Audi A6 Hard Clear!?

[randomman84]

Ok guys, its been awhile, since i posted here. I have been so busy with my schooling that i haven`t had any time to do much detailing. Anyway, I was working on my fathers 05 A6 yesterday and the paint was in horrendous shape. I would have taken pictures but i didnt have my camera around. First it had paint overspray ALL over the car. It took heavy duty clay to even make it budge. Needless to say the clay made things 100x worse. As all of you know, Audi`s have very strong clear so i was having some real trouble with the swirls. I only have a pc and some optimum compound and optimum polish. I used a yellow excel pad and the compound 2x, then a green excel pad and the polish 2x but i am still not able to get some of the swirls out. Any ideas on what to use next? I am going to buy some new pads and polish seeing as how my yellow pad somehow got torn and i almost scratched the paint with the backing plate... What can i use on this incredibly hard paint? Thanks guys!

[Accumulator]

randomman84- Correcting Audi clear with a PC is hard work and takes a long, long time. The only way I`ve ever been successful has been to use 4" pads. I`m not familiar with the OC, but I *have* corrected scratches (not just regular "swirls") on Audis without using the rotaries, so it *can* be done. Just don`t be surprised if it takes a lot of passes (and I don`t mean just six or eight). Not much point in switching to the milder product until you`ve corrected the marring (replaced it with the compound`s micromarring).



FWIW, I didn`t like the final finish I got with the OP all that well, it looked better to me after I did some final burnishing-type polishing with a finishing polish (in this case the older version of 1Z Pro MP).

[Way2SSlow]

I`ve tackled a rough VW with a PC. After that, I vow`d never to do another VW/Audi without my Makita.

[Scottwax]

Any ideas on what to use next? I am going to buy some new pads and polish seeing as how my yellow pad somehow got torn and i almost scratched the paint with the backing plate... What can i use on this incredibly hard paint? Thanks guys!



A rotary. Seriously.



/thread

[randomman84]

yeah, i`m starting to think that`s my only option... Ok so that being the case, instead of staring a new thread,

What are your best opinions on polishes and pads for the rotary and what one? Ill do some research tonight but a couple of opinions from the top of the top, aka you guys, would steer me in the right direction.

[Way2SSlow]

I have a Makita and Edge pads. You`re local, maybe we can get together and you can try my setup out. I dont think it`s the ONLY setup out there, but the E2K is really nice to have. Pad changes are a breeze, and you can just flip the pad over when one side gets too dirty.

[randomman84]

That would be AWESOME! I`ll pm ya.

[Scottwax]

yeah, i`m starting to think that`s my only option...



You will be glad you did. :buffing:

[Pennypacker]

I feel your pain. I have a 2004 VW and trying to get scratches out, even with a Cyclo or Flex, is a major PITA! I started out using the PC, but soon came to the realization that it just wasn`t going to happen. VW/audi paint is good at teaching patience! :)

[randomman84]

patience...one thing im not very full of...

[Accumulator]

randomman84- You`ll be glad you met up with Way2SSlow. After a bit of coaching from Way2SSlow you`ll probably be ready to get your own rotary, you`ll see that it`s nothing to be leery of.



Remember to tape off any clear anodized aluminum trim, that stuff won`t stand much polishing ;)

[randomman84]

thanks accumulator ill make sure to do that. Although the trim pieces are pretty much gone to s... anyway. Anyway to clean those up? I used some metal polish, no luck, plastic polish, no luck, aluminum mag polish, no luck...

[Way2SSlow]

randomman84- You`ll be glad you met up with Way2SSlow. After a bit of coaching from Way2SSlow you`ll probably be ready to get your own rotary, you`ll see that it`s nothing to be leery of.





Yeah, that guy really knows his stuff. Not only that, he`s pretty darn good looking too! :D



Atleast he isnt one of those BHB and foam gun crazies out there. :D :D Well, I do have a foam gun though. Some day I`ll road trip to Ohio so I can learn how to REALLY wash a car. :D





RM...your PM box is full.

[randomman84]

hey i fixed that u can retry that pm. i wanna try that foam gun! O wait, damn atlanta drought....

[Accumulator]

.. the trim pieces are pretty much gone to s... anyway. Anyway to clean those up? I used some metal polish, no luck, plastic polish, no luck, aluminum mag polish, no luck...



Don`t feel bad...the ones on my wife`s (properly detailed since new) A8 have started to go too, and the replacement pieces I had fitted (at considerable expense) went bad almost right away!



I just live with the cloudiness...you can do the metal polish but it`ll kill what little anodizing remains and then you have to repolish (and wax/seal) even more often. I`d just use something mildly abrasive that cleans primarily through chemical means (e.g., Klasse AIO) and then wax/seal it and try not to notice how ugly it is compared to a new car ;)



Way2SSlow- Hoo hoo, BHB and foamgun crazies.. just get me going! Yeah, you could bring the Impala so I could relive my days of abusing 9C1s. Heh heh, I haven`t reverse-180ed a b-body in a while...I`ll blow out your axel seals for ya :D