Doing a black AUdi S4 tomorrow; anything special I should know?

J

JustinR32

New member
He got the car at the auction. It's sweet, but someone buffed it, like, Swirl Mark City. I can't stand to look at it. He powder coated my cam cover on my Miata, so I'm doing this to return the favor.



Is the car clearcoat/basecoat, is what I'm wondering, and, if so, can I go as agressive as DACP if I have to, without harming the clearcoat? I'm hoping that Menzerna IP is as strong as I need to get.



I'm pretty confident about the rest of the job; I think I know what I'm doing now.





Tom
 
Without seeing what you are talking is difficult because how people define swirl marks is very subjective. That said, I'd say using DACP would be fine with a DA.



Do you plan on using a rotary, dual action or by hand?



When using a rotary, I tend to go down one step



1. DA - DACP, Rotary - SFP

2. DA - Diamond Cut, Rotary - DACP



If you need anything more than option 2 above, then you have some pretty severe issue's.



Paco
 
PC7424. I won't go any more aggressive than the DACP, and take my time.



The swirls are the ones that you always see on used car lots. from improper use of a rotary. They're true swirls, not spiderwebs.



Tom
 
One thing you should definitely do, drive it :) Just tell him you want to make sure the wax "took" or something!
 
Mosca- I've done quite a few Audis (including some really swirled up ones) and I find the clear to be quite hard (yeah, all S4's, even the "old style" ones, are base/clear). You're gonna have to really work it to get good results. The DACP won't be anywhere NEAR too strong, IMO. Audis (including ours, which I plan to keep for a LONG time) are one application where I don't start with something really mild like SMR when I have very noticeable swirls. I've wasted FAR too much time on them trying to get by with mild products, which just won't cut it with a RO.



The "B" pillars are black plastic, but I treat them like paint. This might be an area where you SHOULD try a very mild product first.



When you wash it, clean out the inner channel of the rubber strips/seals at the bottom of the doors. You won't believe the stuff you find in there.



Sounds like a fun project! Post back with any additional questions and/or to tell us how it goes.
 
Accumulator said:
The "B" pillars are black plastic, but I treat them like paint. This might be an area where you SHOULD try a very mild product first.
Click to expand...

Be very careful of the B pillar as accumulator said. If they are anything like my Passat (another VAG car) then that plastic scratches pretty easy. If you don't need to polish them, then just leave them be. Accumulator, what do you use on them to get out any scratches?



I'd also check the area around the rear trunk seal as lots of crud gets trapped there too.



Michael
 
Cool; thanks!



I'm thinking of finishing with Meg's #20; I haven't used that product yet, and I'd like to see how it comes out. If it were my car I'd use a wax, but Carl just bought a house and I don't think he's going to be waxing for a while (other things on his mind, y'know), and I'm thinking about taking advantage of the durability of a polymer. Opinions?



Tom
 
I just spent the wekeend detailing a pretty neglected black car, and tried a bunch of new products on it - I know you're doing the detail tomorrow, so I'm not sure if this'll help but...



I tried the Einszett Paint Polish (green can) and was absolutely floored by it. It is my new favorite product for "prep work - " it's absolutely amazing, there's no other word for it.



We first tried hitting the black car with 3M PI-III Machine Glaze and found that it was nearly impossible to remove; alcohol/water removed it, but I hate that routine...Switched to FI-II, didn't touch the swirls. Tried DACP, was similar to the PI-III Machine Glaze.



Reluctantly (because I'd never used it before), I reached for the the Einszett Paint Polish, grabbed a yellow pad and started buffing - AMAZING!!



The stuff stays wet as long as you're working it, and then it flashes and hazes nearly immediately after you stop. Wiped off with total ease and left a great looking finish. I washed a little section of the hood with alcohol/water and then dawn/water to see if it had fillers, and it looks like it doesn't. The black was looking really, really good.



edit: After playing with it a bit more, I think it may have some fillers; it apparently gives protection which is fairly durable, which led to a possibly false impression that there were no fillers. YMMV /edit



I followed it up with the Metallic Polish (red can) and then compared the MP to GEPC; GEPC looked just a *wee bit* better, so I used GEPC on the rest of the car.



We then did a quickie wash and proceeded to Z5/ZFX the car, and all I can say is "wow." No more swirls - just a gorgeous, deep & reflective finish. Owner was extremely pleased. :)



Anyway, sorry for the
blah.gif
, but I just had to share my experience with the Einszett Paint Polish - absolutely amazing stuff, so far.
 
geekysteve said:
Anyway, sorry for the
blah.gif
, but I just had to share my experience with the Einszett Paint Polish - absolutely amazing stuff, so far.
Click to expand...



And thinking this was one of my 1st polishes before 3Ms, Megs, Menzernas.... Glad you like it :up
 
geekysteve said:


We first tried hitting the black car with 3M PI-III Machine Glaze and found that it was nearly impossible to remove; alcohol/water removed it, but I hate that routine...Switched to FI-II, didn't touch the swirls. Tried DACP, was similar to the PI-III Machine Glaze.
Click to expand...



I'm glad I'm not the only one who is having a hard time with PI-III MG. Seems like not matter how long I work it it just work buff off easily. Anyway...Do you think it's as aggressive as DACP? I thought it was pretty mild stuff.
 
I had really, really good results with 3M PI-III Machine Glaze in the past and really liked it a lot, but for some reason, it's not "consistent" when used on various cars.



I found it to be pretty abrasive, but it has fillers in it so it appears to be "mild" when compared to other products side-by-side.
 
geekysteve said:
I had really, really good results with 3M PI-III Machine Glaze in the past and really liked it a lot, but for some reason, it's not "consistent" when used on various cars.



I found it to be pretty abrasive, but it has fillers in it so it appears to be "mild" when compared to other products side-by-side.
Click to expand...
Steve,



I'm confused . . . PI-III MG specifically states "no fillers" on the label. Or were you referring to DACP when you said, "I found it to be pretty abrasive, but it has fillers in it . . ."?



Tort
 
mpauly- I use an abrasive polish, but I try to stay as mild as I can. Griot's Machine Polish #3 works OK (I had it around). Of course the big trick is to not get them all scratched up in the first place and to keep them protected. You might want to live with MINOR flaws on this one.



Steve- Thanks for the heads-up on the Einszett polish. I thought I'd found the holy grail of polishes with the PI-III MG but SOMETIMES the residue *IS* a pain (BTW, when it's too bad for Final Inspection, AIO takes it *RIGHT* off, with no problems).



FWIW, besides what the label says, I've found no sign of fillers in the PI-III MG :nixweiss



Speaking of fillers, anyone have problems (bonding of subsequent product) from the fillers (supposedly) in GEPC?
 
Half way through. I did the interior already. That Stoner's Trim Shine spray is great around the radio and climate cntrol panel.



On the outside: wash, clay (Clay Magic), DACP, FP, IP. I've finished the upper surfaces, and they are like black glass; very satisfying. I'm finishing with a MF with a moistening of alcohol/water to ensure complete removal, then I'm going to finish with #20.



I've been taking pictures during the process, to document the transformation. This car has NEVER looked this good, even when it was new.



Tom
 
Good steps you took, tho is somehow useless using DACP followed by IP, the last is just a little less aggressive than the first. Either you use Menzernas Fast Cut (Power Gloss) or any fine or lite cut compound, then IP and FP.



Don't forget to top #20 w/ a carnauba wax, it'll be a killer!
 
Mosca- Glad to hear it's going well and that the DACP was aggressive enough. I was worried you'd be spending forever on the swirls. Black glass, huh? Audi paint is pretty nice, you just don't see well-detailed black ones very often. Way to go :xyxthumbs



Now you'll have to teach him how to wash it properly!
 
TortoiseAWD said:
I'm confused . . . PI-III MG specifically states "no fillers" on the label. Or were you referring to DACP when you said, "I found it to be pretty abrasive, but it has fillers in it . . ."?
Click to expand...



Yeah, it's sort of odd - the bottle says "Swirl mark remover (non-filling)" but I have to question how a "glaze" can't fill?? :)



I found that on softer surfaces, it appears as though there is a filler (or maybe an oil) that appears to hide the micromarring that's left once the abrasive breaks down. It's less obvious on harder surfaces; but I suspect there may be oils or very light fillers that are "sticking around" to help give it the gloss/eveness/glazed look.



But like everything else - your results may vary :D
 
Done.



Accumulator, jgv, I was all day with the DACP. If I'm going to solicit people for work, I'm going to need something stronger, either a stronger polish or a rotary. But, you works with what you gots, y'know. There is a difference going DACP/IP/FP instead of DACP/FP. I'm still learning, but IMO this one gets me out of boot camp. I'm very satisfied with the results. This car was pretty bad. More pix, both before and after, going up in the BRAG ROOM as I can upload them!



Before:



3620dscf0053-med.jpg




After:



3620dscf0062-med.jpg






Tom
 
Boy, from seeing the pics you posted on the gallery makes me feel sorry for you! That car was in BAD shape and all you had was DACP
shot.gif




But it turned out great! Good job!:bow
 
geekysteve said:
Yeah, it's sort of odd - the bottle says "Swirl mark remover (non-filling)" but I have to question how a "glaze" can't fill?? :)
Click to expand...
Well, since manufacturers in the industry seems to toss terms like "polish", "glaze", and "cleaner" around with little standardization, I figured it was just another misnomer. Kinda like how Zaino calls itself a "polish", but has no abrasives, and is really a sealant . . .



Tort
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top