Audi A4 Complete Detail and Wheel Repair by Unique Car Care

RickRack · 07-07-09, 09:50

This 2005 Audi A4 was scheduled for a complete detail because the owner was listing the car for sale and wanted it in tip-top shape. Besides being dirty, the owner was concerned about 2 of the wheels, which had some curb damage. I told the owner that I would take care of any issues while the car was at the shop and arrange to have the wheels refinished by my rim repair technician.

My goal was to do all of the prep work the first day and have the car ready for the wheel repair the following day.

As you can see, the car had a good amount of dirt and grime which had accumulated on the finish as well as a heavy amount of brake dust covering the wheels.

All of the jambs were pretty filthy and needed a good cleaning…

The engine compartment was no exception…

RickRack · 07-07-09, 09:52

DAY1

The first step was to get the wheels as clean as possible. Here are the results after they have been cleaned with Sterling wheel cleaner using a variety of different brushes…

I made sure the wheels were perfectly clean before the wheel repair was performed the following day. The damage was minor, but really took away from the integrity of the car & could possibly scare off a potential buyer.

The exterior received an extensive hand wash, followed by a claybar treatment to remove any bonded contaminants, such as bugs, tar, tree sap, etc. from the paint and exterior glass.

All door, hood & trunk jambs were presoaked with Kleens degreaser, then agitated with a parts brush to clean all of the shmegma (made up word) that had collected in these areas. The engine compartment was degreased and scrubbed with a variety of brushes as well.

Engine compartment after…

All moldings and trim were masked off before any polishing took place…

After all the prep work was complete, I detailed the interior and called it quits for the day…

RickRack · 07-07-09, 09:53

DAY 2

My wheel repair technician arrived early in the morning to repair/refinish the 2 damaged wheels.

Sanding…

All masked off…

Much better!!

While the paint was drying, I polished the exterior with Menzerna SIP followed by Menzerna 106fa. I gave the car a Zaino Z6 wipedown and applied 2 coats of Z2 Pro by hand. All exterior glass was treated with Opti-Seal and the exhaust tips were polished with Wicked Metal polish.

After the paint dried, I decided to take the wheel repair a bit further to see if I could wetsand and polish them to a high gloss to match the factory finish as close as possible.

Wetsanding with 1500 grit sandpaper…

After wetsanding…

After both wheels were wetsanded and all orange peel was removed, I polished the wheels by hand using Meguiar’s 105, followed by Menzerna Final Polish. The wheels came out absolutely perfect, without any trace of a previous repair.

No more curb damage!…

RickRack · 07-07-09, 09:54

Final results…

Interior after…

dmw2692004 · 07-07-09, 09:58

wow, that looks great!

RickRack · 07-07-09, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmw2692004

wow, that looks great!

Thank you!

kaotikdt · 07-07-09, 10:06

WOW, that is a new car!!!! Awesome job!

snowskate · 07-07-09, 10:09

Shocking turn around on the wheels! I wonder how long it takes to hand polish the wheels with 105?
that car should sell in no time! Awesome rick.

tom p. · 07-07-09, 10:25

Looks amazing, as always, Rick! ...except for the aluminum intake manifold...I have the same issue on my cars and haven't found a solution for it.

Is the wheel guy using a spray can? Clear coat applied? Is that a fairly durable repair? Color match good?

Thx.

chollas · 07-07-09, 11:07

What paint was used for the factory match? I need to do the same repair on a VW.

ctrent86 · 07-07-09, 11:26

I have had good results with aluminum intercooler's and intake manifolds using duragloss's alum. polish.

AuAltima3.5 · 07-07-09, 12:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by chollas

What paint was used for the factory match? I need to do the same repair on a VW.

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