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Polish versus somthing stronger

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  • Polish versus somthing stronger

    OK, one more time! Have patience with a newcomer.

    Before finding Meguiar's products and website I had no idea the common man with some effort, knowledge, and the right products could make a car look so good. So, I buy my new MX-5 in September, wash it the day I get it home the way I always wash the car (at the local coin-op, drying it with an old towel), then discover all of my car paint sins a few days later when I stumbled across the Meguiar's website.

    So now I have a few light swirl marks on the car that can only be seen in bright sun or under very bright lights (like at the gas station), nothing serious as in some of the photos I've seen on this site, but of course I want to get rid of them and have the most beautiful, shiny finish possible. I bought a DA and several Meguiar's consumer line products (Ultimate Compound, Scratch-X, Swirl-X, Deep Crystal Polish, NXT Generation Wax) but it's been way too cold to do any detailing. So most of my time that would have been spent on actually working on the new car's finish has been spent researching detailing topics and products on the Internet. Before the cold weather and my purchase of the DA I did try Swirl-X by hand on the new car, and it worked just "OK" but frankly, I think it was because I applied by hand it as though I was applying wax--without much muscle or time behind it.

    After buying the DA I was able to work on the trunk lid of my daily driver (which has a lot of swirls and marring) with the DA, an orange Lake Country pad, and Scratch-X, with very satisfactory and surprising results, but again, my practice on the daily driver has given way to sitting in front of the fire trying to stay warm.

    The question is, what approach do I take with my new car and getting rid of the few, light swirls? I'm thinking of using the DA with a Lake Country white pad (not much cutting power, I think) with Swirl-X. But then I get worried thinking that that may even be too much and so I should perhaps use only the Deep Crystal Polish with a less agressive pad (still using the DA), followed up by the NXT Generation Wax.

    The bottom line: is Deep Crystal Polish and a DA effective on light swirls or should I go with something more aggresive?

    Any suggestions will be welcome.

  • #2
    Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

    Let's cut to the chase here:

    I'm thinking of using the DA with a Lake Country white pad (not much cutting power, I think) with Swirl-X.
    Good plan. Every single MX-5 we've had our hands on had fairly delicate paint. This includes the NA, NB and NC (like yours) variants and the paint is fairly easy to correct. Generally a mild approach is all that's needed, so your pad and liquid choices are probably spot on. It should be noted that, even though we've never come across one of these cars with even remotely hard paint (assuming we're talking factory paint of course - repaints are game changers!!) that doesn't mean somewhere along the line something has changed. Still, odds are you'll be able to correct this paint rather easily.

    So..... using the LC white pad and SwirlX, set the machine to speed 5 and make sure to stick to that typical 2' x 2' work area. Keep moderate pressure on the pad, move the machine slowly over the paint, overlap your passes by 50%, keep that pad flat against the paint, and take your time. Work the product until it's just a very thin film on the surface, then wipe off with a clean microfiber towel.

    Now stop.

    Pull the car out into the sunshine, or view it with a very strong light. Check your work. There's nothing worse than just jumping into a project only to find you did the entire car and the result was less than expected. Dial your technique in with this test spot. If the defects aren't completely gone, you may simply need to work the area a bit longer, or just give it a second pass. If it looks like almost nothing happened, step up to either a more aggressive pad or more aggressive liquid.


    This past summer we had an MX-5 owner struggling to create a defect free finish. He was using M105 and a W8207 polishing pad, but the paint never really looked all that great. He thought he was taking too mild an approach, so he stepped up to a W7207 cutting pad, and things just got worse. We had him step waaaay down to a W9207 finishing pad and M205. Gorgeous.
    Michael Stoops
    Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

    Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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    • #3
      Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

      Hi Mike,

      With reference to this high probability of soft paint, would I be best served to jewel with a 9207 and 205 at speeds 1 or 2 at first just to see what happens, or is this too light of a manipulation just to bring out the highest gloss? I believe in an email, you had suggested c. 2 to 3. No swirls here, just hoping to improve upon my previous manual applications of Swirl X and Scratch X 2.0.

      As usual, thanks a million!
      "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research would it? (Albert Einstein 1879-1955)
      BOB

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      • #4
        Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

        You could try a light machine polishing.

        Or even just using a pure polish like #7 after SwirlX may look better for you.

        Or both.
        2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

          nice to see some miata guys here.. I have an NA with a ton of swirls and have been practicing using UC/white LC pad on a pcxp set at 6. After two applications the swirls are pretty much all gone and the finish is nice and shiny without all those swirls. I use 85rd on a gray pad and the gloss is insane and the paint looks wet.. once the weather clears up next week i'm going to work on the rest of the car.

          brook, i would listen to michael and go with swirlx since you want to only go with least aggressive products to get the job done

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          • #6
            Re: Polish versus somthing stronger



            Originally posted by Brook View Post

            The bottom line: is Deep Crystal Polish and a DA effective on light swirls or should I go with something more aggresive?



            There is no standard of definitions in the detailing industry. In Meguiars terminology, a polish (pure polish like Mirror Glaze #7) is non abrassive. Some companies consider a polish an abrassive whereas an abrassive in Meguiars terminology is a cleaner/compound.

            What I'm saying is, Deep Crystal Polish will not level, or remove even light swirls cause it is a pure polish, although it may hide really tiny, almost microscopic scratches. Deep crystal Polish will add essential oils that nourish and condition the paint that make dark colors darker, and gives it that "wet" look if the paint is already in perfect condition. I like to use the word "polish" when I am referring to correcting the finish/removing defects & swirls through the act of rubbing, generating friction.

            So, Deep Crystal Polish can be used after polishing, or in Meguiars terminology, "cleaned/compounded". If the paint is in pretty good shape, give Mirror Glaze #9 a try. #9 is both a cleaner & a polish. #9 will remove light swirls and at the same time, add oils that beautify the finish. With #9, you can kill two birds with one stone.

            I think MG (Mirror Glaze) #9 is an awesome product that I would stand by.










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            • #7
              Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

              Thank you! This is what I love about Meguiar's: Great products, excellent advice and customer service, and a very informative and helpful forum. I'm hoping for the Arctic blast to move out so I can get going.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

                As a report, last Saturday I was finally able to follow the routine for my MX-5 I mentioned in the first post. I first used Swirl-X with the DA (with a white LC pad), followed up with with Deep Crystal Polish, then Nxt Generation Wax (both using hand application).

                It took me 4 hours total but I was very pleased with the results. It was pretty cold in the old garage and so I probably would have worked the Swirl-X a little longer had stiff fingers and toes and post-nasal drip hindered me. I also would have left the wax on a little longer. Nonetheless, I was happy with how it looked. I particularly liked the effect from the DC polish.

                About 48 hours later followed up with an application of Ultimate Quick Detailer.

                I plan on doing it again when the weather warms up just to get the final few swirls out. I may even try a more agressive pad and/or product just as an experiment. I am eager to get going on my daily driver which is in far worse shape finish-wise.

                Thanks again for the posts and information.

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                • #9
                  Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

                  Good job.
                  2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

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                  • #10
                    Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

                    Here are some results photos:







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                    • #11
                      Re: Polish versus somthing stronger

                      Nice work

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