afouralex

I got my B8 A4 less than three months ago and my brilliant black paint job is less than brilliant...this is my first black car and while I expected it to require more upkeep, I'm pretty annoyed that there are swirls ALL OVER the paint.

I'm guessing many run into this problem with black cars and coming from the instant gratification of washing a silver car, I want to know how I can get the original shine back and get rid of the swirls.

If my question can be answered with a simple forum search, please let me know what to look up.

I'm assuming I need to wax it? I'm pretty much clueless on this one...I don't mind the extra work just want to be using the right products. Thanks!

Audi Junkie

Skip any other otc "polish" esp that Turtle Wax ****. After you think your paint is polished, try a wax w/o abrasives. imo Mother's Cleaner Carnuba is almost zero abrasives, rock hard to use tho. Another one to try and probablly the only product I mentioned popular here is Meg's #26, which is zero abrasive. If you want to get into pro type products, Klasse AOI might get you started off.

Remember, these guys here are hardcore and use no otc products at all. I just want to get you started off with things that are easy to find and won't do more harm than good. Another point is that temp of your paint is important, be very carefull working on it if warmed.

I do all hand work on my cars, no buffers. Use a little water to buff with. A black marker is good for touch up, better than a blob of paint.


I'm editing because I see your car is new. Skip the "Paint Cleaner" strait to a mild cleaner wax like Meg's "Cleaner Carnuba" or the same in Mother's if you have strong arms. I have been using a LOT of Mother's SynWax recently. SUPER Easy and SUPER nice finish and probally the perfect lite cleaning you need. Another good pro grade wax popular here is Einzett 1Z Glanz. Very very durable and pretty easy to use. Put it on after a light cleaner-ing. imo, look for the SynWax, very easy to get your car looking good and then go ahead with fancy-boy products later on.

Here is my BB Avant, a very old pic.

<a href="http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/mycars/?action=view¤t=newava2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/mycars/newava2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


<a href="http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/mycars/?action=view¤t=Img_0133.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/mycars/Img_0133.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

heateris

if you really want to remove the swirls, you'll need to use polish with a mild "cut"(abrasives), followed by a sealant and/or wax. also the proper tools will help reduce the forming swirls.

search swirl removal, paint correction, detailing tips, etc. check out the detailing forums on AZ, vw vortex, detailing world, autogeek, autopia, etc. you'll find tons of good info and guides. good luck

roadyTT

Brilliant black is a fantastic color when you maintain it properly. And while waxing is a necessary step, it's not going to come anywhere close to resolving the issues you're having.

Believe me when I say it will continue to get worse unless you modify your wash habits so that you have the least amount of impact upon your finish while keeping it clean.

I suggest you start reading down a few posts and get an understanding for what some here do to keep their vehicles looking their best. There are even some professionals in the house who post their finished products, usually looking fantastic.

Good luck to you!

Bendquattro

Call Phil at Detailers Domain (see post below) and he will hook you up.

S4 SOM

my 2002 S4 is still standing out in a parking lot, next to other black car mine is brilliant, no doubt about it.

I used the PC 7424 dual action random orbit polisher ($100@Lowes). Make sure you get the appropriate pads for the task (IP/FP/wax) It's easy to use and almost error proof, even a n00b will get amazing results.

I like the Menzerna products like intensive polish, final polish, then I finish with a carnuba wax (One Grand Blitz wax) and / or sealant like FMJ.

after a wash, always dry the car in a shady area using microfiber towels (big blue).

read &amp; search this forum, you will learn a lot about detailing and how to care for your AUDI.

RKA

It's great to suggest things to get locally, but if they simply mask the problem, he's wasted his time and he'll be back at it again next weekend.

IMHO, he's got to do two things before we talk about wax.

1. Figure out what he's doing wrong that's resulting in the swirls. Any attempt to fix the damage will only be undone at the next car wash.

2. Figure out how to polish (level) out the existing swirls. He can rub the paint until his arm falls off, but he'll have a hard time duplicating what a machine and a good (abrasive) polish can do.

Everything above is 95% of the issue at hand and the effort. The wax/LSP is a no brainer.

To address #1, search for washing and drying techniques. There are different levels of OCD for each, depending on your relative level of patience. I'll say this...black is a PITA. Look at it wrong and it swirls all by itself. So the more OCD you have, the better the paint will remain until the next scheduled polish.

#2 involves purchasing a machine and polishes. If he doesn't want to go that far, he should pay someone qualified to do the job, or resign himself to OTC products on a weekly basis that will hide the offending faults. Half of the discussion on this forum revolves around polishing paint, but as stated, call Phil and he'll set up a starter package.

As for the implication that products are "pro" because their are not available OTC, that's silly. I don't know what a "pro" product is supposed to be. People here seek the best possible product suited to a task. Whether it's available locally or not is irrelevant to most of us.

Audi Junkie

I manage to keep my cars just fine w/o a buffer or mail-order magic beans.

afouralex

thanks for all the help, looks like I've got some research to do!

detailersdomain

LMK how we can assist you and congats!