Cutting strength? Newbie here, going to give the products a whirl!

[LarryF]

Sorry, Newb here! Wife got a 2014 Kia SUV (BLACK). I looked it over and (sorry, no pics) it's got some swirls here and there, some rougher scratches (don't really catch my fingernail on them), and just a few scratches that I barely catch my fingernail on. So I got 3 problems. Swirls, light to medium scratches, and heavy medium scratches. I have a WEN 10" polisher, that I bought from Wally World. I read good reviews on it and it was only 40 bucks (buffer, case, tons of bonnets, etc.)! So thats my ride.

So from what I've read and seen, the Meguiar's product line that I will be using, in order of 'abrasiveness or 'cut' will be as follows. PLEASE CORRECT ME if I am wrong. I plan to treat the worst area's to the Ultimate Compound (UC). I plan to treat the 2nd areas to Scratch X 2.0. Then do the entire car with UP.. It's my understanding from what I've read that the Meguiar's products 'cut' most from 'Ultimate Compound, to Scratch X, to Ultimate Polish. After all that, I will wax with probably Ultimate Wax!

I realize the polisher is sub standard, but my question to the forum is .. is my thinking right on which products to use? Am I over thnking the whole deal? Would just one product cover my project? Just looking for a little insite before I start this project!

Thanks!

[davey g-force]

Re: Cutting strength? Newbie here, going to give the products a whirl!



You have the order of aggressiveness correct.

Given that you're using that polisher, I would just go straight to UC over the whole car, then follow up with UP, then UW.

Of course, do a test spot with the least aggressive product (UP) first and see how that turns out. If it doesn't have the cut you need, try ScratchX on another test spot, if that still doesn't work, step up to UC (I suspect this is what you'll be needing).

The follow up with a polish such as UP is to further refine the finish after compounding. If you don't have time and/or you don't think it needs it, you can skip UP for now and go straight to wax.

Good luck!

[Top Gear]

Re: Cutting strength? Newbie here, going to give the products a whirl!

Welcome, and I agree with Davey - you've got it figured out well. We regulars generally lean toward the 3-step compound, polish and wax/sealant separation, but it's up to you. I haven't used one, but the polisher should be weak enough (3200? RPM max) to make up for not being random action (I think it just spins single-action?), so there is probably little danger of overdoing it unless you go to sleep on it. The large size may get in your way and cause you to use a lot of product, so edges and curves may be tricky. Mainly, as Davey seems to indicate, I think you might get less aggression from the compound than a Porter Cable, which will get less than a Rupes - but that doesn't mean you can't get a great finish

[The Guz]

Re: Cutting strength? Newbie here, going to give the products a whirl!

You have the order of aggressiveness correct.

Given that you're using that polisher, I would just go straight to UC over the whole car, then follow up with UP, then UW.

Of course, do a test spot with the least aggressive product (UP) first and see how that turns out. If it doesn't have the cut you need, try ScratchX on another test spot, if that still doesn't work, step up to UC (I suspect this is what you'll be needing).

The follow up with a polish such as UP is to further refine the finish after compounding. If you don't have time and/or you don't think it needs it, you can skip UP for now and go straight to wax.

Good luck!

I agree with this. The limitation will be the polisher. It's often referred to as the "wax spreader". Good in it's day but surpassed by today's DA polishers. It will still make the finish look better but don't expect too much from it.

Good read.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22196-tob-traditional-orbital-buffer-aka-wax-spreader.html

[LarryF]

Re: Cutting strength? Newbie here, going to give the products a whirl!

I agree with this. The limitation will be the polisher. It's often referred to as the "wax spreader". Good in it's day but surpassed by today's DA polishers. It will still make the finish look better but don't expect too much from it.

Good read.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-spreader.html

Thanks guys for the answers! I'll see what the little waxer can do with the products. I realize it's a cheapie. I just could not justify a porter cable or similar machine right off the bat. Great answers, again thanks!