Meguiar’s M105/M205 Summary:
Now that you have the basics of pad selection, priming, and pressure down, let’s put it all together with some other important notes so you can use the M105/M205 system to polish your car’s finish to perfection!
- Thoroughly prime your pad.
- Apply a small bead of polish (approximately 2″) directly to the surface.
- Work in a small area, roughly 2′ x 2′ or smaller
- Do not spread the product around, as the M105 in particular dries (flashes) quickly.
- Place the pad on the bead of polish, and immediately start at speed 5 or 6 (depending on the condition and your comfort level).
- Work in a cross-hatch pattern with high pressure…up and down, then left and right, overlapping passes. Work the section until the defects are gone or until the polish begins to dry. If defects still remain, apply another bead of polish on surface (no need to wipe off residue from previous pass), and work the area again. On the final passes, reduce pressure to burnish the finish.
- If you work the product too long, it may harden on the surface. To remove, apply a small amount of polish and quickly re-work the area at slower speeds (3~4) with very light pressure.
- After each panel, clean off the built-up residue on the pad by using compressed air or a soft brush (turn machine on lowest speed while brushing). If you allow product and clear coat residue to build up too much on the pad, the polish will be less effective and can induce micro-marring.
- When performing your finish polishing with M205, you will use the same basic techniques as with M105, but you will typically use less pressure and a lower speed (4~5). You will also find that the polishing residue left over from M205 is very easily removed with a plush microfiber towel. M205 has a longer working time available since it’s less aggressive, so for the best results work the polish with medium pressure until desired results are achieved, then reduce pressure for the final two passes.
How to prime the pad:
Meguiar’s non-diminishing abrasives work best when the pores of the pads are evenly primed with polish. This ensures the fastest and most complete cut, as well as the finest finish when complete.
The first step is to take a fresh, clean pad and apply a generous amount of M105 or M205 on the surface.
Now massage the polish into the pores of the pad with your hand to get an even coating of product. You may need to go back and add a little bit of product in some areas to ensure an even coat.
Once completed, your freshly primed pad should look similar to this.
You want the pad to have a light coat of polish in the pores, not soaked. To remove any excess product, lightly press a microfiber towel against the pad while it spins on the slowest speed.
Polishing How To with Meguiar’s M105 / M205 – Detailed Image
Remember to apply the bead of product directly on the paint:
