Bad buff job, streaks galore! HELP

[wildoolittle]

The previous owner definitely got a bad buff job on my black 2012 A5. Car looks fine on cloudy days and from a distance, but when the sun is beating on it the exposed areas look terrible. My first thought was to get a nice hand waxing. It looked good for two weeks them the streaks started to beat through again. I was quoted $450 to the car completely wet sanded and buffed. Is this necessary?

[JoshDub]

Probably, but $450 sounds cheap for going as far as wet sanding.

[miked1978]

you probably dont need "wet sanding" but you will need paint correction. Suggest a good DA buffer, white pad and Meguiars 205 compound to start. Then seal it. check this out: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...logram-removal

[Fast4esT]

Agree^^^^
You'll be amazed what you can achieve without any experience. I got the Griots garage 6" orbital and Uber foam 5" pad kit, took all the swirls out of my paint.
Used meguires 205 and swirl remover

Half price of your quote

[Avus RS4]

What do you call a bad buff job?
This might be a matter of interpretation here, a few things don't make sense.
You only do wet sanding if you want to get rid of the orange peel and make the paint flat and more reflective, and show quality finish.
Also for some harsh defects, scuffs and scratches that normal buffing wouldn't remove.

Do you have any pics?
Most people would charge on average $70-80 per wet sanded panel. So the quoted $450.00 is not that far off.
I would have it wet sanded regardless if you want the car to look show quality finish. However, wet sanding requires knowledge and experience.
Do your homework.

[pdqgp]

The previous owner definitely got a bad buff job on my black 2012 A5. Car looks fine on cloudy days and from a distance, but when the sun is beating on it the exposed areas look terrible. My first thought was to get a nice hand waxing. It looked good for two weeks them the streaks started to beat through again. I was quoted $450 to the car completely wet sanded and buffed. Is this necessary?

Do NOT wet sand or compound the car. Doesn't need it. What you're seeing is likely just buffer trails/holograms from someone who doesn't know how to use a rotary buffer. You won't get those if you use a DA unit. Very difficult to F-Up a car with a DA. Your car just needs a decent polish with a Dual Action Orbital buffer. Meg's Ultimate Polish, HDPolish or Menzerna SF3500 or 3800 followed by either a coating or wax or sealant or even an All in One like HDSPeed would work awesome. Lots of options. Don't stress. We can walk you through the details.

If you do it yourself, just pick up a decent $150 Porter Cable or Griot's Garage unit and some of the above products with a set of green or white pads. Green is great for an AIO Product but they will work well with a polish too. You likely don't need the stiffness of an orange pad and white may be a bit soft. Get 5 total as you'll use a fresh one ever 2 panels.

[bayonet14]

Pictures always help :) You may only need a mild compound and polish - then seal it ^ as stated above you can DIY and you really REALLY cannot mess up your paint when using a dual action (DA) polisher - and most products today w/the right amount of cut / pad selection / and a DA = you can correct/polish/seal with just 1 step process

You want to use the least aggressive method and work your way up - wet sand....sounds excessive for what you stated in the OP and if that what a detailer / body shop is telling you
then:
A. they need to practice / new guy training and guess what...your it...steer clear
B. they are over pricing - will not wet sand but just compound your car/polish to price gouge you...again steer clear
C. take advantage of you and your limited knowledge - which like above ^ steer clear - and do more shopping around

I am willing to bet you can find a detailer (hourly rate between $30 - $50) do everything you need / clean / paint decon / paint correction....produce stellar results and not break the bank

[DetailersDomain]

get some photos up so we can have a better idea of what you are up against. I doubt it needs wetsand as well but $450 to correct the problem is on the low side especially in CT.

[wildoolittle]

Sorry for delayed response, been busy. Read all of your responses. The quote for $450 was from a reputable place that my best friend worked at for several years so with the name drop I was def getting a "friend" price. That being said, I brought it to a local detailing shop and the owner was horrified by how bad the previous buff job was. He said that wet sanding was not necessary, and he plans to use DA buffer to completely detail, re-buff, polish and seal the car for $250.. By bad buff job I mean, yes, the car is covered in brutal orbital buffer tracks/holograms.

[Crucible35]

Sorry for delayed response, been busy. Read all of your responses. The quote for $450 was from a reputable place that my best friend worked at for several years so with the name drop I was def getting a "friend" price. That being said, I brought it to a local detailing shop and the owner was horrified by how bad the previous buff job was. He said that wet sanding was not necessary, and he plans to use DA buffer to completely detail, re-buff, polish and seal the car for $250.. By bad buff job I mean, yes, the car is covered in brutal orbital buffer tracks/holograms.

Ok. That makes sense.....but, all that for $250.00? Even a one step paint correction with seal should be north of that from a quality detailer. I would wonder whether this guy is just going to apply a coat of wax, buff it out so you're happy driving away and then you'll be back to square one in two weeks. You should ask in your CT regional section where to take it. Wait! You're in CT so New Jersey isn't that far away! Phil @ Detailers Domain!!!

[Black3.2]

Sorry for delayed response, been busy. Read all of your responses. The quote for $450 was from a reputable place that my best friend worked at for several years so with the name drop I was def getting a "friend" price. That being said, I brought it to a local detailing shop and the owner was horrified by how bad the previous buff job was. He said that wet sanding was not necessary, and he plans to use DA buffer to completely detail, re-buff, polish and seal the car for $250.. By bad buff job I mean, yes, the car is covered in brutal orbital buffer tracks/holograms.

yeah for $250 it isnt correcting the issue it is covering it in wax or sealant. You need to get a correction - put up a pic. Phil who replied to this thread is a master at this

[wildoolittle]

OK here's an image from when it was at its absolute worst and no wax hiding the problem (scary, right?). So I brought it to the detail shop 2 days ago and left it with the owner for the day. I should note that he was also working on a gorgeous Lamborghini so he knows his luxury. In the end I gave him $280. As y'all recommended, he used the DA buffer/polisher and made sure that the trails were gone in the sunlight before proceeding to apply wax and sealant. Said he would've charged more cause he worked tirelessly on it but wanted to stay true to the initial quote. The car looks great now, of course, but only time will tell. He told me to come back if I see the holograms coming back and he'll try again free of charge.

http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data...916_090119.jpg

[pdqgp]

$280 is more than fair. That pic is horrible but removing those isn't difficult. The guy who put them in was not only using crappy technique but likely a dirty pad/way too firm of a pad on the buffer. I wouldn't doubt it if they had a wool pad on it.

Just needs a full polish but given it's stock Audi Clear Coat and is tough, $280 is good.

Hope it all worked out.

[bayonet14]

OK here's an image from when it was at its absolute worst and no wax hiding the problem (scary, right?). So I brought it to the detail shop 2 days ago and left it with the owner for the day. I should note that he was also working on a gorgeous Lamborghini so he knows his luxury. In the end I gave him $280. As y'all recommended, he used the DA buffer/polisher and made sure that the trails were gone in the sunlight before proceeding to apply wax and sealant. Said he would've charged more cause he worked tirelessly on it but wanted to stay true to the initial quote. The car looks great now, of course, but only time will tell. He told me to come back if I see the holograms coming back and he'll try again free of charge.

http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data...916_090119.jpg

Oh that is NASTY - that needs complete compound > polish > wax or sealant work done...all of which takes time & yes you can see detailing pricing swell to $300 - $500 price range (thats just to correct what someone else f**ked up). That damage requires more than one step to correct (and time) just to get the look back to 75% - 85% of what it looked like the day it rolled off the lot.

Just trying to manage your cost expectations as I deal w/this on a weekly basis when contacted to "detail" a car and I do this on the side...
What customers fail to account for in their search for a cost effective alternative - is time. That picture represents a GREAT point of this...that problem even if isolated to just one body panel cannot be corrected in just one step w/one product. And, to be done correct will require 2 to 4 additional steps (based on the look / finish the customer wants and meet his/her expectations). See how that can add up quickly to a cost estimate say if ALL the panels on the vehicle look the same as in that picture?

So, any detailer will factor time/effort of correction + number of panels + customer expectations / desired outcome + products & resources consumed to give a fair price. And we have not even factored that the vehicle will require to be washed and paint surfaces decontaminated. It adds up quickly...lets see the AFTER pictures please? For $280 you got a smoking deal

[wildoolittle]

I'll get back to you with pictures it's downpouring here in CT. I asked him for the exact steps he took and this was his response: 1) throughly washed the car. 2) clay barred. 3) dual action polisher with a microfiber compound pad with paint correction cream. 4) wiped residue with an alcohol/water mixture. 5) applied pinnacle black diamond sealant by hand and let cure for an hour. 6) re washed and dried. 7) applied power lock sealant with the dual action polisher with a microfiber finishing pad and let cure for a half hour before removing with a clean microfiber.

[miked1978]

thats a steal for 280. lot of hard work in there.

[Crucible35]

Hhhmmm....why two sealants? $280 sounds pretty good for all that......but he should have topped the sealant with a wax.....IMHO. You should get up some before and after pics so we can see....