Chalfont

But we've just taken delivery of an ex-Demo 4 Month old, very low mileage Honda FR-V Mini MPV. Its the wife's car and we've had it a week and the dealership shine was begining to fade.

So I spent this morning giving it a quick wash and wax thinking its virtually a new car it won't need much work.

How wrong could I be. I looks great to the wife but I know its covered in tiny tar spots. And the shine has no depth. My Audi is 5 years old, 80K on the clock, I'm not an experienced detailer like you guys. I just wash and use my trusted MER and the A4 has a deeper shine even through its not been washed for a few weeks - Friday the big day for the A4!

Is this the because Audi use better paint, because Dolphin Grey would appear deeper than Silver or maybe because the Audi does have several applications of wax on it?

RKA

1. The Honda paint is nowhere near the quality of the paint on the A4. I've got one of each, and I'm utterly shocked at the paint they put on the Acura. Meanwhile, the paint on my friend's 99 A4 looks better (well, the areas that weren't subjected to stone chips).

2. That demo car was under the care of the dealership for 4 months. That means some careless clown earning barely more than minimum at the dealer was washing that thing 3 times a week at least. I specifically request that the dealers do NOT wash my car, because it takes me an entire day to undo the damage they will do in one car wash! Meanwhile, by my estimates, your dealer had at least 39 such opportunities.

3. Before delivery, they likely prepped the car with some sort of filler/glaze/wax product that made the paint look showroom perfect when you took possession. At the first sign of rain, that stuff will begin wearing off, and certainly by the first car wash. Then the true condition of the paint becomes apparent.

Now, while it's true that silver paint is the toughest to really *pop*, you could still take a stab at it. I bet you'll see some good results. First, wash and claybar the car to get rid of those spots. Second, you'll need a good paint polish to level that clearcoat and bring out a bright shine. You're not going to achieve this by hand, you'll need a machine polisher. Finally, coat it with your favorite wax. Layer the wax if needed over the following weeks (obviously washing before each wax).

Chalfont

Thanks. I thought it was a combination of factors. Let the work begin

phred

I say just use Liquid Glass :P

Chalfont

It needs to wait in line: A4, TR6, Spitfire, Honda - that's for sure