HELP!!! Water / Acid Rain Etching: New Black Audi!!!

**pparrett** · 03-25-2011, 04:22 PM

Any help would really be appreciated here, I'm kinda freaking out that my new ride is toast.

It rained in the early morning and then was hot sunshine all day. I was near a tree and I think that some of the sap/fallout from the leaves may have mixed with the rain and sat on the paint all day. I got it home and washed and the mineral deposits came off. There is no effect on any of the glass, but there are rings or spots etched into the clear coat on the hood, roof, and trunk. I can't feel them at all (fingernail) but I can see them clearly under garage lights. I've tried this so far on my Porter DA with about 4-5 passes each medium pressure alternating directions each pass:

Prep:
1. Washed
2. Quick Detailer and Dry
3. Diluted Vinegar and DI water: No change

Correction:
1. Menzerna Final Finish w/ Light Green CCS Polishing Pad: No Change
2. Menzerna Intensive Polish w/ White Polishing Pad: Removed the few very light swirls I had! But no change to spots.
3. Meg's Ultimate Compound w/ Orange Light Cutting Pad: Small amount of change but still there
4. Another 6-7 Passes with UC: Starting to remove the spots. I have to get get them into the reflection of the florescent garage lights to see them but they are still clearly there.

I curious how much polishing I can do with the UC before I risk getting through the clear coat? The car is brand new and never been polished before. If I take it to a body shop, would they let me use their PTG?

Is this abnormal for just one day of rain and sun??? Is there possibility that the paint is defective? It was sealed with CG Jetseal109 and Pinnacle Sovereign about a month ago. I'll take some pictures and post them in an hour when I get home.

I'd appreciate any advice!!!

Thanks

**Kristopher1129** · 03-25-2011, 04:34 PM

Pictures help us give you a remedy.

Water spots have different levels of difficulty when it comes to removal. Take some up close shots for us.

**pparrett** · 03-25-2011, 04:41 PM

Will do. I'll bust out the macro lens as soon as I get home.

**Kristopher1129** · 03-25-2011, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by pparrett

Will do. I'll bust out the macro lens as soon as I get home.

Now we're talkin, ha.

**Old Tiger** · 03-25-2011, 04:53 PM

I dont think one rain would do it. I bought a SAAB convertible a few years ago that had it from sitting on the lot for a few months. I had to get it wet sanded. Try the new Megs DA MF system before worrying too much. I am not a Jet Seal fan. After you fix it, try Opti-Coat 2.0 or CQuartz to prevent recurrence. Just my $.02 FWIW.

**AeroCleanse** · 03-25-2011, 04:53 PM

I didn't see you mention clay in what you tried.

**Old Tiger** · 03-25-2011, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by AeroCleanse

I didn't see you mention clay in what you tried.

Dang I missed that! Good catch!

**pparrett** · 03-27-2011, 01:07 PM

Yes I used claybar before any polishing.

Here are a few pictures of the damage. I took it to the dealer this weekend and they were very helpful. They agreed that a single rain should not effect the clear coat this way. They asked that I bring it back this week when the service department is open. I hope they can fix it. I'll keep everyone posted on the correction process.

**A4 1.8tqm** · 03-27-2011, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by pparrett

I took it to the dealer this weekend and they were very helpful. They agreed that a single rain should not effect the clear coat this way. They asked that I bring it back this week when the service department is open. I hope they can fix it. I'll keep everyone posted on the correction process.

NOOO! Your lucky the service dept. was closed, Don't take it to them! Unless they have an outstanding reputation for having a "real detailer" in the shop, otherwise it will be some dope with a rotary and a compound, he will
1- leave holograms
2- give nonuniform material removal
3- hide the defects he causes with a glaze
4- something else negative.

I think Jetseal doesn't have the best durability, if I recall correctly. Souveran is a show wax with very little durability. I would bet that after a month, most of your sealant/wax was gone which is why those water spots are so bad. Your Audi clear is very hard, so that's why its hard to correct. Don't worry too much about polishing off all your clear, yes it's very thin but those etchings are VERY shallow. All of those polishing passes didn't make it past the etching, your good.

My advice is to do this yourself. Maybe try an AIO like XMT 360 (I could send you a sample), the cleaners along with the light abrasives may help. But you will be able to get it done with the polishes you have. Once you get it all cleaned up, get a different sealant like Wolfgang DGPS, DP or Menz and a wax like Collinite 845 or Autoglym HD Wax. These are much more durable and will protect your finish much better.

**Kristopher1129** · 03-27-2011, 02:15 PM

I agree with the above poster. If you take it to the dealerhip, they will most likely do something wrong. They will probably take the most aggressive approach, and leave you with compound swirls.

A light polish should be able to clean those up no problem. Something like 205, even on an LC white pad would clean that up nicely. Those are very thin water spots.

I also agree with the poster above that you would be better off tackling this yourself.