echoplanar

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/5311/rs4-clearbra.jpg"></center><p>
bright sunlight. It is definitely noticable, but it doesn't bother me. I think it's worth having on there.

dxben

Being the insanely neurotic car owner that I am..

I am now having a case of OCD with the 3 tiny nearly invisible (but still known to me) chips. 2 are on my hood, 1 is on my fender.

Would you have them touched up and the bra installed on top of them? Or would you have the hood and fender repainted and then clear bra'd right away (by the same skilled autobody shop)?

I am probably nuts to even be asking this

20C4S

to have them repainted is not the right decision but i understand where u're coming from. i'm just as **** like u if not worse. but any repaint is not going to be as good or as strong as OE paint. u want to keep as much OE paint as possible.

touch them up. do it slowly by adding thin layers of paint til it's slightly higher than the OE paint. use fine sand paper to bring it to level then follow by polisher &amp; wax. don't try it if u don't feel comfortable with it or u might burn the paint.

looks like i'll have a roadtrip to pick up my RS4 (from SF to LA) in about a week. that's about 400 miles hwy miles without clearbra (i normally do the bra as soon as i got the car). wish me luck. i'll have the front end covered by many layers of masking tape before i leave.

dxben

My Dolphin Gray 2005.5 S4 had its hood painted and it was impossible to tell.

If it's done by a great body shop don't you think its no big deal? I thought the only time its obvious is if the paint on the rest of the car has been faded (in our case the cars are too new).

Am I wrong?

Other than resale value, which I guess would take a small hit when using a paint meter to detect the number of layers, what is the downside?

However my other question to you is about the touchup. If I have the body shop do the touchup, I can understand the part about adding the paint. But how do you get the clearcoat back on that one spot?

20C4S

well, as i stated, the paint at ur bodyshop will not be as nearly as strong as the paint from factory. u'll notice it's easier to get chipped as well. i don't care much about resale value but realistically i want as much OE paint on the car as possible. to me that's the best paint. repainting the panels because of 3 minor chips is nuts imo. best of luck on whatever u decide to do. wish me luck not getting any chip before i put the bra on too.

if u say the chip is very minor then u don't need to bother with the clearcoat. since u'll clearbra the area, after the bra u won't be able to see it since the clearbra is glossy.

dxben

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/109382/rs4wrappedfront.t.jpg"></center><p>You said that the paint will not be as strong as from the factory. What if I order the paint from Audi, doesn't that take care of that problem?

Or do you mean the painting application process will not result in as strong of a surface even when using the same paint?

I also think that if I am going to repaint the panels and cover it with clear bra, does it matter if the paint is not as strong? I mean that is what the clear bra is for right?

As far as your last idea, that makes sense. I guess if I touched up the paint properly (let them do it) and then covered it with 3M, it should be impossible to find those 3 chips as you said, since the 3M has a clear coat on it.

About your situation I wish you the best of luck but let me comfort you. I drove my RS4 home by covering it with the white delivery tape from 3 Q7s on the dealer's lot (with their permission).

I had no problems at all. I think you'll be fine.

20C4S

i'll take loads masking tape with me. apply them before i hit the road.

for ur question, first of all u won't be able to order the paint from Audi. ur bodyshop will not do that. audi dealers don't sell paint as well. paint(at ur bodyshop) is mixed by the computer at the bodyshop using ur paint code then confirmed again by the painter's eyes. u can find out which brand of paint ur bodyshop use but u can't get it from Audi dealer since color matching is done on the site not OE dealer. u're right on the process. local bodyshop certainly doesn't bake the paint like OE. i've talk to many bodyshops(i'm in the auto business so they consider i'm a friend not customer) &amp; they told me the same thing. while ones' paint quality could be the same or better than OE paint but it's impossible to match the durability of the OE paint. it's both the formula of the paint &amp; the process that can not be reproduced.

on the side note, once u repaint the car u need to wait for the fresh paint to be fully cured before u do the clearbra. the time can be as short as weeks to as long as months depends how the bodyshop bake the paint &amp; weather condition etc... i've seen clearbra jobs turn in to horror where the fresh clearcoat peel right off along with the bra during install. even everything is ok during install the clearcoat(or paint) will come off with the bra if later u need to replace it. unless u don't drive the car for weeks otherwise u'll get more chips during the time u wait. trust me, it'll turn into a big mess.

Campbell_2.7T

I'm considering having the same process (respray, then clearbra) done on my (very) badly chipped ming blue 2.7T. Since you seem to know a lot about paint and process, what would you consider to be a good paint brand to look for when choosing a bodyshop? How long after respray until I can cover it in clearbra? (we're currently having 100 degree days down here in the Bay Area)

20C4S

Campbell,
i'm no where near a pro but here's my insight.

there're many well known paint brands out there such as Glasurit, Sikkens, PPG, Dupont etc. i personally don't think the brand makes big difference as long as u stay within those brand &amp; a good bodyshop. the painter is often the key behind the job since he's the one who will be mixing the paint &amp; shoot it on the parts. an experienced painter is hard to find but u can't go wrong with a good bodyshop. reputation is most important for everything. i'd rather give u some bodyshop suggestion than going into detail on the process of painting. a good bodyshop will know what they're doing. i'll hit u back with few names tomorrow after i ask my SF friend.

normally i'd say 4 weeks is good enough for the paint to cure properly. problem is if u drive the car within this time frame u will get chips again for sure. so if u want to done right u might be without the car for awhile.

dxben

I know a local guy near me in NY that does custom painting on panels. He bakes the panels after powder coating them or clear coating. He uses a variety of paints for different effects (he mostly does customization work, not repair).

So are you sure that body shops don't bake?

I guess then if this is true I'm better off touching up those spots.