PJH

Accepted delivery of a 2001 S4 on Dec. 1st. Have begun to see a fogging under the clear coat of the silver paint on several areas of the vehicle. It is dull grey in appearance. Has anyone had this problem with the silver paint? Another problem exists with the bumpers. Both front and rear bumpers have a tea colored stain. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Žob

Just get a hair dryer and heat the area it looks foggy. It will disappear

PJH

Dealer has already done this with heat gun - problem still exists. Audi rep will be looking at vehicle early this week. Is this common with silver paint, what is the cause and for how long has Audi been aware of this problem?

RKA

I think they are left behind from the plastic wrap they use on the car. Anyway, whatever their cause, they need about 2-3 weeks, and they will go away all by themselves. Don't worry about those.

I would have agreed about the fogging, but since you tried the hair dryer already, I don't know. Try using some 3M Imperial Hand Glaze on the paint. Then inspect it carefully. If it's gone, then you're fine, just follow up with a good wax (Mother's, Blitz, etc.). People here seem to love Blitz.

The reason I mention trying alternatives, is because you don't want them repainting the car for no good reason. It's very hard to repaint a car and get it to look as good as the factory paint.

Žob

The cosmoline they put on the car in shipment sometimes gets water in between that and the paint. I used a hair dryer on mine and it went away. Yours probably will with time as well. I'm assuming it's just a spot or two? I had one small spot on my car

PJH

This post is a more detaied explanation than the one I posted earlier this mornng to this group pertaining to the trouble I am having with my new 2001 S4 with silver paint. There are several grey spots under the clear coat on the drivers door, and rear door on the same side. I also have tea colored stains on both front and rear bumpers. The drivers door has an area about 8"x 2" wide along the moulding and a couple more much smaller in size. Rear door has an area of haze occupying most of the area above the moulding. Another small spot on left rear fender and right c pillar. The vehicle had been at the dealership from Dec.5th through Dec.16th to repair a couple of scratches on the doors and a defective battery. A few days later when the car was home, I noticed some areas of grey cloudiness under the clear coat. I notified the dealer about this and made an appointment for Jan. 3rd. Went back to the dealership on the 3rd for the paint problem a bad window switch and for a defective moulding on drivers door. I was told that the car was ready on Jan.12th. Not only was the paint problem not corrected, they attempted to clean the stains off the front and rear bumpers and left scratches all over both bumpers. Stains are gone but now they are replaced by scratches. It appears they used some type of abrasive to clean them. A rep from Audi is going to look at the vehicle early this week. I am disgusted with this service and do not want these clowns doing anything else to the car. At this stage the vehicle looks worse than it did originally. I only have around 850 miles on this car. I have owned this car since Dec.1st after waiting 5 months for it and it has spent most of it's days at the dealership. What course of action would this group recommend in dealing with the Audi factory representative this week? If this car must be repainted, would there be a significant loss of market value not having the factory paint finish? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. (note: heat gun trick was used by dealer to remove cloudiness under clear coat - some spots disappeared but the majority still are present) I would like to thank the other individuals who responded to my initial posting.

nick n

Mother's Clay Bar -> 3M imperial hand glaze-> Your choice of wax.

nick n

The claybar (kit) will solve the problems. Read the directions very carefully and use lots of the spray (come with kit) as a moisturiser. You will have to work. It will be messy. Primary key is the moisturiser.

3M IHG kicks ***. It will cover up some scratches and bring back the luster. Good wax will also enhance the luster. I use malco for my hard wax and zymol in between. When you finish, spray off the car and towel it.

The towel I use is called "Aquis Hair Towel". I picked it up at "Bed Bath & Beyond". Get the tan one with the waffle pattern. It comes in a plstic package with a model on the front.

My friend (runs a detail shoppe) claims that it's the best drying towel. He is right. It will not stip wax or leave ANY scrathces, esp those seen under street or flourescent lighting in the clearcoat.