The following is just for reference and directly pertains to the question:
So how much oxidation can Megs 105 take off exactly?
In the near future I hope to showcase this complete project on the forum. Though this one picture does show the oxidation that I dealt with on the roof of this trailblazer it in no way gives you any idea of exactly how bad the roof really was. It took 22+ to complete. Aside from some minor blemishes that only a repaint can fix this roof now look spectacular.
To see just a glimps of what M105 can do with wool and a rotary take a look at this thread
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...d-help-black-trashed-trailblazer-project.html and pay particular attention to posts numbers 19 & 20.
In the quoted post below Mr. Phillips is responding to me and he has taken the liberty to post one of my photo's that I sent to him via email.
Here's post 19 from that thread (of my black trailblazer):
Cool, looking forward to the before and after pictures...
Here's your test spot on the roof... looking good!
It's pretty straightforward once you wet up a YouTube account. Helps to have a fast Internet connection.
In that photo you can see the light bulb that took quite a bit of M105 with wool pad and a rotary. Where the light is showing it took 3 series of about 4-6 section passes. That area just below the bulb only recieved 2 series of 4-6 section passes. Finally, that white area at the bottom of the photo is as is with no passes, only washed.
If you look closely at the bottom of the ribs you can still some some oxidation that remains.
Here's post 20 from that thread (of my black trailblazer):
Thanks for the tip Mr. Phillips.
Hey, I didn't realize until now that you'd posted that pic I sent via email. Thanks!
I'm having to finish this project out in the driveway and the rain today prevented me from doing any work. Appears to be the same weather for tomorrow. Bummer.
I've managed to get both sides finished in the first compounding stage with the rotary last everning. All of the oxidation and water spotting is removed on all but the back hatch. If I can just get some decent weather and one more compounding stage with my DA this project will be sealed up for the remainder of the winter and I will resume in the spring. I'll then be doing some touch-up on some RIDS and knocking them off ever so carefully. I'm hoping to at least take this SUV somewhere to get some paint measurements until I can purchase a guage on my own. I'd have liked to have gotten measurements before starting, but I didn't. No excuses.
All of the work you see in that photo was done with my cheap rotary on speed I-II, and a Meguiar's W4000 wool pad with M105. I was very careful, and slow, while working around those valleys and hight spots on those ribs adding additional product for lubrication.
Once I removed all of that oxidation with the wool pad and M105, as you'll see in a future photo's in a future right-up, I then used a 3 inch polsihing pad on the rotary with M105 to finish cleaning out the oxidation at the bottom of the ribs. This was teadeous work.
The next step that you'll also see in future photo's, I then used a 6.5" Meguiar's yellowing polishing pad with M205 across the entire roof to ensure zero holograms.
For those reading the bottom portion of the above photo was only washed and clayed. The middle section of the photo, though you can't tell because the light isn't in that location, was two sets of 5 section passes to get it to the point that you see.
The section with the light bulb is a third and final pass with the wool pad where all oxidation had been completely removed at this point and is ready for a M105 polishing pad step to remove holograms.
Not counting washing and claying, I had 22 hours in just the roof. but for those just reading this the above photo is not the final photographs taken. A total of 5 steps before applying opti-seal. It isn't perfect because there is irreparable damage to much of the paint on this SUV. However, the goal was to create shine. In order to do this the only thing that worked in my initial test spot was a wool pad with M105 and the various steps to a polishing pad with M205.
I enjoyed every minute of this tedious work. I didn't enjoy all the up and down trip on the ladders.
The most exciting part of this project is that I was told my a local body shop that the only way to return the bling on this SUV was to repaint it entirely. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I take it back to them. LOL!!! Repaint it...Bah hum bug!!!
Kudos to TuscaroraDave who helped guide me through much of the process on the roof and on the hood of this project. Without his help none of the results would have been possible. Dave and I shared many photo's via email so that he could get a better idea of what I was dealing with.
I will also note than when I initially started I wasn't getting anwhere with a ribbon of product. I had to apply much more M105 to get any working time at all. Dave suggested more product because what I was working with was so dry...it literally absorbed the first 2 sets of section passes within seconds. However, by the third set of section passes working time was substantially increased. You also have to remember that M105 tends to have a short working cycle...but it does a whole lot of work during that time.
As a comparison I also used 3M Perfect-IT Rubbing Compound, and while it worked well and had a longer working cyle it in no way did the same amount of work in the same amount of time as M105. As I've read numerous times on many forums, M105 cuts hard and fast.
So, when you think about how I've described my experience with 3M Compound as compared to M105 it should be obvious which I prefer. Short cyles or not, M105 is an oxidation killer and my description should shed a little light on just how bad this project was. Even with the short cycles of M105 the project would have taken me much longer with any other products that I had available. The only exceptions that I could see to this would be the now sold M101, M100, and FG400. Put it this way, on the door handles, and using the 3M products, I had to drop all the way down to 3M Super Duty (rocks in a bottle) to remove the scratches...a product which induces its own scratches to remove.
EDIT:
The last thing I will mention is that when I finished the roof and hood on this project my dad's garage looked like a flour factory inside. That is, white dust was everywhere...which is to be expected anyway from M105, but even moreso because of the extreme oxidation. I had to wash the car that was in the garage, clean the mowers, wipe all the boxes down that was on shelves, then mop the floor twice. Just opening the door going into the house had this dust all over my mom's floors, the kitchen cabinets, etc.
Hope some of this helps someone.
That being said, seems you've already figured out it's a CC paint.
Just make sure to keep your pad rotation going, slow and smooth arm speed. Of course that's easier said than done with 105 and how it dries out so fast. Where you get literally seconds, maybe a minute with 105 is where you have to measure out a small enough section to get it all covered during the 'working cycle', (before it gums up). You can get multiple section passes with 101 though. And... don't have to add any mineral oil to keep it going. :xyxthumbs: 
