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Over the past weekend I used the DA Microfiber system on my white 2008 Pontiac G6 GXP with excellent results, although quite time consuming. I had moderate swirls on the front and top of the car and bad swirls and scratches on the trunk lid and rear bumper.No before pics, my phone battery was dead. I have after pics but need to resize before posting.
First I started with prep and washed the vehicle with Gold Class car wash and clayed the entire hood, top, and front bumper. The vertical surfaces that needed it got clayed also. I then washed all the surfaces that got clayed and hosed off the entire car followed by towel drying.
With the cutting pad, I primed/rubbed in D300 by hand and applied 2-3 small drops to work with. Beginning on the hood I worked in sections, 2-3 heavy passes, 2-3 moderate passes, and 2-3 light passes. Wiped off with a mf towel, refolding for each section and when it became grabby. Any heavier swirls and scratches got a little extra work until they were gone. The pad was cleaned with a brush between passes and before adding more compound when it started to run a little dry. The hood and front bumper worked out to a smooth glossy finish finish. I could clearly see nearby trees and clouds in the sky on both.
A few defects were left such as rock chips and imperfections from body work where paint was blended and recleared over existing defects. These will require touchup and wet sanding at a later date. With the red color of D300, rock chips held some of the compound around the rough edges and would not come out during wipedown without creating more scratches. Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab takes it out quite well. It's pretty easy to work on white so you can see where the heavier defects are holding dirt and old wax. This is a drawback also if you don't work the entire defect out.
Next were the vertical surfaces. A front fender had been replaced and painted and this was the first time the panel had been touched since then. It came out a little brighter and smoother than the front of the vehicle with less work. I used heavy and moderate passes and got nearly flawless results. I worked around to the rest of the panels using the same technique as the hood. Again, the only defects remaining were rock chips and an ugly door ding that will require touchup and sanding.
The trunk lid and rear bumper were next. I went over heavy, heavy, moderate, and started to remove the heavy swirls. I worked on this small are longer than the hood and didn't make much progress except for the plastic bumper. The top of the trunk didn't want to cooperate at all. I did notice that cleaning the pad with the brush became quite a bit harder at this point and should have changed pads but I didn't. The fibers would fluff out pretty well but in the lower section of the fibers I could see the D300 building up and caking. This is where I think compressed air would be a better method of cleaning or in addition to the brush when buildup occurs. A quick spray of water on the pad before brushing and/or compressed air would work also to break up the buildup and help the microfiber release the gunk. Once the buildup starts, your work time is significantly diminished as the fiber starts to mat down. I went over a previously polished section with the gunked, matted pad and did not notice it creating many if any scratches or swirls. I didn't change my method because I was trying to see how far I could go on one pad.
I finished up with the top of the car. It cooperated quite a bit better than the trunk lid. Maybe the defects in the trunk were deeper/worse than I actually though or could see. I still noticed the decreased worktime the buildup created but the defects still came out easily with a total of 4-6 passes from hard to light moving slightly faster over a section than I did the rest of the car.
The D300 finished so well I didn't use the D301. A test spot confirmed minimal if any improvement with D301. Most likely because of the paint color. I then took clean mf towels and wiped down any remaining dust. Quick flicks across the the entire car took care of it. After 7 hours of working, I was pretty tired. A coat of M21 went on by hand and I went inside to rest. 45 minutes later I went back and wiped down. I was amazed at how great the car looked. Better than when I bought it. The M21 had a little different shine than what I was used to. Bright and sparkly. At a slight distance I thought the car looked like it had a very light blue tinge to it. I've never seen this before with this or any other white vehicle I've worked on, reflection of the blue sky since it was so clean? It didn't change however, even when the lighting changed, slightly overcast. 14 hours later I went over the hood and front bumper with Dodo Juice hard wax, then soft. The hard wax went on nice and smooth and buffed out with a nice glow. The soft left a slight oily finish that took a little elbow grease to take off. The rest of the car was left with just M21 since I'm going back to work on some sections later.
The DA Microfiber system works exceptionally well. Takes some learning to get used to and you have to realize it's limitations. Cleaning the pad seems to be the most important part of using this system, at least in my opinion. Once the mf started matting and compound building up it reduced the ability to remove anything other than very minor swirls. Next time I'm using compressed air/brush, maybe a little water to soften the buildup, and changing the pad if all else fails. I'll also try Ultimate Polish to see if I can get any extra clarity once the D300 does it's work. So far on two vehicles, both GM whites, I haven't had any problems getting very clear, smooth, glossy finishes with D300 and the cutting pad. Maybe D300 or UP on the finishing pad. I'll make a few test panels and try different combos of pads and polishes. Next up will be a 2009 Buick with a darker paint and horrendous swirls using the entire system and not just the D300.
Quick review on UP on wheels. I hadn't been able to find anything that was able to take off the gunk and leave a shiny finish all in one until now. My wheels had nasty water spots, cleaner spots, and brake dust/dirt buildup that wouldn't come off with pretty much anything without using a second product to shine. UP changed that quick. No harsh abrasives to risk marring my wheels but it cut the crud with a little finger pressure and quick rubbing. Can't wait to try the cone to see if it takes out some fine scratches. My wheels used to be the ugliest part of the vehicle, now they're blindingly shiny. I think I could shave with them if I had to. Rub on, work it in, wipe off. About 2 hours and I'm happy with my wheels again, and very impressed with UP.
for Meguiar's products.
First I started with prep and washed the vehicle with Gold Class car wash and clayed the entire hood, top, and front bumper. The vertical surfaces that needed it got clayed also. I then washed all the surfaces that got clayed and hosed off the entire car followed by towel drying.
With the cutting pad, I primed/rubbed in D300 by hand and applied 2-3 small drops to work with. Beginning on the hood I worked in sections, 2-3 heavy passes, 2-3 moderate passes, and 2-3 light passes. Wiped off with a mf towel, refolding for each section and when it became grabby. Any heavier swirls and scratches got a little extra work until they were gone. The pad was cleaned with a brush between passes and before adding more compound when it started to run a little dry. The hood and front bumper worked out to a smooth glossy finish finish. I could clearly see nearby trees and clouds in the sky on both.
A few defects were left such as rock chips and imperfections from body work where paint was blended and recleared over existing defects. These will require touchup and wet sanding at a later date. With the red color of D300, rock chips held some of the compound around the rough edges and would not come out during wipedown without creating more scratches. Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab takes it out quite well. It's pretty easy to work on white so you can see where the heavier defects are holding dirt and old wax. This is a drawback also if you don't work the entire defect out.
Next were the vertical surfaces. A front fender had been replaced and painted and this was the first time the panel had been touched since then. It came out a little brighter and smoother than the front of the vehicle with less work. I used heavy and moderate passes and got nearly flawless results. I worked around to the rest of the panels using the same technique as the hood. Again, the only defects remaining were rock chips and an ugly door ding that will require touchup and sanding.
The trunk lid and rear bumper were next. I went over heavy, heavy, moderate, and started to remove the heavy swirls. I worked on this small are longer than the hood and didn't make much progress except for the plastic bumper. The top of the trunk didn't want to cooperate at all. I did notice that cleaning the pad with the brush became quite a bit harder at this point and should have changed pads but I didn't. The fibers would fluff out pretty well but in the lower section of the fibers I could see the D300 building up and caking. This is where I think compressed air would be a better method of cleaning or in addition to the brush when buildup occurs. A quick spray of water on the pad before brushing and/or compressed air would work also to break up the buildup and help the microfiber release the gunk. Once the buildup starts, your work time is significantly diminished as the fiber starts to mat down. I went over a previously polished section with the gunked, matted pad and did not notice it creating many if any scratches or swirls. I didn't change my method because I was trying to see how far I could go on one pad.
I finished up with the top of the car. It cooperated quite a bit better than the trunk lid. Maybe the defects in the trunk were deeper/worse than I actually though or could see. I still noticed the decreased worktime the buildup created but the defects still came out easily with a total of 4-6 passes from hard to light moving slightly faster over a section than I did the rest of the car.
The D300 finished so well I didn't use the D301. A test spot confirmed minimal if any improvement with D301. Most likely because of the paint color. I then took clean mf towels and wiped down any remaining dust. Quick flicks across the the entire car took care of it. After 7 hours of working, I was pretty tired. A coat of M21 went on by hand and I went inside to rest. 45 minutes later I went back and wiped down. I was amazed at how great the car looked. Better than when I bought it. The M21 had a little different shine than what I was used to. Bright and sparkly. At a slight distance I thought the car looked like it had a very light blue tinge to it. I've never seen this before with this or any other white vehicle I've worked on, reflection of the blue sky since it was so clean? It didn't change however, even when the lighting changed, slightly overcast. 14 hours later I went over the hood and front bumper with Dodo Juice hard wax, then soft. The hard wax went on nice and smooth and buffed out with a nice glow. The soft left a slight oily finish that took a little elbow grease to take off. The rest of the car was left with just M21 since I'm going back to work on some sections later.
The DA Microfiber system works exceptionally well. Takes some learning to get used to and you have to realize it's limitations. Cleaning the pad seems to be the most important part of using this system, at least in my opinion. Once the mf started matting and compound building up it reduced the ability to remove anything other than very minor swirls. Next time I'm using compressed air/brush, maybe a little water to soften the buildup, and changing the pad if all else fails. I'll also try Ultimate Polish to see if I can get any extra clarity once the D300 does it's work. So far on two vehicles, both GM whites, I haven't had any problems getting very clear, smooth, glossy finishes with D300 and the cutting pad. Maybe D300 or UP on the finishing pad. I'll make a few test panels and try different combos of pads and polishes. Next up will be a 2009 Buick with a darker paint and horrendous swirls using the entire system and not just the D300.
Quick review on UP on wheels. I hadn't been able to find anything that was able to take off the gunk and leave a shiny finish all in one until now. My wheels had nasty water spots, cleaner spots, and brake dust/dirt buildup that wouldn't come off with pretty much anything without using a second product to shine. UP changed that quick. No harsh abrasives to risk marring my wheels but it cut the crud with a little finger pressure and quick rubbing. Can't wait to try the cone to see if it takes out some fine scratches. My wheels used to be the ugliest part of the vehicle, now they're blindingly shiny. I think I could shave with them if I had to. Rub on, work it in, wipe off. About 2 hours and I'm happy with my wheels again, and very impressed with UP.
for Meguiar's products.
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