Orange peel paint on 2010 TT

[Smithe95]

Hello , recently gone from an A3 to TT, the Audi TT is 2010, 2.0 TFSI, s line . In black ,

My paint appears to have a orange peel effect , just wondered if this was common ? Or if there is anything I can do to fix this ? As I'm obviously after a deep shine

Cheers

 

[DrEskimo]

Hello. Very common unfortunately. I'm seeing it more and more on brand new cars these days which is a complete joke, especially ok BMW/Minis.

Getting rid of yours is a long a labour intensive job I'm afraid. You can try using an aggressive compound, but the only way to achieve 100% results imo is to wet sand the whole area, then compound, then polish.

With the amount of clear coat you are going to remove you definitely don't want to do this blind, so a paint depth gauge is a must.

Then there is the fact that you will likely reduce the life of the clear coat due to making it thinner, so will need to be prepared to pay for a respray if you plan on keeping it for a while.

Personally, I dont think it is worth it, but the results will be incredible if done right.

Audi clear coat is notoriously hard, so have a go with different levels of polish/compound and see whether you can get it to a level where you are happy?

Good luck!

 

[Smithe95]

Thankyou very much for the reply , Il probably end up leaving it to be honest, as I don't want a massive cost of getting sprayed !
Appreciate the reply

 

[DrEskimo]

As if by magic this video appears in my feed



Sounds wise to just live with it though. If you have access to a DA machine, then definitely have a go trying to refine it. The clear coat is so tough you will have a hard time doing any damage. You will more likely spend hours polishing then look and see no difference....

 

[TYphoon GB]

As above a Paint Thickness Gauge is an 'essential check' in case any repairs or previous work has been done.
I do admit I still work by eye and feel!
You should have a good 150 -200 um typically more suggests a repaint/repair and less well no space for errors.
A gentle full wet sand and machine polish process should remove around 5-10um against a clear cote of typically 50um.
If you have the 'peel' surface then its unlikely any real work has been done before.
A 1500 and 4000 wet sand and then a cut pad followed by a polish pad will deliver a reasonable finish.
It may be that a simple polish will improve the condition.
http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=945281
Took a few hours on this one.
Microfiber pads seem to work well on VAG paint used with Chemical Guys 36 and 38 compounds.
There are however tons of product options....
The aim is to improve not remove. Less is more... stop when it looks good.
Forget a DA as this will take forever. A rotary or ideally flex (even a big foot) will reduce time and effort.
Allow two days to do the whole car. Don't rush....
Detailing World has some good how too's.
If your near Winchester I can let you try some products....