BMW 525i looking ugly after please help!
 

I have a Black BMW. The paint has faded on the hood and the roof. It is quite noticeable and the car looks ugly.
Is there a solution other than getting it repainted?

Also, if I do decide to get it painted eventually, do I need to spend 5X more money and get the paint job done at BMW or can I get it done by someone that does an equally good or maybe even better job using a non BMW original paint.

Please advise.

That depended on how bad it is. It's possible that you could have it buffed but you should check with a detail shop. They should know if its possible. If its gone too far and you need it painted maybe someone here in you area can recommend a shop. If not, I would just go to a couple shops and get a few quotes. Maybe they have some examples they can show you.

Before spending all of that money on a paint job, why not purchase some rubbing compound and invest in an orbiter buffer. You can even get some polish compound and scratch remover to see if that will get the paint back to nearly new. Test a small portion of the car first like the rear bumper.

vinyl wrap...

I would find a local detailer. These guys are pros and will either correct your paint or tell you what you need to do. Depending on how bad it is, it will probably cost between $300 to $1000. Don't mess with an orbital buffer unless you know what you are doing...

I would like to add here that I certainly would not know what I'm doing unless I'm told exactly what to do :(

No one that was "told" how to buff a car ever did a good job on their first time out. It's an art that must be taught and practiced. Stay on a corner too long and you'll burn the paint right off. I worked in body shops in high school and during college and the guys that did that have skills.

As far as repainting you can pay what you want to, and the quality of the paintjob will reflect that. Spend the big bucks and they'll use the high dollar primer and wet sand after primer, paint and clear. Want cheap they'll just the sand your current paint then spray on the new color and clear.

Dude use plastidip.. The matte plastidip makes it cool looking and you can remove it afterwards if you want to.. :)