An Update On BMW Frozen Paint Care

A few months ago we did a response to BMW’s first matte paint care video for their signature “Frozen” paint jobs. If you recall, we liked the video, but they did get a few things wrong regarding matte paint care. Most importantly they made matte paint seem tough to care for and extremely fragile, which, as we have expressed countless times, is not the case at all. In their latest video, done by Drive Clean, they seem to agree that matte paint is easy to care for. (Read more about the video after the jump!)

It appears BMW liked what we had to say. As you can see, they’ve changed their stance quite a bit by agreeing that matte cars are just as easy to care for as “normal” glossy cars. They stopped bashing microfibers and they’ve stopped using chamois. Kudos to BMW for jumping on board, but again they missed the ball in one key area. They mention the use of non-filling cleaning products, avoiding polishes, using a matte paint pre-wash cleaner to remove debris instead of scrubbing, touching up scratches, and refinishing, but they skipped the most important car care concept of them all: protection.

Protecting matte paint is just as important as waxing a glossy car, if not more so. A sealant or wax shields your clear coat from environmental contaminants and fall out that overtime contributes to scratches, swirls, deterioration and eventual degradation (see picture). When you neglect to protect the paint surface you lose all UV protection, all durability, and any luster that may have once been. Because you can’t polish a matte car, it makes protecting the clear coat even more of a priority – which is why companies like Hyundai say “you have to want to care for the car.” You really do, but you should regardless of the type of paint on your car. Luckily protecting a matte car is extremely simple and in many ways easier than a glossy car; the only thing different about it is that you have to use a non-filling liquid paint sealant instead of a wax or traditional paint sealant because they fill and, by design, are formulated to shine. Other than that small factoid, there’s no real difference, no real challenge, and no real headache that the internet unknowingly says there is.

Recommended Read:Matte Paint FAQs

So yea, I like the video. A great M3, an awesome “Frozen” paint job, and aside from one major omission, excellent information. Always nice to hear support for matte paint, especially when it comes from the manufacturer of some of the greatest vehicles the road has ever known. Lets hope some of the other brands catch on. Got matte questions? Ask away and we’ll answer them on Behind the Detail.