Are the Estoril Blue horror stories true?

[HedonismBot]

Love the colour but I've heard the paint is notoriously fragile and that when it chips it chips in large pieces.

I may have to go as long as a month before adding protection to front hood/bumper but intend to make it a priority. Also, I don't mind spending the occasional Sunday detailing my car for 6 hours.

Is it bad enough to pick a different colour? My next choice would be Ice Silver or Monsoon Grey.

[vpr80]

I may have to go as long as a month before adding protection to front hood/bumper but intend to make it a priority. Also, I don't mind spending the occasional Sunday detailing my car for 6 hours.

For the anal retentive OCD crowd, it's perfect! For the rest of us, Monsoon Grey is a better choice. I should have gotten grey since estoril scratches if you look at it wrong and I will never spend 6 hours to detail it.

But if you do take care of it, it looks amazing!

[Dannydyn]

If you know how to treat your cars, you won't have a problem with it. If you don't know how to treat them, well then....

IMO, among the stock colors (non Audi Exclusive), the Estoril is the best looking one. Not regretting one bit.

Awesome color even when dirty

[Usa]

I don't think that is a good choice of a color option for someone in the north like Toronto however it is by far my favorite color to anyone who has it..

[b8audis4]

Yes it is a great color if done with the right interior like dannydyn. I think that is one of the best color combos. The Estoril on White Black Leather.

[stlcity]

If you know how to treat your cars, you won't have a problem with it. If you don't know how to treat them, well then....

IMO, among the stock colors (non Audi Exclusive), the Estoril is the best looking one. Not regretting one bit.

Awesome color even when dirty

Love mine too.. Put a lot of highway miles here in NE. No problems with paint so far. Have 10k miles on it after I bought it close to a yr ago..

Have clear bra on it though.. Other than the exclusive colors Estoril I think is my favorite color.

[mecheng]

Love the colour but I've heard the paint is notoriously fragile and that when it chips it chips in large pieces.

I may have to go as long as a month before adding protection to front hood/bumper but intend to make it a priority. Also, I don't mind spending the occasional Sunday detailing my car for 6 hours.

Is it bad enough to pick a different colour? My next choice would be Ice Silver or Monsoon Grey.

Talk to Bart, he's got an Estoril and lives in TO. Should be able to provide you the kind of insight you're looking for.

[BirdmanQ5]

Or me lol. Estoril is great, I have a clear bra on the front in case of chips. Bart did a full Xpel all the way to the sunroof

[Jango3434]

Love my estoril blue and with the nasty roads here it's holding up well...


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[Mike0105]

I was concerned but after a terrible nj winter my estoril blue paint looks great. Prior to winter I polished and applied 22ple which has been fantastic. I washed it a few weeks back and the paint is in great condition.

It isn't an easy color to live with but it's very rewarding and I have gotten lots of compliments on it.
Mike

[b8audis4]

Or me lol. Estoril is great, I have a clear bra on the front in case of chips. Bart did a full Xpel all the way to the sunroof

Yes I love yours too. :)

[Toecutter]

Looks incredible when clean, but my car stays clean for about 30 seconds then is covered by dust in the summer or sand in the winter. Any dirt lights up like a mofo on Estoril.

I don't know about chipping off in big flakes because that hasn't happened to my car, but I do have plenty of swirls and light scratches. I'm not sure if I have more scratches than on any other of my cars, but what I have is readily apparent on this paint. It's hard to keep looking clean.

[BirdmanQ5]

I find it's not too bad, but then again this is my first dark coloured car so I guess I expected worse. I always wanted Sprint or Nogaro anyway but my baby was a showroom model and I had to take her home :p

I have this Xzilon paint protection that came with the car as the dealer was demo-ing that and the 3m clear bra and ceramic tint, anyone know what that entails?

[imola02]

You learn a lot of tips and tricks over time on how to treat the paint especially washing/drying. I really like the uniqueness of the color but it definitely requires a lot of TLC.

[Jango3434]

If I could have ordered one I woulda gotten Sprint but the Estoril just feels a tad classier so I don't mind too much. Just glad mops is on here to make detailing a breeze


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[SilveR316]

Talk to Bart, he's got an Estoril and lives in TO. Should be able to provide you the kind of insight you're looking for.

Don't take it through non touchless washes, and don't smear dirt all over it when you touch it/lean against it/wash it. Dark paints tend to show swirls more than lighter colored paints, but that's what you get if you want a nice color.

If you take care of it, it will be fine. If you neglect it, the damage will end up being more visible than it would on a ligher color.

If I were to buy my car over again, I'd still go with Estoril (or a lighter blue if it were offered). My alternate choices would be monsoon (maybe lava) grey or misano red.

[mmmkam]

+1 for the Estoril love and the black/silver interior to go with it. Horror stories overrated. I wouldn't say its softer or scratches easier, but compared to lighter colors like gray or silver it will be more noticeable when it does scratch (and they all do at some point).

[foobert]

I don't know, seems like the paint is pretty top notch on mine. I'm at ~17 months / 17K and ~50 miles round trip daily driven on die-95 in SE FL and it's holding up really well, no major nicks at all, and perhaps a couple very minor blemishes down low on the front end. No damage on the leading edge of the hood either, knock on wood, and that's where I95 driven cars bear the brunt of the attack, what with overloaded gravel / landscaping trucks spewing shrapnel, unavoidable road gators, assorted trash, miscellaneous rebar, and the occasional end table I've encountered. Of course I'm not all that anal about keeping it ultra-clean, but I'm pretty satisfied.

[name.goes.here]

If you know how to treat your cars, you won't have a problem with it. If you don't know how to treat them, well then....

IMO, among the stock colors (non Audi Exclusive), the Estoril is the best looking one. Not regretting one bit.

Awesome color even when dirty

Looks good - But ...... may look just a bit better on an Avant.....

[Daily Driver]

I ordered an Estoril and called to set up Xpel installation as soon as I take delivery. I did ask the Xpel installer about the color (he said he's worked on numerous Estorils; seems it's pretty popular around here), and he said it is no worse than all the other new paints out there (all new paints being softer than they used to be). It's only because it's a darker color that things show more, similar to black.

I ordered the brown interior as I have small kids and they would trash white leather. I have yet to see anyone else here with brown interior... will be interesting to see when it finally comes in next month!

[Dannydyn]

Looks good - But ...... may look just a bit better on an Avant.....

LOLOLOLOL

I was waiting for that!

[Dannydyn]

... and he said it is no worse than all the other new paints out there (all new paints being softer than they used to be). It's only because it's a darker color that things show more, similar to black.

^^ This

Same process, same clear coat, different color. Naturally, as a darker color, swirls and other marks/scratches, will pop out easier. But taken care of properly, and you should be good to go.

[redrocker55]

I would apply a couple layers of high quality wax with an orbital. With practice you can do this in less than 2 hours and it will hide the majority of the minor scratches and swirls.

[rggale]

I was sold on Estoril, until I thought about the swirling problem with the dark pearl effect color. I don't like spending entire days detailing my daily driver...I'd rather do that on toys, so I went with Glacier White, and Chestnut interior. Finalized the order on Monday, so should see the car before the end of May :D

Like anything, if you take care of it, it will look great. Grey metallic (Monsoon) and whites hide superficial scratching/swirling best.

Going to miss my '12 Brilliant Black, but after 5 black daily drivers in a row, it will be nice not to have to wash my car every week to make it look presentable.

[Daily Driver]

I was sold on Estoril, until I thought about the swirling problem with the dark pearl effect color. I don't like spending entire days detailing my daily driver...I'd rather do that on toys, so I went with Glacier White, and Chestnut interior. Finalized the order on Monday, so should see the car before the end of May :D

Like anything, if you take care of it, it will look great. Grey metallic (Monsoon) and whites hide superficial scratching/swirling best.

Going to miss my '12 Brilliant Black, but after 5 black daily drivers in a row, it will be nice not to have to wash my car every week to make it look presentable.

Sweet- so there is someone else here who went with brown interior!! Seems like not too many Audi owners choose it, but it's ubiquitous in the Porsche, BMW and MB cars.

[kraeburn]

I love it but after 27k hard miles it looks like shit. I am pretty OCD too. No film since it is a lease and hand wash only with periodic polish/wax. The whole front is completely sandblasted which is not a concern to me since again, it is a lease. If it were my car I would just repaint it for the grand or so at around 40k. Would I get it again, yes, but next time I am going to cut a few options and get an exclusive color.

[rggale]

Sweet- so there is someone else here who went with brown interior!! Seems like not too many Audi owners choose it, but it's ubiquitous in the Porsche, BMW and MB cars.

Oh hell yes...brown interior is sexy. I had an 06 Touareg with that dark tan interior that totally turned me onto brown. My last S4 ('12) had the alcantara interior. I was hard pressed not to get that again for the sporty feel, but white and brown is a rich combo IMO.

[rggale]

I love it but after 27k hard miles it looks like shit. I am pretty OCD too. No film since it is a lease and hand wash only with periodic polish/wax. The whole front is completely sandblasted which is not a concern to me since again, it is a lease. If it were my car I would just repaint it for the grand or so at around 40k. Would I get it again, yes, but next time I am going to cut a few options and get an exclusive color.

Good luck getting a 3 (or is it 4?) stage paintjob for a grand...youre talking several grand there.

AFAIK you can't order an exclusive color in 2014. I tried and my dealer said no exclusive colors on 2014 S4s. They also upped the exclusive color price to $3900.
Between that and cutting orders on the Black Optic package, I was a little sad when finalizing my order.

[emnahum]

Good luck getting a 3 (or is it 4?) stage paintjob for a grand...youre talking several grand there.

AFAIK you can't order an exclusive color in 2014. I tried and my dealer said no exclusive colors on 2014 S4s. They also upped the exclusive color price to $3900.
Between that and cutting orders on the Black Optic package, I was a little sad when finalizing my order.

Is black optic no longer available? I've been seriously considering it. I think it looks fantastic.

[dropshadow]

Love the colour but I've heard the paint is notoriously fragile and that when it chips it chips in large pieces.

You're probably thinking that because of this thread, and it's not just Estoril Blue that comes off like that in a wreck of that magnitude. And in that case, paint is the least of your concerns. If you like it, buy it.

I love it but after 27k hard miles it looks like shit. I am pretty OCD too. No film since it is a lease

This logic baffles me, and it's not the first time I've heard it. Why would the fact that it's a lease matter? You've got the car for three years, why wouldn't you protect it? You'd rather Audi charges you for a chipped-up front end when you return it?

[SilveR316]

You're probably thinking that because of this thread, and it's not just Estoril Blue that comes off like that in a wreck of that magnitude. And in that case, paint is the least of your concerns. If you like it, buy it.



This logic baffles me, and it's not the first time I've heard it. Why would the fact that it's a lease matter? You've got the car for three years, why wouldn't you protect it? You'd rather Audi charges you for a chipped-up front end when you return it?

Was wondering the same thing... with residuals so low on these cars, it doesn't even make sense to just return it. Keep it in good shape, and sell it privately after your lease is up. You'll end up $5k+ ahead.

[rggale]

You're probably thinking that because of this thread, and it's not just Estoril Blue that comes off like that in a wreck of that magnitude. And in that case, paint is the least of your concerns. If you like it, buy it.



This logic baffles me, and it's not the first time I've heard it. Why would the fact that it's a lease matter? You've got the car for three years, why wouldn't you protect it? You'd rather Audi charges you for a chipped-up front end when you return it?

Audi's not going to charge you for a chipped up front end unless it is beyond normal w+t...like you spent the entirety of your lease 10' behind a salt spreader.

[rggale]

Is black optic no longer available? I've been seriously considering it. I think it looks fantastic.

They're not accepting any more orders for the package. My dealer didn't even know this until they hit submit on my order. I contacted AoA to verify--and it is true. Feckin' bull$hit, I tell you.

They are also not accepting orders for Exclusive colors on the S4 this year either. I wanted Nogaro or Sprint Blue w/ Black Optic. They took both of those things away from me :(

[dropshadow]

Audi's not going to charge you for a chipped up front end unless it is beyond normal w+t...like you spent the entirety of your lease 10' behind a salt spreader.

Depends on the dealer and the person that does your turn-in inspection. There are a maximum number of defects allowed per panel, and it's usually very low.

But SilveR316 is 100% right. Buy it and then sell it yourself instead of turning it back in.

[vpr80]

You guys are making me feel better about buying my car instead of leasing. I did all the math and came to the same conclusion that given the high residuals, a clean, low miles S4 will come out much cheaper to buy then sell rather than leasing. Now let's hope it works like that 4 years from now.

[dropshadow]

You guys are making me feel better about buying my car instead of leasing. I did all the math and came to the same conclusion that given the high residuals, a clean, low miles S4 will come out much cheaper to buy then sell rather than leasing. Now let's hope it works like that 4 years from now.

High residual? $30k for a 3-year-old S4 is not high.

[vpr80]

Dealer wholesale for a 2011 S4 with ~20k miles is $35-$37k dropping to low $30s for normal mileage. At worst with the trade in tax break, I'm looking at $500 per month cost for a nearly $60k car. Dropping to under $400/mo if it trades-in in the mid-$30s. Leasing was way more expensive.

[zoop]

I ordered an Estoril and called to set up Xpel installation as soon as I take delivery. I did ask the Xpel installer about the color (he said he's worked on numerous Estorils; seems it's pretty popular around here), and he said it is no worse than all the other new paints out there (all new paints being softer than they used to be). It's only because it's a darker color that things show more, similar to black.

I ordered the brown interior as I have small kids and they would trash white leather. I have yet to see anyone else here with brown interior... will be interesting to see when it finally comes in next month!

I have the brown interior with EBC, absolutely love it... the pics don't quite do the color justice, but I believe you will be quite happy. I took delivery in July 2012 and both the exterior and interior are holding up great.

[Daily Driver]

I have the brown interior with EBC, absolutely love it... the pics don't quite do the color justice, but I believe you will be quite happy. I took delivery in July 2012 and both the exterior and interior are holding up great.

NICE!!! Can't wait to get mine- thanks for sharing!

[jfabes]

so i gotta ask: a) why is estoril blue any harder to take care of than black and b) why would it be softer than black? are audi's paint processes not the same for every color? Is it not just the color mix and pigment that are different? please educate me...