Anyone Machine Polish their Audi ? If so...............

What pads and polishes do you use ? Mine is Nardo and suspect it is very soft in comparison to normal Audi paint.

 

Well my voodoo is a flat paint and its slightly softer than my previous S3 which was painted in Sepang..even though its slightly softer than other Audi metallic paints,its nowhere near as soft as any Ford/Vauxhall/Korean etc etc paint
I have used all sorts of compounds and polishing pads ...Gyeon,Flex,Quantum hex logic are good...more expensive but last longer than cheaper pads
For polishing....not correction
School concepts S40 or similar
Polishing with slight defects removal Menzerna 3800 or Menzerna 3500....
For light to medium scratches/swirls Sonax Perfect finish
For paint in really poor condition or with a deep scratch Sonax Cut Max
These are mostly the ones l have used on my own and others with cracking results
I really do rate the flex and gyeon pads thay wash up as new

 

Thanks, I should have mentioned it has no major defects, just wash marring swirls ( the spider webby stuff ), would the S40 be good for that ? What Flex pads would you use, just one or a combination (one to polish and one to finish)

 

jassyo06, this is going to sound stupid but with the flex 5" backing plate, do you go for a 5" or 6" Flex polishing pad ?

 

Thanks, that really is helpful, I have a voucher to get the Flex XCE corded, thats why I asked about the 5" backing plate and the Flex pads. A 1 step with the Schol S20 and Orange pad seems a good idea

 

I have the flex xfe mini xfe 7-12-80 polisher and the Dual action xfe 7- 15-150 and its the orange and purple flex pads you want best try a One Step paint correction compound like the Sonax perfect finish far better and easier to use and correct than with the scholl S20 .....
Sonax perfect finish and Menzerna 3500 are my go to compounds for correction and polishing...these install a lot of life back into Nerdo lol

 

Thank you.
Is the purple not a heavy cut pad ? Will that not be too much for the spider webs I have ?

 

Not much difference between either mate to be honest the Green pad is the Heavy cut pad from Flex it's a very hard pad...like in all pad ranges the difference between a polishing pad and heavy polishing pad are most of the time nominal the flex Red soft polishing pad for instance is poor and a waste of money
Good practice to all types of pads at your disposal..so l would buy 2 orange 2 purple and one green

 

I assume I need the 5" pad for the 5" backing plate Jassyo ?

 

Yes the pad polishing surface is wider the backing plate surface ie its slightly coned shaped

 

Went through the minefield of cutting / polishing - this might help from Scholl

https://www.schollconcepts.com/en/products/premium-rubbing-compounds

 

Its pretty tough for a beginner isn't it ? there are so many pads and manufacturers, the polishes, the machines and then the type of paint. Without this forum I don't know where I would have started without spending a huge amount of money on pads and polishes.

 

I'm looking for a simple setup to use once a year on mine and family's cars. I bought a Cocraft DA from Clas Ohlsen which I had to return due to a problem with it. Nice machine, but could only use 5" pads with it. Now looking at the in2detailing DA which comes with 5 & 3" backing plates to take smaller pads. I have some yellow Rupes pads, a yellow wool polishing pad, a CG Hexlogic orange pad to go with Koch Chemie H802 and some Sonax Perfect Finish.

I've tried a test spot on the rear wing/boot and the CG orange and Sonax does a decent job and finishes down nicely

 

I would go to griots website and just look at all the how to videos. You will get the basics and what pads and polish types to purchase. DA polishers are really a no brainer. Mild pressure, keep it flat, small sections with 3-4 passes and let the polish, pad and machine do the work. Once you get the "hand "of it then you can branch out with smaller pads and start using microfiber. Don't worry, you won't ruin it. Audi paint is hard even your grey primer with clear coat

 

Excuse my ignorance, but would perfect finish be too aggressive to remove light wash swirls ? I want to remove as little clearcoat as possible if any at all .

 

Nope it's a one step correction compound it cuts straight away ....the cutting particles then diminish...making way for the polishing part of the compound to do its bit...leaving a astounding finish
Try it buy a 250 ml bottle you'll be amazed and it being diminishing compound its novice proof you'll notice if you've worked it enough as it will lose all its lubrication oils and start to dust....