# Hard Audi Paint - Advice Please!



## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

Hi guys

I’m after a bit of advice I hope you can help me with…

I’ve been detailing for the last two years or so but I have decided to take the next step and go for machine polishing! I’m currently reading through the forum and trying to decide what type of machine I need (DA or Rotary), Brand (Meg, CLC etc) and which polish’s and pads. The post’s and guide’s by Dave KG are proving very insightful! 

I have a few concerns:

My car is an 2006 light silver Audi A3 and I’ve read on various forums that Audi paints can be extremely hard and can take very aggressive pads/polish to get even slight correction? With this is mind what would you recommend? I think it might be best to go down the DA route rather than the rotary as I’m all new to this, but maybe I need the power of a rotary to get it working on my hard paint? What do you think?

Also, what are the best polish/pads to go for? I don’t want to buy a kit from CYC and then the pads/polish that come with it don’t have enough cut to sort out the hard paint? I’ve seen the CLC DAS-6 which looks great, but I’m not sure which kit would be best for me and my hard paint? It seems the Menzerna range of polish/pads works better on hard paints?

The paint on the car is not that bad, just light swirls, and a few light scratches. I’m just after a nice polished look and to correct to around 80-90%. I know as it’s a light coloured car I won’t get much reflection etc.

Maybe I’m getting hung up on the ‘hard paint’ issue, it’s just that I don’t want to spend all that money and then not get the result I’m looking for. Any advice greatly received!

Thanks
Matt :thumb:


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## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

I did the missus silver tt with a das 6 using menz intensive polish, 5" orange menz pads and 4" sonus yellow pads. refined the finish with menz 106, lc 6" polish pad/ 4" sonus polish pad (white).
For pics check out pistonheads next week

Simon


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## richard_h (Jul 26, 2009)

Hi 
I have a Golf mk5 and went for the DAS-6 Dual Action Polisher - Menzerna Kit from CYC

this was after giving tim a call and telling him what car i had 

Rich


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

My advice is not to get hung up on it being hard paint - you cannot possibly assume what the paint is like before you actually start polishinhg it and seeing what works and what doesn't so my advice would be not to worry overly about this for the time being.

The key to getting started in machine polishing is to set yourself up with a flexible pair of polishes and some pads to get you started and you can build up from there as/if required... I would recommend a couple of polishing and a couple of finishing pads as a starter, and a light cutting finishing polish and a medium cutting correction polish. As an example:

Sonus SFX-2 polishing pad
Sonus SFX-3 finishing pad
Menzerna PO106FA Final Finish light cut finishing polish
Menzerna PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish mediunm cut correction polish

Always start with the least aggressive combo first and work up until you have the desired correction... I read too often people jumping to heavy compounds and cutting pads when in actual fact honing of the technique will deliver the correction with far less aggressive combos and far less longterm damage to the paintwork. The key to correction is to hone your technique, take your time and dont rush the process - small work areas at a time of 1' square, and work the polish with medium pressure until the residue goes clear, and expect this to take a good four or five minutes per section. Spend some time working on your technique and watch as your correction and finish improves as you practice.

Only if you need to, and I mean really really need to, step up to a more aggressive cutting compound such as Power Gloss on a cutting pad.


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## richard_h (Jul 26, 2009)

Hi Dave
Quick question 

i have the been finishing with the Menzerna Finishing Pad and the final finish from the kit i got but i also have the SFX-3 (this was given to put on PB BH) would i get a better finish with the SXF-3 with the finish its very soft when you look at it and the menzerna finishing pad

Cheers
Rich


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## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

Dave KG said:


> My advice is not to get hung up on it being hard paint - you cannot possibly assume what the paint is like before you actually start polishinhg it and seeing what works and what doesn't so my advice would be not to worry overly about this for the time being.
> 
> The key to getting started in machine polishing is to set yourself up with a flexible pair of polishes and some pads to get you started and you can build up from there as/if required... I would recommend a couple of polishing and a couple of finishing pads as a starter, and a light cutting finishing polish and a medium cutting correction polish. As an example:
> 
> ...


Thanks Dave, thats great. Just one last question, do you think I should stick with DA , or go for the rotary? I've asked Tim from CYC and he thinks DA should be fine? What do you think?

ATM, I think DA may be safe, but might not cut it and I might out grow it quite quickly. Also, it seems rotarys are cheeper as well which is always good!

Thanks again :thumb:


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## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

Sorry guys, forgot to ask. Will 250ml of each polish be enough for all the car, or do I need the 1L ones?

Thanks


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## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

How does this look guys?


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Good list of products there, you may want to consider adding an SFX-3 finishing pad to the list as well...

The DA will be fine - it will take longer to achieve correction, but it siwll get there, you just need patience with them on harder paint finishes.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

richard_h said:


> Hi Dave
> Quick question
> 
> i have the been finishing with the Menzerna Finishing Pad and the final finish from the kit i got but i also have the SFX-3 (this was given to put on PB BH) would i get a better finish with the SXF-3 with the finish its very soft when you look at it and the menzerna finishing pad
> ...


Its unlikely you'd notice the difference between SFX-3 and a Final Finish from Menzerna - the end result in terms of finish clarity actually seems to depend a lot less on cut of the polish than you may think, its all how the abrasives break down or cut, and the Menzerna polishes break down and finish down very well indeed - unbeaten thus far on a DA as far as I have seen.


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## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

Great, thanks Dave. Just one last thing before I press buy! Will the 250ml bottles be enough to do one car? Thanks :buffer:


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

250ml will do a lot of cars


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## MF-Racing (Mar 3, 2008)

Cheers guys, order on the way!


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

I am still using most of my 250ml Menz bottles over a year later :thumb:


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