# 1st time G220 user with Menz 3.02 on blue Audi A8 163k - Still some swirls



## oli18 (Dec 11, 2007)

Hi Guys,

It's sundya morning and my mate and i just spent all of yesterday trying out our new G220 on my car, a Blue Audi A8 which has 163k on the clock. This car was one of the most swirly cars i've ever seen and i've been reading the forums quite a bit. It was bad.

To let you know what we've done so far...

We snowfoamed the car
Rinsed,
washed using 2 bucket method and CG citrus shampoo
dried
clayed like crazy
washed again with CG citrus shampoo
then dried again
Then we used the G220 with Intensive Polish on the whole car and that is the stage we got to so far.

We just had a question which concerns the swirls. We used a G220 with Menz 3.02 with the Menz compounding pad as found here after reading how hard people have found the Audi paint.

It has improved massively but we are still seeing some light swirls. This car has done just over 163k miles so we're not sure whether we ought to accept that perfection will be tough to achieve considering this or whether our technique/materials used should be adjusted.

Would it be wise to use a filler for the remaining swirls like AG SRP?!

We thought we'd ask the question now before going over it all again with the menz final finish 106 and then adding the 1st layer of collinite on.

Your wisdom is much appriciated.

-Oli

PS - proper write-up with pics to follow.


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Being a new member from what I have learnt you should use the least most aggressive pad and polish. Reason behind this is that it is easier to put swirls and scratches in the paint from inexperience with a PC than take them out completely. 

AG SRP will only hide the swirl marks as it has various fillers. If you find that the compound you used hasn't got them all out try a second pass first then move to either a stronger pad or polish.


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## Jim (Jan 19, 2008)

Sounds as though we could be in a similar position as I'm also new to the G220, am using the same pad/polish combo as you and am finding that it's not taking all of the scratching out of a Renault that I'm working on at the mo.

I've more or less arrived at the conclusion that I'm running at the limit of what can be achieved with the machine/pad/polish vs. the defects in this particular car's paint (which seems b'stard hard to me!).

Short of 'hitting' the area repeatedly (which does work - although very slowly), I think your only real option is likely to be in stepping up to a more aggressive polish, which is something that I've decided to shy away from with mine.


ed. have a look at the sticky in the guides section on the slow-cut technique too


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

those pads are VERY aggressive. I know as I have them and pretty much removed major scratches from an Audi panel using only the compound pad and 3.02.

You MIGHT be leaving marks and marring using them with the DA. I know when I used them for that situation, they needed following up with a lighter pad and polish to get rid of the marks left behind by the pad. This might be your problem. When used correctly the orange Menz polishing pad is very effective and doesnt leave any marring/swirls - did you try this for a couple of passes? I havent ever needed to use anything more than that for normal swirl removal, even on the Audi panels I have.

The other thing is technique. The first few times i used the UDM I was hopeless, and it took some time to realise how to make it work eg slow (1"/sec) movement, heavy pressure (pad spin at 1 rev/sec and that is HARD with those pads!) and also doing enough passes (like 10-12 total passes) to ensure the polish breaks down and refines the final finish. You also need to get the amount of polish just right, so it doesnt dry out too quick or the opposite, and never break down. I found 3-4 pea sized blobs for the Menz was OK, but the Megs stuff like a line around the circumference of the pad. It took a good bit of experimenting to work out the best technique for the various cars I did initially and also different polishes I had.

It may just simply be that you need more than one hit to get the results you are looking for. If your Audi paint is hard or the marks are deep it will take lots of time to get a decent finish. One of my cars has single stage paint which is hard, and some deeper marks, and the UDM just isnt removing them with ANYTHING  

Keep trying and let us know exactly what technique you have been using etc.


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## JonnyG (Apr 16, 2006)

The best way to find out what can be achieved is to do a bit of trial and error on a small area of your paintwork so that you can get a good technique sorted as Bigpikle says above. 

Use the least aggressive polish first and see how you get on, and how many passes you need to remove all the swirls. Move to a more aggressive polish if you need to.

Make sure you continue polishing for a long time so that the polish fully breaks down. To give you an idea, it took me two hours on my bonnet alone with a PC and Menz 3.02 to completely remove dealer inflicted swirls on VW paint.

Once you have found out what works best on the test area, you can then use the same technique on the whole car 

PS Is there the possibility the car has been resprayed at some stage at all or part resprayed ? If so, you may have new clear coat over old and the swirls may be in the old paintwork and impossible to remove


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Its all about technique and how you handle the machine - it ain't as easy as some people are made to believe it to be.:buffer: 

As a newbie, make sure you use the least abrasive polish/pad and then work your way up until you find the combo that works the best for you. It may actually take a few hits for the perfect correction or a correction that you are happy with. Always make sure you work small areas 12" x 12" or 18" x 18" is a good start and make sure you don't apply too much polish (four pea-sized blobs on the N-E-S-W points on the pad should suffice). Work the polish until it is virtually transparent and there is a very thin oily base remaining and then buff off with a clean microfibre.

As an aside - I have had many people ask why they should hire a prodetailer instead of buying a machine and doing it themselves. I think this thread answers their question - it ain't as simple as buying a machine and getting perfect results.

Cheers - Hotwaxxx:thumb:


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## Black 125 (Mar 5, 2007)

hotwaxxx said:


> As an aside - I have had many people ask why they should hire a prodetailer instead of buying a machine and doing it themselves. I think this thread answers their question - it ain't as simple as buying a machine and getting perfect results.
> 
> Cheers - Hotwaxxx:thumb:


Agreed :thumb:


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## gatecrasher3 (Jul 21, 2006)

I tried my G220 with the Menz pads and polishes and was left under whelmed by the results.

I then took the time to read the slow cut guide and tried it again, I was amazed by the results. It really does come down to technique.


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## little john (Jun 10, 2007)

I'm a less than novice with a G220 and as my sister was selling her car I used it to practice on. I tried #83 on there and it was ok but still some swirls, but that was all the local shop sold so I was screwed at that point. I didnt really want to go useing the megs retail stuff on there. I then managed to get some #80 and hit the car with that yesterday and the swirls dispeared.

I have read everything regarding DA's and #83 and #80 different pads but it is only once you get to try differnet combos that you realise that they are wildly different and get different results.

I can only think the remaining swirls were due to the more agressive combination of polishing pad and #83. the buffing pad and #80 got shut of them. without any need to step up to the polishing pad with #80


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