Best mod for Frozen Paint - RAISE SHIELDS!

[FourPtDrift]

My car needed shields. It's now got them.

PPF is complete! This was an extremely extensive and intensive, nearly two week process - covering the ENTIRE car with a combination of both matte and gloss SunTek PPF material. Work was done at European Collision Center - a BMW NA approved and selected facility, factory trained in working with BMW Frozen paint.

Information on this talented (and absolutely massive) shop can be found here:

https://www.europeancollision.com

I absolutely love my car's truly unique, dare I say it, exceptional Frozen Marina Bay Blue finish. It's stunning to look at in any lighting condition, day or night. BUT, and this is a BIG "BUT," if you are especially persnickety about keeping you car looking clean - and I am - than this also has to be the single most frustrating color and finish to live with on a daily basis. AND, as much as California has a strong car culture, with incredible roads, everywhere, a fair share of them are crumbling. And it's dry and dusty here. SO, any spirited drive, or even just an ordinary highway trip poses the constant threat of "attack" from dust, dirt, rocks, gravel and God only knows what else that is perpetually littering our roadways. "Frozen paint" means no buffing, not polishing, no concealing, no nothing. If you catch something flying at the car, it's going to show, and big time. And the only real remediation is a full re-paint.

SO, PPF it is.

I was very worried that the car's incredible "luster" could be/would be lost with the PPF application. Nope. Not at all. if anything, this incredible SunTek PPF material ENHANCED the look of the car's finish as some of the orange peel which is still present in a Frozen paint car, is concealed. When you open a door, say for example one of the rear doors, when you examine the point where the PPF "ends" and the "naked" frozen paint surface continues, all this is observed is the "edge" of the PPF. There is ZERO discernible difference in color, tone, sheen or shine between the PPF surface and the "bare" surface.

This is an EXCELLENT solution and frankly, should have been done to the car, pre-delivery, as delivery came with some niggles. BUT, it's done now, and I couldn't be happier with the end result.

A big thank you to:

East Bay BMW for their support and assistance. (Absolutely, hands down the BEST BMW service center in the entire SF Bay Area, if not the whole state of California).
BMW NA for their support and assistance. (They absolutely do care about their customers and stand by them, 100%)
European Collision Center for their incredible team - with special thanks to Dennis, Fernando and William. You guys are awesome!

And now photos!

Enjoy!

-Daniel

[Alberta]

What a beautiful color... I'm envious!

Congrats man and enjoy it in good health

[TrevorM3]

my father has a frozen CS on the way in, contemplating what to do with it as well. Never been into ceramic of PPF, but will consider it on this new car because of finish.


Did you ceramic as well?

[Egrunt]

Looks great. It was the first thing (complete PPF install) I did upon purchasing my F90 new back in August of 2018. It took the installer an entire week to complete the job. The hardest part was driving the car home straight from the dealership and not driving the car for a week until I dropped it off for the install. The paint under the film looks perfect like it did on the day I purchased it. I always recommend to those that purchase any vehicle to get the entire vehicle wrapped in PPF. They are always interested until they discover the cost to install the PPF. I went with Xpel Ultimate Plus.

[FourPtDrift]

PPF Install - Part 1

The prior post showed the finished results of the full, front to back PPF of my Frozen MBB 2021 M5C LCI, albeit with indoor lights.

What follows are some photos of the work process from start to finish. Since I'm not cross posting the photos for imbedded links, I'll just provide a quick description of the attached photos in order:

1.) complete and intensive cleaning of the ENTIRE car exterior.
2.) test of the first body panel, the right front fender. Note, the REST of the car is naked frozen paint. The fender is fully treated in SunTek matte PPF. There is NO difference in appearance whatsoever!
3.) completed hood
4.) working on the passenger side doors. Note the PPF material on the edges of the doors.
5.) completed front bumper and headlights
6.) working on roof trim and driver's side C-pillar.
7.) another view of roof trim, driver's side C-pillar and left rear fender.
8.) completed cured passenger side C-pillar. Note flush work around gas cap cavity. All door pull pockets are fully protected as well.

Continued in Part 2...

[FourPtDrift]

PPF Install - Part 2...

Continuing with the description of the work shown in the prior post...

9.) Completed front bumper, beginning the 3 part CF front splitter.
10.) More work on the CF front splitter.
11.) Complete coverage with high-gloss PPF for the CF roof panel.
12.) More detail of the CF roof panel coverage. Note the edge to edge work, under the rubber seals and below the rail attachments. The PPF vanishes entirely revealing the elements of the resin finish from the factory.
13.) Work on the CF M Performance Spoiler.
14.) Driver's side of the car is complete and ready for it's elements to be re-installed.
15.) Car is almost complete.
16.) Finishing details - wrapping each individual door pull.

The work process was incredibly detailed, complex and was done with phenomenal care. First rate work, all the way around!

If anyone had any concerns about the process - don't worry about it. Just do it. Especially if you have a Frozen paint. Absolutely.

Keep the shiny (and matte side) up!

-Daniel

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Can-am

What a beautiful color... I'm envious!

Congrats man and enjoy it in good health

Thanks! Much appreciated! I posted a pretty cool 4K video of my car a few weeks back which really shows how the Frozen paint has a unique "sheen" when sunlights moves around its surface - you can see it here:

https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1828564

Thank you again and enjoy your beautiful car in good health, too!

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

my father has a frozen CS on the way in, contemplating what to do with it as well. Never been into ceramic of PPF, but will consider it on this new car because of finish.


Did you ceramic as well?

No, no additional coatings were applied. The SunTek next generation product actually has ceramic coating-like properties and obviates the need for an additional ceramic coat. Additionally, while ceramic coats work relatively well on white, black, grey and silver cars - and even various red colors appear well - ceramic coating was strongly advised against for my Frozen MBB as it would alter the appearance/color/tone. Hence the SunTek product selection.

-Daniel

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Egrunt

Looks great. It was the first thing (complete PPF install) I did upon purchasing my F90 new back in August of 2018. It took the installer an entire week to complete the job. The hardest part was driving the car home straight from the dealership and not driving the car for a week until I dropped it off for the install. The paint under the film looks perfect like it did on the day I purchased it. I always recommend to those that purchase any vehicle to get the entire vehicle wrapped in PPF. They are always interested until they discover the cost to install the PPF. I went with Xpel Ultimate Plus.

Thank you for the compliment. And yes, you absolutely did the right thing. Xpel is clearly an excellent product and while I am not qualified to way in on the particulars between the Xpel and SunTek solutions, the counsel was very clear for my car's finish, SunTek. So, I said yes and provided my keys and credit card.

[Soofi]

The finish is absolutely amazing!
What did you pay to get the entire car done?

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Soofi

The finish is absolutely amazing!

Thank you! I think so, too!

What did you pay to get the entire car done?

Well, it was quite a pretty penny. To be certain. More than I expected, but worth it. Especially considering that whereas we originally thought the car was 1 of 4 (back when the video was posted), we now know that this build is 1 of 1, and frankly, as shown in the photos, has a build price way more than an M5cs. A lot, lot more. So, protecting this car is more than worth it.

-Daniel

[Poleposition]

1 of 1? Congrats on that. Howd you find that out? I thought the same when i got mine but came to learn there were about 8-10 others. I did eurodelivery on mine and i learned this at the welt upon pickup. Your car looks spectacular. I am biased though. All the best.

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Poleposition

1 of 1? Congrats on that. Howd you find that out? I thought the same when i got mine but came to learn there were about 8-10 others. I did eurodelivery on mine and i learned this at the welt upon pickup. Your car looks spectacular. I am biased though. All the best.

Thank you! And it would appear, we share the same bias! (right down to interior color and trim!)

Yours is one of the pre-LCI Frozen MBB F90's. But even against the total numbers, what's 8 to 10 on the planet? Extremely rare.

As of a couple of months ago, with a query conducted by a factory rep, I learned my car is/was unique. I have no reason to expect that this will remain as such, but considering the build/configuration/options/extras, it could very well remain as such. I guess we'll see after the F90 run comes to an end.

Oh, and I think I must say, your photos with the Welt delivery were VERY influential for me.

All the best regards to you,

Daniel

[Demon Barber]

Can you get the same effect applying XPEL stealth over standard marina bay blue (non-frozen and less expensive)?

[FourPtDrift]

My creation of this thread was originally prompted by a query from forum member micvite who posted a question in the Cosmetic Maintenance forum. After responding to micvite in Cosmetic Maintenance, I reposted here, and added the additional posts showing the work process here as well. micvite asked a followup in Cosmetic Maintenance and since Demon Barber asked a related question on Xpel, I thought reposting here would be helpful:

Originally Posted by micvite

I just wanted to say I fucking love you lol

LOl! Awwww... that's very kind. thank you.

it's sooo hard to find people that put their money where their mouth is...

Very true.

everyone says this or that but when asked to show anything it's just crickets so I really appreciate the info and the pics.

And you're most welcome. That's one of the main reasons for a forum such as this - but sadly there tends to be a very high signal to noise ratio.

Also I saw that video a while back didn't know it was you car haha congrats!

Thank you again - I think looking at the video I posed previously - and seeing the incredible sheen/color tone of the Frozen MBB makes it clear that the "look" of a frozen painted car can't simply be replicated by applying a "stealth," "satin," or "matte" PPF to a car painted with a high gloss finish - it simply isn't the same. Not even remotely. This is definitely the value proposition behind getting Frozen paint - but Frozen paint is NOT as easy to live with on a daily basis as a regular gloss clear coat. The SunTek solution, unlike the Xpel product, enabled me to preserve the incredible sheen and color tone of my car's Frozen finish without any compromise.

Another question I wanted to ask is how did you find if it was 1 of 1?

Asked my internal contact at BMW to run a check for me. Now mind you, at the end of a production run, this could change. But so far, my car is truly very unique.

And when you say that do you mean full build or just exterior and interior color?

All options, all packages, all customizations, etc.

I'm curious what your msrp was haha.

AS the car currently stands, including the latest addition of the PPF, retail value is just shy of $165K.

Also do you know if the bmw shop took off the carbon bits when doing the ppf or did they work around it?

Removing the CF elements is not necessary and not advisable. BUT, they require special attention and application to make coverage work "seamlessly." And as you can see from my detailed photos, these accomplished this perfectly.

Please see the detailed work photos in the main forum - the link is here:

https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1853736

I'm worried about the beta link and while I know there's a solvent for it it doesn't change my worries...

Under NO circumstances should you try and brake the beta link seal on a frozen paint surface. Anyone who even suggests that is a.) not factory trained and b.) does NOT know what they're doing. Period.

Hope this info helps...

-Daniel

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Demon Barber

Can you get the same effect applying XPEL stealth over standard marina bay blue (non-frozen and less expensive)?

A fair question, and as explained in the post above, no. Simply not possible. Not even by a long shot.

To start with you need to understand what a deep color that Marina Bay Blue looks like when covered with a frozen clear coat (which is essentially where the magic takes place). If you look at the video of my car previously posted to this forum you can see as the camera angles change and light is captures from different angles around the car, the car has a real depth and sheen to it's surface that is more than just a "matte" finish. The essential consideration in applying a protective layer with PPF to the car was NOT losing this depth/sheen/glow and EQUALLY important, was not shifting the color tone of the MBB, either. Xpel will not accomplish this and applying any form of matte PPF to a gloss clear coat car will NOT look like what you see in the photos above.

The video of my car can be seen in this thread:

https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1828564

[Asaym87]

Originally Posted by FourPtDrift

A fair question, and as explained in the post above, no. Simply not possible. Not even by a long shot.

To start with you need to understand what a deep color that Marina Bay Blue looks like when covered with a frozen clear coat (which is essentially where the magic takes place). If you look at the video of my car previously posted to this forum you can see as the camera angles change and light is captures from different angles around the car, the car has a real depth and sheen to it's surface that is more than just a "matte" finish. The essential consideration in applying a protective layer with PPF to the car was NOT losing this depth/sheen/glow and EQUALLY important, was not shifting the color tone of the MBB, either. Xpel will not accomplish this and applying any form of matte PPF to a gloss clear coat car will NOT look like what you see in the photos above.

The video of my car can be seen in this thread:

https://f90.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1828564

amazing thread and super helpful..do you think SunTek PPF is the way to go for EVERY frozen color (frozen bluestone metallic to be exact)? I have been told over and over 'Xpel with ceramic' but from what I am understanding from your above posts, that will not have the same affect. I just want to verify that what you are saying is for all frozen paints- not only frozen marina bay blue

[girdwood]

Originally Posted by FourPtDrift

My car needed shields. It's now got them.

PPF is complete! This was an extremely extensive and intensive, nearly two week process - covering the ENTIRE car with a combination of both matte and gloss SunTek PPF material. Work was done at European Collision Center - a BMW NA approved and selected facility, factory trained in working with BMW Frozen paint.

Information on this talented (and absolutely massive) shop can be found here:

https://www.europeancollision.com

I absolutely love my car's truly unique, dare I say it, exceptional Frozen Marina Bay Blue finish. It's stunning to look at in any lighting condition, day or night. BUT, and this is a BIG "BUT," if you are especially persnickety about keeping you car looking clean - and I am - than this also has to be the single most frustrating color and finish to live with on a daily basis. AND, as much as California has a strong car culture, with incredible roads, everywhere, a fair share of them are crumbling. And it's dry and dusty here. SO, any spirited drive, or even just an ordinary highway trip poses the constant threat of "attack" from dust, dirt, rocks, gravel and God only knows what else that is perpetually littering our roadways. "Frozen paint" means no buffing, not polishing, no concealing, no nothing. If you catch something flying at the car, it's going to show, and big time. And the only real remediation is a full re-paint.

SO, PPF it is.

I was very worried that the car's incredible "luster" could be/would be lost with the PPF application. Nope. Not at all. if anything, this incredible SunTek PPF material ENHANCED the look of the car's finish as some of the orange peel which is still present in a Frozen paint car, is concealed. When you open a door, say for example one of the rear doors, when you examine the point where the PPF "ends" and the "naked" frozen paint surface continues, all this is observed is the "edge" of the PPF. There is ZERO discernible difference in color, tone, sheen or shine between the PPF surface and the "bare" surface.

This is an EXCELLENT solution and frankly, should have been done to the car, pre-delivery, as delivery came with some niggles. BUT, it's done now, and I couldn't be happier with the end result.

A big thank you to:

East Bay BMW for their support and assistance. (Absolutely, hands down the BEST BMW service center in the entire SF Bay Area, if not the whole state of California).
BMW NA for their support and assistance. (They absolutely do care about their customers and stand by them, 100%)
European Collision Center for their incredible team - with special thanks to Dennis, Fernando and William. You guys are awesome!

And now photos!

Enjoy!

-Daniel

Mind telling the price? Looking to do the same to my CS.

[vanos84]

Beautiful car my friend! I love MBB. That was actually my first choice when looking for an F90. There was a used MBB in mint condition and it had been at the dealership for over a month and I had already viewed it once and decided to think on it. Then a lightbulb came on and I finally realized what a beautiful kickass car it was and decided to pull the trigger but someone bought it out from under me. I guess that's what you get for procrastinating...

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by Asaym87

amazing thread and super helpful..do you think SunTek PPF is the way to go for EVERY frozen color (frozen bluestone metallic to be exact)? I have been told over and over 'Xpel with ceramic' but from what I am understanding from your above posts, that will not have the same affect. I just want to verify that what you are saying is for all frozen paints- not only frozen marina bay blue

Hello! Thank you for the kind words - glad the post has been helpful for you and apologies for the delay in replying. This past month has been super busy for me.

I would suspect that the benefits (as explained to me) for the SunTek product would focus more on the actual COLORS - that is to say, not a white, silver, gray or black car. Frozen Bluestone would probably benefit from SunTek. I was specifically warned OFF of both Xpel and any ceramic coating as it was darken the look of my car and remove the "depth" that comes from the Frozen Marina Bay Blue. And, I can tell you, when photographing the car with the doors open, making it possible to see the naked painted metal surfaces right next to wear the PPF coverage ends, there is ZERO discernible difference between the SunTek PPF surface and the naked surface - just a boundary line, that's it.

IN short, I can tell you, the SunTek on your car will PRESERVE your car's beautiful color and sheen, it will NOT alter the car's appearance and you'll have a lot of comfort knowing that the car is well protected.

Hope this helps as well.

Regards,

Daniel

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by girdwood

Mind telling the price? Looking to do the same to my CS.

I appreciate you asking but I don't comment on specific deals I secure for myself. I would tell you that the retail value on the work is well north of $10K.

-Daniel

[FourPtDrift]

Originally Posted by vanos84

Beautiful car my friend! I love MBB. That was actually my first choice when looking for an F90. There was a used MBB in mint condition and it had been at the dealership for over a month and I had already viewed it once and decided to think on it. Then a lightbulb came on and I finally realized what a beautiful kickass car it was and decided to pull the trigger but someone bought it out from under me. I guess that's what you get for procrastinating...

Thank you for the kind words! I absolutely LOVE the color. It doesn't matter where the car is parked, the time of day or the type of lighting - the color is absolutely amazing and it ALWAYS stands out!

After having relatively "simple" colors in the past - and now that I have two Individual finishes (the Frozen Marina Bay Blue F90 and a Porsche Chalk F83), I'll stick with the unique colors - they're WORTH IT!

-Daniel