How's Megs 105, LC 5" Cyan HydroFoam pad and PC 7424 combo

[jem7sk]

Trying to speed up the process a little at polishing my paint with the PC (mine is older pre XP). Would the combo of Megs 105 and LC 5" Cyan pads work good with the PC for a polish or would it be to abrasive on my softer Subaru paint? I've done a test spot and it came out good. Just thinking that the PC is not that powerful and this might reduce my passes with more abrasive combo. I run the PC on 6.

[dwaleke]

M105 is not something I'd reach for on Subaru paint.

But then again M105 is not something I'd reach for on any paint nowadays.

The problem with Subaru paint is not so much that it's soft (it is), or thin (might be), it's that it can be sticky. Certain compounds and polishes just don't play well with it.

I've had success with the newer Sonax polishes on Subaru paint. I can't remember if it was Menzerna or the now discontinued Optimum polishes that stuck like glue after 10 seconds of buffing.

If the test spot looks good, you need that level of correction, and you're not finding that the product is sticking to the paint while polishing then go for it.

Are you planning on following it up with a second step? I've never had M105 finish down well enough for LSP. I'm sure someone has but my guess is they may have different standards than I do. I find it hard to believe that it'll finish down nice enough on Subaru paint.

[jem7sk]

M105 is not something I'd reach for on Subaru paint.

But then again M105 is not something I'd reach for on any paint nowadays.

The problem with Subaru paint is not so much that it's soft (it is), or thin (might be), it's that it can be sticky. Certain compounds and polishes just don't play well with it.

I've had success with the newer Sonax polishes on Subaru paint. I can't remember if it was Menzerna or the now discontinued Optimum polishes that stuck like glue after 10 seconds of buffing.

If the test spot looks good, you need that level of correction, and you're not finding that the product is sticking to the paint while polishing then go for it.

Are you planning on following it up with a second step? I've never had M105 finish down well enough for LSP. I'm sure someone has but my guess is they may have different standards than I do. I find it hard to believe that it'll finish down nice enough on Subaru paint.

Yeah, it finished down fine IMO. I tested it with the 205 and 3D Speed and it looked just as good. The biggest problem with my paint is it has orange peel but no swirls or scratches. I think I will save the 105 for correction and use the 205 for polishing with the Cyan pad. I was just looking for a quicker 2 pass option.

[2black1s]

Trying to speed up the process a little at polishing my paint with the PC (mine is older pre XP). Would the combo of Megs 105 and LC 5" Cyan pads work good with the PC for a polish or would it be to abrasive on my softer Subaru paint? I've done a test spot and it came out good. Just thinking that the PC is not that powerful and this might reduce my passes with more abrasive combo. I run the PC on 6.

You've answered your own question with the sentence I bolded.

[dwaleke]

no swirls or scratches.

Not very often you need to 2 step something with no swirls or scratches. Stick with your M205 or 3D Speed.

What are your goals with the car?

If you want to cut down on number of passes just do fewer passes with M205. It's a SMAT polish so you can work it as little or as long as you want. And since you are not trying to correct swirls or scratches I don't think it'll take very long at all to make it glossy and shiny.

[jem7sk]

Not very often you need to 2 step something with no swirls or scratches. Stick with your M205 or 3D Speed.

What are your goals with the car?

If you want to cut down on number of passes just do fewer passes with M205. It's a SMAT polish so you can work it as little or as long as you want. And since you are not trying to correct swirls or scratches I don't think it'll take very long at all to make it glossy and shiny.

Yeah, that makes sense now that I think about it. I was just trying to cut down on time spend polishing. I'll try a big section with both and see which ones turn out the best.

My biggest concern is will it actually remove a lot of clear being a PC? My guess is no.

[dwaleke]

My biggest concern is will it actually remove a lot of clear being a PC? My guess is no.

Will M105 remove more clear than M205? Yes. Will it remove too much? Hard to say without measuring before and after on a test spot using the process you plan to use on the whole car.

Personally I think the concern over removing clear is a little over blown and causes more worry than it really should. Especially if you are working on your own cars. Once you correct them once you should not be putting major defects back into them so only polishing that removes very little clear should ever be needed afterward.

I always measure paint thickness before/after when I do more than just a light polish and very little clear comes off the car typically. And many times the difference is within the margin of error of my gauge. I understand that may not be everyone's experience though and perhaps they are doing very heavy corrections with a process that can really remove clear at a high rate.

I do subscribe to using the least amount of aggressiveness necessary to get the job done properly. That is more from the perspective that typically the less aggressive method is also easier to work with, faster to finish, and produces better finishing results.

I would choose which polish to use based on paint condition, desired results, ease of use, etc. M205 is much easier to work with than M105. M205 will dust a lot less than M105. M205 will leave a better finish. M105 will correct defects quicker, but will also leave some of it's own.

The tool you are using is not very aggressive itself. The pad is another factor as well as your technique with the tool.

[Eldorado2k]

I run the PC on 6.

I don’t own a PC, but can’t imagine the need to run any polisher on speed 6 unless I was trying to sand headlights on Corvette or something similarly impossible.

[fly07sti]

I don’t own a PC, but can’t imagine the need to run any polisher on speed 6 unless I was trying to sand headlights on Corvette or something similarly impossible.

Get your hands on one with a decent sized pad and you will understand my friend.
Great machine for soft/finicky paints and for applying wax. Don’t get me wrong, you can cut with one if it’s paired with a MF cutting pad. Just don’t be in a rush.

[jem7sk]

I don’t own a PC, but can’t imagine the need to run any polisher on speed 6 unless I was trying to sand headlights on Corvette or something similarly impossible.

This is the recommended speed per Mike Phillips. He says to apply the product on speed 4 and then bump up to speed 6. I guess it is that underpowered, yet it does a great job polishing, it just takes longer. I was hoping to speed up the process with more abrasive compounds and pads. I guess I will have to experiment as there are not a lot of folks here who use them.

The PC does a great job with 3" pads for correction for sure.

[jem7sk]

Personally I think the concern over removing clear is a little over blown and causes more worry than it really should. Especially if you are working on your own cars. Once you correct them once you should not be putting major defects back into them so only polishing that removes very little clear should ever be needed afterward.

Yes, and this has lead me to consider using more abrasive materials because I was always so afraid of easily going through the clear but I've recently seen tests where it is very hard to do that if you use the tool correctly.

I've also realized that my major complaint with my paint is the orange peel but I can live with it. I don't have any swirls. I'll use the 205 to polish and save the 105 for any small defects that may occur and need to be spot treated. It seems the only way to get rid of orange peel is with wet sanding or using the CarPro denim pads. I think I'll live with it.

[fly07sti]

This is the recommended speed per Mike Phillips. He says to apply the product on speed 4 and then bump up to speed 6. I guess it is that underpowered, yet it does a great job polishing, it just takes longer. I was hoping to speed up the process with more abrasive compounds and pads. I guess I will have to experiment as there are not a lot of folks here who use them.

The PC does a great job with 3" pads for correction for sure.

It really is a great tool. If you’re not in a hurry or pressed for time, there’s no reason to get a more powerful machine. Especially if you’re working on softer paints. I’d also suggest if you wanted to speed things up, use a MF pad to do a couple of cutting passes then polish with the pad of your choice. I’d recommend trying out some Rupes Mille yellow pads as well.
I agree that with a 3” BP they can do a lot!

[jem7sk]

It really is a great tool. If you’re not in a hurry or pressed for time, there’s no reason to get a more powerful machine. Especially if you’re working on softer paints. I’d also suggest if you wanted to speed things up, use a MF pad to do a couple of cutting passes then polish with the pad of your choice. I’d recommend trying out some Rupes Mille yellow pads as well.
I agree that with a 3” BP they can do a lot!

Yeah, every time I want to upgrade I realize it does everything I need. I'll check out that Rupes Mille Yellow Pad too. What compound do you recommend with the MF pad?

[fly07sti]

I like CarPro Ultracut, Sonax Cut Max and Griots Fast Correcting compound. In that order.
You can also pair a MF pad with a polish like HyperPolish and make a pretty stout 1 step and can be aggressive where you need it to be.

[The Guz]

Yes, and this has lead me to consider using more abrasive materials because I was always so afraid of easily going through the clear but I've recently seen tests where it is very hard to do that if you use the tool correctly.

I've also realized that my major complaint with my paint is the orange peel but I can live with it. I don't have any swirls. I'll use the 205 to polish and save the 105 for any small defects that may occur and need to be spot treated. It seems the only way to get rid of orange peel is with wet sanding or using the CarPro denim pads. I think I'll live with it.

If it’s factory paint with orange peel leave it alone. If it’s repainted then the denim pads are an option. Just keep in mind that they do a pretty good job but wet sanding will be even better. It’s an alternative for those that aren’t confident I. Their wet sanding technique. Also have plenty of denim pads as they load up fast. I just went through this process in my repainted car.

With that said M205 is pretty versatile and it’s cut can be adjusted with any pad. The downside to it is that it doesn’t always finish out on softer paints. Still a good polish.


I like CarPro Ultracut, Sonax Cut Max and Griots Fast Correcting compound. In that order.
You can also pair a MF pad with a polish like HyperPolish and make a pretty stout 1 step and can be aggressive where you need it to be.

All good options right here.