Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

[SX4DUDE2013]

Heres the stupid question of the day.....haha.
Does UC have to be followed up with anything for clarity? (M205)??
I need to correct my personal vehicle so Im pulling out all the stops. This will be done over 2 days so I can take my time.

I hope it doesnt cause I dont wannt have to go over it twice. lol
I plain to knock it out with M205, then a glaze, then nxt 2.0.....But if I have to UC I guess I will.
Is nxt 2.0 still good? Ive seen some new meguiars stuff in the stores....anybody fully switch over from M21/nxt 2.0 to the new stuff?

[Murr1525]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

You would only follow up UC if there were still swirls, or you felt like it.

At worst, you use UC this time, and Ult. Polish next time, and get the same effect.

The Ult. Wax seems very good, just odd to use at first.

[Marc08EX]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

As Mike Stoops said in a different thread, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It really depends on your expectations and the paint system you're working on. Expectations, it really depends if you think the finish has clarity and gloss up to your level of perfection. If you think that it's good enough then you stop and apply your favorite LSP. If you think that it needs further refinement or some more additional gloss then you go ahead and apply a finishing polish such as M205 or UP. As for paint systems, different paints react in different ways as you already know. Soft paints (like a black Toyota Prius Meguiar's TNOG encountered) will haze up like crazy after applying Ultimate Compound. This will require a finishing polish after the initial compounding and defect removal step. If your paint is resistant to hazing then it might be good enough for LSP after the initial compounding step. Meguiar's always advocates you do a test spot before proceeding on doing the entire car so you know what products and how many steps you need to do to tackle the entire car.

Hope this helps.

[ffboy]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

Heres the stupid question of the day.....haha.
Does UC have to be followed up with anything for clarity? (M205)??
I need to correct my personal vehicle so Im pulling out all the stops. This will be done over 2 days so I can take my time.

I hope it doesnt cause I dont wannt have to go over it twice. lol
I plain to knock it out with M205, then a glaze, then nxt 2.0.....But if I have to UC I guess I will.
Is nxt 2.0 still good? Ive seen some new meguiars stuff in the stores....anybody fully switch over from M21/nxt 2.0 to the new stuff?

Haha, it's not stupid, and i don't think you haven't learned a thing. when it comes to Paint correction, detailing, polishing, it's a never ending learning process. There will always be a few surprises, strange paint characteristics, unusual scratches, etc., etc., So many roads to take to get the same brilliant results.

NXT 2.0 is very good, even in the advent of the ultimate wax. In fact, many here still prefer NXT2 to UW in terms of ease of use, shine, and in some cases durability which i find quite painful to know. NXT 2.0 to me is very good, it offers some depth to the finish and durability isn't that bad too.

Regarding the Ultimate Compound, test spot is everything. Try it in a small area of your car's panel (whether by hand or DA polisher) if it ends up clear and marr-free. If not, you may want to try applying a finishing polish or even a milder cleaner like swirlX or DC1 paint cleaner (or in your case, m205) to add clarity to the finish. I personally have used Ultimate compound quite successfully even without using a milder compound to smoothen things further. But i want beauty and brilliant shine to the best of my hand application abilities. I actually follow up with either Megs#7, mothers sealer and glaze, or mothers prewax cleaner (very nice product) depending on what wax/sealant i want to apply. I usually apply glaze underneath a carnauba wax (collinites or dupont), and cleaner underneath NXT2 or any synthetic product. But normally, ultimate compound is a very user friendly product, and yes, many cases you can apply wax immediately after UC.

[SX4DUDE2013]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

Haha, it's not stupid, and i don't think you haven't learned a thing. when it comes to Paint correction, detailing, polishing, it's a never ending learning process. There will always be a few surprises, strange paint characteristics, unusual scratches, etc., etc., So many roads to take to get the same brilliant results.

NXT 2.0 is very good, even in the advent of the ultimate wax. In fact, many here still prefer NXT2 to UW in terms of ease of use, shine, and in some cases durability which i find quite painful to know. NXT 2.0 to me is very good, it offers some depth to the finish and durability isn't that bad too.

Regarding the Ultimate Compound, test spot is everything. Try it in a small area of your car's panel (whether by hand or DA polisher) if it ends up clear and marr-free. If not, you may want to try applying a finishing polish or even a milder cleaner like swirlX or DC1 paint cleaner (or in your case, m205) to add clarity to the finish. I personally have used Ultimate compound quite successfully even without using a milder compound to smoothen things further. But i want beauty and brilliant shine to the best of my hand application abilities. I actually follow up with either Megs#7, mothers sealer and glaze, or mothers prewax cleaner (very nice product) depending on what wax/sealant i want to apply. I usually apply glaze underneath a carnauba wax (collinites or dupont), and cleaner underneath NXT2 or any synthetic product. But normally, ultimate compound is a very user friendly product, and yes, many cases you can apply wax immediately after UC.

Thanks so much for that reply.
Illl def to a test spot and see where it gets me.....Im hopeing to knock with out with some M205....just becuase less is better but if not. Ill hit it with some UC.
A very big write-up wit loads of pics will be comming on Sunday. Make sure to tune in!
THanks again everyone!!!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

Haha, it's not stupid, and i don't think you haven't learned a thing. when it comes to Paint correction, detailing, polishing, it's a never ending learning process. There will always be a few surprises, strange paint characteristics, unusual scratches, etc., etc., So many roads to take to get the same brilliant results.

This is so true, and one should never lose sight of it. You can never say that you've "dialed in a process that will always give perfect results" because that overlooks one huge variable - the paint you're working on. Anyone who has worked on a large number of cars knows that sometimes you come across a paint system that requires something a bit different than what seems to work great on the majority of vehicles. And that "something" might be more aggressive, less aggressive, more steps, or fewer steps.

Now add in the varying levels of expectation and things really change. It's rare that someone is willing to put in the same time and energy on a five year old daily driver that they would on a multi million dollar, ultra rare classic.

So to answer the original question "Does UC have to be followed up with anything for clarity?" the answer is No, Yes, and Maybe. It all depends how skilled you are with a buffer, what pads you're using, how the paint responds, and what your expectations are.

[juliom2]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

True; most of us want to achieve a Super Spectacular Extra Duper Shiny Reflective Immaculate Surface, but we are working on a poor quality clear coat with
uncountable layers of orange peel that will really kill all the emotion after a lot of hard work applying wax after wax over the paint.
Expectation is a key factor when hoping for the final result.....But, to be realistic on what we are working on will prevent a broken heart.....

[SX4DUDE2013]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

Test Spot + Success!!!
I opened up my new Meguiars Pad - which i like a lot btw, and went to work...
Tapped off a 2x2 section on the hood to see how M205 would tackle the swirls..
After a good min I wiped if off and pulled out into the sun.....90% correction!!!

So It looks like im gonna finish up my M205 this weekend to make my baby shine Pics up sunday night!!!!

[ffboy]

Re: Ive been here 2 years and still dont know anything....

Test Spot + Success!!!
I opened up my new Meguiars Pad - which i like a lot btw, and went to work...
Tapped off a 2x2 section on the hood to see how M205 would tackle the swirls..
After a good min I wiped if off and pulled out into the sun.....90% correction!!!

So It looks like im gonna finish up my M205 this weekend to make my baby shine Pics up sunday night!!!!

Very nice, don't rush the paint correction process to get the best results.