Funky Audi Paint!!!

[Krautfed 03]

OK, here`s my issue...I have a 2003 A4, Dolphin Gray. I have tried several waxes and sealants ranging from Mother`s, Meguire`s, Griot`s, 3M, and now the Klasse AIO & SG system. The Klasse by far has given me the best shine overall, however, when I wash and chamois, quick detail, or wipe off a smudge with the chamois, my finish smears. This is actually severe smearing!! I use a PC and have absotutely zero swirls on the car. I get the finish to look perfect, then when I wash and dry, or QD, it looks like crap!! Any suggestions??



P.S. The only way to remove the smears is to QD or re-wax with my PC. Obviously, this is not practical.

[MongooseGA]

What kind of shampoo/QD/towel do you use?

[Accumulator]

Krautfed 03- Welcome to Autopia!



If it`s a natural chamois, perhaps it`s leaving oil on the finish. Try drying with a WWMF instead. Once the LSP has fully cured, there shouldn`t be any smearing from *it*, must be something else that`s getting on the finish or else not coming off when you wash. It`s not the Audi paint, as I have a fair amount of experience with it and I`ve never had this problem.

[Krautfed 03]

I use Meguire`s Gold Class Wash, rinse with softened water, and use a Water Sprite Chamois (Synthetic). This also happens when I try to quick detail with any cloth, microfiber or cotton. I can detail the car with wax and as soon as I wipe on the paint, it smears!! Funny thing is, I use the same procedure on my other car and past vehicles, and have had absolutely zero smears. :nixweiss

[jimmybuffit]

Interesting. Today I did an 03 Audi A8 (a wonderful metallic gray - was it Dolphin Gray? I dunno.)



No problems, but the Klasse Twins had not cured...



It is not the paint, I`m confident of that. Have you clayed recently?



BTW, this A8 has as much panache as Paul Newman!

Very sweet. Maybe the nicest luxury car I`ve done.



Jim

[Bill D]

Welcome!



Im a fellow 03 A4 owner here-Brillant Black. I have none of those issues and I have A LOT of Klasse and Souveran on my car so I`d say do what the others suggest

[BookemDano]

I have an `02 Dolphin Gray A4 . It`s not the paint.



The last time I did a heavy detail, I washed with Dawn, clayed, polished with Menzerna IP and FPII, then a Z7 wash and finally two layers of Z5 and one layer Z2 (Pro) as a sealant.



I wash weekly with Z7, dry with a Toro blower and a WW MF towel, and wipedown using Z6 QD afterwards. Every day that it`s dry, I dust with a CCD. If I find a bird bomb on the paint, I use water and an MF detailing towel to gently sponge off the birdie poo. (Although I`m anal about it, the birdie doo-doo doesn`t seem to affect the Zaino sealant.)



It`s been three months since application. Regardless of what I do, NOTHING smears. I can wash, dry, QD, and wipe up bird doo. No impact on the finish! No smearing whatsoever!



My guess is that you have something still on the paint or there is some interaction. My suggestion:



1) Remove EVERYTHING from the paint. Try Dawn. I understand that AIO is good for this purpose too. You might try Menzerna FPII also (just a quick polish to remove old stuff).



2) Apply AIO and then see if it smears.



3) Then layer on each product and test for smearing.



As another alternative, clean with AIO (or the other alternatives), then apply different combinations of products to different sections of the car to see where the smearing occurs.



One other point...



Did apply a sealant over the wax? I don`t think that will work well.



I hope this helps.



Regards,



Dan.

[SilverLexus]

[rant on]



Chamois suck! Get the to a waffle weave dealer asap.



I have had smearing in the past with Chamois. Chamois is one of those products with great brand awareness but low quality like Bose speakers.



[/rant off]



Chamois will remove wax so that may be playing a role here. Klasse twins is very likely not a factor here.

[Krautfed 03]

Bookem, everything smears. Maybe I haven`t let the wax or sealant cure long enough? I try to wait about 24 hours. I just applied layer 3 of the Klasse SG. I`ll wait 48 hours before even driving the car before I touch anything and see if this works. Otherwise, I`m doing virtually everything you guys are telling me to do. I`ve detailed cars for several years, and probably have shown cars for even longer. Maybe with the other waxes I`ve used have smeared because I haven`t completely removed the old layer of wax, and maybe the smeaqring with the Klasse is because of lack of curing time.

[Bill D]

With Klasse SG you have to apply thin, I mean extremely thin, so thin in fact even on black you may not see much of it once you apply it. Then wait the 24 hrs and buff off, You could use suede mf bonnets by macxhine and then follow with a regular mf by hand. That ought to clear up any remaining SG or smears

[jeff5614]

Could it be you`re not rinsing well enough and the GC is leaving leaving a residue on the car?

[Accumulator]

Krautfed 03- Well, since the "chamois" is synthetic that sorta blows my idea out of the water....but I`d wash it a few times (numerous rinses) to make sure.



I`m still really :confused: about your problem, the only time I`ve had that happen was with certain sealants (such as BF) and even then the problem went away after a wash (which removed the excess product).



No way the SG should continue to smear, it should dry to a semi-permanent coating that feels like plastic.



I`m assuming you`re working in warm enough temps that the products you`re using *do* set up properly. I just did some KSG last weekend and even with the garage a little cool (around 60) it set up fine in a few hours (much as I prefer to leave it overnight).



Incompatibility between different products does sound reasonable, but the AIO should`ve cleaned everything off.



At some point I`d probably just say "whatever!" and switch to a different product. No sense struggling for too long with all the good products on the market. But it *is* a funny problem...



Jimmy Buffit- Nice to hear how much you appreciated the A8; we sure love ours! Heh heh, lots of little slots in the grills, huh ;) They sure can take a while, especially the S8, which has about twice as many.

[DETAILKING]

Sounds like dirty towels or product incompatibility.



How old was the KLASSE u used?



I would wash your towels / chamios. and try a different car wash. No need to strip down the wax you have on there now. If anything a QD should help, what QD are u using?

[blackntan]

Ok. It can only be one of 3 things.



1) the QD *(my bet)

2) the applicator

3) the wax



Here`s how we test.



First - rewax, by hand, a small portion of the car. Like a fender or something.



Then take a clean, dry, cotton cloth. Wipe the area, gently. Any smudging? No? Ok, then it`s not the wax by itself.



Now take the chamios that you`ve been using. Wipe it on the new paint. smudges? No? Ok, then it`s not the chamios.



Next is the QD. Apply it exactly like you would normally. Check for smudging.





I`d be willing to bet it`s the QD. I`ve found them to be very streaky on darker colors if you use too much, which is very easy. I`ve actually stopped using them. If i`m going to QD a car, it doesn`t take much longer to S100 it...



g`luck

[Bluto]

How are you washing your towels/mitts? Has anyone else washed them?



Sounds like fabric softerner in your towels.





BTW: Do you park under any trees? Have a dirty commute?