[FLYIN']

I prepped the M2 today to paint the ugly hanging exhaust. A painting drop cloth (plastic backed paper), cardboard, plastic sheeting and a roll of masking tape covered everything that did not need to be painted. I put the car cover on for good measure while spraying.
30 minutes of sanding with a scotchbrite pad and 400 grit emery paper and the muffler was shining. Cleaned with alcohol and dried with a paper towel. Used a full can of high temp grill paint in multiple light coats. I used one that recommended no primer as it was self priming. Satin black.
I would consider this an essential Black Sapphire modification.

[DanG]

Nice improvement in appearance.

[TargaM2]

Nice. A mandatory mod for any M2C owner i would think.

[FLYIN']

And the final result. My sense of aesthetics is now in balance.

Second photo is with the flash so it's really a dark satin black.

[Davil]

Originally Posted by FLYIN'

And the final result. My sense of aesthetics is now in balance.

Second photo is with the flash so it's really a dark satin black.

In the first post I thought you had a LBB car and thought jeez that's a bit of overspray.

[BMWF87Melb]

Well done - I think this is a must do mod for all m2c owners

[Fly320s]

It looks much better.

Did you have to lie on your back to spray that?

[VisualEcho]

Looks fantastic.

Please do me a favor and keep your mileage and when any of it starts to flake, and how much flakes.

I'd love for you to prove to all the guys on this board wrong that say that BMW could NOT have done this effectively without a billion warranty claims because of major flaking.

If it's prepped right, and the right materials used it'll last a LONG time, and it looks like you did it proper. If and when it does start to flake it'll be due to an area where you weren't able to Scotch-Brite perfectly because of access.

[xxyion]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Looks fantastic.

Please do me a favor and keep your mileage and when any of it starts to flake, and how much flakes.

I'd love for you to prove to all the guys on this board wrong that say that BMW could NOT have done this effectively without a billion warranty claims because of major flaking.

If it's prepped right, and the right materials used it'll last a LONG time, and it looks like you did it proper. If and when it does start to flake it'll be due to an area where you weren't able to Scotch-Brite perfectly because of access.

I'll actually keep track of mine too. I did mine back in March, but i did nowhere near the amount of prepwork that OP did. All i did was mask off with a few garbage bags and had at it. So far it looks good with no flaking but i'm curious to see if there will be any differences between our experiences

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by xxyion

I'll actually keep track of mine too. I did mine back in March, but i did nowhere near the amount of prepwork that OP did. All i did was mask off with a few garbage bags and had at it. So far it looks good with no flaking but i'm curious to see if there will be any differences between our experiences

Paint always needs something to hold on to, and especially so when you're exposing it to temperature changes. So if you paint just about anything you must prep it first, and by prep I don't mean just clean, I mean provide something for the paint to grab.

In this case, it was scratches provided a Scotch-Brite pad, which is fantastic for this sort of thing. So basically his paint has something to hold onto whereas yours doesn't.

I expect his paint to last at least 5 times as long as yours does for this simple fact.

And don't listen to anyone that tells you the paint bites without prep, it doesn't, they are confusing it with clear, which bites, and needs no prep. This is why you don't sand a freshly painted car before clearing. But why you always sand a primered car before painting.

[MMMBRAP]

Not gonna lie, mine is still bone stock.

I actually got used to it, lol.

Eventually I'll just swap out for a different exhaust, so it doesn't really bother me.

[xxyion]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Paint always needs something to hold on to, and especially so when you're exposing it to temperature changes. So if you paint just about anything you must prep it first, and by prep I don't mean just clean, I mean provide something for the paint to grab.

In this case, it was scratches provided a Scotch-Brite pad, which is fantastic for this sort of thing. So basically his paint has something to hold onto whereas yours doesn't.

I expect his paint to last at least 5 times as long as yours does for this simple fact.

And don't listen to anyone that tells you the paint bites without prep, it doesn't, they are confusing it with clear, which bites, and needs no prep. This is why you don't sand a freshly painted car before clearing. But why you always sand a primered car before painting.

Oh i'm well aware of all of that. For me it was a simple solution until i get an aftermarket exhaust. i dont need it to last me forever

[xxyion]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Paint always needs something to hold on to, and especially so when you're exposing it to temperature changes. So if you paint just about anything you must prep it first, and by prep I don't mean just clean, I mean provide something for the paint to grab.

In this case, it was scratches provided a Scotch-Brite pad, which is fantastic for this sort of thing. So basically his paint has something to hold onto whereas yours doesn't.

I expect his paint to last at least 5 times as long as yours does for this simple fact.

And don't listen to anyone that tells you the paint bites without prep, it doesn't, they are confusing it with clear, which bites, and needs no prep. This is why you don't sand a freshly painted car before clearing. But why you always sand a primered car before painting.

Oh i'm well aware of all of that. For me it was a simple solution until i get an aftermarket exhaust. i dont need it to last me forever

[VisualEcho]

Originally Posted by xxyion

Oh i'm well aware of all of that. For me it was a simple solution until i get an aftermarket exhaust. i dont need it to last me forever

Sorry, that came off wrong, wasn't preaching! Sometimes you can get away with a spray for quite a while, and if you're not keeping the car, no need for the extra work.

[FLYIN']

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Looks fantastic.

Please do me a favor and keep your mileage and when any of it starts to flake, and how much flakes.

I'd love for you to prove to all the guys on this board wrong that say that BMW could NOT have done this effectively without a billion warranty claims because of major flaking.

If it's prepped right, and the right materials used it'll last a LONG time, and it looks like you did it proper. If and when it does start to flake it'll be due to an area where you weren't able to Scotch-Brite perfectly because of access.

The car has only 500 miles o. It. I wanted to put a few miles on before doing the paint so any residual oils from the stamping process were burned off but not too many miles that I needed a lot of prep or there was any corrosion on the welds or muffler. They say painting is 80% prep but this was 95% prep in this case. Masking everything took about an hour. I then sanded with a heavy scotchbrite pad (the one with a handle attached) to get a good scratch on the metal. Then I moved to a finer pad which did most of the work. I was originally going to put the car up on my wheel ramps but I found that lying on my back a little closer to the muffler was easier. I ended up only using my rolling jack to lift one side of the car and one wheel about 6" off the garage floor would allow me to work the pad easiest. It took about 45 minutes with the pad before I was satisfied that the scuff was evenly distributed. I could only get from the seam and below so if it flakes anywhere it might be above the seam looking straight at the exhaust pipes. I was at least able to clean that well with the alcohol before spraying. I did two separate cleanings with the alcohol and then drying with paper towels. Let that sit 10 minutes to evaporate ( and get a beer) and then a final wipe with paper towels before spraying.

The grill paint I selected is one that recommends not to be primed. It can withstand 1200 degrees but does not need to be heat cured. Some automotive high temperature paints need a primer and need to be baked or heated to cure.
It will have a couple of days to fully set up before I drive the car so hopefully it will last a while before it flakes. Even then it would be the same process again to touch it up I'm hoping I don't need to for a while.

[MyBimmer328]

I'm really not that handy and more likely to cause my M2 to look worse than better. So I had my trusted local mechanic do it for me. So happy my sack isn't exposed anymore...

[FLYIN']

Originally Posted by Fly320s

It looks much better.

Did you have to lie on your back to spray that?

Oh yeah. I think it was actually easier to spend the time sanding it by lying down. Ideally spraying it would have been easier if it was on a lift but that did not take long. Maybe 15-20 minutes with about 4 light coats of paint.

[jdubm2c]

Originally Posted by FLYIN'

The car has only 500 miles o. It. I wanted to put a few miles on before doing the paint so any residual oils from the stamping process were burned off but not too many miles that I needed a lot of prep or there was any corrosion on the welds or muffler. They say painting is 80% prep but this was 95% prep in this case. Masking everything took about an hour. I then sanded with a heavy scotchbrite pad (the one with a handle attached) to get a good scratch on the metal. Then I moved to a finer pad which did most of the work. I was originally going to put the car up on my wheel ramps but I found that lying on my back a little closer to the muffler was easier. I ended up only using my rolling jack to lift one side of the car and one wheel about 6" off the garage floor would allow me to work the pad easiest. It took about 45 minutes with the pad before I was satisfied that the scuff was evenly distributed. I could only get from the seam and below so if it flakes anywhere it might be above the seam looking straight at the exhaust pipes. I was at least able to clean that well with the alcohol before spraying. I did two separate cleanings with the alcohol and then drying with paper towels. Let that sit 10 minutes to evaporate ( and get a beer) and then a final wipe with paper towels before spraying.

The grill paint I selected is one that recommends not to be primed. It can withstand 1200 degrees but does not need to be heat cured. Some automotive high temperature paints need a primer and need to be baked or heated to cure.
It will have a couple of days to fully set up before I drive the car so hopefully it will last a while before it flakes. Even then it would be the same process again to touch it up I'm hoping I don't need to for a while.

You did a great job on it, and that is evident in the pictures. Mine was pretty half-assed, but it camouflaged it well enough. When my local exhaust guy was done installing the AA midpipe, I noticed a can of black VHT spray paint on his work bench. I told him how ugly the shiny muffler was hanging down beneath the car, so he grabbed the spray can and went at it while I held some cardboard in place to avoid overspray. As others have said here, it probably won't last nearly as long as yours, but I am planning on an exhaust upgrade at some point. It is amazing how it really becomes unnoticeable after it's done.

[andrettifan]

Originally Posted by VisualEcho

Looks fantastic.

Please do me a favor and keep your mileage and when any of it starts to flake, and how much flakes.

I'd love for you to prove to all the guys on this board wrong that say that BMW could NOT have done this effectively without a billion warranty claims because of major flaking.

If it's prepped right, and the right materials used it'll last a LONG time, and it looks like you did it proper. If and when it does start to flake it'll be due to an area where you weren't able to Scotch-Brite perfectly because of access.

My 2020 HS M2C is now 15 months old and has 8500 miles, some during last winter here in Connecticut. The first thing I did when I got it home 15 months ago was to jack up the back end in my garage, prep the exhaust in a modest way (cleaned with solvent and lightly sanded) and paint it with heat resistant satin black paint. I've had no flaking whatsoever. Someone posted above that this is the first and most essential thing for M2C owners to do. I totally agree. Simple to do and immediate dramatic visual impact.

[Fly320s]

For those of you who have painted the muffler, are you concerned at all about the extra heat emittted? Any worry of damaging or melting nearby plastic or rubber pieces?

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by Fly320s

For those of you who have painted the muffler, are you concerned at all about the extra heat emittted? Any worry of damaging or melting nearby plastic or rubber pieces?

I would mostly be worried about the dealer giving me shit, for something remotely related to the exhaust..

Like for instance; the bracket for one my headlights was broken, so I mixed some Epoxy and fixed it back myself..

Fast Forward a year later, the headlight inner pivot adjustment went bad, so they had to replace the headlights but when they discovered I had glued back the tabs, they called me back and started bitching, saying BMW wouldn't pay to cover it, labor hours already accumulated - blah, blah, blah..

They basically didn't want replace the headlight, under the warranty, on the off chance that BMW might charge-back the payment, if they later discover my "modifications" i.e. some adhesive - to the original headlight tabs..

It was bunch of back and forth but I finally got them to cover it.

So Caveat emptor - concealing the nut sack with paint might get you into warranty problems down the line..

[jdubm2c]

Originally Posted by Fly320s

For those of you who have painted the muffler, are you concerned at all about the extra heat emittted? Any worry of damaging or melting nearby plastic or rubber pieces?

There should not be any extra heat emitted. It's just like painting an old grill. It's not any hotter or colder, it is just painted.