Mottled Effect - Sepang Blue

RAF_S7

RAF_S7

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Hi Guys,

First time poster in the detailing section, be gentle :playful:

I have a relatively new S7 which was detailed a week after purchase and had PPF applied to the front.

The detailer used Gtechneque products, including a two stage (overnight) C1/2 Crystal finish on all areas that are not PPF'ed. This was all done towards the end of September last year, and I was very pleased with the results.

I washed the car today, and noticed what I can only describe as a mottling effect on the paintwork, its not all over, but its in enough areas that when the light catches it, its pretty obvious. At least to me.

I thought at first watermarks, but it they don't appear to be polishing out (using a regular fleece) Ive not used anything substantial like a clay bar yet. I wanted to get your opinions first.

There should be two photographs at the end of the post.

My usual wash routine is:
Powerwash
Gtechneque Citrus Snow
Powerwash
Shampoo with hot water and Gtechneque G-Wash
Powerwash
Hand dry with a micro fleece
Finish with Gtechneque QD and micro fleece polish

I have used Gentecheque C2 Crystal Spray once.

Am I doing something wrong? Any recommendations on how to correct?

Cheers Guys.
Sepang 1
Sepang 1
 

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  • Sepang_2.jpg
    Sepang_2.jpg
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More importantly...where are the pics of this detailed Sepang S7...?!:sign pics:
 
DrEskimo said:
More importantly...where are the pics of this detailed Sepang S7...?!:sign pics:
Click to expand...

Actually, I don't have many :disappointed: Must take a few once de-water-spotted! Here's a few to tease for now :tongueout:

Audi S7
2015 09 22 104418
2015 09 22 104331
20151010 170220
 
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Guess that will do...for now :p

Lovely car. Had an A7 as a courtesy car a while back. Its ****** big though! Love to see how it compares to the S5. Figures look comparable but doubt that tells much of the story!

Look forward to the pics when you get a chance :)
 
DrEskimo said:
Lovely car. Had an A7 as a courtesy car a while back. Its ****** big though! Love to see how it compares to the S5. Figures look comparable but doubt that tells much of the story!
Click to expand...

The A7 I had before the S7 has the same engine as the current S5. The twin supercharged 3.0T is a fantastic engine, and delivers power as soon as you put your foot down. I made a few tweaks to it (Freeflow air intake and added an AWE Quad exhaust) and it purred until you put your foot down. I found I was running it in sport mode all the time, so fancied a change and moved to the S7. The S7 power delivery is brutal. You get the usual 1-2 second turbo lag then it just launches itself forward. Ive scared myself a few times :fearscream: Great fun though:nogarors4:
 
NewburyS7 said:
The A7 I had before the S7 has the same engine as the current S5. The twin supercharged 3.0T is a fantastic engine, and delivers power as soon as you put your foot down. I made a few tweaks to it (Freeflow air intake and added an AWE Quad exhaust) and it purred until you put your foot down. I found I was running it in sport mode all the time, so fancied a change and moved to the S7. The S7 power delivery is brutal. You get the usual 1-2 second turbo lag then it just launches itself forward. Ive scared myself a few times :fearscream: Great fun though:nogarors4:
Click to expand...

Sounds awesome! May try and persuade my dealership to give me a test drive one day... Will never be able to afford one mind..!
 
Back to the paintwork. Doesnt look like water spotting to me, but it could be, rather larege spots.

However, I would recommend pick one thats not so noticable and try and gently polish it out. I would recommend Zymol HD Cleanse or Mcguires swirl X, the latter available from Halfrauds. See if one of those removes it.
 
steeve said:
Back to the paintwork. Doesnt look like water spotting to me, but it could be, rather larege spots.

However, I would recommend pick one thats not so noticable and try and gently polish it out. I would recommend Zymol HD Cleanse or Mcguires swirl X, the latter available from Halfrauds. See if one of those removes it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Steeve, lve ordered the Q2M as suggested, but will visit Halfrauds tomorrow and grab some SwirlX and give it a go.
 
Just do one mark, that will tell you if its in the paint or on the paint. Swirl X is very mild but be careful if you go at it hard the clear coat will suffer.
If it doesnt move it I'd go back to the dealer.
Has it been parked where it could have been splashed by a chemical of some sort?

Look forward to hearing how you get on.
 
Looked in my local Halfrauds today as suggested, but they didn't carry the product you mentioned, and the Q2M hasn't arrived yet, so no dice so far.

Paid a visit to my local detailer (in Andover) who was very helpful in trying to establish exactly whats going on. Unsure at this stage if its water marks or an issue with the GTechnique coating. (Thanks Dean - if he's in here!)

A light polish with one of his final polishing compounds did not remove the "staining" so he's going to consult with one of his detailing friends and get back to me. Going back to the original detailed was discussed as an option, just not sure if its a fault in the clear coat or self inflicted at the moment.

At this stage we are thinking maybe it needs a machine polish using a fine topcoat solution.

Its not been parked anywhere unusual, so no tree/bird/chemical contamination as far as Im aware. Garaged overnight.

Cheers.
 
Hmmm..if a light polish didn't resolve it, I highly doubt the Q2M or Swirl X will...Like you say, probably a full correction on that area and then reapply the ceramic.

Is it possible the marks where there before they applied the ceramic, and now its sitting underneath the ceramic?
 
DrEskimo said:
Is it possible the marks where there before they applied the ceramic, and now its sitting underneath the ceramic?
Click to expand...

Entirely possible, but I think unlikely, car was detailed within a week of delivery. Ive washed and detailed the car a few times myself, and I only noticed the marks yesterday for the first time. As you know the Sepang Blue is a colour that just pops at you, and any imperfections are quickly highlighted in bright daylight.

Ill try the Q2M when it arrives, but may handover to my local detailer if a machine polish is recommended.
 
If you are based in Newbury you have a local detailer closer to you than Andover. :) PM me if you want the details.
 
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Q2M arrived. Does what it says on the label. Spots gone, disaster averted :relaxed:

Thanks for your input guys.:nogarors4:
 
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NewburyS7 said:
Q2M arrived. Does what it says on the label. Spots gone, disaster averted :relaxed:

Thanks for your input guys.:nogarors4:
Click to expand...

Excellent! Sounds like very impressive stuff! Will remember this if i have a similar issue!
 
Quality esp after the pro light polish didn't touch it. Has it covered it or removed you think bud happy days either way
 
Removed.

Worked on it Thursday. Sprayed on, gave it a few minutes, polished off with MF cloth. Put the car in the sun and had a long hard look, and the marks have gone.

The Q2M product is quite hard to contain in a single area - it's like water and just drops off verticals panels - helped along no doubt by the GTech ceramic topcoat. I ended up applying using a cloth.

Thinking about it more, lm in a hard water area. We've had a few days of horrible weather (like most of the country) and I'd done a few round trips of a couple 100 miles. The S7 back end gets filthy very quick, so a few times lve pressure washed the back (in the p!ssing rain) to take the muck off before putting in the garage, without drying it off first, and with the GT coating, water really beads on the flat surfaces. The mottled effect was on flat or angled surfaces. Tuesday was the first proper wash in about 3 weeks as its been too cold and or wet till then.

Time to think about a water softener l guess!

Cheers.
 
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