Lost in which polish n wax to use
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Frisco, TX
Lost in which polish n wax to use
So my car has quite a bit of light scratches n swirls, I have never used a polisher, I have purchased a 7424xp and I am buying the uber pads, I was wondering what all I need because I've read people use M105 and M205, I'm a bit confused on if thats all I need.
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From: North Jersey
OP, as a fellow BB owner and user of Meguiars products, I may be able to help you a little bit. In my experience so far, M105 is very aggressive for our paint especially if you're using an aggressive pad with it. M105 is also a pain in the ass because it does have some dusting issues. Now, I'm not sure just how bad your swirls are but, like others have said, start with M205 on some sort of polishing pad. M205 is a very effective product and leaves a great finish. However, I've had a TON of dusting problems with M205. I tried out Ultimate Polish and it's AWESOME. Doesn't have the correction ability of 205 but has more polishing oils.
If you can get M205 to NOT dust, then use that. Also, another suggestion. I found that a smaller backing plate and smaller pads (I think i use 5.5") will give you extra cutting power and not bog down the machine. I switched to them and haven't gone back to 7 or 8 inch pads since. I also found that using speed 4 instead of speed 5 helped out as speed 5 left some haze.
Keep in mind that our paint is EXTREMELY delicate, so you don't need to go super aggressive. With the 205 or ultimate polish, do a few overlapping passes with enough pressure so the pad still spins but doesn't sop or bog down. After those, finish with 1 or 2 passes with just the weight of the machine because it will finish our a lot better.
You can follow up 205 and UP with a wax of your choice or, if you want the best possible finish, put on a coat of finishing polish first using a pure polishing pad. This will not only give you great depth and clarity, it'll remove any micro marring or haze left by your previous step. Then follow that up with a wax/sealant. It's a lot of work and there is a learning curve but your car will look GREAT when it's done.
If you can get M205 to NOT dust, then use that. Also, another suggestion. I found that a smaller backing plate and smaller pads (I think i use 5.5") will give you extra cutting power and not bog down the machine. I switched to them and haven't gone back to 7 or 8 inch pads since. I also found that using speed 4 instead of speed 5 helped out as speed 5 left some haze.
Keep in mind that our paint is EXTREMELY delicate, so you don't need to go super aggressive. With the 205 or ultimate polish, do a few overlapping passes with enough pressure so the pad still spins but doesn't sop or bog down. After those, finish with 1 or 2 passes with just the weight of the machine because it will finish our a lot better.
You can follow up 205 and UP with a wax of your choice or, if you want the best possible finish, put on a coat of finishing polish first using a pure polishing pad. This will not only give you great depth and clarity, it'll remove any micro marring or haze left by your previous step. Then follow that up with a wax/sealant. It's a lot of work and there is a learning curve but your car will look GREAT when it's done.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 173
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From: Frisco, TX
OH man, I appreciate the info. I got uber 5.5" pads with a 5" back plate. I will order the M205 & Ultimate Polish, and a wax and go from there. thanks.
Do you have any recommendations on which wax/sealant to use, should I just use carnuba wax?
Do you have any recommendations on which wax/sealant to use, should I just use carnuba wax?
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Baraboo, WI
You could put a carnuba over the sealant after it cures (8-12 hrs approx) to give it a "carnuba glow". Either this:http://www.autogeek.net/mg7016.html or this: http://www.autogeek.net/meg26hityelw.html are great cost effective waxes.
You could also try Ultimate Compound which is not as aggressive as M105 but more aggressive than M205...and it doesn't dust AS much.
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,941
Likes: 47
From: Baraboo, WI
OP, as a fellow BB owner and user of Meguiars products, I may be able to help you a little bit. In my experience so far, M105 is very aggressive for our paint especially if you're using an aggressive pad with it. M105 is also a pain in the ass because it does have some dusting issues. Now, I'm not sure just how bad your swirls are but, like others have said, start with M205 on some sort of polishing pad. M205 is a very effective product and leaves a great finish. However, I've had a TON of dusting problems with M205. I tried out Ultimate Polish and it's AWESOME. Doesn't have the correction ability of 205 but has more polishing oils.
If you can get M205 to NOT dust, then use that. Also, another suggestion. I found that a smaller backing plate and smaller pads (I think i use 5.5") will give you extra cutting power and not bog down the machine. I switched to them and haven't gone back to 7 or 8 inch pads since. I also found that using speed 4 instead of speed 5 helped out as speed 5 left some haze.
Keep in mind that our paint is EXTREMELY delicate, so you don't need to go super aggressive. With the 205 or ultimate polish, do a few overlapping passes with enough pressure so the pad still spins but doesn't sop or bog down. After those, finish with 1 or 2 passes with just the weight of the machine because it will finish our a lot better.
You can follow up 205 and UP with a wax of your choice or, if you want the best possible finish, put on a coat of finishing polish first using a pure polishing pad. This will not only give you great depth and clarity, it'll remove any micro marring or haze left by your previous step. Then follow that up with a wax/sealant. It's a lot of work and there is a learning curve but your car will look GREAT when it's done.
If you can get M205 to NOT dust, then use that. Also, another suggestion. I found that a smaller backing plate and smaller pads (I think i use 5.5") will give you extra cutting power and not bog down the machine. I switched to them and haven't gone back to 7 or 8 inch pads since. I also found that using speed 4 instead of speed 5 helped out as speed 5 left some haze.
Keep in mind that our paint is EXTREMELY delicate, so you don't need to go super aggressive. With the 205 or ultimate polish, do a few overlapping passes with enough pressure so the pad still spins but doesn't sop or bog down. After those, finish with 1 or 2 passes with just the weight of the machine because it will finish our a lot better.
You can follow up 205 and UP with a wax of your choice or, if you want the best possible finish, put on a coat of finishing polish first using a pure polishing pad. This will not only give you great depth and clarity, it'll remove any micro marring or haze left by your previous step. Then follow that up with a wax/sealant. It's a lot of work and there is a learning curve but your car will look GREAT when it's done.
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,941
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From: Baraboo, WI