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

Very niiiice....



Interesting that DACP worked so well for you. It didn't really do a whole lot for my Nogaro S4... it unfortunately spent a bit too long sitting in the showroom before we got it and we're still struggling with something to get the swirls and light scratches out. DACP was a pain to remove... and diamond cut wasn't a heck of a lot better.



What pads were you using? The ones from CMA?
 
I've had really good results with DACP and a yellow CMA pad on most cars. Will get out most light swirls with one application and second can usually get rid of the bad ones. The only time I've found it difficult to remove is when you use it in the sun, on a hot vehicle, or let it completely dry out. Once dry it's realy tough to remove (like cement). Normally, it's broken down before it drys out and is relatively easy to buff off.



If Diamond Cut isn't working for you either, you may be doing something wrong.....that's about as agressive as it gets. What procedures are you using?



Michael



PS Nice job on the S4.
 
Yellow waffle pad for the DACP, orange pad for the FP, white pad for the FP.



I've found that the best advice for DACP is, time, time, time. Give it time to work. I polish until it's "clear". I don't know if that makes sense. It lets you know when it's done, though.



That being said, every car is a learning experience for someone just starting out, like me. I'm going to get the "cut" polishes next time I'm at the supply store.



Tom
 
Rae- I know exactly what you're going through and how you feel. Note that a lot of what Mosca was removing was (literal) swirl marks FROM A ROTARY. So there's a good chance that someone (with a rotary) got the WORST (imagine THEIR "before picture"!) of the marring off already (a common pre-auction procedure).



What *I* might do in your situation is pick a somewhat inconspicuous place that has a good sample of your swirls and scratches. Work the Diamond Cut by hand with a MF or a terry towel. Trying NOT to cut through the clear, of course, see if you can get ONE LITTLE AREA as nice as you want it. Rub until the compound is gone, and keep at it. As I said, some Audi paints are SO hard you wonder how they ever got scratched in the first place.
 
Man those are some serious swirl marks:shocked !



Overall you did an excellent job :bow !



He'll be very happy on what he's got now :xyxthumbs .



Happy Motoring,

Kurt
 
I'm using pretty much the same pads: CMA yellow for the worst of it. The DACP seems to dry *really* quickly and is heinous to try to get off of the paint. Diamond Cut worked on the very very faint swirls. Probably 60% of them are still there, and even Diamond Cut didn't touch any of the light scratches.



I'll have to look at it again soon with the weather being relatively cool. I'll confess that I tend to let SO use the PC because the vibrations really hurt my wrists. I suppose the old 'if you want it done right.. ' saying applies well here. Maybe he's not working it in for long enough... I hope it's something simple like that ;)



Accumulator, you're right, that danged paint is unbelievable, except for the hood. Rock chips galore (a side effect of the speeds, I'm sure, more than an inherent defect in the paint).



Mosca - thanks for letting me know what you used and sorry to steal your thread a bit. It looks GREAT and I hope that you got a chance to really drive the car. They're a truly remarkable car and the sound of those sweet little turbos spooling always makes me smile. Did the guy who bought it put an ECU upgrade in yet? *That* is an AMAZING difference.



I might nab the car tomorrow (surely he won't mind driving the MINI?) and start working on it again. I'm still SO tempted to just hand it over to a 'real' professional and manage it from there. <grin> look for a new thread then!
 
Rae said:
....I'm still SO tempted to just hand it over to a 'real' professional and manage it from there. <grin> look for a new thread then!
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IF (and, OMG, is that a BIG "IF") you can find someone who KNOWS what they're doing with a rotary, that might be just the thing.
 
Accumulator - yes, that's the reason that I haven't done so yet.. I've gotten a few leads for people who have restored a few cars that they compete in concours events. I might drive out and see them and their work.



But dang it, it's SO much more satisfying to do it myself!
 
geekysteve said:
Anyway, sorry for the
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, but I just had to share my experience with the Einszett Paint Polish - absolutely amazing stuff, so far.
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I tried Einszett Paint Polish today. Long story short, I came out of my office and saw two bird droppings on the Ody's hood. I flushed it with water and alcohol, and discovered that it already etched into the paint. Got out my PC, white pad, Paint Polish, and went at it.



Overall, I think the Paint Polish is easy to work with, even under direct sunlight. The paint was hot - painful to touch. PP does seem to have more oils than Finesse-It II, though. I noticed some smearing on my first swipe, but it came off easily (I guess from the oils) and left a slick finish. Not sure if the oils mean fillers... I didn't have time to IPA wipe again.
 
Accumulator said:
Audi paint is pretty nice, you just don't see well-detailed black ones very often.
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I like to think my black A4 is. :) In "sunny" South Florida, keeping black clean is a PITA.... but SO worth it.



Very nice job on the S4. Very sweet car and now you have it looking great!



Oh, and hi all... I am (obviously) new to the forum.
 
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