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Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs) Wash, Wax, Details, Repairs


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Old 06-12-2020, 12:34 AM   #15
Sam86
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Thanks for the help guys i'll take it all on board and give it ago.

I can practice on the rear of the car where I have nice big scratch marks thanks to the dealer bolting the number plate on too tightly
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:21 PM   #16
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just be warned that with scratches, you have to honestly admit to yourself when enough is enough before it goes too far. most deeper scratches can be minimized, but NEVER erased. it's a very common mistake(one i've made myself too many times) to keep trying to erase one scratch and end up causing damage to the area surrounding it with the force.
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:29 PM   #17
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Garage
Remember our clear coat is thin, use only polishes that state clear coat compatible.
As mentioned trying to remove a scratch that is well into the clear coat will doe more damage than fix.
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Old 06-14-2020, 03:27 AM   #18
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Just needed some specific advice with my current polisher- So I decided to keep my 240mm polisher and went and bought some megamiurs ultimate polish.

It came with a application pad (looks like microfibre) and a polishing pad (looks like a very thin piece of cloth).

Do I interchange both pads? and if so when. Do I spread around the polishing compound with the application pad and then switch to the polishing pad for the up/down motions? Only ask as in videos I've watched they don't seem to change their pad- they just put the compound on their pad, dot it around then begin polishing straight away. Or is the microfibre pad meant for wax application.


Can I get away with 1 pad for a very light first time polish (the car will be washed and clay barred prior to the polishing, and it'll be in my closed garage so the car should be clean of contaminants) or is it essential to have multiple. I did try to buy more today but they didn't have any 240mm in stock so i'll have to wait about a week if multiple pads are essential.
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Old 06-14-2020, 07:56 AM   #19
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tape the edges.
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Old 06-14-2020, 11:37 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Sam86 View Post
Just needed some specific advice with my current polisher- So I decided to keep my 240mm polisher and went and bought some megamiurs ultimate polish.

It came with a application pad (looks like microfibre) and a polishing pad (looks like a very thin piece of cloth).

Do I interchange both pads? and if so when. Do I spread around the polishing compound with the application pad and then switch to the polishing pad for the up/down motions? Only ask as in videos I've watched they don't seem to change their pad- they just put the compound on their pad, dot it around then begin polishing straight away. Or is the microfibre pad meant for wax application.


Can I get away with 1 pad for a very light first time polish (the car will be washed and clay barred prior to the polishing, and it'll be in my closed garage so the car should be clean of contaminants) or is it essential to have multiple. I did try to buy more today but they didn't have any 240mm in stock so i'll have to wait about a week if multiple pads are essential.
it really depends on a few factors, as well as your personal OCD level.

i believe with the buffer you're using, it does not use a velcro pad attachment like this, it's really more of an elastic 'shower cap' type thing that just goes on over the foam that's solidly affixed to the buffer like this, right?

my experience is that there's not a ton of pad material to allow for absorption of product, so no matter how you try, those 'shower cap' pads tend to get gunked up really fast(though i was new at the time to it as well, so more than likely, i was using too much product at the same time). iirc, i needed about 4 pads to do a car. but i had also quickly migrated to a higher end polisher because it was only a step or two above hand-polishing the entire car in terms of effort, all the while dragging the power cord around.

battery and motor tech has come a long way since back then, so i hope the version you've got is a lot better.

there's a lot of learned technique to it, but you generally don't need to change pads until it starts smearing and making more of a mess than results.

otherwise, yeah, i normally just dot the polishing compound across the panel i'm working on, add an extra dot or two to any area's needing more work than others, and then run the buffer over the area.

i always apply/remove the wax by hand at the end, i haven't personally found any benefit to machine-applying/removing the wax. you might use a little less wax by machine applying it, but the times i've tried it, it hasn't lasted any longer time span than hand application, and you muck up yet another pad that needs more thorough cleaning. i'm just not convinced the extra pad cleaning effort has any justifiable use-- i've got better things to do than constantly clean up pads!
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Old 06-14-2020, 12:03 PM   #21
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@Sam86

Here's how you would normally apply a compound and polish out a panel:



Dot the pad with compound, spread it around a 1x1 - 2x2 foot area, work it in at 3-5 lbs of pressure for 60 seconds. Always polish the compounds in to completion, they have to be worked in mechanically and broken down for a full minute, or more sometimes.

You need more than 1 pad. I use about 10-12 pads on my car for a full detail; or at least if I'm trying to get the whole car done in one day.

Yes you change out pads as you work. Best thing is to have a lot of buffing pads. I use about 5-10 pads doing an entire car. I own about ~30 polishing pads in total! Use a fresh pad per panel, because when the pads get saturated and wet with polish they don't do any compounding. Hand wash them after every use.

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Old 06-14-2020, 12:07 PM   #22
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@Sam86 just checking, did you buy their "Ultimate Polish" or their "Ultimate Compound"? These products and their function shouldn't be confused.

Their "Ultimate Polish" is a good product but its not to be used like a compound. It's a heavy glaze polish, last-step and I usually apply it by hand. It's just an oil-heavy glaze that makes the car look really good, washes off after your next car wash. I rarely ever use the ultimate polish product unless I want to add an extra 2 hours to my detailing job after washing, compounding, and waxing.

Their "Ultimate Compound" is way too aggressive a step for our car. It's too much. I recommend M205 Ultra Finishing Compound instead, much gentler on the soft paint. I've used UC on my car before and I regretted it!

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Old 06-14-2020, 12:23 PM   #23
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Polisher: I've used a Porter Cable 7424XP dual-action polisher for the last 15 years. With the 5-inch and 3-inch backing plate. Smaller pads can work more effectively and have tighter action on a light-duty polisher. It's a polisher well known for being easy to use by novices, but is also the bread-and-butter of pro detailers.

Pads: A 12-pack of Meguiar's DMC5b 5" inch microfiber cutting pads will cover you. Also a couple 3" pads helps on the tighter areas. Lake Country Green, Black, and blue pads are also suited for this car. I use about 10-12 fresh pads to compound a whole car.

Compounds: Meguiar's M205 or M82 is what I use every couple years to polish out minor swirls and imperfections on the car. If you need to spot-polish a scratch then step up to Meguiar's M83 or Ultimate Compound.

Other notes, the clearcoat on this car is very soft. So if you have very nice, brand new paint, you can probably get by using finishing pads instead of cutting pads. If you have swirls, then you need the medium action of the cutting pad and a nice light compound.

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Old 06-14-2020, 01:40 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soundman98 View Post
it really depends on a few factors, as well as your personal OCD level.

i believe with the buffer you're using, it does not use a velcro pad attachment like this, it's really more of an elastic 'shower cap' type thing that just goes on over the foam that's solidly affixed to the buffer like this, right?

my experience is that there's not a ton of pad material to allow for absorption of product, so no matter how you try, those 'shower cap' pads tend to get gunked up really fast(though i was new at the time to it as well, so more than likely, i was using too much product at the same time). iirc, i needed about 4 pads to do a car. but i had also quickly migrated to a higher end polisher because it was only a step or two above hand-polishing the entire car in terms of effort, all the while dragging the power cord around.

battery and motor tech has come a long way since back then, so i hope the version you've got is a lot better.

there's a lot of learned technique to it, but you generally don't need to change pads until it starts smearing and making more of a mess than results.

otherwise, yeah, i normally just dot the polishing compound across the panel i'm working on, add an extra dot or two to any area's needing more work than others, and then run the buffer over the area.

i always apply/remove the wax by hand at the end, i haven't personally found any benefit to machine-applying/removing the wax. you might use a little less wax by machine applying it, but the times i've tried it, it hasn't lasted any longer time span than hand application, and you muck up yet another pad that needs more thorough cleaning. i'm just not convinced the extra pad cleaning effort has any justifiable use-- i've got better things to do than constantly clean up pads!
Yea, a "shower cap" is a pretty accurate description of what it is, the quality of it suggests you're probably right that it wouldn't last long which is quite annoying as the out of stock 3 pack is $30.

Hopefully I can get away with doing the majority of the work with the 1 pad I have. As i've said for the most part my cars paint is pretty good, I just wanted to touch up a few areas- mainly the hood and rear of the car.

And no I don't think i'd ever machine apply wax either.
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Old 06-14-2020, 01:51 PM   #25
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@Sam86 just checking, did you buy their "Ultimate Polish" or their "Ultimate Compound"? These products and their function shouldn't be confused.

Their "Ultimate Polish" is a good product but its not to be used like a compound. It's a heavy glaze polish, last-step and I usually apply it by hand. It's just an oil-heavy glaze that makes the car look really good, washes off after your next car wash. I rarely ever use the ultimate polish product unless I want to add an extra 2 hours to my detailing job after washing, compounding, and waxing.

Their "Ultimate Compound" is way too aggressive a step for our car. It's too much. I recommend M205 Ultra Finishing Compound instead, much gentler on the soft paint. I've used UC on my car before and I regretted it!
Thanks for the reply,
I bought the ultimate polish as I mainly wanted it as a touch up to certain areas of my car. Was also under the impression from multiple comments/ item descriptions that the ultimate polish still served similar purposes as the ultimate compound (eg swirl mark/ light scratch removal), the differences being that the ultimate compound was a lot more aggressive and more orientated towards severe paint restorations.

I'm doubting my purchase of it now with you saying it only lasts until its next wash (which would be a weekly basis for myself and most). Again I was under the impression the ultimate polish lasted along with your wax protection at roughly a monthly basis.

Just to reiterate- my paint is well kept and only 4 years old. The swirl marks I have are very light and only really noticeable under light on certain panels. I have some light scratches to the clear coat (as I can't feel them rubbing my finger over it). I just wanted to touch up those areas, i'm not necessarily looking to do a full polish coverage of my car. With that being said do you still recommend me looking into the m205 compound you mentioned, or would the Ultimate Polish still suffice what i'm after?

Haven't used any of the products yet so worst case scenario I can still go and return everything and try a different approach

I'll try take some photos now

Horseshoe blemish and slight swirl marks


Roof blemishes- not really sure how I even got those as I keep the car garaged and it doesn't get too cold where I live


+ a few buff burns on the back
But overall i'd say it's good to the point where you can't see anything unless you look for it. Even less when it's outside in natural light

Last edited by Sam86; 06-14-2020 at 02:10 PM.
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Old 06-14-2020, 02:44 PM   #26
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@Sam86

Here's how you would normally apply a compound and polish out a panel:

differences of opinion

other than for wowzah before/after pictures, i hate the tape method across the fender-- it's creating a hard line that you end up polishing too much on one side of, and not enough on the other side of. yes, it's easily correctable, but i don't like creating more issues for the future...

that's also about twice as much compound as i use now

i'm at the point where i drag the compound bottle across the fender in a single line, lay a very thin/spotty 1/8-1/4" bead, and then use the pad to work it around the rest of the fender. generally that 1/8-1/4" bead covers up to a about a 10-12" area.

on doors, i'll do a 3-point squiggle from top to bottom to get all of it covered, with a touch of extra compound in the door pull area for hand polishing.

but remember, i'm using a rotary polisher-- i migrated to this technique because i got tired of putting it on the pad, dab it around, and then having half of it spin off when i started it up!
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Old 06-14-2020, 04:48 PM   #27
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@Sam86 since you park indoors, a polish should last a bit longer, they just tend to wash off after the first few rains and washes. Ultimate Polish works really well at hiding blemishes and does make the car look good. Sometimes I think its a worth doing if I have the energy. Especially after I've done a full compounding of the car, makes the paint look very deep. Use it if you got it. Its just that I tend to find that car waxes like Meguiar's Ultimate Wax contain enough polishing oils that it's not a necessary step.

You might as well do a spot-test on the blemish areas with m205. If you like the results, do the rest of the car if you have enough pads.
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Old 06-15-2020, 12:10 AM   #28
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Ok so i'm going to say first attempt didn't go great. Tried to keep it flat and not apply excessive pressure but the polisher was bouncing all over the place, couldn't properly complete 'good' looking passes because the size of the polisher didn't really go well with the edge curves of the bonnet and after wiping it off i'm pretty sure I just ended up with a new scratch as it seems to fit the same curvature of the top of my polishing disc :/

Now that i've used the polish and polisher I can't return them either so now i'm a little stuck.

Might just leave the polisher for when my car actually has bad swirls and just buy a hand polishing pad for now...

Last edited by Sam86; 06-15-2020 at 12:55 AM.
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