M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

[agp423]

I know that all four products are strong cutters, but which is the best for removing swirls and minor scratches from the clear coat? It seems that most people use M105, but it's very expensive, so if I can do the same with M85, 95, or UC (which I already own), I'd rather save some money.

Another question, when it comes to removing minor imperfections on the clear coat, what's a good replacement of M205? Same reason as above, M105 and 205 are both very expensive, so I'd rather use some cheaper if possible.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Go with the UC. If your swirls are really light, jog on down to Walmart and spend $7 on a bottle of SwirlX. SwirlX, UC, and 105 are all SMAT products, meaning that they have non-diminishing abrasives that allows you to work the product as long as needed. SwirlX has the lightest cut of the three, followed by UC and then 105. M95 is rotary applied only, I believe. Not sure about M85, but you will probably never need it or M95.

[Murr1525]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

For the milder cleaner, #80 and #205 are similar in cut, with #205 being the SMAT. SwirlX is a little stronger, but also a good option for the milder cleaner.

[Tuck91]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

You will not need #85 for anything. Its a rotary only product and is pretty aggressive.

[agp423]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Cadillac's clear coat is pretty hard, will UC on G100 work?
And what exactly does non-diminishing abrasive mean?

[wfedwar]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Cadillac's clear coat is pretty hard, will UC on G100 work?
And what exactly does non-diminishing abrasive mean?

I've used UC on Audi clear and it worked fine for light swirls. For the deeper stuff, 105 and a rotary are really needed. I doubt Cadillac clear is as hard as Audi's, though. UC is a very good medium polish. It falls somewhere between 105 and 205.

The term "non-diminishing abrasives" means the polish doesn't get milder as you work it.

[flakybear]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Clearly Coated, In your first post did you mean swirlX, ScratachX and UC or was the 2nd SwirlX a mistake or do they make two formulas of SwirlX ?
Thanks for the help

[Tuck91]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Cadillac's clear coat is pretty hard, will UC on G100 work?
And what exactly does non-diminishing abrasive mean?

The only way you will know for sure is by doing a test spot with your G100 and Ultimate Compound. Although you may want to try something lighter such as M205 or SwirlX first.

You wont know how hard or soft your car's paint is until you go out and start working on it.

Clearly Coated, In your first post did you mean swirlX, ScratachX and UC or was the 2nd SwirlX a mistake or do they make two formulas of SwirlX ?
Thanks for the help

Only one version of SwirlX.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Honestly, for light swirls, etc you should be just fine with Ultimate Compound. Look through any of the threads in Pictures from Saturday Classes and you'll see all sorts of cars, almost always black, that show clear test spots when using UC. That is the only product we use for defect correction in these classes, and we do a test spot both by hand and with the G110v2. Most of the time we remove 90% of the defects by hand - the G110v2 gets virtually everything, and it does it much faster and with a lot less sweat!

[Larry A]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Ive used UC with a rotary and wool pad an it worked great that way too.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Clearly Coated, In your first post did you mean swirlX, ScratachX and UC or was the 2nd SwirlX a mistake or do they make two formulas of SwirlX ?
Thanks for the help

No, there's a period behind the first SwirlX to end that sentence. The second SwirlX starts off a new sentence stating that all 3 products I mentioned were SMAT products.

However, ScratchX 2.0 is another SMAT product and it's cut falls between SwirlX and UC.

ScratchX 2.0 is not a bad edition to have in your lineup, but personally, it is one that I use the least. Usually if SwirlX doesn't clean up my swirls, I jump right to UC.

The original ScratchX (also called ScratchX 1.0) has a very mild cut, even less than SwirlX, and uses diminishing abrasives.

[agp423]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

Honestly, for light swirls, etc you should be just fine with Ultimate Compound. Look through any of the threads in Pictures from Saturday Classes and you'll see all sorts of cars, almost always black, that show clear test spots when using UC. That is the only product we use for defect correction in these classes, and we do a test spot both by hand and with the G110v2. Most of the time we remove 90% of the defects by hand - the G110v2 gets virtually everything, and it does it much faster and with a lot less sweat!

I tried using UC by hand on some light swirls, and it did nothing... Which is why I'm buying a DA from a fellow member here so I can get rid of them.

What I'm asking is that for removing scratches and swirls, what's the difference between using 105, 85, or 95?

[Tuck91]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

I tried using UC by hand on some light swirls, and it did nothing... Which is why I'm buying a DA from a fellow member here so I can get rid of them.

What I'm asking is that for removing scratches and swirls, what's the difference between using 105, 85, or 95?

How were you applying the Ultimate Compound? Did you just wipe it on and off, or did you actually work it into the finish?

M85 and M95 are for rotary use only. M105 can be used with a dual action polisher.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

I tried using UC by hand on some light swirls, and it did nothing... Which is why I'm buying a DA from a fellow member here so I can get rid of them.

What I'm asking is that for removing scratches and swirls, what's the difference between using 105, 85, or 95?

Assuming you used the UC correctly, then M105 is your next step. That said, as Tuck mentioned, we must first determine your method of application.

Can you outline in detail your process for removing swirls?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M105 vs M85 vs M95 vs UC

I tried using UC by hand on some light swirls, and it did nothing... Which is why I'm buying a DA from a fellow member here so I can get rid of them.

What I'm asking is that for removing scratches and swirls, what's the difference between using 105, 85, or 95?

For removing light scratches and swirls, all three of those are probably overkill. People used to get great results on all sorts of paint finishes using a D/A and M80 or M83. Ultimate Compound is stronger than either of those.

M105 was developed for use with a rotary buffer and a wool pad to pull out 1000 grit sanding marks. Our cut scale, which used to go to 10 had to be revised upward to 12 to accommodate this new product. For typical swirl removal, it is usually overkill. M95 is equal in cut but with a slightly different formulation, and it is recommended for rotary use only. M85 used to be the heaviest cutting compound we made, prior to M105. It is a very potent, diminishing abrasive product that should ONLY be used with a rotary buffer.

Give Ultimate Compound a try on the D/A. Run the tool at speed 5 and use a fair amount of pressure on the pad - enough to deform the pad pretty well, but not enough to stop it from rotating. Use a yellow foam polishing pad with UC, and work in small areas at a time, generally about the size of a microfiber towel. Overlap your passes by about 50%, and move the pad very slowly over the paint. If you work in overlapping up and down strokes, then cover the area in side to side strokes, then repeat both sets of directions, you should be ready to wipe off the residue. Always do one area first and then check your progress in strong, direct lighting.

If we are able to correct all kinds of defects on a wide variety of paint systems using this product/pad/tool combination, we know you can too.