Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

[dwaleke]

I am about to detail my red 1999 Dodge Neon and blue 2004 Dodge Neon SRT4. The paint on both of them has never been taken care (no waxing/drive through car washes/etc). I have been reading a lot over the last 3 weeks and this is my plan.

I'm going from no maintenance on these vehicles to full detail followed up with weekly/biweekly washing and monthly waxing.

(BTW: I already picked up a Flex XC 3401 VRG and a ton of stuff from ADS.)


1) Clean
    a) Wash (remove loose dirt, etc)
    b) D130 Body Solvent (for stuck on tar, asphalt, etc) on rocker panels and bumpers
2) Surface Prep
    a) Paint Cleaner???
    b) Clay
3) Polishing
    a) M105 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
    b) M205 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
4) Protect
    a) M21 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad
    b) M26 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad

Is there a need for a "Paint Cleaner" or is M105/M205 going to take care of that?

This article mentions a paint cleaner as part of the cleaning and surface prep step. Clay for above surface contaminents and a paint cleaner for below surface defects.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

If a paint cleaner would help what do you recommend?

Also, is it safe to use the D130 Body Solvent on the whole car?


Thanks,
Dan

[danponjican]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

No need for the cleaner. Clay will be fine before using the M105/M205 for polishing.

[Ganesa]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

1) Clean
a) Wash (remove loose dirt, etc)
b) I would use something like APC/APC+ if you are going to clean wheel wells,emblems etc
2) Surface Prep
a) Clay Mild / from consumer line
b) M105 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
c) M205 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
d) M205 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad
3) Polishing
a) M07 - Optional
4) Protect - Wax
a) M21 2.0 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad
b) M26 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad (optional)

all you need to do is practice, practice and more practice... if in doubt you got people on MOL from all around the World... :]

good luck

[cardriver]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Looks like a good plan, except for the lack of correction provided by M105+Yellow SB2 pad.

How can anyone with a good heart honestly recommend that pad. Perhaps another type of pad? Lake Country CCS or SurBuf? (SurBuf if you want to do a little research first).

[BarryK]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

No need for the cleaner. Clay will be fine before using the M105/M205 for polishing.

I agree. Paint cleaner not needed if you are going to clay than use M105

b) I would use something like APC/APC+ if you are going to clean wheel wells,emblems etc

Excellent suggestion. Don't forget using the APC in areas like the door jambs also.

[BarryK]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Looks like a good plan, except for the lack of correction provided by M105+Yellow SB2 pad.

How can anyone with a good heart honestly recommend that pad. Perhaps another type of pad? Lake Country CCS or SurBuf? (SurBuf if you want to do a little research first).

I also have the flex 3401 but i've never used the Megs pads so can't comment on them.
I use the Lake Country CCS 6.5" pads and I found that in most cases the M105 with an Orange pad followed up with the M205 with a White pad does an excellent job

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Looks like a good plan, except for the lack of correction provided by M105+Yellow SB2 pad.

How can anyone with a good heart honestly recommend that pad. Perhaps another type of pad? Lake Country CCS or SurBuf? (SurBuf if you want to do a little research first).

You seem to have a serious issue of late with our W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 pads. We've seen so many cases, both here on MOL and elsewhere in person, where this pad and products with even less cut than M105 have produced amazing results.

Just this past Saturday at our Detailing 101 class we got the following results with a single pass of Ultimate Compound with a W8207 SB 2.0 pad on a G110. Is it a totally flawless, ready for Pebble Beach finish? No, but then again the paint was pretty seriously hammered, the car had never really been taken care of, and it was a single pass of a consumer product you can pick up for $8 at Wal-Mart! Twenty people witnessed this live - no bait and switch going on here. So, yes, we can honestly recommend this pad with a good heart.

[dwaleke]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

1) Clean
    a) Wash (remove loose dirt, etc)
    b) I would use something like APC/APC+ if you are going to clean wheel wells,emblems etc
2) Surface Prep
    a) Clay Mild / from consumer line
    b) M105 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
    c) M205 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Yellow Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Polishing Pad
    d) M205 - Flex (speed 5-6) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad
3) Polishing
    a) M07 - Optional
4) Protect - Wax
    a) M21 2.0 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad
    b) M26 - Flex (speed 1) with Black Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Finishing Pad (optional)

all you need to do is practice, practice and more practice... if in doubt you got people on MOL from all around the World... :]

good luck

Thanks Ganesa and everyone. I did pick up some APC+ as well. Like everyone else I went crazy and ordered a ton of stuff from ADS and Meguiars online (labor day special).

If I use my flex to apply M07 how long should I work it in compared to say the M205? If I do this step I plan to use the soft buff black finishing pad.

How does M07 compare to the consumer product "Deep Crystal System Polish"? I only ask because I have some DC Polish in a bottle from a few years ago.


Thanks again,
Dan

[Jeff U]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

I also have the Flex XC3401 and I've used M105 on a black car & a silver car using:

• LC Orange
• LC White
• Meguiar's Yellow

All work but I have been least happy with the orange pad. White pad works very well but I find I like the flat, non-dimple, of the Meguiar's pad the best.

Yellow pad will work great.

Note - Do realize that M105 & M205 act VERY differently.

There are many posts discussing the use of M105 but it's easy to get a little frustrated with it in the beginning. It appears to dry out very quickly, produces a moderate amount of dust, and can be a bear to remove if you stop polishing at the wrong time. But once you get the hang of it, you'll find the results are exceptional.

M205 is very easy to use.

[Calais]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

You seem to have a serious issue of late with our W8207 Soft Buff 2.0 pads. We've seen so many cases, both here on MOL and elsewhere in person, where this pad and products with even less cut than M105 have produced amazing results.

Today I used a yellow Soft Buff 2.0 pad with M105 on the moderately hard clear coat of my father's hammered 2001 Saturn. M105/M205 made the paint, with the exception of deep scratches, look almost new. Topped off with M16, it is truly beautiful. I taped it down the middle to show the difference as a marketing ploy for my detailing company. He agreed to drive with it like that and give away one of my business cards to anyone who notices.

I can attest to the quality and results that can be expected from yellow 2.0 pads. They can accomplish a lot more than many people may expect, as illustrated my Mr. Stoops' pictures and anecdote.

[havoc0351]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Ok I just upgraded from M83/80 to using M105/205. I've been looking all around the forums to see what the best technique is for applying and using these products. I also wanted to know what pads would be best for the M105/205 but I can see that it goes both ways between the LC Orange/White and the Meguiar's W8006/9000. I'll do this, I'll go ahead and state all the products I have at my disposal and then if you could all give me some suggestions/advice on how to detail this specific car that would be great.

2006 BMW 5 series- Black
Meguiar's G110, W7207pad, W8006 pad, W9000 pad, M105, M205, LC CCS Orange and White pads.

[dwaleke]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

I posted my results and some pics if anyone is interested:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37551

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

havoc, most likely you'd stay away from the W7207 with the G110 and stick to either the W8006 or LC orange when using M105. You'll likely find you can get away with a bit less M105 on the pad than you did M80 as the abrasives don't break down in M105. Otherwise, machine speed, arm speed, work area size all remain the same - maybe a bit more pressure on the pad with M105.

M205 has a crazy long buffing cycle on a D/A - sometimes it feels like you can buff all day long with it! Slowing the machine down to speed 3 or 4 with only moderate pressure and repeated passes over the work area has, time and again, yielded an incredible degree of clarity to a finish and made flake pop like crazy. Whether this particular car "prefers" the W9000 or LC white pad is something you might want to experiment with but we're seeing incredible results with M205 on the new W9207 Soft Buff 2.0 Finishing Pad.

[havoc0351]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Michael Stoops, I ended up using the Meguiar's W8006 pad with the M105 and the W9000 pad with the M205. I had ordered the LC orange and white pads but they didn't show up on time. I'm really impressed with the results! Compared to the M80 and M83 combo the results are night and day to me.

I found out real fast that I didn't need to use that much M105 on my pad or it would just be a real pain to get off. The M205 is just amazing, I'm in love! The car just has this magnificent shine and deep wet look now. I have a feeling that as long as the car is maintained with some UQD every now and again it will stay looking beautiful for a very long time. I was so impressed with the M205 results that the next day I used it on my own car, without the M105 of coarse because I was too tired to sit there all day...

I'll try to get some pictures up on my Mobileme Gallery later today so everyone can take a look at the results on the BMW (M105 & M205, one pass each) and my 350z Nismo (M205, one pass).

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Detail with M105 / M205 - Paint cleaner too?

Jovan, nice to see M105/M205 are working so well for you!