Advise on final Polish for Audi Clear Coat

Looking for some help.

I just can’t get this 2006 Audi A8 to jewel beyond Zaino PC swirl mark remover. I understand the Audi clear coat is rather hard as I got the best initial results with a ‘more aggressive’ pad with the initial polishes. While I was able to remove the majority of flaws with Menz Power Gloss on a Meg red cutting pad and followed up with Zaino PC swirl mark remover on a LC Orange pad, the results were good, but I was looking to get some additional bling.

I’ve parse out a few test sections of the hood to help me decide the best final polishing steps. Despite the additional polishing combinations with some of the best polishes form Menz and 3M, I can not see any difference it the gloss or clarity of the following steps.

All polishing is being done with a Porter Cable DA

Section close to windshield:
1-Men SIP on Meg Red cutting pad
2-Men 106FF on Green LC CCS pad
3- 3M Ultra Fina on White LC CCS pad

Center section:
1-Men SIP on Meg Red cutting pad
2-Men 106FF on Green LC CCS pad
2-Another pass with Men 106FF on WHITE LC CCS pad
3-3M Ultra Fina on Meg White Finishing pad





I’m miffed by why the gloss isn’t noticeable enhanced by these additional steps.

Any advice is welcomed.


Cheers,

CG

 

1z makes an awesome finishing polish...great for jewling

 

Ultrafina should jewel it. Try men po85rd

 

I don't think you are going to see a difference in a taped area on a flat panel. The difference will be more noticable if you did half a hood and fender with one combo, and the other half of hood and other fender with another.

If you want the ultimate in gloss, a rotary is the way to go.

 

:agree::ditto::righton:

 

Considering the vehicle is a dark colour vehicle you should be seeing the difference. As o DA vs Rotary being better at providing more gloss, well it could be. The other thing to consider is that the clear coat on most Audis is hard so it could be that the PC is just not cutting it on such a hard clear coat...just a thought though :shrug:

Your combos don't look too bad, they should be delivering results but like I said maybe the PC is just not giving you that extra umph that your after I know that with my Metabo and when it comes to "jeweling" I can totally see the difference, most of the time I use 85RD to "jewell" and the difference is quite impressive.

Well not sure if this helps but just my :2cents:

 

Which 1Z product are you refering to? Also, do you believe they would be better than Menzerna's 106ff or 3M's Ultra Fina?

 

Your problem isn't the product, its the machine. There are limitations associated with a PC. You just wont get the same finish as you would with a rotary. Try a rotary with a black or blue pad and 106FF or 85RD and I'm sure you will see a difference. Using a black or blue pad at 1500 rpm will be very safe as there is virtually no mechanical action to speak of so you don't have to worry about burning the paint.

 

Carlos,

I agree with you that a dark color like this (oyster grey) should show noticable improvements from an ultra polishing. I don't have a rotary to make a direct comparison, but I've always achieved nice results with the PC. I know many detailers on this board also rely on thier PC.

Am I missing something here? Technique? I think the combinations I'm using are proven products and well documented on DB as well.

I was thinking about a flex obital would that make the difference, or do I need to go to a rotary to get enough heat to achieve the high gloss i'm after?

Still surprised these polishes don't show some improvement....

 

Maybe you are just expecting too much?

IMO, if you have a PC already, getting a Flex would be sorta pointless, you can pick up a Makita rotary for under $200.

If the thought of using a rotary is intimidating, start off using a finishing pad and polish, and keep the speeds under 1200 rpm. I just used my Makita for the first time today (first rotary use ever), and the difference in gloss vs. a PC was very noticable, even on silver.

 

OK, more votes for a rotary. Any local detailers (Los Angeles - SFV area) willing to do a test on my car so we can compare before i jump into the rotary club (grin).

Which rotary do you guys reccomend, metabo, flex or dewalt? I would prefer something lightweight and easy to work with, as I'm new to the rotary?

 

You also have to remember that jeweling a finish takes time. I have been able to play with a couple of dots of 85RD for 2-3 minutes at 1200-1500 rpm. As bigpoppa said, start with a finishing pad and polish until you get the hang of it. I will more often than not run my rotary at 1000-1200rpm when using Menz PG or SIP and they both work fine at lower rpms. In fact, unless your paint is completely pooched, there really isn't a reason to run higher than that. Happiness is never having to say you're sorry. As far as rotaries go, I use a Makita. I believe they are lighter than the Metabo and Dewalt.

 

911,

Thanks for the tips on the rotary. Slow and easy, I get it.

I see you posted earlier that jewelling is possible with a PC with the proper time taken. Do you still believe that? If so, what technique are you suggeting?

Thanks.

 

I do believe you can do it, but I believe that you will get faster results with a rotary. When you take into consideration that after an SUV has been polished, once around with 85RD and a black CCS pad will take me 2-3 hours to get the shine I like and a PC will typically take at least 3-4 times as long to get the same result, you can see why I'm pushing you towards a rotary. If you have a few days, I will do a test with my rotary and my pc and post the results for you. I have a charcoal grey Passat I can test on. I've used my PC with 106FF and been impressed but honestly, I've never used it for jeweling. Lets see what happens, shall we?:thumb:

 

Thanks and will gladly wait to see your results. THANK YOU!

 

yes u will see a huge diff. when using a rotary..its really not to bad ...finishing polishing is the easy way to learn

 

To be honest I don't think your missing something, I think it comes down to the power of the PC. I for one have used the products you're using and I've had great success with them, so I don't think it's the polish.

The rotary can be a bit intimidating but really it's no different then the PC, slow steady movement and pay close, close attention. I found my self getting bored while using the PC and my eyes would wonder all over the place..with the rotary you can't do that.

I'm with you though, the combos your trying should be delivering something...but it may have to do with the clear coat though

 

Excellent advise. Menz was formulated for prof rotary use on a production line, a PC is not an ideal compromise

 

why not just grab a rotary.. i don't know what your talking about with soo many detailers using PC's.. they use them for maintenance but for correction of any kind they use the rotary.. actually i don't know many pro detailer's who use a PC kind of pointless.. the rotary does the work much faster and with much better results.. the PC is for the weekend hobby guy who is afraid of using a rotary.. a rotary is very easy to use as long as you pay attention and practice. all the awesome results you have seen on here is from the prep by a rotary and mostly 85rd.

now i have never used a pc but my buddy swore by it until i showed him my work on my car with a rotary and his jaw dropped!!! he had no idea there was a large difference gained with a rotary.