Compound or Polish Please Help!

[Alex22]

First of all look:

This condition of paint is only in a few places of my truck and the rest has mild to little visible swirls and scratches some of which are only noticable if standing about a feet or less away. I have Ultimate Compound (M105) and Ultimate Polish (M205) is it ok to just compound everything and then polish it or is it recomended i go get something like swirlX I really need an answer fast I plan on finishing it tomorrow.

[B&B Tennessee]

Compound then polish - that should take the swirls away and create a great turnaround

[timaishu]

Try m205 first. If that doesnt cut it try it with a more aggresive pad. And if that doesnt work then try m105.

[Alex22]

Also sorry for bad quality I dont have a dedicated camera and have to resort to using my phones camera that is not all that great.

[timaishu]

The pictures are good enough.

You want to go with the least aggressive method first. Our clearcoat is very thin. The less removed the better. You may find you get a decent correction with the m205 and a white pad for example.

[Alex22]

Originally Posted by timaishu

Try m205 first. If that doesnt cut it try it with a more aggresive pad. And if that doesnt work then try m105.

Yeah was thinking that you think that if im forced to use M105 for thoes harsh scratches that it would just make sence to use it for the whole truck or just on thoes spots? I apologize tomorow is my first polish ever.


Omg it just started raining outside this is so depressing I had just finished washing my truck damn it oh well hopefully it doesnt leave watermarks. Gosh I live in Sac, California and its supposedly summer. "Surprise"

[timaishu]

Do a test spot first. Like a 1x1 or 2x2 ft square to see if the correction works first of all. Then all you gotta do is mirror what you did for the test spot and it should go well.

When you say "harsh scratches", are you referring to swirls or actuall scratches in the paint?

[Alex22]

Well what i mean is a little bit worse than in the picture. Yeah ill be doing the test spot anyways many many thanks ill take as many pictures as my camera will permit. Hope by tomorow evening ill have a write up.

[D.R.]

First a stupid question/assumption - are you working by hand or with a DA polisher or other (I'm assuming a DA)?

Thoughts from a noob (I know this is the "ask the experts" forum, not "ask the noob" so apologies):
I think SwirlX is in-between M205 and M105 in terms of aggresiveness and it's < $10 per bottle and available at regular stores so it might not be a bad idea to get some and try it out if you have time and if you have any interest in knowing what it's capable of on your vehicle. My VERY LIMITED experience with M205 on 1 vehicle is that it doesn't have much cut at all (makes sense since it's called a "finishing polish"). Then your other product listed is at the complete other end of aggressiveness, so it seems like you're going to try a test spot with one of the least aggressive products then with one of the most aggressive products. SwirlX is in the middle.

Also what's your objective?
- Remove as little clear as possible? (if SwirlX works this might take less clear than M105 all other things being equal)
- Get the swirls out as quickly as possible? (don't try SwirlX -- keep in mind, it might be a good idea to go over it again with M205 when you're done with the M105 so time could be added back)
- Learn where multiple products fall in the aggressiveness/work-ability scale? (pick up some SwirlX; maybe try another compound that might be on the shelf right next to the SwirlX)
- Ultimate correction/gloss? (this might mean you follow anything up with the M205, which for me has left the paint feeling squeaky clean)
- Spend as little cash as possible? (you make the call on this one)

[BobbyG]

Originally Posted by Alex22

First of all look:

That's a pretty good photo of the surface defects!

As several members have pointed out, least aggressive first then more aggressive if necessary...The reason for this is multilayered...

1. Remove as little finish as possible
2. Remove not add surface defects
3. Less work, less time spent
4. Reduced cost

Test Spots


Test spots are really important and using tape as a dividing line helps you gauge the effectiveness of your pad and product combination.

Don't be afraid to experiment, this is the way we all learn and continue to learn.

Once the finish is washed and clayed mask off two sections. Use Meguiar's M105 and an Orange pad on one and Meguiar's M205 and a White pad on the other.

Perform the same number of passes, clean the areas by spraying each section with some waterless wash and wipe with a microfiber towel. Evaluate your work and let your conclusion dictate the next steps.