MF System in Review - '73 Charger and '95 Firebird

[PorscheGuy997]

Hey everyone,

First of all, it is truly an honor to be one of the test candidates for the Meguiar's Microfiber DA System. This new line pushes the boundaries of what was previously possible with a DA polisher.

So, what do these pads look like?
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2892/20124331.jpg

The cutting pad vs finishing pad thickness:
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/181/21856290.jpg

Microfiber from afar:
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/1489/58452672.jpg

Macro:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6363/41723316.jpg



The first test vehicle was a '73 Dodge Charger in B5 Blue that I completed back in November. To say that the test conditions were not ideal was an understatement. The forecast called for 55 and sunny. In reality, it was 45 and cloudy with a bit of wind.

The owner recently purchased this vehicle and wished to bring it up to a higher standard. Overall, the paint was in good condition, albeit a little thick (15mils+). There were some minor swirls, but nothing terrible.

Because the paint was so thick, I decided to do a bit of sanding on the trunk to level it a bit better.
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/3292/94028118.jpg

To push the boundaries of the pad, I sanded the area with 1500 Unigrit disks.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8184/50527894.jpg

I primed a 5" MF cutting pad with the D300 DA Compound on my trusty 7336.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5451/87957192.jpg

Not bad!
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/2198/94510944.jpg

It was quickly apparent that these pads LOVE pressure. You can really bear down on the pads and it will remove 1500 grit sanding marks. Plus, there are no holograms or middle steps. For most vehicles, you can turn a two step polishing session into a single step. This is definitely a huge time saver.

After one more pass:
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5488/69902459.jpg

It looked like the body shop forgot to sand out a section of the front quarter. The texture was not even close to the other areas.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5876/88208045.jpg

Using a Unigrit 1500 / 3000 process, I leveled the paint to match the texture.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/9715/56788109.jpg

Added three dots of polish to a pre-primed pad and set to work
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/563/79952981.jpg

Perfect!
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3947/27740110.jpg

Texture is gone and gloss was improved.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8425/43526534.jpg

We also polished up the rest of the car to remove any remaining swirls.
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/1222/79776573.jpg

This is how paint should look:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8872/70522875.jpg

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/52/18002903.jpg


In early January, I drove up to Indy to meet up with a good friend of mine, Paul S (2old2change). He's the proud owner of a cherry '95 Firebird Convertible. The convertible top looks like it has never seen a drop of rain!

There were two areas of concern. The hood and trunk had more orange peel than normal. Because this car is not driven frequently, we decided to take off a little and match it to the other parts of the car.

Trunk:
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/112/68737639.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3353/70056414.jpg

After 1500 / 3000 and some polishing:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6156/44687792.jpg

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/400/58286004.jpg

Primed and ready for polishing:
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/254/61376868.jpg

Everyone is a sucker for the 50/50 shots. Here's the hood after some 1500 grit sanding:
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6435/22701878.jpg

After some leveling and polishing:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2645/89195918.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2444/64353439.jpg

The Firebird responded very well to the 5" MF cutting pads and D300 DA compound. There was a tiny bit of hazing after the initial cutting step (much less than a rotary compounding), but it was quickly removed with a MF finishing pad and M205.

Notes:
What can I say? I am a firm believer in the power of a DA polisher, but this new system takes it to eleven. It may take a bit longer to remove the deeper defects, but you end up eliminating the middle step (holograms and hazing). Comparing the MF cutting pads to the Surbuf system is a bit tricky. The Surbuf pads will level quicker, but the Meguiar's MF system will finish better and last longer (no shedding fingers). Also, you can use one pad to do an entire car.

This is what a pad looks like after polishing an entire car and then cleaned with a bit of compressed air:
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7853/50096276.jpg

Looks almost like new!

Of the two pad sizes, I found the 5" MF cutting pads to be far superior in the sever defect removal category. It takes less passes to remove the same amount of defects compared to the 6" MF cutting pads. However, If I were polishing out an entire car with mild defects, I would get the 6" MF cutting pads to save some time. For the finishing pads, I didn't notice much of a difference. The purpose is to get the finish to an absolutely perfect state. In theory, the 6" MF finishing pads would finish better because it will absorb more of the DA's energy. Both work great.

The 3" cutting pads are sweet! I really like them for edge work. It makes it much easier to polish in tight spots, too.

I have done a few comparisons between foam pads and the MF finishing pads. From my experience, the MF pads seem to produce a higher quality finish than any of my foam pads.

For those paranoid about any filling, I did a wipe down after each step using undiluted glass cleaner. No defects returned.

This system is really easy to use. Even for beginners, this is a safer option that can accomplish more. If there is a learning curve, it is a realization that the pads must be primed and pressure must be added. Not too hard.

In summary:
- Be sure to prime that pad!
- Don't be afraid to really add some extra pressure
- Clean the pad often with a spritz of water and compressed air
- MF finishing pads finish better than foam

I would once again like to thank Meguiar's and Jason Rose for giving me the opportunity to test such an outstanding product line. I also need to thank Mick and Paul for letting me test these products on their cars.

-Chris Dasher

[serenity]

Awesome review!

[jwellsii]

Nice Charger. It looks like a 72 not a 73:dunno:

[C. Charles Hahn]

Very nice results! I'm curious, were you able to stop the MF pads from rotating under pressure? If so, was the PCXP a significant improvement over the 7336 in that regard with this system in particular?

[Shane731]

Absolutely amazing. I may have to try this out just for the heck of it. I am kinda confused though as to how you cleaned the pad? No product buildup or anything of that sort? Just water and compressed air? Please tell me more!

[C. Charles Hahn]

Absolutely amazing. I may have to try this out just for the heck of it. I am kinda confused though as to how you cleaned the pad? No product buildup or anything of that sort? Just water and compressed air? Please tell me more!

There's a thread over on MOL that outlines the cleaning procedure with compressed air.... ;)

[PorscheGuy997]

I really appreciate the comments, guys!


I'm curious, were you able to stop the MF pads from rotating under pressure? If so, was the PCXP a significant improvement over the 7336 in that regard with this system in particular?

From my experience, it's pretty easy to stop the pad from rotating. However, the pad will still remove a lot of defects with almost no rotation. I found that if you lessened the pressure and allowed the polisher to rotate (7336, 7424XP, and G110V2), the defect removing capabilities were greatly reduced.

There are a couple things going on that need explaining. First, the microfiber pad has so much surface area as compared to a foam pad. This will cause some drag. Second, it was fairly cold. This meant that the compound was a bit thicker than normal (not D151 thick, but close). I find that this system works best at temperatures above 65.

The real reason why I keep using this beat up 7336 is because it is light and comfortable. Sure, I've used a G110, G110V2, Griots, and 7424XP, but I find the size of the older polisher to be better for my use. There is less power, but it really doesn't phase me. I zone out and focus on the polishing, not how much time it took to get it done. In fact, the one polisher that stuck out was the G110V2 because it vibrated much less than the others.


I am kinda confused though as to how you cleaned the pad? No product buildup or anything of that sort? Just water and compressed air? Please tell me more!

Just mist the used pad with water and then use an air gun to spin the product out of the pad. It really doesn't take much and the pads look almost like new. Although you don't have to get every last bit of compound out of the pad, I don't like to leave any variables to chance.

[SeaJay's]

Great review! I'm going to have to pick up this system!

[DARK HORSE]

Great review, thanks for sharing!

[Klink10]

Great review and thanks for clarifying some questions. On a side note, would you be able to use the compound for correction and then follow with say a different product as the LSP? I would like to use a sealant (Duragloss) and was wondering about compatability issues. I did not see where you indicated what you used for a protective layer other than the test of the entire Meguiar's system which would then answer my question. TIA

[PorscheGuy997]

Would you be able to use the compound for correction and then follow with say a different product as the LSP?

Absolutely! I prefer to get the finish as perfect as possible before adding any protection. M205 works well with the finishing pads, too.

We put a coat of sealant over the Charger, but left the Firebird bare.

[Klink10]

Thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Nice review Chris and awesome results!

Paul is a great guy and a good friend, looks like the paint on his car is still wet...


:xyxthumbs:

[C. Charles Hahn]

From my experience, it's pretty easy to stop the pad from rotating. However, the pad will still remove a lot of defects with almost no rotation. I found that if you lessened the pressure and allowed the polisher to rotate (7336, 7424XP, and G110V2), the defect removing capabilities were greatly reduced.

There are a couple things going on that need explaining. First, the microfiber pad has so much surface area as compared to a foam pad. This will cause some drag. Second, it was fairly cold. This meant that the compound was a bit thicker than normal (not D151 thick, but close). I find that this system works best at temperatures above 65.

The real reason why I keep using this beat up 7336 is because it is light and comfortable. Sure, I've used a G110, G110V2, Griots, and 7424XP, but I find the size of the older polisher to be better for my use. There is less power, but it really doesn't phase me. I zone out and focus on the polishing, not how much time it took to get it done. In fact, the one polisher that stuck out was the G110V2 because it vibrated much less than the others.

Awesome... thanks for you answers! Especially interesting to hear that the system is best above 65F... it means it probably won't be a great choice for those of us in northern climates who detail through the winter season (even in my heated shop, it's tough to get much over 50-55). We'll just have to keep resorting to our foam and M105/205 when the temps get colder.

[PorscheGuy997]

[QUOTE=Shiny Lil Detlr;421668]Especially interesting to hear that the system is best above 65F... it means it probably won't be a great choice for those of us in northern climates who detail through the winter season./QUOTE]

Oh, I would not step back to foam pads.

My opinion is that the compound is too thick. Yes, it has been tested and tweaked so that it works with the pad. However, I like a thinner product (not M205 thin, but something close) that deals with the cooler temps a bit better.

You can always use any of the other compounds, too.