Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

[KidDetailer]

I have been using meguiar's gold glass shampoo, clay bar, deep crystal paint cleaner, deep crystal polish, and NXT paste wax in that order on my Black Car.

Now i'm tired of doing all the work. Its terrible... I don't even think my paint cleaner works...maybe because I'm using it with enough hand effort or the paint cleaner just isn't strong enough..

Is Meguiar's ULTIMATE the "BEST" they have ? I'm thinking about just buying ULTIMATE Shampoo, Ultimate Compound, Ulimate Liquid wax, as well as claying. Maybe even throw in there ULtimate Polish, if i feel like giving it more bang.

Was wondering if this is a good idea?
I don't really know the Meguiar's line up too well. They have NXT, Gold class, Classic, Ultimate, etc?

[Marc08EX]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

I don't think you can go wrong by upgrading to the Meguiar's Ultimate line. I think it will definitely yield you better results when compared to your original product combination. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes. That's the only you can find out.

[Murr1525]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

A better question may be what sort of defects you are working on, trying to remove, etc? What goals you have?

Certainly working by hand wont remove defects as easy as working by machine, but maybe we can sort things out a bit better for you.

[jaymz]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

If you're doing this all by hand, than you're not going to achieve much (unless you're a gorilla). Just being honest. Buy a DA and you'll never look back. And yes, switch to the "Ultimate" line and toss the rest of the stuff; they work great with a DA.

Jim

[KidDetailer]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

Honestly, compared to most black cars, my car isn't that bad. There are just minor defects here and there...like slight scratches..and of course swirls under sunlight..but it is barely noticeable.

But because i want it to be perfect, it bothers me.

I thought about a Dual action polisher, but i have no idea how to use it or clean the pads

[minnesotafisherman]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

I did my truck entirely by hand a while back. It's a lot of work but it yields great results. Obviously it isn't very time efficient though, but hey I did it:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?46425-Restoring-an-18-year-old-oxidized-paint-job.

[wifpd4]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

Honestly, compared to most black cars, my car isn't that bad. There are just minor defects here and there...like slight scratches..and of course swirls under sunlight..but it is barely noticeable.

But because i want it to be perfect, it bothers me.

I thought about a Dual action polisher, but i have no idea how to use it or clean the pads

I did my truck entirely by hand a while back. It's a lot of work but it yields great results. Obviously it isn't very time efficient though, but hey I did it:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?46425-Restoring-an-18-year-old-oxidized-paint-job.

Kid, as others have indicated, once you get a DA you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner.

However, the work young Mr. Minnesota did on that truck is a great example of working by hand. 40 years ago I might have attempted that too, but not now. I'm spoiled by using a DA and use the Ultimate products faithfully.

[jaymz]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

I thought about a Dual action polisher, but i have no idea how to use it or clean the pads

Rest assured, using a DA is a piece of cake, at least from worries about damaging the paint.

If you can plug a lamp into a wall socket, you can use a DA. Cleaning the pads???? Easy!

Why are people so afraid to try something new? Read, read, read!

Jim

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

Honestly, compared to most black cars, my car isn't that bad. There are just minor defects here and there...like slight scratches..and of course swirls under sunlight..but it is barely noticeable.

But because i want it to be perfect, it bothers me.

I thought about a Dual action polisher, but i have no idea how to use it or clean the pads

Read through D/A Buffing 101 - An Introduction to the G110v2 and similar tools and you'll get a feel for just how easy and safe a DA is to use. And cleaning the pads couldn't be easier - just throw them in the washer and dryer as if you were doing a normal load of laundry.

As for not getting the results you want when using your current group of products, it should be stated that Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner is extremely mild stuff and it has actually been replaced by both SwirlX and Ultimate Compound. That's right, we no longer make Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner. Just as important as the liquid you use is the applicators you use with them. We highly recommend staying with a foam applicator pad for both paint cleaners and waxes, and microfiber towels for removal of those products. You should also read through 5 Step Paint Care Cycle to get a feel for the proper way to use of the products. Regardless how good a product is, it won't do the job on its own - you have to use proper technique to get the most out of it. Stepping up to Ultimate Compound followed by Ultimate Polish will get you much further along in this process than what you've been using, partly because UC is quite a bit more aggressive than DC Paint Cleaner, and partly because UP has very refined abrasives and a lot of polishing oils, a combination that yields more clarity and gloss overall, especially on dark colors.

The wax you choose is going to be a very personal decision, but moving to Ultimate Wax will give you our longest lasting, best protecting product so it's certainly worth considering.

[KidDetailer]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

Thank you michael, will be reading up on the DA polisher guide.

I have also used the Water Magnet...but I have stuck with the regular Supremem shine microfiber towel...because i get the impression that the water magnet is a bit "rougher" compared to the supreme shine microfiber towel for drying.

[dougbthom]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

The Ultimate Polish, which I just finished using on my wife's new CRV, is one of the best products I've used since getting involved with the Meguiar's line up ! I followed it with 2 coats of NXT Wax and couldn't believe the difference that it made. As far as the Water Magnet goes, I have 5 of them and couldn't be happier. They are very effective as well as being very gentle on the finish. Hope this helps.

[davey g-force]

Re: Is Meguiar's Ultimate for me?

I have been using meguiar's gold glass shampoo, clay bar, deep crystal paint cleaner, deep crystal polish, and NXT paste wax in that order on my Black Car.

Now i'm tired of doing all the work. Its terrible... I don't even think my paint cleaner works...maybe because I'm using it with enough hand effort or the paint cleaner just isn't strong enough..

Is Meguiar's ULTIMATE the "BEST" they have ? I'm thinking about just buying ULTIMATE Shampoo, Ultimate Compound, Ulimate Liquid wax, as well as claying. Maybe even throw in there ULtimate Polish, if i feel like giving it more bang.

Was wondering if this is a good idea?
I don't really know the Meguiar's line up too well. They have NXT, Gold class, Classic, Ultimate, etc?

Sure the Meg's Ultimate line is great but if you don't want to go spending a heap more money on more products, and it's medium to light swirls is that you're dealing with, I would just replace the Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner with Ultimate Compound. Keep the rest of your process / products the same and see how that goes.

Your product choice and process is sound, it's just that Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner is quite a mild product. Have fun!!