Topic: White paint has yellowed

[Slow_lane]

Our 2011 BMW 328XI was accidented in early 2013. The front fender was replaced. The leading edge of front passenger door and rear passenger door were repainted. The car is Arctic white. The repair looked good for years (perfect match) but over past couple seasons I started noticing a variance between panels. By last fall it was quite noticeable and it drives me nuts as the car in otherwise mint condition.

What seem to have happened is the panels painted in 2013 are still arctic white but the original panels have become creamy or yellowed. They would look perfectly fine and the yellowing would be unnoticeable if they were not butting up to the painted panels. I find it funny that the panels painted in 2013 are not yellowing.

I am wondering if in the spring I used a rubbing compound on the yellowed panels if there is a chance I could bring them back to Artic White and matched the repaired panels.

I have Meguair's Ultimate Compound on hand. I also have Mother's clay bar kit.

Just FYI: I hand wax my car twice a year but have not clay bar it in years  (if ever).

Thanks in advance

[dkaz]

The two years is probably enough of a difference. The 2013 panels are probably yellowing but it's at an early stage compared to the 2011 paint, which was actually probably painted in 2010.

[Slow_lane]

So does anyone know of a way to remove yellowing and help restore the Arctic White back to it its previous white-ness??

I would love to balance out the color between the panels.

I attached a picture. The variance is hard to capture in pictures but you can see the yellowing on back half front door and how it compares to back door. It does not show but the same variance exists between back door and rear quarter panel. Much more evident in real life.

Thanks

[dkaz]

If it's oxidization of the paint, you will have to repaint it. If it's oxidization of the clear coat, you may be able to polish that off.

[aquadorhj]

If it's oxidization of the paint, you will have to repaint it. If it's oxidization of the clear coat, you may be able to polish that off.

agreed.

i polished off the oxidation of clear coat on my merc. used orbital polisher and cutting compound.  if you do it by hand, it will take a while.

my white merc looked pretty yellowish for a while before i polished it off.

but if it's in fact yellowing paint, then probably nothing you can do short of repainitng the whole thing.

[Shorlaw]

If it were me, I’d be going to a detailer first to get their opinion and estimate before attempting anything on my own.

[JohnnyMac]

Can't really offer a solution but made me think of our old Santa Fe which was a pearl white.  Early on I noticed the back bumper seemed to be a different color.  Thought I was going crazy until I mentioned it to the service guy at Hyundai and he told me that all of the back bumper on white Santa Fe's are a different color, they didn't do the pearl finish on it.  I always thought that was rather cheap of them but you really had to look to notice the difference.

[KD]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven.   

[Ex-airbalancer]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

[KD]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

[Ex-airbalancer]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

Are you on some kind of bad drugs 

[Fobroader]

If it were me, I’d be going to a detailer first to get their opinion and estimate before attempting anything on my own.

This, don't make it worse yourself. Time for the nuclear option

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[Slow_lane]

If it were me, I’d be going to a detailer first to get their opinion and estimate before attempting anything on my own.

This, don't make it worse yourself. Time for the nuclear option

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

You lost me... What is the nuclear option? Torch it, Drive it into a wall, sell it.....

[Fobroader]

If it were me, I’d be going to a detailer first to get their opinion and estimate before attempting anything on my own.

This, don't make it worse yourself. Time for the nuclear option

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

You lost me... What is the nuclear option? Torch it, Drive it into a wall, sell it.....

Well, thats another option, " sorry allstate, it just fell off the bridge" lol. Nuclear option for me is the most expensive option that involves actual professionals instead of me watching YouTube videos.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Slow_lane]

If it were me, I’d be going to a detailer first to get their opinion and estimate before attempting anything on my own.

This, don't make it worse yourself. Time for the nuclear option

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

You lost me... What is the nuclear option? Torch it, Drive it into a wall, sell it.....

Well, thats another option, " sorry allstate, it just fell off the bridge" lol. Nuclear option for me is the most expensive option that involves actual professionals instead of me watching YouTube videos.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Thanks I get it now.   It might be nuclear for me (For a change) in this case. Let a pro attack the paint problem. Now I have to find a good detail place here in Montreal that I can trust with this project. I have a friend who had excellent detailing and paint care done on his car. I will ask him for details.

[tpl]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

No black for me.   I don't like white vehicles but white does lessen the load on the A/C in summer.

[Slow_lane]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

No black for me.   I don't like white vehicles but white does lessen the load on the A/C in summer.

I have both a Black and a White car. The Black one is so hard to keep clean and shows any paint imperfection. My biggest beef with White one is when waxing it is hard to see where you have worked and at the end of the job it does not give you that feeling a of a deep shine in the paint like a darker color.It is just not a vary satisfying color to wax.  That said I think the BMW 328 looks good in white. But for next car I would like to change it up a bit. Get away from white, black or some shade of grey that is everywhere.

Sadly we generally do not get the color choices that the USA gets. Most times I am disappointed with color options.

[John]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

Agreed.  I had the misfortune of owning a white car.  Every scratch, every speck of rust showed up in a really obvious way.  I said, not white, not ever again!

[KD]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

Agreed.  I had the misfortune of owning a white car.  Every scratch, every speck of rust showed up in a really obvious way.  I said, not white, not ever again!

The specks of iron in the spring is the worst.   

[Slow_lane]

I'll never buy another white car, at least not one that will be winter driven. 

White is easy compared to any dark coloured car
The salt blends in 

I'll take a black vehicle again any day over a white one.

Agreed.  I had the misfortune of owning a white car.  Every scratch, every speck of rust showed up in a really obvious way.  I said, not white, not ever again!

The specks of iron in the spring is the worst.   

Yeah rust specks in spring are a pain. I have use this Autoglym Magma with good success. I wait for sale and stock up. It turns all contaminants purple (which is a bit of a gimmick) but it seems to work for me. Wash car, spray it on, wait a few minutes and wash off.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/autoglym-magma-0396166p.html#srp