[topspd]

Originally Posted by pgreen822

Great feedback for me (and everyone else). Why wouldn't you do it again? Is it because of the care required or was it a "novelty" for you that has worn off? Thanks!

It's mostly I don't like the restrictive aspects of it. There's some road gunk on it now (noticeable to me but not from 5ft away) and I know if I want to clean it, I've got to go through a cleaning process before I can attack it with a specialized product. Only certain detailers will deal with matte paint and it's just not worth the effort to search one out to clean an objectively minor thing.

I may be a little tired of the colour as well. I'm considering Isle of Man green for the M4 as I miss the reflections and depth of a nice metallic.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by topspd

It's mostly I don't like the restrictive aspects of it. There's some road gunk on it now (noticeable to me but not from 5ft away) and I know if I want to clean it, I've got to go through a cleaning process before I can attack it with a specialized product. Only certain detailers will deal with matte paint and it's just not worth the effort to search one out to clean an objectively minor thing.

I may be a little tired of the colour as well. I'm considering Isle of Man green for the M4 as I miss the reflections and depth of a nice metallic.

That’s good information since I also usually prefer paint with a lot of depth. Seems I still need to give this some thought.

[-EndOfAnEra-]

Originally Posted by JCZ5

You can just buy square setups for the winter, instead of keeping it as staggered in the winter.

In fact, BMW themselves offer a winter tire package that does just that. Now it will still cost more than if you were replacing a square stock setup. But at least by having squared, you can have more life out of your winter tires

Agreed in principle, wasn't sure if equalizing the wheel diameter per axle might lead to other issues such as caliper clearance or speedometer/odometer misread.

Originally Posted by pgreen822

Interesting point. Why would the maintenance costs go up?

I'm referring to the increased costs of running a staggered setup in winter in regards to inability to rotate tires, higher potential for punctures due to potholes and such. Most of this is mitigated if a square setup is possible. For the rest, yes of course you have to "pay to play"

[JCZ5]

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Agreed in principle, wasn't sure if equalizing the wheel diameter per axle might lead to other issues such as caliper clearance or speedometer/odometer misread.

I'm referring to the increased costs of running a staggered setup in winter in regards to inability to rotate tires, higher potential for punctures due to potholes and such. Most of this is mitigated if a square setup is possible. For the rest, yes of course you have to "pay to play"

No issues, actually had a discussion with my dealer and they say many owners do both square and staggered for winter. Also have personal friends that do both options.

I'm just too lazy / cheap to spend on a winter wheel and my excuse of using the 788 for winter is because then I can have a business case to buy 763M as my summer setup

[nbennettksu]

That frozen dark grey posted looked hot, but frozen black for me.

[TheAMackAttack]

I've also been considering a frozen M3/M4 but have similar concerns... Can you ceramic coat frozen paint?

[LSM]

Originally Posted by JCZ5

First off, I would preface by saying you should buy what you want, as long as it makes you happy.

I will follow up and say if I were in your shoes, I would no way get a frozen paint job as a daily driver. Special attention must be paid for car washes - only hand washing. Which is not an issue, but you have to pay attention to what chemicals you put on as some may cause the paint to look polished or glossy.

Regarding rock chips or damage to paint, a simple touch up paint will not do (unless you want something sticking up like a sore thumb). It will require additional prep that involves potentially sanding and respraying. And even if you did a respray on certain parts, it may still be noticeable due to how your other panels have worn over the months.

Sure, you can put an Xpel wrap on it, but in Chicago winter driving, you will have damage to the film. Remember, Xpel is not an invincibility cloak. It helps mitigate certain dings, but once punctured, it allows other projectiles and grim to build up in those areas.

In summary, if you want it pristine and have the frozen look hold up, daily driving for 12-14K miles is not going to do that without some sort of worry.

^^^^^^ this very well said

Expel stealth will give you same look without the hassle.

On multiple other threads owners of "frozen" paints discuss the inability to fix chips/scratches etc without a very Hefty price tag

[chicagoguy0822]

Originally Posted by LSM

^^^^^^ this very well said

Expel stealth will give you same look without the hassle.

On multiple other threads owners of "frozen" paints discuss the inability to fix chips/scratches etc without a very Hefty price tag

Agreed. I think the stealth will give the black sapphire metallic paint a great looking satin matte finish. I got a quote for about $8k though. I just can’t justify it.

[BMWCAT]

I have frozen paint atm. I’m not really worried about the longevity of it. More so the environment and myself when it comes to care and chips lol.
Only took me a car wash at reputable detailing shop to convince me to get it wrapped... All the careless passerby in the parking lot who might have lightly ‘touched’ their purses, buckles, zippers when getting into their car.. or micro scratches ...etc
left some marks that, sure it’s not deep. But no, you can’t fix or buff it.

But in terms of direct comparison between gloss paint and matte wrap vs actual frozen finish is the depth of the paint. It’s there you’ll notice it, but whether it’s worth spending that extra money to achieve that look that’s up to you.

[DS_BMW]

It seems most people's complaints are due to getting paint, scratch repair done.

As long as you use the correct wash methods with matt shampoos ect, it should not be treated much different than regular paint.

[DS_BMW]

Is there a list anywhere of all frozen colors BMW offers?

[BMWCAT]

Originally Posted by DS_BMW

It seems most people's complaints are due to getting paint, scratch repair done.

As long as you use the correct wash methods with matt shampoos ect, it should not be treated much different than regular paint.

In theory thats true. But unfortunately the people and perhaps sometimes some passengers might not remember that.. All it take are some purses, keychains, cloth zippers to make you go ugh...
Unless one can overlook all those imperfections through out the ownership.

[bmbob]

Originally Posted by topspd

It's mostly I don't like the restrictive aspects of it. There's some road gunk on it now (noticeable to me but not from 5ft away) and I know if I want to clean it, I've got to go through a cleaning process before I can attack it with a specialized product. Only certain detailers will deal with matte paint and it's just not worth the effort to search one out to clean an objectively minor thing.

I may be a little tired of the colour as well. I'm considering Isle of Man green for the M4 as I miss the reflections and depth of a nice metallic.

Would you think differently if you had a full wrap the entire 4 years? I'm in Calgary and completely torn reading all the info. Seems the general consensus for daily drivers is just to wrap it and eliminate the worry and stress. If that's the case, I don't see what the point in paying for a frozen paint is, just to appease me in knowing it's a 'real frozen'.
Being 'a little tired' of the colour after 4 years I think is pretty good!

[ep99]

I am ordering M4 competition with Frozen Dark Grey.

Sale person is try to sell me a paint protection package.
Do I really need it?
If not, what about a clear bra for the hood?

The only thing I know is No regular car wash.
Touchless car wash is okay but no wax needed.

any input is appreciated.

[Jcali86]

Originally Posted by ep99

I am ordering M4 competition with Frozen Dark Grey.

Sale person is try to sell me a paint protection package.
Do I really need it?
If not, what about a clear bra for the hood?

The only thing I know is No regular car wash.
Touchless car wash is okay but no wax needed.

any input is appreciated.

Did you decide what to do in the end? I'm 100% ordering a frozen dark grey M3, but also not sure what to do. The price of a wrap won't be far off the price of a respray if I have to do that so I'm not too worried about maintenance etc.

[pcai]

Originally Posted by Jcali86

Did you decide what to do in the end? I'm 100% ordering a frozen dark grey M3, but also not sure what to do. The price of a wrap won't be far off the price of a respray if I have to do that so I'm not too worried about maintenance etc.

Respraying a section of your car in a matte paint is a big pain to get it to match the rest of the car's paint correctly. That would not be something you want to do at all.

My rule of thumb is if you get frozen paint and you bought the car, you should get full car PPF. If you leased it, forget about any paint protection.

[pcai]

Originally Posted by ep99

I am ordering M4 competition with Frozen Dark Grey.

Sale person is try to sell me a paint protection package.
Do I really need it?
If not, what about a clear bra for the hood?

The only thing I know is No regular car wash.
Touchless car wash is okay but no wax needed.

any input is appreciated.

If you lease, don't get any paint protection. If you bought the car and you intend on keeping it for a while, get full car PPF.

[ep99]

Originally Posted by Jcali86

Did you decide what to do in the end? I'm 100% ordering a frozen dark grey M3, but also not sure what to do. The price of a wrap won't be far off the price of a respray if I have to do that so I'm not too worried about maintenance etc.

It's still quite a ways before I will get delivery from BMW.
But I think I will pass on doing anything to the factory paint.

As this will be a lease. Like pcai said, I wouldn't be too concern about paint protection on it. And it will be a good experiment for me on any future frozen paint decision.

I did talk to one of the Service Manager that I knew well. He also said that it will be a pain if you get any scratch on the frozen paint. Don't matter how small it is...again as pcai said, you basically had to repaint the whole panel and try to match the rest of the car. No touch up.

[FISH22]

Recently picked up a Frozen White G80. In the past, I never had any intentions of owning a Frozen car, just didn't have any interest in them. I stumbled upon this car at a nearby dealer and fell in love with the finish. Frozen colors always seem muted in pictures, but in person, it's such a unique and beautiful finish. There is so much depth to it, which sounds weird to say for a matte finish. Very happy I went for it, as it seems like a new chapter in car ownership, detailing, and just the overall experience.

I'm extremely OCD when it comes to washing/detailing our own vehicles. So I wasn't too concerned with being able to properly care for it - it was just a matter of picking up the proper products (Dr Beasleys, great stuff by the way). I did have my first scare with it a few days ago... As I'm pulling onto our property, one of our larger dogs (115 lbs, pretty much a small horse), sprints towards the car excited to see me. She jumped at the driver side window to greet me. The sound of her nails on the window and paint made my heart sink! Needless to say, not a single scratch or any type of marring on the Frozen finish. Was beyond happy to see this... not just because there was no damage, but also it seems the Frozen finish is quite tough with standing up to light abrasions. I know this may not be the case for rock chips or door dings though.

My 2 cents to anyone thinking about Frozen.. just do it. Changes the entire dynamic of the car and ownership. And it's not as fragile as you might think. Just be sure to use the proper wash and ceramic products (PH balanced).

[rogurat]

So I just got my FDG M4, beautiful. I picked up everything required to take care of them from BMW's store, the shampoo, nano-wax and all.

I usually have a guy who details, so this is for him to use when he does the car. HOWEVER: The entire car is PPF'd FULL with XPEL Stealth, in the reality of the situation; is this special shampoo and stuff even required now? Or is it used very carefully along edges of the wrap like the lips of the hood where wraps end. & Do I get the wrap ceramic'd? Just a general question I've wondered. Definitely getting the wheels and brake calipers done.

[FISH22]

Originally Posted by rogurat

So I just got my FDG M4, beautiful. I picked up everything required to take care of them from BMW's store, the shampoo, nano-wax and all.

I usually have a guy who details, so this is for him to use when he does the car. HOWEVER: The entire car is PPF'd FULL with XPEL Stealth, in the reality of the situation; is this special shampoo and stuff even required now? Or is it used very carefully along edges of the wrap like the lips of the hood where wraps end. & Do I get the wrap ceramic'd? Just a general question I've wondered. Definitely getting the wheels and brake calipers done.

Go check out Dr Beasleys. Their site has a dedicated matte section, which also includes a protective topcoat made for wraps and stealth PPF. The main objective with anything matte or satin, be it wrap or paint, is obviously keeping gloss additives out, and verifying its Ph balanced. Out of every detailing manufacturer out there, Dr Beasleys seems to be the leader for everything matte.

[G07G12]

Originally Posted by FISH22

Go check out Dr Beasleys. Their site has a dedicated matte section, which also includes a protective topcoat made for wraps and stealth PPF. The main objective with anything matte or satin, be it wrap or paint, is obviously keeping gloss additives out, and verifying its Ph balanced. Out of every detailing manufacturer out there, Dr Beasleys seems to be the leader for everything matte.

I agree. I had been using BMW products. But now recently I started using Dr. Beasleys. I have to say Dr. Beasleys is equally good if not better. When I first got frozen gray, I sprayed the BMW matte cleaner directly on the paint. It left a couple of lines on the paint visible at certain angles. The point I want to make is that anything you want to put on the frozen paint, spray it onto the microfiber first and not directly on the paint!!