Oh wow I didn't realize that SIP had fillers in it (maybe I'm jumbled, too much info on too many products on autopia). Is it silicone or oil?

The reason I ask is that a lot of people go (PG) > SIP > (106ff) > Zaino AIO > CS it seems and a few people I asked said that Menzerna SIP had no fillers and you didn't need 50/50 IPA wipedown before Z-AIO, I thought (maybe they were talking about IP?)

 

While I don't post over there too much anymore I did make a post when I initially started using SIP over IP and most people shrugged it off as impossible that SIP would fill as Menzerna has long been known as a company that does not have any fillers in it's products.
http://www.autopia.org/forum/detaili...servation.html

Then Todd (TH0001) had a couple of customers complain that they got slight marring showing up only a couple of weeks after their details and then he and several others including Rydawg and other respected members on the forum did some pretty intensive testing and found that the carrier / lubricating agents in the SIP indeed do have some filling properties and require a good wipedown with alcohol or Prepsol to see if you're truely left with a defect free surface or not. You can see Todd's and others comments about SIP here in this thread where someone used it by hand and was amazed by the results. Personally I don't even use SIP by Orbital anymore because I feel it's most effective by rotary only.
http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...discovery.html

I hope nobody takes this as me bashing the SIP as it's still my favorite medium duty polish and when used via rotary with a purple foamed wool pad it works wonders and still finishes down to an amazing finish that only requires the lightest of finishing polishes to make a stunning look...you just have to be aware that it can fill when you're using it.

Andy

 

Thanks for the clear bra tips-- I ended up with both the original 3M (hood) as well as VentureShield (bumper) on my 996. As you mention, both recommend waxing but no polish.

Regarding the heat gun--I have actually done this on a few Ventureshield scratches and it worked just perfect--kind of amazing to watch, actually.. I found a technical bulletin on this on a UK Ventureshield website. However, ventureshield is a single layer plastic, so I can see where this would work. 3M is a layered system, so I would not want to try the heat gun on it (at least not on my car)

 

Thanks Andy. When I get around to doing the 996 I will definitely try a wipedown, I just don't really want to buy a drum of prepsol (where am I going to keep the thing?). The thing I found strange about the hand application thread is that he said he did wipedown with alcohol, no marring, and then the following and final response was "did you do several passes of IPA or just one?". Who's to say the marring wasn't reintroduced by overly aggressive wiping in multiple passes, or by improper prepsol application. Who knows, but I will definitely hit a spot on the porsche with straight IPA after SIP and post pics after it dries.

I'm just a regular guy doing my own vehicles, and this was my first time polishing one of my cars with a machine, so I wanted to stay on the safe side and went with the orbital-only UDM, but in retrospect I think I should have gone with the dual purpose Makita machine for a few bucks extra, if not for paint initially then for metal and chrome etc. Currently I have to borrow my dad's buffing wheels for that stuff, which means dismounting things like exhaust tips from the vehicle.

 

I think it took me a couple of years practicing with a rotary on the side before I used it on any customer cars. You can do 90% of what you'll ever come across with a machine like a PC or UDM it just requires patience and an understanding of how to make the most of that particular machine. As a matter of fact on soft Porsche paint my PC is still the machine of choice alot of the time. I've even done wetsanding repairs with the PC in a pinch and like I said...just requires time and more time but the results will come.

Happy Detailing.

Andy