Presidential Detailed: 2009 Audi TTS

[PrsdntialDetail]

I recently performed a paint correction on this brand new 2009 Audi TTS. Being that it was white, brand new and had less than 800 miles made it a bit tricky to find the defects in the paint. Since the car is pretty much brand new there werent too many surfaces scratches(swirls), but there were some RIDS(Random Isolated Deep Scratches) throughout the vehicle.

Decontamination Process:
Meguiars "Mild" Clay Bar with ONR as clay solution
Adams Metal Polish #2 on Exhaust Tips

Wheels:
Swissvax Autobahn Wheel Wax

Interior:
1Z Einszett Cockpit Premium
Meguairs APC+
Leather Masters Strong Cleaner
Leather Masters Vital
Vacuum
Invisible Glass Glass Cleaner

Engine Bay:
Meguiars APC+
Various Brushes
Zaino AIO On All Painted Surfaces

Paint Correction:
3M Automotive Performance "Green" Tape
M105/PFW via Makita Rotary
M205/Orange via Meguiars G110 DA
Zaino AIO On All Door Shuts
50/50 of 91% IPA/Distilled Water
Meguiars Supreme Shine MF Towels

LSP:
TWO coats of Blackfire Wet Diamond Paint Sealant
TWO coats of Dodo Juice Hard Wax for White Vehicles(Owner Supplied)

On to the pictures already!

The owner had the car prepped for me before I arrived, so all I had to do was clay, polish, seal the vehicle.


The first thing I did was clay the car and then I taped off any edges and all the clearbra peices(a majority of the car).


I proceeded to wipe down the engine compartment(all that was needed on a car with less than 1k miles) and apply Zaino-AIO to any painted surfaces.


The defects were hard to capture using a camera, let alone my own eyes. So these were the best shots I could manage to capture.
Before.






After.










The smaller areas were also corrected using a 4" PFW pad.




The taillights were also polished with M205/Orange pad.


This produced a very deep and rich reflection in the lights.


Full Sun Shots!












Final Shots after two coats of Blackfire Sealant and two coats of Dodo Juice Hard Wax.

[ttkid06]

great detail

[PrsdntialDetail]

Thanks!

[randomy]

Wow, simply wow!

[piancu]

This has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen an owner of a new car do. Imperfections in a brand new car paint job? Come on, if it's not close to perfect straight from the factory, when is it ever going to be? A stupid waste of money

[Got Wax]

Wow, really??!! I've personally corrected a number of cars priced well into six figures that look pretty bad from the factory. This Audi looked okay. Apparently the owner wanted better than okay. Looks great now!!!

Originally Posted by piancu

This has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen an owner of a new car do. Imperfections in a brand new car paint job? Come on, if it's not close to perfect straight from the factory, when is it ever going to be? A stupid waste of money

[RPMPhotographyJ]

Originally Posted by piancu

This has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen an owner of a new car do. Imperfections in a brand new car paint job? Come on, if it's not close to perfect straight from the factory, when is it ever going to be? A stupid waste of money

New car detailing is pretty common, I have done a fair share myself. I see some cars delivered in pretty poor shape.

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by piancu

This has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen an owner of a new car do. Imperfections in a brand new car paint job? Come on, if it's not close to perfect straight from the factory, when is it ever going to be? A stupid waste of money

Thats a very easy question..the answer is NOW after Ive polished it. :

As mentioned above, some new cars come out in VERY bad shape, wet sanding pigtails and all straight out of the factory, which can all be corrected. This Audi was not in bad shape to the general public, but there are some people who want their car to be in the very best shape possible. And actually, doing this from the start is a very smart thing to do, because not only is the paint going to be PERFECT, every inch is now protected, which will keep it looking new longer.

[e36AWM3]

If I had just purchased a brand new car, I know that's the first thing I would do. Correct and protect that bish!

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by e36AWM3

If I had just purchased a brand new car, I know that's the first thing I would do. Correct and protect that bish!

And you my friend, are a smart man!

[Zorasmiles]

Great detail. Everyone knows that most factory paint have imperfections in them. In fact we all know that "orange peel" is an imperfection but car makers realized they'd spend way too much correcting what their machines did. I think for a car with noticeable imperfections should be corrected, detailed to perfection and application of sealants and a clear bra ....but that's just me...once again great job OP.

[e36AWM3]

PrsdntialDetail:
And you my friend, are a smart man!

Compliment accepted . Seriously though, if you're gonna spend $XX,000 on a new car, what's another few hundred to ensure the paint is perfect and protected from the elements? Not to mention it makes maintaining the car muuuch easier. Another great detail as always. Keep 'em coming!

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by Zorasmiles

I think for a car with noticeable imperfections should be corrected, detailed to perfection and application of sealants and a clear bra ....but that's just me...once again great job OP.

100% AGREE!

Originally Posted by e36AWM3

Compliment accepted . Seriously though, if you're gonna spend $XX,000 on a new car, what's another few hundred to ensure the paint is perfect and protected from the elements? Not to mention it makes maintaining the car muuuch easier. Another great detail as always. Keep 'em coming!

As stated above, I think EVERY new vehicle should be polished correctly, clear bra installed, and several coats of LSP applied to all surfaces. You wouldnt believe the difference this can make in a new car.

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by EmilyWalters

Nice work

also what did you use the blue tape for?

the tape is so that I do not burn any trim/clear bra with the high speed polisher, things get expensive real fast when you damage them.

[Route 66]

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

[Aindriu]

Wow I cannot wait for the BMW Club WA show and shine event so I can get on my E38 like this...result won't be as good but I'm still inspired!

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by Route 66

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Aindriu

Wow I cannot wait for the BMW Club WA show and shine event so I can get on my E38 like this...result won't be as good but I'm still inspired!

Good luck and have fun! You will be amazed at the difference only a little polishing will do for a car thats never had it done before!

[Aindriu]

Originally Posted by PrsdntialDetail

Thanks!



Good luck and have fun! You will be amazed at the difference only a little polishing will do for a car thats never had it done before!

Yeah but I'm only using Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish so I'm not expecting the same results.
I have polished it before but I always get so scared at how hot the paint gets. I got it pretty hot today on the boot so that it actually burnt my fingertips touching it and it's showing some rounded marks from the sun, not many but I think that is about as far as I will go!

How long say on one spot would you spend detailing? By spot I mean just one small area that you'd work on at a time.
Also, how many times would you heat the area up buffing, let it cool and then go back for another go usually?

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by Aindriu

Yeah but I'm only using Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish so I'm not expecting the same results.
I have polished it before but I always get so scared at how hot the paint gets. I got it pretty hot today on the boot so that it actually burnt my fingertips touching it and it's showing some rounded marks from the sun, not many but I think that is about as far as I will go!

How long say on one spot would you spend detailing? By spot I mean just one small area that you'd work on at a time.
Also, how many times would you heat the area up buffing, let it cool and then go back for another go usually?

What machine are you using to get the surface that hot?

[Aindriu]

It's this Makita 6'Speed thing that my father has and it's got a sheep-wool pad on it.

So I take it from your wording that you do not need to actually get the paintwork too hot?

EDIT: My fathers Makita looks exactly like the one you have on that Audi TTS. Except the wool pad is alot bigger.

[AG007]

Wow amazing finish on the Audi you have done.

[PrsdntialDetail]

Originally Posted by Aindriu

It's this Makita 6'Speed thing that my father has and it's got a sheep-wool pad on it.

So I take it from your wording that you do not need to actually get the paintwork too hot?

EDIT: My fathers Makita looks exactly like the one you have on that Audi TTS. Except the wool pad is alot bigger.

Then your probably using it incorrectly and possible coming very close to burning though. Heres a couple pointers.

1. Buy a Purple foamed Wool pad from Lake Country
2. Keep your RPMS under 1800(I prefer 1500)
3. Move back and forth at about 1inch/sec with overlapping passes in a 2x2 area(you can go larger once your more familiar)
4. Take your time, but dont keep the buffer in the same spot.

[Aindriu]

Wow so you dont even go over 2000rpm? I've been sitting on at least 4000. Geez kinda scary thinking I may have been close to burning through. So do you take quite a long time to get even one spot right?

Also, I have just clayed, polished and waxed the boot and bonnet recently. Should I repeat the whole process to re-try or can I just get straight on with the polish?

[slickbeamer]

looks great, but wow that much invested in a car that is almost brand new? it's only gonna get progressively worse...and white is a good color to hide imperfections/swirls isn't it?

[Aindriu]

Originally Posted by slickbeamer

looks great, but wow that much invested in a car that is almost brand new? it's only gonna get progressively worse...and white is a good color to hide imperfections/swirls isn't it?

The idea is to get rid of any grit or dirt all together and then seal the paintwork up to protect it. Something like this will help greatly over the years to prevent fading, laquer peeling and general condition of the paintwork.