OCDinPDX
Paint Ph.D
I did this job back in June but forgot to post the write up here. Oh well....better late than never.
This 2009 Q5 is painted Deep Sea Blue Pearl which is really quite a beautiful color that goes from looking black to almost teal depending on the light. But it had the signature of the swirl-o-tron tunnel wash all over it. While the hood wasn't too bad, the lower rocker panels were especially hammered. The odometer showed 11,250 miles but this car could have easily had 112,500 miles on it based on the way it looks. Throw Audi's granite-hard paint in with some awful swirling and you've got a heck of a weekend project. Also...forgot to mention that the owner has two dogs which apparently suffered some sort of massive fur loss on the interior. I spent an hour just getting all the dog hair up.
All in all, this car was probably the most challenging car I've ever done. Mostly it was because the damage was so severe and the paint was stupid hard...definitely the hardest paint I've ever worked with. It just laughed at me when I tried SIP on an orange pad with the Makita and sometimes even the 105/PFW combo struggled with it. I was glad to see this car gone.
Process
Wash with Griot's Car Wash and Microfiber Wash Mitt
Dry with WW MF towel
Clayed with Griot's Clay and Speed Shine as lubricant
Makita 9227C w/Lake Country 6 and 4" backing plates
Meguiars 105
Menzerna Super Finish (106FA)
LC PFW
LC White
IPA Wipedown
Re-Wash
Sealed with Blackfire Wet Diamond
Engine and Wheel Arches Degreased with Grime Reaper 4:1
P21S Polishing Soap on chrome exhaust tips
Griot's Long-Lasting Tire Dressing
TOTAL TIME SPENT: 18 HOURS
The car as it appeared on arrival.
You can see the dog hair on the center console (near the shifter) in this photo. While most of it was concentrated in the cargo area, some had floated all the way up to the dash board and even on the gauge cluster.
That's not dirt....that's dog hair!
I pulled up a decent amount of contamination with the clay. Most of it came from the lower panels closest to the road.
Testing to see what polish and pad combo works best. And yes I cleaned up the grille later on.
The worst of the damage was on the doors where those slappy things in the demon tunnel do their bidding.
And this is that same door after the 105/106 combo.
Front passenger door.
50/50
After.
The plastic door trim was pretty hammered, too.
After...
Working the Makita and the PFW.
The exhaust tips were trashed...
But P21S polishing soap brought them back.
This 2009 Q5 is painted Deep Sea Blue Pearl which is really quite a beautiful color that goes from looking black to almost teal depending on the light. But it had the signature of the swirl-o-tron tunnel wash all over it. While the hood wasn't too bad, the lower rocker panels were especially hammered. The odometer showed 11,250 miles but this car could have easily had 112,500 miles on it based on the way it looks. Throw Audi's granite-hard paint in with some awful swirling and you've got a heck of a weekend project. Also...forgot to mention that the owner has two dogs which apparently suffered some sort of massive fur loss on the interior. I spent an hour just getting all the dog hair up.
All in all, this car was probably the most challenging car I've ever done. Mostly it was because the damage was so severe and the paint was stupid hard...definitely the hardest paint I've ever worked with. It just laughed at me when I tried SIP on an orange pad with the Makita and sometimes even the 105/PFW combo struggled with it. I was glad to see this car gone.
Process
Wash with Griot's Car Wash and Microfiber Wash Mitt
Dry with WW MF towel
Clayed with Griot's Clay and Speed Shine as lubricant
Makita 9227C w/Lake Country 6 and 4" backing plates
Meguiars 105
Menzerna Super Finish (106FA)
LC PFW
LC White
IPA Wipedown
Re-Wash
Sealed with Blackfire Wet Diamond
Engine and Wheel Arches Degreased with Grime Reaper 4:1
P21S Polishing Soap on chrome exhaust tips
Griot's Long-Lasting Tire Dressing
TOTAL TIME SPENT: 18 HOURS
The car as it appeared on arrival.
You can see the dog hair on the center console (near the shifter) in this photo. While most of it was concentrated in the cargo area, some had floated all the way up to the dash board and even on the gauge cluster.
That's not dirt....that's dog hair!
I pulled up a decent amount of contamination with the clay. Most of it came from the lower panels closest to the road.
Testing to see what polish and pad combo works best. And yes I cleaned up the grille later on.
The worst of the damage was on the doors where those slappy things in the demon tunnel do their bidding.
And this is that same door after the 105/106 combo.
Front passenger door.
50/50
After.
The plastic door trim was pretty hammered, too.
After...
Working the Makita and the PFW.
The exhaust tips were trashed...
But P21S polishing soap brought them back.
