Help with my Audi Paint

r1racer

r1racer

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What's up guys,

Okay, so here's the skinny. I have an Oyster Grey Audi A6. It has a few scratches (a couple deep and filled in with a paint stick) and water spots on the roof. The paint is in good condition. However, I have recently clayed the car, polished it with meguiars ruubing and polishing compounds and also used scratch x to remove the water spots with little success (all by hand). The scratchx removed the light scratches but I wasn't all that impressed.

The paint seems pretty hard. So my questions are what polish, pads, sealant and waxes would you use. I have a budget of 250.00 to include a buffer (probably the PC 7424xp). Thanks.
 
Based on your story and budget, not to mention your intent to get a PC 7424xp, i would check out the deals on the PC w/bonus products. like the Detailer's Choice Wolfgang Porter Cable 7424XP Swirl - Free Kit 3.0. For someone who is new to the PC, like you, this is the best choice in terms of product and probably the best bang for your buck. i say that because the wolf gang product offered in this package deal is very effective, leaves brilliant results and most of all it is easy to use!
it also comes with the pads you need and leaves you with extra $ to get more pads or whatever you want to take care of the lovely A6 you got ;).

here the link to the offer im talking about: Wolfgang Porter Cable 7424 Swirl-Free Kit
If you look at the bottom of the page it even gives you directions of the best way to use the product. you cant go wrong, i wish this package was around when i first started detailing:buffing:

OH ya and:welcome: to the site
 
Thanks.

I've been looking at the kits but my question is really more targeted to the hardness and color of the paint. Wouldn't a product like M105/M205 be more suitable or maybe a Mezerna medium cutting compound along with a medium cuttind pad for the initial cut?

I am not familiar with wolfgang products.
 
Hello an WELCOME to AG..

Audi paint is in FACT HARD as a MUTHA!
I own an Audi A8L in Brilliant Black, the Wolf Gang products will be able to handle the Audi paint, I know cause thats what I use.. With that kit you get everything you need..
The only thing you might want is a topper (WAX) for after your sealant..
keeping close to the budget Collinite #845 for durability (winter is coming) or Natty's Red wax for that wet look, all within budget..

Good Luck on your soon to be addiction with AutoGeek..
 
r1racer said:
What's up guys,

Okay, so here's the skinny. I have an Oyster Grey Audi A6. It has a few scratches (a couple deep and filled in with a paint stick) and water spots on the roof. The paint is in good condition. However, I have recently clayed the car, polished it with meguiars ruubing and polishing compounds and also used scratch x to remove the water spots with little success (all by hand). The scratchx removed the light scratches but I wasn't all that impressed.

The paint seems pretty hard. So my questions are what polish, pads, sealant and waxes would you use. I have a budget of 250.00 to include a buffer (probably the PC 7424xp). Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hey there r1racer,

Welcome.

I recently corrected an early 2000's dark grey A4 for my wife's friend. The car had spent a number of years in Tucson sun collecting water spot and bird dropping etches, spiderwebbing and various scratches. The car now looks terrific after correction and a coat of WF DGPS.

I used a PCXP with:
2-3 6.5" orange CCS pads for correction (I am moving to 5.5" pads for correction in the future)
2 6.5" white CCS pads for polishing
1 4" red flat pad for applying WG DGPS sealant. I have 6.5" CCS red pads but they waste a bit more sealant but apply a little faster.

ScratchX by hand did nothing to the etching. Opt Compound with an Orange pad took out the lighter etchings. I found that Meguires Ultimate Compound (Megs 105 is similar in the mirror glaze line from what I can tell) was the only thing that took out the deep water spot etching in the Audi. Meg 105 being similar should do the same. UC finished surprisingly well, but I still needed a polish to buff out the shine. I used Optimum polish, but the Meg 205, WG Finishing Glaze or one for the Menzerna polishes with a white pad should work great. If the Audi was my car, I probably would have used a third finish polish step.

Having tried several products on the A4 with different levels of success on the water spots, I'd try the Meg105 or UC for deep correction on the Audi. It cut quickly with an orange pad at setting 5, when the paint laughed at other products. You may want to pickup the Meg105/205 combo as they reportedly work well together and seem to be moderately priced.

Other than for deep etching, I've been quite happy with the WG Twins and Optimum polish lines for our Bimmers, a 09 Mercedes, a Nissan Maxima and this Audi over the past 8 months. I really like the WG DGPS as a sealant for protection. Kiki's car still looks great after a month or two. OCW is a great spray wax and I just tried Fuzion for the first time.:xyxthumbs:

Get some 90% Isopropyl alcohol at the pharmacy and make up an 50% IPA mixture in a spray bottle. The $1 Home Depot bottles seem to hold up fine for home use. Sometimes polishes are not compatable with sealants and an IPA wipedown after polishing will let you see if the correction is complete and ready the paint for a LSP.

There is a Labor Day sale going on so you may be able to save a few bucks. Dwayne and Matt have both helped me with my projects. They're great as is Meghan! Good luck!
 
Kurt_s said:
Hey there r1racer,


2-3 6.5" orange CCS pads for correction (I am moving to 5.5" pads for correction in the future)
Click to expand...

Why the move to 5.5'' pads? Are you having vibration issues with 6.5 and speed 5/6?
 
LegacyGT said:
Why the move to 5.5'' pads? Are you having vibration issues with 6.5 and speed 5/6?
Click to expand...
The smaller pads are easier with the contours and pillars of our bimmers. The 5.5" pads should cut a little faster than the 6.5" pads too. I have 4" pads for smaller sections, but I think that I can get away with a 5.5" for most everything which means less clean up time and hopefully a little less time when correcting.
 
Kurt_s said:
The smaller pads are easier with the contours and pillars of our bimmers. The 5.5" pads should cut a little faster than the 6.5" pads too. I have 4" pads for smaller sections, but I think that I can get away with a 5.5" for most everything which means less clean up time and hopefully a little less time when correcting.
Click to expand...

Let me know how the 5.5's work out for you. The 6.5'' on my PC tear me apart no matter how well I center them if I try to run on speed 6, and I have been thinking about switching to a smaller pad.
 
Thanks for the feedback fellas. I do have a couple more questions though. The water spots/etchings on the roof don't appear deep but they just seem VERY difficult to remove. There are (slight) indentations that you can feel when you run your fingers across them.

So with this said, should I go with the Meg 105/205 combo or wolfgang products?

Also what would be the best wax to use after sealing with the wolfgang deep gloss sealant? Thanks again for all of your help.
 
r1racer said:
Thanks.

I've been looking at the kits but my question is really more targeted to the hardness and color of the paint. Wouldn't a product like M105/M205 be more suitable or maybe a Mezerna medium cutting compound along with a medium cuttind pad for the initial cut?

I am not familiar with wolfgang products.
Click to expand...

yes audi clear is very hard, but if its just moderate swirls you want to get rid of the WG kit i posted above would be great for you. if you have heavy swirls you can always get megs ultimate compound or 3M compound over the counter at your local auto parts store. so you can use the compound first, then go with the WG swirl remover to get out the swirls the compound leaves, then glaze and seal. the sealer in that WG package i posted is the best out there, i swear by it. it wont take long to get used to wolfgang products since they are so easy to work with!
 
Ultimate Compound (I am told that Meg 105 is very similar in cutting ability) and an orange pad quickly removed the water spot etching for me when other products didn't. TSR and FG are very good swirl removers and polishes, however you may need a yellow pad for the TSR to make heavy corrections. I found UC to have a bit more cut than TSR, which is not a compound, and I didn't need a yellow pad.
 
r1racer said:
Thanks for the feedback fellas. I do have a couple more questions though. The water spots/etchings on the roof don't appear deep but they just seem VERY difficult to remove. There are (slight) indentations that you can feel when you run your fingers across them.

So with this said, should I go with the Meg 105/205 combo or wolfgang products?

Also what would be the best wax to use after sealing with the wolfgang deep gloss sealant? Thanks again for all of your help.
Click to expand...


The compound should get rid of all your water spots and etching as well, so i would still go with the wolfgang products instead if the 105/205 combo. As for wax after the WG sealer, its your choice. is there any finishing wax you been wanting to try? if so go with it. keep in mind also, you dont have to apply wax over the sealant, WG sealant provides a great amount of shine and protection on its own.
 
VIP Reflections said:
yes audi clear is very hard, but if its just moderate swirls you want to get rid of the WG kit i posted above would be great for you. if you have heavy swirls you can always get megs ultimate compound or 3M compound over the counter at your local auto parts store. so you can use the compound first, then go with the WG swirl remover to get out the swirls the compound leaves, then glaze and seal. the sealer in that WG package i posted is the best out there, i swear by it. it wont take long to get used to wolfgang products since they are so easy to work with!
Click to expand...


Cool. I am just going to buy the WG kit along with the 8 oz bottles of megs 105/205 for the roof in case the WG doesn't work. The orange "light cutting pad" should work on the etchings, right?
 
r1racer said:
Cool. I am just going to buy the WG kit along with the 8 oz bottles of megs 105/205 for the roof in case the WG doesn't work. The orange "light cutting pad" should work on the etchings, right?
Click to expand...
I found an orange 6.5" CCS pad with Ulitmate Compound (US) did the trick for me. You will probably find that you will want a few orange pads and I liked a pad conditioner with the TSR. I also used a 50% IPA wipe down after the UC to make sure that I got the water spots.

Just remember that you are removing paint when you remove the etchings and swirls but may still see some deeper scratches once the swirls are removed. I think that Mike already responded to you but review his videos and suggestions about removing etchings and swirls, on the fly pad cleaning and RIDs. Keep your working area small when removing the etchings and it should go pretty quick.
 
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