Audi A6 detail

[Mikeyc]

The last couple of years I've been almost exclusively a Zymol user. However, after discovering this website I got the itch again and decided to go back to experimenting a bit. Plus it gives me something other than "the good stuff" to use on my friend's and family's cars. Zymol is pretty expensive after all. So over the last couple of weeks I've bought a number of new detailing products including a PC. I've never even used a buffer before.



I needed a car to experiment on and luckily I didn't have to go far. This is my Mother's 2001 Audi A6. It's 4 years old and probably has been waxed 4 times if that. In fact, before I detailed it the car had not even been washed in two months.



I had almost forgotten how much harder it is to work with neglected paint. Without further delay here's the detail along with some product commentary . . .



Befores:



Car is fairly dull and paint is oxidized and it actually looked worse in person

The inside of each wheel was solid black from the brake dust

The plastic and rubber on this car has never even heard of 303 before.

Scratches on the trunk lid are from when my Dad put the recycle bin on top of the trunk.

 

[Mikeyc]

Exterior Process:

Wash - Zymol Clear

Wheels - Megs Wheel Brightener

Tires - Bleche White Tire Cleaner

Clay

Polish 1 - Menzerna IP w/ Yellow LC

Polish 2 - Menzerna FPII w/ Orange LC

Glaze - Menzerna FTG

Sealant - FMJ

Wax - P21s

Plastic & Rubber treated w/ 303

Tires Dressed w/ Megs High Endurance

Glass - Megs NXT

Engine Bay Process:

Entire bay sprayed with APC

Metal polished w/ Megs NXT Metal Polish

All rubber & plastic Treated w/ Megs #40

Interior Process:

Leather Cleaned/Conditioned w/ Lexol

Carpets cleaned with Little Green Machine and Bissel Carpet Cleaning Solution (came w/ the machine)

Glass - Megs NXT

Gauge cluster sprayed with Plexus

All remaining surfaces were cleaned with Megs Interior QD

Tough stains & scuffed removed w/ Mr. Clean Eraser

Product comments:

-I was very impressed by FMJ it left the surface wet and super slick. Extremely easy to use too.

-I was impressed with the ease of use of P21S wax

-During the detail I tried three different glass cleaners. I rank there performance from best to worst as follows 1)Sprayway 2)Megs NXT 3)IG

-Menzerna IP & FPII are a serious PITA to remove from dark neglected paint after use

 

[Scottwax]

Very nice work! Very noticable improvement in the paint.

 

[BigAl3]

great job!

 

[Mad iX]

Brake dust is a pita with neglected wheels on european cars so you did a great job there. Only way to get them totally clean is to get them off the car.

P21S is nice but I think FMJ is best on its own. One of my favorite sealants. Only reason I'd top it is for durability.

Nice detail considering it was your first time with a machine and the Menzerna twins aren't the easiest products to use.

I'd be really happy with that for a first effort.

 

[imported_dino]

Looks like a different colour! Nice work

 

[drewski59]

Geez! I hate to see neglected Audis!



But you sure turned it around! It looks awesome considering what you had to start with!

The FMJ+P21s combo looks very wet on that color!

 

[Mikeyc]

Brake dust is a pita with neglected wheels on european cars so you did a great job there. Only way to get them totally clean is to get them off the car.

P21S is nice but I think FMJ is best on its own. One of my favorite sealants. Only reason I'd top it is for durability.

Nice detail considering it was your first time with a machine and the Menzerna twins aren't the easiest products to use.

I'd be really happy with that for a first effort.

Yes, the break dust was a MAJOR PITA. The Megs WB works really great. It hasn't met a wheel yet that it didn't eat the brake dust off of.



I actually added the layer of P21S for durability. My parents are cheap when it comes to car care so I know they won't pay to wax the car more than once a year. I figured with the FMJ and P21S I would get a longer lasting protection. Also, the car lives in Florida all winter so I can't wax it while it's there.



By the way, I managed to incorporate some of the famous "New England foliage" in my pics for you out of towners. I know you were too busy examining my work to notice it though.

 

[4830Deuce]

I hate working on audi's....in the shape that one was in man idk if I could do it...great work!



-Justin

 

[Mikeyc]

The car still has not left the garage since I finished it. My mom doesn't want to get it dirty now.

 

[Accumulator]

MikeyC- Nice job! That's "Ming Blue" isn't it?



Oh, and I'm especially impressed with how nice the light gray interior came out :xyxthumbs

 

[Mikeyc]

MikeyC- Nice job! That's "Ming Blue" isn't it?



Oh, and I'm especially impressed with how nice the light gray interior came out :xyxthumbs

I'm not sure what the official name of the color is but as pictured it is some type of dark blue with some flake in it. I used my new Bisell Little Green on the carpets. The water in the recovery tank was black.



The worst part of the whole detail was the 30 or so minutes I spent scrubbing each rocker panel with bug and tar remover to get rid of all the tar and caked on nastiness.



Thanks to everyone for the great feedback! :bigups

 

[515colfelt]

Great transformation! What technique did you use with the IP/FP?

 

[Mikeyc]

Great transformation! What technique did you use with the IP/FP?

Basically, I followed the instructions that came with the polish. I used a light cutting pad w/ the FP2 and a heavy cutting pad with the IP. Here was the technique I used:



1. Spray pad with water

2. Apply product to paint

3. Spread with buffer while off

4. Turn buffer on and buff paint first side to side and then back to front until product appears nearly dry (speed 6 for IP, speed 4 for FP2)

5. Spray remaining product with water

6. Buff off with MF towel



I was always left with a residue on the paint though. So, after step 6 I followed up with a Dragon Fibre MF. For some reason this MF succeeded in removing the residue when other MFs would not. Also, all the water I used was distilled water.