Bought Another Black Car, Help.

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imported_rlarsen462

New member
Well I was shocked when I found out I'd never actually posted to this site, as I joined a year ago and lurk from time to time, so hello everyone first and foremost.



I just got into my second ever black car, a 2007 Audi S4. My first was a 1999 Eclipse GSX which was the car that started me on Autopia when I wanted to find out how to make it look better than the swirled mess it was when I bought it.



Problem is, I've had about 3 cars between the Eclipse and the Audi, and they were basically just daily driver's that I just washed when they were really dirty and waxed occasionally for the hell of it.



Now, I love this new car (it's still a daily driver however) and I want to bring the black paint up to a level I can tolerate without having to be ridiculously meticulous about RIDS and micro-marring etc. I plan to basically do no more than 2-bucket wash with the good ol' hose and maybe try out these grout sponges I just bought (I've been using Meguiar's Gold Class shampoo for years). Otherwise, I'll probably pick up a new sheepskin mitt as mine is pretty worn out.



I've heard Audis have insanely hard clears, and I can tell that's probably the case as this car is in suprisingly good condition for having 22,000 miles on it, not nearly as marred up as I would expect, but of course there's still plenty of swirls and a few light, obviously buffable scratches here and there.



I have a PC DA unit, and a harbor freight rotary that I've never had the balls to try out (and probably won't on this car, either), and a bunch of old Sonus foam pads that are probably shot. Various products, a hardly used can of Souveran, some good stuff kicking around.



What I'm looking for however, is for the experts here on the board to assume I have nothing other than the Porter Cable and some MF's I plan to pick up from the Rag Shack shortly. I want to be able to take down most if not all the swirls and micromarring on the car with as few products as possible, and then apply some product that will bead and shed dirt/water well for awhile without having to be reapplied every week (probably looking at a sealant here I imagine). I can always use the Souveran to shine it up every now and again if I feel like it.



I also realize I will probably get a ton of opinions with a subject like this, but I do intend to buy off these recommendations. Not probably going to spend more than $100 on products, for the record.



Thanks a bunch in advance.
 
Meguiar's 105/205 for polish would be your best bet IMO. They'll do everything you could need, and are very cost effective. If you don't feel like going online to order it, Meg's SwirlX and Ultimate Compound work great too. Then of course an assortment of pads.



Other products wise, I'm a big fan of Surf City Garage's Barrier Reef Carnauba, and Meguiar's #26 paste. Sealant is a tough one, there's plenty of great ones out there, I've been using NXT with good results, NXT2 is a good value in a sealant. I've heard good things about Mother's FX Synwax as well. I've got some 3M sealant that appears to be pretty nice, but I've yet to really use it though.



I'd say go sealant on the bottom layer for durability, and carnauba on top for the look.



Also, we require pictures of the S4 cuz I love those cars, but not as much as I love the S4 Avant.
 
Sure I'll definitely get some pictures of it up when I get it up to reasonable standards. :D



Actually like I said it's really not bad, 23K miles and about 3-4 decent fixable chips in the front, and one door ding/scratch I'm also pretty sure I can repair. Otherwise light to moderate swirls I'm sure I can get out. I've heard Audi clear is like granite but that's probably a good thing because it will keep me from wrecking it (especially with a PC).



Thanks for the recommendations so far. What would you suggest for pads to get (brand and color/type)?



I actually ordered some Collinite 845 today since it was really cheap and I read a bunch of good stuff on here about how easy it was to use and how long it lasted. So that will go into the regimen (will be good for my wife's pretty neglected silver 2004 Grand Cherokee as well).
 
I think it's important to have a decent selection of pads. Right now I've got a few ~6 inch white and red Lake Country pads, and a few of the giant Meguiar's polishing and finishing pads. I need to get a 5 inch orange or yellow pad, something more aggressive to get out those swirls in a harder paint. That's probably what you'll need to, though more likely the more aggressive of the two, followed by a few less aggressive steps.
 
So the 105 stuff looks like it's a HEAVY cutting polish, I know Audi clear is supposed to be hard, will I be okay using that? I'm not sure it really needs that much correction all over. Is it okay to use that stuff with a PC DA? I was probably going to be picking up orange and grey pads, probably in 5.5 and 4.0 inch. I assume orange is the pad to use with heavier cutting stuff, and gray is for applying LSPs and such, however, is there a benefit to using something in between for the intermediate polish (after 105 for instance)?'



And for the record, I HAVE searched this site extensively for this information, but I always seem to get overwhelmed by the deluge of (sometimes conflicting) information!
 
I like ur sense of practicality. With ur budget, i would buy the following:



1. Megs 105 2. Megs 205 3. RMG 4. Colllinite 476s or 915 or 845 5. Clay bar



I would also invest in a blower or vacuum/blower combo to dry the car. If u have extra funds go for the foam gun.



I would look into a white polishing pad- probably the most used pad, a green and either a blue, black or red.
 
So you would not recommend Orange (supposedly more aggressive than white) for hard Audi clear? Also, RMG is a sealant I assume (Clearkote Machine Glaze or something from the acronym decoder :) )?



I have a gas leaf blower but it's brutally loud for drying cars (I've used it). Is get an electric one the best option? I plan to dry using the Rag Shack MF's and just use the gas unit to blow out the crevices and such.



A pressure washer/foam gun attachment is on the list of future purchases but for now I'm going to try either the Lowe's Grout Sponges with the 2-bucket + Grit Guard method, or substitute a new wool mitt for the GS's if I'm not happy with the results.



Like I said, I don't want to get insanely obsessive about the car because it's a daily driver and a family car, but as it's black, I want it not to look like the usual horrorshow of swirls I see on most dark cars on the street.



Thanks again for the advice so far, I consider it invaluable.
 
If you have a home depot In your area they carry electric leaf blowers that are up to 230 mph for about 79 bucks. I have one and it truly works well. Just be sure not to kick up too much dust with it. Good luck!
 
Hey it's Gallardo guy! I've been following your posts. I both do and don't want to be in your shoes! I would be going crazy obsessing about not messing up the paint on that thing and it would be in constant conflict with my strong desire to drive the piss out of it. :D



Yeah I figured an electric job might be my best bet. I also want to save up a little and invest in the Costco RO system, as I imagine the results with that alone, and especially with a blower, would be spectacular and be a true "touchless" drying system.
 
rlarsen462 said:
I have a gas leaf blower but it's brutally loud for drying cars (I've used it). Is get an electric one the best option? I plan to dry using the Rag Shack MF's and just use the gas unit to blow out the crevices and such.
Click to expand...



I wouldn't use a gas leaf blower just because it could spray oil and other stuff from the motor onto your car...an electric one is a much better bet.
 
Pictures by request. This is just after a quick wash, dealer swirls are still all there (waiting on my 105/205 and pads order).



Next week/weekend will be full wash, clay, 105/205, some sealant (haven't decided yet), and Souveran.



Also ordered 3 of the blue Excel drying towels because the old WW towels I have SUCK and left water streaks all over the car I had to QD out. Should be ready to go as soon as I get my 3000 unigrit and finish my chip repair on the front.



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It has one caveat. "The Lumberyard" I call it...I'm working on finding a new wheel and knob to at least tone it down a bit. The wood is gorgeous (real gray birch all around), but I could settle for just the beltline trim without the wheel and knob.



Interior.jpg
 
I was also considering getting the Megs 205 105 combo after hearing all the good reviews from alot of people on the forum.



Gotta try the leaf blower idea, Id been using the Absorber/mf combo
 
Even with M105/M205 IME you need 4" pads to do correction on Audi clear, at least in a timely manner. Larger ones are simply a waste of my time.



I would absolutely go with orange pads for the initial correction. No, they won't be too aggressive, as you'll find out the first time you work on a RIDS ;)



After the M205, make *CERTAIN* to remove all the polishing oils or you'll get pseudo-holograms. IPA takes a few tries IME if you want to *really* be sure about this (takes certain lighting conditions to see the issue).



Mask off the silvery metal trim (not the grille surround, the other stuff like around the side glass). Opinions vary regarding exactly what it is (even among Audi reps who oughta know!) but it *appears* to be clear anodized aluminum and once it gets compromised it's all downhill from there. I would not subject it to *ANY* abrasion, period.



I'd only use the softest MFs available. And I'd be very careful about the edging on those.



I wouldn't seal Audi black, I'd rather use a good/durable carnauba. 476S will look fine if you get the prep right. Souveran might look better, but it wouldn't be my choice for a black Audi driver.



If you do want to go with a sealant, I'd make sure you have your wash routine (and paint correction) sorted out as most sealants make marring pretty obvious.
 
I'm getting ready to do the 105/205 on my new to me A4, not quite black, but the Moro Blue is pretty dark and shows swirls well. I have been doing some touchup repairs before I get down to polishing. The clear is pretty darn hard. I have a 2000 grit sanding block, it cuts the touchup pretty easily, but barely seems to affect the factory clear. The clear seems nice an thick also, leaving lots of room for error.
 
Accumulator said:
Even with M105/M205 IME you need 4" pads to do correction on Audi clear, at least in a timely manner. Larger ones are simply a waste of my time.



I would absolutely go with orange pads for the initial correction. No, they won't be too aggressive, as you'll find out the first time you work on a RIDS ;)



After the M205, make *CERTAIN* to remove all the polishing oils or you'll get pseudo-holograms. IPA takes a few tries IME if you want to *really* be sure about this (takes certain lighting conditions to see the issue).



Mask off the silvery metal trim (not the grille surround, the other stuff like around the side glass). Opinions vary regarding exactly what it is (even among Audi reps who oughta know!) but it *appears* to be clear anodized aluminum and once it gets compromised it's all downhill from there. I would not subject it to *ANY* abrasion, period.



I'd only use the softest MFs available. And I'd be very careful about the edging on those.



I wouldn't seal Audi black, I'd rather use a good/durable carnauba. 476S will look fine if you get the prep right. Souveran might look better, but it wouldn't be my choice for a black Audi driver.



If you do want to go with a sealant, I'd make sure you have your wash routine (and paint correction) sorted out as most sealants make marring pretty obvious.
Click to expand...



Thanks for chiming in here, Acc, I know from reading your posts that you're pretty intimately familiar with the Audis. I have ordered a 4" orange and a 4" white, if I chew through them fast I'll order more. I'm not sure I'm enticed by the prospect of going over the entire car twice or more with 4" pads (I had some 6" pads I was going to use for the big surfaces, but sounds like it wouldn't work).



If the clear is so hard, why the emphasis on only the softest MF's? I was going to get some Shag Rags from the Rag Shack, for the record.



Regarding the trim, the bottom sections are already quite oxidized/hazed looking, and I understand it's essentially uncorrectable without replacing the trim? I will mask it off but do you have any suggestions for restoring the finish after I'm done with the paint?



I haven't chosen a sealant yet anyway, but for waxes I have Souveran (which I agree isn't great for a DD) and Collinite 845 I just picked up for my silver Jeep that I could try.



I finished blobbing my touch up yesterday, hopefully by the end of the week my 3000 Unigrit will be in and I can get those sanded down and ready for 105/205 (most are on the edge of the hood so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of hand work, ugh).
 
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