Finally started my Audi S4 (test panel) - M105/205! *pics*

[JackalS4]

I'm rather impressed with the stuff, as of course everyone seems to be!



Just placed a rather large eShine.ca order after a good 6+ months of planning/researching/saving:

Also picked up that Mike Phillips DVD on using the PC...was really good and had nice tips, although it seemed a little basic for a guy starting on a hard clear'd S4! But it seems things might end up well after my first test section with the PC XP!



So for my first Audi test panel (1/3 of trunk lid), I did the following:



-- ONR quick detail/wipedown

-- Riccardo blue clay/ONR lube/wipedown

-- 1 pass M205/LC white 4" pad, just because it's the "rule" :chuckle: (although it did hugely increase the gloss!)

-- 3 hits with M105/LC orange 4" pad, about 3-5 passes per hit (reducing pressure on last 1-2 passes, and not sure i'll need all 3 hits on the rest of the car, i'll play that by ear)

-- 1 final hit with M205/white, 3-5 passes, reducing pressure on last passes



All passes were done at speed "5".



Keep in mind, this car appears to have NEVER been polished, much less really cared for! I've spent the first year of ownership catching up on maintenance and cleaning it up in and out. With this said, the S4 is a fantasic, relatively reliable and very rewarding car to own!



SO, onto the before and after pics of my test panel:



Swirls/scratches visible in the paint (in the shade):

Swirls on entire trunk lid:

M105 all finished up in the sun:

M105 & 205 all finished up!

50/50 to see gloss difference

50/50's for swirls difference...holy crap go PC XP!

So yeah, really the whole reason I posted this was because of the Audi's hard clear reputation and my anxiety of how well the PC would do with it.



I was rather thrilled with the results! I feel like I can get the correction I want (90%-ish or so) without a rotary for the time being as I learn.



I'm considering bypassing the Menzerna SIP/Final Nano because the Meg's stuff seems to do things just fine!



Oh, and i'm very new at the actual machine polishing (though i've done a fair bit of reading etc), so if any tips/comments etc go for it!

 

[Jokeman]

Looks good. If you have the menzerna stuff, do another spot with the SIP and Nano and see which you like better.

 

[alowe]

Looks good. If you have the menzerna stuff, do another spot with the SIP and Nano and see which you like better.

+1 I would try it out also.

 

[Chicagoareanew]

I'm new at this too, so I don't know if I should be giving any advice, but if you have most of the correction done, I don't think you should use SIP on top of doing 205+105+205, that sounds like a bit much. But the Nano would make it look even better, because the light Menzerna polish I've used gave me a great mirror like finish.

 

[JackalS4]

Looks good. If you have the menzerna stuff, do another spot with the SIP and Nano and see which you like better.

Yeah maybe I should. I'm just about to go out and do another test spot, i'll try out the Menzerna stuff.



Thanks.

I'm new at this too, so I don't know if I should be giving any advice, but if you have most of the correction done, I don't think you should use SIP on top of doing 205+105+205, that sounds like a bit much. But the Nano would make it look even better, because the light Menzerna polish I've used gave me a great mirror like finish.

Oh no you misunderstood, I only have the 2 different brands because I wanted to be able to try them out and have backup if 1 of the 2 weren't very effective.



So my methodology would be either SIP+Nano+LSP, OR M105+205+LSP.



I will give the Nano (and SIP) a try, however I will say the M205 leaves things pretty dang mirror-like!

 

[Chicagoareanew]

Oh, I understand. I've been using IP and FPII from Menzerna, so I'd love to see a side by side since I'm going to try 105/205, too.

 

[Accumulator]

.. really the whole reason I posted this was because of the Audi's hard clear reputation and my anxiety of how well the PC would do with it.



I was rather thrilled with the results! I feel like I can get the correction I want (90%-ish or so) without a rotary for the time being as I learn.



I'm considering bypassing the Menzerna SIP/Final Nano because the Meg's stuff seems to do things just fine!

Good work you're doing there! That's quick correction for an Audi too.



Even though things seem to look really good, I do think I'd go ahead and give it a final burnishing with the Menzerna. IME M105 and M205 seem to finish out great until you see something make it even better.

 

[Thats Fresh]

Nice cleanup. I like using Menzerna for the reason that there are several finishing polishes I can use to finish/jewel the paint. Menzerna PO85rd does just that for me

 

[JackalS4]

So I just got back from trying out the SIP and that Super Finish Nano Polish (FPII?) stuff.



Rear-quarter panel as is:

SIP, 3 hits (standard 3-5 passes etc), and i'm not quite getting all the correction I want. Gloss is nice for a cutting polish, but it really does seem M105 has more cutting power (as you might imagine).



3 hits of SIP only:

So I decided to bring the M105 back out and did 2 hits - added to the correction. Brought it from, just an estimate, say 75% to about 85% correction. In this panel, there are a couple more serious scratches that just don't show up in pics. Didn't want to go buffer-crazy chasing perfection that to me is a little overkill, so left the correction at about 85%...HUGE improvement though!



Then topped with Super Finish/Nano:

Here is the pic that shows a couple of the tougher marks at the bottom and on this panel there was 1 or 2 scratches under the clear from the previous owner (keep in mind the bottom half of the pic/panel is NOT done yet, look for the "line"!), didn't want to blindly do a million more passes to perfect this:

But overall result was so sweet in my mind!

Final Polish (left) vs. M205 (right):

Since the pic above may not really show much, I will say that my inexperienced eye can't really notice much of a difference at the moment between 205 & Final's overall finish/gloss/reflection...even looking closely. In my mind, i'd almost use the two interchangeably. But I will work with both over time and get to know them better and likely end up agreeing with Accumulator & That's Fresh! :chuckle:



Thanks for all the input! :up

 

[Thats Fresh]

Nice comparison on the sip/106.



IME Megs 105 has a cut between Menzerna PG and SIP.

 

[JackalS4]

Nice comparison on the sip/106.



IME Megs 105 has a cut between Menzerna PG and SIP.

If i'd known that, I would've probably gone with the PG instead! I knew my car needed some serious cut - hence the 4" pads, XP not the original PC, yellow/wool pads & 105 tricks up my sleeve.



Oh well.



Once I get started with other cars, maybe i'll use the SIP on less "screwed up" cars...



NOW i've really gotta watch what I wash with, can't blame the previous owner once this is all done anymore! :laugh:

 

[Chicagoareanew]

When I was shopping for polishes, I read the reviews on this site, and the Menzerna Power Gloss got a pretty bad review (albeit, there was only one review) so I wouldn't worry about the fact that you went with 105 instead.

 

[Aekon]

i tried 105 for the 1st time this weekend (coming from OHC) and it was WAY better. i was actually achieving a decent level of cut with the PC.

 

[dschribs]

Jackal



Nice work.



- Did you prime the pads with product at all (KB method)?



- Did you spread the product on a lower speed and then start polishing out the panel or did you just put the product on the pad and start polishing without spreading?



Thanks!

 

[Accumulator]

Different people seem to have different experiences when it comes to PG vs. M105.

 

[GoingGreenDetailing]

Hey Jackal,



Any mods to the B5 S4? I had one until last October when I sold my AWE Stage 3 with 47k miles on it.



Great job on the correction!!



Hugo

 

[JackalS4]

When I was shopping for polishes, I read the reviews on this site, and the Menzerna Power Gloss got a pretty bad review (albeit, there was only one review) so I wouldn't worry about the fact that you went with 105 instead.

Yeah I guess when there's only one review you never really know.



I will say the SIP seems like a VERY good all-arounder polish from what i've done. It didn't cut it for the S4, but I could certainly see it working very well on softer clears and/or less-swirled/newer cars.

i tried 105 for the 1st time this weekend (coming from OHC) and it was WAY better. i was actually achieving a decent level of cut with the PC.

M105 certainly seems to live up to the hype doesn't it!? Using it felt different than the others though, I think it's the non-diminishing properties or something - but IME (very little!) it doesn't leave a perfect looking trail and it almost scary to use until you wipe it off and the everything looks perfect again (and you breathe a sigh of relief haha).



In fact, I think unless I was doing something wrong, the M105 seems to look "dry" almost when going on and might encourage adding too much product. A finger swipe test ensured me there was still product down.



Using the same amounts with the others (esp. Menzerna's) never seemed to do this, they left that perfect "snake" trail (diminishing, IIRC).

Jackal



Nice work.



- Did you prime the pads with product at all (KB method)?



- Did you spread the product on a lower speed and then start polishing out the panel or did you just put the product on the pad and start polishing without spreading?



Thanks!

Thanks!



I didn't use the KB method. What I did was pretty much right off the DVD, mixed with another technique.



I applied a circle close to the outer edge of the pad, and then "kissed" different areas of the panel. Then, with the PC off, I smeared the "kisses" to the entire panel to approximate evenness. Then just fired her up at speed "5" right away.



Call it, the "Jackal" method. No no, i'm kidding. :chuckle:

Different people seem to have different experiences when it comes to PG vs. M105.

Maybe i'll have to add the PG to my collection at some point to broaden my horizons then!

Hey Jackal,



Any mods to the B5 S4? I had one until last October when I sold my AWE Stage 3 with 47k miles on it.



Great job on the correction!!



Hugo

Thank you much!



Only mods of yet are 710N diverter valves, an AWE boost gauge and a K&N flat panel. Keeping it very simple until I have my savings account where I want it.



Low-mileage AWE stage 3?? Must've been tough to let go...other than potential high-maintenance maybe? Those beasts are NOT slow.