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I have a black Audi that's about a year old that has some pretty minor swirling thanks to a careless dealer and some other light scratches from general use. I'd like to fix it up with a DA (I've tried by hand with no luck) and also put some sealant+wax on since it's winter for like 6 months of the year here and washing/re-waxing is difficult during that time. So I'm going to buy a DA, but am unsure what pads to buy. I assume black foam will be fine for applying sealant and wax, but for actual polishing should I use orange? On such a new car, maybe I should go with a green one if orange will cut too much? Would I need to follow up an orange with a white? So many colours... I've also heard that microfiber pads work well on Audis, in which case I'm assuming I would just need a polishing pad and a finishing pad to do what I need to do.
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Nov 13, 2015 03:40
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I've honestly had good luck with Meguiars soft-buff pads. Before I looked too deeply into it or read much in this thread I learned their soft-buff pads are engineered for their ultimate series products. There are only 3 levels to make it simple - maroon is for ultimate compound, yellow for ultimate polish, and black for ultimate wax. I used the system with my da and those pads/products with tremendous results. Something to consider.
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Nov 13, 2015 05:14
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mik posted:I have a black Audi that's about a year old that has some pretty minor swirling thanks to a careless dealer and some other light scratches from general use. I'd like to fix it up with a DA (I've tried by hand with no luck) and also put some sealant+wax on since it's winter for like 6 months of the year here and washing/re-waxing is difficult during that time. Just a heads up my vw black is crazy soft, i had to use Menzerna 3800 and a white pad to get a high gloss, everything else left marring. Dunno if Audi is the same but i would think so.
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Nov 13, 2015 17:39
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:Just a heads up my vw black is crazy soft, i had to use Menzerna 3800 and a white pad to get a high gloss, everything else left marring. Dunno if Audi is the same but i would think so. In my experience, Audi paint is as soft as VW. Both polish very nicely, but do require a more gentle finishing step than a lot of cars.
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Nov 13, 2015 19:00
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EVERYWHERE 
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meatpimp posted:In my experience, Audi paint is as soft as VW. Both polish very nicely, but do require a more gentle finishing step than a lot of cars. Any experience with subaru black? I am about to do some corrective work on my sti and ive heard its "sticky" dont really know what that means though.
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Nov 13, 2015 20:56
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:Any experience with subaru black? I am about to do some corrective work on my sti and ive heard its "sticky" dont really know what that means though. I did an older WRX in the black metallic. I don't have any memory of it being anything out of the ordinary.
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Nov 13, 2015 21:32
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meatpimp posted:I did an older WRX in the black metallic. I don't have any memory of it being anything out of the ordinary. Ok, ill probably just end up finishing it with the menzerna also , i would use UC but i think it has filler wax and i plan on using a sealant after the corrective work.
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Nov 13, 2015 21:46
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My car has a clear sticker across the front portion of the bonnet (presumably to stop stone chips). It's starting to discolour so I'd like to remove it before it goes completely horrible. Any advice on how to proceed? I've read various things which make it sound like a potential nightmare. 
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Nov 23, 2015 07:59
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Has anyone here used one of those polymer coated 'clay' rags? its a microfibre rag with a rubber coating on one size. its supposedly reusable. same method as clay bar - lubricate and rub back and forth etc. i picked one up on my latest car-care spree and wondering how itll go
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Nov 23, 2015 13:52
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That's just a nanoskin mitt in rag form, right? Everything I've read about nanoskin sounds like it's great. Clay without needing to throw it away if you drop it.
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Nov 23, 2015 18:26
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I have a nanosponge and it works great as long as you keep the surface well lubed. Under-lubed I end up with nanoskin scuff marks on the surface and the beginning of the end of the sponge. I get about 12 cars out of a sponge.
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Nov 23, 2015 19:04
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dissss posted:My car has a clear sticker across the front portion of the bonnet (presumably to stop stone chips). It's starting to discolour so I'd like to remove it before it goes completely horrible. If it was a quality bra applied properly, it should just peel off once you get a corner started. Being warm (hair dryer, quick drive, parking outside in a country where summer occurs in December, etcetera) helps. It doesn't look like it's cracking from your pic, so cross your fingers it comes off easily in a whole sheet!
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Nov 23, 2015 19:18
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dissss posted:My car has a clear sticker across the front portion of the bonnet (presumably to stop stone chips). It's starting to discolour so I'd like to remove it before it goes completely horrible. I just scanned the Internets, it looks like you can correct those covers if they are of a decent make (i am assuming its similar to clear coats)
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Nov 23, 2015 23:08
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Lord of Garbagemen posted:I just scanned the Internets, it looks like you can correct those covers if they are of a decent make (i am assuming its similar to clear coats) You can do some correction on them, but they're very sensitive to heat and solvents. If you want to try to buff them go slow and make sure none of your products have petroleum distillates (or other solvents) in them
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Nov 26, 2015 17:31
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Detailing thread I need your help! I sell car parts online which i source from a friends scrap yard... Now at the min I am selling alot of wing mirrors and lights. The problem I have this that some of the mirrors are scratched on the plastic outside. This makes a £30 mirror sell for like £10... So I need to clean them up. Can I buff it out? I can't spray them as I would need more paint colors than a spray shop and that would eat the profit. I have attached a couple images trying to show the scratches. One has like a serious stone chip which I guess is terminal for that product. http://imgur.com/a/b69Xo
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Nov 27, 2015 14:42
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Stone chip is there to stay, gonna need paint. The rest you could buff from the looks of it. Due to the contour, I'd suggest wet sanding it then putting it in a vice and hitting it with some polish on the smallest pad you can get.
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Nov 27, 2015 15:07
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Cool thanks I am thinking of using the one with the stone chip as a practise! I have heard nail polish is a good stone chip cover. Is underneath so not that obvious.
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Nov 27, 2015 15:11
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Id see how the nail polish stacks up pricewise to those little touchup vials.
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Nov 27, 2015 15:16
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Suppose I do the compound/polish whatever to get rid of the swirls in the paint. How long does this last? Do they come back?
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Dec 4, 2015 18:15
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FogHelmut posted:Suppose I do the compound/polish whatever to get rid of the swirls in the paint. How long does this last? Do they come back? Refer to thread title for answer. Length of being swirl free is dependant on hope you treat the car, as well as how anal you are in your definition of swirl free. Typically a couple weeks is expected.
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Dec 4, 2015 18:20
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I've completely neglected my truck recently, and it's been almost 12 months since I've done anything above and beyond a Collinite 845 top up. I'm getting use of a garage over the christmas break so I'm planning on giving my F150 a solid detail. But it's been so long (and I was green the last time I did anything as well), so want to make sure I have everything I need and my plan will work. Inside: - deep clean carpet/fabric seats with extractor, then coat of 303 fabric guard - typical 1Z cockpit the plastic trim - Car Pro fog fight the interior glass Outside: - wash with CG Citrus - Iron-X - Clay - Meguiar's UC/UP if needed - Duragloss 501/601 combo - Collinite 845 So a few questions; - Would a coat of 105/601 between the 501/601 and 845 be overkill? Or should I scratch the Collinite and just stick with Duragloss (I use their detailer and Aquawax every few washes, and their shampoo....huge Duragloss fan over here). - Assuming I don't need much of any correction done, is an orange pad (LCC) okay to use with the Ultimate Polish? I have a yellow pad as well (for Ultimate Compound if it comes to that). - I use a white pad for the 501, and blue 105 and black for 845. Do these pad/product combinations seem right? I also have a red LCC pad and a green Buff N Shine pad, but always struggle trying to find the proper combination of pad and product.
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Dec 8, 2015 19:57
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I cannot, for the life of me, get my glass to be really really clean. Even on my newer car, I'll think I have it clean until light hits it a certain way and then I see a ton of streaks. And not just residual cleaner, just residual stuff that doesn't ever truly go away no matter how much I try and clean it. I mean, everyday people probably think it's spotless, but I KNOW THE TRUTH! It drives me batty, what is the best way to get it clean?
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Dec 8, 2015 21:55
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Linux Nazi posted:I cannot, for the life of me, get my glass to be really really clean. Even on my newer car, I'll think I have it clean until light hits it a certain way and then I see a ton of streaks. And not just residual cleaner, just residual stuff that doesn't ever truly go away no matter how much I try and clean it. Use Stoner's Invisible Glass aerosol.
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Dec 8, 2015 21:58
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meatpimp posted:Use Stoner's Invisible Glass aerosol. I saw that in the OP, of course, but do I just spray it on and wipe? I've used Sprayway in the past and it seems similar, but did a pretty terrible job. With what kind of cloth? I use microfiber for almost everything on the exterior, but with glass it doesn't see to do very good. It just streaks when it gets at all wet.
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Dec 8, 2015 22:08
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I've had some great luck with these specific towels on interior glass. http://www.kdcloth.com/products.aspx Someone on another forum pointed me in it's direction. For exterior windshield I like Duragloss rain repel. But it's pretty much just Stoner's with some light repelling action.
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Dec 8, 2015 22:42
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I just grab whatever microfiber is clean, Invisible Glass isn't picky, it just works. I hadn't looked at the OP in a long time, it's really well put together and still mostly true. Kudos ratbert90 (did you ever detail the Volvo?)
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Dec 8, 2015 22:50
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Linux Nazi posted:I cannot, for the life of me, get my glass to be really really clean. Even on my newer car, I'll think I have it clean until light hits it a certain way and then I see a ton of streaks. And not just residual cleaner, just residual stuff that doesn't ever truly go away no matter how much I try and clean it. I hate to plug an armor all product, but their glass cleaner + a clean cheap (like the Costco ones) microfiber has treated me really well. I've tried stoners and whatever else, and imho the armor all stuff is better.
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Dec 9, 2015 02:03
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I just use diluted wiper fluid with a dash of dish soap, a white kitchen sponge (the kind without abrasive compounds) and a squeegee. Spray, scrub, wipe, repeat. Don't forget to clean the seals with some cleaner and a microfiber towel. Edit: Also for extra  (window tint installation) use a (glass safe) razor and cleaning solution to scrape the window clean.
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Dec 9, 2015 03:11
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Thanks all. I'll try some of the larger microfiber towels (gotta go to costco this week anyways) and order some invisible glass. See what it does for me.
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Dec 9, 2015 03:27
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I have used IG with old flyers/newspaper. Better results than microfiber.
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Dec 9, 2015 03:30
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Linux Nazi posted:Thanks all. Dunno if it's the same problem you have, but my car's superior german adhesives (I think it's actually fresh/untouched leather that's causing it) mean I sort of have a semi-permanent hazing going on my interior glass. I clean it constantly, it looks fine in the garage/under the fluorescents, and as soon as I have the setting sun behind me it's like "Which rear end in a top hat gave that the okay and called it clean? gently caress" It's also extremely awkward as a full-size adult male to reach some of those corners on the back windshield, there just is no good way to position my body in the backseat and be able to all three at once: a) See what I'm cleaning b) Have any leverage/standard-arm-joint-agreeable-angle/access to the spot based on the way I'm turned c) Not destroy my interior while attempting to clean it So I guess this is a totally unhelpful post, but I am telling you a story about MY car and really, isn't that what the forums are about? 
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Dec 9, 2015 03:53
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For lack of effort and memory, try a triangular microfiber pad on a swivel stick. Stoner's makes one, and I'm sure others do too. Helps a lot when cleaning a windshield, especially getting into the corners.
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Dec 9, 2015 05:44
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RIP Paul Walker posted:I hate to plug an armor all product, but their glass cleaner + a clean cheap (like the Costco ones) microfiber has treated me really well. I've tried stoners and whatever else, and imho the armor all stuff is better. gently caress armor all and the horse they road in on. LessThanThree posted:I have used IG with old flyers/newspaper. Better results than microfiber. This until I die. Only in the worst of cases have I needed more and at that point I was polishing not cleaning.
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Dec 9, 2015 06:48
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Hope everyone has had a great new years, cause my car and I didn't. After emerging from my house days latter I was none to pleased to discover that some idiot fired their gun into the air and the bullet struck my car on the way down, and I 'm now left with the conundrum on how to fix this mess. Its a Mazda3 2013 in Black Mica paint, and I should also mention that it's been raining everyday since NYE.   My brother has some left over Dupli-color grey primer and their clear coat spray, he recommended I put that on at least temporarily to stop the rust from furthering, but I come here first asking for sage advice. Quixotic1 fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 16:31
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Do you not have comprehensive insurance? That's a deep enough dent that I think you need some real bodywork to deal with it properly.
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Jan 7, 2016 17:39
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IOwnCalculus posted:Do you not have comprehensive insurance? That's a deep enough dent that I think you need some real bodywork to deal with it properly. I've got comprehensive, $500 deductible though. Think the repair will be more than that?
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Jan 7, 2016 23:54
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What panel is that? Use a scratch stick and then primer/touch up to protect it for now. PDR can get the dent out, but the paint is absolutely broken, so there's no non-body-shop full fix. Depending on the location, I may do a half-assed PDR/touch-up repair instead of getting a full repair.
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Jan 8, 2016 00:42
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Quixotic1 posted:I've got comprehensive, $500 deductible though. Think the repair will be more than that? Might be, depending on the body shop. Wouldn't hurt to take it by a few and get estimates.
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Jan 8, 2016 00:46
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meatpimp posted:What panel is that? Damage is on the roof, above the driver side rear passenger.
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Jan 8, 2016 00:47
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Quixotic1 posted:Damage is on the roof, above the driver side rear passenger. Is it just the roof skin or did it damage anything underneath?
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Jan 8, 2016 02:21
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