Easily damaged paint?

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JKP

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I've had my car 15 months now, produced about 2 months before I got it. I've been wondering is the paint really so soft or do I have some defect in it, since it seems to get damaged very easily. I have several stone chips even on the sides, some odd matte-like mark that came when I cleaned a fresh bird poo with a soft cloth, and huge amount of swirly scratches all around, though I've always hand washed the car and waxed it very carefully. I knew black is hard colour to maintain, but is it really this sensitive? Also, does anyone know what kind of issues does the paint warranty cover?

I think the non-metallic white I had before didn't get any of that so easily. Some light scratches of course and not so visible because of the colour, but not all that much, also much less stone chips. Driven similar surroundings and weather conditions.
 
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JKP said:
I've had my car 15 months now, produced about 2 months before I got it. I've been wondering is the paint really so soft or do I have some defect in it, since it seems to get damaged very easily. I have several stone chips even on the sides, some odd matte-like mark that came when I cleaned a fresh bird poo with a soft cloth, and huge amount of swirly scratches all around, though I've always hand washed the car and waxed it very carefully. I knew black is hard colour to maintain, but is it really this sensitive? Also, does anyone know what kind of issues does the paint warranty cover?

I think the non-metallic white I had before didn't get any of that so easily. Some light scratches of course and not so visible because of the colour, but not all that much, also much less stone chips. Driven similar surroundings and weather conditions.
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I have had my black A3 for 20 months. It's the first black car I've ever owned and I've noticed that the clearcoat on the paint seems to be easily scratched. I've learned to live with it. My previous two Audis (A3 and A4) were silver, which could hide pretty much everything.
 
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All car paint is and has been that soft since they moved over to water based for the good of the tree huggers
 
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I'm not sure which black you have, but mine is Brilliant Black (non-metallic no cost one) and noticed that dried up 'squashed insects' on the bonnet area are not so easy to wipe off with sponge/water/microfibre. Forget the paint, even the windscreen is easy to scratch (I did use the scourer side of the sponge though to remove bird poo).
 
KXL said:
I'm not sure which black you have, but mine is Brilliant Black (non-metallic no cost one) and noticed that dried up 'squashed insects' on the bonnet area are not so easy to wipe off with sponge/water/microfibre. Forget the paint, even the windscreen is easy to scratch (I did use the scourer side of the sponge though to remove bird poo).
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Brilliant Black on mine as well.
 
With bird droppings, even if you're not planning to wash the car - you do need to remove insects or bird dropping residue as it will start etching the paint surface

Use a damp paper towel if it's baked on, and apply for 5 minutes, then rinse off. If it's fresh, then use a watering can or hose and a soft detailing brush to remove.

My wife used to have a Cobalt Blue (basically black) Audi A2. Looked great when machine polished, but it shows every mark. If surface swirls present in direct sunshine or street-lighting, then snow-foam, rinse, hand-wash car, clay with light detergent, tar-spot remover, then run a machine polisher using Menzerna 203S (medium cut - now renamed 2400). I usually wipe down with alcohol spray or panel wipe, then apply a couple of coats of Collinite 476. Provides a bit of a barrier, say 2-3 months.
 
audi upgrades
By now it is pretty much universal knowledge that modern cars need PPF, at least in the front, if there is any hope to conserve the original paint for a time. Unfortunately, it is what it is.

I took the low cost option (Turbo Blue) and I've been happy with it, but I also see some small issues developing 6 months in.
 
Thanks for the answers and advices. So it seems the black is really a ridiculously sensitive colour and I've obviously just had some bad luck with the stone hits. I chose the metallic black because I thought the metallic shine would hide some of the swirls even a bit and also read somewhere that the clearcoat would be a bit thicker with metallic paint. Don't know if that's true.

Guess my next car will be grey or metallic white.
 
I’ve just posted in a different thread but I’ve noticed a funny shaped mark in the paint but it’s smooth to the touch as if it’s under the laquer. I did have bird poo round that area recently and picked and jet washed it off. Does that sound like a stain from that? Or would stains or etching still be felt and the water would pool differently around the stain whereas mine pools the same?
 
JKP said:
Thanks for the answers and advices. So it seems the black is really a ridiculously sensitive colour and I've obviously just had some bad luck with the stone hits. I chose the metallic black because I thought the metallic shine would hide some of the swirls even a bit and also read somewhere that the clearcoat would be a bit thicker with metallic paint. Don't know if that's true.

Guess my next car will be grey or metallic white.
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Though on black it's really easy to apply touch up paint! I used to have an Ibiza with gloss black wheels. Any curbs, I just applied other' half's gloss black nail polish, good for 4-5 months.
 
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