Here's my take... from the last "finished" picture, it looks like light haze or marring from the pads, abrasives and action of the tool.
Help!! Audi A5 Sline Brilliant Black: Swirl Removal
Here's the first red flag.... it's an Audi. Audi has paint all over the spectrum of hard and soft and more specifically, polishable and un-polishable.
Have issues removing the swirls.
Menzerna Super Finish
Assuming, and I hate assuming, but assuming you're finishing out using the least aggressive Menzerna polish in your arsenal, which the accurate name is,
SF 4000 – Super Finish Polish (PO106FA)
and you're still getting these kind of results...
Then I'd say the primary problem isn't you or the polish but the paint.
Here's what I would try, I would get my hands on a non-forced dual action polisher and re-try polishing using a soft foam pad like the Lake Country 5.5" black flat pad with the same polish.
Start at highest speed setting, especially if it's the Porter Cable unit and after about 4 section passes, reduce speed just a little and reduce downward pressure.
At least that's what I would "test".
I've never seen a paint system that Menzerna polishes could not finish out perfect on. Sometimes, some paint systems just don't like to be finished out using a forced rotation dual action polisher. I talk about that in this thread, see posts #31 and #32
Christmas Detail - Ferrari P4 - Move over Rudolf
In context I was talking about soft paints. I'm not sure where the paint is on "this" Audi A5. Generally speaking Audi's are known for having very hard paints.
But I've documented that they can also have very soft paints, as in soft like butter.
Audi Soft Paint - Making Generalizations about Hardness and Softness
So give it a try... if you don't have a PC or a knock-off of the PC in your tool arsenal then get one. They're great for machine wetsanding, machine applying waxes and sometimes you just need a tool with a different operating action for some paint systems.
You can't "test" if you don't have a variety of tools to test with.
Yes I have done a very similar process on a SL500 and a 64 Impala and the results were amazing.
Vindicated.
I always tell people paint systems are different and this means they react differently.
What works on one paint system doesn't automatically mean the same, pads, tools and products are going to work on different paint system.
For those that might not understand, when I say or type "different paint systems" that's like saying different "cars". Cars, trucks and suvs have "paint systems" on them and they are all different.
Make sense? :dunno:
I have read on other forums that it is very hard to remove swirls and imperfections on the Brilliant Black Very hard thick Paint
Don't know if this is the same type of paint that was on other Audi Q5 I worked on recently but I absolutely hated the paint on the Audi Q5 and would not only not ever offer to detail one, as in remove the swirls out of the paint on one of these cars I would recommend to people that LIKE to do their own car detailing to avoid this car or be ready for a lifetime of misery. Absolutely horrible paint.
p.s.
Since you included a link to your website I checked it out and noticed you used the definition I wrote for the term Section Pass on your
Services page.
In my life I often find it hard to teach someone how to detail a car using a keyboard when it would be so much easier to show them in person. Because years ago, before the Porter Cable dual action polisher and all the knock-offs were so popular I had to find a way to wordsmith a way to describe how to move the polisher over paint to remove swirls and because the crosshatch pattern is a pattern that easy easy to use, easy to teach and effective at UMR, I wrote the definition of a single pass so I could then use this to write and explain a section pass.
I think it's this article where I either first used the terms or at least really dialed them in and also introduced the acronym UMR.
Step-by-Step How-To use the Porter Cable 7424XP
Post #8
Mike Phillips said:
Overlap your passes by 50%
After you spread the product out, now it's time to slow your Arm Speed down and begin making overlapping passes usually in a back and forth, side-to-side pattern.
The goal is UMR, that is Uniform Material Removal.
The reason for this is so that you remove an equal amount of paint over each section and in turn over the entire car. In order to do this you need a method that you can control and duplicate and for most people following a back and forth, side-to-side pattern works because it’s easy to remember, easy to do and easy to duplicate over and over again.
The definition of a pass
There are two definitions of the word pass as it relates to machine polishing with any type of machine.
Single Pass
A single pass is just that, it's when you move the polisher from one side of the section you're buffing to the other side of the section you're buffing. That's a single pass.
Section Pass
A section pass is when you move the polisher back and forth, or front to back with enough single overlapping passes to cover the entire section one time. That's a section pass.
Not that it matters but
"Everything comes from somewhere"
The above article was the first article I wrote after coming to Autogeek in 2009 from Meguiar's. I buffed out the 2008 Lexus IS 250 for this article which was so foreign to me as I don't normally buff out daily drivers like this car. It hat horrible paint too by the way.
Keep us updated as to your progress please. What you find out works on this car/paint system will help others into the future.
