Problems with Meg's 105

[scjshaylen]

I have Meg's 105 and 205. I've used them both on both of my cars. I've used the 105 with an orange pad, but it always seems to dry out / clump up on me. I don't have that problem with the 205, that works well. I have a Flex 3401 DA, start of on speed 2, then once I have the specified area covered, I move to speed 4. Any advice?

Thanks,
Steve

[FinalTouchAuto]

105 works VERY quickly and typically begins to dry out/dust on me starting the 3rd pass. 205 has a longer work time.

If it's clumping on you I would suggest cleaning your pad more frequently or changing pads.

[scjshaylen]

Will spritzing the pad with water help any??

[ICEMAN]

one reason i enjoy working with 4" pads more than the bigger pads b/c on curevd surfaces, you dont throw as much dust or clumps off the pad.

[jakerooni]

Will spritzing the pad with water help any??

From my experience no... It'll make it worse. 105 like a very dry pad from what I've found. you're best bet is to clean/change pads more frequently.

[FinalTouchAuto]

I haven't experienced a lightly dampened pad making 105 worse, but I also haven't noticed it cutting down on dusting much (if at all). It's just the nature of the beast.

[akimel]

Check out this recent thread (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/26824-problem-working-meguiar-s-m105-ultra-compound.html).

[AV8R]

I'm a noob with 105, but with a 5.5" pad I've done my entire crew cab F250 longbox using 105 and a very light spray of distilled water for the 4,5,6 passes (when needed) No issues and the truck looks like a million bucks. 105 followed by 205. Speed 6 right from the get-go. Griot's DA

[FinalTouchAuto]

That must've taken forever to go over an F250 with 5.5" pads. Well done, ha ha.

Edit- oh, and another thing to try if you are not getting enough work from it on a section is to reduce the size of the area that you are working. Instead of doing a 2'x2' area try doing a 16"x16" area or something like that.

[AV8R]

That must've taken forever to go over an F250 with 5.5" pads. Well done, ha ha.

Not too bad, really. Tailgate was 30 minutes, pass side (no hood) was 2.5 hours and driver side with hood was about 3.25 hours total including sealing. I have the roof left now...maybe 30 minutes and I'm done. I did 4-6 passes of 105 then 205 over the entire truck. My shoulders are still sore. :):xyxthumbs:

[FinalTouchAuto]

Hmmm, that's somewhat incredible, ha ha. I don't see how you made 4-6 total passes on a truck in about 6 hours.

I spent 3 hours doing a single pass across a neon I just detailed with 105 :P

[Mike Phillips]

I've used the 105 with an orange pad, but it always seems to dry out / clump up on me.


Short buffing cycle is a common problem people have with M105, I've posted here before that I was surprised we didn't see a new and improved version at SEMA last year.

The topic comes up so often that I'm confident the fine folks at Meguiar's are aware of the issue and it will be addressed in due time. My guess is the longer stroke of the Flex 3401 as compared to the short stroke of a DA Polisher or the direct rotating action of a rotary buffer won't help the characteristics.

Here's a brand new article I just wrote on the topic of working in warm/hot weather but some of these same tips will help with working with M105 and a Flex 3401

Tips for working in warm/hot weather or direct sunlight (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tips-techniques-how-articles-interacting-discussion-forums/26961-tips-working-warm-hot-weather-direct-sunlight.html)



The best tip would be to shrink the size of your work area down, from the above article, here is why...




Shrink your work area down to a smaller size...
Anytime a product becomes difficult to work with, one tip you can try is to shrink down the size of your work area. This means you spread the product out over a smaller area and because you're engaging the working film of product over the area more quickly as you move the polisher there's less time for the product to dry.




Also, if you don't have a pad conditioner, you might try using one especially when using a dense pad like a foam cutting pad.


I've seen this clumping phenomena with the Flex 3401 and other products too and again this has to do with the longer stroke. The stroke or orbit of the Flex 3401 is about 3/4 of an inch.


:)

[scjshaylen]

Thanks for all the replies. Just comforting to know it not just me!!

[kronos]

Hmmm, that's somewhat incredible, ha ha. I don't see how you made 4-6 total passes on a truck in about 6 hours.

I spent 3 hours doing a single pass across a neon I just detailed with 105 :P


I think he considers this a single pass:

>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<

So he probably did this 5 to 6 times per section alternating between lateral and longitudinal passes.

[kronos]

I have Meg's 105 and 205. I've used them both on both of my cars. I've used the 105 with an orange pad, but it always seems to dry out / clump up on me. I don't have that problem with the 205, that works well. I have a Flex 3401 DA, start of on speed 2, then once I have the specified area covered, I move to speed 4. Any advice?

Thanks,
Steve

I would stick to an 18" x 18" area or less. Maybe do about 4 passes per section and that should do the trick. M105 is tricky to work with, but once you figure it out, oh boy! You're going to love it.