Greetings and salutations!

[hooper9424]

Hello all, forum says this is the place to start, so here I am. Joined up from the not-so-sunny Midwest, still waiting for a good torrential downpour to clear the salt from our roads. I detail for enjoyment and as a hobby, not interested in doing this for any kind of financial gain. My plan is to keep my newest addition (2012 F150 Platinum in Candy Red Tinted Clearcoat) as minty as possible. Here's what I have in the "arsenal" thus far:

1. Generac 2800 PSI residential grade pressure washer
2. Dusichin foam lance
3. PC 7424xp
4. Meg's Ultimate Liquid Polish
5. Meg's Ultimate Liquid Wax
6. Mirror Glaze Mild Clay
7. Mirror Glaze Final Inspection
8. Mirror Glaze M105
9. Mirror Glaze M205
10. Mirror Glaze M21
11. Mirror Glaze M26
12. Meg's Microfiber Correction Kit (6")
13. Rag Company Creature Edgeless (3 10 packs)
14. Meg's yellow and black foam discs
15. TriNova UV Protectant
16. TriNova Leather Cleaner
17. TriNova Leather Conditioner
18. TriNova Tire Shine

I'm guessing that this is nothing more than a "good start," any recommendations are welcome. Thanks!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

Welcome to MOL. Absolutely a good start! Feel free to ask me any questions.

[hooper9424]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

Welcome to MOL. Absolutely a good start! Feel free to ask me any questions.

Thank you! Seeing as you opened that can of worms, I'm hoping I can trouble you to look at my planned process and make suggestions / alterations if needed:

1. Wash / dry
2. Clay surface
3. M205 with a black foam bonnet (surface is in excellent condition, I don't see a need to use 105 or a "cutting" pad) - What machine speed should I use? (PC 7424xp)?
4. M21 sealant - should I apply this by hand or by machine? If by machine, what speed?
5. M26 wax - plan to use a black foam bonnet and apply by machine - again, what speed?

These are just my plans for the vehicle, it was owned by WeatherTech and flawlessly maintained, inside and out. With the paint being in such good condition, would I be better off using the "Ultimate" products (polish, liquid wax), or should I stick with my plan and use the Mirror Glaze line?

Thank you very much for your time!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

Thank you! Seeing as you opened that can of worms, I'm hoping I can trouble you to look at my planned process and make suggestions / alterations if needed:

1. Wash / dry
2. Clay surface
3. M205 with a black foam bonnet (surface is in excellent condition, I don't see a need to use 105 or a "cutting" pad) - What machine speed should I use? (PC 7424xp)?
4. M21 sealant - should I apply this by hand or by machine? If by machine, what speed?
5. M26 wax - plan to use a black foam bonnet and apply by machine - again, what speed?

These are just my plans for the vehicle, it was owned by WeatherTech and flawlessly maintained, inside and out. With the paint being in such good condition, would I be better off using the "Ultimate" products (polish, liquid wax), or should I stick with my plan and use the Mirror Glaze line?

Thank you very much for your time!

Question, for your #3, which pad exactly are you referring to using? Who is the manufacturer & what is the pad designated as i.e. polishing or finishing?

If there are very little defects on the truck, and you just wanting to utilize the gloss enhancing polish qualities of our M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, as opposed to the cleaning ability, I would recommend applying it with a foam "finishing" pad, like Meguiar's DFF5 Soft Buff DA Black Foam Finishing Disc at a speed of 3800 - 4800 OPMs, using light to moderate pressure & moderate to sort of quick arm speed, in 2 foot square sections or so at a time.

If the truck does have some light swirls & scratches that the above foam finishing pad process does not remove, you could use the M205 Ultra Finishing Polish on a foam "polishing" pad, like Meguiar's DFP5 Soft Buff DA Yellow Foam Polishing Disc, at 4800 - 5800 OPMs (this is more so a specific speed recommendation for the PC 7424), using more moderate pressure & arm speed, in 16 inch - 2 foot square sections at a time.

For your #4, I usually always apply liquid wax/sealant like our #21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 by machine, a foam finishing pad would be recommended, like our DFF5 Soft Buff DA Black Foam Finishing Disc, speed 3800 - 4800 OPMs, 2 overlapping passes, horizontal pass overlapping 50%, vertical pass overlapping 50%, in large sections, typically this product is applied to the whole vehicle at once, in the shade of course, and allowing to dry fully, at least 10 - 15 minutes.

For your #5, if you prefer to apply a carnauba based wax like our #26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax after a synthetic protectant like our #21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 this is OK to do, and is personal preference, we don't necessarily advise users or recommend users to do this. Any second coat of wax/sealant would be best applied a full 12 - 24 hours after the first. Same recommendations, foam finishing disc, 3800 - 4800 OPMs.

In regards to your question about using the Ultimate Products instead. First, Ultimate Polish has less cleaning ability than M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, and some would say slightly more polishing oils than M205, but secondly regarding these two, a lot of it comes down to personal preference. Between M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 & Ultimate Wax, Ultimate Wax utilizes a completely different type of synthetic polymer technology, Meguiar's cross linking synthetic polymer technology, and comparing the two, Ultimate Wax, liquid or paste, will offer a step above in overall protection, durability & longevity. Ultimate Liquid Wax also does not dry white on trim whatsoever. But again, despite there differences, personal preference is there also or our analogy of "different tools in the tool box." I.E>, #21 can be applied with a rotary, comes in large half gallon sizes, & has a more traditional application style where one applies to large surfaces, allows to fully dry, and then gently wipes off.

Hope this helps! - Nick

[hooper9424]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

Thank you very much for the info! I should have clarified - the foam pads I will be using are Meguiar's, DFF6 (black) and DFP6 (yellow). So, based on the information you've provided, I'm going to try going straight from the M205 on a DFF6 to the ULW with the same pad, and see how the results look. On the plus side, detailing is "therapy" for me, so I look forward to experimenting with different combos to see what the results are.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

Thank you very much for the info! I should have clarified - the foam pads I will be using are Meguiar's, DFF6 (black) and DFP6 (yellow). So, based on the information you've provided, I'm going to try going straight from the M205 on a DFF6 to the ULW with the same pad, and see how the results look. On the plus side, detailing is "therapy" for me, so I look forward to experimenting with different combos to see what the results are.

No worries! Just FYI, we do not recommend using the same pad for different products, essentially cross-contaminating, unless you wash & clean the disc in-between products. Also, for any standard stroke random orbital machine like the PC, our old G110v2, our MT300, the GG6, etc., we recommend using our newer 5 inch disc for best results, but this mainly applies to cutting ability, and since you do not need to remove any serious defects, this will not be too big of deal, but for others that may be watching the thread, 5 inch is the way to go all around.

[hooper9424]

Re: Greetings and salutations!

No worries! Just FYI, we do not recommend using the same pad for different products, essentially cross-contaminating, unless you wash & clean the disc in-between products. Also, for any standard stroke random orbital machine like the PC, our old G110v2, our MT300, the GG6, etc., we recommend using our newer 5 inch disc for best results, but this mainly applies to cutting ability, and since you do not need to remove any serious defects, this will not be too big of deal, but for others that may be watching the thread, 5 inch is the way to go all around.

Sounds great, the info is appreciated. I am a little confused, as the first product I purchased after buying my DA was the Meg's MF Correction Kit, and that comes with a 6" backing plate. Are you saying that the 5" is preferable for foam when cutting?