Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

[Garry Dean]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Speed six is very hard on foam pads from every brand. Meguiar's is not the only one to encounter problems, either. The lower speed you use, the longer the pad is going to last.

Other than speeding up the detailing process, there is no other reason to use speed six. If you are only getting sufficient correction on speed six, then something else is wrong. Speed five is best for removing defects, while maintaining pad integrity. The pad should only be spinning 3-10 times per second. Also, an excessive speed during final polishing can lead to DA haze.


Other common techniques that are not technically approved:
-Pad priming (official method is to use M34 when using the rotary)
-Original formula M105 with the DA
-Use of Dawn or other harsh detergents to clean pads
-M86 on cured paint

I use speed 6 96% of the time. The other 4% is reserved for speed 3 for spreading and finishing. I want more correction in less time. I haven't noticed any issues with my pads either (Lake Country).

[Garry Dean]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

May I ask what Meguiar's official stance is on cleaning pads? I have a bunch of pads I'm going to need to clean for the first time.

If Dawn is no good, what about Simple Green or the Meguiar's APC?

Meguiars Super Degreaser is amazing for cleaning pads! Its the only thing I use these days!

[brims]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

May I ask what Meguiar's official stance is on cleaning pads? I have a bunch of pads I'm going to need to clean for the first time.

If Dawn is no good, what about Simple Green or the Meguiar's APC?

[Bounty]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Speed six is very hard on foam pads from every brand. Meguiar's is not the only one to encounter problems, either. The lower speed you use, the longer the pad is going to last.

That's quite true...if you always use speed setting 1 or 2 your pads will last forever but you won't be doing very much.

Other than speeding up the detailing process, there is no other reason to use speed six. If you are only getting sufficient correction on speed six, then something else is wrong.

Hmmm...not sure that might not be too much of a "blanket" statement for the purposes of this thread but does illustrate the multi-faceted apprach in Meguiar's official recommendations. At no time has Meguiar's ever said speed 6 does not correct more defects, has no use, or is otherwise ineffective. They only state that their pad integrity is compromised. So while in your opinion there is no need for speed 6 with an orbital polisher except to save time, Meguiar's never officially states that.

Speed 6 is more than just a time-saver. Obviously it has more corrective ability. On some exceptionally hard surfaces it can be necessary to remove severe defects. Mercedes CeramiClear or the clearcoat on my Corvette come to mind.

Speed five is best for removing defects, while maintaining pad integrity. The pad should only be spinning 3-10 times per second. Also, an excessive speed during final polishing can lead to DA haze.

To keep your pads lasting as long as possible...the lower speed the better. Again, not quite sure a blanket statement like "speed 5 is best" takes into account all possible factors such as type of defect being worked, type of surface, etc. And yes, speed 6 is for defect removal and not final finishing.

If speed 5 was the "end-all" of defect removal there would be no need to increase the defect-removal ability of the orbital with things like the Kevin Brown Method or need to build a Flex or have rotaries. The reality is there is a need for more corrective ability than speed 5 in certain cases on an orbital and speed 6 provides that. Is the pad going to melt on the machine when you set it on 6? Is the machine going to blow up? Will the panel become scratched/hazed/marred etc only on speed 6? Of course not...but some inexperienced detailers will take it to mean you can never use speed 6 under any circumstances and that simply is not true. Like every other tool in detailing, it has it's time and place.

Other common techniques that are not technically approved:
-Pad priming (official method is to use M34 when using the rotary)
-Original formula M105 with the DA
-Use of Dawn or other harsh detergents to clean pads
-M86 on cured paint

Good call. All of the above are not official recommendations from Meguiar's but not necessarily because they don't work.

1. Yup....the Kevin Brown Method is officially a no-no. Although hundreds (fast becoming thousands) have used it to success.

2. Original M105 was used with huge success as well with orbitals prior to the DA-approved version.

3. Won't get into that huge discussion but literally tens of thousands still using Dawn for wax removal or pre-soak.

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

The G110 comes with a speed setting of 6 although Meguiar's official stance is that they do not recommend speed 6. This is because they have had some serious reported issues of pad damage on speed 6 with heavy pressure. So although the machine is capable of operating effectively on speed 6, they have not developed pads that will. That is why many people utilize Sonus, Lake Country, Flex, or other pad manufacturers for their pads on speed 6 without issue.

Speed six is very hard on foam pads from every brand. Meguiar's is not the only one to encounter problems, either. The lower speed you use, the longer the pad is going to last.

Other than speeding up the detailing process, there is no other reason to use speed six. If you are only getting sufficient correction on speed six, then something else is wrong. Speed five is best for removing defects, while maintaining pad integrity. The pad should only be spinning 3-10 times per second. Also, an excessive speed during final polishing can lead to DA haze.


Other common techniques that are not technically approved:
-Pad priming (official method is to use M34 when using the rotary)
-Original formula M105 with the DA
-Use of Dawn or other harsh detergents to clean pads
-M86 on cured paint

[akimel]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Perhaps we could make up a list where official recommendations sometimes differ from MOL practice.

The manifest example, as noted by Bounty, is the recommendation to avoid the Meguiar's cutting pad with the G110. Yet I know that some folks have had good success with the new W7207 cutting pad. I haven't tried it, of course. I am the INEXPERIENCED detailer Bounty mentions who is constantly getting himself into trouble. Yes, I drove an import that doesn't have enough torque to get me out of the trouble into which I get myself.

Speed 6 on the DA is another example.

Can you think of anything else?

Cheers,
Al

[Garry Dean]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Thats some awesome info Bounty!

[CieraSL]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Way to go, Bounty!

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Meguiar's Official Recommendations...

Good job!
Glad to see a thread we can send people to.

[Bounty]

Seen a couple of threads lately about recommendations on products and techniques from Meguiar's and how they differ from recommendations made by posters, pro detailers, other forums/websites, etc...

So to shed some light on how and why that is, I figured I would lend what knowledge I have and hopefully some other detailers and the Mike's can also add to the discussion.

Meguiar's has many "official recommendations" you have to understand are based on the fact we live in a litigious society. If a total rookie goes out and uses a cutting pad on speed 6 with M105 they can damage the surface of the paint and then turn around and say "Hey, Meguiar's said it was ok."

To avoid this, they make many types of recommendations...or "non" recommendations. No cutting pads with a polisher is to shield them from those inexperienced detailers who will use the combination and remove swirls but leave micromarring or other induced damage on the finish. Then they blame Meg's for making their paint worse.

Inexperience detailers always remind me of something my stepfather used to tell me when asked why he always drove a sports car or pickup with a big V8. I asked him why he never drove one of the little eco-imports a lot of other guy's on base drove. He said..."Son, those cars have just enough speed to get you into trouble and not enough to get you out."

Same is true of an inexperienced detailer. He has just enough knowledge and the tools to do damage to the car but not enough to repair or remedy that induced damage later on. As such...there is a "no cutting pad" recommendation.

Another common one is the speed setting recommendation. The G110 comes with a speed setting of 6 although Meguiar's official stance is that they do not recommend speed 6. This is because they have had some serious reported issues of pad damage on speed 6 with heavy pressure. So although the machine is capable of operating effectively on speed 6, they have not developed pads that will. That is why many people utilize Sonus, Lake Country, Flex, or other pad manufacturers for their pads on speed 6 without issue. This one is a safety issue and a good recommendation when using Meguiar's pads.

So although sometimes the forum advice can differ from official recommendations, do yourself the favor of utilizing the free search feature and read up on the topics you're interested in before flipping out...