Audi paint correction?

[PhantomA6]

My first post.... and with a question that I have been pondering for a while in preparation to correct it. I have a good understanding on how to correct paint, my question is, in the pictures below, can I correct these scratches or do I need to get the rear bumper repainted altogether? Especially in the first picture. In the first pic, my nail can just barely get caught in the scratch, but it definitely is not down to the primer or anything. Also, Im planning on using a Porter Cable 7424XP with the CG hex logic pads and the optical v-line compounds/polishers. If there are better suggestions on tackling this problem (better pads, compounds, etc), please send them my way. Im new to this and I rather not spend a ton of money trying to find the perfect set of products. 2012 Audi A6 pictured.

[HateSwirls]

First welcome to the site


I've seen worst and corrected worst.
Though it did require wet sanding , any experience ?

You may be unable to get them all out but you sure can make an Improvment.
First wash and clay the area, then compound the bad areas to see how much you correct using your DA.
If your happy then leave well enough alone.
Now if the scratch isn't too deep you may be able to wet sand, compound and make it less noticeable.
If you never sanded before then I don't reccomend you try.

[PhantomA6]

Thank you I am glad to be here.

Good to hear you say that, it at least tells me I have a chance. I'll definitely take your advice and just see what i come up with.

Wet sanding cant be that hard, right? I am a quick learner as long as I am taught right the first time. I'll look up how to do it but if it is that bad I most likely wont be doing it on the Audi.

Actually I plan on getting a hood form the junk yard to practice compound and polishing techniques on it, maybe a door panel as well.

[Detail_Workx]

What CG Hex logic pads and V line compound do you have?

[Dr_Pain]

If you have never wet sanded, then I would advise to stay away from it on factory clear. If it was a repaint or custom paint then I would say you are safer but not on factory paint and definitely not on a bumper.

You can correct (blend would be a better term) those defect with the PC. It will take a while and several passes and several sessions, but I doubt you will be able to make it 100% perfect considering that the clear on the bumper is pretty thin, you are dealing with a plastic surface and a nice rounded curve..... and the fact that you are able to catch the edge. The trick with blending is to try and round the sharp edge of the gouge. This restores some more natural reflection angles.

Don't forget that the more you mess with the clear, the more you are affecting its UV protection and resiliency. As Mike pointed out before, the clear on a factory paint is about the thickness of a post-it note.

[Pureshine]

Thank you I am glad to be here.

Good to hear you say that, it at least tells me I have a chance. I'll definitely take your advice and just see what i come up with.

Wet sanding cant be that hard, right? I am a quick learner as long as I am taught right the first time. I'll look up how to do it but if it is that bad I most likely wont be doing it on the Audi.

Actually I plan on getting a hood form the junk yard to practice compound and polishing techniques on it, maybe a door panel as well.

Wet sanding is not hard but doing right is another thing. If you have never done before I would practice first. Once you wet sand past the clear coat your done and will need a repaint so be carefully if you wet sand anything.

[Evan.J]

Welcome to the forum!

I will give you one thing to think bout when it come to Audi's and they paint that they have. I recently just completed a detail on a black Audi A3 and the paint was on the softer side. When I say soft that just means how it is able to finish down. After various combinations or pads and products I had to use a finishing pad with Menzerna SF4000 to get the flawless finish.

Now not all Audi's have soft paint so thats why a test spot is key. Dial in the process on the test spot and do that for the rest of the car.

As for wet sanding yes it can be difficult and dangerous if you do not have the right tool technique and knowledge. When the clear coats on modern cars now the thickness of that coat is about as thick on one piece of sticky note paper so you don't have much room for error and with out a paint thickness gauge your just guessing. When you strike though the paint there is nothing left to do but to have the area repainted so your talking about an expensive mistake.

Is this car a daily diver? If so you might be better off making the scratch less visible rather than running the risk of a mistake. One os better safe than sorry.

Here is a link to my write up A did with the Audi A3
Premier Auto Detailing by Evan: Audi A3 PPF Removal, Full Polish, Opti-Coat & Xpel PPF