What pad do i need (pics)

G

GetAudiHere

New member
I bought a porter cable 7424 recently and I'm going to polish my car. It is a audi a4 santorin blue. I was wondering what pads and other stuff i need to get started (looking at adams pads) and how aggresive it needs to be. They look a little worse in person than in the pictures.



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black&white

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I know these pictures arent the best. How do you take good pictures of swirl marks. Do you need the natural sunlight (it was cloudy today)?



What products do you recommend. I'm really interested in adams stuff. Thanks
 
Most VW/Audis seem to have pretty hard clearcoat. IMO, Adams scratch and swirl remover is not going to be able to tackle that job (and yes, I have the Adams stuff). I'd probably start with a polishing pad, and then work up to cutting pads from there (if the polishing pad isnt doing the job). I've seen people on this forum state that they've worked on audi cars that have softer clear, so a polishing pad and a relatively aggressive polish (OP, SSR2.5) and work up from there. I typically use a rotary to remove swirls and it definitely makes life a lot easier. I couldnt make a dent on my sister's black VW Jetta swirls with the PC. Anyway, I hope that helps. Post the products that you have or plan on using for the detail, and I'm sure myself or others will have some more advice. Best of luck.
 
I was looking at adams swirl and haze remover and revive polish with adams black and white pad but form the sound of it that is not going to do the job. What do you suggest?



This is the same color and you can see what products they used up above. Im a little hesitant to use any sort of cutting pad or compound. You dont think that is necessary do you? Im not looking for perfect but i want it to shine!



2001 Audi S4 - Santorin Blue
 
GetAudiHere- Those pics under the incandescent light show the marring very well, and I use lights like that for my final inspections.



I'm not familiar with Adams polishes, but I *am* familiar with Audis.



There is a weird situation with *some* blue Audi A4/S4s (usually the Nag. blue for some reason) that may or may not apply here: most Audis are very hard, but there are some blue ones that are *very* soft. Mike Phillips couldn't even finish one out with #80 because it micromarred!



Assuming it's *not* one of those, the only way I can see doing it in a reasonable amount of time is with 4" pads and something like Hi-Temp Extreme Cut, then follow up with something milder. Do *NOT* worry about being too aggressive, I'd be breaking out the rotary with the same sort of products. What usually happens is that people try "reasonable measures" for a few hours and then post back about how they can't get the Audi clear corrected ;) Save yourself that and get sufficiently aggressive from the start.



FWIW, I use 1Z Ultra Polish (or maybe they call it "Extra" these days) for areas I have to do by hand, like behind the door handles. It's the only thing I've tried that'll correct the Audi clear by hand and still break down. You have to follow up with something milder, and it's still a huge job, but at least it *does* get those scratches out.



Hope it goes well, nice car you have there.



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!
 
Do you think Menzerna IP and FPII would work what are your guys' opinions.

anything is welcome. So the Adams just wont cut it i take it?
 
Oh man, you're going to need to bring out the big dogs for that one... either Menzerna PowerGloss or Hi-Temp Extreme Cut on a 4" pad... or maybe a 6" yellow cutting pad. Personally, I would tackle that with a rotary, wool, and HTEC. You are looking at a pretty hefty job via PC.
 
What do you thing about Sonus Restore (SFX-1). it says it is clear coat safe so that makes me feel better. It is my first time polishing keep in mind and I dont want to make it worse. It also said that its made for a PC and



PG is pretty gritty, meaning the abrasives are pretty large. They need the heat of the rotary to properly break them down. Using PG with a PC might produce a lot of marring etc.
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That is my worry. I will wash it and take some better pictures out in the sunlight tomorrow or so.
 
I dont know much about audi paint but on my infiniti i had to use menzerna power gloss followed by ip then fp11 to get my swirls out last year.
 
GetAudiHere said:
Do you think Menzerna IP and FPII would work what are your guys' opinions...
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Nah, those would work OK *after* you do the major correction with something more aggressive but they won't do the hard work (when used by PC). I'd use more aggressive stuff even when working by rotary. Heh heh, I suspect you're still underestimating how tough the Audi clear is ;)



Can't help with the Sonus product either, never tried it.



My votes would go to either Hi-Temp Extreme Cut or 1Z Ultra/Extra...or a mix of both of them (increases the H-T's work time while not diluting the cut too much).



No way I'd try it without 4" pads (I've spent *hours* using larger pads, even wool ones, on a PC with an aggressive compound- wasn't nearly enough to correct that clear). The 4" pads can utterly transform the behavior of the PC, so I'd put those on your shopping list.



But IMO the big thing is to use the most aggressive products that'll break down by PC. Work them long enough to ensure that they *do* break down. Plan on a multi-step approach because the more aggressive work will basically replace the marring you have now with lighter marring of its own; the milder product(s) that you use for a follow up will then remove that lighter marring....think of it as using gradually milder grits of sandpaper to smooth a piece of wood.



Oh, and I dunno if taking pics in sunlight will make it show up any better. I see a lot more under incandescent light (in an otherwise dark shop) than I do under other types of lighting, including natural sunlight. Honestly, I believe I have a good grasp of what you're dealing with...I'm just having trouble coming up with very many PC-based approaches that'll do the job in a remotely reasonable amount of time. The 4" pads with H-T and/or 1z products are an approach that simply *works*, so that's what I'd recommend. There are a *lot* of approaches that simply *won't* work on Audis, so I'd stick with something that's alread proven effective. It'll be a big enough job as it is ;)



Oh, and keep these products off the clear-anodized aluminum trim, it's finish fails quickly enough as it is ;) Abrasion will only hasten the day when it starts to look "cloudy".
 
Thanks that helps alot. But i assume those products aren't aggresive enough so use that technique with what Accumulator suggested? I should start out with less aggresive and then work up right? Just in case. What about Menzerna Power Gloss, sorry just trying to get a better I idea.



Accumulator - can you give me more information on the Hi-Temp Extreme Cut? What should i follow it up with. What speed should i use with a PC? And how long should it take for a 2x2, just the same as another cutting polish?



Thanks for you help i really appreciate it!
 
GetAudiHere said:
I should start out with less aggresive and then work up right? Just in case. ...
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That's a good general approach but if you have very hard clear it's just a waste of time and effort. Maybe try fixing one small area with a mild product/pad combo to convince yourself what you're dealing with.



Accumulator - can you give me more information on the Hi-Temp Extreme Cut? What should i follow it up with. What speed should i use with a PC? And how long should it take for a 2x2, just the same as another cutting polish?
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I can't really say how long it'll take as, weird as it might sound, I simply don't pay attention to stuff like that. You work it until the product is almost dry, wipe off the residue, and inspect. Then repeat over and over until the marring is replace by the EC's micromarring.



I like speed 6 for correction by PC, but my orange 4" pads seem happier at speed 5.



What you'll need for a follow-up depends on your paint. Wild-guess suggestion: OP or Menzerna IP on a polishing pad perhaps followed by some fine finishing polish (e.g., FPII) if you consider it necessary.



FWIW, on my Blazer I used H-T EC mixed with 1z Ultra- first by rotary then same stuff by Cyclo. Followed that with 1z Paint Polish and then went straight to Collinite wax. Still looks fine seven months later (including an admittedly mild Ohio winter).
 
Alright that sounds good. Should i use LC yellow or the Orange Variable Contact Cutting Pad (D.A.) Hook & Loop (orange) pad for the Hi-Timp EC and the white for the IP and the FPII? What pads do you recommend? 4" for EC and 6" for IP and FPII? How long should this polish last? The next time I wont have to use Hi-Temp EC will I? If i do i will just be wearing my clear coat to thin right? Just IP and FPII?



Again thanks for all the help



Just to make sure this is the Hi-Temp Extreme Cut your talking about right?



Extreme Cut Leveler
 
GetAudiHere said:
..Just to make sure this is the Hi-Temp Extreme Cut your talking about right?
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Yeah, that's the stuff. I dunno how long it'll last but I'm still using the quart I bought a long time ago and I used a *LOT* of it on the Blazer and the M3. You won't need to use it again *UNLESS* you mar the paint when washing ;) or otherwise scratch it up.



Should i use LC yellow or the Orange .. pad for the Hi-Timp EC and the white for the IP and the FPII?
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Yeah, cutting pads with the aggressive stuff and polishing pads with the milder stuff.



What pads do you recommend? 4" for EC and 6" for IP and FPII?..
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I'd probably use 4" pads for everything except the FPII, but that's just me and I'm simply not a fan of Audi-correction-by-PC ;)



If i do ..[use H-T EC often]...i will just be wearing my clear coat to thin right? Just IP and FPII?
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Yeah, the more aggressive polishing you do the more clear you take off. That's why I make such a big deal out of not marring when washing. FWIW, and noting the aforementioned emphasis that I place on how I wash, I'd be disappointed if I had to polish a daily driver once a year. I used to have to do that, but since I got the wash sorted out my polishing sessions are few and far between (as in, years apart).
 
GetAudiHere said:
Did you use a PC? What pads did you use?
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yes i did and i used a lc yellow pad followed by ip on a white pad and then to fp11 and it came out amazing.but my car had worse swirls then what i see from your pic,s.
 
Do you think I could just go from HI-Temp EC with the LC yellow pad and then straight to the Menzerna FPII with the LC White pad? Also what do you think about the LC CCS pads. It sounds like they are meant for hard clear coats?
 
GetAudiHere said:
Do you think I could just go from HI-Temp EC with the LC yellow pad and then straight to the Menzerna FPII with the LC White pad? Also what do you think about the LC CCS pads. It sounds like they are meant for hard clear coats?
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I would definitely go with the LC CCS pads. Called up Jeff @ Menzerna today, wanting to source the Menzerna pads . . . he pretty much said that the LC CCS pad is one of the finest pads you can use with Menzerna and that I should just stick with them.



Used the LC CCS Green polishing pad this weekend as well as the orange cutting pad on a santorin blue audi and it worked great with IP and PO106FF.



Dave
 
GetAudiHere said:
Do you think I could just go from HI-Temp EC with the LC yellow pad and then straight to the Menzerna FPII with the LC White pad?
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Not if it's the same clear as on my Audis. You'll need an intermediate step because the FPII is so mild (on that paint) that things have to be basically perfect before you use it. I couldn't go from 3M PI-III RC 05933 (milder by far than H-T EC) to FPII on the S8 and that was by Cyclo. Well, maybe I *could* have, but after I tried it I just switched to a stronger polish instead of using the FPII repeatedly.



FWIW I wasn't thrilled by how the FPII left that car...I switched to 1Z Pro MP and liked that a lot better. Might've just been because the Pro MP leaves stuff behind and the FPII doesn't, but I still liked it better...not that FPII is bad or anything.
 
Crew219 - where did you get the CSS pads from? I can only find the yellow, white, and black one.



Accumulator- do you apply your wax by hand, applicator pad, or my maching with the black finessing pad?
 
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