New to me car (Audi SQ5) with hard paint - tried and failed

[SX4DUDE2013]

So I've always lived by, less is more, especially when it comes to polishing/correcting.
I just picked up a 2018 Audi Sq5 which has extremely hard paint.
I has a ton of swirls and looks like it has lived in a automated car wash with nasty brushes. EEEKKKK!

I tried a quick detail a few weeks ago when I purchased it. Needed something fast just to clean it up. Didn't know the paint would be as hard as it was.
Lesson learned, don't rush it.

Long story short - Wash, decontamination, clay, wash. Test spot with yellow Chemical Guys pad on an XP using M250 (it did nothing), then test spot with UC on a yellow CG cutting pad and looked okay. Due to time, I didnt want to break out M105. I did a quick polish with yellow foam pad and UC and then applied a wax. Called it a day.

Well.....
After looking at it more. Its not what I want. I need to find a day or two and do it right.

I have done some test spots with M105 and a yellow cutting pad and still do not get the results i want.

What is my next logical step?

1) New more aggressive pads with M105? (if so, what pads)
2) New pads and compound?
IDK much about Chemical Guys yellow cutting pads. I was in a pinch. Uusually use LC pads.

Thanks for the help!

[The Guz]

Re: New to me car (Audi SQ5) with hard paint - tried and failed

Get yourself some microfiber cutting pads. They will cut more than a foam pad. You can try M105 or invest in M110 or D300. I have had success with D300 on a microfiber cutting pad on hard paint. I am not a big fan of M105 due to dusting and short working times. But as I said try it with a microfiber pad and you can make the decision at that point.

[drumdan]

Re: New to me car (Audi SQ5) with hard paint - tried and failed

I'm with Guz on the microfiber pads.

Even the Ultimate Compound benefits from the massive cutting boost from the microfiber.

M100 + Microfiber is probably my favorite combo for very stubborn paint. With M100, you might want to consider a lot of pads, or an air compressor to clean them out as you go around the car. They load up fast, as the combo peels off a lot of paint. If I remember correctly, I had M105 cake up microfiber pads too.

If you use the Meguiar's no refiner discs with the D300, you might not want to ever use anything else ever again. It's a beautiful, easy way to go.

[GrumpyBob]

Re: New to me car (Audi SQ5) with hard paint - tried and failed

I have just bought a G12 BMW with hard paint and a million swirls. Looked like he had only washed it through local supermarket. I did my research online and via Youtube. I picked Megs D300/301 with the corresponding microfibre pads using a DA. I did all the steps you did but then used these products. The car finish is now very good, if I was picky I might have gone for a three stage and used UC as my first stage. On the YT clips look at how slow the process is 1" every second for the D300 and I did 6 passes for every 2' x 2' area-not easy on a car that size. I did find that the car had a slight 'bloom' with d300 but it was better after the d301 (finishing polish). The Megs customer service team were good and told me not to dress the surface for a full 24 hours after using the d301. I washed the car a few days later and used a QD-the car looked great. Hope that helps