BMW E46 (and any other home paint project)
Paint and Install e46 ACS Roof & Trunk Spoiler
By: Schnitzer323
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Ok guys here is my first attempt at a DIY, I'll try not to disappoint. But don't expect Steffen-like quality and humor. I'll be lucky if I can keep you guys following my train of thought... so here goes. Oh ya, this will NOT give you a perfect factory match paint job... regardless of how much time and care you put into it. Don't expect that. But this will give you a solid 5-10 foot good looking paint job. I was able to live with that while building up the flo to get it painted by a body shop.
You will need (in no particular order),
1. Wet/Dry Sandpaper - I used 400 grit for first pass and 1000 for the second, make sure it says wet or dry.
2. 3m Trim Double Sided Trim Tape - I used one 15ft roll for both spoilers
3. Bondo brand Glazing and Spot Putty - 1 small tube should suffice
4. Spray Can Gun Sprayer - Not technical term, but it's a gun that fits the top of spray paint. Helps to get a much smoother stroke and eliminates finger fatigue
5. Tack Cloth - used after sanding to clean piece
6. 4-6 Cans of Dupli-Color Auto Spray Paint - I used 4, depends how many coats of paint you want
7. 2-4 Cans of Dupli-Color Auto Clear Coat - I used 3, again depends on how many coats you want
8. 2-3 Cans of Dupli-Color Auto Primer - Offered in different colors, use a color appropriate for your application
9. Time - Have about 10 hours to kill for 2 spoilers (lots of it is spent waiting for paint to dry)
10. Patience - More sanding = smoother surface = better paint job
$70 for roof spoiler, $160 for 3pc trunk spoiler, and about $40 for materials.
Total cost of project - $270
Ok let's get this thing started. Here is what I began with: AC Schnitzer "Style" roof spoiler ($70 shipped on ebay). Sexy huh?
First you dry-sand it with the 400 grit and follow up with dry sanding with the 1000 grit sand paper. That should leave you with a very smooth finish that looks something like what I have below.
Go ahead and put on a couple of coats of primer now. Nice smooth, even strokes work best. This is when the spray can gun helps a ton. Leave 5-10 minutes between coats. Wait about 20-30 minutes for the primer to dry.
Now you can take your Bondo filling putty and fill in any imperfections/indentations that you won't want to be seen after the paint. Don't be fooled, primer will NOT cover all of these imperfections. The tube says to use a plastic application tool... didn't have that so the back of a piece of 60 grit sand paper worked fine for me. You could use just about anything that will bend a little... kind of like troweling sheet rock mud.
