Newbie Audi A4 Detailer

[mavin]

Hi all,

I have spent a ton of time reading through these forums and watching videos, and have now ordered a ton of supplies to attempt my first detail of my 08 Audi A4, Dolphin Grey Metallic paint. She has been somewhat neglected and needs some love.

I just wanted to lay out my plan of attack and get your approval before I dive in.

Step 1: Wash and Clay bar. I think I can handle this part

Step 2: I have ordered a DA 6 inch polisher with a 5 inch backing plate: Meguiars Mirror Glaze W67DA G110 DA Polisher 5 inch Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-w67da-5-inch-backing-plate.html)

I have read that Audi has "hard" paint. I am still a little nervous about diving in with the 105, so I went with the Ultimate Compound.

I ordered a 6 pack of Lake Country flat 5.5 pads: Lake Country 5 1/2 x 7/8 inch Beveled Edge Pads 6 Pack, foam pad kit, build a kit, buffing pads, curved edge pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-beveled-pad-kit.html)

2 orange, 2 white, 1 black, 1 blue.

I read a post on detailing Audis that recommending this for your deep scratches, so I got one as well, Hydro-tech Cyan:

Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8 Inch Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/hydrotech-low-profile-pads-x.html)


So my plan is to wash and clay. Then try out the UC with the orange pad on a test area and see how it goes, with the Cyan for deeper scratches as needed.

Step 3: Assuming all goes well above, then I ordered Ultimate Polish. People seemed mixed as to if this was needed, but with the harder Audi finish I figured I would. I was thinking white pad for this?

Step 4: I ordered Girots one-step sealant, for in the future when I just want to do a quick easy touch up. Plan to apply next. Black pad?

Step 5: 845 seemed to be the reasonable wax of choice. Blue pad? By hand?

Is that a reasonable plan of attack, and do I have the right tools for the job? I have a costco pack of microfiber towels ready to go.

[zmcgovern45]

So you will see this over and over, but it needs to be said again...

Start with the least aggressive method first!

Personally, I always start with something like M205 + white pad... a very neutral combo in terms of aggressiveness. After inspecting my results from this step, I can better determine if I need to just step up to a light cutting pad or if maybe I need to step up to a compound and a cutting pad.

Ultimate Compound (from what I have heard/seen) finishes down extremely well, so you may not need to finish up with Ultimate Polish if you do not see any haze, however it certainly would not hurt. Inspect the paint carefully with various types of lighting.

In this picture, you can see how the corrected side still has some haze/cloudiness to it. This is typical after heavy compounding, and must be followed up with a polish to finish down properly.
http://attentiontodetailingpeoria.com/users/166016/assets/blog_231544_1985372.jpg

Here you can see the reflections are sharp and crisp after polishing and protection.
http://attentiontodetailingpeoria.com/users/166016/assets/blog_231544_1985383.jpg


The rest of your plan seems to be in order, however I always tell people quality MF towels are worth their weight in gold. Sure it may silly to spend double or triple the cost on MF towels compared to costco (or other local suppliers), however the difference is extremely noticeable.

Good luck! Be sure to take before/during/after pics!

[mavin]

thanks for the reply, cant wait for all my stuff to come!

So would you start out with a lighter material (i.e.: polish instead of compound) or the lighter disc still with compound. I didn't buy swirlX or any of the intermediate products, guess I could.

[Evan.J]

If you wanted you could pick up Ultimate polish. If not go with the least agrresive combo you have on a test spot and see what results you get

[hernandez.art13]

Post some pictures mavin

[spiralout462]

I agree with ZMcgovern completely. Lots of quality towels will make the work much more enjoyable. Having lots of pads will also. It's nice to be able to switch to a fresh pad instead of stretching one or two as far as you can. I don't know if you have a smaller backing plate coming but I love 3" or 4" pads for the tight areas. As far as your wax application question...I would rather apply by hand but there are plenty who machine apply. I would try both and see which you prefer. As far as products go I would say UC and UP are a great start. You might be interested in adding M205 to the arsenal. It is a good all around polish. Personally I would try that before UC but your test spot will tell the tale. Good luck! Can't wait for the pics!

ps: Different sources of light are nice to be able to inspect the results.

[mavin]

Thanks for the replies! Here are some pics of my worst areas:

http://i.imgur.com/ks9IeX4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6IQ7Wfg.jpg

This was curtesy of an automatic car wash, never again...

http://i.imgur.com/anvXe7R.jpg

[Evan.J]

Those look deep can you feel them with you fingernail?

[VroomVroom]

Always starting with the least aggressive approach is the best detailing advice ever. Followed very closely by this adage: good detailing is 90% process and 10% product.

Experience also chimes in now and then. Accordingly, I'll suggest that you start with the UC and an orange pad. You can decide whether or not to bump things up on the worst areas, but this will give you some fine corrective results.

Audi's DG is a GREAT color. It'll pop in sunlight, and at dusk/dawn it turns the car into a chameleon - you'll see multiple different shades. FWIW, here's my old '08. I used M105 w/ 4" orange pads on a PC, to give you a frame of reference.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6888688691_02daa304a9_z.jpg

If it helps, I followed that with M205/white, and then Blackfire WD by hand. I didn't top with a wax, but you certainly won't go wrong if you choose to do so. Good luck and happy detailing!

[hernandez.art13]

If they are not to deep it could be fixed or blended so it's not as noticeable.

Start with the orange pad and UC and stick with that as Vroom suggested. I would just use 3M rubbing compound cos I am not familiar with the other products, but that's just me.

What is UC?

Then see what happens. Don't burn the paint though. (Cant fix that)


You'll burn it if you keep the pad at the same place for a long time or to high a speed for a long time.


Post the results so we can further assist you.

The first 2 pictures seem fixable but the 3rd might be to deep and and might be blend able only from the little I know.

[mavin]

Those look deep can you feel them with you fingernail?

I can on a few of them, not a lot but I can

[mavin]

Always starting with the least aggressive approach is the best detailing advice ever. Followed very closely by this adage: good detailing is 90% process and 10% product.

Experience also chimes in now and then. Accordingly, I'll suggest that you start with the UC and an orange pad. You can decide whether or not to bump things up on the worst areas, but this will give you some fine corrective results.

Audi's DG is a GREAT color. It'll pop in sunlight, and at dusk/dawn it turns the car into a chameleon - you'll see multiple different shades. FWIW, here's my old '08. I used M105 w/ 4" orange pads on a PC, to give you a frame of reference.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6888688691_02daa304a9_z.jpg

If it helps, I followed that with M205/white, and then Blackfire WD by hand. I didn't top with a wax, but you certainly won't go wrong if you choose to do so. Good luck and happy detailing!

Thanks! Yes, I LOVE the color, beautiful, gotta make her shine.

[hernandez.art13]

I can on a few of them, not a lot but I can

Blend those that are not as steep and while you might not be able to 100% fix it blending will do a nice job.

That Dr color chip might work for the final touch but have never tried it

[mavin]

Do you think I should order some Meg 101, Meg 105 or FG-400 before I start? Or will Ultimate Compound and a Cyan pad be enough for me?

People seem to like the Meg 101, but it only comes in a giant size which is way too much for the weekend warrior. Wish I could have ordered a sample when I placed my autogeek order!

[VroomVroom]

If I may.... use what you've got. Learn, experiment, see what works and what doesn't, and go from there. Way back when I went overboard buying products, with the end result being wasted money, and a lot of stuff on the shelf that never got used. Heck, some of that stuff is still on the shelf. :)

The beauty of this forum is that you can do an awful lot of reading before you spend money. Marry that research with your own experience, and you'll be able to make wise purchases, but the real key to this puzzle is your experience. 90% process, 10% product...