Audi A6 detailing in Houston

What we watch for

Paint and interior on the A6

Paint and exterior

A6 sedans are long and flat-topped, and the roof, hood and trunk lid take the brunt of the sun. Dark colors are the norm on business cars and show marring from automatic washes. RS 6 Avants have wide flares that catch grime behind the wheels.

Interior

The current cabin is two haptic glass screens and a lot of gloss black, which smudge and pick up fine scratches within days. Older A6s use more wood and aluminum trim, and their leather tends to dry out where the sun hits the rear seat.

Living in Houston

An A6 that spends nine hours in an open lot off Beltway 8 comes back with a hot, dusty dash and baked-on bird droppings. Removing droppings within a day keeps them from etching the clear coat.

• Hard clear coat: swirls take more cutting to remove, so correction is slower, but a corrected finish holds up well afterwards.
• Black and dark colors are common: they show swirls, water spots and pollen film first, and benefit most from a coating.
• Piano-black trim: it scratches if you look at it, so it gets plush microfiber only and can be polished and coated.
• Large touchscreens: cleaned with a screen-safe, ammonia-free product and a dedicated cloth.