Meguiars #85 Diamond cut compound 2.0

[tuscarora dave]

Anybody here use this compound?

I work on a lot of oxidized buses and have been looking for a quick product to make them white and shiny. I have found a local source for this stuff and it's really cheap.

My specific question about it would be this. Does Diamond Cut 2.0 have a short working time like M-105 does or a long working time more like Ultimate Compound?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I've used a ton of it over the years and I would have to say from memory it's similar in working time to M105.

M85 is a DAT product and is recommended for use with a rotary buffer only and wool pads only, no foam.

I've read about people using it with foam and with DA polishers but I've only used as recommended. It works well but M105 is dramatically better so after it was introduced I pretty much quit using the 80's series except for M80 on older single stage paints and once in a while M81 Hand Polish.

Remind me... which tool are you using for these buses?

 

[oldmodman]

I have a gallon of it and I only use it on the cars that have been repainted and have plenty of clear coat depth. I use my Makita rotary with a mild wool pad and it cuts very quickly. Plus I keep a bottle of quick detailer hand to spritz the surface when it starts to dry out and gum up. It really extends the work time.
I have never used it at the same time as 105 to compare the two.

 

[Kevin Brown]

Over the years, I have used gallons upon gallons of M85 Diamond Cut Compound 2.0. It is a great product, especially at the typical "street price" (retail is about $43.72, street price varies from $27-$39).

And that's how I'd gauge it- if you want a product that'll cost you substantially less than products like Meguiar's M86 , M95, or M105, you may have found the perfect product.

That being said... M86 and M105 will easily outperform M85 in virtually every category. Diamond Cut has an initially aggressive cut, and then goes away fairly quickly. It does finish about fairly nicely, but it depends upon the type of paint.

For your purpose with the busses... I'd consider M84 Compound Power Cleaner (retail is about $31.22). It'll cut about the same, and just may work a bit better for dirty, grungy, bus paint.

My recommendation? Buy a quart of M85, M84, and M95, and compare them!

If you're

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Remind me... which tool are you using for these buses?

Went back to your bus thread, still didn't see what too you're using and I hate to assume but my guess is the Flex 3401


Also caught this portion of one of your posts...

Swirls are not an issue, right or wrong is not an issue, white, shiny and fast are the only issues with these buses.

M85, M84 and M86 are all recommended for rotary buffers only but that doesn't mean you can't try them with a Flex 3401


What you want is something aggressive to cut the dead, oxidized gel-coat off the surface while polishing and protecting in one step leaving a clear shiny surface. In a perfect world, no swirls.

With a Flex 3401 I would try a very aggressive pad, maybe look at the purple Kompressor or the very aggressive yellow CCS foam cutting pad, or a Surbuf pad with a strong cleaner/wax.

If you increase the aggressiveness of your pad and use a strong one-step cleaner/wax, you might be able to reach you goal swirl free if in fact you're using the Flex 3401

Maybe look at XMT 360, D151, M66, M50 liquid is a time-proven strong cleaner/wax for oxidized gel-coat surfaces, it's very wet which is important when working on dead, dry oxidized gel-coat and if you increase the cut of your pad you can get some very good cleaning action out of all of these and also polish out to a clean, white, high gloss finish.

That's what I would try...

If you want to try to do it in two steps, compound and then wax, well then I'd still be trying some very aggressive pads if you're using the Flex 3401 and M95 or M91, M67, or M49, all of these are very aggressive compounds that will restore color and gloss while being low swirl.

Sounds like lots of pad cleaning in in order to as you're going to have a lot of dead, oxidized gel-coat building up on your pads as well as spent product.

A large nap, terry cloth towel will also help you to remove the residue off the surface as the large loops of fibers, called the nap, will slice into and loosen the compounding residue.