That'll buff out

[02stu]

2 hours of wet sanding and it actually did! Gotta love single stage paint

[Justen]

Remarkable.. Great work.

[bangn]

jesus lord! is there any clear left on it haha. I love polishing after sanding.. its like a magic eraser

[gart]

jesus lord! is there any clear left on it haha. I love polishing after sanding.. its like a magic eraser

Never was. SINGLE stage paint ;)

[Spiff325iS]

Sure did! Feels so good doing a detail and having HUGE results.

[doorman]

Looks great!!

I've had great results on my black e30 single stage.
Takes a lot of time/energy though.

[SSE30]

Wow, this is interesting. I had not known that some colors were shipped as single stage until now. Nice work mayne.

[Allrad]

i have a similar thing going on with one of my cars. may i ask what was used to bring the paint back?

[02stu]

i have a similar thing going on with one of my cars. may i ask what was used to bring the paint back?

I used a headlight restore kit (the kind that comes with sand paper) just don't use a drill. Otherwise follow the same instructions and then use polishing compound with a buffer instead of the headlight polishing cream they give you.

[tak7]

Looks amazing, tips and tricks…
I always liked your handle, it makes me think of Disco Stu.

[3vilE30]

Woah that looks remarkably good!
Ideally if you want to try this out your self
Grab automotive paint grade 1500 and 3000 sand paper
Make sure the surface is clean clay bar it smooth and then spray it down with isopropyl alcohol.
Hit it with 1500 by hand not aggressively but smooth and evenly make sure you use alot of soapy water and rinse the paper off.
Do this until the paint looks like a uniform matte finish
Then hit it with 3000 going a perpendicular direction until you can't see the 1500 marks which will take a good bit.
Be very careful of edges as you can burn through the paint with a couple of passes. Its also good to check the thickness of your paint before you start. Typically for newer cars you see between 5-7 mils thick I think my e30 was around 6 with factory paint
After sanding use what ever polish you have but it might not be enough to cut through the sanding marks I suggest using 3M's 1 2 and 3 stage polish. I like to use 1 on a dewalt da with a orange hexlogic pad to stay safe. Wool pads arent my thing so i stick with foam pads.
Then a orbital like a rupes with orange pads.
I usually cut with 1 then switch to swiss wax medium and final but swiss wax is a bit pricey.
This most important part is buffing and polishing.

I do not guarantee this method will work for you nor do I take responsibility if you mess up.

[02stu]

Woah that looks remarkably good!
Ideally if you want to try this out your self
Grab automotive paint grade 1500 and 3000 sand paper
Make sure the surface is clean clay bar it smooth and then spray it down with isopropyl alcohol.
Hit it with 1500 by hand not aggressively but smooth and evenly make sure you use alot of soapy water and rinse the paper off.
Do this until the paint looks like a uniform matte finish
Then hit it with 3000 going a perpendicular direction until you can't see the 1500 marks which will take a good bit.
Be very careful of edges as you can burn through the paint with a couple of passes. Its also good to check the thickness of your paint before you start. Typically for newer cars you see between 5-7 mils thick I think my e30 was around 6 with factory paint
After sanding use what ever polish you have but it might not be enough to cut through the sanding marks I suggest using 3M's 1 2 and 3 stage polish. I like to use 1 on a dewalt da with a orange hexlogic pad to stay safe. Wool pads arent my thing so i stick with foam pads.
Then a orbital like a rupes with orange pads.
I usually cut with 1 then switch to swiss wax medium and final but swiss wax is a bit pricey.
This most important part is buffing and polishing.

I do not guarantee this method will work for you nor do I take responsibility if you mess up.

Definitely a better route than a headlight restore kit. Like you said it's VERY easy to burn through paint on the edges.