Cant decide on polish

Q

Quattro3.2

New member
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
153
Reaction score
0
Everyone,

I have been on the fence about what polishes to get. I have decided on ordering the PC, but even with all the research I do, I cannot decide on the polishes. I like the idea of the Megs 105/205 with the non-diminishing abrasives, but I also like the Menz line. I hear good things about the 1z stuff too. What would you all recommend for a first timer, with no real experience using a polisher? They will be used on my 2007 Audi A4. I know that Audi has a pretty hard clear and I want to be sure not to screw any thing up. I could also use some suggestions on which combinations of product and pads you would use.

BTW, I have gradually getting plenty of LSPs etc. I have natty red, lusso oro, and mothers step 3. I also have Power Lock for my sealant.

The polishes are the last step in my arsenal. I am looking forward to getting some feedback. Thanks!!

Brad
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I cleaned up your post a bit since there was some funky coding stuff going on there.

This will basically boil down to what kind of condition your paint is in. Can you describe the condition, or better yet, post a picture?

If it's heavily swirled, definitely go for M105/205. If it's in decent shape with minor to moderate swirling, Menzerna would be my choice. But, let's assess the condition of your paint and go from there. :)
 
Subscribed. I'm in the same boat as you. I've been looking at the Megs combo but am not really sure. Megs is definetly cheaper.
 
Also, the VERY first time I ever used my first 7424, I used 1Z Paint Polish (green can) and it was quite easy to use, and left a pretty decent finish while removing most defects from my '96 Z28 which had fairly hard paint. I'll admit I don't use 1Z polishes nearly as often anymore, but they're still pretty easy to use and provide a good overall result.
 
I was a first timer my self a little less than a year ago and I found success with SwirlX, ScratchX 2.0, Ultimate Compound, M205, and Menzerna 85rd. Most of those products are over the counter which is why I started off with them and they worked great for me. Primarily I use Meg's UC on a white or orange LC pad, followed by 205 on white, and topped off with 85rd on a gray pad. Good luck!
 
But the small 8 oz. sizes of M105 and M205, then buy the 16 oz. SIP and 106FA. :dblthumb2:

Edit: SIP only comes in 32 oz.
 
I personally find the Menzerna polishes easy to use and great for fresh detailers and professionals alike. Not many will discount how far theyve come and how great their polish line is.
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
But the small 8 oz. sizes of M105 and M205, then buy the 16 oz. SIP and 106FA. :dblthumb2:

Edit: SIP only comes in 32 oz.
Click to expand...

This is actually a great idea. Why order in large quantities when you can try the smaller sizes first, save money, then decide which combo you like best!

OP, the 106FA polish is free (Free Sample with your Order) with any order, so your biggest expense will be the 32oz bottle of SIP.
 
[email protected] said:
I cleaned up your post a bit since there was some funky coding stuff going on there.

This will basically boil down to what kind of condition your paint is in. Can you describe the condition, or better yet, post a picture?

If it's heavily swirled, definitely go for M105/205. If it's in decent shape with minor to moderate swirling, Menzerna would be my choice. But, let's assess the condition of your paint and go from there. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that clean up. When I checked my work, I saw all that. i have so idea where that came from. I'll try to get some pictures after work. There are some pretty heavy swirls in some places, but not as bad others.

07 z-oh-6 said:
But the small 8 oz. sizes of M105 and M205, then buy the 16 oz. SIP and 106FA. :dblthumb2: QUOTE]

I was planning on grabbing the smaller sizes so that I could try them out. No use buying a bunch of product that i might not use. Thanks for the great idea.

A4 1.8tqm said:
Menzerna Power Finish PO 203, one step polish, swirl remover, finishing polish I haven't tried it yet, but I think it is gonna be my dream polish for cars like my Audi. I've built it up to be a god-send in my head. I imagine taking out significant swirls and finishing perfectly using Hydro-tech pads with this polish.
Click to expand...

This is what i think about when I read about the 105/205 combo. That is the whole reason for this post. I really want to be sure that I get all the info first.

Thanks for all the thoughts. Keep them coming.
Click to expand...
 
PO203 is great for cars where the paint is in fairly good condition. It has fairly good cut for a POLISH, but nothing near a compound. :xyxthumbs: I don't like to use it with anything more aggressive than a white or green pad because that defeats the purpose of its great finish. You can use it with a more aggressive pad, but then most likely you'll have to follow up with a finer polish and pad, especially on dark colored cars.
 
Well I was a first timer a couple months ago (on my second car as we speak, literally) I used the Menzerna "twins" that are popularly sold together - Intensive polish and Micro polish. And the car came out great (02 VW Passat) . I'm doing the other car, a 2 year old Nissan, with Menz PO85RD, an extra light polish that finishes as glossy as any Menz polish. Although I did the top surfaces with Micro polish due to water spots that the 85RD would have had trouble with. I'll be redoing the VW with the 85RD in the fall because it finishes slightly better than Micro but has very little cut.

Oh well, gotta get back to the garage. My hands have finally stopped vibrating. :applause:

:buffing:



.
 
Ok, so here are a few pictures of the paint. Forgive the quality of the pictures. I'm still trying to figure out how to take them Mostly a bunch of swirls. There are a few scratches in the paint. I did the finger nail test, and they BARELY grab a nail. I am hoping that they will be gone, or greatly dimished.

After seeing what I am working with, any other recommendations? Any pointers are welcome.

I have watched all of the videos that Mike puts on. I am really looking forward to diving into this. I love my car, and I can't wait for it to look awesome.

Again, thanks for all the help. I spend way to much time on here. Ask my boss.

Brad
 
Quattro3.2 said:
Thanks for all the thoughts. Keep them coming.
Click to expand...

The majority of all the new Audis I've worked on had super hard clear coat paint systems, I've also worked on a few that had paint as soft as butter...

So after you decide which products to use, be sure to do a TEST SPOT on your car's finish and make sure the products, pads and your skill and technique are creating the kind of results you want before buffing out an entire panel or the entire car.

Test, test, test...


The Menzerna polishes finish out better than anything I've tried on black paint and inspected after chemically stripping the paint. Menzerna really has their abrasive technology perfected...

The Wolfgang Twins are made by Menzerna and I tend to recommend them to anyone new to machine polishing or working on anything that might be on the difficult side.

Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze



I love this thread because Joe had NEVER buffed out a car before let alone a black Porsche and he was so excited to bring the car back to Autogeek and show me his results the day after he did the job...


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



He did his own car after his bosses Porsche

Proof the Average Guy can get Professional Results their first time Machine Polishing



:)
 
Wow, what a turn around. That was very impressive. I think I am going to go with the Wolfgang to start with. Which pads would you recommend? I like the CCS pads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top