply me. the last PM you sent me metioned you were waiting to measure it against a 328

If the dents your reffering to are outward not inward,I.E pimples then they're not dents, unfortunately though you say your car was stripped, i'll bet you it was'nt, what painters tend to do nowadays is fill the stonechip with a 2 pack stopper (this is a lot finer than bog) and then sand it flush, there a lot of things that can go wrong with this practice IE they flat the stopper before its fully cured because its easier to rub, trouble is it continues to cure through a chemical process which produces heat, this heat leads to a slight expansion of the stopper resulting in a pimple, this can also happen when the car goes into a low bake oven to have the topcoat baked, it may have looked great when they applied the paint but the heat will draw it out, also being a 2 pack it has to be mixed at the right ratio, and i have'nt met a painter yet who measures the amount of hardener they use. The likely reason your bonnet has a hazy patch on it is because of the cut and polishing process, they more than likely had to flat a bit of dirt out, to do this they use ultrafine wet/dry or a p1500 fine disc to remove the dirt (or sh*t) as its commonly called in the trade) then they use a cutting compound to get rid of the scratches caused by the flatting process, they obviously did'nt pay enough attention to this part of the process before applying the final glaze, the glaze would have hidden the problem until you washed it off. By the way what brand of paint do they use as there is a huge difference in quality especially long term.

Valid point Bravo, surely they wouldnt let the local plod make that decision or maybe they'll have someone there from LTSA to push the button. Either way its a bit drastic all i can see is a lot of law suits clogging up our already congested court rooms.

Glad your happy with the result Mark, your shopping around has obviously paid off look forward to having a closer inspection at the BBQ

At the end of the day i'm sorry to say the law is the law, if you've modded your car and its not been certified then it should'nt be on the road same goes for WOF and Rego, It's the same as if you build onto your house and dont get resource consent or planning permission even if get a fully skilled masterbuilder to do the work its still illegal with out the correct paperwork and in some cases you'll be told to tear it down. If your worried about a $500 cert just wait until compulsory insurance comes in and they tie it in with age, cc, hp, turbos and mods = $, like they do in the EU and $500 will be a pitance

Where did you end up taking it

It could be localised by using soft masking on the bonnet lines, but this is a skilled job and needs a competent painter to do it, its your choice, personally i'd do the whole bonnet as it will age the same. Good luck

Bugger looks like the VIN number as mentioned is the only way to go

The reason i asked was that it looks like a breakdown in the clearcoat allowing moisture or UV to penetrate the basecoat hence the changing of colour this usually occurs when the clear film has become thin thus allowing moisture and UV to penetrate. this can occur if the car is regulary CUT/polished (not waxed) as the cutting paste is made to do just that. this can also happen if at the time of painting wether it factory or a panel shop, a bit of dirt or a run is in the paint, the process is then to flat & polish the area to remove the foreign body, unfortunately this also removes a certain amount of the clearcoat leaving an area that is weak, this may explain why it has only done this in certain areas, sorry to say the only way to rectify this is to refinish the area.

the build sheet will be under the rear seat swab stapled to the underside of the swab, just pull the swab out and have a look, i have a hard copy of build sheet codes so if you find it post back and i'll tell you what the codes mean.

Brett have these panels been repainted at all or are they still in the original factory finish? How old is the car? How often is it polished Does it get washed in a car wash. If you can answer these for me i'll give you an explanation. I have over 30 yrs experience in the Auto paint industry and spent 15yrs working as a Tech rep for ICI Autocolor/Dulux.

I saw this car about a year ago in Graemes workshop in CHCH, i spent ages drawling over it & would sure like to own it

Welcome aboard, Theres a lot of E30 knowledge here so you'll get a lot of advice for your project, so just ask away. Where abouts in NZ are you

Dont forget the only difference between a boyracer and a petrolhead is 20+yrs, i'm not far off that guys age and i'm not going to change my style for anybody. Especially as the younger generation are now starting to wear the same fashion i was wearing 20+ yrs ago.

Welcome to Bimmersport, nice to see the Cantab numbers are growing, i'll be trying to organise a BBQ for the Cantab members at the Groynes in Feb, hope you can make it, the last meet we had was a real good turnout, so keep an out under the Meetings forum and look forward to seeing you and that nice ride.

Dont be so serious, i was only having a laugh

Which one Bruce or Rex , though their both good, i'd rather take mine to Bruce as the other one will charge Mercedes rates (their both on the same street) Cain if your a regular customer i'd have thought you'd get their name right LOL it's Smart collision repairs; 15 smarts rd Hornby 03 349 9591, WWW.smartcollision.co.nz. but i agree they'll do a good job. Sorry guys dont agree with Bairds, not if you dont want your car full of bog. Also try Panel Plus in Papanui ask for Justin or Barry. I was in the car paint trade for 25yrs and worked here before decided to get out of the game. their good, i'd use them.

I take it from your previous posts your in CHCH, try ELITE Wheels, they made a nice job of Rileys wheels on his E30

The Haynes (as in the car manuels) Motor museum in the west country

All i know is i have 215/40/17 Pirelli 6000 on 17 x 8.5 Acs wheels on my 328i and i'm looking to change them when i can afford to. The cars fine and corners well but if you hit a white line or pull over onto a median the steering has a twitch like its on skates untill you straighten up, i've checked the tread and the pressures and there good so i can only put it down to the stretch. correct me if i'm wrong but i think 245/40/17 would be the correct fit or would 235/40/17 be better.

What happened to the F Troop

Born & Bred and hardcore Reading FC, I think i'm the only one in S Island, F***ing typical i watch them through rain and shine in the doldrums of the 3rd & 4th divisions and no sooner do i come to NZ then they go and get promoted all the way through to the bleeding premiership.

Thanks guys, as i thought AMG are exclusive and M-Tech are a marketing brand.