M105 and Adam's pad?

[cam fan]

My red jewel tint coat just came back from the body shop for a small job on the bumper. Despite my warning, one of the technicians took the car through an automated wash and also wiped it down with god knows what. SWIRLS have returned.

Getting my paint perfect was hard the first time (when I bought 2 years ago) with Adam's products but I managed to do it. 4x of each of the 3 Adam's steps, a touch-up of fine machine polish every 3 months or so followed by regular super sealant/quick sealant kept my baby in fine shape.

SO MY QUESTION IS:

In an effort to save some time/effort, would I be able to go a little more aggressive and use the Adam's green/severe pad with Meguiar's M105 and start working the cut down from there? (My understanding is that M205 is about the same cut as the Adam's severe swirl and haze)

Tips? Advice? Thanks guys!

[ihaveacamaro]

M105 has one of the best cuts out there, but having M105 might add a step rather than remove one.

The reason is because M105 causes micromarring and hazing. You will then need to polish that out. If Adam's sever swirl and haze = m205, then that would be the step after m105. After that you should probably assess your condition and see if you need to do more. I think you might need one more step after that, but maybe you can get a really good finish just after two steps.

M105 definitely has more of a cut than Adam's stuff, so if your problem was that you had to go over the car 4 times with Adam's then yeah, in comparison you may only have to go over it with M105 once or twice.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

M105 has one of the best cuts out there, but having M105 might add a step rather than remove one.

The reason is because M105 causes micromarring and hazing. You will then need to polish that out. If Adam's sever swirl and haze = m205, then that would be the step after m105. After that you should probably assess your condition and see if you need to do more. I think you might need one more step after that, but maybe you can get a really good finish just after two steps.

M105 definitely has more of a cut than Adam's stuff, so if your problem was that you had to go over the car 4 times with Adam's then yeah, in comparison you may only have to go over it with M105 once or twice.

M105 is about the most powerful compound that exists because of its non-diminishing abrasives (it just cuts and cuts the same way a lot longer than comparably strong compounds such as Menzerna power gloss, Adam's SSHR, etc.), but M105 finishes exceptionally well if you reduce pressure on the last couple passes and are using a middle-of-the-road (orange pad) to light cutting pad. Still, you're right in saying that on a severe defect pad such as the green one, it'll leave pretty bad DA Haze.

So yes, if you're using M105 on a severe pad, you're gonna have to follow up with a finishing polish on a white pad. M205 would be perfect.

M105 on a DA is still not nearly as dangerous as you think. You know how everyone keeps saying that with a DA, you can get away with polishing twice a year for decades and not worry about going through the clear? If you used M105 that whole time, it would only reduce the time by maybe 5-6 years - it's the DA machine itself that makes the world of difference when it comes to how much paint you're removing moreso than the polish and pad. A Rotary with M105, however, is a very powerful yet dangerous pair. The fact of the matter is, in a professional detailing world, a DA is a tool meant for finishing while a rotary is meant to correct.

Still, just always start with the least aggressive method first. Not that M105 is something where once you use it, you'll have thinned out the clear so much that you're never able to polish again, but there is no point in removing more clearcoat than you need to. Do you think a swirl remover and orange pad will solve your problems instead?

[ihaveacamaro]

Not topic related, but you sound like you know your stuff nuclearenvoy, so I wanted to share this with you: One of the best professional detailers out there states his reasons for why the rotary is dying.

The rotary is increasingly being replaced by the DA, according to the article.

http://www.toddcooperider.com/rotary...ng-is-it-dead/

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

Not topic related, but you sound like you know your stuff nuclearenvoy, so I wanted to share this with you: One of the best professional detailers out there states his reasons for why the rotary is dying.

The rotary is increasingly being replaced by the DA, according to the article.

http://www.toddcooperider.com/rotary...ng-is-it-dead/

Nice article!

I would never question Todd at all when it comes to detailing, but as far as I've witnessed, a DA just isn't as good as a rotary when it comes to certain applications: take my hood for example.

My aftermarket hood came back to me with a bad texture to the clearcoat that was either sanding scratches or leftover orange peel. Had to bring it back to them so they could wetsand and buff it. When I got it back, it improved the texture by around 70% (still not perfect - taking it to a pro detailer today to wetsand it with 3000 grit and buff it more - the RIGHT way) but was rife with sanding scratches.

All I have is a DA and I have no experience with a rotary. But I used Meg's M105 and a Meg's Microfiber cutting pad (VERY aggressive combo) and it took multiple CYCLES, mind you; not just passes, CYCLES (4 or 5 passes, wipe off polish, reapply polish to pad and go again) to get the scratches out. And they're still not ALL gone.

For a rotary? One application of Meg's M105, a wool pad, and a ~1500 RPM speed and you're removing most of the wetsanding marks in cycle. I'd rather that and then use a PC to remove the buffer holograms and swirls than use a PC to do all the work.

That's what I've witnessed personally, though. Maybe the clear used on my hood is hard as rock, I dunno.

[ihaveacamaro]

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

Nice article!

I would never question Todd at all when it comes to detailing, but as far as I've witnessed, a DA just isn't as good as a rotary when it comes to certain applications: take my hood for example.

My aftermarket hood came back to me with a bad texture to the clearcoat that was either sanding scratches or leftover orange peel. Had to bring it back to them so they could wetsand and buff it. When I got it back, it improved the texture by around 70% (still not perfect - taking it to a pro detailer today to wetsand it with 3000 grit and buff it more - the RIGHT way) but was rife with sanding scratches.

All I have is a DA and I have no experience with a rotary. But I used Meg's M105 and a Meg's Microfiber cutting pad (VERY aggressive combo) and it took multiple CYCLES, mind you; not just passes, CYCLES (4 or 5 passes, wipe off polish, reapply polish to pad and go again) to get the scratches out. And they're still not ALL gone.

For a rotary? One application of Meg's M105, a wool pad, and a ~1500 RPM speed and you're removing most of the wetsanding marks in cycle. I'd rather that and then use a PC to remove the buffer holograms and swirls than use a PC to do all the work.

That's what I've witnessed personally, though. Maybe the clear used on my hood is hard as rock, I dunno.

The cool thing with all these products and options is that you can choose to use what fits you the best

What kind of DA do you use btw?

[Angelo@Autopia]

Megs's M105 with a Lake Country 5 1/2 inch Flat Foam Pad in Orange or with a Lake Country Hydro-Tech Low Profile 5 1/2 x 7/8 Inch Foam color Cyan or Tangerine. Remember to go slow with overlap passes then follow up with Meg's M205 with a Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Pad White in color and Black to finish up. You can use a Rotary or a DA and have the same results with both. It's that one will take a little longer then the other.