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In 1996, or 97 I got my first bottle of M02 Fine-Cut Cleaner. I used it on a W4000 wool, or burgundy foam pad, and a Wen rotary buffer. It used to done a great job leveling 2000 grit sanding marks, swirls, water spots, and scratches. It was my "heavy hammer" until I added M01, and M04 to the arsenal.
Fast forward to last Christmas. I saw a bottle in the auto parts store, and wanted to revisit it. I was looking for a one step polish that..... How do I put it..... Wasn't going to be as potent in both defect rival and gloss as M205. Something for people who just want it "cleaned up a bit".
The current formula was updated to facilitate use with random orbital, and dual action machines. The new M02 had a thicker viscosity, lighter color, and different fragrance from what I remember. Preliminary tests on my scrap door left me searching for the right pad to pair it with. I decided to leave it alone until spring, where my season started.
Because of the level of work that had to be done, I needed to employ the use of the finest of Meguiar's modern abrasive products, M100, M105, D300, M205, and the Ultimate Twins. Not until this past Monday was I able to put M02 to work.
My neighbor has a 2006 Durango, and it's never been polished, clayed, or waxed. He used to take it through the neighborhood car wash where I worked on occasion for it's dosing of swirs. But being garage kept was a huge plus.
Mr. Berryman's is an old school car guy. He has some beautiful classics, including a Barris Custom! He is also a big Meguiar's fan, and while I have my own bottle of M06, he alway asks if I want to use it... I usually decline, as I'm doing multiple steps on his classics, I had planned on using it on the Durango. Then I figured that I had enough time for seperate polishing and waxing steps. That's when I decided to break out the M02!
I had two machines on the cart. One is my trusted Porter Cable 7424xp. The other is the Flex 3401. I decided to begin with the Flex as it's purported to be more efficient. The next question was type of pad... I start most test spots with a polishing pad. I usually use a blue buff and shine or hex logic because they offer a light correcting ability, and a softer open cell construction. This combo was ok, but I felt I could do better with my cutting pad - the green b&s/hex logic, and the pink Lake Country flats. I also tried an orange LC ccs, but got way less cut than I did with the pink LC/green hex
Once I did the test spot, and was satisfied with the level of improvement it gave me, I began "the job". The current M02 is a very "wet" product. It's VERY easy to over apply. Not much is needed to get the pad seasoned, and not much is needed to "reload" the pad for subsequent sections. Upon my first section I immediately didn't want to commit to the 3401. I didn't get the pad spin that the 7424 gave me, so I swapped out the machines, and proceeded with the 7424 xp.
Once the M02 was spread out on the work section, I went to my normal starting point to start making my passes at speed 6. The M02 buffs very smooth. There's a certain sweet spot that I feel when buffing with that type of pad. I like finding that balance of pad spin and pressure, and when I do it seems like the stars align, the defects melt away, and the paint shines like mad. The only draw back with these pads is how fast they load up with a braided paint. Sometimes I have to stop half way through a buffing cycle just to brush out the pad. There were some extremely deep scratches above the door handle above the front passage door. While I didn't knock them out, I did clean them up. The before and after is on the Meguiar's FB page.
After I completed the buffing with M02, I treated the Durango with M20. I first used M20 in 1998, and I knew it to be extremely durable. My spring cleanings would be picking up tons of M20 "pilling" in my pads.
To touch on the pad choice...
I'm always surprised that the harder, stiffer pads in my set up consistently pick up less paint than my softer, larger pore pads. Even on a more powerful Flex 3401, I get more correction and better finish with my PC! The only thing I cab deduce it to, is that I use my PC like a rotary. It's smooth, and it spins. I remember years ago with the rotary thinking "if I could just get it to go slower"... Well, the PC does that...
In closing, I would like Meguiar's to know that I absolutely love the classic products. M02, M09, M20, and M26 continue to deliver excellent, trusted results. M02 has a permanent place in my arsenal for "one step clean ups".
Thanks!
Fast forward to last Christmas. I saw a bottle in the auto parts store, and wanted to revisit it. I was looking for a one step polish that..... How do I put it..... Wasn't going to be as potent in both defect rival and gloss as M205. Something for people who just want it "cleaned up a bit".
The current formula was updated to facilitate use with random orbital, and dual action machines. The new M02 had a thicker viscosity, lighter color, and different fragrance from what I remember. Preliminary tests on my scrap door left me searching for the right pad to pair it with. I decided to leave it alone until spring, where my season started.
Because of the level of work that had to be done, I needed to employ the use of the finest of Meguiar's modern abrasive products, M100, M105, D300, M205, and the Ultimate Twins. Not until this past Monday was I able to put M02 to work.
My neighbor has a 2006 Durango, and it's never been polished, clayed, or waxed. He used to take it through the neighborhood car wash where I worked on occasion for it's dosing of swirs. But being garage kept was a huge plus.
Mr. Berryman's is an old school car guy. He has some beautiful classics, including a Barris Custom! He is also a big Meguiar's fan, and while I have my own bottle of M06, he alway asks if I want to use it... I usually decline, as I'm doing multiple steps on his classics, I had planned on using it on the Durango. Then I figured that I had enough time for seperate polishing and waxing steps. That's when I decided to break out the M02!
I had two machines on the cart. One is my trusted Porter Cable 7424xp. The other is the Flex 3401. I decided to begin with the Flex as it's purported to be more efficient. The next question was type of pad... I start most test spots with a polishing pad. I usually use a blue buff and shine or hex logic because they offer a light correcting ability, and a softer open cell construction. This combo was ok, but I felt I could do better with my cutting pad - the green b&s/hex logic, and the pink Lake Country flats. I also tried an orange LC ccs, but got way less cut than I did with the pink LC/green hex
Once I did the test spot, and was satisfied with the level of improvement it gave me, I began "the job". The current M02 is a very "wet" product. It's VERY easy to over apply. Not much is needed to get the pad seasoned, and not much is needed to "reload" the pad for subsequent sections. Upon my first section I immediately didn't want to commit to the 3401. I didn't get the pad spin that the 7424 gave me, so I swapped out the machines, and proceeded with the 7424 xp.
Once the M02 was spread out on the work section, I went to my normal starting point to start making my passes at speed 6. The M02 buffs very smooth. There's a certain sweet spot that I feel when buffing with that type of pad. I like finding that balance of pad spin and pressure, and when I do it seems like the stars align, the defects melt away, and the paint shines like mad. The only draw back with these pads is how fast they load up with a braided paint. Sometimes I have to stop half way through a buffing cycle just to brush out the pad. There were some extremely deep scratches above the door handle above the front passage door. While I didn't knock them out, I did clean them up. The before and after is on the Meguiar's FB page.
After I completed the buffing with M02, I treated the Durango with M20. I first used M20 in 1998, and I knew it to be extremely durable. My spring cleanings would be picking up tons of M20 "pilling" in my pads.
To touch on the pad choice...
I'm always surprised that the harder, stiffer pads in my set up consistently pick up less paint than my softer, larger pore pads. Even on a more powerful Flex 3401, I get more correction and better finish with my PC! The only thing I cab deduce it to, is that I use my PC like a rotary. It's smooth, and it spins. I remember years ago with the rotary thinking "if I could just get it to go slower"... Well, the PC does that...
In closing, I would like Meguiar's to know that I absolutely love the classic products. M02, M09, M20, and M26 continue to deliver excellent, trusted results. M02 has a permanent place in my arsenal for "one step clean ups".
Thanks!
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