Megs Ultimate Compound

[dmxsoulja3]

Can anyone including Mike talk about their experience with the new Ultimate Compound? I have seen some threads and everyone saying its great, but I haven't heard how its used compared to older products since its "SMAT" or any before and after shots, etc. Hoping some folks will chime in, as I am using #80 on my 08 Uni Black Jetta and though its beating down the swirls, its not strong enough to get where I want. The problem is two fold, take for instance my hood, its not a bunch of little swirls, its like a cobweb starting from the center of the hood going out to the edges progressively, a real work of art the previous owner did...the second issue on the sides of the vehicle, LINES, my guess is coin op brush or auto car wash but its just straight long sweeping lines. There is no way this will all come out without rotary but I was satisfied with #80 and my PC but figured hey I could improve on this more and UC seems to be like a great place to start over the counter before I go buying something I won't use. I have tried a few different polishes and compounds and I guess due to lack of experience and time I never could get the right "break down" time, the #80 is very forgiving and you can pretty much count on two section passes and your done product wise.

Any help would be appreciated I will update this thread with pics of the progress as well, I just picked up the UC today.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Not sure if you've done any reading about the Kevin Brown Method, but that's where I'd start when it comes to properly working with SMAT polishes. There are several articles here and on a few other forums (Detail City, etc.) that are excellent sources of advice.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I am using #80 on my 08 Uni Black Jetta and though its beating down the swirls, its not strong enough to get where I want.

It's not a super aggressive cleaner/polish, it originally came out for use with rotary buffers to prep cars for auctions

The problem is two fold, take for instance my hood, its not a bunch of little swirls, its like a cobweb starting from the center of the hood going out to the edges progressively, a real work of art the previous owner did...the second issue on the sides of the vehicle, LINES, my guess is coin op brush or auto car wash but its just straight long sweeping lines. There is no way this will all come out without rotary but I was satisfied with #80 and my PC but figured hey I could improve on this more and UC seems to be like a great place to start over the counter before I go buying something I won't use.

Some scratches are too deep to remove safely

I have tried a few different polishes and compounds and I guess due to lack of experience and time I never could get the right "break down" time, the #80 is very forgiving and you can pretty much count on two section passes and your done product wise.

M80 is pretty "Bubba Proof"

Any help would be appreciated I will update this thread with pics of the progress as well, I just picked up the UC today.

Besides using the right pads, products and tools, it's important to use the right technique, in fact I even state this in the how to use the PC video here,

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

 

[dmxsoulja3]

Thank you for both of your posts, I will read up on the KM method more in depth as I have just browsed it casually at the moment.

Mike - I have watched your video's and I wish they would have been around a few years ago when I first attempted swirl removal, since watching them I tried the #80 and was so happy that ANY swirls were gone and there was SOME improvement that I decided to keep going and get this car looking right. I am using the Porter cable and I have atleast 1 of every color LC CCS pad and then some! So my main question was with the SMAT products is there any difference in technique? I felt like my problem in the past was either not breaking down the polish enough or dry buffing and since I had no idea what it was supposed to look like when it was just right I quickly gave up after installing some nice marring on my test area.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here is one of the most detailed write-ups I've ever written on a topic, everything is covered in detail except I show to just place a Circle or X pattern of product on the face of the pad.

Tips and Techniques for using the PC 7424XP Dual Action Polisher to remove Below Surface Defects



If you like, you can use your fingers to spread the product out to cover the entire face of the pad each time you remove the old spent product and paint residue and apply fresh product.

Then it's just a matter of

• Work a small section at at time - about 20" squarish or so
• If you're removing swirls and scratches push down around 15 to 20 pounds but keep the pad rotating
• Move the polisher slowly over the surface
• Overlap your passes by 50 percent
• Make about 5-6 section passes (explained in the below video)
• Wipe off spent product before applying fresh product
• When you move to a new section, overlap a little into the previous section

[video=youtube_share;Q70g83mnTn4]- Removing Swirls with a PC7424XP How to do a Section Pass - Porter Cable[/video]




Remember, after buffing a section you'll have both spent product, that is product residue that is used-up and no longer good and REMOVED PAINT so clean all of this off the pad before applying fresh product.

Again, this video here goes over the technique for removing swirls and scratches using Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover but you would use the same technique for using any DA approved compound, paint cleaner, polish or swirl mark remover.

How to Remove Swirls with the Porter Cable 7424XP

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

! So my main question was with the SMAT products is there any difference in technique?

With SMAT Product you can stop anytime during the buffing cycle. With diminishing abrasives you want to buff till they've effectively broken down or you can leave swirls or hazing in the paint.

I wrote two articles on SMAT products, check these out....

The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products...
The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!

I felt like my problem in the past was either not breaking down the polish enough or dry buffing and since I had no idea what it was supposed to look like when it was just right I quickly gave up after installing some nice marring on my test area.

Keep in mind that a good chemist making any type of abrasive product is more than likely formulating it to be easier to use not harder to use especially if it's targeted and enthusiasts, not Professionals in the body shop industry.

By this I mean any consumer product that uses diminishing abrasives will have effectively broken the abrasives down when using them correctly and that would be making a few section passes as long as you're using good technique, not trying to carve out too large of an area at one time and using ample product, that is not too much and not too little.

 

[dmxsoulja3]

Mike freaking brilliant post!! I didn't understand the SMAT products and now after reading through the first link I understand how it works and therefore how I want to put it into "action" I will be giving this a go in the next day or two and will post some pics so hopefully some other new guy can learn a few things from another new guy

 

[5.4 Shelby]

I have been using UC extensively the last couple of weeks. IT is a great product. You can dictate its aggressiveness by the pad you use. Use a yellow pad for severely damaged paint, orange for most swirl marks. I have not tried a white pad yet. When I have been getting that fine, I switch to SwirlX on a white.

With UC it doesn't matter how long you work it (as long as you don't dry buff). The abrasives dont need to break down like with diminishing abrasives.

I ordered M105/205 to compare them. They should be here by this weekend.

 

[jjkacz]

Here is a 50/50 shot of Meg's UC after one section pass. I will have a complete write up on this vehicle soon. It too had horrible car wash scratches.

 

[5.4 Shelby]

Here is a 50/50 shot of Meg's UC after one section pass. I will have a complete write up on this vehicle soon. It too had horrible car wash scratches.

Yeah, the difference is amazing. IT seems to just melt away typical swirls. You may need to be a little more aggressive to take out RIDS or deeper scratches. I am planning to finish my experiment this weekend and post a review. My truck had car wash scratches and dog scratches (long story) all over it. Once I am finished, I will post the whole story, but, the bottom line is the UC is an awesome product and very easy to use. I plan to test the 105 to see if it is worth the differece, then I will write it up.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here is a 50/50 shot of Meg's UC after one section pass.

One well worked section pass? Which polisher were you using? (I think I remember this picture from another thread but not sure where?)


That blue/green color always seems to work great for before and after shots.

:xyxthumbs:

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I plan to test the 105 to see if it is worth the differece, then I will write it up.

I've used both UC and 105, and I feel 105 is definitely harder to work with. It does have a bit more cut, but it dries a lot faster and harder to buff off the paint. I'm curious to see what you think. This would make sense because UC is part of the consumer friendly line, while 105 is part of the professional line.

 

[dmxsoulja3]

well I finally got a chance to use the Ultimate compound and I was quite impressed, I tried to get pics but its kind of gloomy outside but the product is extremely easy to work with, basically I just did as many section passes allowable while the product would still "smudge" and wasn't dry and the results were great! I was using my PC and a white polishing pad, and though I didn't correct better than 85% I would say, it was a HUGE improvement my paint is actually shiny again!! The car was so swirled and car wash damage it just looked grey instead of black, next up I will order some orange pads and try again for better correction right now I mainly have deeper scratch like items going random directions versus swirls and lines I had before, believe me this paint was beat, and honestly a rotary would be needed for perfection but I am ok with it looking great for a few years old and a daily driver. Thanks everyone for the insight and Mike for the video's and wow Megs really stepped it up with these SMAT products.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

well I finally got a chance to use the Ultimate compound and I was quite impressed, I tried to get pics but its kind of gloomy outside but the product is extremely easy to work with, basically I just did as many section passes allowable while the product would still "smudge" and wasn't dry and the results were great! I was using my PC and a white polishing pad, and though I didn't correct better than 85% I would say, it was a HUGE improvement my paint is actually shiny again!! The car was so swirled and car wash damage it just looked grey instead of black, next up I will order some orange pads and try again for better correction right now I mainly have deeper scratch like items going random directions versus swirls and lines I had before, believe me this paint was beat, and honestly a rotary would be needed for perfection but I am ok with it looking great for a few years old and a daily driver. Thanks everyone for the insight and Mike for the video's and wow Megs really stepped it up with these SMAT products.

Awesome! Yes, get some orange pads! :xyxthumbs:

 

[dmxsoulja3]

I will get some full sun shots whenever I get some orange pads, but here is what I'm working on and how she looks today

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I will get some full sun shots whenever I get some orange pads, but here is what I'm working on and how she looks today

Nice job! After the orange pads, it would be a good idea to follow up with a lighter polish with a white or gray pad because of marring left behind. You're probably aware of this. :xyxthumbs:

 

[jjkacz]

One well worked section pass? Which polisher were you using? (I think I remember this picture from another thread but not sure where?)


That blue/green color always seems to work great for before and after shots.

:xyxthumbs:

I used the PC 7424XP with a LC CCS 5.5in orange pad. I eventually switched to the yellow pad to make things go faster.

 

[jjkacz]

Nice job! After the orange pads, it would be a good idea to follow up with a lighter polish with a white or gray pad because of marring left behind. You're probably aware of this. :xyxthumbs:

I usally follow up with 85RD. It works really good and has an excellent working time.

 

[jjkacz]

Here is a 50/50 shot of Meg's UC after one section pass. I will have a complete write up on this vehicle soon. It too had horrible car wash scratches.

CORRECTION: this was after one "buffing cycle" not a section pass. Sorry, mixed up the terminology.

 

[5.4 Shelby]

well I finally got a chance to use the Ultimate compound and I was quite impressed, I tried to get pics but its kind of gloomy outside but the product is extremely easy to work with, basically I just did as many section passes allowable while the product would still "smudge" and wasn't dry and the results were great! I was using my PC and a white polishing pad, and though I didn't correct better than 85% I would say, it was a HUGE improvement my paint is actually shiny again!! The car was so swirled and car wash damage it just looked grey instead of black, next up I will order some orange pads and try again for better correction right now I mainly have deeper scratch like items going random directions versus swirls and lines I had before, believe me this paint was beat, and honestly a rotary would be needed for perfection but I am ok with it looking great for a few years old and a daily driver. Thanks everyone for the insight and Mike for the video's and wow Megs really stepped it up with these SMAT products.

Get some yellow pads too. You will be surprised how well it eliminates or at least lessens some of those deeper scratches. Of course work your way to finer pads and polishes after using UC and yellow pads. It will leave some marring. On my 1998 Chevy truck (red) I used yellow pad w UC, followed by orange pad/UC, white pad SwirlX. I am planning to get some PO85RD soon and will follow with that and a gray pad.

So far am way impressed with UC.