'08 Mustang paint

[MonoPed]

I recently picked up an '08 Mustang, and am looking at getting a Porter Cable 7424XP, and have some questions.

Matt in sales has been great answering a seemingly endless barrage of questions, but you seem to be the "Jedi Master", so here goes...

The car is color code JV metallic red, and has the normal swirls of a 2 year old car, and also has water spots all over it. I'm guessing the car wasn't garaged, but it is now.

My list so far is the PC7424XP, Lake Country CCS 5.5" pads (2 orange, 2 white, 1 gray, 1 blue), XMT #3, #1 and finishing glaze, and Souveran liquid wax. Also gonna grab a 12pk of the Cobra Mango Breeze towels, DP pad cleaner, and a sample of the Pinnacle leather conditioner.

Poking around the site and the forum, it seems that there is such a thing as too much information. Of course I want to achieve that great finish, but my main concern is not causing any damage to the paint. I had thought about the Meguiar's 105/205 combo, but I don't want to start off with a compound or polish that is too aggressive. I found this video (Autogeek.net Intermediate Swirl Removal) posted on the Autogeek site and on YouTube, and since it appears to be a late model Ford Explorer used in the demonstration, I gravitated to the XMT products.

Another issue I have is, well, me. I lost my leg in a car wreck in 1995. With the injuries I sustained, a prosthetic limb doesn't work for me, so I hop around on crutches. I've detailed my vehicles by hand since then, with Mothers clay bar kits as part of my routine, but now I want to take it to the next level and make the finish on the Mustang stand out. I can easily reach all parts of my car including the roof, so I should be good to go with the machine.

I just wanted to makes sure I am starting out with the right materials to safely get the job done without the aforementioned damage.

Oh, the exterior of the glass also has some water spots etched in it. I hit a couple of the windows with clay, Meguiar's Ultimate Compound (by hand), and wiped them down with Stoner Invisible Glass, and they cleaned up pretty well. Can I use the PC and the XMT or Meguiar's on the glass to speed the process up a bit?

thanks!

The Car:

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Go with the Wolfgang Twins instead of the XMT polishes. rops: Same "cut" level as the XMT polishes you listed, but much newer and better.

 

[DARK HORSE]

I have found that the newer Mustangs "in general" have a very hard clear coat. I have also found that for me m105/m205 with either HT or flat pads corrects it the best. m105/m205 really is very easy to work with. Since the abrasives are non-diminishing, you simply stop working the product when you achieve the desired level of correction. One of the keys when using this product is to properly prime your pads with the product itself. Then use fairly heavy pressure for the first few passes, and lighten the pressure on the remaining passes. (Be sure to put a mark with a sharpie on the back of the backing plate, so that you can make sure the pad is always rotating).

Note: I have used both the WG twins and the Meggs twins on "08" and"09" Mustang paint, and the Meggs twins is what I found to work best for me.

 

[wytstang]

I'll 2nd 07 recommendation of WG twins vs XMT. Also if you don't have a stool with wheels to do the sides you may want to invest in one, help with your back and removes the need for crutches for a bit.
As for the glass a polish with a white pad should clean them up quit well. Picking up some blue painters tape to protect trim/emblems would be a good idea (makes clean up faster). Good luck.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for joining the forum and bringing your e-mail questions to this very active and helpful community of detailers and enthusiast detailers.

The replies you've received already are insightful and helpful plus there will be others that will read this into the future that will be helped. This is why forums are so powerful, not that I couldn't have gone into detail via e-mail but it's just a matter of typing time in each day and that with a forum you get help from so many other talented people.

I have a very lengthy Meguiar's background and love their products but I do have to say the Wolfgang Twins, that is the Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze are two of the easiest product to use as far as application, wipe-off and results.

With the right pad and a PC 7424XP you should be able to tackle the clear on a new Mustang without any problems. If I can pull swirls using TSR out of a new Corvette, you can pull swirls out of a new Mustang.

The key is like anything in life... use good technique... and we can help you with that.

The M105 and the Ultimate Compound will cut a lot faster than the Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover so maybe pick up a bottle of the Ultimate Compound, it's only $8.00 on the Autogeek.net Store so throw in a bottle of that and if you find you really need it than you'll have it when you go to start your project.

Ultimate Compound on the Autogeek.net Store

I've coined a term that goes like this...

Thin is in...

And it's true, thinner pads rotate better than thicker pads and it's when the pad is rotating on a DA Polisher that it's removing swirls, scratches and water spot etchings, so below I'll add a few more links with pictures to some products and threads for your to read.

Everything I add can also be found in my list of article of which there are now over 200 and I have a few more to add and a bunch more in the works...



:dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thin is in... New Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8 Inch Foam Pads

I've been playing around with these new thin foam buffing pads and really like them. The thinness makes it a breeze for all DA Polishers to maintain rotation and oscillation when removing swirls, water spots, oxidation and scratches.

These will be a great pad for anyone still using a first generation PC or Meguiar's G100, see this article...

How to maximize the ability of the 1st Generation Porter Cable Dual Action Polishers


Here's a couple pictures I took to show the difference between the thickness of the new 7/8" pads and the 1 1/4" version of these pads.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Proof You Can Do It! - Joe The Detailer - Black Porsche Turned into Black Pearl!


This story started on Saturday April 24th, 2010 at our Saturday Detailing Class here at our new Studio in Stuart, Florida. Two of our students couldn't stay for the entire class so we invited them back the following Monday for a little one-on-one training. Here's an excerpt from page 2 of the Pictures and Comments thread for that class.


Pictures and Comments from April 24th Damp Sanding and Machine Polishing Class

A couple guys had to leave early and so we had them back for a little one-on-one training on how to remove swirls out of a black Porsche and a red metallic Toyota, both with water spots and swirls.

We used the Wolfgang Twins and Füzion on the black Porsche and we used the Pinnacle Twins and Souveran Liquid on the Toyota and used the techniques shown in this DVD

Mike Phillips' Principles of Machine Polishing


Here's a few pictures from last night...

The above was all take on Monday night.

Then on Tuesday, when we opened for business, Steve the owner of the Porsche, stopped by and picked up all the tools, pads and products he needed to finish the car.

While he was here I took these pictures, you can see that only the small section we used to show Steve and Joe how to machine polish had been worked on at this point in time.

Now fast forward to Thursday, it's been only 3 days since Joe learned how to use a DA Polisher and he shows up at Autogeek in the afternoon to show us his results....

We moved the Porsche into our Studio for some beauty shots to showcase his new found talent!

On Monday night during the one-on-one training session, we stuck to a "System Approach" and kept it simple. We demonstrated the Wolfgang System on Steve's Porsche and then Joe dove in head first and removed all the swirls and polished the black paint till it looks like a Black Pearl.

Wolfgang System with a Porter Cable 7424XP and Lake Country 5.5" Flat Pads

I proud to introduce "Joe the Detailer" as a new friend of Autogeek's Show Car Garage and Online Discussion Forum!

:xyxthumbs:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's some pertinent links...

All of them have pictures, how-to information, links to more information and some have videos...


How much product do I use with my DA Polisher?


These tips and technique work with ALL DA Polishers and especially if you find the paint to be hard or the swirls to be deep...

How to maximize the ability of the 1st Generation Porter Cable Dual Action Polishers

Why it's important to clean your pads often...

How to clean your foam pad on the fly

How to correctly fold and use a Microfiber Towel

The Wolfgang Twins

The Baggie Test - How to inspect for above surface bonded contaminants

Kissing the Finish

Knock out painted roofs first, then tackle the rest of the car...

Here's a tip... don't lift the pad off the paint till you've turned the polisher off and the spinning pad has slowed down...

Factors that affect how aggressive or non-aggressive a product is...

The Free Floating Spindle Assembly - The Story Behind The Story...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

:dblthumb2:

I

Another issue I have is, well, me. I lost my leg in a car wreck in 1995. With the injuries I sustained, a prosthetic limb doesn't work for me, so I hop around on crutches.

Where there's a will there's a way...

I admire you for not letting your disadvantage from slowing you down... I lost my right leg in a boat accident in 1986 and I buffed out cars before the accident and I'm still buffing them out today...

Make sure you wear a shoe for your good leg that offers some ankle support, I don't wear anything except Nike Mid-Tops with full Air cushioned soles like you see me wearing in this picture... it really helps to absorb some of the shock to both legs and the added ankle support cuts down on the wear and tear to your angle and supporting muscles.


Cosmin and me... at the San Antonio GTG

 

[Dubbin1]

I have a very lengthy Meguiar's background and love their products but I do have to say the Wolfgang Twins, that is the Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover and the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze are two of the easiest product to use as far as application, wipe-off and results.

Why even bother with the WG twins when the Megs twins will get the job done so much faster???

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Why even bother with the WG twins when the Megs twins will get the job done so much faster???

Wow!

I just answered a PM about that...

Here's what I posted in my reply...

Didn't you see what I wrote?

I recommended he pick up Ultimate Compound? plus the WG Twins.

The water spots he listed are likely only on the hood and usually the horizontal surfaces are the worst surfaces for problems, one bottle of UC should take care of that.

I posted the truth, the WG Twins are in the running for the easiest product combination I've ever used. They are incredibly easy to use and for most people solve their problems.

This guy is missing his leg and DOESN'T have an artificial leg. Some people struggle with M105 and if you read the forums I think you'll see a trend in comments about how it can be difficult to wipe off. This guy is "new" to machine polishing.

I think he can get the same results using the Ultimate Compound as he can the M105 and he doesn't have to buy a quart.

I've pulled swirls out of new Corvettes and new Mustangs using the WG twins, of course M105 is faster but I took into account his disability AND recommended what some perceive to be an easier product to work with, the UC


Does that make sense?

Heck I've been using SMAT products as long and longer than most, I got to play with lab samples before they were public, I announced them on MOL when they went into production, please don't think I don't know anything about M105, M95, M86, M205, D151, UC, SwirlX and ScratchX as I do...

I don't recommend them as a knee jerk reaction to everyone.

I do appreciate you're taking the time to send me your questions via Private Messaging but you could have posted this to the forum as well and I would have posted the same reply above.

Thanks for asking though you know I always apreciate "helpful" posts....

rops:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hey Brian,

Dubbin1 and Darkhorse both think you should get M105 and M205, I agree there's nothing faster in cut and finish quality than M105, heck I was working for Meguiar's when these products were just lab samples so I know I've used them as long as most an longer in most cases...

I don't have any problems using M105 but a lot of people seem to experience a short buffing cycle, difficult wipe-off and dusting with the M105, this is usually climate related and or technique and technique can include not cleaning your pad often enough... note I included a link in a previous post on how to clean your pad on the fly.

Machine buffing out a car with two legs is a lot of work, machine buffing out a car with an artificial leg is also a lot of work, doing it with one leg won't be any easier.

I recommended the Wolfgang Twins because they are easy to work with as noted by the "Joe the Detailer" thread of whom I worked with personally to show him how to remove swirls and it was his first time ever using a DA Polisher.

Some people find the Ultimate Compound easier to work with than M105 and in this article I wrote I show that it's is very close to cut ability as the M105, so that's why I recommend it over the M105.


The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!
'
Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT
From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products

From the most to the least aggressive...

M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream
D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
SwirlX
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
​

I don't find the clears on Mustangs to be as hard as the clears on new Corvettes and I've used the Wolfgang twins on Corvettes with good results.

So read through this thread and if you think you want to go with the Meguiar's M105 and M205 you'll be making a great choice also and we'll be here to see your through to success in your garage should you run into any issues.

:xyxthumbs:

 

[DARK HORSE]

Wow!

I just answered a PM about that...

Here's what I posted in my reply...




Thanks for asking though you know I always apreciate "helpful" posts....

rops:

Since I'm the one who PM'd Mike about this I thought I'd share the PM, here it is:

Just wondering why you will not recommend 105/205? I find it to be an awesome product, and very easy to work with. Just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would you recommend that someone beat their head against the wall trying to correct paint (w/hard cc) with a product, when there is a product out there that will correct it so much quicker? Is it because WG is the house brand and it generates more revenue to pay the bills? Just wondering??? I can tell you from personal experience with both the WG twins and the Meggs twins on “08” and “09” Mustang paint the Meggs twins did a far superior job (time and effort wise) of correcting, than did the WG twins. Maybe I’m missing something. If so please let me know what it is.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thanks for chiming in to help our our new forum member Tad...


A quality forum grows because of good quality information...


rops:

 

[DARK HORSE]

:iagree: Thanks Mike :dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Brian,

I did a Mapquest search for how far away you are from Stuart, Florida and it looks like about

Hernando, Florida to Stuart, Florida

3 hours 18 minutes - 201.88 miles
​

Maybe you can swing a trip to our facilities in the future and attend one of our detailing classes?

DetailFest is coming up and I think you would really enjoy the things we have planned for this year plus last year we had Mini-Classes and we may do that again this year.

I would even be happy to spend some time with you showing you how to use M105 with a Porter Cable and can even round up a Mustang if you like. Heck you can pick any product in our arsenal and we'll play with it.

Some food for thought...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[MonoPed]

The suggestions for the m105/205 combo with the nod toward speed and efficiency is much appreciated, but given my physical limitations, and inexperience with the tool, I don't mind spending a little more time to get the results with a more user-friendly product. With that in mind, would the Wolfgang Swirl Remover 3.0 and Finishing Glaze 3.0 accomplish the same thing as the XMT #3, #1 and glaze? Would my initial choice of pads (5.5" CCS, 2 orange, 2 white, 1 gray and 1 blue) work the same? And speaking of pads, is there any difference in performance and feel between the CCS and flat pads?

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

The suggestions for the m105/205 combo with the nod toward speed and efficiency is much appreciated, but given my physical limitations, and inexperience with the tool, I don't mind spending a little more time to get the results with a more user-friendly product. With that in mind, would the Wolfgang Swirl Remover 3.0 and Finishing Glaze 3.0 accomplish the same thing as the XMT #3, #1 and glaze? Would my initial choice of pads (5.5" CCS, 2 orange, 2 white, 1 gray and 1 blue) work the same? And speaking of pads, is there any difference in performance and feel between the CCS and flat pads?

You will get better results with TSR and FG compared to XMT polishes. They are about the same aggressiveness, just flat out better polishes. CCS pads might glide across the paint a bit easier than flat pads, but flat pads will give better correction on a DA.

 

[MonoPed]

Joe the Detailer's ride turned out great! Thanks for posting that in this thread.

 

[DARK HORSE]

Joe the Detailer's ride turned out great! Thanks for posting that in this thread.

You are right "Joe the Detailer's ride turned out great"! Just thought I'd also share a few pictures of an "09" Mustang polished with m105/m205/85rd...