Help Guys - Polishes and Compounds

kemo

kemo

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I do a lot of detailing, but I don't have enough experience with polishes and compounds when using a DA polisher, so I can really use your help guys. I own 3 vehicles, "Mini Cooper - Hot Orange", "Chrysler Pacifica - Sandstone", but my Dodge Dakota is my real concern since it is black. Even though it's an 09, the paint is a mess (we're talking "lots" of light scratches and a some deeper ones). I am looking for the best polish/compound to use on the truck. I will be using a Porter Cable 7424XP and I have - white, orange, black and yellow LC pads.

I was thinking about going with the following:
A) Optimum Compound II
B) Optimum Car Polish II
C) Optimum Finish Polish
D) wax/sealer - Optimum wax? Mequiars NXT? etc?

After doing a lot of reading on here, I have learned a lot, but I am also over-whelmed because with so much information it can be hard to narrow done the right direction to take for paint correction. I was leaning towards the Optimum products because of the dustless nature and the long working time. I know there is the new Optimum Hyper products, but I still can't wrap my head around the idea that a spray compound or polish will work as well. Can we get the hyper products in non-spray form?

Again, I've done a lot of basic detailing over the years, but working with a polisher is new to me, plus I've never had a vehicle that needed work as bad as this Dakota does. I have arthritis quite bad in my shoulder, so I need something that's easy to work with (another reason I was thinking Optimum). As for wax, I've used the same meguiars for years, but I added it to the list above because I figured you guys would have some new "better" suggestions. Any help is appreciated.

P.S. I have another question about some minor paint correction on the Mini, but I'll leave that for another thread.
 
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I have a porter cable as well, i have not yet used a rotary. I use Megs 105/205 for compound and polish respectively. This combo works AMAZING, especially after you develop a learning curve for the 105. It might be a bit difficult to work but the compound finishes like a polish and corrects very well for a DA. I use 5.5" LC orange pads with 105 and white with 205. This combo will correct just about anything you can on your truck, i have not yet bought a rotary cause i dont see a use in it if my PC can correct very quickly with 105/205. Just my two cents... And top that with megs #20 polymer synthetic sealant and you will be amazed.
 
I love the spray polish and compounds, and they work quite well. I prefer using them over Megs 105/205 honestly. They do not have the cut of the Megs, but workability and finishing is great.
 
M.P. Cobra Fan said:
I love the spray polish and compounds, and they work quite well. I prefer using them over Megs 105/205 honestly. They do not have the cut of the Megs, but workability and finishing is great.
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I was wondering what the cut was like compared to 105/205. i just cant seem to get away from them, they work too well for me. but it would be nice to have an easier compound to work with.
 
You can't mess up with the optimum hyper Compound and polish. Go with 5.5" flat pads. These products are very user friendly and you never have to worry about the product dusting or drying out. The surface is always slick. They are great products and I wouldn't hesitate at all in getting yourself an order placed. Also think about this...optimum products are designed to work together and be totally compatible with each other ...in case you ever think about using the new Opti coat product. Think long term.
 
The OPT Compound and Polish is *^%#.... my two cents.
I bought them both on the BOGO and attempted three times to use them and they simply don't cut or polish. I always find myself going back to 105/205
 
kelley386 said:
I was wondering what the cut was like compared to 105/205. i just cant seem to get away from them, they work too well for me. but it would be nice to have an easier compound to work with.
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IMHO the Optimum Hyper-Compound is less aggressive than the M105. M105 designed to remove #1200 in a body shop situation, (fresh paint which means soft paint), the Hyper-Compound is designed to remove #1500 grit sanding marks...

Hyper-Compound has an insane buffing cycle and wipe-off is really, really easy.


Hyper-Polish is more aggressive than M205 and like Hyper-Compound it has along buffing cycle or long play time and super easy wipe-off.


:)
 
Hopefully someday, the "swirl remover & Compounds" chart that was started a long tiem ago will be updated to include some of the newer compounds and polishes that are now very popular...including the hyper spray products from Optimum.

M105 is surely in a class by itself, but if that level of correction is not required, then there are surely a few nice alternatives out there (Optimum hyper compound and Megs D300 come to mind) that are easier to use for the novice.
 
Another "black car victim". I do love black cars, but they are a bear to maintain. That's what brought me here. I chose the Wolfgang/Menzerna line based on a lot of comments. The WG polishes are repeatedly mentioned as some of the easiest and most user-friendly, and that's been my experience. They are more expensive, but I've never had the dusting, caking, working time and buff-off problems mentioned with other products. And, using Mike P's clean-on-the-fly technique, the pad cleans up so easily that I only use one pad per step. The Menz Powerlock is likewise mentioned as one of the slickest and easiest to use. I can comment that it is very easy to apply and remove and it is very, very slick.

Sorry to hear about your arthritis. I feel your pain - literally. I have it in my back and hips. The orthopedist looked at my x-rays and said, "You play golf? WOW!". All I can say is be ready for some pain once your done polishing and waxing. I'm glad I don't do this for a living; no way I could.
 
First......thank you very much for all the info guys. After reading this forum for the last few months, I knew you'd come through. Secondly, sorry for this long response (I'm sure you guys have better things to do than read my ramblings), but I want to make sure I have a reasonable idea of what I need before I place my order.

I'm still a bit stuck on some things. From what I've read, here's what I got so far:

1) Most of you love the Meguiars 105 and 205 (I've always been a Meguiars fan, but I heard that the 105 was dusty and hard to work, that's why I had not mentioned it)

2) No one mentioned anything overly positive about Optimum Compound ll or the Polish ll, so I guess those aren't good options?

3) The Optimum Hyper Polish and Hyper Compound seem to be well liked?

4) After reading HeavyMetal's comment, the Wolfgang/Menzerna line may be an option? I've certainly heard of Wolfgang and Menzerna, but since I could never get them around here, I never had a chance to use any of their products. Of course, now that we have online shipping (and our dollar is at par for a change), I can order from Autogeek.

As for using the hyper line on the Dakota, I'd need to know what you guys think: as I said above, the truck has lots of swirls, but it also has quite a few scratches (not through the clear, but still very noticable), then a few scratches that are through the clear, but I know there is no hope for those ones. So my question is: with the amount of correction needed, is it too much for the Hyper line to handle? BTW, I do look after my vehicles, but I bought the truck when it was a year old and it had most of the scratches in it (but the deal was too good to pass up).

Maybe I should just take the easy route and order some of the Hyper line, some Wolfgang and some Meguiars. Expensive, but I'd cover all the bases, lmao.
 
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In case you didn't see my post Opt II compound and polish suck balzania for me ....
I even have an email to chris at opt and matt and Dwayne here to see about a remedy as I suspect when I got them on BOGO a while back it may have been from the 1998 batch
Go get you some 105/205 and call it a day.
 
yeah I did see it Fred. That's what I meant when I posted #2 in my last comment. You meant you didn't like the Compound ll and the Polish ll, right? (you weren't referring to the Hyper line were you?)
 
Thanks Mike, guess I know what I'm doing for the evening:xyxthumbs:
 
I just tried the Megs DA MF System this weekend. It is amazing It is amazing! The Compound & Cutting pad made short order of a defect I couldnt remove with a Cyan HT pad. If you have arthritis I would recommend you at least get the cutting pads. They probably wont work as well as they do with the System, but I will bet you will be happy with their cutting ability!
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Hyper-Polish is more aggressive than M205 and like Hyper-Compound it has along buffing cycle or long play time and super easy wipe-off.


:)
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Mike, I have used the Hyper compound and Polish only about 3 times and my findings are the same as yours(I love the long work times). I feel the polish is a bit more aggressive also but I find it to finish down just as well if not a tic better than 205. Like I said, I only have limited use with the spray compound/polish as of right now but I was wondering if you can share your experiences/opinions on how it finishes down for you. Thanks
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Read through some of these...

Success Stories
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Mike, thanks for linking to my post. I must have done something right for you to think enough of it to link. Makes me sorry I didn't have time for pics. For those reading, my RAV looked about like the Porche in the 4th link. I should also note that I've done two more cars since then and have bumped the speed on the TSR and FG to between 5.5 and 6. I also found if you do two initial passess with light pressure (~ 5 lbs) to get an even coat and then follow with 4 more with medium to heavy pressure (10 - 15 lbs), the paint glosses more quickly and far higher. That holds for both TSR and FG. After 6 passes like the above, TSR and FG are almost completely broken down and you can see the gloss thru it. Finish up with one or two light pressure passes. If there are still some defects left, you can apply a little more pressure for a couple passes or do that section over again.

I will be doing my wife's black Lexus this weekend. This time I will take pics, and I'll post some after pics of the RAV.
 
Question regarding Hydro Tech pads used with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on like new-paint (2011 model)...there are some light surface scratches, so some very minor correction is required...I doubt I even need the total swirl remover...but I want it to finish down as glossy as possible in the fewest steps using WG Finishing Glaze (because that's what I have)

Should I start out with the tangerine pad (light polishing pad) with very little pressure, or use the crimson (finishing pad) and work it in good...or both? I understand that the crimson fine fishing pad has no real correction capability, but on the other hand it probably produces a better "pop" to the paint...I guess I'm wondering if the tangerine pad can finish down enough so that I don't require a follow up with the crimson. I'd like to be able to finish down to a really high gloss in one step...not two if I can.
 
silverfox said:
Question regarding Hydro Tech pads used with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on like new-paint (2011 model)...there are some light surface scratches, so some very minor correction is required...I doubt I even need the total swirl remover...but I want it to finish down as glossy as possible in the fewest steps using WG Finishing Glaze (because that's what I have)

Should I start out with the tangerine pad (light polishing pad) with very little pressure, or use the crimson (finishing pad) and work it in good...or both? I understand that the crimson fine fishing pad has no real correction capability, but on the other hand it probably produces a better "pop" to the paint...I guess I'm wondering if the tangerine pad can finish down enough so that I don't require a follow up with the crimson. I'd like to be able to finish down to a really high gloss in one step...not two if I can.
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I don't know. I bought 4" HT pads for tight places but I didn't need them on the cars I've done, and those were older models - newest was my 2008 RAV. I can let you know next Monday. I'll be doing my wife's Lexus and I will be using the 4" HT pads. I was gonna use the cyan.
 
silverfox said:
Question regarding Hydro Tech pads used with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on like new-paint (2011 model)...there are some light surface scratches, so some very minor correction is required...I doubt I even need the total swirl remover...but I want it to finish down as glossy as possible in the fewest steps using WG Finishing Glaze (because that's what I have)

Should I start out with the tangerine pad (light polishing pad) with very little pressure, or use the crimson (finishing pad) and work it in good...or both? I understand that the crimson fine fishing pad has no real correction capability, but on the other hand it probably produces a better "pop" to the paint...I guess I'm wondering if the tangerine pad can finish down enough so that I don't require a follow up with the crimson. I'd like to be able to finish down to a really high gloss in one step...not two if I can.
Click to expand...

I polished the hood of my truck, which had very light scratches, with a tangerine HT pad and Wolfgang finishing glaze and it finished down perfectly.
 
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