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What is this, and how can I fix it?

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  • #1

    What is this, and how can I fix it?

    I have an older Audi A4 (2002) that is in great shape overall, but I have some weird finish problems on the roof and decklid. A couple of years ago when I first noticed it, I tried to remove it with Ultimate Compound (by hand). It helped, but didn't get rid of it. It has since spread to the decklid and the roof has gotten worse. I recently tried using the Meguiar's clay kit on it - not much came off, probably due to the relatively recent compound application. The rest of the paint looks perfect.

    I haven't seen any pics like this online, so I don't even know what the problem is that I should be looking for solutions for. You cannot feel the defects on the surface of the paint. The pattern (especially the streaking) makes me think it is due to baked in road grime from the intense southern heat. I don't think it is clear coat failure, since I have another car that had that and it looked very different. Any ideas on what this is, and how it could be corrected, would be much appreciated!!

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  • #2
    Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

    Yikes!!! This has to be one of the craziest looking paint defects we've ever seen! Is there any chance that a plastic covering sat on the car for a period of time and trapped moisture under it? We've seen that cause this sort of issue in the past, but never quite so widespread or in such an....um.... interesting pattern. Blowing up the image a bit in Photoshop it almost looks like the darker areas is healthy paint showing some nice metallic aspects to it, but the lighter areas look like they're full of straight line scratches. Is that how it looks in person? We can't imagine why it would look like scratches if it wasn't actually scratched, though, or how in the world this pattern of scratches and non scratched area could have come to be. Unless, of course, it's not actually scratches but an imprint of the texture of the plastic that covered the paint for a while. You wouldn't be able to feel that in the paint as it's more a staining issue, and it may even be so deep that wet sanding can't even fix it. Please understand, we are most definitely NOT suggesting you wet sand this, so let's not even go there.

    We would love to see what an application of some Ultimate Compound, just in a small area (like one foot square) would do for this, if anything.
    Michael Stoops
    Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

    Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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    • #3
      Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

      Thanks Michael for the input. Your observations are spot on - it is nice Dolphin Grey Pearl Metallic in-between the ugly patches. The patches do appear to have the "scratch" marks you see. I bought the car in 2007 and have never put a cover on it. The hood is perfect by the way. The marks didn't appear until about 3-4 years after I bought it. The only thing I can think of is maybe some kind of chemical mixed with rain water sat beaded up on the surface to create the pattern, but that seems like a long shot as I would expect that the patterns would be randomized over time. Maybe Audi offered a delayed-release tortoise shell finish no one knows about

      I tried Ultimate Compound a couple of years ago and it did help a bit. I will give it another shot on a small area, and report back with the results....

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      • #4
        Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

        Wow, strange indeed.

        You could almost leave it and just pretend it's some special decorative finish!
        Originally posted by Blueline
        I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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        • #5
          Try investing in a da polisher. Alot more effective than just doing it by hand. U will see better results period!??

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          • #6
            Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

            I think I will get a DA polisher - Harbor Freight has one on sale that gets rave reviews. I can use it on my other cars as well. Should I still use Ultimate Compound if I use the DA?

            davey - I actually thought about that! That's my backup plan - I'll just shine it up if I can't remove it

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            • #7
              Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

              Originally posted by Dolphin Gray View Post
              Should I still use Ultimate Compound if I use the DA?
              If you have something less aggressive - try that first on a test spot. If that doesn't work, step up to UC.

              But my gut feel is it will need UC.
              Originally posted by Blueline
              I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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              • #8
                By the looks of it he's prob gonna need to start with uc. But it's hard to tell u where to start until u get ur da pads. Me personally I like the meguiars da along with meguiars soft buff 2.0 pads. Another thought as well could b the damf ( da microfiber pads) but like davey said start with the least aggressive and work ur way up as needed.

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                • #9
                  Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

                  That is bizarre... and it actually looks pretty cool.
                  Something like a tribal tattoo.
                  2012 Acura CBP TL SH-AWD Tech

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                  • #10
                    Almost looks like what happens when a laquer paint is used. Thats what happened to my 03 monte ss

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                    • #11
                      I had to have the entire car stripped and repainted

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                      • #12
                        Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

                        Hmm - I think this is the stock finish so not sure about the lacquer. I sure hope I don't have to resort to that. I am going to get a DA and give it a shot this week with Ultimate Compound. I need to do some reading to make sure I do it right, since I've only applied UC by hand previously.

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                        • #13
                          Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

                          There are also some good how-to videos you can watch about DA technique.

                          Look for vids by Mike Phillips, or Junkman.
                          Originally posted by Blueline
                          I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

                            Honestly, on this paint and under these conditions, we'd most likely jump right in with the DA Microfiber System. Audi paint tends to be on the hard side, and there is some serious weirdness going on here.

                            Before using that DA and/or the microfiber system for the first time, have a read through these two articles on using the DA and on the specifics of using the microfiber system.
                            Michael Stoops
                            Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

                            Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: What is this, and how can I fix it?

                              Thanks Michael - I ordered the CCS Orange pad to start with, and I planned to use that with Ultimate Compound. Do you think that would be a waste of time and I should go with the microfiber system first?

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