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Pictures from February 22, 2014 Saturday Open Class

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  • Pictures from February 22, 2014 Saturday Open Class

    Another enthusiastic group of paint polishing enthusiasts came to spend a day with us in our Training Garage. We had to change things up a bit on our demo car since we usually work on the hood - this one had a carbon fiber aftermarket hood so we opted to work on the sides of the car. Plenty of swirls to deal with on this black Honda, but we put them in their place.

    See what we mean about the swirls?


    Swirls, swirls and more swirls.


    After cleaning the surface with a rinseless wash, we clayed it and this is what we got. Ick!


    Then we demo'd two different processes: traditional style liquids (in this case Ultimate Compound, Polish and Wax) on one side and the DA Microfiber Correction System on the other.


    Getting ready to prime the microfiber cutting pad.


    Once primed and blown out, a minimal amount of product is all that's needed.


    Working D300/DMC5


    Half and half: a single pass removed virtually everything but we still wanted a bit more, and we wanted to refine the surface a bit more. That meant we still had a bit of work ahead, but this is a fantastic start!


    We always recommend that you constantly think about what you're doing when polishing paint........


    Teamwork! Keeping an eye on the students as they get a feel for running the G110v2 buffer on paint.


    Hands on training!


    Yes, we are serious about hands on training!!


    Don't tip that pad!! If you can get your fingers between the pad and paint you're not doing it right. Look at the angle of the buffer relative to the pad here........this is why we do the hands on training. The tool should not be tipping this much or that pad will lift right off the paint and you'll lose cut.


    Another little change up for this class - we rolled this old Bel Air into the garage to see if we could bring some life back into this old respray. It's a single stage enamel that has seen better days.


    We experimented with a few options that would be readily available to the car owner, and user friendly at the same time.
    • M80/W8207 foam pad: it was OK, but very slow acting.
    • Ultimate Compound/W8207 foam pad: fast cut and made a huge improvement in the finish.
    • D300/DMC5 microfiber: fast cut but not enough polishing oils to bring out the color, and wipe off wasn't as easy as the other two.
    • M100/W8207 foam pad: actually, the least impressive combo of the bunch and very difficult to wipe off.



    We decided on Ultimate Compound/W8207 foam pad and look at the difference! No, it's not flawless, but it gave the best, and fastest, results of the combinations we tested. It is important to note that we are NOT saying that this will be the best choice of those combinations all the time. Not even close. It was the best combo of liquid/pad for this particular car. The car owner is now equipped with the product and skills to finish the rest of the car on his own.
    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.

  • #2
    Hey Michael, I'm just curious, has there ever been a demo car that didn't need to be clayed prior to correcting the paint with the DA polisher?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Pictures from February 22, 2014 Saturday Open Class

      It's pretty rare, but yes. Usually, thought, that's when the owner has taken it upon himself to wash and clay the car prior to waxing but is now really interested in removing below surface defects. More often than not, however, the paint really is in need of claying. From time to time the paint is in very serious need of claying because it quite literally feels like coarse sandpaper.
      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.

      Comment


      • #4
        Cool, I just wanted to make sure it was ok to begin correcting the paint straight after washing & drying. Or whether removing any existing wax was absolutly nesassary. Thx bud!
        BTW I finally bought a DA polisher! I've got alot to learn, but it feels like the beginning of a whole new level of good stuff on the horizon:]

        Comment


        • #5
          However... While I'm a bit thrifty or sort of a cheapskate when it comes to certain things [like wanting to save my unopened 2nd claybar until some special occasion]
          I'm also cautious and the OCD demands leaving nothing to chance. So I will clay the paint prior to using my DA for the 1st time:]

          Comment

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