Input needed on polishes.

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grambow

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Since spring is in the air here in Wisconsin, I am starting to get the itch to do some early season paint correction. I am looking for your suggestions/opinions on which paint correction products will be best for my needs.

My garage consists of a 2007 BMW X3 in Montego blue, a 2008 Mercedes C350 in metallic black and a 2010 Ford Fusion in metallic black.

All three vehicles are in fairly good condition. No deep scratches to speak of…mainly micro marring and swirls from washings and winter driving. I am using a first generation PC for buffing/polishing.

I have experience with the Wolfgang line of polishes and compounds. I have been using the Total Swirl Remover Kit for the past two summers. I have been pleased with the results but not ecstatic considering the amount of time I put into the project.

I am wondering if I should consider kit Meguiars M105/205 or a Menzerna polish (don’t know too much about the line). I am looking for your suggestions. I know Megs doesn’t use diminishing abrasives. Is this safe for my metallic black cars? I don’t have ton of experience but consider myself better than the average guy on the block. I don’t want to make things worse I want to make them better.

Thanks for your input!
 
M105/205 are perfectly safe for your cars and will handle just about anything you can throw at them. They take a little getting used to but are among my favorites for sure. Menzerna polishes are great as well. I use PO83, PO106FA, and PO85RD all fairly regularly.

If I had to pick between both lines I'd choose Menzerna, but you can't go wrong either way. :xyxthumbs:
 
105/205 is another fine combo. Also consider the size of pads being used and buffer. I might suggest moving to a 5 inch backing plate and 5.5 inch pads as another option with the same polishes you are currently using.
 
I did a little more research on the Megs 105/205. I am concerned they may be too aggressive for my needs. The kit AG sells is with the orange pads for the 195 and black for the 205. The 105 with the orange is pretty aggressive right? Do I need that for micro marring and washing swirls?
So my questions are these. Do I go with the 105/205 in the kit with the orange pads? Or, do I buy the polishes separate with different pads? Or, do I look into Menzerna. If so, I am looking for your input on which ones and with which pads. OR...do I just stay with the WG TSWR?
I was really hoping to get something that worked faster than the WG but at the same time, I dont want to mess up my paint with a polish that is too advanced/aggressive. Again I am using a gen 1 PC. Thanks again!
 
grambow said:
I did a little more research on the Megs 105/205. I am concerned they may be too aggressive for my needs. The kit AG sells is with the orange pads for the 195 and black for the 205. The 105 with the orange is pretty aggressive right? Do I need that for micro marring and washing swirls?
So my questions are these. Do I go with the 105/205 in the kit with the orange pads? Or, do I buy the polishes separate with different pads? Or, do I look into Menzerna. If so, I am looking for your input on which ones and with which pads. OR...do I just stay with the WG TSWR?
I was really hoping to get something that worked faster than the WG but at the same time, I dont want to mess up my paint with a polish that is too advanced/aggressive. Again I am using a gen 1 PC. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I have never seen any kits that were the money because they always miss things that are essential. Like throwing 6.5" pads with a first gen PC and the pads they throw in it are so not you need.

105 is a pad dependant polish. You can put M105 on a white pad if you want and it'll work great on softer clears from what I've been told. It can also remove buffer trails pretty easily, this I have done and it works well.

105 with orange IMO isn't terribly aggressive. It's a great combo and you should get great results from the Orange pad/105 combo. 205 Should follow the 105. Put the 205 on a white pad. After that follow it up with P085RD on a gray pad.

With a 1st gen PC (I have one) 5.5" pads are a must. I love them and I love my 4" pads also, but I she's been replaced by the rotary now. I'll use it from time to time on plastic painted trim, but other than that the rotary gets my full attentionl no more more wobble.

I have some WGTSR, but haven't gotten around to trying it out yet. I hear it doesn't have a lot of cut.

IMO, you should get a 5" HD backing plate, 5.5" pads (at least 3 orange, 2 white, 1 gray; perfect for the 6 pack) That should allow you to do half a car pretty easily if they arent in terrible condition.

Menzerna is nice, but to get the good polishes you'll take a nice financial hit to begin with. You would probably benefit most from SIP, 106FA, and 85RD if you went with Menzerna. They are easier to work with and have next to no learning curve. Very easy to work with.

Hope that covers it all.
 
Instead of investing $100 or more on Menzerna, you might consider spending $120 or so for a new GG,PC or Megs DA. Then you can get optimum results with your WG and will see big time saving from now on. IME there is NO comparison with older PC and new gen GG. Others can chime in on new PC or Megs. Just my $.02!
 
Old Tiger said:
Instead of investing $100 or more on Menzerna, you might consider spending $120 or so for a new GG,PC or Megs DA. Then you can get optimum results with your WG and will see big time saving from now on. IME there is NO comparison with older PC and new gen GG. Others can chime in on new PC or Megs. Just my $.02!
Click to expand...
I'll chime in. I had been using the old PC with Griots pads and polishes for about 7 years or so. Was not getting the results I was looking for. Research led me to this site and AG. I first tried new pads. A little better, but, still not what I wanted. More research and I am now the owner of a new Griots Garage 6in ROP. Huge difference in power and cutting ability. I would also recommend upgrading the polisher.

I then switched to 5 in plate and 5.5 LC pads. Another huge step forward. This step is more for the ease of use than the cutting ability. It is just a better size for most panels.

I could not find 105/205 locally, so I bought the consumer version. Megs Ultimate Compound and SwirlX 2.0. Another huge improvement. The ultimate compound on a yellow (aggressive cut) pad took some deeper scratches out for me readily, yet, finished very clean and smooth. Very little marring. I followed with SwirlX to clean up the last little bit on a white pad. You could always start with a white pad and SwirlX (or 205). IF that does not satisfy, go to UC (or 105) on an orange pad followed by SwirlX/205 on a white. These Megs polishes are awesome. I ordered 105/205 from AG, but, do not have it yet. If it is as easy to use as the consumer version, that is the route I would go again and again.

May be a little more money than you had hoped to spend, but, likely worth it on the stable of cars you list.
 
Lots of really good insight shared in this thread... I can't really add anything that hasn't been said but instead will highlight the key strong ideas...

1) New generation DA Polishers will save you time if you need to remove swirls because they will keep a pad rotating under pressure better than first generation polishers. There's a thread on this forum somewhere in which I pointed this out to a guy and he started out using his first generation polisher and then upgraded to a new PC 7424XP and then commented on how much the increase in performance was worth it for the time issue alone.

Here's his follow-up thread, check out his first message...


WG TSR/FG & PC 7335 Technique



2) If you're going to use a first generation DA Polisher, then definitely get some 5.5" foam pads or a 5.5" Surbuf pad for the correction steps. The old style polishers will be better able to rotate a smaller pad and it's when the pad is rotating that paint is removed which when swirls and scratches are removed.


3) M105 is only as aggressive as you make it, same thing goes for any SMAT product, see this thread...


The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products...

The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!


And if you haven't watched these two videos, check them out

Video: How-To do a "Section Pass" when Machine Buffing
How to Remove Swirls with the Porter Cable 7424XP


:buffing:
 
5.4 Shelby said:
I'll chime in. I had been using the old PC with Griots pads and polishes for about 7 years or so. Was not getting the results I was looking for. Research led me to this site and AG. I first tried new pads. A little better, but, still not what I wanted. More research and I am now the owner of a new Griots Garage 6in ROP. Huge difference in power and cutting ability. I would also recommend upgrading the polisher.

I then switched to 5 in plate and 5.5 LC pads. Another huge step forward. This step is more for the ease of use than the cutting ability. It is just a better size for most panels.

I could not find 105/205 locally, so I bought the consumer version. Megs Ultimate Compound and SwirlX 2.0. Another huge improvement. The ultimate compound on a yellow (aggressive cut) pad took some deeper scratches out for me readily, yet, finished very clean and smooth. Very little marring. I followed with SwirlX to clean up the last little bit on a white pad. You could always start with a white pad and SwirlX (or 205). IF that does not satisfy, go to UC (or 105) on an orange pad followed by SwirlX/205 on a white. These Megs polishes are awesome. I ordered 105/205 from AG, but, do not have it yet. If it is as easy to use as the consumer version, that is the route I would go again and again.

May be a little more money than you had hoped to spend, but, likely worth it on the stable of cars you list.
Click to expand...
Great post on the GG and 5.5 pads. I Love my GG and I also bought the mini (3") but havent tried it yet. Weather sucks in SC this weekend, veryy wet, so I will wait until the next decent weekend to tackle my Expedition and hopefully put the top down on the XLR and go cruisin in our beautiful mountains.
 
Old Tiger said:
Great post on the GG and 5.5 pads. I Love my GG and I also bought the mini (3") but havent tried it yet. Weather sucks in SC this weekend, veryy wet, so I will wait until the next decent weekend to tackle my Expedition and hopefully put the top down on the XLR and go cruisin in our beautiful mountains.
Click to expand...
I plan to buy the mini soon. I have their 3 in pneumatic. I bought it before they had the elecrtic. It is somewhat cumbersome to operate in the tight areas it is intended for when there is a large air hose attached to it.

My wife's expy is next on my list. We just got it 6 weeks ago. This will be my first time with it. I am afraid it is going to be a task.

I took my Shelby to North Carolina including the Tail of the Dragon Fall of '08. Love that part of the country. The only place I made it to in SC was Shelby, NC for some Red Bridges BBQ.
 
THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT MT. ROADS WITHIN A FEW MILES OF MY HOME IN sENECA. next time you are down this way check out Highlands,NC. Any waay you get there is a great road for your Shelby. Our 07 Expedition Limited has been a great vehicle.
 
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