Few issues for beginner

[Gradywhite3535]

Hi all, I posted a thread about a week ago and I just have a few more questions. I had my first experience using a da(harbor freight special) using meg 105 and 205 also using a orange and white lake country pads(6in).

I didn't have good results as I didn't get all scratchs and swirls out. after going over what I could've done wrong I have a few questions.

1. I used microfiber towels that came with my megs ultimate wax and clay bar kit from mothers. Are these towels sufficient to wipe away compounds and polish?
2.after using megs 105, should there be swirls using orange pad on a 2003 Acura TL?
3.after claying the car, do I need to re wash car? Could I've got swirls from not washing after claying then compounding?
4.what would be the best to use to prolong m105 water, detail spray or spray wax?
5. I've seen videos where detailers spray iron-x to get rid of tiny bits of metal. Do you need to do this step before compounding: polishing. Sounds like it wouldn't be a good idea to polish if there are metal particles lol.

Thanks for the help guys well appreciated.

 

[Eldorado2k]

1. Sure.

2. If it's a 6" pad on that polisher, maybe. 5" pad & backing plate might just be the difference you're missing out on. I believe it is.

3. Nah.

4. Once your pad is primed, 2 dots of M105 + 1 dot of M205 per application. Or simply switch to Meguiars Ultimate Compound. It's only $9 bucks at your local auto parts store.

5. Yes, but it's not absolutely critical since the claybar will pretty much take care of mostly all the embedded contamination on your paint by itself. Plus since you're on a tight budget, any money spent ordering supplies that will have to be shipped is much better spent upgrading to 5" backing plate & pads.

Also I'd recommend using at least a 14 gauge extension cord especially if it's 50' in length or more. Connecting through a long 16 gauge extension cord may affect your tools power, along with the too big 6" backing plate & pad that's already holding it back.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

Best wsy to deal with M105 is to toss it aside and use M101. I know some people can do wonderful things with it but why bother when other, easier alternatives are avaliable?

 

[Eldorado2k]

Best wsy to deal with M105 is to toss it aside and use M101. I know some people can do wonderful things with it but why bother when other, easier alternatives are avaliable?

Yup, especially for a 1st timer who's experiencing issues.

 

[RippyD]

What brand of pad? You may need to do another pass with the 105 to get the worst scratches out, and maybe consider a more aggressive pad. You can cut your M105 with Ultimate Polish or just use Ultimate Polish by itself. Far less problematic than M105. M101 is better, but expensive not available in bottles smaller than 32 oz.

 

[JayD1315]

I'm fairly new with polishing myself and I have both the Ultimate compound and M105. I struggle using M105, it drys way too fast, really need to use it out of the sun and in the shade.

I'm kind of over M105 and Ultimate compound. I keep hearing that Menzerna is much easier to use so I'm going to give Menzerna SHC300 and FG400 a shot. I'm hoping I see better results with them.

Although I seem to be using an all-in-one polish much more often than compounding in general.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

I keep hearing that Menzerna is much easier to use so I'm going to give Menzerna SHC300 and FG400 a shot. I'm hoping I see better results with them.

Might wanna give the Jescar duo a try; less oily then Menzerna, easier wipe off.

https://www.autogeek.net/jescar-correction-compound-8.html
https://www.autogeek.net/jescar-micro-finishing-polish-8.html

 

[Desertnate]

Great advice so far.

Something I'll also add is the marks you are trying to get out might be too deep to properly remove. That car is 14 years old and a lot of life happens in that time. Some marks may be too deep to remove easily, and you probably don't want to go after them because you'd wear away too much of the clear coat in their removal.

 

[JayD1315]

Might wanna give the Jescar duo a try; less oily then Menzerna, easier wipe off.

https://www.autogeek.net/jescar-correction-compound-8.html
https://www.autogeek.net/jescar-micro-finishing-polish-8.html

Added to the list of product to try! Thanks. Hows the cut on the compound in relation to Menzerna? My car has some pretty hard clear coat (VW Gti). M105 with a microfiber pad couldn't take out some of my not so deep scratches. Then again I had a hard time with M105 drying out about 10 seconds after applying

 

[RippyD]

Something I'll also add is the marks you are trying to get out might be too deep to properly remove. That car is 14 years old and a lot of life happens in that time. Some marks may be too deep to remove easily, and you probably don't want to go after them because you'd wear away too much of the clear coat in their removal.

This is great advice. You can always go after deeper scratches next time. I usually do about 90% correction, maybe 95%. Those remaining scratches are quickly forgotten once I get wax or sealant on the paint and see how great my car looks.

You're in a learning curve. Give yourself time to get some experience and don't expect perfection, such as getting rid of every scratch. It's not a reasonable expectation.

Also, be sure that your pad is spinning. It's easy to stall the pad and not notice this. Once that happens you get almost no correction. Most of us put a mark on our backing plate so it's easy to see it rotating or not.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

Added to the list of product to try! Thanks. Hows the cut on the compound in relation to Menzerna? My car has some pretty hard clear coat (VW Gti). M105 with a microfiber pad couldn't take out some of my not so deep scratches. Then again I had a hard time with M105 drying out about 10 seconds after applying

I just had to try M105 once as it's such a predominant player in the compounding world; after one short section I tossed the (thankfully small) bottle in the garbage.

I used FG400 a few time last year before moving on from Menzerna products but found a few threads/quotes mentioning Jescar vs. FG400 which apparently has a not so pleasant chemical smell to it.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/106255-new-jescar-compound-polish.html

I contacted Jescar about these products and this was their response:

"The differences with Menzerna 400 compared to Jescar Correcting Compound is faster defect removal, better gloss, slightly less dust (both are very low already) and no heavy solvent smell. The Micro Finishing Polish is very similar to the excellent Menzerna 3500 but less oil residue for easier clean up and better gloss."

I've used both and the claims are pretty accurate.

Excellent products, no priming of microfiber pads is needed and even though the same company makes them, they put menzerna to shame!

I'm very pleased with performance. Just finishing work on one 993. It leaves slight haze but Porsche paint is know as very soft so I expected that. It seems that it produces little less dust then M105 and FG400 that were my main compounds for past years...

I have been using FG400 and like the way it finishes and the low dust. I decided to try the Jescar as I was needing to replace my dwindling supply of FG400. I have used this compound with my iBrid Nano and LHR15 MarkII. I applied three pea size drops on my Rupes pad (I did not prime the pad) and went to work on correcting the passenger side door on my vehicle. I immediately noticed that the Jescar seemed to dust even less than the FG400. After approximately four passes, I wiped the section down and was VERY pleased with the results. The Jescar finished down extremely well to the point I could have used an LSP and called it a day. Swirls, light scratches and holograms were removed without having to use undo pressure with the machine. I have now decided to replace my FG400 with Jescar!

Additionally, I have now used the Jescar with a Surbuf R series pad and can report that this combination has been fantastic. It still finished down well although following up with Sonax perfect finish is required. Great product!

I was a little skeptical when I was told not to prime a microfiber pad before use? I figured yeah it'll cut but I'm going to have to spend more time polishing. I was incredibly wrong! This product will take out severe defects with no effort, long working time, ABSOLUTELY No dust, and on most paints leave a wax ready finish! My only criticism is it doesn't stay in stock !

 

[Ronin47]

Really surprised that in this day and age M105 is still sold and used. Almost everything else out there is just better. If you loyal to Meguiars M100 and M101 is more pleasant and should have replaced M105 in Megs lineup.

 

[JustJesus]

I used FG400 a few time last year before moving on from Menzerna products but found a few threads/quotes mentioning Jescar vs. FG400 which apparently has a not so pleasant chemical smell to it.

M105 does have a learning curve. FG400 stinks like nothing else I have. It's the main reason I don't use it. Otherwise, it cuts well, and depending on paint, can finish off LSP ready.

But I'm liking D300 quite a bit. Smells great, easy to work with, cuts well, finishes off well (depending on paint).

I'd refer you guys to a thread I wrote some time back, but thanks to photobucket, all those pics are gone.

 

[RippyD]

Really surprised that in this day and age M105 is still sold and used. Almost everything else out there is just better. If you loyal to Meguiars M100 and M101 is more pleasant and should have replaced M105 in Megs lineup.

It's recommended here frequently. I try to intervene and help unsuspecting newbies (like me) when I can.

 

[Rsurfer]

I'm fairly new with polishing myself and I have both the Ultimate compound and M105. I struggle using M105, it drys way too fast, really need to use it out of the sun and in the shade.

I'm kind of over M105 and Ultimate compound. I keep hearing that Menzerna is much easier to use so I'm going to give Menzerna SHC300 and FG400 a shot. I'm hoping I see better results with them.

Although I seem to be using an all-in-one polish much more often than compounding in general.

Switching to Menzerna will not help you if you polish in the sun.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

But I'm liking D300 quite a bit. Smells great, easy to work with, cuts well, finishes off well (depending on paint).

Great stuff with the microfiber discs. When doing heavy stuff wirh the Rupes, it's what I try first.

 

[rangerbay]

Your HF polisher has plenty of power, but the standard backing plate that comes with it is not a very good one. I have a LC 5" backing plate on mine, and it cuts great. Its hard to learn slow arm speed, but you need to go slow to cut. You should use some of the newer compounds with a longer work cycle. You should give the folks at Autogeek a call, and they will put your hands on the right products to use.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Your HF polisher has plenty of power, but the standard backing plate that comes with it is not a very good one.

I believe he's using a 6" LC Backing Plate.

But in regards to the HF backing plate, excluding the whole possibility of it shredding your pads while polishing... If you say the polisher has plenty of power to spin it, then what makes that backing plate such a problem?

 

[dlc95]

Great advice so far.

Something I'll also add is the marks you are trying to get out might be too deep to properly remove. That car is 14 years old and a lot of life happens in that time. Some marks may be too deep to remove easily, and you probably don't want to go after them because you'd wear away too much of the clear coat in their removal.

This.

Being that you're new to the polishing game, you might also want to pay close attention to your technique.

I see beginners do one or more of the following:

1. Working too large an area. With quick acting compounds like M105, the more you can concentrate you action, the better results you can get.

2. Too much pressure. 15 lbs is often recommended, but for me it just slows rotation too much, which slows cutting action, increases heat, and prematurely wears pads. I like "firm" pressure. If you ever get a chance to machine wet sand a test panel, you'll see how much pressure I like on my pads.

3. Pad tilt. Make sure your pad is as flat as possible. This helps with rotation, which is where a lot of your cutting is coming from.

4. Arm speed too fast. Moving the polisher too fast through your passes won't give the abrasives time to cut the paint. "Slow down to work faster".

5. Too much compound on pad. This will over lubricate the surface, causing the abrasives to hydroplane between the pad and paint, without effectively being able to cut.

6. Not enough compound on the pad. Simply, there isn't enough product to spread out a thin film over the surface. This usually isn't the case, but I've seen it happen. With M105 I start with four drops on a dry pad, and reload with two or three depending on how wet I need the pad to be. I also brush out after each section.

As far as compounds go, I agree with others here that M105 can be finicky to work with. I do use, and enjoy using Ultimate Compound. Switching out to UC will give you a longer working time. While UC has a lighter abrasive load than M105, It's lubricant works a lot longer.

 

[rangerbay]

I believe he's using a 6" LC Backing Plate.

But in regards to the HF backing plate, excluding the whole possibility of it shredding your pads while polishing... If you say the polisher has plenty of power to spin it, then what makes that backing plate such a problem?

The Warrior backing plate that comes with it (6") is wobbly, if thats a word. When you spin it, it wobbles. I put the LC 5" on mine, and it really works good. I think you have one also, correct? Was your Backing plate well made and straight running?